Val turned to see Gregor Black seated at the head of the table. In his early forties now, Gregor had ages some from her memories but still had the powerful build and broad shoulders she remembered. She figured she got at least some of her height from his tall frame, which stood at six foot four inches. His coal black hair was such a contrast to her own silvery locks that she briefly wondered if she was of any actual relation to him at all. It took an active force of will to put that dark thought aside for later consideration. Gregor came to his feet and towered over her as he pulled out the chair to his left for her to sit. Tension tightened the muscles from Val's head to her toes. She looked up at the man she had once called her father, and hesitated before taking her seat. She could feel Gregor’s eyes at her back and then his light touch as fingers drifted across her shoulder as he passed her and returned to his seat. “I am pleased you agreed to have lunch with me,” he said as

“It is a delicate balance, increasing the silver concentrations in our blood in such a way that the systems can adapt and accept it so we can harness the power of the Sparks. With that power comes the great risk of being destroyed by these unnatural beings.” Gregor said as he stared in morbid fascination at his caged beasts.“As you have now discovered, these beings share a weakness with you, dear Valkyrie. For some reason, sodium affects them adversely. So it makes sense that the Tetrodotoxin I used has such a profound effect. It causes paralysis for a time in silverbloods, but for these scath, carbon tetrachloride mixes with sodium for a violent reaction. I suspect it is part of how this Prince was captured all those years ago.”“Sodium? As in salt?” Val asked, confused. The scath had seemed less active when she was with the pirates and there were only a few aboard the Luna Marra, but that ship had spent most of its time in the air, away from the salt breeze of the ocean below. Thos

Valkyrie Black stayed on one knee, trying to catch her breath and waited for the world to stop spinning. Between her body and the very essence of her soul being transformed into a weapon of uncounted power, being spun through the air in dizzying arcs, before finally being shifted back to her mortal form, she felt sick to the stomach and about ready to wretch what little was left in her belly. “Samiel?” “Yes, Daughter of Azrael?” “It’s Valkyrie. My name, its Valkyrie.” “Fitting, as she was the Valkyrie General of the Ori.” Valkyrie finally lifted her eyes to see the being that had wielded her as a weapon and likely saved her life in doing so. Violet eyes met hers and she blinked slowly as her gaze roved his handsome face, his onyx hair and his bare chest. This Samiel could easily be the most devastatingly handsome man she had ever seen. The embodiment of dark and mysterious. Yet, she knew with absolute certainty that this being was no man. His eyes, his physique, and those wings!

It was after dinner when Valkyrie arrived back at the general’s estate. Being she had left through the front gate and was still in her dress, she figured she would just announce herself to the gate guards.When she approached, she was alarmed to see the mass of guards at the gate. It seemed the security had been tripled. Guards noticed her a moment later and two rushed up to her.“Lady Black, the General has been most worried for you. Your father sent word of the attack at his estate and that you had been taken. The whole city is on alert. How ever did you get away?”He looked down at the torn sleeves of her dress and asked more softly, “Lady black, are you hurt? Should I send for the doctor?”Val’s mind raced. Gregor had sent word of an attack? She had been taken… What game was Gregor playing at?“No, I am fine, just some extra work for the tailor to mend. I would like to change though.”“Yes of course. I will send word to your father at once.”“NO! NO one is to know of my location!”

As the flight continued, Valkyrie And Alexa quickly learned that Samiel was not one you bet money against. His mind was quick and when it came to games of strategy, he thought in circles around them. Even working together, it was impossible to get anything past him.“How?” Valkyrie asked on their third night aboard the airship.“I was locked away for two millennia. Not all my guards were barbarians. Many were as bored as I was. I have played chess and fifty versions of strategy game from every known age in the mortal world, and several millennia of games in the Elysium before that. There is not a game of strategy that I have not seen play out on a battlefield or defeated grand masters from every dynasty.” Samiel replied as he captured Valkyrie’s queen in their latest game of chess.Val stared at the board in defeat. The idea was hard to fathom. She had only ever been in prison of any kind for a weekend at most. The thought of being locked away for two millennia was, well nothing shor