angel; he’ll protect you. Odin does not forgive. It won’t matter that you are young and human. He’ll punish you too.’
She looked at Archie, pulled off her glove and offered him her bare hand. ‘We may not have much time left together. But I don’t regret a moment of what we’ve had.’
Archie pulled off his glove as well and for the first time they actually held bare hands. He nodded. ‘Me neither.’
Together they walked to Odin. They both knelt before the leader of Asgard.
‘You were warned,’ Odin boomed. ‘You know the punishment for running away.’
Freya raised her head. ‘I do, Great Odin. But I beg you, please don’t punish Maya. She has done nothing wrong. She came here to bring me back to you. Not to stay. She did not run away. And Orus could not stop me, though he tried. This isn’t his fault.’
Odin looked back at Maya as she struggled in the Dark Searcher’s arms. ‘Your sister is far from innocent in this. She released all the Reaping Mares from the stables in a futile attempt to delay the reaping. They have caused havoc in Asgard. Even now, half of them are still flying wild. She tried to disguise her crime, but there was a witness.’
Freya looked at her sister in shock. ‘She couldn’t have done it. She was with me. Who saw her?’
‘Me,’ Loki said proudly. ‘I knew she would try something to protect you. But she made a terrible mistake.’
‘He’s lying!’ Freya shouted.
Odin’s face went red with rage. ‘She has confessed her crime! That she convinced Heimdall to go along with her is further evidence of her deceit.’
Freya was left speechless. Her eyes sought her sister in the Dark Searcher’s arms. Maya had endangered herself for her sake.
‘As for your raven,’ continued Odin, ‘he will be punished with you.’ His harsh blue eyes blazed as he drew his sword. ‘Open your wings!’
Freya struggled to open her badly broken wings. She dropped her head and bent forward to offer them up to him.
‘No, sir, please don’t!’ Archie cried.
‘Archie, no!’ Freya warned. ‘I knew the penalty for breaking the rules. Odin must take my wings.’
‘No!’ Archie shouted. ‘It’s not fair. Gee isn’t a runaway, she came here to help. She’s helped Tamika’s family and she helped me!’
‘Archie, be quiet!’ Orus cawed.
‘She helped you to your grave, boy!’ Odin spat. ‘If you think I am going to allow you to stay in Asgard, you are sorely mistaken!’
‘I gave him my true name,’ Freya said softly.
‘What?’ Odin shrieked.
‘Freya, no!’ her mother cried, coming forward. She was still dressed in her nightclothes. ‘Tell me you didn’t!’
Freya raised her head. ‘Yes, Mother, I did. And I don’t regret it.’
‘Freya,’ Orus warned.
‘Impudent child!’ Odin shouted. ‘If you have given him your true name, so be it. He will join you in your banishment!’
Odin raised his sword higher. Just as it was swinging down to cut off Freya’s wings, the Angel of Death blocked the blow with Freya’s sword.
‘What is this?’ Odin roared. ‘Azrael, you have no right to halt my justice!’
‘In this case, Odin, I believe I do.’
‘Azrael?’ Freya was in complete shock as she gazed up at Archie’s Angel of Death. ‘You are Azrael?’
The angel’s gentle, warm eyes sparkled and he chuckled. ‘Fooled you, didn’t I?’
‘I don’t understand,’ Freya said.
Azrael bent closer to her. ‘I wanted to meet the Valkyrie that was causing so much mischief and interfering with my angels’ work. You were so passionate, so determined to help these people.’ He rose and faced Odin. ‘She has done you proud.’
‘She has betrayed me,’ Odin spat. ‘Broken the rules. My rules.’
Azrael shook his head. ‘You are Odin, leader of Asgard. Freya is a Valkyrie. That is understood. But she is much more than that. She came here with good intentions. She has saved lives and enriched the existence of all who know her.’
‘What does that matter to me?’ demanded Odin.
‘It should mean everything,’ Azrael said. ‘For too long we have resented each other. We serve the same purpose and yet there is animosity between us. This one Valkyrie has changed that. Look . . .’
The angel pointed to the others encircling the Dark Searcher. ‘I did not command them to do that. They wanted to. They all know what Freya has done. Though she has interfered with their duties, she did it for the right reasons. They have come here to protect her. We are all pleading on her behalf. If you will not allow her back in Asgard, I will