Page 22 of Truthfinder’s Promise

9

Valkyrie stalked into Meredith’s living room looking every bit a mythical battlefield warrior. Unsurprisingly, Random was on her heels, looking concerned.

She glared at the length of steel laid across Meredith’s coffee table, as if her will alone could make it cease existing. “It’s Elijah’s,” she said flatly.

Monster growled and took a step forward, putting himself between Meredith and Valkyrie. Val narrowed her gaze at him. “Is he always this friendly?”

“How should I know? I’ve had him all of one day.” Meredith put a restraining hand on Monster’s neck, hoping he didn’t decide to take it off at the wrist. “He clearly just recognized Elijah’s name.” And possibly Valkyrie’s family resemblance to the man, but Meredith wasn’t going to say that out loud.

Instead, she crouched down beside Monster, once again hoping her actions were not going to result in her getting bitten in the face. Or, you know, injured by whatever natural defenses Monster’s true form possessed. He was practically vibrating under her palm with how he growled, and if he attacked Valkyrie it wasn’t going to end well.

“I realize this looks bad,” she told him, “but I promise you we didn’t like the bastard any more than you did. She killed him, I helped, and that—” she pointed at the sword “—is just a relic. One Val’s powerful enough to see doesn’t cause any more damage to anyone. We good?”

Val rolled her eyes. “You know he can’t understand you right?” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at Random. “He’s the only one who’s managed animal communication and it was a one-bird thing.”

Monster, who had ceased growling while Meredith spoke, turned a scathing look on Valkyrie. Then he bumped his head into Meredith’s stomach and plopped down on the floor beside her, every inch the epitome of a well-behaved dog.

“I think he just told you to fuck off.”

Valkyrie started to respond, then just shut her mouth in a grim line and turned back to the sword, dismissing Monster. “Elijah started working on this one right after my mother died.” She touched her finger to a rune, then another and another, picking out over half the runes on the blade. Though the Aspect in the sword grumbled, it didn’t bite at her. “These are all mine. It wasn’t uncommon, when he was in a foul mood, for him to have me drain my power to the dregs into runes.”

Random’s hands settled on Valkyrie’s hips, a casual, gentle reassurance that once again made Meredith hate happy couples everywhere.

“I made this last one—” she tapped a particularly complex rune “—at twenty-one. I never saw the sword again after that. How did it end up in your wards? And how did you get it out?”

Meredith pointed at the dagger Valkyrie had given her. “Technically, you got it out. And it was in my wards because someone stuck it there.”

“No shit, smartass. Who and why?”

Meredith shrugged. “I don’t know.” Technically the truth, even if she had her suspicions. “Clearly someone who knew Elijah, if they had one of his most powerful imbued items in their possession. It’s probably just someone who misses the good ol’ days and is pissed off Elijah’s gone, so they thought they’d take out a little frustration on me.”

“So they wasted a weapon that was fifteen years in the making to get through a set of wards? I don’t think so.” Valkyrie frowned, looking at the sword again. “Meredith,” she said slowly, “half the runes on this are used up. How exactly are your wards still standing?”

“I invested a little more in security after my dear mother died.”

Valkyrie gave her a submit-or-die stare. Meredith stared back.

Random fanned himself, which made Valkyrie roll her eyes, and effectively cut the tension.

“Fine, keep your secrets about the wards. But if you expect me to buy that a random Elijah underling decided to waste this because they miss the big bad, you must think I’m an idiot. If that was their purpose, they’d come after me. I’m the one who killed him.”

“I helped,” Meredith said defensively. “Everyone always forgets that I helped. I was vitally important.”

“You were knocked unconscious during the entire fight.”

“Yeah, but you would literally be dead if I hadn’t gotten him to tell you how the forbidden magic bond thingy worked.”

“Fine, you were vitally important, and don’t think I don’t realize what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing?” Meredith asked innocently.

“That thing where you blabber on pretending to be flighty but really you’re distracting people into either avoiding the things you don’t want to talk about, or letting slip what you do want them to talk about.” Valkyrie crossed her arms. “So spill. What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” At Valkyrie’s disbelieving look, she added, “It’s seriously nothing. Just, after Elijah died I kept getting these flutter-touches like someone was testing the wards.”

Random looked like he had a migraine. “Elijah died six months ago. Are you, Siren, and Valkyrie all incapable of asking for help?”

“Yes,” Meredith and Valkyrie chorused in unison.