The Runaway (Volume 2) (Valkyrie, Band 2) - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Kate O’Hearn was born in Canada, raised in New York City, and has traveled all over the United States. She currently resides in England. Kate is the author of the Pegasus series, the Shadow Dragon series, the Titans series, the Valkyrie series, and the Atlantis series. Visit her at KateOHearn.com.

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The Runaway

1

AS DAWN ROSE PINK IN the sky, the heavy footfalls of visitors arriving in Asgard shook the ground. High up on a hill, far from Bifröst, the Rainbow Bridge and entrance to Asgard, stood the home of Eir, the head Valkyrie, and her daughters.

Servants of Odin, and also known as his Battle-Maidens, the Valkyries work hard to bring the most valiant of the dying soldiers from the human world to Asgard.

But for one Valkyrie there is no reaping of soldiers. Still on probation for leaving the realm without permission, Freya is forced to work twice as hard as the others as punishment—spending her mornings working in the stables of the Reaping Mares, cleaning and caring for the winged horses, and afternoons in full battle training with the other Valkyries.

At the end of each day Freya returns to her bed exhausted and craving much-needed rest.

But today she was awakened extra early by loud pounding on her bedroom door.

“Gee, get up!” Archie called, using his pet name for Freya.

Archie was her best friend and companion, and seemed to always have limitless energy, while Freya was perpetually exhausted. She moaned sleepily and started to doze off again.

“C’mon, Gee and Maya,” Archie called through the door. “You’re missing it!”

Freya sat up, remembering what day it was. From outside the window came the sound of rumbling thunder as the ground beneath their home started to quake. She looked over at her sister’s bed. Maya was lying on her side and facing away from her, sleeping soundly.

“Maya, wake up.” Freya tossed a pillow at her sister. “The giants are here!”

Maya mumbled softly and rolled onto her stomach. She yawned, stretched, and extended her white wings up into the air. Folding them neatly on her back again, she mumbled a few more incoherent words and drifted back to sleep.

“Gee . . . ,” Archie repeated. “Are you up?”

“She is,” Orus cawed loudly. Freya’s raven companion sat on a perch at the base of her bed and kept watch while she slept.

Maya’s own raven, Grul, had his head tucked under his wing and was sleeping as soundly as Maya.

Freya took one final look at Maya and sighed. “I’m coming,” she called as she climbed from her bed and started to get dressed. Moments later they stood on an open balcony high above the streets of Asgard.

“Cool!” Archie pointed to a long line of impossibly tall giants stomping through the narrow streets of the city. Each step caused the ground to rumble and buildings to shake. In the distance they heard the sound of breaking glass as windows shattered from the giants’ heavy footfalls.

“I never thought they’d be so big. Are they the frost or fire giants?”

“They’re frost giants,” Freya explained. “You can tell by the color of their skin. Frost giants are silvery gray like ice, and their eyes are almost white to reflect the glare of snow from their realm. They have long, streaky black-and-white hair. Fire giants have bright-red skin, blazing-yellow eyes, and flaming-red hair.”

They followed the long line of frost giants lumbering toward Valhalla, Odin’s Great Heavenly Hall, where the opening ceremonies to the Nine Realms Challenge were to be held. The giants’ shoulders and heads rose high above the roofs of the buildings in Asgard. Their expressions were at best unfriendly, with some looking hostile and even threatening.

“Frost giants hate us,” Freya said matter-of-factly. “Fire giants aren’t much better.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. It goes way back to when there used to be a lot of wars—they nearly destroyed the realms.” She paused and then pointed. “Look down there. The trolls are here too!”

Squat, round creatures were strolling along the street. They were dressed in rough-hewn clothes, so it was difficult to tell the women from the men. Occasionally they would throw a stone or spit at the people of Asgard.

“That’s gross,” Archie said. “Do they always spit?”

“They’re trolls—what do you expect?”

Archie spotted more new arrivals. “Whoa, what are they?”

Freya looked down at the lovely line of creatures streaming through the streets. They were of slight build and seemed to float more than walk. They had pale complexions that looked like moonlight, and their soft, spider’s weblike clothes billowed in the gentle breeze. “They’re the Light Elves.”

“They’re so beautiful.”

“They are,” Freya agreed, “but, Archie, you have to be careful around them. They can be very dangerous, especially to humans. They love to keep them as pets. If one approaches you, do anything you can to get away as quickly as possible. Don’t talk to them, or they may try to enchant you and take you away to Alfheim.”

“Alfheim?” Archie repeated.

Freya nodded. “That’s their realm. It’s higher than Midgard but lower than Asgard.”

“Does it matter where they are?”

“To them it does,” Freya said. “That’s why there have been so many wars. The lower realms claimed the upper realms had the most beautiful and fruitful lands. So they attacked us and tried to drive us out to take it for themselves.”

“But you always won?”

Freya nodded. “There are more of us in Asgard than in the other realms. The last war was long before I was born.”

They stood on the balcony watching more competitors arrive. Archie was completely mesmerized by the dragons, demons, Dark Elves, Light Elves, and dwarfs heading toward the battlefields at Valhalla.

“There’s a lot more to come,” Freya said. “They’ll be competing here for twelve days. I wish we could go see them.” She sighed. “I was just a child the last time the Nine Realms Challenge was held—back then it was in Utgard. This would have been the first time I could actually compete.”

Freya’s older sister Skaga had appeared on the balcony. She was taller than Freya, with blazing-white wings and pale-gray eyes. Her expression was disapproving. “You would’ve been allowed to compete this time if you hadn’t run away and caused all that trouble in Midgard. You’re both lucky Odin didn’t do more to you. I can think of worse fates than cleaning out the stables.”

“I know,” Freya said. “But I only went to Earth to help. How could I know that Odin would send the Dark Searchers after us?”

“You broke the rules, Freya. What did you expect?” Skaga said. “Now you and your dead human are paying for it.”

“Archie.” Archie glared at her.

“What?”

“My name is Archie,” he said. “Use it! Don’t call me a dead human.”

Freya’s family still hadn’t accepted Archie’s presence in the house. But since Freya had reaped him and given him her real name, they didn’t have any choice. Whether they liked it or not, Freya and Archie were bound together.

Skaga inhaled, about to retort, but Freya interrupted. “Look at everyone down there! I...