by Kate O'Hearn
‘She found a small village here and bore her twins. She tried to keep them safe, but Odin would not tolerate her disobedience. He sent a Dark Searcher after her. Brünnhilde managed to hide her son with an elder from the village before the Searcher caught her. When Odin arrived, her new baby daughter was taken away and returned to Asgard to be raised by another Valkyrie. Then Odin de-winged and blinded Brünnhilde. After that, he released the Midgard Serpent to punish the village that had sheltered her.’
‘What happened to the baby boy?’ Orus asked.
‘Nothing,’ Azrael said. ‘The village elder survived the Midgard Serpent and returned him to his mother. Knowing what fate awaited them if Odin were ever to learn the truth, the elder suggested that the child’s wings be removed. That child grew up knowing he was immortal like his mother, but he had no idea that he was a Dark Searcher.’
‘How much of this does Odin know?’ Freya asked.
Azrael shook his head. ‘About the boy? None – if Odin had known, he would have ordered the family destroyed and, because of my involvement, he would have never spoken to me again.’
‘What did you do that was so wrong?’ Freya asked.
‘I was the village elder who shielded Brünnhilde’s son from the Dark Searcher and protected him from the Midgard Serpent.’
‘You?’ Archie cried. ‘Did she know?’
‘No. I came in disguise and Brünnhilde was too frightened for her son to recognize me. Then, after her eyesight and powers were removed, she couldn’t see or sense me. But I was the one who carefully cut off her son’s wings – I hated to do it, but it was the only way to keep him safe. I also advised her not to give him a name that might lead back to Asgard. So she called him Giovanni – these days he’s called Vonni.’
Orus cawed. ‘Why would you risk Odin’s wrath?’
‘Were the twins yours?’ Archie asked.
‘I am not their father,’ Azrael said. ‘I did it because I don’t agree with Odin’s law and because of the love Brünnhilde felt for her children. That Valkyrie sacrificed everything to protect her child. Seeing that, how could I not help her?’
Freya now understood. ‘You’re frightened that Odin will learn of the son’s existence and your involvement.’
‘It’s much worse than that.’ Azrael started to pace. ‘Everything was going fine. Brünnhilde and Vonni lived among humans for thousands of years, always on the move, never staying in one place long enough to draw attention to themselves. Male Valkyries don’t develop reaping powers, so I knew there was no danger. I left them alone, just keeping a distant eye on them.
‘But the one thing I never counted on was Vonni falling in love and marrying a human woman.’
‘He did what?’ Orus cawed.
‘I told Brünnhilde that this must never happen. And for thousands of years she has kept Giovanni from forming relationships. But love can’t be denied, no matter how hard any of us try.’
‘So he got married, so what?’ Archie said.
Azrael smiled gently at Archie. ‘I don’t think you grasp the importance of what has happened. Vonni is the first ever Dark Searcher to grow up among humans. I don’t know what Brünnhilde told him to halt his curiosity about himself, but whatever it was, it wasn’t enough to stop him from marrying a woman and having a daughter. No Dark Searcher has EVER had children. And now a Valkyrie male has produced a child with a living woman.’
Orus cawed in understanding. ‘You don’t know what they have produced – human or Valkyrie. What realm do they belong to?’
‘Exactly,’ Azrael agreed. ‘Their daughter was born without wings, so I had high hopes that she was human. But now that she is approaching maturity, she is showing signs of great strength, speed and agility. I fear she is becoming a full, wingless Valkyrie – a Valkyrie that doesn’t know what she is or how deadly she will soon become.’
Freya inhaled sharply. Her own strength had increased right before her reaping powers arrived.
‘But worse still,’ Azrael continued, ‘Vonni’s wife, Sarah, is with child again. I already know this child is a boy with wings.’
‘How could you know that?’ Archie asked.
Azrael sighed and looked at Freya. ‘You aren’t the only one with powers to sense people. I’ve been keeping an eye on Sarah from afar and can sense the baby – he has wings. Very soon, a living human woman will bear a Dark Searcher. No realm is prepared for that – war or no war.’
Freya walked up to the cliff edge, gazing out over the tranquil valley and trees. Learning that there were tensions of war brewing in Asgard was too awful to consider. But now, hearing about Brünnhilde’s family and the danger they were in complicated everything.
Azrael continued. ‘Odin will never tolerate children born in Midgard to a living woman, in Asgard – especially if war is brewing. But he certainly won’t allow them to remain here. Not if they carry Valkyrie blood that could be used against him.’
‘Surely he wouldn’t harm them,’ Freya insisted.
‘He may. If war does come, he can’t risk any Asgard blood being left in Midgard. If the giants were to learn of the family’s existence, they may use them as hostages against Odin.’
‘We must help them,’ Freya insisted. ‘Runaway or not, Brünnhilde is part of the Sisterhood of Valkyries. Her children are too. We can’t leave them to the mercy of the Frost Giants or Odin.’
‘Here’s my plan,’ Azrael said. ‘You must speak with Brünnhilde and let her know the danger her family is in. She must tell her son what he is, and what his children are, and send them into hiding. Then you must ask Brünnhilde to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect her family.’
‘What’s that?’ Archie asked.
‘She must leave her family and return to Asgard alone and pretend they never existed. That’s the only way Odin will never learn the truth.’
‘There has to be another way,’ Freya insisted.
When Azrael shook his head, Archie asked, ‘What about you? If you come too, Brünnhilde is sure to understand and agree to this.’
‘I’ve already caused enough damage.’ Azrael paused and gazed around. ‘If there is a spy following you, he might tell of my involvement. That alone may be the trigger that starts the war.’
‘If there is a spy following us, we’ll lead them to the family!’ Freya said.
‘It is a risk,’ Azrael agreed. ‘But we have no choice. I can’t feel anyone around us at the moment. If you move quickly, there may be time to hide the family before my involvement is discovered.’
The Angel of Death stepped away from them and walked over to a large boulder. He lifted it aside as if it weighed nothing. There was a hole cut into the solid rock. Azrael reached inside and pulled out a large package wrapped in brown paper.
‘Here,’ he said. ‘You’ll need these.’
Freya opened up the package. Inside were human clothes in the Steampunk style she had adopted when she was last in the human world: a full-length skirt, a large men’s shirt with slits for her wings and a long, burgundy velvet coat. ‘My coat!’
‘Not quite. I couldn’t find one exactly like your old one, but this should cover your wings just as well. There are gloves in the pocket. Now that you’ve got your powers back, we can’t risk you touching someone and reaping them.’
Freya held up the velvet coat. It was covered in copper chains with copper and brass leaves and Steampunkesque pins, including a pair of old welder’s goggles. Pocket watches were sewn to the arms and the lapels at the front.
‘I love it!’
Azrael chuckled softly. ‘I thought you might. Though your Asgard clothes are very fetching, they’re not appropriate for Earth. You must keep yourself well hidden.’
Freya looked down at her short, rough-woven tunic and her fur-lined boots. Odin hadn’t given them time to change and she and Archie were still wearing their stable-cleaning clothes. She pulled the velvet coat on. ‘Thank you so much, it’s beautiful! But how did you know we’d be coming?’
/> ‘I didn’t know for certain, but I hoped Odin would take my advice and ask you.’ He paused. ‘There is one more thing I must tell you. The girl baby that Odin took away from Brünnhilde was actually your mother.’
‘What?’ Orus cawed.
The angel nodded. ‘Yes, Eir is Brünnhilde’s daughter. Vonni is your mother’s twin brother.’
‘Gee, that mean’s Brünnhilde is your grandmother. Now we’ve really got to help them – they’re family!’
‘Exactly,’ Azrael said. ‘And I know you, Freya. You are so very much like your grandmother – you will fight to protect your family. You and Archie are the only ones who can save them.’
‘Does my mother know?’ Freya asked softly.
‘I believe she knows that the runaway Valkyrie was her mother. I could see by her reaction when Odin said the name. But there is no way she could know about the existence of her twin brother or the danger they face.’
‘It all makes sense now,’ Freya said.
‘What does?’ Orus asked.
‘How many times have you heard me ask Mother about our family? Who is my father, and who is her mother? She wouldn’t tell me.’
Azrael nodded. ‘Your mother has worked tirelessly to restore her family’s reputation with Odin. That is why she is always harder on you than your sisters. She sees in you a wild spirit – the same wild spirit that she has fought to contain within herself. The wild spirit she inherited from her real mother . . .’
Azrael stopped speaking and stood tall. He looked around, as if hearing something on the wind that Freya couldn’t. ‘I wish I could stay and help you through this time,’ he said sadly. ‘But I must go. Jonquil will take you the rest of the way. It’s not far. Just over that ridge is where you will find her ranch. I suggest you wait here until sundown.’
‘We will,’ Freya agreed.
‘Good. Now, Freya, listen to me. Brünnhilde is bitter and angry at what Odin did to her. She is going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to convince. But you must make her understand what is at stake. She must send her family into hiding and return to Asgard alone.’
‘I understand,’ Freya said solemnly.
‘She can never know that it was me that saved Vonni. There is too much risk that others may learn the truth.’
Freya nodded at the tall Angel of Death.
‘And remember, there is at least one traitor in Asgard. Be on your guard. Spies may have followed you here – so always be aware of who is around you. I am never far away. Call me if you get into serious trouble. But only if there is no other way. If I am discovered—’
‘It could start the war,’ Archie finished.
Azrael nodded. ‘Good luck. We are all counting on you.’
Freya and Archie stood back as Azrael opened his wings and leaped gracefully into the air. He soared down the sharp mountainside and then vanished into a shaft of sunlight.
When they were alone, the silence seemed oppressive. The soft wind was all that they heard at the top of the craggy mountain.
‘Are you OK, Gee?’ Archie asked softly.
Freya opened her wings and sat down heavily on a large boulder, feeling the heavy weight of responsibility. She looked up at Archie. ‘How could Odin do it?’
‘Do what?’
‘Host the Ten Realms Challenge, knowing that someone in Asgard was betraying him and uniting the Frost and Fire Giants against him. He smiled the whole time, knowing the truth.’
‘He’s a great leader. He has to protect his people. He couldn’t show everyone what he was thinking. It must have been very hard.’
‘Yes, he is a great man,’ Freya agreed. ‘But he can be so cruel. Every time I heard him tell the story of Frigha, the runaway Valkyrie, I used to stop listening and think of anything else. But it wasn’t Frigha he was talking about. It was Brünnhilde, my grandmother. He cut off her wings and blinded her, just because she wanted to protect her children.’
‘And now it’s our turn to protect them and end that terrible story.’
‘Yes, but if Odin finds out the whole truth, it will be even worse for all of us.’
‘Has fear of Odin ever stopped you before?’ Orus asked.
Freya shook her head.
‘Then why should it concern you now?’
‘Because before, it was only us that I was putting in danger. Now, if we fail, it could start a war in the realms.’
‘Then we’d better not fail,’ Archie said.
CHAPTER SIX
Maya entered the Reaping Mares’ stables, humming to herself. ‘Freya, I’m here to help,’ she sang out to the empty stables. But as she walked the length of the long building, she saw that although all the mares were in their stalls, only half of them had been cleaned. Her own Reaping Mare, Lutna, nickered softly when she walked past.
Maya stopped and kissed her softly on the muzzle. Beside Lutna’s stall was Sylt. Freya’s chestnut mare with the brown and black wings was munching on hay. Maya gave her a friendly pat. ‘Have you seen Freya and Archie?’
Sylt nickered and nudged Maya, inviting another stroke. Maya gazed around and saw that one of the stalls opposite was in the process of being cleared. The pitchfork and shovel had been left leaning against the wall.
‘Maybe Orus talked them into going somewhere?’ her raven, Grul, suggested. ‘He can get Freya to do anything.’
Maya shook her head. ‘It’s not like Freya to leave a job half finished – especially while she’s on probation with Odin. And even if she wanted to, Archie wouldn’t let her.’
Giving Sylt a final pat, Maya left the stables, opened her fine wings and leaped up into the sky.
She landed on the flight balcony of their beautiful palace. Maya found her mother sitting in the lounge. Her head was down, her wings drooped and she was weeping softly. Three of her sisters were sitting around her, begging her to tell them what was wrong.
‘Mother, what is it?’ Maya cried in alarm. ‘What has happened?’
‘Maya,’ her mother wept. ‘We are all in such terrible danger.’
Seeing her like this tore at Maya’s heart. Her mother was the strongest woman she knew. She hadn’t seen her weep in a very, very long time. ‘What is it?’
‘It’s Freya . . .’ Her mother was unable to continue as she broke into sobs again.
‘Freya?’ Gwyn, the eldest, demanded harshly. ‘What has she done now?’
Their mother rose and started to pace the long lounge. ‘She has done nothing.’
‘What’s happened to her?’ Maya asked. ‘She and Archie aren’t in the barn. I can’t get a sense of Freya anywhere.’
‘She’s not here. They’ve gone back to Midgard.’
‘What?’ Maya cried. ‘Odin will kill them!’
‘Odin sent them!’ her mother said, as she started to shake.
‘Mother, please, tell us what’s happened!’ Skaga demanded.
Eir took a seat and indicated her daughters do the same.
She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘You all know the story of Frigha the runaway Valkyrie,’ she started. ‘But what you don’t know is that Frigha was not her true name. It was Brünnhilde . . .’ She paused. ‘She was my mother.’
‘What?’ the sisters cried as one.
Eir nodded. ‘I was not born in Asgard,’ she continued. ‘I was born in Midgard. Not long after the Dark Searcher captured my mother, Odin arrived. I was ripped from my mother’s arms and brought back here to be raised by another.’
‘And then Odin punished her?’ Gwyn asked.
‘Yes,’ Eir said. ‘She was de-winged, blinded and banished. This is why I have fought so hard to please Odin. After the shame my mother brought down on our name, I have had to work twice as hard to gain back his faith.’
‘Mother, I don’t understand,’ Maya said. ‘What does this have to do with Freya and Archie?’
‘Everything,’ Eir said. ‘I am sure Azrael thought he was being kind, but he has been our undoing. He has convinced Odin to forg
ive my mother and allow her to come back to Asgard. Odin has just sent Freya and Archie to collect her.’
‘But this is wonderful!’ Maya cried. ‘How can you not be happy?’
Her mother shook her head. ‘For many, many generations, I have known about my mother and why she did what she did. But if Odin were to find out the truth, it will mean disaster for all of us.’
‘What truth?’ Gwyn asked.
‘My mother didn’t run away to Midgard to protect me from Odin or to escape Asgard. She did it to protect my twin.’
‘You have a twin?’ Maya cried.
Eir nodded. ‘Many, many hundreds of years ago, I was on a Reaping in France. I was just about to collect my intended on the battlefield when I felt something tug in my chest that made me turn around. And there he was, carrying his friend away from danger. I know he felt me too because he stopped and stared at me. I was in my helmet and should have been invisible to the human eye, but he could see me. It was like looking at myself. I reached out with my senses and I knew. He was my twin. I have a brother – he is living in Midgard as a human.’
‘Did anyone else see this?’ Gwyn asked.
Eir shook her head. ‘No. He called to me and started to approach, but I held up my hand and warned him back. There were Valkyries and Angels of Death all around us; the danger of exposure was too great. I reaped my warrior and flew away.
‘Ever since that moment, I have felt him and yearned to be reunited with him. But as long as I stayed away, as long as I stayed silent, he remained safe. Until now. The moment Odin finds out, there will be no stopping his rage.’
‘Does Freya know any of this?’ Maya asked.
Eir shook her head. ‘How could she? She and Archie believe they are going to Midgard to find the runaway Valkyrie and bring her home. But what they are going to find is my mother and brother. What will happen then? To fulfill Odin’s command, Freya will have no choice but to expose him.’
‘No, Mother,’ Maya said. ‘You must trust Freya. She would never betray this family.’