Wizards

Stephen stood still for a moment in confusion. He tried to make sense of the woman’s words, to see if he could remember exactly who she was. She acted as if he should have known. There was something familiar about her that the sorcerer couldn’t quite place.

But nothing came to mind, so he quickly shook off the sensation and got up. This stranger’s perfect timing was quite suspicious, and if Stephen had learnt something in the past year it was to be distrustful of gratuitous luck. There was always a price to pay with magic.

He casually walked a bit, as if to test his injured legs. One ankle was likely dislocated and hurt like hell, and he had bruises everywhere. The only reason he was standing at the moment was an enchantment he had cast to assist his legs. He couldn’t show weakness in front of a stranger.

He moved towards the wall, protecting his back. He sure hoped his paranoia didn’t show too much, but he didn’t trust this woman. A thousand questions ran through his mind. How did she get in? The Sanctum was supposedly impenetrable to strangers. Also, how did no one notice her presence? He’d rather be paranoid than die backstabbed like the monster.

The woman was getting visibly annoyed. The bored glances she shot him made him feel like a whiny child wasting her time. He didn’t like it at all. “Alright, so who are you exactly?”

She answered with an exaggerated offended expression. “Is this how Midgardians thank who just saved them?”

Midgardians. That’s what Asgardians call humans. Asgardians on Earth wasn’t exactly common and could have meant many things. Perhaps Thor’s newfound love for the planet had prompted more gods to follow him. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Immensely powerful beings, even in good faith, could attract some mighty enemies.

Also, he didn’t like the way she acted. Did she expect retribution for her help? Being in debt with a God was bad for all kinds of reasons. He wouldn’t let her have that. “I didn’t need you- I'd almost got rid of the-”

“Yes, I saw”, the woman rolled her eyes “You had it all definitely under control”. She sighed.

“You haven’t answered my first question”

“Because it was stupid. Don’t you know who I am already?”

“I clearly don’t”

The woman scoffed, but then composed herself and continued: “I am Loki of Asgard, Goddess of Mischief, rightful heir to the throne of Joutunheim,” she smirked at his surprise and then continued, "Satisfied with my answer? Well, it's your turn: can we go sit down and finally have a civil conversation?”

In less than a second Strange moved himself in a defensive position and conjured a mystic weapon. Now that was a problem. How was it even possible? He thought Loki was dead.

“You don't seem to be getting the hang of this,” Loki burst into laughter. “You’re quite afraid of me, aren’t you? It is only proper for a mortal". Her lips curled and he tilted her head slightly: "Still, I do find it amusing to see the great Wizard Stephen Strange trembling like a lamb”

“The preferred term is Master of the Mystic Arts,” he said as confidently as he could “and this will be your last warning to leave”.

He was bluffing, of course. Injured as he was, he would have had no chance if Loki attacked.

“I’m not going anywhere. We need to talk. Your predecessor and I had some…” she bit her lip and glared in the distance as if to find the right word “…agreements, that I would like to discuss with you”. Was that really true? Why would the Ancient One have had anything to do with Loki? Still, maybe had a chance of getting out of there alive.

“Do you want to talk? Just that?”

“Yes”

“Prove it”

“How? Do you want me to swear it?”

“Maybe”

“Why would you trust any of my words? Just trust my actions: if I wanted you dead I could have just left you to the monster”. She made a good point.

“Fine” –Stephen banished his weapons– “Follow me”. He then turned and began walking towards his office. As absurd as the situation was, the damn woman was right. There was no point in waiting in the half-burned library while his painkiller charms wore off. Moving through the Sanctum he could stall for a while and find Wong or some other wizard. Perhaps he could try to grab some powerful relic to use against Loki.

“You don’t talk much, do you? But at least I expected some gratitude”

“I'd heard you were quite a loquacious fellow. An insufferable, self-important, pompous fool I believe were the exact words. I find myself thoroughly disappointed”

Stephen elected to ignore her. Maybe he could try escaping trough a portal. No, he thought. In doing so he would have left Loki unsupervised in the middle of all kinds of powerful weapons. Plus, he noticed, Loki kept herself constantly close to him. Close enough that if Stephen tried to open a portal, she would have been able to follow him.

She likely already suspected he might try to escape. He had to be more creative to trick the Trickster Goddess. But she wouldn’t let him focus with her stupid monologues.

“A simple ‘thank you’ would suffice. Perhaps some begging”. Was she trying to get a reaction out of him? He wouldn’t let her escalate the situation. What if that was her strategy, to push him to attack her?

But that would have been pointless. She didn’t need a reason to fight him. She actually wanted to talk, he reminded himself. Perhaps she was trying to test Stephen’s limits.

“At least the other witch had some manners. I saved you and you threatened me!”

Or hell, maybe he was overthinking it and Loki was just annoying like that.

“As I already said, you didn’t save me, Loki. What you did, was use me as a distraction to steal the book from the demon”

“Fair point,” she conceded, “Perhaps it was more like teamwork”.

“Definitely not”

“Yeah, to be fair you didn’t exactly do much. Apart from making a fool of yourself, of course”

“Did I? Or did you have something to do with the demon, too? Its attack seemed quite convenient”

“Are you trying to blame me for your mistakes, wizard?” Her tone dropped of an octave and sounded dangerous. Probably not a good sign. His accusation was far-fetched, but she was a master of manipulation. And it was better to push the Goddess on the defensive. The more she talked, the worse. He turned right and began making his way toward the common area. Certainly, some wizard would be there and help him.

With her hands and voice as cold as ice, Loki grabbed Stephen by the wrist and muttered “Wrong turn. You may want to go left here wizard”.

He hoped the Goddess didn't notice his flinch of pain at the pressure on his scars. He just quickly freed his hand from her grip. "I would rather avoid passing through the relics room with you".

She seemed thoroughly annoyed. “For the last time wizard: I am not trying to kill you or steal anything”.

“Are you blaming me for not trusting you?” Loki could act as threatening as she wanted, but Strange was fairly sure that she needed him alive. Or at least, so he hoped. They turned right, but Loki kept herself between him and the corridors that led to the common room. She was in control. He wouldn't trick her so easily.

There was no talking for a while, the Goddess seemingly pondering the question. Did he manage to shut her up? It didn’t feel like a victory, thought. The way she stood pensive and darkened, felt just as dangerous. Time to try a new approach.

“Besides, I have already told you: the preferred term is Master of the Mystic Arts. Sorcerer if you must, just not wizard”.

At that Loki smiled, not sarcastically like she had before. It was a much more genuine and even soft smile, and Stephen got caught in it. “Ah, so you are capable of humour after all, wizard”

“It wasn’t a joke Loki”

“How long until your office?”

Shit. “Still a while”

They had almost arrived. How was that possible? It was supposed to take much longer than that. They were supposed to pass in front of an enchanted mirror he could contact Wong from.

“Sure thing, dear”.

It had all happened so quickly. Had Loki been casting illusions around them? When and how? He hadn't noticed at all. Now it was too late to do anything. The office was just a left turn away.

“Is it any better than wizard?” she was mocking him.

He desperately tried to find ways to gain time. Meanwhile, Loki was smiling, no grinning, at his discomfort. She crept closer to him. “Why don’t you answer me?  Feeling nervous, wizard?”

 “Just a bit confused”

“About what?” she was still smiling. His poor improvisation didn’t seem to be convincing her.

“Weren’t you dead?” hopefully she would tell him something about that and lose a bit of time.

“That is exactly the reason I want to talk with you. Partially at least. Let’s save it for later”.

Admittedly, Stephen was curious. He knew talking with Loki could be dangerous, but there was a little voice in his head that told him to find out more, to lean out of the cliff until he fell. The Goddess had only spoken cryptic words and left few hints, but if Stephen had to guess, it didn’t seem like she knew the Ancient One just for a one-time pact.

The first problem was with the deal itself: why would his teacher agree to Loki’s whims? He couldn’t imagine the Goddess being able to threaten her. Of course, the Lie-smith could be lying. But then again, there was the matter of the Sanctum: she not only managed to find it and get inside without anyone noticing, but she also acted as if the whole structure was familiar to her.

And, everything considered, the thought that Loki might have known his teacher wasn’t even that ridiculous. They were both ancient beings. Maybe they had met each other centuries before the Goddess went mad. Stephen suddenly felt small in comparison. Just an inexperienced kid tossed in a bigger world.

He shook it off as quickly as he could. That wasn’t the time to feel wonderment. He looked straight at Loki. She was thriving in his discomfort, taking pride in feeling superior to him, her eyes burning with an insatiable hunger. Of what, Stephen wasn’t sure.

She was just a turbulent and cruel creature. It was probably best to avoid her at all costs. But she did need to talk to him. Every of her words, her movements, showed her focus and resolution. Even if Stephen somehow avoided speaking with her now, sooner or later Loki would have reached out to him again.

She kept flaunting her familiarity with the Sanctum as she guided him towards his own office door. This was it. The time had run out and he could only attempt one last desperate trick.

“My office. Please suit yourself, witch” Loki looked mildly offended, but also relieved. She got into the office just a little too quickly. She turned her back to him. It was a little distraction, a simple mistake on her part. But she had given him a small window to open a portal and escape.

He had a fraction of a second to make his choice. He didn’t need all that time. The calculation was simple.

Loki didn’t want him dead. And, he would have to face that conversation sooner or later. Ergo, he might have as well just done it now.

So, he followed Loki and closed the door behind him.