Chapter Sixteen

Gersemi? Are you here?

Violet opened her eyes. An asphalt plane met her eyeline at an odd angle and her face hurt. Rain hit her skin in stinging torrents. She coughed and swiped the rain from her eyes, attempting to clear her vision.

Beside her, Sif lay in a crumpled heap. A smoldering piece of twisted black metal lay next to the fairy’s tiny, outstretched hand. Her pink shirt and shorts were stained with dirt and detritus. As Violet watched, she shook her head, then recoiled from the wreckage of the former soulblade. Her head swiveled toward Violet and the frost fae pulled herself into a sitting position, looking dazedly around. She shakily rose to her feet and disappeared from Violet’s line of sight.

“Vi!” Peyton’s voice sounded from nearby and she watched as he scrambled on his hands and knees to reach her.

“What happened?” Vi asked. “Peyton, you’re bleeding!”

She sat up, wincing and groaning at the movement. Everything hurt. Her head, her chest, her stomach, her arms, her fingers, her hips, her knees, her toes…

She froze and looked down at her legs. They lay akimbo, bent at uncomfortable angles but not broken. Tentatively, she mentally commanded her feet and legs to move. The response was weak but it was there—she could feel them. She tugged on her pantlegs to straighten her legs, still unable to fully control them but they just felt like they were maybe asleep; that leaden, pins and needle feeling.

Violet gasped and poked at her knee. She flinched—it was sore. But the pain was beautiful. It meant she could feel. It meant…

She would walk again.

Peyton reached her and she cupped his face in her hands, happy tears joining the rain that dripped down her cheeks.

“Are ya okay?” he asked as she checked him over.

He was wet and muddy and had a scraped-up elbow, but otherwise seemed unharmed. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m more than okay,” she replied, smiling so wide her cheeks hurt.

“Vi! Peyton!” Dezzy’s voice rang out behind them as the siren of an ambulance wailed somewhere up the street.

“Where’s Thor?” Violet asked, scanning the parking lot.

Sif and Thor both limped over to them, joining them as Dezzy, Manny, and Taylor reached them.

“What the hell happened?” Dezzy asked, kneeling next to Violet.

“Lightning,” Thor replied. “Lightning struck as we were going to my car. Big ol’ bolt too—not sure exactly where it hit but it flipped that dumpster.”

They all looked where he pointed. Garbage littered the parking lot and the dumpster lay upended in the grass at the edge of the lot. The wrecked soulblade had vanished. A blackened crater existed near the dumpster, which added extra merit to Thor’s claim.

Big little brother was quick on his thinking feet.

“But I had an ambulance on the way,” Manny said. “You didn’t—”

“I wanted to help,” Thor interrupted. “And Violet was having some sort of seizure. We didn’t want to wait for an ambulance.”

Violet nodded in agreement when Dezzy and Manny looked to her for confirmation.

“Are you okay?” Dezzy asked, helping Peyton lift her.

She wrapped her arms around Peyton’s neck and said, “Yes. I think I am.”

The ambulance pulled up to the gym’s front doors and a couple paramedics jumped out. They went inside the building.

“You’re still going to the hospital. Get checked out. We want to be sure you’re okay,” Manny said, motioning for them to follow him. “All of you probably should.”

They made their way to the ambulance and reached it as the paramedics came back out of the building, looking for Violet. Thor and Sif bade her goodbye and went to the gaudy bright blue SUV Thor drove. They agreed to meet up at the hospital.

Peyton set Violet down on the stretcher in the ambulance, joined by Dezzy. The paramedics jumped in and began the quick journey to the hospital. Peyton checked Violet over again, concern creasing his brow as he surveyed the myriad new injuries Violet had sustained in the fall. Dezzy watched in worried silence.

After several x-rays, blood work, CT scans, and the acquisition of a new wheelchair, Violet and Peyton were cleared to leave. Sif and Thor waited in the parking lot for them. Peyton, Dezzy, and Thor talked about upcoming fights and gym gossip as Thor drove them back to the athletic complex.

Sif sat behind Violet in the third row of the giant SUV. She leaned forward to whisper into Violet’s ear.

“Did it work?”

Violet surreptitiously nodded.

“Can you walk?” Sif asked, her quiet tone hopeful.

“Not yet,” Violet quietly replied.

“But you can feel your legs again?”

Violet nodded. Sif sat back, smiling. She met Thor’s eyes in the rearview and nodded. He laughed at something Dezzy said and smacked the steering wheel, his mirth less to do with the conversation he had with the other men and more to do with the apparent success of the mission.

*****

Peyton helped Violet out of his truck as Dezzy pulled into the spot next to him. To Violet’s surprise, Manny waited at the door for them. Violet wheeled herself toward him, Peyton and Dezzy in tow.

“Glad they let you come home!” Manny cheerily called as they reached him.

“Not as glad as I am,” Violet replied, grinning.

“You took quite a spill, kid,” Manny said, gently brushing a stray strand of her hair away from an abrasion on her cheek.

“I’m tough,” Violet chuckled as Dezzy opened the door for them.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

They went inside together and the men sat on the sofas while Violet wheeled herself into the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water for herself and three bottles of beer for the guys. She handed them their drinks before setting up a spot next to where Peyton sat.

“Okay,” Manny said, popping the top off his beer. He took a swig and continued, “What really happened today?”

Violet and Peyton shared a worried glance.

“What do you mean?” Dezzy asked, also popping the top and swigging.

Manny looked directly at Violet.

“What was that?”

“I’m not quite sure—” Violet began.

“Nope. We’re not playing that,” Manny interjected. “The truth, Vi.”

She really wished Thor or Sif was there. She wasn’t sure what she could or should tell him. But at the same time… It was likely what had happened to her was his fault in the first place. That revelation made her angry.

“I have a better question,” Violet said, smiling sweetly. “How about you tell me what happened, first. Because I wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for you.”

“Vi!” Dezzy barked, suddenly angry.

“She’s right,” Peyton darkly agreed, glowering.

Manny sighed and clasped both his hands behind his head, his eyes downcast.

“I suppose that’s fair,” Manny breathed.

“What?!” Dezzy roared in disbelief. “Would someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?”

Manny took another drink from his bottle and set it back on its coaster in front of him on the coffee table. He looked up and his dark eyes met Violet’s.

“You’re no stranger to the darker side of these sports,” he began, “Neither is he,” he said, nodding at Peyton, then continuing. “I’ve tried my best to keep everything above board and for the most part, I’ve succeeded.”

They waited in patient silence for him to continue. He looked between the three of them.

“The biggest league in the sport wanted to buy me out. Take my team. Make me CEO and turn Phenom into a franchise,” Manny finally said.

“And you turned them down?” Dezzy asked.

Manny nodded and picked up his beer again. He took a long drink and sat back on the couch.

“Phenom is not for sale,” Manny snarled.

“So they went after Violet? Why?” Dezzy exclaimed.

“They didn’t come after me and Tay because I already have a security detail. My house isn’t easy to get into. They also don’t want to be too obvious in their targets. They didn’t go after you and Peyton because that would decrease the team’s value—the Phenom fighters are the ultimate prize they’re after. They’re the revenue generators. The product. But Vi? Vi is replaceable in their eyes,” Manny relayed.

He chugged the rest of his beer and set the empty bottle back on the coaster in front of him.

“So,” he continued as they sat in stunned silence, “They hired a local guy on the cheap to stalk Vi. He ended up developing a rabid crush on her and got caught. Since that didn’t work—they hired professionals. Except something went wrong and Vi is still alive.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Dezzy asked. “Just how much money are we even talking about? What was the cost?”

“They offered $1.5 billion,” Manny replied, meeting Dezzy’s emerald gaze with his dark brown one.

Peyton shrilly whistled and sat back against the couch. Violet also sat back in her chair. Dezzy’s jaw dropped.

Manny turned down the biggest buyout in the history of the sport. It explained how they could afford actual assassins, Violet realized. Assassins with ties to other worlds.

“There is a security team in place around you now,” Manny continued when they remained quiet. “They’re professionals. You won’t know they’re there. They will stay in place until I’ve had a chance to get their attack dogs called off.”

“How much do we owe you?” Dezzy asked. “That can’t be cheap.”

“You owe me nothing. You, Peyton, Gorski, all the guys—you are the reason this team has been a success,” Manny said, turning to look directly at Violet. “Now, it’s your turn.”

Violet took a deep breath as he watched her intently, but stayed silent.

“What the hell was that in your office? And I don’t believe for one second that was a lightning strike in the parking lot,” Manny quietly threw down the gauntlet.

“What do you think it was?” Peyton interceded.

Manny’s gaze shifted to him and he considered him for a moment.

“I don’t have a fucking clue but whatever it was, it was awesome and terrifying at the same time.”

“I can’t tell you,” Violet finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“How much trouble are you in?” Manny candidly queried. “Let me help you.”

“I’m not in trouble,” Violet replied. “They are.”

She looked up from her hands and met Manny and Dezzy’s gazes. They both recoiled slightly. Dezzy stood and stared hard at her. Peyton’s hand rested gently on her forearm.

“Hey Vi,” he softly said, leaning in. “Whatever you’re doin’ with your eyes—maybe bring it down a notch, darlin’.”

Violet closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths. She sat back in the chair and lolled her head back, then rolled her shoulders as she sat forward again. There was a sudden increase in the muscle tension in her shoulders, neck, and back.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw that Manny and Dezzy still watched her. The initial fear in their eyes was gone. Manny leaned forward curiously, his fingers steepled against his lips, his elbows on his knees. Dezzy just looked confused, and maybe, she thought, a little hurt.

“That,” Manny said, pointing at her with his steepled index fingers. “That’s what I’m talking about. What was that, Vi?”

She sighed wearily and arched her back as much as she could in the chair, then rolled her shoulders again. Heat joined the tension and she looked worriedly over at Peyton.

“Please,” she whispered. “Tell Thor and Sif to come here. Now.”

“On it,” Manny said before Peyton had a chance to move, “You just stay with her. Something doesn’t feel right.”

Dezzy went over and knelt next to Violet, still staring at her in disbelief, as if she’d suddenly become a stranger to him. It hurt something deep within her chest.

She reached for him, heartened when he accepted her grasp.

“Everything has been so chaotic, so crazy, so… I just…” she took a deep breath as the odd tension in her upper back increased again, “I didn’t have a chance to tell you yet but I will tell you if I survive this. Whatever—whatever is happening now, just know that I’m eternally grateful, that I love you, and that I’m still me.”

A split second later, Sif appeared out of thin air directly in front of Violet. Manny dropped his phone in disbelief, the small glass and plastic contraption landing on the floor with a sickening, dull cracking noise. Dezzy fell backwards, crabwalking away from the frost fae.

“She’s fledging,” Sif excitedly said to Peyton. “Mab’s starry eyes, she’s fledging!”

Peyton nodded and asked, “What do ya need me ta do?”

“We don’t have time,” Sif lamented. “I’m taking her now. But I promise—I’ll bring her right back when it’s over.”

“What? No! God dammit, no!” Peyton roared, grabbing onto Vi’s arm. “I just got her back and ya ain’t fuckin’ takin’ her away again!”

There was a thunderous cracking sound and the room was suddenly filled with blinding white light. Thor stood there, grinning like a madman.

“Finally!” he crowed.

“No!” Peyton repeated, glaring at them both in turn.

“Just take her someplace outside the city, Sif. It’ll be fine. Bring her right back here as soon as it’s done,” Thor said. “And take the kid. He can help her when it’s over.”

Sif nodded once and grabbed onto both Vi and Peyton’s arms. To Dezzy and Manny’s utter shock, the three of them just simply vanished.

*****

Both Peyton and Violet landed in a tangled heap somewhere in Red Rock Canyon. Scrub brush and cacti dotted the immediate terrain and Violet realized they were hidden from view by sheer rock faces on all sides. The sun had set and the full moon hung low and red in the sky, just above one of the ridges.

Violet cried out as the tension in her upper back redoubled and the heat dialed up to damn near unbearable.

“Sif, what’s happening to me?” she hoarsely rasped, turning to look at the fae.

She smiled widely, the expression eerily out of place on her visage. She was normally grumpy and serious or murderously angry with Violet.

“You’re fledging,” Sif said, then happily clapped her hands and spun in a circle. “You’re finally fledging! You’re a Valkyrie! Gersemi is back!”

She jumped into the air and instead of falling back down at the apex of the jump’s height, she hung suspended, dragonfly-like wings humming steadily behind her. She rose several feet in the air to look down at Peyton and Violet.

“Stop fighting it, Violet!” she called from her new vantage point.

Peyton ran his hand along her back, across her shoulder blades. The skin beneath her shirt glowed purple; not light like lilac but not dark, like indigo. Just a solid, even-mix-of-red-and-blue kind of purple.

One might even argue that the color of the light that shone through her skin was violet in hue.

“Vi? You still okay?” he asked, wincing as the skin temperature under her clothing spiked, nearly burning him.

Her eyes glowed, a mix of her natural green and the same purple that radiated from her skin.

“Peyton—get back,” she whispered. “Now.”

“But—”

“Trust me!” she hoarsely pleaded. “Trust me.”

Peyton quickly kissed her forehead and bolted for the opposite side of the canyon. Violet waited until he was over a hundred feet away, fighting the sensation that ripped through her upper back.

“Now! Now, Violet, now!” Sif screamed from high above her.

Satisfied that Peyton was clear, Violet sat up, closed her eyes, lifted her chin…

And Violet Jorgensen, Lady Gersemi Valkyrie, fledged. The Raven's Call had finally been heeded.

End Book 1