by Kate O'Hearn
Dirian inhaled deeply. For the very first time, she heard him speak.
‘I killed you once,’ he rasped with a sound more growl than voice. ‘But you didn’t have the sense to stay dead – that was your mistake. You will not rise again after I am finished with you.’
Slowly and methodically, Dirian drew his two swords and opened his one remaining wing. He advanced on Freya.
With the Dark Searcher taking up most of her cell, there was no getting round him. She would have to fight.
‘You may kill me again,’ Freya challenged. ‘But you’ll know you’ve been in the fight of your life!’
Freya opened her own wings and flew at Dirian with all her might. She dived in close, hoping to break his visor like she had at the Challenge. But Dirian was ready for her. He easily blocked her attack.
She tried again, reasoning that the closer she pressed to him, the less chance he had to use his swords. The attempt was brave, but futile. When she tried to punch him as hard as she could, his first blade cut into her left wing. The second blade sliced into her side.
Freya couldn’t keep from crying out. The back of Dirian’s gauntlet knocked her across the cell and she collapsed to the floor.
‘You will not speed up your death, little one,’ he rasped. ‘Soon you will understand the depth of my humiliation.’
She lay in the corner, fighting to catch her breath. Her wounds were searing hot and her eye started to swell shut. Freya knew that without her sword she could never defeat him. But she wasn’t going to make it easy for him either. She lunged again, hoping to find his blind spot like she had in the Challenge. But Dirian was prepared for her. He caught hold of her arm and wrenched it back.
‘Not again,’ he growled.
Freya strained and pulled away from him, rubbing the tendons in her arm.
Dirian stood before her and started to laugh. ‘Is that all you’ve got, Valkyrie? A couple of small cuts and you give up?’
Oh, Azrael, Freya thought. She had no more options. Should she call him for help? But if Azrael appeared in Utgard it would start the war. She couldn’t allow that. She was on her own and would face whatever end Dirian had for her.
‘Azrael can’t help you now . . .’ Dirian boomed, as if he had read her thoughts.
‘Go on, Dirian,’ she panted. ‘Kill me, but you’ll always be in disgrace!’ Freya launched at him, using all her strength. But to no effect. Dirian unleashed his rage and anger and let his blades do the talking for him.
‘Dirian, stop!’
Agony was blinding Freya but, in her misery, she was sure she recognized the voice. As Dirian’s sword cut again and then again, she heard him let out a grunt of pain. Suddenly he was knocked away from her.
Both she and Dirian fell to the floor together. Freya forced herself to look up. Thor stood above Dirian, clutching his hammer. That would have been the only thing powerful enough to stop the murderous Dark Searcher.
‘Take him out of here,’ Thor barked. ‘And get a healer down here, now!’
Freya was barely conscious as Dirian was carried out. She felt Thor kneel at her side.
He turned her over. ‘Oh, Freya, you little fool, what have you done?’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
‘Make her well enough to travel,’ Thor commanded. ‘We’ll be leaving for Asgard at first light.’
Freya was lying on a camp bed as a Dark Searcher healer treated her deep wounds. She felt compassion from him and it surprised her. He was dressed as all the others, and carried his twin blades, but he was gentle and almost caring as he lifted her head and offered a potion to take the pain away. She was fast learning that not all Searchers were pure evil.
A line of Searchers stood guarding her with their weapons drawn. They weren’t so compassionate.
‘Tell me why,’ Thor demanded. He and his brother, Balder, were seated opposite her. ‘Valkyries are forbidden in Utgard – especially now that we are on the brink of war. Why are you here?’
Freya was helped into a seated position by the gentle Searcher. Every part of her body hurt, but especially her side, where Dirian’s blade had cut deepest. ‘I needed to find my brother,’ she grunted softly.
‘Brother?’ Thor repeated. ‘What brother?’
‘Kai, he’s my twin. He’s the young Dark Searcher with the white wings. You came here for his Searcher Ceremony.’
‘He’s your twin?’ Balder asked.
‘We were separated at birth,’ Freya said. ‘I’ve felt him my whole life. I wanted to see him before the war started. If either of us fell in battle, I’d never know him. I couldn’t bear that.’
‘You risked your life just to meet your brother?’ Thor demanded.
Freya’s eyes passed from Thor to Balder and back again. ‘Wouldn’t you do the same for each other? I don’t understand why Odin commands all the male babies born to Valkyries be taken from their mothers and delivered here to become Dark Searchers. Why can’t we know each other? We would serve him just as well. But our families wouldn’t be broken.’
‘Odin commands as Odin commands,’ Thor said.
‘That’s no answer,’ Freya remarked.
Thor’s face went red. ‘What?’
‘Brother, calm yourself,’ Balder said. His green eyes turned to Freya. ‘Are you questioning our father’s reasons after Thor just saved your life?’
‘No,’ Freya insisted, lowering her head to them. ‘It’s just that you have your brothers. You know what it is to care for your whole family. Why are Valkyries and Dark Searchers denied that?’
‘The reasons for Odin’s decisions are known only to him. It is our place to obey. You are in so much trouble, Freya,’ Thor said. Then his eyes softened. ‘I have watched you for a long time, and I applaud your independent spirit. But this time you’ve gone too far. Not even I can help you now. You must face our father and answer for your crimes. I fear he will not be lenient.’
Balder rose and looked sadly at her. ‘By the time Odin has finished with you, you’ll have wished Dirian had killed you – permanently.’
Thor faced the Dark Searchers. ‘Take her back to her cell until it’s time for us to leave.’
Freya was carried back to her cell and found a camp bed had been placed inside. The healer Searcher helped her lie down. ‘Rest now,’ he rasped. ‘You face a great trial; you will need all your strength.’
‘Thank you.’ Freya settled herself on to the bed. ‘Wait.’ She reached for the Searcher’s hand. ‘Did you know your mother was a Valkyrie? That all the Searchers are the sons born to them?’
The Dark Searcher considered for a moment before pulling free of her grasp. He walked to the cell door and Freya was certain he wasn’t going to answer. Before he passed through, he turned back, shaking his visored helmet.
‘No, child, I didn’t. I doubt any of us knew that.’
Saying no more, he left and locked the door behind him.
A sound at the door roused Freya from sleep. She opened her eyes to see her cell door swing open – she was about to scream when a voice spoke.
‘Freya, it’s me. You must stay silent.’
It was a relief to hear Kai’s voice.
Freya sat up as her brother entered the cell.
‘Hurry.’ He tossed her Dark Searcher outfit and golden sword to her. ‘We don’t have much time. The moon is rising and they are preparing for my Ceremony.’
Freya was too stunned to speak. She let her brother haul her to her feet and help dress her in Searcher armour and cloak. She winced as the buckles were tightened and closed around her wounds.
He fastened the golden sword around her waist. ‘The healer is guarding the outer door to the cells; we must hurry. I know a secret way out of here.’
‘But, Kai, if they catch you . . .’ Freya started.
Kai paused. ‘I heard Thor and Balder talking. They believe Odin will execute you. I can’t let that happen. Freya, I have spent my life feeling different from the Searchers around me. When you told me
you felt the same with the Valkyries, I began to wonder if this is the reason for it. Part of me has always been missing. I never knew what that was. But now I know it’s you. I have a family, I need to understand what that means and . . .’
‘And?’ Freya asked.
‘I need to meet my mother.’
Perhaps it was the healer’s potion dulling her senses, but Freya could hardly believe what her brother was saying. He caught hold of her hand and drew her out of the cell and down the darkened corridor.
The healer Searcher was standing at the end of the corridor with a torch in his hand. He offered the torch to Kai. He said nothing as Freya and Kai walked past, but she could feel he was happy for them.
‘This way,’ Kai whispered.
They descended deeper into the bowels of the Keep. Kai navigated his way confidently through the confusing twists of his home as though he had done it many times before. Soon they entered the dark maze of tunnels running beneath the Keep.
They emerged through the tree in the woods. Freya removed her helmet and inhaled the sweet aroma of freedom. The sky above them was dark grey as heavy, leaden storm clouds obscured the stars. But the air had never seemed sweeter.
‘Here,’ Kai said, offering Freya a vial. ‘The healer said this will help you fly despite your wounds.’
Freya didn’t hesitate. She opened the vial and drank the bitter liquid. Her head started to spin and if Kai hadn’t caught her she would have fallen. But within minutes, with her brother’s arms around her for support, Freya recovered.
‘Can you fly now?’ Kai asked. ‘We mustn’t linger. They will be expecting me for my Ceremony. If I don’t show, they’ll discover the truth.’
Freya nodded. ‘I can fly, but we must find Archie. I left him and Orus at the top of a mountain.’
‘And we nearly froze to death, thank you very much!’ Archie emerged from his hiding place in the trees and ran up to her. ‘I think I’ve got frostbite!’
Orus cawed and flew to Freya’s shoulder.
‘Archie!’ Freya threw her arms around her best friend and held him tight. ‘How did you get here?’
‘Kai found us,’ Archie explained. ‘He told us what happened. Are you OK?’
‘I’ll live,’ Freya replied.
Archie started to chuckle and shake his head. ‘You do have a talent for getting yourself into trouble, don’t you. Dirian? Really? You thought you could beat him bare handed?’
‘I didn’t have much choice,’ Freya said. ‘He attacked me.’
‘And he’ll do it again if we don’t get out of here,’ Kai insisted. ‘We must go. Archie, Freya is wounded. I will carry you again.’
‘Wait,’ Freya said. She looked around. ‘What about Loki?’
‘He’s gone,’ Kai said. ‘They are searching for him, but Thor believes he is long gone. We will find our way to Bifröst without him.’
‘But he was going to get us through the gate!’ Freya said.
‘When they discover us missing, they will secure the gate. Frogg will not allow anyone to leave. I know another way out of Utgard. It will be dangerous, but if we succeed, no one will know how we left.’
‘Take us there,’ Freya said.
Kai caught hold of Archie and leaped up into the air and flapped his white wings. Orus returned to his hiding place in Freya’s cloak as she flapped her wounded wings and flew up into the sky behind her brother.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Back on Earth, Maya had been confined to bed and ordered to rest. But she couldn’t sleep. Freya and Archie should have been back by now.
‘Something’s wrong, I know it,’ she told Grul. ‘I have no choice – I must tell Mother.’
‘She’ll be furious,’ Grul warned. He was still wrapped in bandages and nestled in a soft towel on the bedside table.
‘Better that than letting something happen to Freya.’
Maya’s eyes landed on her armour, lying on the floor beside the bed. It was dented almost beyond recognition. ‘Look at those bullet strikes. I was lucky to survive.’
‘We both were,’ Grul agreed as he picked at the bandage on his wing. The raven stopped. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’
Maya nodded. ‘What choice have we got?’
She climbed slowly to her feet and attempted to open her wings. They were wrapped in thick bandages. George had done a fine job setting the bones, but the pain in her right wing reminded her that it was broken.
She crept downstairs, dreading facing her mother. Maya found her in the dining room, sounding desperate and panicked. ‘I’ve tried everywhere,’ Eir was saying. ‘I can feel no trace of her. Something must have happened. The hunters who shot Mia may have taken her. I’m going back into the barn. They will tell me the truth, or I will tear it out of them—’
‘Mother, stop,’ Maya interrupted. ‘They’re not here. Loki, Greta and Archie – they’ve . . . they’ve gone to Utgard.’
‘What?’ Eir was stunned. ‘Why would they do that?’
‘Here we go,’ Grul warned. ‘Get ready for the explosion!’
‘She had no choice . . . she . . . she had to find Kai.’ Maya paused. ‘Her twin brother.’
Her sisters erupted into mumbles of confusion and surprise but Maya saw her mother’s face freeze into recognition.
‘Mother,’ Maya attempted to soothe. ‘Greta has felt Kai for most of her life, though she didn’t understand what she was feeling. Now she does. When they bumped into each other during the battle at the Ten Realms Challenge . . . she knew. Just like you with Vonni.’
Eir started to panic. ‘But she can’t go to Utgard! They’ll kill her if they catch her there.’
‘Greta knew the danger,’ Maya insisted. ‘I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. Nothing was going to keep her from finding Kai.’
‘Loki is with her,’ Grul offered. ‘Surely he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.’
‘Loki!’ Eir cried. ‘He’d be the one to hand her over! I must go to her!’
‘Eir, you can’t.’ Vonni stepped in. ‘All I’ve heard since Greta got here was how Utgard was about to declare war on Asgard. You can’t go – not now.’
Brundi rose carefully from her chair. ‘It’s been too long. You wouldn’t find her. All we can do is hope that Loki brings them back safely.’
‘But Loki—’ Eir protested.
‘I’ve told you,’ Brundi cut in sharply. ‘Loki has been a dear friend to me and this family. Even if he doesn’t like Greta, he wouldn’t let anything happen to her because of me.’
Eir was shaking as she wrung her hands and started to pace. ‘Oh, Mother, I hope you are right.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Freya, Archie and Kai headed back towards the Frost Giant’s city. It was illuminated with a golden glow that shone high into the dark storm clouds. From the distance, it was stunning. When they reached the sky over the city centre, Kai led them down to the ground.
‘It’s beautiful here,’ Freya said, staring in wonder. ‘Where does the glow come from? Asgard doesn’t shine like this at night.’
‘It’s dwarf magic,’ Kai said. ‘It’s enough to light up the city so there’s no need for torches. With the confused way homes are built here, Utgard would burn down without it.’ Kai became serious. ‘Mind yourself when you’re on the ground. The Frost Giants don’t look down.’
‘We know,’ Archie said. ‘We nearly got drowned earlier.’
The streets were clogged with the huge Frost Giants as they went about their business. Keeping to the Dark Elf trails, they wound their way through the congested city.
‘Over there.’ Kai pointed.
Across the wide street was a Frost Giants’ inn. The sign said Odin’s Head with a picture of the Frost Giant King sitting at a banquet table with Odin’s head on a platter before him.
‘Does Odin know about this place?’ Archie asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Kai said. ‘This inn has been here a very long time. But with tensions r
unning high, they just changed their sign. The giants all love it.’
‘They would,’ Archie said.
Giants stood outside the inn, holding enormous tankards of mead. They were toasting their king and getting very drunk.
‘Come,’ Kai said. ‘That inn rests up against the outer wall of Utgard. There’s a tunnel through the wall in their basement.’
‘We have to go in there?’ Archie cried.
Kai nodded. ‘I have used the tunnel many times to get out of Utgard unseen. Now, be on your guard,’ he warned. ‘I fear it won’t take much to trigger disaster.’
They walked carefully with their heads down so as not to draw attention to themselves. They were almost at the inn when Archie bumped into a troll.
The creature turned around and knocked him to the ground.
‘Hey, watch it!’ Archie cried. He rose and shoved the troll back.
The troll sniffed the air. His round, bulbous nose moved closer. A filthy hand reached out and tore Archie’s hood off. ‘Dead human,’ he spat.
‘What is a dead human doing in Utgard?’ A Dark Elf stepped in. Her pale-green face was unmasked and pinched into a deep scowl as her black eyes blazed. ‘And dressed like a Dark Elf. I won’t tolerate it!’
‘He’s with me.’ Kai’s voice was commanding. He made a show of resting his hands on the pommels of his blades. ‘He is my slave – a gift for my Dark Searcher Ceremony. Do you have a problem with him?’
The Dark Elf looked Kai up and down. ‘Yes, child Searcher, I do have a problem. I will not allow this human to dress as us.’ Her eyes hardened on Archie. ‘Remove your cloak and mask this instant.’
Freya stepped forward and, doing her best Dark Searcher impression, growled and moved her hand to her sword.
‘I wouldn’t annoy him if I were you,’ Kai warned, indicating Freya. ‘He has a short temper.’
‘I don’t care if you are Dirian himself! The human removes the elf cloak right now or I will remove it for him.’
They hadn’t noticed the crowd of elves and trolls that had gathered around them, sensing a fight. A young Dark Elf made a grab at Archie’s cloak. Freya swooped in, caught hold of the elf’s hand and wrenched it away.