Page 71 of Valkyrie Unknown

Where the fuck were the chargers? I tried not to make things worse as I sifted through the debris looking for power. Azzie’s bag was gone. Her computer. The photo of her mom, and the book she kept it tucked inside were no longer by her bed. Her prophecy journal wasn’t here.

Wherever she’d gone, she had a chance to pack first. That should be reassuring, but it wasn’t.

I headed down to the convenience store across the street for a charger, and ripped the package open before I finished paying. “You have someplace I can plug this in?”

The man behind the counter stared at me, wide-eyed, and hints of fear wafted from him. He pointed at a wall near the ATM by the front window.

“Thanks.” I turned away to plug in my phone.Please let it still work.

The five minutes it took for there to be enough power for the device to turn on felt like a lifetime, and when the screen flickered to life, the image fractured by cracked glass, I bit back awhoop.

It took a few jabs to get the touch screen to work with the combination of breaks and my large fingers, but I managed to dial into my voicemail.

“Pick up, please?” Azzie’s voice was distant in the recording, and then she hung up.

Fuck.

I needed to call her back, but the screen wouldn’t respond. I tried to pull up her number. Unreadable.

I’d tear the city apart to find her, but someone—Starkad? Another person?—had already taken care of the destruction.

I needed to be rational. Who would know where she’d gone? Her work? I’d go there next.

A few minutes later I was standing in front of the office where Azzie’s employer was located. The door was locked and there was a printed sign taped to it.

This location is currently closed. Our phone or email are the best way to reach us. We are still booking appointments. We’re sorry for any inconvenience.

Rage and frustration poured into my fists, but bashing down the door wouldn’t do me any good. In an environment like the one in the city, it might even do me a lot of bad.

Fuck.

Could I follow the scent that was in our apartment? Given that Azzie left on her own, whoever was in there could have been a thief. They also could be the reason she left, and hunting them would feel good regardless.

I returned to the apartment to reinforce what I was looking for, then headed out on foot. As I left the building where we lived, gas, engine oil, and antifreeze masked the smell I was following. Someone had gotten in a car and driven away.

That made sense.

I couldn’t do the same because I needed to focus on picking the faint thread out from all the others. Homing in on that point gave my mind a handhold to pull me along, and shoved all other thoughts aside.

I was downtown again before I knew it, and now that I had targeted a single person, it was easy to see that their stench was everywhere around Azzie’s office. Layer after layer, as though they’d been around here for days.

Huntingher?

If so, I’d make them suffer.

Starkad’s essence frequently followed the same path, and mingled with other scents I shouldn’t smell in this city—trees native to Wales, and ancient sand.

Were there other gods here? Witches? Elves or other immortals? None of those were present before I left.

Kirby?

I couldn’t say. I hadn’t seen her in centuries, since one of her previous lives, and this could just be something similar.

Except that Valkyries always smelled like death, victory, and salvation. It was a blend distinct to their magic.

None of those were my target.

Tracking in a city was as different from hunting in the wild as one might assume. If my prey didn’t know they were being followed, they left a meandering trail.

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