KotLC: Eclipse (KotLC X Magnus Chase)

Chapter 19

Sophie's POV

Following Alex, we met up with the others by the elevator.

"Magnus told us about your weird resurrection," Mallory said, punching me lightly on the arm, a wide grin spreading across her face. "It's definitely strange, no doubt about that. But seriously, can we talk about how you managed to tame a dragon?"

"Yes, very impressive," T.J. replied, turning towards me, "How, exactly did you do that? Nobody's managed to tame one for centuries, if ever." He was smiling kindly while he said this.

I pulled some of my blonde strands in front of my face. "It was easy. She was just lonely and in need of a friend."

"Sure..." Alex smirked, "I think Sophie here is trying to be all mysterious." Alex spun around to face the elevator. "But, for now, let's eat!" With that, she pushed and shoved all of us through the doors.

By the time we reached the Feast Hall, the chatter and clatter of mugs had already filled the room. I followed the others to a table, which I assumed was their usual spot.

The scene in the Hall was pretty much the same as it was yesterday, with the massive tree, goat, and the hundreds of thousands of einherjar sitting around the room. Except I was now one of them.
The hall was alive with energy-goat bleating faintly, the hum of voices, and the distant crashing of a waterfall in the tree filled the space.

Three new people sat at the table for newcomers. They all looked about as nervous as I must have looked the previous day.

I stared at the plate in front of me. My meal consisted of the same cut of meat that I'd had yesterday, as well as a loaf of the cloud-like bread. This time, there was rice and a sauce, which I couldn't identify but tasted delicious, instead of potatoes and gravy.

"Don't overanalyse the food." I glanced over to Alex, who was in the process of chewing a lump of meat. "Being hungry won't help you feel less worried. I can tell from here that you're worried about something," her-his? I would have to ask for pronouns later. Alex didn't seem as overtly female as Alex had been during the battle - voice became less snarky and gained a more serious tone.
"We're all here to help," Alex gestured to our group.

"Yes, even if some people," Halfborn looked pointedly at Mallory, "are more capable with stabbing than with emotions."

Said person pulled one of her knives from seemingly nowhere and started wiping it on the table cloth, the silent threat clear as day. "Say that again, why don't you?"

Halfborn didn't even blink, "Case in point," he said, returning to his food.

After that, I tried to concentrate on my meal in silence while Halfborn and Mallory were bickering, Alex teasing everyone, Magnus keeping an eye on me, and T.J. smiling as if we weren't all dead. I realised that I felt...
Safe. Not at home but safe.

The banging of the cups against the table removed me from my thoughts as everyone around me joined in, filling the Feast Hall with a deafening heartbeat.

Helgi rose at the thanes' table, and silence fell over the einherjar.

His speech was almost identical to what it had been the previous day.
"Let the Presentation of the Dead commence!"

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Up first was a boy named Kian Rourke, who was lean but strong, like a runner. His hair was cut short with slight waves with hazel coloured eyes.

He had saved an entire train from a collapsing subway tunnel by rushing everyone out and onto the dark tracks.
He had died when a support beam had suddenly collapsed and crushed him, revealing the same brutally grinning shadowy figure whom I now recognised as Stygmir.

Something didn't feel right about Kian's Valkyrie Vision, so I kept scrutinising it until the realisation set in.

Kian didn't have a weapon, and he was about to die.

Stygmir then descended from his perch above and placed a small dagger into his hands before Kian died with unnervingly smooth movements, glowing red eyes glinting.
The action was disturbingly deliberate, as if he were completing a task rather than mourning a life. The camera started wildly glitching then, distorting the picture so much that nothing was visible. When the static cleared, he was gone.

From how the now-dead Kian and his valkyrie reacted to this, it was fairly obvious that they hadn't been aware of this moment.

Whispers of confusion spread throughout the Hall of the Slain as they had yesterday with me and the other two.
None of the einherjar knew what Stygmir wanted, and truthfully, neither did I. I just hoped that seeing him again wouldn't be happening soon.

A quick check by the Vala quickly proved him to be a mortal-born human.
The thanes deliberated his death. In the end, they decided that he was worthy due to odd circumstances.

The two other new einherjar's deaths were equally strange, Stygmir making an appearance in both Valkyrie Visions, giving them a weapon before they died, and causing the camera to glitch.
But otherwise, there was nothing special about any of them.

One was another mortal-born, and the other was a daughter of Tyr.

It wasn't random that all these newcomers had died because of Stygmir. It couldn't be. I didn't know what he was planning, and it terrified me.

All valkyries and einherjar at the table were let off without a warning because they died with a weapon in their hands.

"That's the end of tonight's festivities!" Helgi told us. "Good night and dream of glorious death!"

"Death!" Every einherjar(apart from me) started chanting as they left the hall.

The chanting echoed in my head long after I left.
Everything that Stygmir did-his careful, calculated placement of a weapon, the way he disappeared without a trace-felt less like chance and more like a game. One I didn't know or understand the rules to yet.

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1012 words

Next chapter. Yay! 🥳

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!

This one was a nightmare to write. Roadblock after roadblock.
And I'm still not completely happy with it.
Oh well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hopefully, the next chapters will be easier.

Thanks for all of your comments!
It motivates me to keep writing.

Let me know if you want another POV, an OC to be introduced, or something else at some point in the story.
The plot isn't completely solid, so I can do this.

As always, if you find any SPaG errors, let me know.

Also, have a little hint for the story. (Picture above the chapter)

Bye 👋
-ManicMohawk