A Very Polite Rally
That evening, everyone in our group was invited to attend a gathering held by the New Constellation. After a quick conference, Aizerue decided that we would all attend. Based on my report from the party I’d been to earlier, our diplomats agreed that the young nobles were more aligned with Loki than Thor, perhaps to the extent of being sympathetic with our position. This seemed the perfect opportunity to test how far that sympathy extended.
As we entered the hall, Loki was the first to step up and greet us. “Thank you so much for coming tonight,” he said, giving Aizerue a half-bow. “I wanted to apologize again for my brother’s—outburst during the negotiations, though the talks should proceed more rapidly and pleasantly now.” He smiled, and there was a quiet ripple of laughter through the audience behind us, though none of us dared show a flicker of amusement that might be construed as mocking the heir to Asgard’s throne.
“You are welcome guests here,” he continued, stepping aside and gesturing to the small gathering. “Please, make yourselves at ease.” The diplomats bowed to him, then allowed themselves to be absorbed into the crowd. As we’d decided before leaving the suite, I followed Aizerue and Malalik shadowed Daucus, staying a few paces behind but keeping an alert eye on the people around them. Laharu and Scathsa faded back to the edges of the crowd, occasionally repositioning themselves to maintain a wider view around our elders. In a fairly short while, the Aesir were ignoring the guards completely, the same way they treated the palace guards as so much furniture.
It was fascinating to watch Loki at work among the New Constellation. He connected each of our diplomats with a young noble or two, introducing them and offering a topic of conversation. He then circulated through the party, pausing to speak to people, making sure goblets were filled, and smoothing over any potentially uncomfortable or unpleasant situations before there was more than a whisper of conflict. I crafted a minor illusion to make it appear that I was giving Aizerue my full attention, so I could continue to observe the Jotun’s behavior. None of the Aesir so much as blinked, but Loki glanced in my direction and flashed me a smirk, clearly aware of my attention.
It wasn’t difficult to pick up the general theme of conversations in the gathering, even though I was barely listening to them. Most of the New Constellation had learned of Thor’s behavior in leaving the conferences, and agreed that his behavior showed it would be a long time before he was ready to take the throne of Asgard, if that time ever came. I heard it expressed several times that Loki would make a much better ruler, though never in the Jotun’s presence. More curiously, I also overheard a few mentions of Ragnar as a potential king of Asgard, which seemed very odd considering his well-known, passionate interest in the virtues of a representative government. There were also many expressions of concern and sympathy for our delegation, and wishes that the peace talks would proceed smoothly so that perhaps more Niddroghn could visit Asgard.
I quickly realized that Loki didn’t have much interest in actually changing the way Asgard was ruled. He supported the idea of a representative state in conversations with the group, but the gold curls in his aura indicated quite clearly that he had other ideas in mind. What those other ideas might be… I could guess, but he kept his true plans carefully guarded.
After an hour or so, one of the Aesir stood on a raised platform at one end of the hall and clapped for attention. The crowd quieted, most of them sitting down, although of course those of us who had the roles of guards continued to stand. Several members of the New Constellation then took turns giving speeches. I was a little surprised at how brief and entertaining the speeches were, until I noticed Loki’s subtle aetheric manipulations at just the right moments, and realized that not only had he probably written most of them, he was also coaching them as they spoke. The general theme of the speeches was, unsurprisingly, that the New Constellation welcomed a treaty with Nastrond, which would bring about a new golden age of peace and prosperity for both our peoples, as well as some political change in Asgard which was agreed to be quite overdue. I couldn’t tell if the speeches were for our benefit, or for that of the young nobles themselves, but it seemed that this event had been planned some time ahead.
Eventually, Loki himself stood up on the platform. “I am afraid that our friend Ragnar was unable to attend this gathering,” he told us. “He would no doubt have spoken of the value of a system of representative government, but I will not attempt to do so in his stead, as I am sure I could not match his passion or eloquence on the subject.” He smiled, and the crowd laughed in response. I watched a ripple of orange-gold light expand out from the center of his aura, and tentatively identified it as pleasure. “Instead, I would like to say a few words about the peace talks I have been conducting with the Niddroghn. Don’t worry, I won’t be giving away anybody’s secrets,” he added, smiling at Aizerue, though our ambassador hadn’t said anything.
“Overall, the talks are going well.” There was just enough room on the little stage for him to take a few steps to either side, and he paced them slowly, his hands clasped behind him, as if he were having a casual chat while out for a walk. I thought of our first unofficial meeting, realizing that he was wearing the same gilt-edged jacket he had that evening, and wondered how much of this performance was for my benefit alone, if any. “I am pleased to report that we have been making better progress than we might have expected, despite some resistance, and since that resistance has chosen to withdraw from the discussions, I hope that we will continue to make significant gains.”
I wasn’t present inside the conference room for the actual meetings, but the other guards and I listened closely to the diplomats’ discussions every evening. We were apprentices as much as protectors, and this vital mission provided the opportunity for a learning experience like no other. So I knew perfectly well that most of what was being discussed in the talks currently was painfully boring minutiae—setting up the legal structure to determine potential taxation on trade that didn’t yet exist, for example, and point-by-point comparisons of scientific knowledge so that both sides could potentially learn something without giving away important secrets. Loki’s speech made it all sound much more exciting, but it was empty of meaningful information. Every carefully chosen word and gesture was enhanced by subtle aetheric manipulations, some of them so subtle that I suspected he wasn’t doing all of it consciously. He beguiled his audience the way a musician played an instrument. I couldn’t help admiring his skill, even while wondering whether I was falling under his charismatic spell.
When his speech ended, there was polite but enthusiastic applause, and a return to casual talk and mingling. After an hour or so of this, Aizerue began making excuses, and Loki assisted us in withdrawing from the party, then offered to accompany us back to our suite. Aizerue accepted, eir aura sparking with curiosity. The diplomats made polite small talk with the Jotun as we rode a skybarge back to the palace, while we four guards stood at attention.
I think we all expected him to bid us goodnight at the doors to our rooms, but instead he asked if he could step inside for a moment. Aizerue gave him permission to enter, with a flick of eir aura at Scathsa to double-check our security. The rest of us guards were somewhat at a loss. In our own rooms, we had the freedom to relax, but it seemed we were still on duty. Aizerue offered hospitality in the form of food, drinks, and a seat to Loki, but our guest waved his hand. We all blinked as his gesture released a tightly-woven aetheric pattern that enveloped our small group.
“I apologize for this diversion,” he said, giving us all a slight nod. “I have cast a spell that will shroud us from Heimdall’s view for the moment, as there is confidential information I must give you.”
He glanced at me as he continued. “Young Ragnar, whom some of you have met, came to me earlier this afternoon in some distress. I haven’t been able to get much information from him yet, only that he has been contacted by someone and offered some kind of opportunity that he finds terrifying—and that it involves your visit here. I can’t find out more from him at the moment, as it appears the information was given to him under the binding of a major geas.”
A ripple of surprise flickered through our group. “Do your people have the skills to break the geas?” Aizerue asked, eir voice placid.
“I do,” Loki replied. “Anyone else who could break the pattern would also have had the ability to apply it in the first place, and since I can’t know who set the geas on him until it’s removed, I can’t trust any of them.”
“Why tell us, then?” Aizerue asked.
“Because I’m fairly certain that your group isn’t responsible for the geas,” Loki said with just a hint of a smirk, which vanished as he continued. “And I may need help. I’m going to relocate Ragnar to somewhere more secure, elsewhere in the realms, before trying to unbind the geas, for his protection and to minimize the chance of discovery before it’s done. It will take time, and will probably cause me to miss at least a few of the negotiation sessions.”
“How would our assistance be required?”
Loki spread his hands, as if offering us something or showing that he was unarmed. “I believe I have sufficient skill to remove the geas, but it’s possible that it may be outside my abilities. Your people are well known for your skills with aetheric weaving, and in this situation, you’re the only ones I can trust.”
“That makes sense,” Aizerue said with a nod. “Daucus is a training master at holistic weaving…”
Loki interrupted smoothly, his aura swirling with golden curls like smoke in a gentle breeze. “Although an elder would be invaluable, if either of the diplomats are absent from the negotiations, it will attract attention—and suspicion.” He glanced around our little group. “But I’ve seen your expertise with illusions several times. It shouldn’t be too difficult to create an illusion to cover the absence of one guard.”
It was a transparent, but completely logical, excuse. Aizerue nodded again. “We will make the arrangements, then. Do you require assistance transporting your—friend?”
“No, thank you.” Loki bowed slightly. “I will send a message with instructions for meeting whomever you select to assist me. I should remove the shroud now, before it catches Heimdall’s attention. Thank you, and I will provide you with further information as I acquire it.” Without waiting for a reply, he made a sweeping gesture of one hand, gathering up the threads of the pattern he’d cast over us and compacting it into a small tangle of knots. “I bid you good evening,” he said, giving us all a pleasant smile and another half-bow, before turning to walk briskly down the corridor.
We closed the doors, then stood looking at each other for a minute, before everyone turned to stare at me. “I’m going to need some fast brushing up on my aetheric weaving skills, aren’t I?” I said, managing to suppress a sigh.
Before anyone could reply, from the back of the group Scathsa let out a shout of triumph. “I did it! Managed to grab a sample of that pattern he put up around us, and I’m pretty sure I can recreate it from this. Excellent!”