by Kate O'Hearn
Her finger was blazing with heat.
The sergeant looked at her. “What in the world possessed you to try that? You saw what it did to Jimmy.”
“I needed to see if it only affected humans,” Freya said, sucking on the tip of her burnt finger. “Now we know it affects Asgardians, too.” She looked at Quinn. “Be careful, but try touching something. We need to know if it hurts the Vanir as well.”
Quinn raised his hand toward a piece of hanging fruit, and like the others, he was burned. Then he tried a massive leaf and suffered another burn.
Skye reached down and picked up a rock from the ground. She cried in pain and dropped it. “Even the rocks burn us. Be careful not to touch anything!”
The sergeant looked at the sole of his boot. “Uh-oh.”
“What is it?” Freya asked.
“We’re not feeling the heat yet, but look. Whatever’s in this soil, it’s starting to melt my boots.”
Skye didn’t hesitate. She called out a magic spell and lifted everyone off the ground—careful not to brush against the stalks of grass. “It was hurting my feet,” she said. She showed them the light sandals she wore. They had been woven from Vanir plants. In the short time she’d been standing there, the soles of her sandals had burned away.
Freya looked around. “This is so bad. Of all the things I was expecting, this wasn’t one of them.”
“What do we do?” Archie said.
“We do what we came here for,” the sergeant said. He turned to the Vanir. “If you two don’t mind keeping us in the air, we can continue with our mission unscathed.”
Orus cawed and looked up at the sky. “Unless it rains on us—look at those dark clouds coming this way.”
The sky above them was filled with fluffy pink clouds. But in the distance, angry red and black clouds were forming. There was no mistaking it; a storm was brewing.
“We could go back in the tunnel, but it might fill with water. I suggest we look for shelter up here,” Archie said.
“He’s right,” Freya agreed. “We need to find a safer shelter.” She opened her wings. “Skye, let me go—I’ll see what’s out there. Everyone, stay here. If the skies open, get down in the tunnel. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than staying out in the open.”
Orus joined her, and within minutes of flying, Freya discovered another problem.
“Orus, do your feathers feel strange?”
“Yes. It feels like they’re melting, and the air is burning my eyes.”
“Me too.”
It wasn’t disrupting their flight yet, but at this rate Freya was worried the hostile air would eventually eat away all her feathers—leaving her grounded.
“We need to find shelter as soon as possible,” she called to Orus. They searched for a cave in an area covered by giant-sized woodland and shrubs. They saw a large trail worn into the ground by giant feet, but there was nothing to offer any kind of protection.
Freya followed the trail farther until they reached the outskirts of a village. Unlike Utgard, with its mishmash of architecture and buildings built on top of buildings, looking ready to fall down in a strong wind, this village was very organized and symmetrical. Homes were built in a circular design, which gave the giants a full view all around.
Freya was surprised to find that nothing was burning. Despite the fact that the giants were always aflame, it appeared that they didn’t set their wooden homes or environment on fire.
Climbing higher in the sky, they looked beyond the village and saw the outskirts of a neighboring town. Beyond it was the Great City of Muspelheim. According to Verdandi’s map, Skuld was being kept prisoner well past the Great City and deep in the desert. It would be a long flight in this hostile climate.
“We’re going to need Quinn and Skye’s magic more than I thought,” she called to Orus. “We’ll never make it to Skuld without it. . . .”
As Freya glided in the sky, she became distracted by the feeling of something very strange, yet sickeningly familiar, like a prickling on her skin. She sensed a presence she knew—a presence that terrified her. She was so occupied by the feeling that she didn’t notice the fast-moving clouds above her.
“Ouch!” she cried. “Something just stung me!” Freya faltered in the sky as she tried to reach the burning spot in the center of her back, between her wings, but before she could, another burn stung her scalp.
Beside her, Orus cawed in pain.
The sky turned black above them, and Freya realized it was the first drops of rain hitting her.
“Freya!” Orus cawed as he was burned again. “It’s raining acid!”
Freya swooped over to Orus and scooped him up in her arms. She pulled him close to her breastplate to shelter him from the storm before turning to head back the way they’d come.
The raindrops burned through her clothing as she flew. She had to clench her mouth shut to stop herself from howling and alerting the giants to her presence. But with each drop of rain that touched her, it was harder to keep from screaming.
“Hurry!” Orus cried.
The skies opened and the acidic rain poured down. Freya couldn’t contain her screams any longer. Her whole body was on fire as the hostile water soaked through her clothes and reached her skin.
Finally the tunnel entrance appeared—there was no time to think, no time to make a proper landing. Freya tucked in her burning wings and dived through the entrance. She smashed down into the floor below and rolled away from the opening, protecting Orus, still in her arms, from the rain pouring in.
“Gee!” Archie cried. He and Quinn were there to drag her away from the growing puddle of acidic water.
Freya was barely aware of the others wiping her dry. She was in more pain than she’d ever experienced in her life. Dirian’s blade couldn’t compare to the feeling of her skin blistering and melting. There wasn’t a part of her that wasn’t on fire.
She started to shake all over and, despite the severe burns, shivered with cold.
“Skye, Tina, help me get her out of those clothes,” Sergeant Romin called. “We’ve gotta dry her off.”
As Skye and Tina reached for her breastplate, Freya held up her hand. “No! Stop. Skin damaged . . . It will tear away. . . . Leave me. . . .”
“But you’re covered in third-degree burns. You need medical help,” the sergeant insisted. “We have first-aid kits.”
Freya was in too much pain to speak clearly. It was a fight just to keep from screaming and tearing at her skin. “Hu-human medicine—bad—Valkyrie . . .”
Skye understood. “She’s saying human medicine won’t help her because she’s a Valkyrie. But I have something that will.” She magically produced a cup of green liquid. “Here, Freya, drink this. It will take away your pain.”
Skye pressed the cup to Freya’s blistered lips, and she drank the sweet, green liquid. The effect was immediate as the pain dimmed and she felt the drawing of sleep.
Quinn reached down and lifted Freya gently in his arms and carried her away from the risk of getting wet. “Go to sleep, Freya. We’ll keep you safe while you rest.”
Freya tried to speak, to tell them what she’d seen and felt, but sleep was pulling at her, offering to take her away from the pain. She closed her eyes and surrendered to its embrace.
20
THE SOUNDS OF HUSHED VOICES drew Freya from sleep. As she came to the surface of consciousness, pain was the first sensation to greet her. It reminded her that she was still alive, but in Muspelheim. Her face felt hot and swollen, and her eyes were puffy and difficult to open.
“Freya!” Orus cawed. “Archie, everyone—she’s awake.”
Freya was lying on her side, her burnt wings fanned out behind her. She winced as she tried to move her hand to get up. The skin on the back of her hand was blistered and peeling.
“Take it easy,” Quinn said, gently but firmly pushing her back down. “You’re covered in burns. Just lie still for a bit longer.”
“How long . . . ?” Freya coug
hed and tried to speak through swollen lips and a scorched throat. “How long asleep?”
“All day,” Archie said. “The rain stopped, and now it’s dark out.”
“Too long,” Freya rasped. She pushed past Quinn’s hand and climbed unsteadily to her feet. She was dizzy and had to lean against the wall to keep from falling. The pressure of standing was making her skin throb, and the pain was nearly unbearable. She tried to fold in her wings, but it was agony. Not only were her wings badly burned, but her back was as well.
When Skye offered her another cup of green liquid, she shook her head. “Can’t. It will make me sleep again. We don’t have time. We must go.”
Archie shook his head. “You can’t go anywhere yet. You should see yourself, Gee. You’re a big, walking red blister!”
“Believe me, I feel worse on the inside than I look on the outside,” Freya rasped. “But we don’t have time to waste.”
“You need to heal, Freya,” the sergeant insisted. “You’re no good to this unit as you are.”
“And the war will be lost if we don’t get moving while it’s still dark out. Orus and I have seen where we need to go, and it’s a long way from here. There are giant settlements everywhere. We must leave now if we want to avoid being seen.” She looked at Skye. “Is there something you can give me to take away the pain but leave me awake?”
Skye looked at Quinn and he nodded.
“It won’t take away all the pain; only sleep can do that. But it will be diminished,” Skye said. “And you will heal faster.”
“That’s all I need.”
After Freya drank the new brew, she watched the others pull on strange-looking shoes. Archie brought a pair to her.
“What are these?”
“Skye and Quinn made them from the discarded bark of the Yggdrasil root. Look, this bark hat has been covered in acid rain, but the water didn’t hurt it.”
Quinn nodded and held up a strange, wide-brimmed hat. “When the storm was at its worst, I went out and tried it. The water couldn’t penetrate it, and these bark shoes will protect our feet in the same way.”
Freya looked at the odd shoes and strange wooden hats the others were pulling on. “I wish you’d thought of this before I went flying. It would have helped in the rain.”
“And I wish you hadn’t gone flying in the first place,” Quinn countered. He grinned at her and pushed her lightly. “Next time talk to me first—all right?”
Freya felt his genuine concern. She felt something else, too, but was in too much pain to consider it. She nodded and smiled. It split a blister on her lip, and she winced. “Yes, sir,” she said, saluting like the soldiers.
When they were ready, the sergeant came up to her wearing a grim expression. “This isn’t the time for heroics, Freya. Can you move? I want a full status report.”
“That’s funny coming from a soldier who heroically reaped himself for the good of his world,” Freya said. “But I’ll be fine. I promise. I wouldn’t endanger this mission. There’s too much at stake for unnecessary risks . . .” Freya stopped midsentence and inhaled sharply. She suddenly remembered what had happened right before the rain started.
“Gee, what is it?” Archie said. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost!”
Freya could hardly breathe. “How could I forget?” She looked at Skye. “That drink you gave me, it made me forget. . . . We must get out of here now, before they come for us!”
“Who?” Archie said. “What are you talking about?”
Freya turned on her friend and grabbed him by the shirt. “The Dark Searchers! Archie, Dirian is here! I felt him right before the rain started. I felt him and . . .” Her eyes were wild. “He felt me, too. Dirian knows I’m here!”
21
MAYA AND KAI STOOD AT the back of the heavy, loud airship as it approached the jump point over Machu Picchu. The soldiers traveling with them were doing their final parachute checks as they prepared to deploy.
One of the soldiers turned and smiled at Maya. She nodded, smiled back, and then leaned in to Kai. “This feels really strange. Valkyries usually stay hidden from soldiers. I never imagined I’d be working with them.”
“We all have something to lose if we fail,” Kai said. “We are stronger if we work together—even if it feels strange.”
Maya nodded but remained silent. Her shoulder felt empty without Grul sitting on it, and she couldn’t get the sight of his broken body out of her mind.
“We’re here,” a soldier called, giving Maya and Kai a thumbs-up.
Maya nodded and stepped up to the open ramp. “You ready?” she asked her brother.
Kai nodded and fluttered his white wings in preparation.
Maya and Kai jumped, glided down alongside the soldiers floating with their parachutes, and directed themselves to the landing point. It had been a very long time since Maya had been here, and she was saddened to see how much Machu Picchu had changed.
“This place used to be a bustling city,” she called to Kai as they soared down to land. “Now it’s just ruins.”
Kai took in the strange, mountainous environment. “It looks beautiful to me,” he called. “But then again, compared to Utgard, anywhere is beautiful.”
Despite the seriousness of their situation, Maya laughed. “Wait till you see more of Asgard!”
They soon touched down in the central square of the abandoned city—though it looked far from abandoned; hundreds of people milled around. When they spotted Maya and Kai in the sky, they waved their hands frantically and called to them.
Soldiers were already on the ground and approached them as they landed.
“Mia? Kai?” a soldier greeted them. “We’ve been told why you’re here. Come, the Temple of the Sun is this way; it’s where Greta and the others uncovered the tunnel to Muspelheim.”
They followed the soldiers through the parting crowds. People continued to call and wave at them desperately.
“Is this normal?” Kai asked, wide-eyed and staring at the people as they pressed to get closer to him.
“It is now,” Maya said. “They’re hoping we’ll defeat the giants.”
“Then we’d better not disappoint them.” An expression of determination appeared on Kai’s face, and Maya saw traces of a mature Dark Searcher rising from within him.
When they reached the Temple of the Sun, Maya saw her sister’s mark cut into the ancient wall. It confirmed what she already knew: that Freya had actually been here. Maya paused and touched the mark.
“This way,” their escort said.
Once inside the temple, they found three soldiers waiting for them. They were sitting against the wall, looking weak.
The most senior of the three struggled to his feet. “Mia, I’m Corporal Hillson. I was with Greta and the others in the tunnel. I have to tell you what happened down there. . . .”
As he explained, Maya looked horrified. “She reaped them?” she shrieked.
“She didn’t have much choice,” the corporal said. “Sergeant Romin grabbed her hand—he died instantly. The moment he touched her, Greta went ballistic and warned everyone else to stay back. But then the others convinced her it was the only way they could complete their mission.” He dropped his head. “She reaped five soldiers, but it was under protest. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t do it. I have a young family that needs me. I couldn’t die.”
“Listen to me,” Maya told them as she felt waves of shame and guilt coming from the survivors. “There’s no need to apologize or feel guilty for thinking of your families first. What the others did broke our Valkyrie rules. In all likelihood Greta was grateful to you all for not asking her to break her oath further.”
The corporal shook his head sadly. “But we left their bodies down there. We were just too weak to bring them back with us.”
Their failed journey to Muspelheim had taken a terrible toll on the surviving soldiers. Their eyes were sunken and ringed with dark circles, and their skin was sallow. It would take some time for them
to fully recover—if they ever did.
“When this nightmare is over, we will bring back their bodies for their families,” Maya promised. “But for now no one is to enter this tunnel. Is that understood? It’s too dangerous for you.”
“But we have our orders . . . ,” one of the soldiers traveling with them began to protest.
“And I am changing those orders right now.” Kai seemed to grow in height as he stood over the soldier. “You will all stay here and keep this tunnel secure while Mia and I go down. Your deaths will serve no one but the giants.”
As Maya drew her sword and stood next to Kai as backup, she mused that he had never looked or sounded more like a Dark Searcher than at that moment.
“Don’t make us fight you over this,” Kai said darkly. “Not when we are united against the giants.”
The soldiers stood back, accepting their new orders. Kai looked at Maya and took the first step into the tunnel. “Let’s go.”
22
“WHO IS THIS DIRIAN?” SERGEANT Romin asked Freya. “I’ve heard that name before, but I don’t know anything about him.”
Freya described the rebel Dark Searcher who had killed most of the brotherhood of Dark Searchers because they wouldn’t follow him. “He’s insane, and is filled with pure hatred for me. He’s the one who orchestrated this war and took Skuld. But I never imagined he’d still be here. I was certain he’d be leading the attack on Asgard.”
“Gee, wait. I think this is a trap . . . ,” Archie said. “Think about it. Dirian stayed here, waiting for you to come after Skuld. He’s using her as bait. We’ve got to go back to Earth.”
“That’s crazy,” Tina said. “How could he know Freya would come here? You make it sound as if he started the war just to get back at her.”
“Exactly!” Archie cried. “You don’t understand how Dark Searchers think. They’re like the Terminator. They have one function: to obey Odin. When he commands them to retrieve someone or undertake a mission, the Dark Searchers don’t stop until they’ve completed their assignment. He sent Dirian after Freya when she came to Chicago to help me. But he failed in his mission.”
