THOR: DARKLING ENERGY

The hectic day of decisions, conflicts and reparations had finally ended. The guards were all dismissed, the servers ordered to keep to themselves, the doors were sealed, the windows shaded. Save for the slant of light that persisted in finding its way through the eyelets between the drapery, the room from which the All-Father commanded the nine realms sat bathed in eerie quiet.

Odin had not moved from the throne, and as he watched the walls shade his view of the Eternal Realm, he wished that he could melt into its solidity, make himself disappear and not face such a dubious future. For a moment, his vision remained fixed on the gleaming guardians whose lifeless perfection seemed to remind him yet again of the weight of his decision. But though they stood before him, gripping their weapons with timeless certainty, there was no comfort in their empty eyes. They, too, seemed to dread a day when unpredictable spectral powers might fall into corroded hands.

The legacy of peace, symbolized in the gleaming runes on thick shaft of Gungnir, had been maintained over the generations by keeping safe watch over the totems whose unstudied and undiscerned principles could destroy the threads that held Yggsdrasil in unity. There were many who argued that Asgard had no right to constrain anyone who was willing to risk the dangers involved. Unfortunately Odin—just as those before him-knew a day might come when somehow someone would unleash a force of power even Asgard itself could not contain, turning the understanding of the relics into a matter of life and death.

But not this day. Not during his reign. Not before he could prepare a defense—one that should have been thought of and set into place long ago.

The faint wink of stars gave a sparkling backdrop to the distant rising moons, and Odin watched with little pleasure. So much had happened; so much of a once well-ordered universe was suddenly threatened with chaos… And now a wild power was in the hands of an angry, vengeful youth.

We were all too sure of ourselves, Odin gritted to himself. It had once been foreseen that Loki might rebel, that at some time in his life the inborn violence would begin to boil. Yet no one had suggested he destroy the child, despite warning glimpses of future darkness. The hope remained that Jotunheim could, through Loki, be coerced to follow a more peaceful path, since even Frost Giants were known for their loyalty to those of their own blood, even if impure. But Loki knew Asgard as his only home and family. His refusal to deny that icy part of his life seemed to fuel the fierce obsession with dominion of a realm that could never truly be his own.

Yet even while in the depths of prophetic sleep Odin had not seen his adopted son's mind turned in such a destructive direction. He frowned; no matter how he concentrated, nothing revealed even the slightest scent of those who had twisted Loki's

precarious balance. With the Bifrost still under repair and Heimdall not at full visual strength, Odin knew his beloved realm was nearly naked to the rapacious claws of Loki's new mentor. The only glimmer of hope lay in that whoever encouraged him to steal the energy source had only a scant understanding of what it truly was—and the mischievous thief still had little knowledge of his own dark strengths.

So much appeared to be slipping out of balance. But there was still time.

Odin gave a quiet sigh. It was indeed good to be alone, with only his troubled thoughts to keep him company. Closing his eyes against the coming shadows, he relaxed the staff across his arm to drink deeply of the soft gloom. Too late, he realized his reverie had drawn an intruder. As silently as ever, Frigga was behind him, gently lifting the helmet of authority and guilt from his head, leaving him exposed to the cool twilight. She slipped next to him, ignoring the angry scowl of his countenance and sat on the wide throne arm. "I ordered that no one be allowed in," he snapped. "I did not ask for your presence."

"Of course not," she replied airily, her eyes shining. "After all, if I always waited for you to speak up, we would not have our bold first born son."

Odin started to argue but quickly clamped his jaw, turning his head to hide his deepening embarrassment—and the smile that teased the corner of his mouth.

"Too much is weighing on your mind, Lord Odin," she stated, her voice deep with concern as she gently stroked his beard. "I would not have you suffer alone." He stood suddenly, whirling away from her. "But suffer alone I must," he insisted tightly. "The fault is mine." He paced a short distance, then stormed back. "I cannot understand why Loki has acted this way. I know of his anger and frustration but this... this is beyond any desire for simple revenge. And if revenge is his goal, I wish he would take it out on me and not be determined to involve so many innocent lives."

Frigga drew breath. "Loki feels slighted. Such resentment is neither simple nor easily soothed."

"But why!" Odin roared. "He was raised as my son, treated with the same attention and love as Thor and the other children! Why is he so bitter?"

Frigga quietly folded her hands, fixed her eyes on the steaming presence before her, and waited. She knew there was no way to reason with a raging Asgardian monarch-but she also knew such bouts were short-lived.

A scant heartbeat later, the flame of his temper had dissipated, and with it returned clarity and logic. Odin focused his vision on the carved head of his staff as it pulsed in the glimmering shadows. He could feel the lingering patchwork from a stranger's hand having been on the shaft; worse, there was an all but invisible emerald afterglow left behind despite the short reign of the would-be king. He stifled a shudder. To realize that Loki had mastered the kingstaff so easily that his mark could still be felt-as could his anger, resentment, and malice—was warning enough that the depth of his power was as yet untapped.

Odin drew his attention back to Frigga, who was studying him with disquiet. "You have not answered, wife," he growled, keeping his deeper worry in check.

She held back a moment longer, making certain she had his mind as well as his ears. "Likely it is because despite the best of efforts and intentions, he was always a distant second to Thor. Everyone knew that the first-born he was destined to rule Asgard, and as the leader among the best of warriors he was almost always undefeated in battle. Loki was often made to feel lower than even the company commanders, who seemed to enjoy finding his weak points when it came to weapons and tactics-which is why his ability to use deception became his strong point and the cause of their distrust of him. He sometimes felt second even to court members of the other realms, and once he discovered his true origins it only made the hurt worse."

Odin slumped against a wall. "What was I to do?" he wondered in anguish. "I couldn't bear to see a child die that way… not after I had already caused so much death and destruction."

Frigga came and placed her arm about his wide shoulders, the thick leather armor still warm as if drawing on the heat of his unease. "Of course you did right," she assured him, "and as to how he was brought up, no one could have foreseen how it would affect him."

He turned to her. "You did," he replied bitterly. "Of everyone in the palace, you warned me all those spans ago that Loki would suffer if he were not told the truth and treated more gently."

She lowered her eyes as her mind drifted to the past, forcing her thoughts away from what life would have been like without him. "Yet even I did not suspect he would react as he has. Somewhere, someone has stolen his mind and turned him against everything he knows to be good and right."

"Not just someone," Odin brooded. "Loki's blinding anger has taken on a life of its own, becoming a force to transcend time itself. Enough of our enemies sensed the loss of the Bifrost to piece together what happened, so getting to the facts didn't take much effort. It was logical that after his fall, Loki would become the pawn they needed to infiltrate Asgard and divide the realms. And using Midgard..." Odin grunted. "I have to give him credit; it is a move I might have made myself, were I in his position. He didn't anticipate what would happen when he sent the Destroyer to Earth, but he is all too adaptable, and the result seems to have fallen directly into his plans."

Odin scowled as though the universe had dropped its entire burden on him. "And now they are trying to help him discover its uses," he said more to the room at large.

"If he does, it may destroy him," Frigga nodded. "That will release the device for anyone else to take."

Odin shook his head. "Loki is no fool; he knows he cannot do this alone. He may try to master it himself first but he will eventually need outside help. I have no doubt that someone has already turned his head in that direction."

Frigga let out a breath, her eyes slowly drifting to Odin's face. "We must use our own dark energy to stop him."

He turned, surprised that she knew that more than one source existed, and even more stunned that she would suggest using it themselves.

"Yes," he responded hesitantly. "But we would need to be swift and discreet. If others learn that we have alternative source, they may invade Asgard itself to obtain it. Without the Bifrost, we cannot move warriors quickly enough from the outside to come to our aid."

She nodded. "Then the sooner we return the Tesseract to where it belongs, the better. And once here, we might well use it to speed repairs on the Bifrost."

Odin's jaw tightened. He had considered that idea some time ago, but using the dark energy held dangers even he did not care to contemplate. "As ever, wife, you are right. I will call Thor to dare the journey to Midgard and return it here."

Frigga stiffened sharply. "Thor! My lord...you mustn't. In his raging anger, he may kill Loki-and I cannot allow that!"

Odin beamed a smile. He loved little better that seeing his wife become the protective mother, and he knew from her manner that she meant every word of her threat. No matter what Loki did-short of killing Thor-there was nothing that would stop her from keeping her dark child safe, even if he proved violently insane.

Watching her, he recalled that he was also the only one on Asgard that knew the real source of Thor's passionate temper.

"No worries, my love," he soothed as he reached for her. "Thor has sworn in his heart that no matter the cost, he would never kill his brother."

She relaxed a bit. "But that won't stop him from causing Loki pain."

Odin gave an innocent shrug. "Well...boys will be boys."

They both managed a laugh. Taking his hand, Frigga led Odin out of the throne room. "Send, then, and bring our hot-headed thunder-son here," she suggested as they walked. "I will make the preparations for his departure. We must keep this quiet and make haste; time is against us."

As they steadily made their way through the sacred halls, Odin knew the serene face and gentle eyes belied the deep worry in Frigga's heart. Her slim hand kept a death grip on his arm, one that even penetrated gauntlets that could withstand the slash of swords in battle. Moving past libraries and laboratories that were storing and exploring knowledge older than Asgard itself, through passageways over deep chambers where arcane magicks and secret science were blended to form potential dangers beyond even the Tesseract, Odin found his mood growing darker than ever. Even with Loki on distant Midgard he could sense the latent power in him keening to escape, the taste of which was forcing Loki to seek satisfaction of his gnawing hunger for it—the same power he knew had been present in the helpless infant he had rescued on Jotunheim. Thinking back, Odin realized that it may have been the real reason Laufey left the undersized child in the temple to die: the Joutun king feared the capacity for chaos compacted in that tiny body. Odin had hoped to direct it, to channel Loki away from the wild madness that such power could unleash on himself and those around him…

He forced his mind away from that thought. It was yet possible to turn this to their advantage despite the influence of those wanting to use this as a means to overtake the Hallowed Realm. But Odin knew that if Loki would not be controlled—if somehow the darkness inside him transformed without direction—no mother's love, no brother's plea would stop him as Guardian of Asgard from putting a stop to it…even if it meant Loki's destruction.