by Kate O'Hearn
‘And me,’ Orus added from Freya’s shoulder.
Vonni’s mouth hung open. ‘You can talk?’
Orus cawed, ‘Just like Pym.’
‘What’s going on here, Mims?’ Vonni demanded. ‘Who are these people?’
‘You’d better sit down, Dad. This may upset you.’
‘What will?’
‘Me,’ Freya said. ‘I saw you notice the resemblance between me and Mims. And you’re right. We are related. We’re cousins.’
‘Mims has no cousins. Both Sarah and I are only children.’
‘That’s not completely true,’ Orus said. ‘You have a sister – a twin sister.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Vonni snapped. ‘I have no sister. It’s always just been me and my mother.’
‘Your mother and you – for thousands of years,’ Freya said carefully. ‘You have lived a very long life in hiding. Always on the move and never forming long-term relationships. Yet Brundi never told you who you really were or where you came from?’
Freya felt his doubt was mixed with anger. She continued, ‘Please, Giovanni, believe us, we are not here to cause trouble for you. I’m your niece and I know more about you than you do. But when I tell you, you won’t want to believe it.’
His eyes fell on Mims. ‘Believe what?’
‘Dad,’ Mims started. ‘Do you know what a Valkyrie is?’
He frowned again. ‘From Norse mythology? Sure – you remember how you hated it when I was practising for the role of Siegfried, from Wagner’s Ring Cycle opera? That was all about a Valkyrie.’
‘There’s an opera about Valkyries?’ Freya asked.
Vonni nodded. ‘It’s the story of Brünnhilde, a Valkyrie who disobeyed Odin and was punished. She was banished to Earth—’
‘That’s Gran!’ Mims cried. ‘Dad, I can’t believe it! You’ve been singing about Gran!’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Dad,’ Mims said gently. ‘Gran was a Valkyrie, a real one. Greta is one and . . . and I am too.’
Silence filled the room as they awaited Vonni’s reaction. The expression on his face was one of incomprehension and then suddenly, out of nowhere, he burst out laughing. ‘OK, you got me! You had me going there for a moment. Well done.’ He calmed and chuckled. ‘Now seriously, tell me, how did you get here?’
‘We are not joking,’ Freya said seriously. ‘If you have lived an immortal life, why do you find it so difficult to believe us? Your mother is a Valkyrie!’
‘Yes, I have lived a very long time,’ Vonni admitted. ‘And no, I can’t explain it—’
‘I can,’ Freya cut in. ‘Your mother served Odin until she fled Asgard to have you. Your twin sister still serves Odin and so do I. We all come from Asgard. We are all immortal. Brundi never told you because she was protecting you.’
‘And she was angry at Odin,’ Orus added.
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ he fired as he rose from the sofa. ‘Asgard doesn’t exist. Odin doesn’t exist. They’re all just myths and fantasy.’
‘Gee, I think it’s time to break out the wings,’ Archie suggested.
Freya regretted having to shock her uncle, but she needed to make him understand. Reluctantly, she removed her coat and fanned open her black wings.
‘How are you doing that?’ Vonni demanded. He reached out and touched them. He flexed them up and down and open and closed. Vonni trailed his hands up to where her wings joined her back. ‘I don’t believe it,’ he said in astonishment. ‘This isn’t a game, they’re real!’
Mims took her father’s hand in hers ‘Dad, you need to listen to us now. You know those big scars on your back?’
He could barely draw his eyes away from Freya’s wings. He nodded.
Orus flew on to his shoulder. ‘You used to have your own wings. They were cut off when you were a baby, to protect you.’ Vonni stared at Orus, shaking his head.
‘Don’t you shake your head at me,’ Orus cawed. ‘It’s true, and deep down inside you already know it! Your senses are telling you it’s the truth, even if you don’t want to believe it.’
‘Dad,’ Mims said gently. ‘We’re in terrible danger and we don’t know what to do.’
‘What danger?’ he asked.
‘The worst kind,’ Freya said. ‘War in the realms is coming. Odin sent us back here to collect Brundi so she could be safe in Asgard. But he doesn’t know about you or your family. If he did, it would be disaster for all of us.’
Vonni sat down on the sofa, shaking. Freya could feel that he was excited, terrified and profoundly curious. But deep inside, she felt his strength and determination rising to the surface. He looked up at her with his piercing-blue eyes.
‘Tell me everything.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
Maya and her sisters watched their mother weep softly. There was so much information to take in, and so much danger coming.
‘Mother, we must warn Freya,’ Maya insisted. ‘Let her know about your brother and warn her not to tell Odin.’
‘It’s too late. She’s already gone,’ Eir said. ‘We could never catch her in time. Every nerve in my body screams to go to them, to fight Odin if I must to protect my mother and brother. But to leave Asgard is to expose ourselves and expose them. All we can do is wait and hope that Freya does the right thing.’
Maya knelt before her mother. ‘We can’t risk it. Mother. Heimdall is a friend to this family. He will let me cross Bifröst. I will fly to Freya and warn her. She loves this family and will do anything to protect it. Together, we can find a solution.’
Eir shook her head. ‘It’s too dangerous.’
‘Wait,’ Skaga said. ‘I know how we can get to Freya and still let Odin think we’re working for him.’
‘How?’ her sister Gwyn demanded.
Skaga crossed the room and knelt beside Maya. ‘There is a Reaping later today, isn’t there?’
‘Yes,’ Eir said. ‘A small one, only a few Valkyries are going.’
Skaga rose and started to pace. ‘Good. Mother, I want you to make sure that Maya, Gwyn and I are among them.’
‘What about me?’ Kara asked.
Skaga faced her remaining sister. ‘Kara, yours will be the hardest job of all. I want you to stay here and go about your business as you usually do. Hide your feelings deep inside. This will be very dangerous for all of us, but I think for you most.’
‘What are you planning?’ Eir demanded.
Skaga smiled slyly. ‘I’m planning to save this family. If it works, Odin will never know. He’ll think we’re serving him. It will be risky, but it’s the only way to save our family.’
Eir rose and wiped her eyes. Her fighting spirit was restored as she reached for her sword. ‘Tell us your idea.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
‘I don’t understand,’ Vonni said when Freya finished telling him his story. ‘If there has been peace all this time, why would the Frost Giants move against Odin now?’
‘I don’t know,’ Freya admitted. ‘We’ve been told there is a traitor in Asgard who is stirring up trouble. There has always been tension – that’s why we have the Ten Realms Challenge, because of the wars in the past.’
‘We don’t know for certain that there will be a war,’ Orus cawed. ‘But if there is, Odin will want us all in Asgard.’
‘Everyone except us,’ Mims said. ‘We have to hide.’
Vonni rose and started to pace his dressing room. ‘All right, if there is a war, why would it involve us? Earth, I mean. Why not just go after Asgard? What do we have that the Frost Giants would want?’
Again Freya shrugged. ‘I went to Jotunheim, where Utgard is, when I was a small child. It’s nothing but a frozen wasteland. Here it’s beautiful, like Asgard. Maybe the giants would want it because of that.’
‘This just doesn’t make sense,’ Vonni insisted. ‘Why now? Why, after all this time, has trouble started?’ He sat down, but his sad eyes rested on Mims. ‘I’m so sorry, baby.’
‘A
bout what?’
‘You’re a Valkyrie,’ he said sadly. ‘What kind of life have I condemned you to? Mother tried to warn me not to get involved with Sarah, but I wouldn’t listen. I loved her and nothing was going to stop me from marrying her. But in doing that, I have endangered my most precious girl.’
‘Dad, it’s going to be OK,’ Mims said. ‘I was shocked when Greta first told me, but . . . I’m getting used to it.’ She paused. ‘I even wish I had wings like her.’
‘Wings aren’t all that great,’ Orus cawed. ‘Look at Greta, she can’t wear normal clothes and always walks like she’s got a huge lump on her back. She can’t run properly and you should see her trying to play football—’
‘Orus, stop helping!’ Freya cried. ‘I’m sure she gets the idea.’
Vonni rose and approached Freya. ‘I wish I didn’t believe you, but I know you’re telling the truth. I have lived such a long time in hiding – never letting anyone know about me or Mother, but I never imagined it would lead to this.’
He combed his fingers through his dark hair. ‘I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve asked Mother to tell me what we are. How we could live so long. “We are what we are” was always her answer. Now we’re facing a war of cosmic proportions and, despite all these powers I possess, I feel helpless.’
‘You’re not helpless,’ Freya said. ‘We’re here.’
‘Dad, we’re gonna have to tell Mom,’ Mims said.
‘Not a chance,’ he said. ‘Especially so close to the baby’s arrival.’
‘You don’t have much choice,’ Freya put in. ‘That child she is carrying is a boy – and he has wings.’
‘What?’ Vonni cried.
Freya nodded. ‘There is no telling what might happen if anyone here finds out.’
Archie agreed. ‘If the doctors discover his wings they will take him away for research. With you and Mims too.’
‘They could try, but they’ll never get past me. No one will ever touch my family.’ Strong, adamant and determined, they saw Vonni’s Dark Searcher nature surface.
‘Calm down, Dad,’ Mims soothed. She looked at Freya. ‘He’s got a really short temper.’
‘I do not!’ Vonni fired back.
‘He’s a Dark Searcher all right,’ Archie said.
‘A what? I am not a Dark Searcher – whatever they are! I am just a man.’
‘No, you’re not just a man,’ Freya insisted. ‘You are the son of a Valkyrie. You were born to be one of Odin’s enforcers, a Dark Searcher. Only Brundi’s sacrifice saved you from that fate. But I feel the same power from you I felt from them. I bet you are amazingly strong and fast, right?’
‘Perhaps,’ Vonni reluctantly agreed.
‘And you’ve got powerful senses and when you set your mind to something, nothing will stop you from reaching that goal.’
‘Maybe.’
‘Then you are a Dark Searcher,’ Freya finished. ‘And right now, that’s not a bad thing – if war comes you will need all your powers to survive. But first, you will need to take your family into hiding. You must hide from Odin and possibly the giants, who could use you against him.’
Vonni shook his head. ‘Are you sure my mother must return to Asgard?’
‘Odin expects her back. If she refuses he will come here himself. And if he does . . .’
‘He’ll find out about Mims and me,’ Vonni finished.
‘Exactly.’
‘OK, I’m cancelling the rest of my tour. We’re going back to Valhalla Valley this very minute.’
Freya looked him up and down. ‘I’m not sure I’m going to be able to carry you too for that distance.’
Mims smiled her first genuine smile in days. ‘That’s not going to be a problem. Trust me.’
Freya rode with Mims, Vonni and Archie in the back of a stretch limousine as they left the Hollywood Bowl. The progress was slow as they carefully drove through the screaming fans, who were trying to catch a glimpse of Vonni Angelo through the darkened windows. Girls were attempting to open the doors while others held up autograph books.
‘Is it always like this?’ Archie asked, gazing in wonder at the fans.
Vonni nodded. ‘This, and much worse. But it’s the price I pay for doing what I love.’
When they arrived at the airport, Archie ran up to the private jet that was waiting for them in the centre of the hangar. ‘Wow, is that really yours?’
Vonni nodded. ‘I’ve always had this thing about flying.’ He paused and gazed at Freya. ‘It must run in the family. I learned to fly not long after they were invented.’
‘You saw the invention of the aeroplane?’
Vonni nodded. ‘I’ve lived thousands of years. I’ve pretty much seen the invention of everything.’
Her first time in an aeroplane was not as exciting as Freya expected. In fact, she spent most of the flight terrified that the engines were going to fail. By the time they touched down on the private airstrip at Valhalla Valley, she wished she’d flown herself.
‘Never again!’ she cried as she stepped off the plane.
‘I thought it was fun,’ Orus cawed. ‘Watching you turn three shades of green was the best!’
Freya looked at her raven. ‘This is why Odin gave us wings. So we wouldn’t have to use those horrible machines!’
‘You’ll get used to it,’ Vonni promised as he walked beside his daughter. ‘Now, listen to me, Mims – you too, Greta. You are not to say anything about this to Sarah until we figure this out. I don’t want her upset. I’ll simply tell her that I cancelled the tour because I wanted to spend time with her before the baby arrives. Is that understood?’
‘Yes, Dad,’ Mims said.
‘You’ll have to tell her soon,’ Freya warned. ‘She is carrying a winged child. She must be prepared to have the baby here, not at a hospital. No doctor must ever see him.’
‘I know,’ Vonni said. He lifted his head and closed his eyes.
Freya recognized that posture. He was casting out his senses. Dark Searchers didn’t have the power to reap, but they had all the other powers of the Valkyries.
‘That was the strangest thing. I thought I felt Mother for a moment, but then it stopped.’ He checked his watch. ‘It’s just past two a.m.; I think it’s time we all went to bed.’
‘You go,’ Freya said. ‘I’ll stay out and keep watch.’
‘You need your sleep, Greta,’ Vonni said. ‘The ranch is fine. Go to bed.’
Freya smiled at her uncle. He was sounding every bit the father. ‘Here in Midgard, I don’t need to sleep. I’ll be fine. You go in. I’ll see you in the morning.’
When they were gone, Freya and Archie made their way to Brundi’s platform.
‘He’s the coolest Dark Searcher ever!’ Archie said.
‘He sure is,’ Freya agreed. She looked back at the house, envious of what Mims had in her life. She had two loving parents and an extended family that cared deeply for each other. Meeting Vonni made her long to know more about her own father. When this was over, she was going to insist that her mother introduce her to him.
The next morning Sarah was ecstatic to find Vonni home. Freya didn’t need to use her senses to know how much Sarah loved him and was grateful to have him back – she could see it from the glow in her face.
It was the same for him. Freya would never have guessed that a Dark Searcher could care so deeply. As the day progressed, she found herself almost pitying the Searchers of Utgard and the lives they’d been denied.
Throughout the day, Freya worried about Brundi. There was no time to waste – they had to get back to Asgard before Odin came after them. But as the sun started to set, there was still no trace of her.
At nightfall, Freya stood near the platform and opened her senses. ‘She’s nowhere near us. I really hope she comes back.’
‘You don’t think she’s run away because she doesn’t want to go back to Asgard?’ Archie asked.
Mims and Vonni joined them. ‘She would never abandon us,’
Mims insisted. ‘I’m sure she’s just spending some time alone with Pym and Jonquil.’
‘It’s not just Brundi I’m worried about,’ Freya said. ‘Odin expects us back. He only gave us a couple of days. We must return soon.’
‘He wouldn’t really come here, would he?’ Mims asked fearfully.
‘Not yet,’ Orus cawed. ‘But he might send someone to look for us.’
Freya looked at the raven. ‘Not another Dark Searcher? He knows where we are and what we’re doing. He’d have no reason to send one!’
‘What if I talked to him?’ Vonni offered. ‘I know there’s a danger in that, but surely he’s reasonable?’
‘No!’ Freya, Archie and Orus shouted as one.
‘That would expose Brundi’s big lie,’ Freya continued. ‘I don’t think he’d forgive her that – even with the war coming.’
‘Then we’ve got to find her.’ Vonni looked out over the dense woods. ‘All day I’ve been feeling her for a few moments, but then the feeling goes. She is near, I know it. But just when I think I’ve got her tracked, she disappears again. It’s all very strange.’
‘Have you ever felt her like this before?’ Freya asked.
‘Never,’ Vonni said. ‘I’ve always known exactly where she is – where everyone I care for is, even when we’re continents apart. But this is so weird.’
‘What could it mean?’ Archie asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Vonni responded. ‘That’s what’s got me so worried.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Maya crept into the stable of the Reaping Mares once she was certain there was no one around to see her. In her hand she carried a small bag containing sweets that had been covered in a powerful sleeping potion. She offered the treats to Lutna, her mare. The large, grey Reaping Mare took them eagerly, licking all traces off her hand. Maya stroked her neck and leaned her head against Lutna’s.
‘Forgive me, Lutna,’ she whispered softly, giving her a light kiss. ‘But I have no choice.’
In moments, Lutna’s eyes grew cloudy. She started to stagger on her feet. Lutna nickered softly as she collapsed into the straw. Maya entered her stall and took a few moments to ensure that her mare was safe and sleeping comfortably, then she slipped silently out of the stables and flew back to her home.
