Page 159 of Valkyrie Unknown

I looked around, not sure what I was searching for.

“What now?” One of the kid’s echoed the question looping in my thoughts.

“I think it’s broken.” That was the kid who was trapped, and every word they rasped out was agony.

I didn’t know. People were going to die on my watch again. Why didn’t Kirby listen to me? How could she ignore?—

My gaze landed on a metal bar. Holes ran up the edge of the support beam for a store shelf. I doubted it was strong, but if there was one… “Help me dig through for more of those.” I pointed to the bar.

The two teenagers who weren’t pinned scrambled to help me search. We only uncovered two more, but it might be enough. “Now we need something to wrap them together, to make a lever.

One of them produced a roll of plastic wrap—the kind used to secure boxes on pallets. I doubted it would hold for long, but it might be enough.

“Let’s try it.” I held the three metal rods together while the pair wrapped them as tightly as possible with dozens of layers of plastic. “MacGyver would be jealous,” I announced when we were done.

One of them gave me a puzzled look. “Who?”

Damn Davyn for introducing me to old people TV. “Doesn’t matter. I’m going to wedge this between the beam and the ground.” As I talked, I kicked a cinder block into place to use as a wedge. “When I saygo, pull on your friend as hard as you can, to see if you can get them clear.”

They nodded, and the trapped kid whimpered louder as they all got into position. I wedged my make-shift tool into place, and drew in a steadying breath. Even if I didn’t have magic or any sort of power, I had to do this.

I poured all my strength into pushing down. A grunt became a groan became a drawn-out scream as I pushed harder and harder. It wasn’t moving at all. Not so much as a budge.

Then it moved. I didn’t know if it was just the metal bending, but I had to take a chance. “Now.”

I was vaguely aware of thego, go, gofrom the kids, but I was more focused on not dropping the beam the few inches I hoped I’d raised it. My arms burned and my legs and back screamed from exertion. I wasn’t sure if the screeching I heard was me or the metal.

There was no choice but to keep going. To keep pushing. If there was any chance at all a life would be saved?—

“He’s out,” one of them said.

I let go of the lever and it clattered to the ground. “Thank the gods.”

“That’s definitely broken.” Another spoke.

I turned to see the two crouched next to their now-free friend, examining a leg with the tibia bent at an obscene angle.

The boy who had been trapped started to sob. Tears rolled down dusty cheeks, and he dragged the back of his wrist across his face, smearing everything and making the sight that much worse. “We have to get out. You guys have to go without me.”

Despite the fact I didn’t know any of them, I couldn’t let this happen. No one should have to suffer like this for the wars of the gods. Not those who were fated, and especially those not involved in any way.

I’d carry him to the edge of town and put him on a bus if I had to. That didn’t seem practical in the long run though.

“Maybe it’s not really broken.” I knew full well it was, but knelt with the others anyway, and rested my hands on the injured teenager’s legs as gently as I could.

He still sucked in a pained breath through his teeth.

Without any probing, I could tell there was no setting this or straightening it without risking even more damage.

“We can put him in splint? Like in the movies?” One asked.

Unlikely.

If I could heal someone else, how would it work? What would that feel like? I didn’t even know how or if I’d done it to myself. It just happened and I assumed the knives were responsible.

Please, me, if that knowledge is trapped inside my head somewhere, this would be the one time to let it out.I forced the prayer through my mind, and focused an additional thought ofheal his legat my target.Send some sort of magic through my hands? Maybe?

Warmth flooded my palms, almost sticky and wet. Blood?

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