The ghostly figure of Sigrún stood next to me.
Her words flashed in my mind. Your weakness is that you jump too quickly. Learn restraint. It will save that which you love most.
She disappeared Was that what this was about?
I gritted my teeth, eyeing the terrifying beasts that leapt and snarled. More links broke on the chains, snapping on one side of the metal rings. If the beasts let up tension on their lines, their chains would slip free of the broken links.
The desire to jump off the pedestal and fight my attackers was so strong that my muscles cramped and ached. The fear was a sickening acid in my stomach.
Something warm glowed at my side. I looked over. Mayhem fluttered there, pressed against me. Her presence gave me strength, settling my heart a bit. It still felt like it might break my ribs, but at least it wouldn’t break out of my chest.
Mayhem shot a blast of fire, then jumped, startled. Still wasn’t used to the new dragon magic, it seemed.
Her fire surprised one of the beasts, which shrank backward. The slack loosened his restraint, allowing the chain to slip free of the half broken loop.
A lightning bolt of fear struck me as the monster jumped, hurtling right for me, ready to tear out my throat.
Everything in me screamed to fight. Every muscle and bone and sinew. But I held still, my mind buzzing with fear.
Pain and heat burst at my back, a strange sensation of something exploding out of my shoulder blades. I screamed, instinct propelling me upward.
I shot out of the water like a rocket. Cold air whipped past my hair, my shoulders, my wings.
Wings?!
I looked back, catching sight of massive silver wings spread out behind me. I was a hundred feet up in the air, my wings holding me aloft.
Holy fates.
I had wings.
Valkyrie wings.
My breath caught. I flew high into the sky, gritting my teeth at the pain in my wings but forcing myself to ignore it and fly higher. This was amazing. In my chest, my magic felt more complete, more whole.
I did a loop-de-loop, the land soaring by under me. I caught sight of Cade, his face turned toward the sky and awe in his expression.
I slowed, landing in front of him and the Valkyrie. My wings still hurt like the devil, but hopefully that would go away.
“Well done.” Sigrún stepped forward. “You completed the first test.”
“I didn’t expect to get wings.”
“All Valkyrie have wings. Now you have yours. They will help you anchor your power and give you control. But you are not finished yet. There is one last challenge you must complete for the pain in your wings to fade and for you to keep them permanently.”
“What is it?”
“You must prove yourself worthy of your wings by using them in battle, and you must do it soon. Else you will lose your wings, and the pain will stay.”
I swallowed hard, nerves skating through me. “And I won’t be able to control my magic. Eventually I’ll lose it, and my soul.”
“Precisely.”
Panic rose in my chest, but I swallowed hard, trying to force it away. Panic had never gotten me anywhere in life. I could do this—whatever the challenge was, I could do it. “You said I have to use my wings in a battle, fighting for what is right?”
“Yes.”
“But do you have any idea what battle?”
“No. Only that you must prove yourself worthy, which is not easy. Facing one’s fears is never easy. Mastering one’s own weaknesses is even harder.”
I stored that tidbit away for later. “I think that maybe I have to fight the Rebel Gods.”
Understanding glinted in Sigrún’s eyes. “Yes. That is possible. Have they been trying to find you?”
“Yes.” Excitement drummed in my chest. I caught Cade’s eyes, and he looked keenly interested, as well. “Do you know who they are? They’re hunting me and my sister. I know they’re dangerous, but I don’t know what they want exactly. Or who they are.”
Sigrún nodded. “I think this may be how you will get to keep your wings. You must win a victory against them, but it won’t be easy. The Rebel Gods are exactly what their name suggests. They are gods from various pantheons who disagree with the other gods’ decision to create the DragonGods.”
“Why?”
“They’re purists. They don’t believe that godly magic should be shared with mortals. They want it all for themselves. When the first DragonGods were created thousands of years ago, the Rebel Gods formed their own faction, breaking away from their pantheons. They come from all the ancient religions. Norse, Greek, Hindu, Phoenician, Native American, and many more. They have one goal—to find the DragonGods and steal their power, using it for their own evil deeds.”
“And that’s why they’ve hunted us. They’re the ones my mother was hiding from.” A dark desire for vengeance rose in my chest.
They’d killed my mother.
“Exactly. After the last DragonGod died three hundred years ago, they lay low. They have their own magic, but not enough to fuel their work. But when you were born, their purpose was revived.”
“What do they do?”
“Their main avenues of interest are murder, enslaving, and kidnapping—all meant to grow their wealth and power. To have influence over the earth and mortals.”
I grimaced.
“If you find them and beat them, I believe that will be enough to prove that you are worthy of your wings. But you must use everything at your disposal. You are not just your wings, and it will take everything you’ve got to beat them.”
“Beat them? Like, kill all of them?”
She laughed. “That is impossible. They are as eternal as the gods or DragonGods. But perhaps you can destroy one of their strongholds that exist in the ether. They use halfway points between the godly realms and the earthly one. These are places where they can walk and so can humans. In rare cases, a god may walk the earth, but it takes great power. Strongholds in the ether are the answer to that.”
“I’ve never heard of them,” I said. This magic was way above my pay grade.
“They are places that should not exist,” she said. “But with great magic, they can be built. From the strongholds, the Rebel Gods send their minions out to do their bidding. If you can destroy one of these places—and the records they contain—then you could save some of the people that they are inevitably trying to hurt. It will set their operation back by months. Maybe years.”
“Okay. I can do that.” I wanted to do that. To put the hurt on these evil jerks.“But where do I find a stronghold?”
Sigrún turned to the Valkyrie who stood behind her. “Gunnr, what do you think?”
Gunnr, a Valkyrie with shining red hair, stepped forward. “Our records suggest that there may be an entrance to a Rebel God stronghold in one of the ancient Phoenician cities. Byblos, Carthage, or Tyre, perhaps. It is hard to say where exactly. You may be able to find the entrance in one of those cities, most likely through a temple, as the Rebel Gods are obsessed with being worshiped.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“You must hurry, though,” Sigrún said. “Your wings will only become more painful. Eventually, you won’t be able to use them at all.”