Chapter 4: Revelations
•£• Loki •£•
Loki looked at his brother, curious as to the contents of the note. Walking over to his brother, he asked, "May I see it?"
Thor handed the note to him.
Loki stared it, then looked at Thor. "Interesting." He turned to face Eir. "Where was this found?"
"It was under Hlif's body. I do not believe it was intended to be found."
"That is an understatement!" Loki commented.
"What is it?" Katirya asked. "What does it say?"
"It doesn't say anything. It is just a few images." Loki looked at his brother. "Do you mind if she sees it?"
Thor shrugged. "It is not something I would show a lady…"
Frigga walked over, extending her hand for the paper. "Well, I am your mother, so let me decide that."
Loki quickly obeyed, handing her the paper. Frigga scanned it, her face turning to a frown at once. "This is… despicable!" She looked at Katirya. "Are you certain you wish to see this? I would not advise it."
"If I am to know what is going on, I think I ought to. Unless you plan to keep me in the dark about this, however, this is not something I would advise," Katirya replied quietly.
"Well, that settles it," Loki replied, deciding it was prudent not to anger Katirya.
Loki held it out to Katirya. She took it, and after looking at it, she raised her head to face both brothers. "Interesting, but what does it mean? These appear to be photos, or copies of photos. Can you tell when these were taken?"
"When? Why does that matter?" Thor asked curiously.
Katirya shrugged. "It is possible they were staged, they seem to have been taken here, in Asgard. If you look closely at her eyes, they are not quite 'right'. They appear vacant, so I am thinking they were done after the incident on Niflheim."
"That is a possibility." Frigga had moved next to Katirya to review the paper again. "Kiri is correct about the eyes. If they were taken after she came back here to the healers, it means that our shape-shifter has been here longer than we were aware of the fact. I wonder what else they were doing?"
"What if there was more than one? What if the shape-shifter is a different person entirely from the individual who caused this lastest travesty?" Loki offered, thinking things were getting even more complicated. He took the paper back from Katirya to look at it once more. Something caught his eye, and he stared at it closely.
"Two people?" Thor asked. "That would make a bit more sense. I find it difficult to believe that one person actually was able to haul both Kai and Jane out of here. Could they be working together?"
"And more importantly, are they working for Thanos?" Katirya added.
Loki looked over at his brother, nodding nearly imperceptibly to send him a signal he wished to speak with him alone.
Frigga caught the look, having raised the two, she was well aware of their 'silent signals'. She wondered what Loki wanted, and why he wished to keep Katirya out of it.
"Well, I suppose we can sit down and discuss this better in the library," Frigga said, thinking to give the brothers a chance to speak alone for a few moments.
Katirya smiled. "That would be nice; I am getting tired of just standing here. I do not believe we shall find anything else here." She gestured around Hlif's home.
Eir walked up to Katirya, touching her gently on the elbow. "Why don't you stop by the healers on your way? I do want to give you something."
"Kiri, you head along with Eir. Mother, perhaps you can accompany her?" Loki said. "Volstagg, could you and the others head down to the practice field? From the looks of these pictures, it appears that they were taken down there. Perhaps there are some other clues that were mistakenly left behind."
Volstagg inspected the photo briefly. "Aye, I think I know where it might have been. Fandral, Sif, Hogun - let us go see if we can find anything down there."
Everyone split off heading to their destination with plans to meet up in the library in thirty minutes.
As they walked towards the palace, Loki looked at his brother. "I think I know who did this."
Thor started. "What? Who - How?"
Loki stopped, and then pointed to the picture. "Look closely, right here. What do you see?"
Thor inspected the picture, then sighed. "I missed that."
"It's very small, easy to miss in this picture," Loki said, dismissing his brother's error, "but that dagger is extremely distinctive. There is only one person I know who bears it. I think we need to pay them a visit, don't you?"
Thor nodded. "Agreed."
"But I do not want Kiri to know where we are going – at least, not until we return. If I am correct, we should be able to retrieve Jane and Kai," Loki said. He considered it a moment more before adding. "I'd like Sif and the Warriors Three with us as well. That is why I sent them to the practice field. I doubt they will find anything more than what we have already, but I think we know enough. We know where to start at the very least."
"I will go down there now and we shall meet you at the Bifrost. What are you going to tell Kiri?"
"Nothing, I shall simply let Mother know. She can keep Kiri busy while we are gone. I am hopeful we can be back within a few hours."
"Is that wise?" Thor asked, surprised that Loki was not going to tell his own wife, especially after their most recent issues.
"I do not think she should travel there. If I told her where we were going, she would insist. Mother can tell Kiri after we leave," Loki replied.
"I will tell her what?" Frigga's voice sounded behind them.
Loki shook his head slightly, looking wryly at his mother. "I ought to have known you would realize we were up to something."
"I raised you, remember?" she replied archly.
Loki quickly outlined their plan. Frigga looked at the two brothers. "Are you sure it is wise to take on this person alone?"
"We are taking Sif and the Warriors Three with us," Thor replied.
"I would leave the Warriors Three behind. They will be useless if your friend decides to try her charms on them. Sif, on the other hand, will be safe," Frigga pointed out, reminding Loki of the skills their target possessed. "Remember who you are dealing with, she is no ordinary female. She has worked to enhance her feminine wiles and few men are safe around her."
Loki considered Frigga's comments and then looked at Thor. "She is correct. The Warriors Three might be more of a hindrance than a help. We shall just take Sif. Hopefully we will be back before Kiri realizes we are even gone."
"I wish you both luck then," Frigga replied. "I shall try to keep Kiri busy for a bit, but if you are gone more than a few hours, it might be a struggle."
• •Frigga••
Frigga watched as her sons departed. She was hopeful they would be successful in at least retrieving Kai. Jane was another matter. There was no indication that the woman still lived. She had mixed feelings about Jane Foster. She did not hate her, and wished her no ill, but at the same time she disliked the woman for distracting Thor. She sighed softly to herself, knowing there was nothing she could do to change Thor's feelings. Any interference on her part would only cement the relationship, if Jane survived this. Katirya had indicated she could probably help the human, but they would face that hurdle when they found her.
She walked quietly to the healers. As she entered, she saw Eir and Katirya seated at a table talking.
"Now, my lady, I do not want you overdoing anything. It is twins you carry this time," Eir advised Katirya.
Katirya pouted, then noticed Frigga's entrance. "Ah, there you are. I had wondered where you wandered off to. I insist you tell Eir that I shall be fine. I managed quite well the first time."
Frigga joined them at the table. "That is true, but I believe Eir is correct. Twins are more taxing; plus, you have all the resources available to you here in Asgard that you did not have on Earth. Take advantage of them."
"So, what took you so long to get here?" Katirya pressed the issue.
"I saw an old friend, and stopped to chat with her for a few moments," Frigga said, making up a quick excuse.
Katirya seemed to drop the subject as she looked at the herbs Eir was giving her. "Do I really need to take these? They smell awful!" She pinched her nose as an added effect.
Frigga looked closely at Katirya, noticing the strain evident on her face. Frigga knew the kidnapping had impacted her severely, and quite frankly, she did not know how Katirya was maintaining her façade of calm. Eir had clearly noticed it as well, for Frigga recognized the blend of herbs as one that was known for its calming effects.
"If you mix them up and drink them as a tea, you shall hardly notice the scent," Eir assured her. "Now, I want you to visit me daily…"
"Daily?" Katirya wailed. "Why? I managed quite well with no one in attendance except for Frigga when I was on Earth."
"Kiri, Eir is simply being cautious. Just because we did not have access to the wonderful staff on Asgard does not mean you should ignore it now…"
"But I had no problems with Kai!" As she spoke her son's name, Katirya broke down in tears once more. She buried her face in her palms, sobbing quietly.
Frigga moved closer to Katirya, putting her arms around her. "Kiri, we will find him. You must believe in that."
Eir rose, returning shortly with a cup of hot tea. "Here, this might help."
Katirya accepted the drink, taking a sip, she sighed softly. "I just worry about him. He is only a baby. WHY would someone want to take him?"
Frigga took Katirya's free hand and squeezed it gently. "He will return."
"I hope you are correct." Katirya finished the tea, setting the cup down on the table. "I suppose those are the herbs you are giving me?"
Eir nodded. "Indeed. They have a nice calming effect."
"I do feel a little better," Katirya admitted, picking up the packet of herbs. "Well, let us head to the library and meet with the others. We have so much to figure out. I wish we had some idea who it was that took Kai… and Jane," she added the mortal's name as an afterthought.
Frigga wondered how she could stall, then decided it might be best to go to the library and allow Katirya to discover that Loki and Thor had taken off. She just wasn't sure she was ready for that storm. She glanced across at Eir. "Why don't you join us also? Jane was under your care for over a year."
The three ladies departed, heading towards the library. Frigga purposely chose the longest way to get there. "I want to stop by the kitchens, check with Magda about dinner tonight, if you do not mind?"
Katirya shrugged. "Certainly, perhaps she has some cookies. I am hungry."
Frigga laughed as they entered the kitchens, watching as Katirya scanned the room until she spotted Magda and several of the cooks, and then dashed off to speak to them.
Eir took advantage of the opportunity to speak to her. "My lady, you were with her when she was pregnant with Kai, were you not?" When Frigga nodded, she went on. "I wonder, was she excitable? Stressed?"
Frigga considered the question before responding. "She was difficult. I put it down to the incident on Niflheim. Why do you ask?"
"Well, she is a daughter of an Elder. Her powers have never truly been tested. Kai has already shown tendencies for great magic, so I expect the twins will as well. I believe, from my observations of her so far, that when she is stressed it impacts the unborn children. They react causing her more stress."
"That is an interesting observation. And…" Frigga paused before going on. "It does rather explain some of her odd tendencies during her first pregnancy."
"What did you consider 'odd'?" Eir asked.
"Her complete dislike of staying with her father. She complained that his collection disturbed her. I realize it is an unusual assortment of creatures, but for the most part they were harmless. Oh, and one more thing. She would become extremely agitated when Carina, Taneleer's personal servant, was around."
"How agitated did she become?" Eir asked, clearly hoping to get more details.
"Enough that anything she ate did not stay down, and she remained awake at night for hours, pacing her rooms. I simply put it down simply to the pregnancy, but it stopped as soon as we moved to Earth," Frigga replied, realizing she had not considered the changes once they had left Taneleer's place. She couldn't consider it a home, as it resembled a museum more than anything. It was a strange place, and she had been glad when Katirya had insisted they must leave.
"I believe my theory is correct. I did a bit of research, but there are few individuals like Kiri. It is why I made up that herbal mixture for her. It should help to calm her in normal circumstances, but this is not what I would call normal," Eir explained.
Frigga nudged Eir, pointing towards where Katirya was still chatting with the cooks. The two women smiled as they saw one girl disappear for a minute, returning with a basket filled with fresh fruit and several cookies. "At least she hasn't lost her appetite yet."
"Twins," Eir laughed as she saw the exchange.
Frigga suddenly realized something. "That does explain why Kiri was so reluctant to return here. The stress, having to face Loki… she was so completely focused on not returning, it bordered on obsession."
Eir nodded her head as she thought about this aspect "That could be the case. It does make sense. You did say she only came back because the Lady Sif insisted, correct?"
"Yes, when Sif and the others arrived, she finally agreed to return. Of course, Kai had been born by then. Do you believe that connection ends after the birth?" Frigga inquired.
"Yes, as the child becomes its own entity. There will always be the bond between mother and child, but I think the powers that each have is an unusual situation during the pregnancy. I do hope Kai is found soon. The stress could be more than she can handle, even with my help," Eir added.
Frigga checked to see where Katirya was before answering. "Loki had a good idea who kidnapped Kai. He has gone with Thor and Sif to see if they can bring him back. It is one reason I took the long way back to the library. The longer I can delay Kiri discovering he has left, the better."
At that moment, Katirya finished her conversation with the cooks and walked towards Frigga and Eir. "Dinner shall be fabulous, and Magda has given me a snack to get me through." Her face suddenly clouded over. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It will be a full day since Kai has been gone by then." Her eyes opened, glistening with unshed tears. "We must go to the library. They will wonder what has taken us so long."
Author's note: Once again, thank you for all the lovely reviews. I do hope you are continuing to enjoy this story (series). Please review if you feel so inclined. And if you have thoughts or suggestions, drop me a PM.
