It suddenly occurred to Valkyrie that she had neglected to bring any shackles with her. Yet another small, personal triumph for her to revel in later.

Glee frowned. “You OK, miss?”

“Shut up,” she said. “I’m thinking.”

“And you’re sure I can’t move? My legs are cramping something awful.”

“Is this the face of someone who cares?”

“I did give you that handkerchief …”

“After you broke my nose.”

He sighed again. “Then do you mind me asking what we’re waiting for? I mean, are you going to arrest me or not?”

“You tried to kill me. Of course I’m arresting you.”

“Right. It’s just that you don’t look like you’re arresting me. You look like you’re trying to remember what you had for dinner yesterday. Or are you deciding if I’m worth the effort of hauling in? Maybe you’re wondering if you should just kill me right here. Is that what you’re doing? You want to kill me? Fry me?”

“You don’t want to be tempting me right now, Mr Glee.”

“Could you do it?” he asked, peering closer. “Hell, maybe you could, at that. You got a killer’s eyes.”

The crackling intensified. “Say one more word and you’ll find out.”

She heard Never calling her name.

“Down here!” she shouted, not taking her eyes off Glee.

A moment later, Never came half running, half skidding down the embankment, stopping beside her.

“I thought you’d abandoned me,” Valkyrie said.

“I was scared,” responded Never. “Fear is a magic inhibitor. Everyone knows that. Get over it.”

“Should I step away?” Glee asked. “Let you two talk it over?”

“Not an inch,” said Valkyrie.

“So what do we do with him?” Never asked.

“I haven’t decided yet,” said Valkyrie.

Glee smiled at them both, and the energy, which had been crackling so fiercely around Valkyrie’s hand, started to fade. She focused, tried to pour more power into her fingertips, but she was overthinking, she was letting her doubts block her instincts, and Glee could see it. He straightened.

“Get us out of here,” Valkyrie muttered.

“I … I’m trying,” said Never, his hand on her shoulder.

As the energy in her hands crackled out and died, Glee started to whistle a tune, that ‘Flowers in Your Hair’ song from the 1970s, and then he turned invisible. Keeping Never beside her, Valkyrie backed away.

“Never …”

“I know, I’m trying …”

Valkyrie kept her eyes on the space where the whistling came from, trying to spot a telltale ripple in the air, but the only sign of his movement came from the grass that flattened under his feet. He was coming closer. Closer.

The whistling stopped.