Valkyrie's Harem (Academy of Immortals 1)

Christensen gathers us around and speaks in a tone too low to hear. The words are Latin? Maybe something older. He pulls a powder from a bag on his belt and sprinkles it on the ground. Nerves grip me at this final moment and I raise my eyes and lock them to Morgan’s. She’s got her hand on her belly, noticeable under her thin cotton shirt. Damien holds one hand. Sam’s is around her waist. Bunny and Clinton stand nearby, their eyes filled with concern. They want to be in this spot, but it’s not their time.

It’s not their destiny.

The world shimmers around us and Christensen hands each of the Guardians a candle and lights it. They walk in a circle dripping wax onto the ground, dividing one world from the other. I feel the Legion clustered behind me. I smell their scent—their manliness—and I do take comfort knowing their strength is behind me.

A gust of wind blows, the candle winks out. The ground beneath the wax circle crumbles away until we’re separated by a gulf from Morgan and the others.

Heat licks at my feet and my hand clenches the hilt of the sword.

One minute I’m staring at my friend.

The next, I’m in the abyss.

14

Hildi

I’m sprawled on something hard—something that smells good—and I inhale, my breath knocked out of me. I’m asleep, right? No. No. I’m through the portal? My ears feel clogged and I blink, forcing my eyes open. The first thing I see is Armin, body frozen beneath mine. We stare at one another, our blue eyes meeting, but then I feel a cool breeze hit my lower legs. I look down, my legs are bare, my boots gone. Armin hand flails about, looking for the baton with the hard, pointed spikes.

“Where’s my blade?” I ask, unable to hide my panic. There’s nothing but the satchels we’d carried on our backs.

“What the—”

“Are you okay?” a female voice asks. Armin’s eyes dart over my shoulder and he pushes me off his body. It’s then that I notice what he’s wearing. Not a warrior’s outfit. I frown at the pants and jacket. He stares at me in horror. A hand touches my shoulder, “Hey, are you okay? You took quite the fa—”

I grab the hand on instinct and pull forward. I’m about to flip the person over my shoulder when I see that it’s a girl in

a school uniform. Plaid skirt. Navy cardigan. Knee socks.

I glance down and confirm my identical outfit.

“Um,” I drop her hand and touch my head, which legitimately feels woozy. “I’m sorry. I think I blacked out for a second.”

The girl nods, her forehead creased. She rubs at her wrist where I’d squeezed it moments before. “You guys just came out of nowhere. Crashed hard.”

Strong hands lift me under the arms, I look up and see Agis, his expression as perplexed as mine. He’s dressed similarly to Armin. He whispers, “Remember what Dylan said. Run. Hide. We’ve got to get out of here.”

Agis is right, and I break out of my confusion. The portal dropped us right into the fray, all right. I look around as Agis helps Armin off the ground. We’re near the gate. An actual iron gate, two words at the top. In thick iron letters it declares Aeternum Academy. People rush about—well no, not people, students primarily, including the one that is still staring at us in confusion.

“I think we’re okay,” I tell the girl, realizing I may be the only one that knows how to handle the situation socially. “Thank you.”

“Good. I can take you to the infirmary if you need.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

She gives me a smile. “I’m Elizabeth, by the way.”

“I’m uh, Hildi,” I reply.

“So nice to meet you.” She glances at the men but says nothing and turns away. The guys gape at her as she walks off. I grab them both by the arms. “Come on.”

“Shouldn’t we kill these people?” Armin asks. “Even dressed like children, they’re still our competitors.”

“No,” I say. “No killing. Our weapons are gone for a reason.” I have no idea if that’s true, but no one else here seems to be carrying. I tug at the satchel on my back. I feel the heavy weight of the book inside. “We need to regroup and assess. Act normal and look for the others.”

It doesn’t take long to realize “acting normal” isn’t something the Legion knows how to manage with any sort of ease. They’re not accustomed to being around so many people and definitely look out of place in the school setting. They stand at alert, backs rigid and straight. Their eyes are narrowed, watchful and any movement, the slightest sound, causes their fingers to twitch.

Unlike them, I’d attended a school for Valkyrie in Odin’s realm. All elite schools have a similar feel. This one is no different—at least on the outside.