Valkyrie (Kate O'Hearn) - By Kate O'Hearn Page 0,74

‘I do what I want. Always have, always will, and nobody can stop me.’

Maya shook her head sadly and lifted the bully until his feet dangled off the ground. ‘Now, you listen to me. I don’t think you fully comprehend the danger you are in. I could break your body or I could destroy your mind and make you forget who you are. Then you won’t be able to hurt anyone ever again.’

For the first time, fear rose in his eyes.

‘Would you like that, JP? Would you like me to destroy your mind? Because I will. Right here and right now.’

JP shook his head.

‘Say it!’ Maya commanded.

JP slouched in her grip. He dropped his eyes. ‘Please don’t hurt me.’

Maya leaned in closer to his face. ‘If I didn’t have somewhere very important to go, I would stay and make you beg. But I don’t have time. So hear me well, human. Leave this town. Go as far away from here as you can and turn your life around. If I ever see you again, you will not survive the encounter. Whatever you think a Valkyrie is, it’s only a fraction of what we truly are. Remember that!’

Maya stared into JP’s eyes. The bully’s emotions betrayed him. He was terrified. She shoved him away. ‘Go now, and pray we don’t meet again!’

JP stumbled away from her. When he was out in the open he turned back and raised his fist. ‘This isn’t over, freak!’

‘He won’t learn. Go get him!’ Grul cawed furiously.

Maya shook her head. ‘He’s the least of our worries. If we fail and Odin releases the Midgard Serpent on Earth, he’ll wish I had ended his life. Come, let’s go.’

Maya leaped into the air. With the trees offering her cover, she and Grul headed straight up. Finally she changed direction in the sky and sought the entrance to Bifröst.

‘Heimdall,’ Maya called softly. She was standing within the brilliant glow of the Rainbow Bridge.

‘Maya?’ the Watchman called back. He left his post and approached the entrance of the bridge.

‘Are we alone? Is it safe for me to come off Bifröst?’

When Heimdall nodded, Maya exited the bridge. It was still dark out in Asgard, but she could feel it wouldn’t be long until dawn.

‘Where is Freya?’ Heimdall asked, looking past her.

Maya sighed. ‘There’s been a bit of a delay.’

‘What! There can be no delays. Freya must come back right now before we are all found out!’

‘It’s not as simple as that,’ Maya said. She stepped up to Heimdall and started to tell him about Freya’s life on Earth, the friends she had made and the deal she struck with the Angel of Death.

‘She is risking her life for this human boy?’

Maya nodded. ‘I have never seen my sister so devoted.’

‘Are they in love?’

Maya nodded. ‘Of a sort, but not like you think. Archie isn’t like that. What they have is a bond of friendship that runs just as deep.’ She paused and looked away. ‘Heimdall, if I’m honest, I envy her. She has found something so special there. Something wonderful, but tragic. Archie has only a few days left to live. The Angel of Death is going to take him the day after the dance . . .’

‘And?’ Heimdall asked gently.

Maya sighed. ‘. . . And I want to give Freya those last few days to share with him.’

‘You may not have a choice. Dawn is but a short time away. Soon the Valkyries will gather for the reaping. If you and your sister aren’t there . . .’

‘I know,’ Maya said. ‘But I’ve got an idea to buy her some time.’

The Watchman’s bushy blond eyebrows knitted together in a deep frown. ‘What are you planning?’

Maya grinned. ‘When I was a child, I remember when the senior Valkyrie, Broomhilde, had too much mead at Valhalla. She thought it would be fun to let the Reaping Mares out of their stalls for a long, late-night flight.’

Heimdall chuckled. ‘I remember. It caused pandemonium. It took all night to catch the mares and get them back into their stalls. When Odin found out, he was furious and demoted her. Your mother then became senior Valkyrie.’

Maya nodded. ‘Heimdall, I am going to do the same thing.’

‘Maya, you can’t! If Odin discovers it was you . . .’

‘It can’t be any worse than sending Dark Searchers after us or unleashing the Midgard Serpent on Earth. If I release the Reaping Mares, it might cause enough of a diversion that I can get Freya back here without