Valkyrie 103: The Afterlife Academy: Valkyrie, #3

By Arizona Tape

With the Afterlife Academy in trouble, Ylva and her friends have to find different ways to learn. Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to teach them the right thing.

The war for souls is only just begun. May the best Afterlife win.

IN THE SERIES:
#1 Valkyrie 101
#2 Valkyrie 102
#3 Valkyrie 103
#4 TBC

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vampari Press
• Release date: Sep 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393241058

Arizona Tape

Arizona Tape lives her dream life hanging out with her dog and writing stories all day.Her favourite books to write are urban fantasy and paranormal romances with queer leads, stories that she wished were around when she was younger.When she’s not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm in the kitchen, watching shows that make her cry, or trying her hand at her new hobby of the week.She currently lives in the United Kingdom with her girlfriend and her adorable dog who is the star of her newsletter. Sign up here for adorable pictures, free books, and news about her books: www.arizonatape.com/subscribeFollow The AuthorFacebook Page: http://facebook.com/arizonatapeauthorReader Group: http://facebook.com/groups/arizonatapeBookbub: http://www.bookbub.com/authors/arizona-tapeTwitter: http://twitter.com/arizonatapeInstagram: http://instagram.com/arizonatapeTikTok: http://tiktok.com/@arizonatapeHer books are available on all retailers and can be requested from most public libraries.

Book preview

Chapter 1.

The quickest way to fail school was to kill a teacher. Even if he attacked me and tried to rob me of my magic, that didn’t change the fact that Master Ryuga was no longer in the land of the living.

Is he really dead? Astrid asked, glaring at the pile of rubble and the dead Dragon. Even if I didn’t like my snooty classmate, she was right for asking.

Maybe he wasn’t dead? The lower half of his body was completely submerged under a tonne of debris and rocks, but maybe he somehow survived. Maybe—

He’s dead. Flavia nudged the Shinigami teacher. Very dead.

If she said it, it had to be true. She was a third-year and knew what she was doing.

"Great. That’s probably not going to help our grade," Sim remarked. He grunted while picking up his broken scythe and limped towards the couches.

This is not how it’s supposed to happen, Ryoko muttered. She bowed deeply to the corpse, her dark hair cascading down. Ryuga-sensei. I’m sorry.

He tried to kill me. I looked at the Shinigami teacher, my feelings conflicted. As shocked as I was, I couldn’t push away the guilt and relief. Relief that he could no longer hurt me and guilt that I felt that way.

A man died and it was our fault. My fault.

Professor Brynhild was right. Shadow Walkers brought death to the people around them and Master Ryuga was the second person to fall victim to the rotten blight. The cursed mark might be gone from my forehead, but that didn’t change what I was. As much as I wanted to deny it, destiny was calling.

Should we try and start digging? I asked, gesturing to the pile obstructing the exit.

Naaah, Sim called from the couch. I’m sure the teachers are already looking for us. Let’s just sit, relax. Chill a little. Flavia! Come sit with me.

The blonde third-year rolled her eyes. Fine, but only because there’s nothing else to do.

Before she could walk away, Astrid caught her arm. Are you really going to sit with a Reaper?

What are you doing? Flavia shot lightning with her eyes and the other Wind Child quickly let go.

Sorry... I just meant—

You know your introduction to my squad is just a trial. Do not overstep. Without giving her a second look, she marched away and left me standing with my fellow classmates.

Brutal, I noted. Even if Flavia was no longer my friend, I still admired her. She was a force to be reckoned and nothing would change that.

Shut up, Astrid snipped. With her head in the air, she made her way over to the main area and sat down next to Flavia, ready to lick heels.

That just left me with Ryoko, who had gone to wringing her hands and pacing.

Hey. Are you okay? I touched her arm, but she didn’t react. Ryoko?

There’s no moonlight in here. His soul will be forever restless if he can’t return.

I pulled a face. He tried to kill me. That’d serve him right.

He’s a Dragon, Ylva.

A Moon Dragon, I specified.

It doesn’t matter. Moon and Sun Dragons have lived together in harmony since the beginning of time. We are two sides of the same coin. I know he tried to do something wrong, but he needs a proper burial.

I clenched my jaw. It sounds like you’re on his side.

Ryoko straightened her back, no longer shaking. I don’t have to agree with him to show him dignity. He’s my kind, my kin.

I don’t know... I don’t think he deserves it.

There’s nothing wrong with being kind. Besides, I wasn’t asking your permission. She shot me a disappointed look as she joined the other three students in the couches.

Great. Stuck in a bunker with four people that all hated my guts. Now that was a dream come true.

I sighed deeply and with a last look at the dead teacher, I turned my back to Ryuga. I couldn’t look at him anymore without being reminded of the terror and fear.

A little reluctant, I decided to join my fellow students in the dirty couches. Hopefully, they’d take a break from hating on me. That’d be good.

So... Do you really think we shouldn’t try and start clearing the entrance? I asked, unsure in which couch to sit. Flavia and Astrid didn’t look like they were happy to have me, Sim was occupying a three-seater all by himself, and Ryoko wasn’t even looking at me. Not particularly a warm welcome.

No, we don’t know anything about the structure of the building. It might collapse on us, Sim replied.

While that sounded like a valid point, it also was a careful answer. For all we know, we could just dig our way out of here but not try because he was worried. He might’ve saved my life, but that didn’t make him automatically good at giving advice.

I turned to Flavia, looking at her expectantly. What do you think?

She exchanged a glance with Sim and then shook her head. Let’s not risk it. Not until we’ve exhausted our other options.

So what do we do in the meantime? I asked, deciding to occupy the seat next to Ryoko. She was too polite to tell me otherwise and where else was I going to sit?

I folded my arms and studied the four other students. The atmosphere was freezing cold and it wasn’t only directed at me. Sim and Flavia had their own weird tension going on. Flavia didn’t like Astrid nearly as much as the other way around.

Five of us entered, well, six if I counted Ryuga... But how many would leave?

Chapter 2.

I HAVE AN IDEA, BUT I don’t know if it’ll work, Flavia said. She rose from the couch, a strange expression on her face. I can call my dusk wolf and get her to deliver a message to a teacher.

Oooh, smart, Astrid quipped in, as always, quick to lick Flavia’s heels. Even being stuck in a bunker didn’t change that then.

She was right though. It was a smart idea and not one I’d ever think of, simply because Hyde couldn’t do it.

I like it, I agreed, eager to get out of this situation.

Sim nodded. Me too. And you two have a familiar as well, right? You can call them too.

We haven’t been taught how to call them, Astrid replied, glaring at me. "They were stolen before we could really bond with them because of a certain someone."

I clicked my tongue. Hey, that was not my fault.

I beg to differ.

Flavia clapped her hands. Guys. Not right now. If I’m going to call my wolf, I need to focus. Actually, I need some privacy too. I’ll go use one of the bedrooms.

Without waiting for anyone’s approval, she crossed through the rubble and pushed one of the heavy doors open. With a shriek, the metal thudded against the wall and the blonde third-year disappeared, leaving just the four of us hanging awkwardly in the lounge.

I shot a look at the others and received an underwhelming response. Ryoko was avoiding me all together. Astrid didn’t deem any of us worthy to communicate with, and Sim seemed rather emotional. He was playing with a couple of rocks, throwing them up in the air and letting them hover for a brief moment.

Just as I was about to ask him if he was alright, he swung his legs from the table and rose from the green seat. I’m going to find some booze.

He left the main area of the bunker, holding his poorly bandaged arm. The one that got damaged from his fight with Ryuga. His courage in facing the Moon Dragon was admirable and had put me to shame. He saved my life and I wanted to thank him for it.

I’m just going to, ummm... help him, I lied. Not that anyone was really listening.

I pushed myself up from the dingy couch and followed the Elf to the storage room. I could use a drink, or five.

I crossed through the main area, leaving the living room and pile of rubble behind me. The digging we did earlier hadn’t made any difference to it and there were some big rocks that weren’t going anywhere. Any attempts to move it were futile and I was long past the first wave of panic.

It would be fine. Someone had to have noticed the earth displacement and if Flavia could send her dusk wolf, we’d be fine. Surely, the teachers would be able to dig us up by the end of the day. They just had to...

I arrived at the storage room and with a little push, the door clunked open to reveal a small room with rows of shelves stacked with boxes and crates.

Where was Sim?

I pushed further into the room, finding a crouched figure at the back.

Are you okay? I asked.

Sim jumped and quickly pulled his hood back up. Oh, shit.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.

What do you want? He said, quickly running a hand through his tear-stained eyes.

I wanted to thank you for saving my life, I said, not mentioning the crying. If he was hiding it, then he probably felt embarrassed by it.

The Elf shrugged. No sweat.

To avoid looking at me, he grabbed a hold of one of the bottles and fidgeted with the label. But the sound of the label tearing couldn’t stifle his sniffles.

Still. Thank you, I tried, but he wasn’t engaging with me. Are you sure you’re okay?

Just deciding what to drink first. Vodka or rum. He cleared his throat and shook the bottles. You know what, let’s do both.

But—

Sim pushed a bottle in my hand as he walked past me. I’m fine. Party time, Ylva. Drink up.

Alright then. If he didn’t want to talk, then we wouldn’t. No skin off my nose. I expressed my gratitude, he acknowledged it, and that was that. For now. No matter what he said or how he acted, I owed him. And I’d repay that debt one way or another.

Chapter 3.

Aloud shriek sounded from the sleeping quarters Flavia was occupying. Aaaah! No! Come back!

The heavy door swung open and a flash of black shot through the main area and attacked Sim.

Bloom! Sit! The third-year came running to the lounge, more panicked and flaily than I’d ever seen her. Bloom!

Oh no, the ball of fur was her dusk wolf and it went straight for an attack. I had a personal experience with the poisonous bite and it was not a joke.

Help Sim! I shouted, jumping up to save him from the wolf. Even if she bit me, my debt would be repaid.

I was about to pull the shadow animal off of him, only to realise Sim wasn’t distressed. In fact, he was laughing while the dusk wolf... licked him?

Confused, I exchanged a rare look with Astrid. Even if we didn’t like each other, this was certainly a weird thing to