Valkyrie (Kate O'Hearn) - By Kate O'Hearn Page 0,81

away. But for JP, it was too late. The Searcher caught hold of him before he could remove it.

The Dark Searcher held JP by the neck and hoisted him easily off the ground. The bully screamed and tried to break free, but the Searcher’s grip was too tight.

Freya pulled the blue cape free of her dress and exposed her wings. Opening them wide, she leaped from the podium and flew full speed at the Dark Searcher holding JP.

She struck him and they tumbled to the ground. Freya was the first on her feet. She turned to the students in the gym and opened her wings fully, letting out a loud Valkyrie howl. ‘Go!’ she roared to the crowds. ‘Get out of here! Go now!’

Up on the podium, Maya shouted, ‘You heard her, go!’ She freed her own wings and unleashed a flying tackle on the second Dark Searcher.

Everyone in the gym followed their instructions and ran for the door, clambering over each other in their desperation to get out.

Freya was struggling to get JP free of the Dark Searcher but his grip wouldn’t loosen. The Searcher was so much stronger than she’d imagined. Much stronger than her.

It was as though the Dark Searcher suddenly realized who she was, and that he had found his true target. He released JP and reached for Freya. But she was faster. She moved just before his brutal grip caught hold of her arm.

Freya dashed for the weapon in JP’s hand. The bully was unconscious and she couldn’t tell if he was alive or dead. But before she could reach her sword, the Dark Searcher rose and blocked her. The monstrous creature raised his two black swords and advanced on her.

She only had seconds. Freya glanced over her shoulder and saw that the other creature was focusing on Maya. Both Dark Searchers now recognised their true targets. The remaining students in the gym were safe.

Freya opened her wings and cried, ‘Fly, sister, fly!’

With no time to say goodbye to Archie, Freya lifted off the ground and flew straight at the gymnasium’s shattered windows. She pulled her wings in tight and slipped through an opening too small for the Dark Searchers to follow.

Moments later, Maya was behind her in the sky. Orus and Grul quickly caught up with them as they headed away from Lincolnwood.

‘Faster, Freya, they’re right behind us!’ Orus cried as they rose higher into the sky.

Freya stole a glance back and saw the two Dark Searchers gaining on them. Even though she was the fastest flyer in Asgard, Freya’s wings were only half the size of theirs. There was no way they could ever hope to out-fly them and get to Bifröst.

Their only hope was to lose them. Freya called over to her sister. ‘They’re too close. Follow me. We’ll try to lose them in Chicago!’

‘Freya, no!’ Maya cried. ‘The soldiers are waiting for us in Chicago!’

‘That’s what I’m hoping for!’

Freya took the lead. With her sister close at her side, she reached over and caught Orus in her hands and pulled him to her. ‘Hold on, this is going to be rough.’

She took them lower in the sky and flew only a few metres above the ground. Darting in and out of traffic, car horns blared as drivers caught sight of the two Valkyries and the two monsters chasing behind.

No matter what they tried, Freya and Maya could not lose the Dark Searchers. They were able to get further ahead by manoeuvering around tight corners and hiding behind buildings. Then they heard the Searchers’ massive wings clip the corners and blast huge chunks out of the buildings, gaining on them once more.

As everyone in Asgard knew, once a Dark Searcher was after you, there was no escape. They would find you. The only thing to do was to give up and hope that, if they’d been ordered to kill, death came swiftly.

Freya was not ready to die but was quickly running out of ideas. No amount of dipping or dodging could get the Dark Searchers off their tails. Suddenly she heard a sound that on previous nights would be a warning to flee. But tonight, she welcomed it.

High above them in the sky, four black helicopters had arrived. The beams of their intense searchlights panned the ground.

‘Here!’ Freya called as climbed to meet them. She looked over to Maya. ‘Follow me!’

Freya flew into the beam of a searchlight. At once the other helicopters focused their searchlights on her and Maya. Freya squinted