Valkyrie (Kate O'Hearn) - By Kate O'Hearn Page 0,51

up the stairs, releasing the Valkyrie cry used when approaching the battlefield. The sound rattled the entire building and momentarily halted the gunfire.

The men on the stairs saw her charging towards them with her sword held high. Using their sudden confusion to her advantage, Freya launched into battle. Within the tight confines of the stairwell, she slashed at them with her sword until they tumbled down the stairs. Soon they were all lying in a heap at the bottom.

She charged up to the next floor. To the right she saw a room with shabby furniture and several metal barrels with fires burning brightly. It appeared the men were living here. She heard a shout from another room, followed by the appearance of two men in the hallway ahead.

Freya ran at them, this time with her wings open fully, and howled with all her might. The men dropped their weapons and covered their ears at the horrific sound. Disarmed, Freya was able to kick them to the ground, leaving them unconscious.

‘Freya!’ Orus called as he flew through a broken window. ‘More police are here. There are hundreds of them and they’re surrounding the building. Get out before they see you!’

‘Not yet – there are more men upstairs. Orus, they don’t want to be caught. They’re going to kill everyone to protect their drugs. I won’t let them hurt the police.’

‘That’s it – you are crazy!’ Orus cried. ‘If we survive this, I’m telling your mother you’re completely insane.’

‘Come on,’ Freya called as she launched into a run. ‘They’re this way.’

Finding the remaining men wasn’t as easy as finding the others. They had separated and spread out across the remaining floors. But one by one Freya hunted them down. She cornered the final criminal in a small room on the top floor. As he fell to the ground, she heard a new voice.

‘You in there, freeze!’

Freya turned and saw two police officers entering her level. Holding torches, their guns were raised and pointing right at her. ‘Drop your weapon!’

Freya lowered the sword and put it back in its scabbard. ‘I’m on your side. Look around you. I’ve stopped all these men. If you search, you’ll find this is where they are storing their drugs.’

The officers were checking on the unconscious men as they cautiously advanced on her.

‘We don’t approve of vigilantes around here,’ the officer said. ‘You are under arrest. Now, take off that sword and raise your hands where I can see them.’

Freya looked around. She was in the remnants of a room with no windows. If she was going to get out of here, she would have to get past the police.

‘Please,’ she said. ‘I don’t know what a vigilante is, but I’m here to help. These men were shooting people outside. They wanted to kill everyone to keep their drugs safe. I had to stop them.’

‘If you really want to help, start by removing that sword. This is your last warning. Do it now!’

Another officer entered the level. ‘You ain’t gonna believe what some of those guys are saying. They claim an angel attacked them. Said she got black wings and all—’ He stopped when he noticed Freya in the room. ‘Whoa, who’ve we got here?’

‘A vigilante with a sword,’ the first officer said. He focused on Freya. ‘I won’t tell you again. Surrender your weapon.’

‘C’mon, kid, do what we tell you,’ the new officer said kindly. ‘You’re too young to be caught up in any of this.’ As he approached, his eyes landed on something resting on the floor. He bent down to pick it up.

Freya realized too late what it was. A large, black flight feather. It was one of hers.

‘No! Don’t touch that!’ she cried.

But she was too late. He had already picked up the feather. The instant his bare hand touched the Valkyrie feather, his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the ground.

‘No!’ Freya howled.

Orus moved. He launched himself at the remaining officers and pecked at their heads and faces. ‘Run, Freya!’ he cawed. ‘Get out of here!’

Reacting instantly, Freya ran. She pushed through the officers struggling against the raven. She could hear them cursing and calling for help. Soon other officers appeared and blocked her exit.

‘Stop!’ they shouted as they raised their weapons.

With no recourse, Freya opened her wings and let out the loudest Valkyrie howl she’d ever made.

The police clutched their ears and collapsed to the ground as Freya darted past them and ran to the closest window. Without