KotLC X Magnus Chase

Chapter 8

Sophie's POV

The tidal wave of einherjar swept us up like a flash flood.
"Hold on." Sam grabbed my hand and leapt into the air. I was being dragged along like a sack of potatoes. I focused on pushing against the air particles below me to start levitating so my arms wouldn't be ripped out of their sockets. Sam looked back, probably confused as to why I seemed to be carrying most of my own weight. She then just looked forward to a place that was obviously the head table. Twelve rough-looking men were sat around it.
At the place of honour stood a large, empty throne with crows perched on the back.

Other Valkyries were also zipping around, carrying platters of food and pitchers of drink.
Sam took me to a table to the left, where four others were getting seated. One guy and one girl in normal clothes, plus a valkyrie for each dressed similarly to Sam.

I sat at the edge of the table next to Sam, so I couldn't talk to the other new arrivals. Hundreds of Valkyries flew around the room, carrying pitchers of drinks and platters of food. If the valkyrie ran out of drink in their pitcher, they flew down to where I had seen those four unfortunate einherjar carrying around the massive pail. Now, the pail was sat on a large fire with the milk inside bubbling. The valkyries would swoop down and refill their pitcher from the pot of milk.

At the other end of the room, there was a massive roasting pit where a blue whale-sized creature was rotating on a spit. A valkyrie flew past and deposited a plate of food and a goblet in front of me. On the plate, there were strange slices of meat that I couldn't recognise, drizzled in gravy with potatoes and bread on the side.
"What is it? I asked. "The meat, I mean."

It's called Saehrimnir." She told me, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. "It's the magical beast of Valhalla. Every day, it is killed, humanely, of course, and served for dinner. "In the morning, it is alive and well. Until dinnertime, when it is served again."

"What kind of meat is it? Like pig, or cow, chicken?" I questioned.
"Different parts of it are different things. For instance, mine is beef, but other parts are pork or chicken. The left flank is tofu if you're a vegetarian. It can be spiced to taste like almost anything you want it to taste like."

"How can an animal's left flank be made out of tofu?"
"This is Valhalla, a paradise for warriors such as yourself. All food will taste perfect, whatever you choose." I was starting to get hungry, so I began eating. The meat tasted amazing, with just the right amount of smokiness and spice. The bread felt like little clouds with a hard-but-not-too-hard shell. The potatoes were perfectly cooked and not bland. I eyed the mead for a moment, deciding whether or not to drink it. The mead looked more like apple cider than goat's milk. Cautiously, I lifted the goblet up to my lips and took a sip. It tasted strangely sweet, but at the same time not sweet. It was cold and smooth, with strange undercurrents that I couldn't place at that moment. Two seconds later, it felt as if my senses were on fire. It felt like the time I had accidentally drunk an espresso before I moved to the Lost Cities. It filled me with energy and warm confidence.

"It's good, but I prefer Youth or Lushberry juice." I spoke before thinking my words through. Sam stared at me as if I had decided to tell her I preferred dying for real.
"What are those drinks? I've never heard of them." Sam asked conversationally, after regaining her composure. I decided to lie to keep the Lost Cities secret. As casually as I could, I told her:
"You wouldn't have. They're drinks which my family invented centuries ago. Their recipes are very closely guarded to stop them from making their way into the outer world."

"That's interesting." Sam didn't look like she believed me, but she let it drop. "Very few einherji think that food or drinks here aren't as good as the food from their first life. I'm sure that eventually, the Hotel will know what you like and be able to let you have a perfect stay." We lapsed into silence afterwards, listening to the chatter of the rest of the Feast Hall.

Three minutes later, the people at the head table began banging their cups on the table in unison. Around the hall, all the other warriors also began joining in until the Hall of the Slain sounded as if it had a metal heartbeat. Then, the guy whom I recognised as the manager, Helgi, stood and raised his goblet. The noise died down.
"Warriors!" The manager's voice boomed through the hall. "Three new fallen have joined us today! Let the presentation of the dead begin!" His voice echoed through the room. The thousands of warriors looked expectantly in the direction of our table.

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870 words
A bit of a shorter chapter today, but they will begin to increase in length soon.

I'm trying to follow the chapter endings in a similar way to the Magnus Chase books, which I am currently rereading.

As always, please report any SPaG or story mistakes, I will check it and then change it if it needs to be.

I will try to get a new chapter out soon

Bye 👋
-ManicMohawk