I’d made sure Derek had my number and Thruor’s. I wasn’t surprised to get a call that just had an open line. While at lunch. I glanced at Zaid. “Got to go. Want to come?”

They grinned. “Let’s go.”

I broke into a run, knowing Zaid would have some means of following me. They were a good enough magic user that I knew I didn’t have to wait for them.

And I had my sword. It was funny how people never noticed it until I wanted them to. Even easier than it had been with the one Thruor had loaned me.

But, well. I ran. I wasn’t sure where he was without listening, but I got clues from that. Crap. He was by an airport, and I also thought I heard the river. Which meant he was on the far side of the river.

I was never going to get there on time. He was going to be killed or abducted and I was…

…but I wasn’t the magic user. I sensed Zaid’s presence go from behind me to way ahead. They hadn’t suggested they take me, which probably meant whatever teleportation spell they were using was limited in weight. Or that who and what I was would cause problems.

Either way, he had a better chance of getting there than I did, but that didn’t mean I was slowing down. The river. The bridge.

I still wondered if I could somehow get hold of a valkyrie’s steed, even though I wasn’t one. Or maybe, like the sword, mine was waiting for the right moment for me.

Forged for me before I was born.

Of course, the valkyrie steeds were all foals of Sleipnir. Awkward. Okay. Pulling my thought back from that, I realized I was on the bridge.

Then I saw a flare. Magic flare. Zaid. Making sure I had the right location, I was sure. I ran faster, if possible.

They were holding off half a dozen war demons, but hadn’t managed to damage them. Derek had managed to get or steal a baseball bat from somewhere and was using it to defend himself reasonably well.

I drew my sword and charged. Not the most original approach, but they were still looking at Zaid’s flare.

The first one I hit went down to my blade with one blow. A second turned, and Derek cracked him over the back of the head with his bat.
Zaid had changed tactics, or changed back, and was throwing ice at the others. They didn’t go down, but it seemed to slow them.

Probably what they had been doing until they sensed I was close enough to benefit from a signal. I spun to plunge my blade into the one staggering from Derek’s blow.

“I need one of those!”

“Sorry, they’re not that easy to come by.” A little bit of flame flickered along the blade. Fire beings or not, the demons didn’t seem to like that very much.

I could, though, probably find him some kind of sword. It looked like he was going to need one. Or maybe a good axe, the way he was fighting with the bat.

Looked like that might fit his natural style better, and I dropped another demon. There were two left standing.

They fled.

One was on the ground, but dissipated into fire and brimstone slowly. The other three were already gone.

“You need to stop making a habit of being beaten up,” I told Derek.

“I didn’t start it this time!”

I believed him.