The Valkyrie Returns and Slays (Raven)

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

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"Ahem... Raven, listen, Brigadier General Grayson's getting old, and, uh, he's not all there anymore. I'll say sorry for him," Lorne said, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward grin.

Then he even added. "And to make it real clear I'm totally against that stupid idea he had, I'm giving you a promotion."

"As of today, you're the military's fourth general!" he announced, his voice loud and firm.

The place burst into chatters.

The moment Lorne's words landed, it was like a shockwave hit everyone right in the head.

For a second, they thought they'd heard wrong.

The fourth general? Their minds buzzed with disbelief.

Vyrdenia's three current full-on generals were legends-people who'd fought hard

and spilled blood for the country's pride.

And in all of Vyrdenia's history, no one had ever made general before fifty.

But here was Lorne, handing the title to a girl barely past her teens.

He wasn't kidding-he was really doing this.

Next to Raven, Eddie just gaped at her, his jaw hanging loose.

He'd come from Regalhold to "lend a hand," full of himself and ready to play hero.

He'd thought he was the hotshot riding in to save the day-that's how he pictured it.

Yeah, Valhalla master, lieutenant general, whatever, he'd sucked it up and dealt with it.

But now they' were saying she was shooting up to a general rank he could only dream of? His head couldn't handle it.

Someone like that needing his help-he almost cracked up at the thought.

And since he got here, he hadn't done a thing.

shouting like a fool at the start, telling Raven to run, he'd just stood

top dog among his buddies, wearing

right then, he

to Raven's age and what she'd done, he-a guy who came to "help"-felt

he was walking into this, he'd have told his grandpa to

her lieutenant general uncle, stopped

face earlier-assumed Raven was maybe

saying Raven was a general,

the

Jennings family would throw a whole welcome bash for- big dinner, fancy setup, the whole

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Chapter 31

nobody from a nowhere town. The ridiculousness of it slammed

at how she'd acted, she felt like

always thought she had it all figured out. Yet now, she

of his daze,

him like a slap across his grizzled

bumping Raven down to colonel, and Lorne shot

was a straight-up insult,

plank, Rex turned and

a general's spot was already too much, as

tier at that age? He

a position he'd never even let himself imagine, and it

her take that general spot-he

a lieutenant general, she could still drop

top rank, unless she pulled some treason-level stunt or messed up big, no

damn about Lorne's earlier threat. Throwing all caution out the window, he leaned forward, his face dead serious, and

before Lorne could shut him down. "Look, every general

we've stuck a nineteen-year-old girl in that role, they'll think our military's a laughingstock. It could turn

stared him down, his sharp eyes

wasn't just

big mouth shut, hacked

all lined up. He'd had

clown, that chance was toast, and

be. Once she said no, that was that-no changing her mind today, no matter

third go at asking her,