Promo: Dragonslayer's Valkyrie by Jennifer Ivy Walker
Dragonslayer’s Valkyrie
Blurb:
Last of the Völsung line of kings descended from Odin, Sigurd is one of the elite Sjórúlfar—the fearsome Sea Wolves of southern Norway. Endowed with the divine blood of the wolf, he seeks glory at the Sólhjarta Summer Solstice Tournament to avenge his father’s death.
Brynhildr, daughter of the Raven King, is the Sun Falcon shieldmaiden and gifted seeress who has glimpsed her fate as a Valkyrie in a seiðr vision. When her father decrees she must wed the tournament’s champion, she summons Freyja for guidance—only to learn her future is bound to Sigurd.
As the Norns tighten the intricate threads of fate, Brynhildr must guide Sigurd toward his destiny as a dragonslayer—by defying the web of wyrd and incurring the wrath of Odin.
Excerpt:
The Sun Falcon
Frost glimmered on the stones beneath her booted feet, glinting in the morning sun like the veins of crystal which sparkled in the cliffs below the fortress. The salty spring air tasted crisp, clean, and alive. Her pulse thrummed as her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword. She searched Ulric’s eyes, noting the slight twitch in his shield arm.
Like a flash of sunlight across the fjord, she spun low, ducking under his shield and vaulting gracefully to the side, her sword tracing a silver arc that forced him back into a defensive shift. She whirled again, a cyclone of golden hair and flashing steel, each strike flowing seamlessly in a flurry of quick thrusts and slicing cuts. With a final spinning sweep that left the courtyard ringing, she landed a stunning blow which Ulric blocked, sending sparks skittering across the frosty stones and pain searing up her sword arm.
“Enough!” she gasped, chest heaving, the impact knocking her to the ground. “I yield.”
Ulric lowered his shield, the fierce smile on his scarred, bearded face carrying both pride and respect as he helped her stand. “Few could strike as you do, Brynhildr, with such fire and fury. You grow sharper with every swing, my shieldmaiden. Soon, none will stand against you.”
Brynhildr gazed up into the deep green eyes of her beloved mentor, steadfast as the dense forest surrounding her faðir’s clifftop fortress. Not only was Ulric her merciless weapons master, he was her devoted personal guard, sworn to protect her since childhood. “You always win, Ulric,” she groaned, adjusting her lamellar leather armor. “But one day, I shall defeat you.”
A hearty grin split the thick red beard on Ulric’s bemused face. “I have no doubt, kæra mín. Indeed, that is my foremost goal.”
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