34 Chapter 34:

〰 Four months later 〰

〰 Hrudra 〰

"Good job, Edya. Again." I order, walking around the young Valkyrie as she nodded and looked over at the empty box. Edya's glamorous pink hair fluttered around her while she out-stretched her hand towards the box on the ground.

She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to control the power thrumming through her. I was impressed with her progress in the last few months and hope that she will so be ready for the field in a little more practice and yoga.

I watched her summon lightning from her palms and strike the box, burning the box and causing it to shot across the small field. A smile rose on my cheeks as I clapped happily and saw her open her silver eyes to look at me.

"I did it twice in a row!" Edya yells happily, her quirky attitude making my tired body feel more alive. I crossed my arms and brushed my hair over my shoulder with a small movement.

"Fantastic, dear. I am so proud of your progress over the time we've had together." I amend with a short nod. "I am more grateful that I wasn't your target like I was mere months ago." I tease causing a blush to rush up to her cheeks.

"I keep saying I'm sorry!" She whines apologetically making me chuckle.

"I know. I'm only teasing." I assure her, turning to grab out water bottles. "Here you go. Once you've rested up a bit. We can continue on." I said with a gentle smile and sipped from my water.

"Um... Master Hrudra could I ask to take the rest of the day off...?" She asks me with a hint of fear as I turned and noticed her looking at the ground.

"Edya. Look at me." I walked over to her and tilted her face up to look at me. Edya's silver eyes looking at me with pure worry, no doubt hearing the stories of my past life from other Valkyries. "There's no need to be afraid of me, Edya. I am not the person you hear about in the rumors you hear. Alright?" I said with a kind smile that seemed to bring back her childish one.

"Okay. I'm sorry, Master Hrudra." She sniffs sadly, tears growing in her eyes when I sighed and hugged the young Valkyrie.

"There's no need to be sorry, dear. You've done so well if you want more days to yourself. All you have to do is ask." I confess to her as she pulled away with a bright grin.

"Yes, Master Hrudra! Thank you again!" Edya collected her things off the ground beside us and quickly left me alone, bidding her farewells. I noticed some other Valkyries that I train in the distance waiting for Edya.

A smile rose on my face at the sight of all of them cheering and going on their fun day together. I don't give out many days, but I am happy they have found each other and are wonderful friends.

I still miss Valrun and the other Valkyries... but I feel as if I am missing something.

Oh well, I couldn't think about that right now. I needed to focus on doing some paperwork for right now.

As I turned away, I heard someone coming by making me glance back and see a familiar Valkyrie nearby. I smiled at her and outstretched my arms to her.

"Lovely to see you Sevetha. I feel like you guys are avoiding me." I huff making her laugh and grasp me in a hug. Her familiar scent making me feel a hundred percent better even though I wasn't sure what was wrong.

"Oh come on! No one is avoiding you! Odin and Freya only wished for me to return for some business. They wouldn't let the others know that you are here or alive." Sevetha says when I pulled away and tilted my head at her.

"What are you talking about? Why wouldn't I be alive?" I giggle, my smile feeling warm yet strange at the same time. Sevetha blinked at me before laughing along with me.

"Oh, you know! You're always doing such dangerous jobs so we never know whether you are alive or not. Thank god you are!" Sevetha says with a carefree spirit as I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I guess that makes sense... Why do I have the feeling you are ly-"

"Sevetha." Freya appeared behind us when we turned and saw her standing there with all her glory. I nodded my head to her and pointed at Sevetha with a large smile.

"Look who came to visit me! It's great to see someone that is apart of my Valkyrie group!" I chuckle with a large smile when Freya tilted her head at me with a small frown.

"Your Valkyries?" She questions causing my mind to click in on what I just said.

"Sorry. I guess that slipped off my tongue. I meant my team, not my Valkyries. Of course, they are allied with you, not me." I correct with an apologetic smile making her nod pleased. Sevetha stared at me with a horrified expression before glaring over at Freya with what seemed like hatred which shocked me.

Why was Sevetha acting so hostile towards Freya?

She's our lord and savior.

She's our leader.

"I believe that it's time for Sevetha and I to get down to business. Please come, Sevetha." Freya says, turning away and beginning to walk away when Sevetha quickly grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

"You need to remember. Remember who brought back your emotions. Remember who Prox-"

"Now now Sevetha." Odin appeared out of nowhere and covered her mouth with her hand. Odin smiled darkly at me as Freya sighed and shook her head.

"Bring her, Odin. We need to speak about what we're going to do about her betrayal." Freya said in a cold manner when Odin nodded and began dragging Sevetha away. She fought back, trying to finish what she was saying as something clicked in my mind.

"Let my Valkyrie go! She hasn't done anything wrong!" I snap, hurrying over to them and pulling Sevetha off of Odin's grasp. They stared at me in shock when Sevetha clutched onto the small cap that covered my shoulders.

"We just had the discussion about who Valkyries belong to." Freya reminds me making me shake my head and glared at her.

"No. I was wrong... Valkyries don't belong to anyone. They follow those who have faith in them." I growl back causing Freya and Odin to look at one another before looking back at me.

"Sevetha has been working with Mira and Kaden to get to you," Freya says, my heart dropping when I turned and looked at Sevetha. She couldn't lie to me, yet I could tell that what Freya said was true without even asking.

"I-Is this true, Sevetha...?" I question, heartbroken that a friend of mine would work with a woman that tortured me many times. I thought that our past would make a lifelong alliance yet... She betrays me this way...?

"Yes... But it's not what you think! S-"

"I think it's time to sentence Sevetha to her trail. Come on." Odin grabbed her arm and steered her away from me. I ignored her words, not believing what I was hearing before Freya walked up to me and placed a hand over my shoulder.

"Don't worry. She will get what she deserves. I've brought more of the medicine you needed." Freya handed me the bottles of purple substance as I smiled thankfully at her and took them from her.

"Thank you. I am not feeling all that well right now so I am going to retire for the night." I admit, seeing the sun being set before Freya nodded and walked away where Odin and Sevetha disappeared.

As I watched her walk away, I couldn't help but what Sevetha said about me forgetting something important. Although she brought a good point...

Since when have I felt emotions?

〰 Proximo 〰

"God damn it!" Mira screamed, throwing papers and folders down on the ground while Sevetha leaned against the wall while nurturing a black eye. She stared down at the ground, trying her hardest to remember what happened in Folkvanger.

I pressed my trembling lips to Hrudra's cold palm. Tubes and needles sticking out of her and helping her breath normally, her vegetable state making her remain in her comatose state forever. Unless we could prove that Freya and Odin have her soul in Folkvanger.

I've prayed, wished, hoped, even sacrificed the vampire who killed her to the gods to allow her to come back to the world. She stilled lived but her soul was long gone.

For the last few months... I've lost all hope on finding her soul.

Kaden has told me that there hasn't been any sight of her soul in hell. He would hear from the others if someone as powerful as Hrudra landed in the fiery pit.

He's contacted other people to find out that her soul was trapped in Folkvanger and that there wasn't any resistance over there. It made me think that she was buried deep within Folkvanger and serving time for her actions.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think Freya and Odin would find out so quickly." Shira sniffs, her brown hair tied in a knot as her hands trembled in front of her. She was the inside person who had told us about the rumors of Hrudra's presence in Folkvanger and helped Sevetha gain access to the golden city.

Though our plan to find out what happened collapsed the second Freya found Sevetha. Sevetha hadn't even seen Hrudra in those thirty minutes she was there, or so she says.

It seems like Freya and Odin wiped her memory and kicked Shira out of Folkvanger. They were more vicious than I thought.

"Don't be sorry, Shira. We should have known." Valrun nodded, her clenched fists apparent. Rogan kept his distance, knowing his mate was ready to hit something and he knew that he was on her shit list. "Folkvanger is controlled by Freya and Odin. It's only reasonable that they knew everything that was happening." She said with a shaky breath when glancing over at Sevetha. "You need to remember what happened." Valrun orders before leaving the room.

"I'm trying. I just can't." Sevetha cries while Mira threw something else across the room and ran a hand through her green hair.

"Please. Leave us for now. Everyone get some rest." I tell them all when some of the tension drained. They left, leaving Rogan and Mira in the room with Hrudra and I. I stared down at her body, hating that the tubes in her mouth were all the was keeping her alive.

If I could go back... I'd kill those gods with every ounce of strength I have.

But now I am reduced to just about as much bed rest as my mate.

"Don't give up hope, Proximo. We will get her back." Mira promises, squeezing my shoulder and left me alone to concoct another plan of hers.

I sighed and leaned my head on Hrudra's cold hand and hoped that she would just come back from this.

"She's a strong one, Prox. She will come back if she fights hard enough." Rogan assures before leaving the room as well. Their words of encouragement just feeling like daggers to my broken heart rather than making me feel better.