Valkyrie (4 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

B
ifröst was a living bridge. Anyone who used it to reach Earth knew they could not control where it would send them or where they would arrive. In this case, when Freya flew free of the rainbow colours she discovered that she was soaring high above Europe. Like in Asgard, it was night.

As part of her training to be a Valkyrie, Freya had studied in detail the geography and history of all the countries of Earth, including their ever-changing borders. She was trained in warfare and knew details of every battle fought since the dawn of time. She herself, while growing up, had attended many of the battlefields to watch the Valkyries work.

Setting a course, she headed towards the United States. It had been a long time since she had been to this country. Soon they were soaring over a vast ocean.

‘Are we there yet?’
Orus panted.
‘My wings are about to fall off.’

They had been flying all night to reach Chicago. Like Orus, she was growing fatigued. But unlike him, her larger wingspan meant she could fly longer and further without tiring, than he could. She opened her arms. ‘Here, let me carry you for a while.’

Orus gratefully flew into Freya’s embrace. ‘I wish Bifröst had taken us closer,’ she said. ‘We’ve lost time getting here.’

‘Sometimes I think that bridge knows where we want to go and does its best to send us as far away from our destination as possible.’

Freya hugged the cynical raven. ‘Did anyone ever tell you you have a dark streak?’

‘You do,’
Orus said.
‘All the time.’

They continued in silence and entered daylight. Before long they approached the boundaries of the United States. Freya knew where Illinois was, and even Chicago. But she needed help finding Lincolnwood, the town just outside Chicago where Tyrone Johnson lived.

Flying high over farmland, the landscape beneath them soon changed. Autumn-coloured fields and trees with their falling leaves of blazing reds and oranges made way for incredibly tall buildings and heavily congested streets as Chicago loomed straight ahead.

Freya pulled in her wings and landed on one of the tallest buildings. Two white metal antennae rose high above her and the rooftop was cluttered with equipment and strangely shaped structures. But it offered the perfect place to hide while she got her bearings.

‘Let’s take a break for a moment while I try to figure out where we’re going.’

She released Orus and removed her helmet. Instantly, the sights, sounds and colours of Chicago hit her. She looked down at the busy streets teeming with people. Car horns blared, police sirens squealed and all around were the sounds of life. She saw a river cutting its way through the city with many handsome bridges crossing over it.

The sensations were nothing like she’d ever experienced before. She could sense the people’s laughter, joy, sorrow, fear, hatred and love. Every emotion merged together in a great wave of feelings rising up to her.

She peered over the side of the rooftop in excitement. ‘Isn’t it amazing? Look at all the people. They aren’t fighting or killing each other! Loki was right, Earth can be beautiful.’

Orus cawed.
‘You think this is beautiful? It’s filthy. The air is choked with poison and there are too many people. I can’t hear myself think with all this noise. Let’s go back to Asgard before we are missed.’

‘You can go back if you want, but I’m not going anywhere. Not until we’ve seen Tyrone’s family.’

Orus huffed in surrender.
‘How do we find him in all of this? It’s not like you can go down there and ask directions.’

‘Tyrone said he lived north of the city in a place called Lincolnwood. Number forty-five, Smith Street. We can fly north and try to find it.’

‘That’s your suggestion?’
Orus complained.
‘Just fly north?’

‘Do you have a better idea?’

The raven ruffled his feathers.
‘Well, no, not exactly.’

Suddenly a door behind her opened and two men emerged on to the roof. Their eyes flew open when they saw her.

‘What are you doing up here?’ a tall, dark-skinned man with greying hair demanded as he looked her up and down.

‘Yeah, kid,’ said the other. ‘How’d you get up here? The door was locked and the roof is off limits to the public.’ He was pale and much shorter and heavier than the first man. He had a thick beard and shaved head. His bare arms were covered in tattoos.

‘I flew here,’ Freya answered.

‘Sure you did, kid,’ the tattooed man challenged her. ‘And I’m the Easter Bunny. Now, get off this roof before I throw you off it.’

Freya was hit with the force of all the terrible things he had dove. Her Valkyrie senses could see beyond his exterior into what lay beneath. This was a dangerous man. In him, Freya recognized all the things she despised about the human race.

She opened her wings, drew her sword and advanced on him. ‘Are you threatening me?’

Their mouths dropped. The taller man fell instantly to his knees and lowered his head. ‘Please forgive me,’ he begged. ‘I meant no disrespect.’

It was the shorter man who she confronted. ‘I do not like people who threaten me. And I especially do not like men who hurt others for their own pleasure. You cannot hide what you are from me, human. I see right into your heart.’

‘What are you?’ he demanded.

‘Joe, get down on your knees,’ the taller man warned, and made to reach for him. ‘Can’t you see she’s an angel? Show some respect.’

‘That thing ain’t no angel,’ Joe insisted. ‘Angels ain’t got black wings and they don’t carry no swords or wear no armour. This is some kind of demon straight from the gates of hell.’ He focused his cruel eyes on Freya. ‘And that’s just where I’m sending it back to.’

Freya could feel his violent intentions long before he lunged at her.

‘I am not a demon!’ she fired as she stepped forward to meet his charge.

She knew she couldn’t touch him with her bare hands. One touch would reap him and risk sending him to Asgard. There could be no explaining
that
to Odin. Instead she moved quicker than his eye could follow and struck him in the jaw with the pummel of her sword.

He collapsed to the ground in an unconscious heap.

‘You,’ she said, pointing her sword at the taller man. ‘Rise. Tell me your name.’

He gained his feet, standing much taller than her, but kept his eyes cast down to the ground. ‘Curtis,’ he mumbled. ‘Curtis Banks.’

Freya could feel the fear coming from him. She put her sword back in its sheath. ‘Do not fear me, Curtis Banks; I am not here to hurt you. I need your help.’

Curtis’s dark eyes rose to hers. ‘How could I possibly help you? I’m just a simple man.’

‘A man who knows this area, I hope,’ Freya said.

‘I – I’ve lived in Chicago all my life.’ His voice trembled.

‘Can you tell me how to find a place called Lincolnwood?’

‘Lincolnwood?’ he repeated. ‘That’s not too far from here. No more than ten miles.’ He walked up to the edge of the building and pointed north. ‘It’s in that direction – you can almost see it from here. If you follow the Chicago river down below us, it passes right beside it. There’s a bus you can catch that will take you right there.’

‘I will find it, thank you,’ Freya said.

‘Who are you?’ Curtis asked timidly. ‘Why do you need to get to Lincolnwood?’

‘I cannot tell you who I am,’ Freya answered. ‘Just know that I am here to save a family who are in grave danger. I promised their dead father, a soldier, that I would protect them. They live in Lincolnwood.’

‘What kind of danger are they in?’

‘I don’t know. All I know is they are in trouble and there is no one to help them now that Tyrone is dead—’

‘Freya, stop! Don’t say any more,’
Orus warned her.
‘You are already risking too much speaking with him.’

‘Why?’ Freya turned to the raven.

‘He may tell others you are here. He could endanger you.’

‘He won’t. I can trust him. His heart is true.’

The raven sighed.
‘You are too trusting. First Loki and now this man. It will lead to no good.’

‘And you worry too much.’

She focused on Curtis again. His eyes were locked on the raven. ‘Can you talk to him?’

Freya nodded. ‘He told me not to trust you. But I can feel what is in your heart. I know you won’t betray us.’

The fear was leaving Curtis’s face. An expression of wonder rose in its place. ‘Are you really an angel?’

‘No,’ Freya answered. ‘I’m a Valkyrie.’

‘A
Valkyrie
?’

Freya frowned. ‘You don’t know what a Valkyrie is?’

Curtis shook his head.

‘We are the Battle-Maidens of Odin.’

‘Who?’

‘You don’t know Odin?’ Freya demanded in shock.

‘I’m sorry, no.’

‘But everyone knows Odin!’

‘I’m sorry,
I
don’t.’

Freya was almost too stunned to speak. Finally she looked at Orus. ‘How can this be?’

‘This is a different age,’
the raven said.
‘Perhaps they have forgotten us.’

Still in shock, she focused on Curtis. ‘Our time here grows short; we must go.’ As she turned to leave, Curtis called after her.

‘Valkyrie, wait. Let me take you to Lincolnwood in my van. Chicago is a dangerous place. If people saw you, they might try to hurt you. Besides, if there’s a family in danger, I want to help. My wife is a lawyer and my nephew is a cop. I’m sure they’d want to help too.’

She was stunned by his sudden concern for her safety and offer to help. Freya gazed down on the unconscious man and back to Curtis. She couldn’t understand how there could be such kindness and yet such darkness in people.

‘Thank you, but I prefer to fly. I will be fine.’ She pointed at her winged helmet sitting on the roof. ‘I can’t be seen when I’m wearing that.’

‘Is it magical?’

Freya nodded. ‘You could say that.’

She walked back to him. ‘You are a good and generous man, Curtis Banks. If I need your help, I will return. But if you don’t see me again, please be careful. I must warn you. That man with you is very bad. He holds many dark secrets and has done many terrible things. You would do well to stay away from him.’

Curtis looked at his partner, crumpled on the ground. ‘We’ve only been working together a few weeks, as window cleaners. Can’t say I care much for his company.’

‘He is very dangerous,’ Freya finished. ‘Now, I must ask you not to tell him what we have discussed or where I am going.’

Curtis nodded. ‘I won’t say a thing.’ He reached forward to shake her hand. ‘It has been a great honour to meet you, Valkyrie. I wish we had more time together. There are so many things I want to understand.’

Freya held up her hands and stepped back. ‘My touch is death to you. But I have enjoyed meeting you too.’ She reached for her helmet and drew it on. The world around her lost its colour again.

‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ Curtis said. ‘That helmet is magic. Valkyrie, are you still here?’

‘I am,’ Freya said. ‘But now I must go. Live well, Curtis Banks.’

His laughter followed her as she walked to the edge of the building. She climbed up on the short wall and looked to Orus. ‘You ready to go?’

‘Finally,’
Orus cawed
.
‘I was ready the moment we landed here.’

Freya leaped off the top of the building. She free-fell more than halfway to the ground before she opened her wings and glided smoothly through the city streets.

‘Orus, come on!’ she cried, laughing as she expertly dodged around tall trucks and buses. She was playing among the traffic and having the time of her life.

‘Freya, fly higher!’
Orus cried from above.

Surrendering to the panic-stricken raven, Freya flapped her wings and rose higher in the sky. ‘I’m just having a little fun.’

‘Well, don’t. Are you trying to scare me to death?’

‘You worry too much,’ she teased as she settled on her course and followed the winding river north.

It didn’t take them long to reach Lincolnwood. They had left the city behind and now soared above a less congested area. Tall buildings were replaced with houses and short, squat buildings.

Not far ahead, the sound of children’s loud, excited shouts rose up to meet her as they poured out of a building surrounded by parkland. Large, yellow buses filled a parking area and as she flew above them, Freya watched children climb on to them.

Her heart pounded with excitement at the sight of kids her own age. These were the first she’d ever seen in her life. Until now, her only experiences with humans were the warriors on the battlefields or those who made it to Valhalla. Occasionally there were some very young fighters. But war had changed them. They were as brutal as the adults.

‘Look at them!’ she called excitedly to Orus. ‘Can’t you feel their joy? Their love of life?’

Orus flew closer.
‘I feel trouble brewing. We are on a mission to save Tyrone’s family, that’s all. You can’t go down there to meet them. One look at you and they will run away screaming. You are a Valkyrie – a reaper of souls. You don’t belong in the World of Man. Especially near their children. You are a child of war. That must be your playground. Not here and not now.’

Freya was about to protest when frightened screams reached her ears. She could feel terror like hot breath on her face. She changed direction in the sky and followed the frightened sounds.

‘Freya – no!’
Orus called, following her.

Her keen eyes caught sight of a boy running as if his life depended on it. He was passing through back yards and climbing over fences, trying to get away from the boys chasing him. She could almost hear his heart pounding ferociously in his chest. But like deadly predators his pursuers seemed to know where he was going. They split into two groups, each taking a different direction.

From her vantage point in the sky, Freya could see the boy was heading into a trap with no escape.

‘Freya, leave them to their business,’
Orus said trying to draw her away.
‘Come, we must find Tyrone’s family.’