Valkyrie (Kate O'Hearn) - By Kate O'Hearn Page 0,83

the bullets from the helicopters did nothing to slow their advance.

‘They’re coming!’ Orus cried.

Freya looked back at her friends. ‘They are here for us. Stay back. They won’t hurt you if you aren’t a threat to them.’

‘But they’ll kill you!’ Archie cried.

Freya reached for her sword. ‘Not without a fight.’ She inhaled deeply. ‘Thank you, Archie, for everything. You’ve shown me what it is to be human, if only for a little while, and I will treasure those memories forever.’

‘Freya, don’t do this!’ Orus cawed.

Freya handed the raven to Archie. ‘Stay with Archie, my sweet Orus. I can’t watch you die.’

‘No!’ the raven cawed.

‘Don’t go, Gee,’ Archie begged, clinging to the raven. Tears were rimming his eyes. ‘Stay with me, please. I’m nothing without you.’

‘You’re wrong, Archie,’ Freya said, controlling her wild emotions. ‘You are everything. I won’t let those things hurt any of you.’ Unable to say more, Freya turned from him and started towards the two Dark Searchers. She heard Orus calling after her, but she ignored his pleas.

The pain of leaving them was tearing at her heart. But she turned that pain into rage as she faced the Dark Searchers.

‘You want me?’ she cried furiously. ‘You’re going to have to fight!’

Raising her sword, Freya charged at the two creatures. All her fury rose to the surface as she used the skills she’d been taught since birth to fight them. Swords flashed and sparks flew as Freya’s one sword fought against their combined four.

But even as her fury carried her forward, she was wounded and badly outmatched. The tip of a Dark Searcher’s sword grazed down her leg. Freya cried out in pain as the blade sliced through her beautiful long dress and into her flesh. A second blade cut deeply into her arm.

Her breastplate offered her protection from human weapons, but little against the Dark Searchers. Moment by moment, Freya was losing ground. As she focused on one advancing creature, she could not defend herself against the other.

With each cut and swipe of their blades, Freya cried out in pain. She realized they weren’t going to kill her quickly. These Dark Searchers wanted to draw it out slowly, to hurt her as much as possible.

As she stumbled backwards, a powerful blow knocked the weapon out of Freya’s hand and hurled her through the plate-glass window of a large department store.

Without pausing, the creature stormed forward and followed her through the broken glass. The second Searcher returned his attention to Maya.

As Freya struggled to untangle herself from a rack of expensive clothing, the sounds of her sister’s weak cries tormented her.

‘Fly, Sylt!’ Archie was shouting. ‘Get out of here!’

Gaining her feet, Freya’s heart pounded as she looked for the Dark Searcher. She could hear his furious movements knocking sales displays over as he searched for her.

With her leg badly damaged, Freya kept low as she limped back to the window. Being as quiet as possible, she carefully climbed out.

Just before she jumped down from the window ledge, a fearsome hand flashed out and caught hold of the edge of her broken wing.

The Dark Searcher screeched in triumph as he drew her back to him.

Freya screamed in agony. Her wing exploded in pain as the creature pulled the broken bones in his vice-like grip. She was powerless to stop him as he came forward – a terrifying, black monster looming above her.

Moments before his other hand went round her neck for the final snap, Archie screamed, ‘Let her go!’

He was holding Freya’s sword and brought it down on the hand clinging to Freya’s wing. The blade sliced through the creature’s black gauntlet and down to the bone of its ghostly-white wrist.

The Dark Searcher howled and released her.

Freya fell forward and hit the ground hard.

‘Run!’ Archie cried as he caught hold of her bleeding arm and pulled her forward. ‘C’mon, Gee, get up and run!’

Freya was dragged alongside Archie for a few steps, but the wound in her leg slowed them both down. ‘I can’t – my leg is hurt. Archie, go. He’ll kill you if he catches you. Just go and leave me.’

‘Stop complaining and run!’ Archie screamed. He half dragged and half carried her into the street. ‘What kind of Valkyrie are you? You’re stronger than this. Now, run with me!’

She looked up, searching for her sister. ‘Where’s Mia?’ She was careful, even now, not to use Maya’s real name so as to protect Archie.

‘She’s gone,’ Archie answered. ‘Sylt took her away, but the Dark Searcher followed right