Valkyrie (Kate O'Hearn) - By Kate O'Hearn Page 0,75

anyone noticing.’

Heimdall shook his head. ‘Odin is no fool. He’ll know you did it and why.’

‘Perhaps,’ Maya agreed. ‘But by then Freya and I will be back and Loki won’t have any proof of where we’ve been.’

‘But you’ll be punished,’ Heimdall insisted. He dropped his head. ‘I don’t want to see you hurt.’

Maya was touched by his concern. ‘I know,’ she agreed softly. ‘But seeing Freya so happy will be worth whatever Odin does to me.’

The Watchman paused and rubbed his chin with a massive hand. Finally he nodded. ‘Stay here a moment.’

Heimdall went back to his guard house. He returned carrying an unopened keg of mead. ‘Take this. When you get to the stables, open it and spill mead around the area and then leave the opened keg where it will be found. With luck, Odin will suspect it was a reveller from Valhalla who freed the mares.’

Maya was struck silent by his generosity. ‘I – I don’t know how to thank you for this.’

Heimdall blushed bright red. ‘I just hope Freya appreciates what a wonderful sister she has in you.’

Maya nodded and lifted the heavy keg. ‘She does. She will also know what a true friend you have been to her . . . and to me.’ Opening her wings, she leaped up into the air and headed for the stables of the Reaping Mares.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The week passed in a blur. Days were spent in school, while nights were passed with Freya, Maya and Archie soaring in the skies above Illinois.

With the threat of the black helicopters patrolling the skies over Chicago, they kept away from the city and soared over open farmland.

On Thursday afternoon the Valkyries, Archie and the rest of the Geek Squad helped Tamika, Alma and Uniik move into their new home with Curtis and Carol. It was in the same neighbourhood as Leo Max.

Everyone in the Geek Squad was excited that Tamika would be living closer to them and that they could all spend more time together.

‘It’s huge,’ Archie cried as he explored the house with Freya and Leo Max. ‘It’s almost as big as yours, Leo Max!’

Leo Max nodded. ‘This is so cool. Now we have two big yards to train in.’

‘Or play football,’ Curtis offered as he tossed the ball to Leo Max. ‘Come on, let’s take a break and try it out.’

For the first time since she’d arrived on Earth, Freya joined her friends in a quick game of touch football. Her hair was tucked up in a winter hat and every inch of skin was covered, including a wool scarf that mostly covered her face.

Maya stood on the sidelines with Orus and Grul, cheering and clapping as her sister played with the others.

The ground was frozen solid and the first flakes of snow were just starting to fall. Maya watched as Freya caught the tossed ball and ran for the end zone, slipped and fell on the slippery ground.

Despite the pain of landing on her wings, she roared with laughter as the others gathered round and made light-hearted jokes about her poor running style. ‘I’d like to see you all trying to run with your wings bound behind you!’ she laughed as she climbed awkwardly to her feet.

Archie and Tamika’s faces showed surprise at the comment, but the others in the Geek Squad just took the remark as normal, when coming from her.

When the game ended, Leo Max invited everyone back to his house for snacks. They stayed on into the evening, playing in the games room Leo Max’s father had built. Even Maya joined in. Her light laughter had the boys in the Geek Squad bewitched as they all pressed in closer to her and invited her to play against them.

Maya looked at her sister and winked as she won game after game.

Freya was used to men swooning over her sister and felt no jealousy as the Geek Squad fawned over Maya. Instead, she stood back with Archie and Tamika, laughing and teasing her.

At the end of a great day they made their way back to Archie’s house, to find the lights were on.

‘Mom!’ Archie cried as he ran up the steps. He put the key in the lock and charged through the door.

‘Archie, is that you?’ a woman’s voice shouted.

‘This isn’t good,’ Orus remarked.

‘I think we’re in trouble,’ Grul agreed.

Freya and Maya stood back in the entranceway as Archie entered the living room.

‘Where have you been?’ his mother angrily demanded. ‘Do you know what time it is? And