Chapter 14
MIDGARD
It all started in a diner. It was a greasy spoon type of place on a dusty road in the middle of nowhere. The bus had stopped here, but then broke down. There wouldn’t be a new one until the morning. Travis had found a little booth for himself and kept a low profile. But then that was pretty normal for most of those travelling on the bus.
He lifted the bun of the burger, then put it back down quickly. He decided he was better off not looking at the mystery meat too carefully. He exhaled slowly. What was he doing? He had no idea where he was going. He was also running out of money. What was he supposed to do then?
A man threw open the door and punctuated his entrance with a loud belch. He was overweight, his brown hair greasy, his clothes ill-fitting and dirty. Travis stiffened, wary. Something about this guy he automatically didn’t like. There was a meanness in his brown eyes.
Slapping his meaty hands on the counter, ignoring the stools on either side of him. “Hey! C’mere.”
The waitress gave him a look before she turned back to the little window to slap a few more orders down for the cook.
Angry, the man turned to glower at the nearest innocent bystander on a stool, leaning into his personal space. “What’re you lookin’ at?”
The seated man’s eyes skittered away. Travis from his seat slowly formed a fist.
When she was ready the waitress sauntered over. “Yeah?”
Pulling out a handgun hidden in his waistband that caused people to gasp and freeze. “The money. Let’s go.” She sighed through her nose, more annoyed than afraid, and went over to the register to open the till. The man waved his weapon around. “Nobody move.”
Travis didn’t know spells with words. But he knew how to make his magic do things he wanted it to. Grasping the air as if he held the weapon, he yanked. And it worked. The gun went sailing away from the robber and smacked into Travis’ hands magically.
The man blinked in shock. But it didn’t take more than a few seconds for shock to be cast aside for a desperate anger. Charging forward. “Give me that!!”
Travis jerked to his feet as his hold firmed, pointing the weapon with a purpose. The man skidded to a stop while the waitress called out for the cook to call the cops. The would-be robber sneered and slowly held up his hands, “Freak.”
The rage built.
His hands start to shake and his grip tightens. Travis doesn’t see the man anymore. He hears the words he’d been hearing from random strangers ever since he’d learned he was a mutant. The insults. The fear. The hate.
Tighter.
He sees his little sister die.
Tighter.
Then it isn’t even the man in front of Travis. He sees her. It’s Amora.
Travis squeezes the trigger, the bullet hitting the man in the chest. The man blinks in surprise before he groans. He clutches his chest and stumbles a few steps while strangling with a gurgling sound. He coughs and a bit of blood splatters onto his lips.
The people gasp and cringe, fear on their faces as they stare at the boy still holding a loaded weapon. Travis looks around, confused by their reactions. Why were they afraid of him?
As the robber falls to the floor he shatters and vanishes. The passengers jerk in shock.
Then everyone else slumps where they sit, asleep.
The only sound is that of slow clapping as Loki appears by dissipating the shadows around him. He’s sitting at one of the booths, able to observe everything. He sounded curious but had no amusement on his face as he asked, “You didn’t really think I was going to let you kill someone, did you?”
Travis blinked as he turns, still confused. “What?”
Loki held out a hand and Travis gasps as the gun is jerked out of his grasp. It vanishes in a flash of green before it could land in the mage’s palm. He gestures and one by one the illusions vanished. The waitress. The cook. The food. The fact that the diner was even here. It all faded in stages to reveal a very basic bus depot and the seats were the benches. Behind a desk a couple of attendants were also sleeping.
The trickster explained. “Illusions. Lots of them.”
The boy motioned to the passengers that had been staring at him in fear and were now sleeping. “But they…”
Loki nodded thoughtfully as he stood up. “Mmm, they are real. What they thought they saw, that reaction was real.”
Frowning heavily. “He threatened them but…they were afraid….” …of me.
“He did…but you defeated him. After which, when he was no longer armed, you killed him.” Travis winced, but he didn’t look nearly regretful enough to satisfy Loki. “That is why they fear you. A death that occurs in the course of defending someone is sometimes a necessity. But to kill someone who is no longer a threat? That is something else.” Which was a concern in a boy this young, and something he’d have to talk over with Tyr.
Swallowing. Protesting. “I didn’t kill anybody. You tricked me.”
A tiny smirk. “I am called a trickster for a reason.”
Shaking his head in confusion. “Why?”
Giving the boy a considering look. “Before I take you to Asgard, I wanted to obtain a sense of what you would do without supervision.”
Objecting defensively. “A trick. Like you said. Nobody died.” Then muttering sullenly, “…and maybe I don’t wanna go.”
Eyebrow lifting and ignoring the attitude. “But you thought you had.” And the boy wasn’t nearly remorseful enough concerning it.
Travis could read the disapproval. Glancing away with a sullen shrug. “Is that why you let her live?”
Slowly Loki shook his head and allowed the subject change. “No. But what is happening to Amora is much worse.”
“How?”
His voice turned silky. “Sometimes death is too easy. I want her to live long enough to realize she is the one facilitating her own demise. She is too small of a person to ever learn to regret what she did. To ever feel guilt. But leaving her to learn of her approaching death. To fear each action could be her last. To lament ever going to Midgard. Delightful.”
Huffing out a breath before gritting his teeth and crossing his arms protectively over his chest. “Doesn’t help the anger.”
Loki understood only too well. “I didn’t anticipate it would. Neither will her death when it occurs. It comes down to time. In slowly piecing your life together. Do not allow her to steal your future as she stole your sister’s.”
Looking up with a frown of confusion. “Why do you care?”
From the boy’s perspective he could understand the question. “A long time ago a gruff old general cared about me. As you humans would say, I am paying it forward.” Then adding slyly. “Besides, El is both angry at you and worried for you.”
“She’s a good friend. I was pretty shit to her.” Travis winced a bit. He didn’t exactly feel bad about it, although he didn’t understand why. But he knew he should and that’s what made him feel bad.
“If you are genuine you could always make it up to her. An apology would be recommended.” Loki said the first lightly before his tone and bearing shifted. As if he could sense the less than reassuring feelings rolling through the boy. “If you are not, I advise to stay away from her. You do not want to anger me by hurting her.”
Travis swallowed and shook his head. He knew just enough to know getting on this guy’s bad side wasn’t a good idea. “And I can’t…stay here?” He wanted to stay, but he also didn’t. He also didn’t like the feeling that he didn’t really have a choice.
Sighing with slight annoyance. “If there was someone here with enough training and of sufficient magical rank you could.” Although he would have his reservations, especially now. Suppressing one’s magical gift could lead to murderous insanity. But it wasn’t the only way. “Currently there is not. Besides, Tyr is willing to host you in his home until you are of age.”
“And then what?”
A shrug. “Then you can decide for yourself where you wish to be. He is not going to kick you out anymore than the rest of us would simply abandon you. All casters are members of the Guild. We take care of our own.”
Travis mulled that over before asking, “Isn’t…she, one of your own?” He wasn’t going to say Amora’s name. But he didn’t want to be part of any group that still welcomed her after what she did.
Loki sneered to himself. “She was until her acts against your sister. We have a code and she betrayed us for her own selfish whims…now, she has been cast out.”
Which suited Travis just fine. “Even coming back to Earth is an option?”
“Yes. We should be able to provide enough tools by then for you to expand your craft without being a danger to anyone.” Loki purposefully paused. “Or…”
“Or?”
A casual shrug. A glance away. “Well, my aunt is the Headmistress of Vanaheim’s University. Imagine what you could learn there.” Clapping his hands together now that the seeds of the idea had been planted. “But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Shall we journey to Asgard?”
He’d miss Shock. But his current plan of running away, which hadn’t been much of a plan, made it unlikely he’d see the other boy anyway. Slowly, Travis nodded.
***
ASGARD
Travis was more than a bit wide-eyed as he stared up at Tyr. From the boy’s perspective, Loki could understand. The General was very tall and even at his age his physical build was nothing to sneer at. But Loki could see that the boy was becoming a bit overwhelmed. The fact that it had been his first BiFrost journey probably hadn’t helped.
Loki introduced Travis to Tyr and after the boy was shown the quarters that would be his own for at least the next few years, the men retired to Tyr’s study for a brief conversation. They each settled into a seat, taking their time.
Tyr may be Aesir who were not known for their observation skills, but even by Aesir standards he could see that Loki was troubled. “What happened?”
Allowing a slight smile to form. “Blunt as ever.”
A chuckle in return as Tyr settled in to listen. “It is a strength of mine. Why not lean into it?”
“Mmm…” Loki trailed off in thought, piecing things together in his mind. “The boy worries me. And I do not say that lightly.”
Which Tyr had assumed. “More than just anger.”
Loki sighed but he didn’t sugar coat it. He laid out exactly what had happened. Everything he knew or had pieced together from the first introduction to the boy to this final confrontation.
The general mulled all of that over, the silence companionable while he did. Eventually he observed, “It was not real.”
With a grimace in place. “True. But he didn’t know that. Which worries me.” Loki knew his illusion work was too strong for a boy Travis’ age to sense the difference. He’d believed what he saw and had reacted genuinely.
Tyr tapped his fingers rhythmically on the arm of his chair. “From the human perspective he is past the proving ground age so…”
Loki tilted his head to one side slightly. “True enough. And if he had been training to be a warrior, if he had killed someone to defend another, I wouldn’t have nearly the same concern.” There was also a big difference between trained warrior instinct verses actions driven by emotions. Then he shook his head sharply and leaned forward in his seat. He had once promised Tyr truth and he would provide it now. “I know what he did. This is a reflection of me, on Midgard, during the damn Chitauri fiasco. But that me was under someone else’s control and torture and raw rage. He confronted this illusion and mentally saw Amora…and he used the weapon to strike out.”
Another thoughtful silence. A pause of assessment before Tyr observed, “It wasn’t a head shot.”
Which the mage conceded, but only to a point, “No, it wasn’t. But that might have more to do with the size of the target than a desire to wound over kill.”
“I see.” A few more taps of his fingers before Tyr pulled in a breath. “Let me work with the boy, first.”
Loki agreed easily, “I intend to. I am also going to make some arrangements with Freyja to have a Vanir mind healer see him.”
“Prudent.” Then Tyr met his eyes, wanting to know what was at stake if this failed. “What are you thinking, since I know you will not just force this as Midgard’s problem?”
“Maybe I will.” His reply was too innocent. It revealed his reluctance to even utter what had already been decided if it became obvious that there was no salvaging Travis.
Tyr looked lightly amused. “You take things too personally, Loki. You won’t.”
A sigh of resignation. “I suppose you’re right.” He pulled in a fortifying breath. “If this fails, I cannot permit another Amora. Or worse, another Wilson. If we can’t succeed I will remove from him his ability to use magic.” A permanent bind spell, which wouldn’t harm him. Tyr’s eyes widened in surprise. Even he as a man without seidr knew that wasn’t a statement that Loki offered easily or lightly. “It will be painless. Yes, he will mourn the loss but doing so will not damage him. But, it is a last resort. And one I will present to the GUILD before acting.” To ensure no one assumed this was Asgard’s decision as opposed to one made by the magical collective.
Asking quietly, “If they propose something else?” It was mild curiosity more than anything. Tyr knew Loki well. The prince didn’t make extreme decisions like that unless it was the best option.
Loki lifted an eyebrow to himself. “Then the result is on their heads. But I doubt they will. Most of the members will side with me. And it is not as if I am not exploring every reasonable option.”
Tyr nodded firmly. “We will succeed.”
“I really do hope so.” And using that word, hope, was not one Loki offered carelessly.
***
As promised, Loki didn’t journey into the dungeons alone. Both Faurete and Karnilla followed. Tony hadn’t been specifically requested to attend but he’d decided he was invited anyway.
Faurete stopped short to just stare in horror at Amora. It took Karnilla a few seconds longer. Abyss also stayed back, just as repulsed by her. Tony followed alongside Loki. He didn’t have the magical awareness like the other three did. The distaste on his face was purely for what she’d done.
Amora was humming tunelessly, allowing the fantasy she had created to distract her. She was stretched out in a hammock. A series of illusions surrounding her as if she were being indulged on a beach somewhere by fawning servants. The men disturbingly all resembled Thor.
Loki made a face. Not at the self-indulgence. At seeing that many shirtless versions of Thor.
Both of Tony’s eyebrows rose. “She is seriously deluded.”
The Enchantress didn’t even twitch. And since her cell didn’t prevent sound from carrying it was obvious she was intentionally ignoring them. Karnilla lightly cleared her throat. “Cousin?”
Delight filled Amora’s eyes as she opened them and sat up. “Am I off to Vanaheim?”
Unable to speak, Karnilla just shook her head.
Her eagerness fading, she pouted. “You will not even go to war for your cousin?”
Swallowing, voice hoarse. “I will not waste a single Vanir life for you.” It was true. Now she could see and feel what Loki had been talking about. Amora’s presence felt…slimy. She had no other way to describe it.
Scowling with a pout, arms crossed. “Then why are you here? Morbid curiosity?”
Feeling and sounding lost. “How could you do this?”
Amora threw up her hands. “Ugh! It was just a mortal.”
Karnilla flinched violently. They were practically her own words thrown back at her. Loki could sympathize. Not so long ago, he wouldn’t have been so different in thinking the sentiment.
Tony shook her head. “You really are a piece of work, aren’t you?”
Sneering at him. “How wonderful, another mortal.”
With a tsk, “Honey, don’t even go there. Your bitch game is poor in comparison to mine.” That Tony said that with a bit of a head roll and finger snap just added to the attitude.
Loki snickered wordlessly.
Faurete slowly shook her head, focused on Amora. “You are disgusting.”
Amora blinked and stood up in surprise before she frowned. “A frost giant is calling me disgusting?”
Faurete narrowed her eyes and shrunk to her Aesir form. Karnilla blinked rapidly in shock. Not waiting for the imprisoned woman to recover. “Yes. She is.”
Forcing out a face laugh in the trickster’s direction. “Amusing trick. An illusion, Loki?”
The mage greeted her coldly. “Amora.”
“Loki.” Amora returned the gesture for what it was.
A blank face in place as he made a slight gesture in her direction. “Faurete is the Queen of Jötunheim. A little known fact but she is a natural shape shifter. So…no. She is not an illusion.”
Sniffing indignantly. “Why are any of you here?”
A shrug from Loki. “Idle curiosity. Enjoying your lovely accommodations?”
She smiled broadly and glanced at the illusions surrounding her. Her fingers reached out towards the nearest Thor but not touching. “They suit me now.” Loki chuckled to himself. It was the kind of chuckle that unnerved her just enough into asking, “What is so amusing?”
“Quite a bit of magic you have expended,” he noted. Not just her surroundings. Her clothing. The pains she had taken to apply several layers of glamour charms.
She looked unconcerned. “So what? I am a mage now. We are made of power.”
His amusement seemed to grow. “Mmm, you are not wrong that mages are made of seidr. It is our weakness, after all.” A mage without magic died. He’d put that known fact to the test on Midgard and almost proved the point.
Amora countered, “Seidr replenishes itself.”
Loki bared his teeth. “In normal circumstances you are right. With even a thimbleful of seidr within our core we can replenish.” Then his amusement faded sharply. “Except for you.”
“What?”
Everyone else was quiet, just listening and watching.
He sounded curious, but it was more of a rhetorical question than anything. “Did you really think I was going to just allow this mockery of justice?”
She almost took a step back before collecting herself, shaking her head rapidly as if to get the words out of her ears. “You bluff. You have no choice but to obey your daddy, Trickster.”
Loki chuckled softly to himself and gestured with a finger. “If you would?” The request wasn’t to her or to his companions.
The guard saluted and stepped forward to power down the cell. Faurete raised an eyebrow at the easy acceptance of the guard following Loki’s desire. But she approved of it.
Amora looked and sounded nervous. “W-what are you doing?” Loki just smirked and started to approach her, walking up the short steps into her cell. She held up her hands as several illusions shattered. “Stay your distance—”
Before she could even back up he was there, cupping her face between his hands. Her heart jumped in her chest, not certain what he was doing. Would he snap her neck? Would he kiss her? Her pupils dilated in excitement.
Loki ignored her, following her magical core to the well that supported her power. He found himself slowly smirking as he pulled back and let her go. Not turning his back on her, step by step he exited her cell to just look at her.
She started to frown. The frown was still in place as the cell flared to life once more and he left. Within a few seconds the others followed.
Sigyn was waiting for him at the entrance to the dungeons. “Did it work?”
Loki nodded once. “More than I conceived. A fitting punishment indeed.” She may have warped herself into a mage, but the well of power connected to her wasn’t limitless. It certainly wasn’t now. All of her little spells over herself and her surroundings slowly added up. She was at half strength. And as a null, there would be no replenishing it. She wouldn’t feel it yet. But when she depleted herself to the last quarter she would. “She will be responsible for her own end.”
Tony had a silently intense look on his face, as if he were puzzling things together to reach his own conclusions.
Sigyn looked surprised. “You did not tell her.”
A loose roll of his shoulders. “I did, but she dismissed the words. No matter. I will let her live in ignorance for a while longer before bursting her oblivious bubble.”
Karnilla was pale and pensive. “I had no idea. She said…”
Loki watched her as she trailed off. He took an educated guess where her thoughts had landed. “Lesser beings?” She nodded with a flinch. “You are not her, no need to compare yourself to her. Many have said similar at the thought of a mortal dying.”
Tony made a face. “So rude.”
Her eyes moved in the inventor’s direction before she asked Loki, “Why did you change your mind?”
“I made friends with this one and realized they are short lived, not less.” He nodded in Tony’s direction and sighed. “Not to overinflate his ego but…a man cleverer than any Aesir. A man who is a warrior, in spite of being physically unfit to be seen as one.” Tony silently preened.
“Then how is he a warrior?” Faurete was the one to ask.
Explaining, “He made a metal suit only he can power—”
Tony helpfully chimed in, “The first one out of spare parts.”
Loki ignored him and continued, “…and he uses it to fly around and thwart his enemies.”
Karnilla murmured to herself, “Intriguing.”
Sigyn added to Karnilla perhaps a shade too sweetly, “I could introduce you to his intended.”
It was also a reminder to Tony to watch himself. The women here were beautiful. But many of them were physically stronger than he was. Additionally, it was a warning to Karnilla that this was yet another man who was spoken for.
Karnilla directed the question to Sigyn. “This intended is a friend of yours?”
Tony’s eyes ping ponged from one woman to the other. He frowned at Loki who just held a finger to his lips. Abyss slowly shook his head. Non-cats were so strange sometimes.
Sigyn answered in a way that was more in keeping with traditional elven views. “Until he is wed or their courtship is dissolved, as a male guest of my home I consider it my task to ensure his good reputation remains intact.”
It took serious effort, but Tony pressed his lips together hard to prevent bursting out laughing. He didn’t have a good reputation and he knew it. Up until Pepper and he became an item, he’d been a man-whore and he owned it. But he also recognized Sigyn’s effort to keep Karnilla from getting handsy with him so he didn’t correct the misconception.
The group left together, though Faurete hung back to speak quietly to Loki. “You do know how much of a flirt she is.” She, being Karnilla. Sigyn’s warning or not, Karnilla wouldn’t be able to help herself.
Loki murmured, grinning evilly. “Yes. Just as I know the flirt that Stark is.” Which is why he’d make certain Pepper was nearby.
Her grin was just as evil.
Sigyn rolled her eyes to herself indulgently, able to hear the duo with her elven hearing. But she wasn’t worried. Karnilla stood no chance against Pepper.
***
It was late evening. The children were all in bed and the city in the distance was mostly quiet. Loki and Sigyn stood next to one another, looking up at the stars. Quietly Sigyn observed, “You are quite passionate about these humans. Why is that?” She wasn’t talking about Tony or any of them on an individual level. She was more focused on the human casters and his increasing involvement in stepping in.
He shrugged with a convenient answer. “The girls are human.”
Giving him a gentle nudge with her body. “Asgard is their home now.” Sigyn then gave him an amused glance.
He turned his head towards her after feeling that glance. “What?”
Slowly an eyebrow lifted, still amused. “What is your real motivation?”
“Everyone needs a hobby.” Another surface level response.
Sigyn snorted softly in lieu of a chuckle, mostly to herself, and snuggled against him. But she decided she wasn’t going to press if he didn’t feel like answering. They were mates, but that didn’t mean he owed her all of his thoughts and feelings. She would be ready to listen, but she wouldn’t force anything from him.
Loki’s humor slowly faded as he actually thought about what she was asking. He’d been moving at a desire-do pace but now that he was standing still he considered the why. Of course he had to do enough to keep the GUILD involved, and thereby keep the Inter-realm Council at bay. That in turn would allow him to keep the girls as well as his friendship with Tony.
But he didn’t have to step in for Travis. Or Illyana. He’d gotten Xavier to say yes. It was all that he needed to do. He didn’t have to follow through. He could get someone else from the GUILD involved and take a step back.
But something was pushing at him and he hadn’t been truly aware of it until now. “It feels wrong.”
Sigyn knew better than to move and shatter the comfortable bubble that was surrounding them. Instead, she just asked quietly, “What does?”
“Me. I’m not in the right place.” His brow slowly furrowed. But then the furrow deepened with frustration. “And I cannot explain it. It…is just a feeling. A maddening, frustrating feeling that I am not in the right place.”
“Has Chaos mentioned anything?” Chaos, the Norn that had chosen to guide Loki as they were wont to do.
Loki hadn’t spoken with them recently. He shook his head before sighing at himself. “I am not a seer. I am being ridiculous.”
“Neither am I.” But then she caught what he had said. “Why is that significant?”
The words almost slipped out of their own accord. “I cannot receive seer’s intuition.”
Now she turned and blinked. “Is that what it is?”
It was Loki’s turn to blink, surprise causing him to trip over his words. “It—I…do not know…why I said that…”
Sigyn nodded slowly, thinking deeply before lightly suggesting. “Maybe you should speak with Veilya, or your mother.”
“Perhaps…” Or both. He didn’t say that, but it felt like the right answer. A thought for another day. He smiled and gently moved a lock of hair behind her ear with a light touch. “Ready to get married?” Again.
She smiled. They already were. There was no separating them, no matter what Asgard thought. But even if this was a mere formality it was something they were both looking forward to. After tomorrow, there would be no more excuses when it came to highborn attitudes. They. The children. Family in a way that no one in the Nine would deny.
“More than anything. You?”
Loki lowered his head and murmured against her lips. “Absolutely.”