Prologue:
A Mother’s Love
Gundr threw her shield out, blocking the blast of fire from the metal beast. Then she gave a resounding cry as she poured her divine power into her raised sword of light and brought it down with all her strength, cleaving the tank in two. She breathed heavily from the exertion.
“Mother! The house on the right! They’re pinned down!”
Screams of terror sounded from the remains of the house in question as the only wall still standing was shredded by bits of fiery metal.
Her daughter, her brave, beautiful, wonderful daughter, cast herself into the fray on wings of gold, her shield blocking the barrage from the humans advancing on the non-combatants cowering behind the wall. With the younger Valkyrie covering them, the innocents now had a chance to escape their burning village.
Sadly all they had to offer them at this point was a chance, so overwhelmed were they.
“Dominar! More of them coming in on the left flank!”
Gundr flapped her wings at the warning cry from a former member of the Third Host who had mistakenly called her by her old title. She recovered her breath and flew once more into the midst of the terrible conflict.
The thunderous roar of the humans’ weapons tore through the night, just as the battle-cries of the Valkyrie resounded to meet them. The fighting continued unabated for several minutes until the various flights of warriors broke the back of the latest assault and the soldiers retreated.
Angelic trumpets sounded across the heavens as the Dominar of the Fourth Host called for her angels to regroup once more.
Gundr and the other members of her flight headed to join the rest of their people in the sky above the village, but one of the death-machines hidden in the snow-clad trees landed a glancing blow from its main gun that sent her careening for a moment before she was able to regain control of her damaged wings.
“Mother!”
“Gundr! Are you well?” Astrid called out as the flights took their formations once more.
Several girls moving to cover her, their shields directed at the enemy, blocking more oncoming fire so that Gundr could recover.
She gave a flap of her wings, and though she could feel that she had lost more than a few feathers, she could still fly.
“I am, Dominar!” She called back as she regained her altitude, the word still unfamiliar on her tongue.
Seeing that she was indeed alright, the Dominar turned back to her sisters to address them again.
“Steady sisters! Steady! You all know what is at stake this night! There may yet be survivors! We must hold the line!”
There were grim nods from the gathered Valkyrie; they all knew how the battle would end at this point.
Privately, Gundr thanked the goddess for Dominar Astrid; she was able to fly with her daughter this night only because there was one more worthy than she to lead them all.
“Another wave is coming Dominar!” One of their spotters called out.
“So soon? Truly they must be desperate to finish this! We shall make them pay for their recklessness! Lightbringers, do your duty!” Astrid commanded.
As ordered, Gundr and her daughter joined the other Lightbringers in the van and swooped down on the enemy, once more scattering their advance with their own fearless charge, though it was not without cost; friends that Gundr had known since she was a fledgling died all around her.
The van broke apart when they swept into the streets, each flight searching for survivors in the village that was again swarming with their ancient foe.
“Come sisters! There are more lives to save this night! Over here! To me!”
Gundr felt another surge of pride as her daughter gave a rallying cry and brought the embattled Valkyrie together to meet a further volley from the human’s machines. They formed a wall and their shields clanged and rattled but were unyielding as the four remaining Valkyrie in their flight put themselves between the enemy and their precious targets.
“Friends! We will buy you time! Save yourselves!” Gundr called back at their helpless charges.
“What about you!?” One of them sobbed as a blast from a side alley took down one of Gundr’s remaining sisters.
“We do not matter now! All that matters is that you get to safety! I beg of you, flee!”
With that she could spare them no more of her attention as she turned to face the new threat and her shield began to rattle and shake again.
“Daughter!”
Gundr called in warning, and her daughter turned her shield just as another tank let loose a devastating barrage that would have ended her. As she held back the assault her mother and the one other remaining member of their flight fell upon the tank from above, destroying it and killing its masters within.
“You are fortunate Gundr! To have so canny a daughter!”
“She is my joy.” Gundr smiled.
But the smile fell off her face when she saw that the Valkyrie who had just spoken was no more, her body crumpling to the ground in a heap even as she turned to address her.
“Daughter! We fly alone now! To me!”
“Yes mother!” Her daughter flapped her wings to join her.
She and her daughter flew from one building to the next, but they could find no more survivors and far too many dead as the trumpets sounded once more.
“Truly the goddess has blessed me. Show me a Valkyrie that is as graceful in flight.” Gundr said to no one in particular as they joined the other angels in the air.
After receiving reports from all of the surviving Valkyrie, Astrid addressed the much diminished host one final time.
“The rearguard has confirmed that the village is empty. Even now our surviving charges flee into the uncertain safety of the night. But the enemy is tenacious still, despite their losses! We must buy more time…”
Even as she spoke they all knew what that meant, Dominar Astrid took a moment to scan the faces of her weary sisters in flight.
“Warriors of the Fourth Host, it has been the greatest honour of my life to have been your Dominar. Now I ask you to fly with me one final time, for the goddess calls us home!”
With that the Dominar herself took the center of the van, and all of the remaining Valkyrie formed around her, looking down at their enemy… only to see that he too was nearly spent.
Everything that the humans had left was now arrayed against them just at the edge of the tree line below, across the snowy field from the village.
Once more Gundr could not hide her pride as her daughter spoke to those nearest her.
“We will give our friends all of the time that we can, if that means striking down every last one of these poor fools then so be it! Sisters! Now is not the time to hold anything back!”
They charged.
But the power of their enemy was bent, not broken, and Valkyrie were torn from the sky by the dozen even as they collided with the final row of death-machines and their desperate masters.
Gundr’s arms and wings were weary, but she fought shoulder to shoulder with her beloved daughter, and that was all the strength she needed.
Together they took part in the final stand of the Fourth Heavenly Host.
Together they witnessed the fall of Dominar Astrid, mightiest of the Valkyrie, who took five death-machines with her.
Together they stood until they had to fight back to back, as there were no more Valkyrie at their flanks.
Together they stood, until together they could stand no more.
Gundr died in the arms of her beloved daughter even as the night had finally grown still.
She died with a smile on her lips.