Valkyrie Black

Chapter 9: Desmond

Val wondered if she dared to use the tiny palm-sized blade now and test its ability. She gripped the hilt and was heartened to see the small tendril snake out of her wrist, causing the runes to glow in her sight. Just then the warrior let out a scream as the Shadow raked claws along his side opening deep red gashes in his black armor. Val had never seen a Lurker cause physical damage!

 She hesitated for only a second before she took aim and launched her dagger at the largest Lurker, or Thrasher as the runes had indicated, but her throw lacked the power needed to connect solidly. Instead, it passed hilt first through the Shadow’s left side. It still lifted its head to the sky in a silent cry of agony, which the dark warrior took advantage of, slicing his blade through the Shadow’s throat.

The other two Lurkers retreated quickly. Val wanted to go down and retrieve her blade, but was afraid of this dark warrior. However, to her horror, the warrior reached down and picked up her throwing dagger before she could react.

“Come down little reaper. You saved my life, I owe you a life debt.”

Val swung off the roof and slid down a drain pipe, landing on all four in the dark ally. She stood and cautiously made her way to the warrior who held out her dagger.

She took the dagger and asked, “Are you injured?”

“Not for long. Thanks to your distraction, the Thrasher flinched and I could finish it. The Spark took care of the rest, Ancients be praised. But you, young one, how did you see the beast? Most cannot perceive them.”

“The Lurkers are common enough, though there have not been as many recently. I have never seen a Thrasher before.” Val offered.

“Others? Lurkers?” the man asked puzzled.

“The little ones.”

“Ah, the Tempters. They are not something I bother with as they cannot cause direct harm. I had wondered why the numbers were so low in this part of the town. Am I to understand that you, little lady, are the reason?”

“Maybe..”

“How many of the Shadows you call Lurkers have you dealt with?” the man asked curiously.

As Val considered the question, and number appeared in her vision: [ 1460 Lurkers, 1 Thrasher ]

She repeated the numbers aloud.

The man staggered at the number, completely incredulous. “Surely, young miss, you jest. 1460 Scath tempters?” He seemed to consider for a moment before saying, I suppose you could have seen that many. But how many have you struck with your blade?”

As the numbers appeared in her mind, Val recited, 730 Lurkers.”

“A bloody fortune. Girl, you realize my people would pay dearly for such a bounty. That is worth millions of dret to the Surian nobles. Your little dagger - it is newly forged, not one of the rune marked ancient blades. Yet it still seemed to have the same effect. How did one so young learn the entrapment runes?”

“Why?” Val asked, still trying to process the value this man had mentioned.

“I am curious if you are somehow an unknown sister, descended from the daughters of Suria. Surely only a Surian silverblood could make the runes work. Besides, you have no storage crystals, surely you must be using massive amounts of power if you have claimed that many Lurkers. ”

Val shivered. She remembered her father’s words and what his friend had admitted to doing to a silverblood. She clamped her mouth shut and refused to address the topic.

“Fine, keep your small secrets. You saved my life. Perhaps I can repay my debt to you in some way.”

“You live here?” Val asked skeptically. Surely she would have seen him before.

“For now. I have some work to do in the capital city, but will be doing a few jobs in this area.”

“Perhaps you can teach me to use my dagger?” Val asked hopefully.

The man smiled. “That is a simple matter. However, I do not share trade secrets lightly. Only the Spark blessed may learn, for it is they who defend the light, even from the shadows.”

“I don’t understand…”

The man considered her for a long moment. “I have not spoken this much to anyone in a very long time. Most never see me, or if they do, it is the last thing they see. One as young as you should not have to be so wise to the true darkness in this world, but I can see in your eyes that you are already a part of the darkness. Yes… more than one life has been taken by you, young reaper.”

Val shivered at his words. She remembered the boys she had killed, but their deaths didn’t feel wrong. They had done evil things and Val had removed a threat.

“I will consider teaching you… but I have conditions. First, I want to know which spark you have come in contact with. Only those touched by the spark can see the Shadows. The order would not carelessly entrust a child with one but perhaps a parent brought one too close to you. there are also plenty of minor sparks that the order has lost track of, but those are less interesting.”

“What? What do I do? I don’t know what spark is…” Val said innocently.

“Laan amlygu sik” The man pronounced softly, touching two fingers to his forehead, then heart, then crossing his arms, two fingers extended to each shoulder.

The words echoed off the walls of the ally as if the gods themselves has declared them, and before them both, sigils appeared in the air, glowing like illuminated gas vapors. Before Val, a dagger appeared with the point down, wings flaring wide from the hilt.

In front of the man appeared two swords, their tips touching to form an upside-down V with a bright globe below it.

The man gasped, “Reaper indeed. The Dark Angel has not been seen in many generations. That one as young as you should bare this burden is perhaps both fortunate and sad. Beware of the Brotherhood, young one. We believe we were close to recovering the Dark Angel but it was lost again just a few years ago. We feared it was lost to the Brotherhood for good.”

“In time, I will also teach you to protect the identity of your spark. The dark angel is not one who reveals itself easily. One of lower rank would not be able to call forth the rune like I just did once you understand what it is and how it works.

“What about dagger training?” Val asked, not understanding most of what this man said. Her one desire was to learn to use the blade she had spent so much money to possess.

The man nodded, “If you bore any other sigil, I might have been reluctant, but to train the dark angel will be my honor. In memory of Celeana who was like a sister, I will train you personally. You should come with me when my mission here is complete. I cannot guarantee you passage into the capital city of Krellis, but I can take you to the southern outpost, the fort at Loreleis. There I can ensure you are trained while under the protection of the order and also ensure you are cared for. Admittance to Suria is dependent on skill. Outsiders are prohibited except those who possess a spark and can show proficiency can enter.”

Val was moved by this but froze when he said Celeana. Could it be that her mother had been a part of this Order?

“What about my friend, Emma? And Maggie? How will I make money?! I… I..” Val suddenly became very distraught at the idea of leaving the little world she had created for herself. Here she knew how to get coin, where she could get the best deals, and the merchants all knew her by sight.

The man seemed startled by her outburst. “I figured you would be glad to have a place to call home beside the street. I can make no promises for this Emma or Maggie. If they do not have the blessing of the spark, it would be hard to impossible for them to join the Order without giving up their entire lives. Even then, they would be outcasts in Krellis, Suria’s capital. They might be able to live at an outpost like Loreleis, which the elites never visit.  As for you, Spark blessed are always welcome. You may not understand yet but the dark angel is revered in Suria, even if it has not been seen in many generations.”

He paused, clearly deciding how much to tell this young waif of a girl before him. “As for coin, Suria requires nothing from you for training except loyalty. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to invest in business within Suria, take on various missions from the order, and more than make up for your training expenses through various tasks. Plus, unless I am very mistaken, your mother would be Celeana. No one else I know has hair like yours. You will find many things she left for you.”

Val looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears at the thought of her mother. She whispered, “I don’t even know your name.”

He chuckled, “Indeed, I did fail to mention that, didn’t I? You can call me Desmond. I need to return to my mission. If you chose to join me, meet me here in two weeks. Val, I’ll only warn you once. Do NOT reveal any of this to anyone. The secrecy of the order means there is a standing kill order for anyone you tell.”

Val blinked and nodded as Desmond turned and left.