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  Books in the Valkyrie Chronicles series...

  Return of the Asgard

  Sample Chapter from the Valkyrie Chronicles: Bloodlines

  (Coming in the fall of 2013)

  Chapter 1 – The Stand of Great Britain

  I shook my head as I cleaved two men in half with the carbon blades that I had hardened with my lattice while a steady barrage of bullets deflected off of my nano-lattice causing it to flare bright blue. The bullet strikes hurt but weren’t getting through the compressed magnetic energy net on my skin. I took no pleasure in killing humans, there was no honor in it. I am a Valkyrie of Valhalla, we women take no joy in the death of the weak, our rage should be spent against the Ragnarok race that is threatening this world.

  I can't believe that in ten short years Earth had become divided. Those brave nations who stand against the Ragnarok have formed a United Earth Alliance. Yet those who caved to the threats and superior strength of the Ragnarok fight for them, either from fear or for power.

  Once the Ragnarok's main offensive on Valhalla failed, they turned their attention to the humans of Earth in their quest for conquest. They knew the Asgard would not launch offensives against them, the Ragnarok bombarded major cities with the few asteroids their ships in orbit still had in tow. They eradicated millions of humans in their wake. Paris was the first to fall to the kinetic strikes, followed by Washington DC. We were able to get the president out just in time.

  Through a herculean effort, London was saved, though the tsunami that ensued from the deflection of the asteroid with a tactical nuke over the Atlantic caused thousands of deaths. England has always amazed me how they can weather the oncoming storms and never waver.

  Iran had freely pledged their allegiance to the Ragnarok as well as some smaller nations. India fought long and hard but eventually surrendered to the enemy.

  The alien force is now supplying high tech weapons to the humans to fight both the Alliance and the Asgard.

  Their base is on a small coral atoll in the Pacific. No missiles, air or surface attacks have been able to get through their defenses. Only Asgard tech could accomplish it, but we refuse to go offensive as it is against everything we believe in and our moral nature.

  The question is, how many Ragnarok were still on the ships and how long before another wave of generational ships arrive. Best case scenario, five thousand years. Worst case scenario, two hundred years as that is as far as the Asgard can see through 'the veil', the dimensional divide between our realms of Asgard and Midgard.

  I heard another explosion behind me and I looked back to see Big Ben crumbling into the River Thames. Oh kroth that! No more! My blood boiled as I sprinted and dove ten feet over the oncoming line of humans, letting loose with my battle cry as I reached the tanks with their upgraded tech. I sprang high into the air and was cocking my fist to strike as I fell when the familiar golden streak of armor of Geiravor landed on the tank with a blue club crackling with energy extending from her hand striking the seam between the turret and the tank, cleaving the gun from the vehicle.

  I landed on the tank and drove my fist, crackling with energy, through the armor and engine. Mother grinned at me and sprang off to one of the other two advancing tanks. I shook my head with a slight smile, she's always stealing my thunder. I pushed the thoughts from my head and dove on the other tank.

  I glanced over to see an armored personnel vehicle speeding toward the back of my mate, Kate. I concentrated for a second and she 'heard' and dropped into a roll, avoiding the vehicle and dragging an Odin's spear, crackling with compressed magnetic energy extending from her hand, through the vehicle like a hot knife through butter. She shot me a wink as she dove into the middle of the front line.

  I dismantled the tank then I looked to my right and shielded my eyes a bit from a bright aura as I saw Arina calmly walking through the battlefield, ignoring all enemy strikes to her, her nano-lattice crackling and flaring. She of course didn't raise a finger to fight back. She reached her objective, two humans badly injured but alive, she easily threw one over each shoulder and her impressive personal shield raised, encasing them all in its protective bubble as she wandered back off the battlefield toward a medical area.

  I smiled a little at Arina the Whispering Breeze, first of the Valkyriefrior, Valkyrie of Peace. The enemy call her the Ghost of the Battlefield. Never fighting back, only shielding others or assisting the wounded on the field, whether they be friend or foe. The Ragnarok, and their allies, at first thought she would be easy prey but soon found that her particular ability with the shields she can create using her nano-lattice are beyond that of any normal Valkyrie or even evolved Valkyrie like Kate and myself. She can roam the battlefields with complete impunity.

  I heard a tank firing from behind and spun to see... the Wildcards! Jeffery had finally made it to the party! His team's heavily modified M1A2 Abrams tank lumbered along dragging its signature copper grounding net along the battlefield behind it, absorbing energy weapon blasts and deflecting bullets with its armor. I have never seen a more valiant group of five humans than the Wildcards.

  They have fought in every major engagement against the Ragnarok in the past ten years and have survived every one. Jeffery Stevens was just a young lieutenant when we first met. His group had persevered against all odds to take out an enemy artillery emplacement. He has grown into quite a ruggedly handsome middle-aged man who has traded blows with countless Ragnarok and still lives to tell the tale. He is now the most successful commander of the alliance. He says that one day, when he is at his peak, he will join the Asgard as a true Einherjer. But since Einherjer do not advance, he'll give Earth, his home, as many good years as he can in order to bring the battle to the enemy before becoming Asgard.

  Their tank immobilized the enemy command vehicle with ease then Jeffery was diving out of the tank with his energy weapons blazing in each hand. He connected the copper netting that was draped over him like a rain coat, to the tank's netting on a tethered reel and started running at the disabled command vehicle. I joined him. He grinned at me, the deep scar across his face making him look that much more roguish, hardened and impressive as he shouted over the din of battle, “Well met, Valkyrie Kara!”

  I rolled my eyes, he loved saying that every chance he got. So I playfully teased him. “Well met, Einherjer. Why do you advance from your line? Leave the advance to the Valkyrie!”

  He laughed heartily as he took out two men with his energy weapons that he had procured years ago from the bodies of some slain Ragnarok. I tossed two of the attacking enemy back behind us to our advancing allies. He yelled, “What? And miss out on the the fun?”

  He was suddenly struck by an energy weapon blast and got knocked to the ground, hard, the energy dissipating into the copper webbing and went to ground through his connection to the tank. Quite an ingenious low tech solution to a high tech problem. He jumped back to his feet as I was slashing at two other men. He complained. “Ow! That frigging stings every time!”

  I raised an eyebrow and replied, “Fun?” I shook my head as I reached the command vehicle and tore the back door off of it.

  Immediately I was tackled by the Ragnarok commander inside as his second in command went after Jeffery. Kroth! I didn't have time for this, I just cupped my right hand and jammed my fingers into the Ragnarok's gut and unleashed the power of Thor. Lightning lanced through his body and struck some advancing enemy.

  Did I just feel a fluctuation in the power Valhalla is feeding the nanites in my body? Did it happen again? That is now three times in two months.

  I turned to see Jeffery trading blows with the small Ragnarok woman. He deflected and dodged a grouping of rapid strikes. He purposefully took a strike to the abdomen to trap her arm between them and struck her three times in in the temple in rapid succession with the handle of an energy weapon. She went down and he went with her, gasping and trying to regain the wind she had knocked out of him with her superior strength.

  Again he looked at me wit
h a grin. “Ow... again. Even Rag women hit like they are packing sledge hammers.”

  I quirked an eyebrow at that comment as I saw Kate mowing down a group of men with the power of Thor. Jeffery quickly backpedaled. “Not that women are weak or anything.”

  I rolled my eyes and helped him to his feet then ran off to Kate's side to push the enemy back. I couldn't help but admire her form, she always made fighting look like a graceful dance. Quite the counterpoint to my brute force approach. This just made me want her even more.

  The tide had turned in this Stand of Great Britain. Without the enemy commanders, it was now a matter of mop up. Two hours later through sporadic fighting, the field was won. We coordinated with the field commanders. One thousand thirty two allied fighters dead and two thousand plus injured. Approximately seven thousand fifty enemy dead and thousands more injured. Over half that number had fallen at the hands of us three Valkyrie that Valhalla had dispatched to the battle. It was estimated that more than six hundred innocents had lost their lives in the city. Kroth!

  There were only four Ragnarok commanding this force. Was that because the horde's numbers were dwindling that much or were they concentrating forces somewhere else? Whatever the reason, that left their entire attacking force here vulnerable to the might of the Valkyrie. They were naught against our fury.

  I watched while my minor wounds repaired themselves as my nanites did their job. Then a familiar, heavily modified wind rider landed near the command center and Arina called out on coms, “Mount up, Valkyrie!”

  “That girl...,” Kate said as she rolled her eyes and laughed while we three women of the house of Odin boarded. Geiravor sat in the seats next to Kate and I as Arina grinned at us from the pilot's chair.

  After setting the auto pilot on 'Pegasus', as she called her wind rider, Arina joined us in the back for the hour long journey back to Valhalla. How she is able to coax so much speed out of the vessel still confounds the engineers back home. I have a nagging suspicion I know how she is doing it... or should I say my nanites have a nagging suspicion, since they are in constant communication with hers and Kate's. The little molecular machines seem quite amused with her. I'm sure father knows her little trick, as Odin is not only ruler of Asgard, but is still First Scientist after all.

  I could finally focus on Arina. She has become quite a spectacular Valkyrie, her blinding aura almost as bright blue as Kate's but with barely a wisp of red trailing behind. Arina is purest of all Asgard I have ever seen. I felt the sonic boom as we went supersonic, it never felt like we were going over mach six to me. I could see the strain on her face that she always tried to hide, from 'helping' the vehicle fly, which only confirmed my suspicions.

  She punched up the feeds on the main holo-display, and we saw information scroll by on the battle and the minor battle that Mist had handled up in Oslo, Norway with a small contingent of United Earth Alliance troops and a few Einherjergeir. I snickered at the name she had assigned the battle, “Mist's Annoyance”. She wouldn't be back for eight hours in her slower wind rider.

  Arina smiled at all of us. “Well met, Valkyrie.”

  Mother smiled back. “Well met, little one.”

  Kate laid the back of her hand on Arina's cheek. “Well met, Arina. I wish you would stay off the battlefield.”

  Arina looked like a chastised child. “But... there were injured.”

  Kate nodded and sighed in resignation. “I know. I know. Just be careful. I worry.”

  Arina puffed up. Oh boy, here it comes. The little one blurted out, “None can pierce the shield of Arina the Whispering Breeze, second to Kate the Raging Storm, First Valkyrie of Earth! I am Valkyrie!”

  Kate was laughing and mother and I were trying hard not to laugh ourselves as Kate reprimanded, “Yes. And you are MY responsibility. Understand? Learn your own limits.” She crooked an eyebrow at the girl who looked sufficiently embarrassed.

  “Yes, Kat,” the girl replied looking down.

  Kate grinned in triumph then turned to me and kissed me gently on the lips before she asked, “Now, did anyone else notice the power fluctuation during the battle?” We all nodded as I blushed, trying to get over her public display of affection, I don't know if I'll ever get used to how forward humans are. Well, not that Kate is human anymore.

  Arina spoke up, “I'll get with Odin as soon as we land.”

  Geiravor countered, “No, there will be time for that tomorrow. It will be late when we return and we all need sleep.”

  Arina started to argue. “But Geiravor, Spear of Odin, I can help him to...”

  Geiravor cut her off. “Arina! How many times must I tell you to call me mother? Being Kate's second makes you family as Mist is for being Kara's second. I know you are fond of titles, but really little one.” She looked at Kate and I in exasperation. “Kat. Talk to your second.”

  Kate just grinned from ear to ear then tilted her head toward Arina expectantly. The little one caved. “Yes... mother. I apologize.” Then she almost whispered like a petulant child, “And I'm not little... anymore.”

  This caused more laughter. But true enough, she doesn't look like a perpetual thirteen year old girl anymore. But the 'little one' nickname has stuck even though her Valkyrie nanites had aged her to full maturity. To us Asgard, instead of her actual two thousand years old, she appears to be a couple hundred thousand years old now. To the humans of Earth, instead of looking physically thirteen years old, she appears to be around twenty. She also gained ten inches in height and is around five foot nine now and quite the knockout with her wavy chestnut toned hair.

  Arina has already grown to legendary status in this short time as the first non-violent Valkyrie, or Valkyriefrior. She is also known as “The Innocent” as the whispers in the hall tell. She gets offers to bed almost constantly now from the men and women of the citadel and quite a few visiting humans, she has yet to accept. She had told Mist once that if Kat and I are not to bed her, then none shall. She should have known my second would share this with me, and I to Kate. Arina has better self restraint than me that is for sure, as us Asgard are extremely sexual people though we hate to show it in public. It is very rare for Asgard to claim exclusivity as Kat and I have.

  An incoming message flashed and I gestured toward the display and Jeffery's face filled the holo-screen. “Thanks for waiting ladies. Now I gotta take a slow cargo plane back with the Rattler and the Wildcards!” Rattler was the nickname of his Abrams tank, it had been shot to hell so many times but never failed his team. You would think it was called Rattler as in a snake that could strike fast, but it is actually because of a rattle they cant find inside the tank after their first battle. No matter how many times they rebuilt her, the rattle stayed.

  I snorted and covered my mouth. “I know you are desperate to get back to Mist and Tyr's bed, but this is payback for the woman comment in the battle.”

  He rolled his eyes and grinned. “Hey, I qualified my statement,” he said playfully.

  Kate, always the diplomat chimed in. “Oh don't be so whiny, 'Einherjer'.” She teased him. “Besides, you get what you deserve if you made a comment about women. Besides, you'll arrive only a couple hours after Mist so she may still be awake when you get back. Not everyone has the convenience of Pegasus here.”

  This put a proud smile on Arina's face as Kate cut the transmission before Jeffery could respond. We all laughed heartily, giving us a cathartic release after the battle. By the gods I needed some mead! Why do we not keep drink on this vessel? We talked about anything but battle on the way back.

  Before I knew it, Arina was back at the controls taking manual control of our approach, we transitioned back down through the sonic barrier and I felt a familiar pressure from my nanites receding as we slowed to standard speeds.

  I was quite positive I knew how she was doing it... and it sure wasn't the vessel. Such a clever, efficient girl. She'll keep those engineers guessing for eons. But in the mean time, they are working on at least supersonic or mach two transpo
rts. Valhalla was never in need of fast transport before, since our city took up every corner of our pocket universe, so virtually no time was ever spent in developing wind riders beyond their current capabilities.

  She showboated by threading the needle in the portal of the dome at the gates of Valhalla, going well over a hundred miles per hour, bypassing the landing pads to proceed directly to the central spire. I caught the sly smile she got when the Einherjer saw our approach and braced themselves for her flyover so they wouldn't stumble from the line they held at the portal gates. She's such a bad one. I grinned, and Kate's eyes were sparking with amusement too.

  As we were landing on Arina's private pad near the entrance to the central spire, Tyr was on coms comically complaining. “Kroth, Arina! I didn't need a krothing haircut today!” Of course he'd be at the gates, the Captain of the Einherjer was always there when his mate Mist was away. I still catch myself smiling at the fact that he and Mist had finally bonded after all these eons together.

  She just giggled into the coms like an imp, then ignored him as she shut down the systems. She stood as the doors opened, she motioned to them. “Ladies?”

  Almost instantly after we stepped off the pad and started toward the doors, engineers flooded the landing pad and Pegasus, trying to learn Arina's secrets. I could see the sly grin on her face as we entered the central spire. I slapped her forearm. “You are terrible little one. One day you'll need to tell them.”

  She feigned innocence.

  Mother said goodbye to us as we left her on the elevator, placing the back of her hand on each of our cheeks. We walked up to the door of our quarters and Arina asked, “Will you need food and mead or will you be retiring?” She was always such an efficient second, always ready to help Kate.

  Kate smiled at her and placed the back of her hand on Arina's cheek. “No, I think we'll just relax and drink some mead then retire. You go home Arina, we will see you in the morning.” The little one nodded then said her good nights then continued on to her quarters next door.