Enid looked around herself and she was sitting in a church again. An effigy of her crucified to a sword dominated the space behind an altar and Father Lyster was standing at a lectern to the left of it. He turned a page in whatever bible he was about to read from and looked to the assembled parishioners including Enid.

“Book 5: Into darkness. And lo the first Daughter of God, the Empress of the Universe, the Hearth of Reality, the Womb of Creation said onto her second begotten daughter. First among her chosen. I cannot stay. For the forces of Hell stab at my side as the Roman spear did at my brother.

It is foreordained that I must fight my brothers and sisters. And on hollowed ground I must fight the first among them, the Lightbringer.

Into darkness I must tread. To my ancestors. To fulfill the Covenant. Into the valley of death and beyond. Only then will I return to my children. Only then will my task be complete.

And Into Darkness our Dark Mother wandered. Into the darkness of her soul. Into the darkness of the past. Into the Darkness of loss. Into the Darkness of her Childhood. In the fires of the forge of her Dark Past she walked for only then would she be ready to receive her father’s message.

So sayeth the Book of Enid.”

The congregation all repeated: ‘So sayeth the Book of Enid.’ Father Lyster looked Enid in the eyes.

“Go into darkness my child. It waits for you.”

Enid woke with a start. She felt slickness on her skin, blood had sweat out of her pores. She heard boisterous voices outside of the building she lay in covered in thick leathers. She looked down and her armor had mended itself and she felt no pain from her previous injuries. The building had leathers pinned tightly over the windows and was pitch black. Enid pushed herself up and stumbled out the door into sunlight. All around her drunken villagers and Vikings were celebrating. She held her arm over her eyes to block out the harshness of the noonday sun until her eyes could adjust. She felt herself lifted up and hugged and spun. She looked down it was one a stranger from the villager. He put her down with a loud laugh and offered her a mug of mead. She took it and chugged it. The dream still burning in her mind.

The whole waking experience felt surreal because her dream had made her feel like she was back in the twenty-first century. Since when did English celebrate with their raiders. She pondered if the mead had gone to her head because she was walking around the village in a daze. She stopped and leaned on one of the walls shaking her head. She noticed the church sitting on a hill. She walked up the path of stones and leaned on the hew tree to catch her breath. Her body was still exhausted from fighting off the demonic wounds. She pushed herself onwards and walked into the church where the priest was preparing for several funerals. Apparently, the fallen angel and Pugmentia had not left the villagers completely unscathed.

“Father?”

The priest jumped and held his chest. Then rushed to help Enid to the alter dais to sit down.

“You should not be up. You were injured by the demons.”

Enid waved her hand dismissively.

“I will be fine in time. The wounds are healed. I need your help.”

“I will do what I can, you must be an angel sent by god if you could defeat such a foe. What can a humble priest do that you cannot?”

“I need more… mundane help. I am looking for myrrh and frankincense. Do you have any?”

“I am sorry I do not, the Bishop has gathered it all to him, saying we do not need such things.”

“That seems odd, doesn’t it father?”

The priest shrugged.

“He is the Bishop.”

“What else has he demanded?”

“Most of our tithes. Our church requires repair, and he cares not.”

Enid frowned and glanced at the roof. She had no love for God at the moment, but her Sarah alter ego had been right, the church was the community. She reached into her pack and pulled out a pouch of golden coins putting them on the floor.

“For your roof. I will have a conversation with your bishop. Please help me up father.”

The priest leaned down and pulled Enid to her feet she waved over her should without looking back and slowly made her way towards the exit. She heard his leather souls slapping the stone floor as she rushed to catch up.

“This is too much.”

“Use it to make the church bigger then, I have little use for them and many more where they came from just make sure it goes to the church and the people and not your fat assed Bishop.”

Enid slowly walked down the hill to the village proper where the celebration was in full swing. She was still in her Atlantean armor. She felt like it might be the only reason she’s walking. She collapsed on one of the benches that had been pulled out of someone’s house and leaned heavily on the table. It wasn’t long before food and another mug of mead were placed down in front of her. She picked at it absently and looked around at the people celebrating a victory over the forces of evil and felt like it was premature her dream stuck with her, and she felt like she had a lot left to do.

Enid rubbed her head. It was aching like someone had put a bullet in it. Which was no exaggeration she’d felt that a few times. Hazel plopped down beside her.

“Moms are you alright?”

“I’m fine, it’s just a headache.”

“You never get sick mom.”

“I think this is more a leftover from a vision from God.”

“What?”

“Never mind hon, go enjoy the celebration, you earned it. If not for you I’d be dinner for some Pugmentia and these people would be dead.”

The celebration went on for many hours. Slowly as the time wore on Enid’s headache faded and as night came on the last vestiges of her weakness faded and she felt like herself again. Halvd sat down across from her he was less drunk than his men, but he wasn’t feeling much pain. Enid smiled at him.

“Having fun King Halvd?”

“Hah, yes. Quite the party. It is like we’re back home.”

“I…have a request. There is a bigger settlement on the shores up ahead. A much bigger church. The Bishop has been gathering all of their ritual supplies…and tithes. You will likely get the biggest haul from the season there. Might be risky, and I can go alone…but I you want to do some small justice while you’re raiding, that would be the place.”

“For the Valkyrie that killed Fenris anything!”

“There is danger to your men and women.”

“There is always danger my lover. But with danger comes the prize.”

Enid smiled at him.

“You remind me of a pirate I knew once. Used to call me the red scourge when I sailed with him.”

“You are a woman of many pasts and many talents.”

He tugged on her hand, and she pulled it back.

“I’m sorry Halvd, I’m still injured from Fenris. When we return home, I will ensure you do not want for company. Just give me time to heal.”

He looked disappointed but nodded.

*****

The information from the priest had been good. The town on the shore was home to a large stone church and attached buildings. The town itself had a large wooden wall. Enid went in first having been the one to suggest the raid and she slipped over the wall and one by one took out the guards from the shadows. This was no village it had an organized guard and patrols. It was far from lightly defended. Using her dagger she flitted about in altered time killing and hiding the bodies of many guards. She silently hoped she wasn’t altering the timeline with this action, but she’d killed a giant wolf within eyesight of an entire village worth of people, so she was long past worrying too much about timeline disruption. She finally lept up to the belfry and cut the bell rope, tying it off on one of the railings. There would be no warning. She jumped down to the ground and gathered the shadows around herself once more.

She explored the sleeping village and church grounds. She found the Nun’s cloister and used a board to block the door. She did the same with the Order Militant barracks. It wouldn’t hold for long, but it would delay them enough and if they broke out of the windows, they or the door they would do so into an ambush. She flitted back out to the wall and climbed up it. She picked up one of the torches and started waving it. Within minutes the Vikings rushed the gate meeting no resistance. She jumped down and met Halvd. She pointed to the soldier’s barracks.

“The Order Militant Barracks is there. I’ve barred the door, but they will get up. Make sure you have men ready to intercept them. The rest of the guards that I could find are dead. I’ll take the church alone.”

Halvd blinked down at her and nodded. Enid separated from the main group leaving Hazel to fight by their side and kicked in the church doors. A few priests had been trying to bar them. She grabbed one and lifted him up by the neck. She had no intent to kill them, but she did need the spices and herbs from their stocks to create a new portal. She spoke in the English of the time.

“Where do you keep your rite materials?”

He refused to speak, and she tossed him aside she finally found the bishop and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

“Your rites materials!”

“This is a house of God!”

“I know and I don’t care. Where are they?”

He pointed to a door that was locked.

“Open it.”

She tossed him at the door with ease. He shook his head and spread himself across it.

“Fine.”

Enid threw him to the ground and kicked the door in. It was nighttime. There wasn’t much that could bar her way. She pulled out her tablet and began scanning. The priest had been right he had a massive stockpile. She grabbed the four jars she needed then started grabbing the golden religions icons and trinkets, dumping them into her pack. She turned down to the bishop.

“The tithe you’ve been stealing from all the churches to line your pockets where is it? Where is the lockbox?”

He scrambled away and she stood over him grabbing his chin and looked into his eyes.

“The lockbox and the key. Show me.”

He twitched once then stood and led her to a room at the back of the church and pulled a chest out and unlocked it. She opened the lid and looked inside it was piled high with coins. She slammed it shut and locked it then shoved it in her pack. She met his gaze again.

“You should probably pray for forgiveness; You’ve been a naughty boy. Maybe by dawn he might have forgiven you.”

The overweight bishop fell to his knees with a sickening thud and started praying fervently. Enid shook her head and left he room and found herself being blocked by a priest. He was holding a cross out. She was tired of this lot already, she reached out her hand and flicked her wrist. The priest went flying several feet and skidded along the ground. The rest of the clergy scrambled out of her way and began to cross themselves. It amused her that they would go on about hunting witches then kill a bunch of mortals yet when they ran into a real monster, they pissed themselves. As she left the front door a cloaked figure landed in front of her and drew a silver blade. She recognized it as one she had crafted immediately. A seer, she could even tell who it was because each blade was unique to a seer. This was Calis. One of her first. Enid didn’t have time for her, so she waved her hand and smacked her against the church wall with telekinesis and moved on. The raid was going well. She saw Hazel ahead of her.

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She sensed an attack and moved to the side and Calis’s silver sword went whizzing by and hit Hazel in the chest. Hazel went down Enid rush to her. Hazel was coughing up blood. Two of the other raiders rushed to her. Enid didn’t know how bad the wound was beyond the blood. She felt a weapon pierce her shoulder. The only thing she saw were Hazel’s wide terror filled pleading eyes.

“Help me mom.”

Hazel’s head lulled backwards. Enid only saw red afterwards. Calis had always been an egotistical narcissist who would kill first then ask questions. She should not have been so dismissive of the threat she posed. Enid would never be sure if she were angrier at Calis, or herself. She had been reckless with flaunting her powers of course the Seers heard about her. But that was all lost in her rage.

She ripped her black cloak off flinging the silver dagger away with it. Calis was charging at her with another blade she slid as she tried to stop her momentum in the mud that was slick with blood. She started to scramble away; In fact everyone was running away, even the Vikings. Enid’s aura of power was flooding the entire village with waves of terror her rage knew no bounds. Calis was trying to run and Enid reached out and grabbed her with her telekinesis and slammed her into the ground hard enough it left a dent. She then flung her at the church smashing the stone and sending her flying through it. Two more cloaked figures with silver swords came from either side of the church. They hesitated when they saw Enid’s face looking at each other.

Enid was beyond all reason now. Hazel was dead and they were going to pay in kind she started chanting and purple lightning formed over her hands. The two companion Seers to Calis turned to flee as the sky darkened steams of electricity flowed into her hands. And she let out a cone of destruction. The entire village in front of her was obliterated. The Seers were on the ground their flesh charred and bones showing through it. They still tried to claw themselves away from her, their burnt fingerbones the only thing left to get purchase in the dirt. Calis was buried under a church wall and was apparently too weak to move it. Enid launched the two seers into the air towards Calis. Enid pulled Lucius from his sheath. The crystal flared to life. She stood on the wall crushing Calis further. Her eyes were wide in terror. Purple bursts of electricity were still crackling around Enid’s hands and her eyes were glowing purple with the power she’d called upon. She raised Lucius with both hands and readied herself to stab Calis.

“I always told you your arrogance would get you killed Calis.”

Calis was holding her hands up in a vain attempt to defend herself from a weapon she knew would cut through her and rip her soul away. Her eyes were full of terror but also confusion. It gave Enid pause.

Enid, you can’t kill her, she was just doing the job you tasked her with. She also helped you in the future.

“Did you send me here just so you could kill me?”

Enid lowered Lucius.

“I sent you here?”

Calis looked even more confused now. The terror faded when Enid lowered her blade.

“Where is your writ? Give it to me now.”

“I can’t the wall is on top of me.”

Enid tossed the wall aside. Calis’s body had been protected from the brunt of Enid’s blast. Enid stumbled she was starting to feel the effects of the blood magic. Calis used the opportunity to scramble away. Enid yanked her back with her telekinesis and slammed her into the ground then fell to her knees and leaned heavily on Lucius. She desperately reached into her pack and grabbed the stone with her father’s blood in it. She absorbed some of it and her strength returned. Calis was trying to stand again but seemed to lack the strength. The other Seers were so badly burnt it would take months of them sleeping to heal. Calis rolled over on her back when she realized her window to escape had passed. Enid walked up to her prostrate form.

“Why, would you attack us mother? Why not tell us who you were?”

“You killed my daughter. Who is a wolf-born. You are already dead Calis you broke the treaty.”

Calis’s eyes went wide.

“A daughter…impossible.”

“Your writ, now.”

Enid snapped her fingers. She took the scroll case and opened it. Since she had sealed it, the curse would not affect her. She stepped on Calis’s chest and held her down and read the writ. It was her handwriting. She recalled writing it now that she read it. Lord Mortigar had requested Seers to intervene because there was a Viking raiding group that were attacking villages in his domain and attacking churches with some kind of supernatural creature, probably an imperial… She put the scroll away. And tossed it down to Calis. Looking her in the eyes forcing her will onto the hapless Seer.

“I have what I was looking for, tell Lord Mortigar I’ve been dealt with. Never mention this meeting again, any of you, even to me. I will protect you from the wrath of the spirits and my father but if any of you so much as breath the first letter of a word of what occurred tonight to anyone, I will let them bring down their full wrath on you. Never speak of it, even to me. Get your sisters out of here before sunrise.”

Enid took her foot off of Calis, she transformed into a Falcon and flew off. She wouldn’t be flying yet in her usual human form. She silently raged in her mind. Hazel dead. She was lost in sorrow and anger. Both at herself and her seers. She could lash out at Lord Mortigar but that would cause so much damage to the timeline… She landed by the Vikings who by this time were had retreated to the beach. They were tending to their wounded. Enid’s heart lept in her chest. Hazel was still among the wounded. Enid shifted and rushed forward. She collapsed to her knees beside her fallen daughter. The sword was still in the wound and her flesh was sizzling. Enid yanked it out and tossed it aside and put her hand over it to staunch the flow. Her aura of power was still palpable, so her allies were edging away from her. She brought her palm up and bit it and put it to Hazel’s mouth. Hazel started gulping down Enid’s blood. Hazel’s burned flesh started to heal. It would be a long recovery. Enid’s blood could save her from dying but because of the supernatural wound she could not heal it with magic. Enid sighed with relief when Hazel stopped coughing up her blood and her eyes closed, and her breathing became less rapid.

Enid looked to the rest of the dying. She touched each and took their wounds from them and onto her. Their casualties were light. Enid’s temper tantrum had caused the haul to be light as well. One of the men picked up Calis’s blade. Enid snatched it from him.

“This is not for mortal hands; It will kill you.”

Enid threw it and it spun through the air and imbedded itself in a rock. He looked down at his blacked hand eyes wide.

“It will heal but I can do nothing to ease it. Get on the ship and thank the Gods that your greed did not cost you your sex partner.”

He blushed and she shoved him towards the boat. She picked up her daughter and put her on the boat. She sat near Halvd with Hazel’s head in her lap. He touched Enid’s shoulder his other was on the rudder.

“Will she live?”

“She will but she will take a long time to recover.”

“Who were those women?”

“The Reapers of Sorrow.”

“You know them?”

“Yes, I trained them.”

He looked shocked.

“That blade was like poison to her.”

“It is poison to all. Mortal and Immortal alike.”

“Who could craft such a monstrosity?”

“I crafted it. Each one of my Seers has a blade hand crafted by me, each is unique. All are death to whomever touches them save their wielder.”

“Were they after your daughter, is she…are you…”

“No, the blade was meant for me, but I trained them, I know how they move and think, it was an easy thing to avoid, I did not think it would strike my daughter, had I, I would have gladly taken it through my heart.”

“Would the blade have killed you?”

“No, I’m immune to its effects. I should have let it hit me.”

“Why did they attack you?”

“They did not know it was me if they had they would have known better and fled.”

Enid stroked Hazel’s hair. She was sixteen now and looking more like a woman every day. But at the moment she looked like her little girl. Sweat coated her forehead.

“Did you…is the village…”

“The village was... There isn’t much left. The reapers live, though they wish I had killed them.”

He grew silent.

“We did not get much. Seems like a… seems like we were better to have left you to it yourself.”

Enid nodded and sighed but then she snapped her fingers and pulled the lockbox out of her pack and put it on the deck at Halvd’s feet.

“This is probably more then you get in a normal season. It is yours.”

“You really can call down the Thor’s thunder. And use the guile of Loki.”

“If only I would use them more responsibly. I am sorry I… I am sorry I caused you to break your vow about harming innocents.”

He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. Then nodded and looked out to the placid waters ahead. Soon they would reach the North Sea and then home.

*****

Hazel took months to heal. Throughout the waning days of August and the dawning days of fall she was bedridden. By October she was walking around. By December she had healed enough to use her blade. She was more subdued and less brash than she had been. Throughout the time, Enid was by her side.

Christmas day had come, as much as Enid spit on the name of God, she still liked to celebrate it with a feast. She had talked Halvd into hosting one. She didn’t explain the significance just that it was a holy day. He didn’t question her, whether it was due to the fact he was having sex with her nightly or she claimed to be a Valkyrie she did not know. He tended to grant her any wish she wanted. She had also started a sexual relationship with Halva. She was well tended to when she wasn’t with Hazel helping her recover.

Hazel was eating with Vargi. He was sweet on her and had been plying her with gifts and flattery. Hazel seemed to be enjoying his company Enid sat beside Halvd. The raiders had grown accustomed to and treated her like she was already wed to Halvd. Halvd didn’t dissuade the behavior, but he knew Enid would not wed him, not without a child and he had tried very hard, but it would not happen. Frida was laughing and talking with some other children. The priest sat at a table, he had listened to Enid’s advice and started to do the work of a scribe for Halvd and in turn he had gotten the freedom to roam the village and found himself more and more welcomed at the long house. He had been excited when Enid had mentioned the Christmas feast. He had spent months trying to convert the Vikings, but Enid’s presence and wiliness to perform miracle after miracle had them firmly convinced Odin had sent a Valkyrie into their midst and that the Christian god was a figment. Lyster would say that she was an angel of God, not a Valkyrie. Enid stayed out of the debate.

Halvd leaned close and whispered to Enid.

“You have brought joy to my hall and my heart, but I sense this is our last meal together.”

“You are very perceptive my king.”

“She is stronger every day. I know you were waiting for her to heal.”

Enid nodded.

“The journey is a dangerous one. I need her at full strength.”

“Vargi will not be pleased to see her go.”

“Nor her him. But we do not belong here.”

“You could stay, we could make you belong…”

“The Gods have not willed it and she has been ready for some weeks. Our time here grows short whether we leave of our own accord or not. Fenris was just the beginning of the war if… the message I received from the Christian God is to be believed.”

He nodded and put his hand on her thigh. She spread her legs for him with a sidelong glance.

“You leave tomorrow so we still have tonight.”

“We still have tonight.”

“You seem to have had a positive influence on my sister, you two have spent much time together and look at her, married to Mjorn. Two wives the lucky dog. Still not as lucky as me to have known the bliss of a Valkyrie’s embrace.”

“I have not shared true bliss with you yet my lover.”

He looked at her intently.

“What do you speak of?”

“You’ll see…”

He shifted in his seat. Enid touched his leg and they kissed. Enid broke the kiss and saw Hazel dragging Vargi out of the long house. She smiled slyly. Halvd noticed as well.

“Looks like your daughter has ideas of her own does it upset you she’s giving up her purity?”

“No, let her enjoy him would be ironic me saying something to her would it not?”

“Yes, it would.”

He picked her up and dragged her onto his lap and the kissed again. A cheer rose up in the long house. He stood up with her in his arms and carried her towards their rooms. Another cheer roared through the long house.

*****

Hazel lifted up the arm of the thin rubbery Atlantean armor and jiggled it. She looked at it and then her mother and back again.

“This isn’t armor, it is flimsy I am going to look silly. Why are we going anyway? You seem happy with Halvd and Vargi and I…”

“Something his happening that I don’t understand. I need…I need to get home and talk to Maria. I need Ezekiel. I don’t know, I just need to understand. Besides that, stunt at the village will have attracted attention we don’t need.”

“You can change your face, I can stay…you can come and get me in a few years.”

“No, no, and no. Put it on before I knock you out and put it on for you.”

“Can’t I just go half-wolf shape? I mean, I’m near indestructible like that.

“And if we land in an unsuspecting village full of people with silver weapons?”

“How likely is that mom?”

“Just put the armor on, you’re not too old for me to spank you.”

Enid had hers on already. Hazel looked at it again and after seeing her mother still glaring at her sighed and started pulling it on.

“How does it even close, there’s no tie offs.”

Enid touched the seam by her chest and pushed her finger up it and the suit sealed.

“I don’t see why I need this.”

“If you were wearing it before, when that blade nearly killed you, it would have been bounced aside with no harm done.”

Frida was peaking at the pair through the entrance way. She had been taking their leaving worse than anyone. She had begged and pleaded with Enid to stay, tried to talk Hazel into making Enid stay and then refused to let go of Enid’s waist for an entire afternoon. Truth be told Enid was comfortable here, and so was Hazel but then she remembered what happened when she got comfortable before when the Black Son wasn’t weakened.

“Frida come here.”

She came in the room. Her eyes were red.

“I feel like I’m losing my mom all over again, please don’t leave.”

Enid sat on her bed and hugged Frida tightly. She picked up a bundle of cloth from her bed.

“This is a very special dagger. If you use it like I taught you to use daggers you’ll be able protect yourself, your father and your future stepmother. I know your father will find someone.”

“But I want you to be my stepmother.”

“Oh Frida, if I stay, I will put you in danger. I would love to be your stepmother but what kind of stepmother would I be if I put your life in danger?”

“I don’t care I’ll protect you with the dagger!”

“This is an enemy not even I can best. I will never forget you, Frida.”

Frida was in tears again. She hugged Enid tightly.

“Leave your mark in the stone where I showed you and I will find it when I return from Valhalla. Then I will lay a marker so all will know you lived here.”

“Enid, thank you for giving me my voice back.”

“I will always do everything I can for my family.”

She squeezed Enid tightly. Halvd was looking at Enid and Hazel from their doorway. When Hazel approached, he grabbed her wrist and clasped it.

“Never have I had a better shield-maiden in my service.”

“Thank you for letting me raid with you King Halvd.”

He nodded. When Enid approached, he did the same thing then pulled her in for a tight hug. He whispered into her ear.

“Thank you for giving me my daughter back and making me live again.”

Enid hugged him tightly and kissed him one last time. She released him and the father and daughter watched as Enid mixed the blood, spices and herbs and used it to draw a doorway on the wall of the long house. She reached out her gloved hand and chanted words in Atlantean and the doorway flared to life showing a grove of trees on the other side. She took Hazel’s hand and with a sad glance back she jumped through dragging Hazel with her.

The pair were falling again. Enid pointed to her head and Hazel nodded and their helmets formed around them the wings deployed from their armor but it wasn’t soon enough they crashed through the roof of a sand stone building their armor taking the bulk of the hit. Enid landed on her back and Hazel her front. The pair groaned. Sunlight streamed through the hole in the ceiling. Enid made the helmet vanish and Hazel did the same. They were surrounded by brightly painted columns. A man in a regal set of robes sat on a…throne? The room filled with men wielding khopeshs. Enid didn’t take long to respond to the situation.

“Mother fucker.”