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thing to do now is to make
it right."
    I knew what
she meant. She wanted me to mark Jesse now. Mark him and take him. He'd be safe
in Valhalla. Death had no admittance there. And I'd be doing my duty.
    "I'll
see you soon."
    "I
hope so," Gustel said pointedly.
    I gave her
one quick tight hug, and then she popped her wings. Even as I released her, Gustel's skin turned gray. Her arms became pointed wings.
As she transformed herself into an F-15E Strike Eagle, a cloud of dust spun
around her, and she took to the blessed air.
    The sand
stung my eyes. Jess crouched down low against the raging wind.
    His clothes
blew against his body, outlining every line, every muscle. Adopting Gustel's sky camouflage, I released my wings and reached
for Jess.
    "Put
your arms around my neck. And hold on tight."
    He couldn't
see me now, but he could feel me. He wrapped his arms around my neck.
    "This
is weird."
    "What
part?"
    He laughed,
shaking his head. "Well, all of it, but I meant having you carry me. I've
carried a couple of women in my time, but never been carried by one."
    "I'll
fly slowly, but it won't be like riding in a car with the windows down, so I'll
need to protect you from the wind."
    "How
are you going to do that?"
    "I'll
use my hair, so it might be a little snug. I can put you out if you'd
like."
    "Put
me out?" He said, his voice rising an octave.
    "Just
to sleep during the flight. It will
make it easier on you."
    "Like
before?"
    "Yes,
like before."
    He pulled
in a sharp breath, then released it. "Okay. Yeah,
okay, do it."
    Our eyes
locked. I pressed the silver wings of the Valkyrie to my lips, placed my hand
over his eyes and chanted the spell. At the last moment before sleep overtook
him, he reached up and tangled his fingers in my hair. I felt his body relax.
    I kissed
him on the cheek, savoring the salty taste of him, and took to the air.

Chapter Five
     
    It was late
afternoon by the time we finally arrived at The Nest. My ancestral home is a
sprawling castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle River. The place was built sometime during the 12th century and was acquired by
the descendants of Brunhilde soon after. Over a dozen
castellated turrets rose into the sky. A baron built the great hall in the year
1156, seven hundred years before my birth, and each successive generation added
more rooms and more towers.
    We only
used the place during the Time of Progeny.
    To keep the
castle from falling into disrepair, we allowed mortals to purchase and occupy
The Nest. When one of my sister Valkyries needed to reproduce, it was
relatively easy to cast a few spells and send the occupying mortals running for
the hills. Mortals are strangely susceptible to the idea of hauntings and evil
spirits.
    Jess and I landed
on the tallest turret. Fields of enchantments stretched down to the river, protecting
us from mortal eyes, though this stretch of the Moselle was relatively isolated.
    The wind
was fierce at this altitude, and I hurried to the iron bound doorway that led
into the bowels of the castle. Cradling Jess in my arms, I bowed my head and mumbled
words of release. The massive door swung open, its hinges creaking. A rush of
stale, moldy-smelling air enveloped us.
    I carried
him down a set of narrow stone steps. We came to a landing lined with the
portraits of long-dead mortals who once lived at The Nest. I descended the last
of the stairs and entered the great hall. This room was a large open space with
a vaulted, beamed ceiling and an enormous fireplace that could hold four men
standing tall. The stone floor was laid with moth-eaten Turkish carpets that
had once added rich color to the room.
    I laid Jess
carefully onto the expansive carpet before the fireplace.
    I thought
about waking him from the sleeping spell, but decided to let him get some rest.
He'd had a difficult day, and tomorrow would most likely prove to be even more
of a challenge to his mortal sensibilities.
    Walking
through the gallery, its walls paneled in rich