And then it went off. It felt like a wind that dragged at me, and I heard a distant screaming. I almost dropped the sword.

The fire giant did drop his mace. Then all three of them ran, hands over their ears. Clara didn’t seem to be affected.

“Nice one,” I said once they were gone. “But I’m not sure where number four went.”

Abdul lowered his hand. “Sorry about the friendly fire there. I was trying to exclude you as much as possible.”

“So, you have a spell that repels supernatural creatures?”

He nodded. “It’s a handy little thing. I learned it from a djinn a few hundred years ago.”

I grinned. “Thanks. My ears are still ringing, but…”

I was drenched. And I still had the fire giant’s sword. Keeping it, I started to look to see if I could work out where number four had got to. I didn’t like that he’d suddenly run off like that.

I found where he had got to alright. Out a fire exit, but on the way he’d left a trail of bodies. Four of them. Innocent people. I felt red rage rise within me. I didn’t stop to check on them, I could sense Clara behind me.

I kept running out the fire exit, which took me onto the street. There was no large outside lot here.

Wherever he’d gone, I wasn’t about to find him. He’d done that out of sheer spite.

Or maybe he’d done it to hurt me. Which amounted to the same thing. I forced my anger down, knowing it was what they wanted, knowing it was their weapon against me.

I had to get myself calm. Four people. I turned back inside. “Lost him.”
Clara was examining them. “This one’s still alive, I’m doing what I can. Call 911?”

I nodded and did so, wondering how we were going to explain all of this. Well, I could plead innocence of the fire alarm.

Or, no. I could claim I’d thought one of them had a gun, saw them getting ready to do something, pulled the alarm to evacuate. The truth, pretty much, or so close to it I wouldn’t have problems keeping my story straight. Loki’s daughter I might be, I still did better leavening my lies with plenty of truth.

Getting that straight in my mind, I called for an ambulance and police. Ballston Common Mall.
At least it was the mall the people challenged by the fashion police went to, at least judging by the goods in the windows. The ambulance showed up first.

Clara had stabilized the one that was still alive. The paramedics pushed her gently out of the way, and I hoped they wouldn’t notice anything.

I stayed out of their way, plotting exactly how I was going to find those giants again and make them pay for this.