planet together before her “death.” Eir cried, told her again and again how much she loved her and to never forget. Her mother must have known then that she was leaving.
She thought about what Magnus said about Rollo.
Her mother had made the right choice, but it wasn’t one that Mercy thought she’d be capable of making.
Magnus spoke first when they were alone in their quarters. “I don’t know what to do here.”
“We’ll go to Lycaos Four then decide.”
“Lycaos Four, where it’s all sunshine and greenery. The perfect setting for happily ever after and Mercy, I just don’t know if I can do it.”
“We’ll decide together.”
“That’s the thing. I can’t stand the thought of you facing down a pig like Rollo. You have the heart of a Valkyrie, but you don’t have the skills. You haven’t been trained.”
“So train me.”
“He’s been on borrowed breath for fifteen years.”
“So what’s one more? Do you fear someone else will kill him instead of you?”
“Yes, godsdamnit. Why shouldn’t I be the one to kill him? Why shouldn’t I be the one to watch the light go out in his eyes with the knowledge that I was the one who snuffed it? Why not?” he snarled.
“Because you want it too much.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “You want it so bad that you can taste it. He’ll use your emotion against you. Even I know that.”
“And what do you think he’d do to you? How am I supposed to concentrate when I’m worried about you?”
“With you to teach me, why should you worry?” She eased down next to him. “I’m not really a Valkyrie yet, am I? For all my talk, I’m not a complement to your power. I’m a hindrance.” She looked down at her hands. “I was just thinking earlier about the last time I was with my mother.”
Mercy waited for him to be exasperated with her because she’d changed the subject, but he listened as if what she had to say was important. She didn’t know if she’d ever get used to that.
“We went to a reserve planet, you know, where they have all kinds of animals in habitats from many systems? The earth one resonated with me the most. It stuck in my head. There were these great predatory cats, sleek and larger than a man.”
“Mercy—”
“No, let me finish. The way they would hunt. They would follow the tribe of gazelles, these springy-footed creatures, quick, tasty. They would watch and see which were the slow, the sick, and they’d quickly cut them off from the herd.”
“You’re not a gazelle.”
“I am. I’m the slow one that’s lagging behind. But that’s okay.” She nodded. “Maybe we can use that to our advantage.” She looked up at him, watching his face for signs of rejection, or to see if his expression was a closed mask as he waited for her to finish.
Again, he wanted to hear what she had to say.
“We make sure the ‘verse knows what happened to me. There will be a big fuss made until Odin can hide me away again. That is, if he survived the riot on Holle and Hel. Rollo will want to be part of that.”
“That could be genius.”
“I really wish my mother would tell me what the Commission’s plans were. If we could be sure.”
“The Commission is made up of politicians. They’ve had fifteen years to handle Rollo. We’ll take care of him.”
“I like that you said we. I really thought you were going to tell me to stay out of it.”
“I’d like nothing better, but you were right earlier. I can’t make those choices for you, even if I don’t like them.”
“Have you ever been to Lycaos Four?”
“No, but I’ve heard it’s lovely.”
“I don’t know if anything will be as lovely as our purple pool.” She grinned.
“It could be that same kind of lovely right here, right now.” He pulled her close, but then grimaced. “Actually, since it’s been fifteen years, I might need a few more hours to recuperate.”
She laughed. “Good. I was just thinking I’d love to do it again. Later.”
“How
She thought about what Magnus said about Rollo.
Her mother had made the right choice, but it wasn’t one that Mercy thought she’d be capable of making.
Magnus spoke first when they were alone in their quarters. “I don’t know what to do here.”
“We’ll go to Lycaos Four then decide.”
“Lycaos Four, where it’s all sunshine and greenery. The perfect setting for happily ever after and Mercy, I just don’t know if I can do it.”
“We’ll decide together.”
“That’s the thing. I can’t stand the thought of you facing down a pig like Rollo. You have the heart of a Valkyrie, but you don’t have the skills. You haven’t been trained.”
“So train me.”
“He’s been on borrowed breath for fifteen years.”
“So what’s one more? Do you fear someone else will kill him instead of you?”
“Yes, godsdamnit. Why shouldn’t I be the one to kill him? Why shouldn’t I be the one to watch the light go out in his eyes with the knowledge that I was the one who snuffed it? Why not?” he snarled.
“Because you want it too much.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “You want it so bad that you can taste it. He’ll use your emotion against you. Even I know that.”
“And what do you think he’d do to you? How am I supposed to concentrate when I’m worried about you?”
“With you to teach me, why should you worry?” She eased down next to him. “I’m not really a Valkyrie yet, am I? For all my talk, I’m not a complement to your power. I’m a hindrance.” She looked down at her hands. “I was just thinking earlier about the last time I was with my mother.”
Mercy waited for him to be exasperated with her because she’d changed the subject, but he listened as if what she had to say was important. She didn’t know if she’d ever get used to that.
“We went to a reserve planet, you know, where they have all kinds of animals in habitats from many systems? The earth one resonated with me the most. It stuck in my head. There were these great predatory cats, sleek and larger than a man.”
“Mercy—”
“No, let me finish. The way they would hunt. They would follow the tribe of gazelles, these springy-footed creatures, quick, tasty. They would watch and see which were the slow, the sick, and they’d quickly cut them off from the herd.”
“You’re not a gazelle.”
“I am. I’m the slow one that’s lagging behind. But that’s okay.” She nodded. “Maybe we can use that to our advantage.” She looked up at him, watching his face for signs of rejection, or to see if his expression was a closed mask as he waited for her to finish.
Again, he wanted to hear what she had to say.
“We make sure the ‘verse knows what happened to me. There will be a big fuss made until Odin can hide me away again. That is, if he survived the riot on Holle and Hel. Rollo will want to be part of that.”
“That could be genius.”
“I really wish my mother would tell me what the Commission’s plans were. If we could be sure.”
“The Commission is made up of politicians. They’ve had fifteen years to handle Rollo. We’ll take care of him.”
“I like that you said we. I really thought you were going to tell me to stay out of it.”
“I’d like nothing better, but you were right earlier. I can’t make those choices for you, even if I don’t like them.”
“Have you ever been to Lycaos Four?”
“No, but I’ve heard it’s lovely.”
“I don’t know if anything will be as lovely as our purple pool.” She grinned.
“It could be that same kind of lovely right here, right now.” He pulled her close, but then grimaced. “Actually, since it’s been fifteen years, I might need a few more hours to recuperate.”
She laughed. “Good. I was just thinking I’d love to do it again. Later.”
“How
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