Quick Note: Movie spoilers at the end? Sorta? Not really big ones or anything. Also a very, very brief mention of sex somewhere. Not really explicit at all. Just in case. More notes at the end.
IX
Sigyn delayed using the bowl to look for Loki, though not for lack of wanting to do so. Her experiment seemed to have strengthened Jane's drive to find Thor. While Sigyn waited, impatiently, to make her next move, Jane had thrown herself into her work. Which meant that all other tasks were delegated to her and Darcy? Whatever caught her attention had it in full; she hardly spoke to them unless it was during dinner, and even then it wasn't much. Thus getting another blood sample from her was a difficult task.
It was days later, while Sigyn and Darcy were organizing particle data for her, that Jane came running up to them. "I've got it."
Darcy turned down the music on her computer. "What?"
"I know how to open a portal to Asgard."
Dread coiled itself around a singular thought in Sigyn's mind: No.It was too soon; she was closer to finding Loki but still not quite where she needed to be. "That can't be right."
"What do you mean? I haven't even told you how I figured it out."
"Right," she said, trying to keep herself calm. "How, then?"
There was a heavy silence and then Jane said the words that everyone knew she had wanted to ask for days. "I'll need you to use the bowl again."
And there it was, the question that had lingered between them was now out in the open. Ever since her experiment, it had been obvious Jane wanted her to use it again. The only reason she didn't ask was because of Darcy. The mortal was more observant than she realized, having picked up on how drained the whole thing had left her, and always kept the topic of conversation away from the bowl.
She was grateful, though, for Darcy's involvement. Sigyn was hesitant to use the bowl too often, and not only because of the amount of energy she used in the spell. The consequences of a spell of that strength were unknown, and her greatest fear was that it would eventually reveal Loki to them.
She had stalled long enough. More of Jane's blood would be needed if she wanted to find him herself so for now she would humor Jane. "And what would you have me scry for?"
"The stars around Asgard."
Well, no one could say Jane Foster wasn't ambitious. "The entire night sky? All the stars and constellations and worlds that can be seen? Why?"
"So I can compare it with other known star charts and planets. If I can find Asgard's location in relation to ours, then I can find a path."
"Even ifyou found a path to Asgard, how do you plan on getting there? Humanity doesn't have the technology for interdimensional travel."
"We have earlier Bifrost energy readings. We'll make another one here."
"You mean to recreate the Bifrost?" That was certainly a new idea. And risky, more so than opening a portal to get here. But since she'd already talked Jane out of that idea and she didn't have another option for her.
"Is that even possible?" Darcy asked. "Can you just make another bridge like that?"
Both of them were looking at her expectantly, as though she had all the answers to everything. And she supposed that, to them, she might as well. "It's...never been done before. Heimdall has been the sole keeper of the Bifrost, save for the All Father himself. However," she paused, toying at the edge of the papers in front of her. "That isn't to say it couldn't be done."
Jane's face practically lit up. "You mean that?"
"No guarantee that it will work. But you can try."
"My promise still stands." Jane said, noting the hesitance in her voice.
Ah yes, their new accord. Jane swore that she wouldn't have to be present when they left for Asgard. Nor would she mention Sigyn's involvement. She nodded.
"Great. Then when can we start?" Jane asked eager.
"A few days. I need time to prepare."
Jane looked a little disappointed but said nothing and went back to her research. Darcy opened up her laptop, pressed a few buttons, and the room filled with music. It varied in style; Darcy had explained to her the different kinds: rock, pop, hip hop, alternative, Latin. She'd even downloaded some Celtic music, thinking Sigyn would like it. Which, admittedly, she did.
"You really think it will work?" Darcy asked, returning to the particle data. Jane was standing in front of her cork board covered with pictures and data and notes, seemingly oblivious to them.
"Probably. Like I said, it's never been done before."
If there was one thing Jane was it was determined. Her drive to find to Thor mirrored her drive to find Loki. It bred a sense of kinship with her that Sigyn hadn't expected, and Darcy she found to be entertaining company.
"Will it be any more dangerous than your way? I mean, at least people have used your way before. And I'm sure most survived."
She shrugged. "I don't know." Whatever she may feel about Jane and her apprehension about working with her, Sigyn hoped that it wasn't dangerous. She found that she didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Whether that meant she succeeded in finding a way into Asgard or not.
In the days that followed, Sigyn spent whatever time she wasn't helping Jane or hanging out with Darcy (she insisted they needed time to relax and Sigyn didn't wholly object to the breaks) reading over her books. The more she thought about it, the more she doubted that Jane would actually be able to generate the kind of power needed to create another Bifrost that lead to Asgard. But she would let her try, let her see this plan through to its inevitable, unsuccessful, end.
The book in front of her was about as helpful as all the others had been. Her plan had been to slip between the worlds once she found where Loki was. The state the last trip had left her in only meant that she had to be damn certain of where she was going because she wasn't sure she had it in her to make multiple trips. But to open another portal like the Bifrost hadn't been at the top of her list. So she had nothing else to offer Jane anyway.
As for her own research, it wasn't entirely at a standstill. Without another sample of Jane's blood, the bowl would give her no other answers but she did still have access to Jane's equipment. Looking through one of the telescopes was how she finished most of her nights. Tonight was especially clear, and Sigyn abandoned her book to relocate in front of one of the telescopes.
She hadn't been looking at the stars for very long when something blue flashed across her vision. It wasn't big, nothing more than a quick wiggle of blue light between the stars. She ignored it; it was probably something with the lens or she was tired or -
Then she saw it again. And again. A brief ripple that vanished as quickly as it came. Sigyn pulled back and looked up at the night sky. Whatever it was, it couldn't be seen from the ground. Or maybe it wasn't happening at all. It was getting late, and her eyes were exhausted.
She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hands; she had not slept well since she performed the spell. Her dreams were...strange. They were dark and cold and barren. There was always the sense that Loki was near, his breath ghosting along her neck. But whenever she turned around to face him he was gone.
She walked away from the telescope and returned to where she left her book. Hovering and rotating slightly above the table, was a small glass vial. The glass had a touch of iridescence that made it seem to glow in the light, topped with a solid, spherical stopper. The glass itself was imbued with magic, which made it stronger.
Now to convince Jane that she needed enough of her blood to fill it. Because thatwas going to be an easy task.
Weary, Sigyn draped Loki's cloak over her shoulders and headed outside, specifically to the roof. Thankfully she was alone tonight. Jane was in the RV, and Darcy had her headphones in as she worked on the computer. Once on the roof, she curled up on one of the lounge chairs Jane kept out there. Loki's cloak kept the chill in the air at bay, and she wrapped it tighter around herself.
The stars were brighter out here, more so than in Boulder. Her eyes were closing, and she didn't think she'd mind falling asleep out here.
Whether she was dreaming or not she wasn't sure. The air was still cool but it felt damp, like there should be mist surrounding her but there wasn't. On the edge of the roof, perched delicately on the ledge, were two magpies. They were chirping quietly, their heads tilted as they moved side to side. Sigyn eased off the chair and edged towards them so as not to frighten them off, Loki's cloak still wrapped around her shoulders.
"Hello," she whispered.
One hopped forward. "Have you found what you're looking for?"Its voice was high pitched and sounded like glass tinkling.
"No, but thank you for guiding me in the right direction." They may have a twisted sense of humor but it would be wise not to offend them.
"He is lost and so are you."She frowned at the echoed words. She hadn't liked them the first time she heard them and she didn't like them now.
"But not for long. I will find him again. I swore I would."
"And if he does not want to be found?"The second one's voice was different. It still had a glass like quality but it was deeper. Masculine. Familiar. Her lip trembled and she clenched her jaw to stop it as the possibility she'd refused to acknowledge was placed right in front of her.
"Then...then I suppose I'll just have to keep looking." Because what other choice did she have now?
The two magpies fell silent again and stared at her. Shiny things. They like shiny things.So she took her earrings out (they had been two dollars at the thrift store so she didn't mind parting with them) and placed one in front of each magpie. The one with the high pitched voice picked up the earring and flew off. The other one lingered.
"That which you seek may find you."
"That doesn't make sense," she murmured.
"Who're you talking to?" Sigyn whirled around to see Darcy standing by the stairs, two cups in her hands. The feeling that she was surrounded by an invisible mist vanished. What was left was a prickling feeling of panic. How long had Darcy been there, and how much had she heard?
Glancing to the ledge she saw that the magpie was gone, along with her earring. "Oh, um, nobody."
Darcy arched an eyebrow and came towards her. "Right I'm just going to assume that's some Asgardian habit. Here." She handed her one of the mugs. "I made you tea since you've been up here a while and its cold. Then I made one for myself."
"Thank you."
There was a brief moment of silence as they sipped their tea. Then Darcy asked, "Was that Loki's?"
Sigyn swallowed hard, wondering if Darcy had seen the birds as well. "Pardon?"
"The cape? Was it Loki's?"
"Oh." She pulled it a little tighter around her shoulders. "Yes, it was. Or at least one of his. It's not as though he and Thor only have one cloak."
Darcy nodded, and there was a thoughtful, silent pause. "Tell me about him." Sigyn just blinked at her. "You never told me how you two met."
Discussing the particulars of her relationship with Loki with them had never really come to mind. "You really wish to know about him? About us?"
"Well yeah. I mean it's nice that you only tell stories about the adventures that he and Thor got up to. I know Jane likes it. But you and Loki? That has got to be one of the craziest love stories ever. Better than any rom-com or Lifetime movie."
As with most of Darcy's references, Sigyn had no idea what that meant. She was fidgeting, shifting her weight from side to side. Each detail was carefully chosen; not even Thor knew all their secrets. "He's...was," she corrected. "He was devilishly handsome. And charming; they called him Silver tongue for a reason, and he could always make me smile. Yes, he was wild and a trickster and something of an outcast but he had his moments of absolute sincerity... and you knew he was so much more than all that." She stopped, her longing to be with him again was making her chest hurt and reveal more about him that she wanted. "We met...ages ago, at some banquet I can't even remember what it was for. I had admired him for several weeks and...And at this banquet he finally asked me to dance."
"That's really sweet."
She tilted her head. "Were you expecting something different?"
"No! I mean...I don't know. Given who you both were I guess I was expecting something more...juicy." Sigyn gave her a blank look. "You know. Risqué. Dangerous. Sexy."
The laugh bubbled up from her throat and she couldn't help herself. "Very well," she said, regaining her composure. If Darcy really wanted a 'juicy' story, she could oblige. "Whenever Loki and I were on Vanaheim and we..." Damn, was she blushing? "...we made love outside, the ground would shake. Confused the hell out of Thor and his friends." Thatwas pretty much common knowledge, at least among their group. She and Loki hadn't even realized what had happened until they returned to the campsite, disheveled and sated, and Thor mentioned something about the quake. It took the rest of them three more times before Hogun and Sif figured it out. Darcy's mouth was agape. "Juicy enough for you?" she asked with a smirk.
"Wait, are you serious?"
"I swear on my honor." Not that her honor was worth much but that didn't matter to Darcy.
"Wow." Darcy plopped herself down in one of chairs, squeaking when a bit of tea splashed out of her cup and onto her shirt. "So, this Vanaheim. Is that your other home?"
"You could say that."
Darcy rolled her eyes. "I thought we agreed no more of this cryptic goddess talk. So what is it like your vacation home or something?"
Sigyn wasn't about to explain everything about her past to Darcy. "My family...does have a couple homes there." Homes given to them by the All Father as reward for her father's role in the Vanir wars but she didn't feel like giving a history lesson tonight. Darcy was content to just listen to other stories about Loki and Thor and Vanaheim and Asgard.
Jane was not particularly patient, but she never pestered Sigyn to use the bowl. A couple days later, when Darcy went out to the grocery story that she decided to bite the bullet, as the mortals say, and perform the ritual again, even if it wouldn't help.
"Jane?" she asked, taking one of the headphones out of her ear. Darcy had let her borrow one of her older iPods, filled with random songs. The background was an early 20th century artist's rendition of Loki eating a roasted heart, or at least that's what Darcy said. "How much blood would you be willing to sacrifice to find Thor?"
It was blunt question, one that had clearly taken Jane aback if the shocked look on her face was anything to go by. "I...well, not allof it."
"Of course not." Sigyn pulled the small vial out of her pack. "Enough to fill this."
Jane's eyes grew even wider. "You need that much?"
"Doubtful. I just thought this would be easier than me constantly healing you all the time should I need more. This way, I only have to heal you this once."
She was still skeptical, not that Sigyn could blame her. They remained like that, gazes locked, until Jane sat next to her and extended her hand. "I hope this is worth it," she said as Sigyn took out her small knife.
"If you want to move heaven and Earth to find the one you love, be prepared to shed a little blood for the cause." The blade sank into Jane's palm, not too deep but enough to draw a significant amount of blood. Then she held her hand over the bottle, letting it drip slowly into the bottle.
"So does this mean you're going to use the bowl again?"
Sigyn nodded. "Soon, though I'm not sure how you intend to see a whole bunch of stars in something that size." She paused; something had been bothering her. "When you first confronted me, you said you knew how I was from the bowl. What did you mean?"
"The knot work going around the edge. It's practically identical to the Bifrost site."
Sigyn was halfway through her healing spell when Jane's answer hit her. "Identical?"
"Yeah, at least similar. Hey, finish healing my hand!"
She muttered an apology before finishing the spell, setting the bottle aside and picking up the bowl, running her fingers over the intricate knot work carved into the wood. How could she have not noticed this before? Then again, how many times had they actually looked at markings the Bifrost left behind?
"What is it?" Jane asked.
"I think I have an idea. Take me to the Bifrost site."
They waited for Darcy to come home, since she probably wanted to see this too. The RV rattled along the dirt road, which only jostled Sigyn's nerves more. She held the bowl in her lap, her hand squeezing it so hard her knuckles turned white. In her other hand was the vial, the one that Darcy had eyed skeptically when they got into the truck. It was the topic of what she and Jane were discussing in the two front seats. She was in the back, not really listening to them.
In under an hour, the RV pulled up to some desolate patch of desert, light brown and dusty. There were signs that said 'no trespassing. Government property' but they walked right by them, Jane saying that technically they worked for the government.
Sigyn had seen plenty of Bifrost sites in her lifetime, and this one was no different than the others. The intricate knot work was burned into the ground, with only minimal damage from wind and elements. Magic radiated from the circle like heat off a fire.
"So what was your plan again?" Darcy asked.
"Use the Bifrost site as an amplifier. We'll see more of the surrounding stars if we have a bigger canvas...I hope."
She stepped into the middle of the circle, Darcy and Jane following behind her. Darcy handed her a bottle of water, and she filled the bowl, and then dropped a few drops of blood in, and almost instantly it began swirling. "You two ready?"
Darcy and Jane had their cameras ready and she told them to think of Thor, same as usual. As for her, she had the task of imagining all of Asgard. The golden palace, the surrounding lands, the oceans, the mountains, the night sky.
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. Doing this level of magic around a Bifrost site had to be a beacon, even if she herself couldn't be seen. She had a limited time to work, a limited number of times she could do something like this before too much attention was drawn to her.
The magic swirled around them like a vortex. She hummed the old spell and the air smelled of pine again. The world around her was spinning, and she feared what she might see if she opened her eyes. Darcy's and Jane's voices were distant, and they moved around her like moons in orbit. When she finally opened her eyes her breath caught in her throat. It was as though as semi-transparent curtain the color of dark blue-violet ink had been drawn around them. Stars were bright points arranged in constellations.
Her hands were shaking. Her stomach felt as though it was being flipped over and over. She was dizzy and tired. And mostly she just prayed that Darcy and Jane would hurry up and take their pictures so she could stop this. A third voice called to her in the distance. It flashed between sad pleading and pained anger. Sigyn. Sigyn please. Stop this.And she wanted to. She wanted to end the spell and collapse in the dirt. But Jane and Darcy were still orbiting around her.
SIGYN!
Loki.
His voice was clear and loud inside her head and all around her, so loud that she feared the others would hear him. It was enough to break her concentration. The sky surrounding them fell, the air cleared, and they were back in the desert. The only sound was her breathing, heavy and shaking.
"What happ-" Jane started to ask when Sigyn's knees gave out from under her. Water splashed out of the bowl as it clattered to the ground. They were by her side almost instantly. "Are you alright?"
"Please tell me you have everything you need," she rasped. She was on the edge of tears and so help them if this had all been in vain.
"Yeah, yeah, we got some really great pictures."
"Good. Because I will not be doing that again."
The drive back was tortuous, and Sigyn sat in total silence. Jane and Darcy tried to talk to her, even driving through some place for tacos, thinking food would help her. But the smell of ground beef and spices and cheese made her stomach turn. Darcy crawled into the back with her, tried to get her to talk, to eat, to do anything. But her words sounded like she was underwater. All Sigyn could think about was Loki's voice, and whether she had made things better or worse.
"We pushed her too hard tonight," Darcy said. Sigyn had fallen asleep in the RV and they decided to leave her there rather than wake her.
"I know." Jane wasn't looking at her; she was looking at the pictures she took.
"I'm serious. I want Thor back just as badly as you do, but we can't keep asking her to do this."
"We won't need her to. Look at these." Jane was scrolling through the pictures on her camera. "We have a completely new star alignment here. I'll compare them to the stars from when Thor-"
"Jane!" She loved Jane like the older sister she never had, but her priorities. "She's not in a good place right now and we're the ones who put her there. We don't know how much energy or whatever she sacrificed to work that spell tonight."
Jane put her camera down and nodded. "You're right. We should check on her."
They were about to walk out to the RV when Darcy had an idea. She'd seen her curled up with Loki's cloak on mornings she woke before Sigyn did. If it was a comfort to her, maybe she'd want it now. She grabbed the cloak from Sigyn's sleeping area and brought it out with them.
Sigyn hadn't moved from where they'd left her, still curled up in her corner or the RV. Darcy draped the cloak over her like a blanket.
"Think she'll be alright?" Jane asked, and Darcy honestly had no idea.
When they were children, a travelling festival had come to the town that surrounded the palace. Their father had forbidden them from going, but that hadn't stopped them from sneaking out disguised as servants. It had been one of Loki's first disguises, and not a very good one at that, but for children it would suffice.
The town had been more alive than usual. Dancers and musicians performed in the streets for coins. Venders sold inexpensive jewelry and flowers and other crafts. But most importantly there had been games. Some were games of skill and power, others were games of chance. Loki had liked those best. He and Thor had gotten separated and he found himself standing by a woman who shuffled cups with a marble hidden underneath one of them. Loki spent what seemed like hours watching her, watching the cups, until he was certain he knew how to beat her at her own game. Which he did at least twice before Thor found him again, along with several palace guards. Their father had been furious, but those couple hours had been invaluable to Loki learning how to perform tricks. Later his magic.
And now, as his benefactor and that lackey of his put him through trials both emotional and physical to deem if he was ready to lead the Chitauri, he would have to use those skills again. He had to shuffle so many things around, make them follow one train of thought while he moved another out of sight, because he was not going to let them pick him apart entirely. So many cups and marbles to keep shuffling.
Sigyn was only one of the marbles. Reaching out to her had been risky. He shuddered to think what would have happened to her (or to him for that matter) if they had found out he had contacted her. But he would not let her make a target out of herself. Loki didn't know who he should be angrier with: her for putting herself at risk and or himself for risking everything he planned to protect her.
The 'trials' (he knew them for what they really were: torture) had nearby broken him. He'd nearly called for her, for Thor, for their father (no Thor's father, not his). No, the All Father would not come for him, nor would Thor (Why would they? They'd thrown him into the abyss after all. No use saving something you don't want). Nor would Sigyn (She must hate him too, and herself for bedding a Jotun).
But Loki had endured and survived that, as he had the pain of falling through that vortex, and had come out stronger for it. And more knowledgeable, for he had seen what the Tessaract was truly capable of. He would not let his 'benefactor' touch her. Sigyn was his and his alone.
The Other summoned him, and he obeyed, though in doing so his stomach churned. He was a kingand did not like being summoned like a common servant. But he would go along with it for now. He needed the scepter and the Chitauri so he would play the part they wanted.
Loki had seen his benefactor once, maybe twice. Everything else was done through the Other. Now counted as a third time. Not that he could see him well. He sat atop the flight of floating stairs, his face half shrouded in shadow, as always, that obscured his features. The Other was coming down those steps, a bladed scepter in his hands.
"You are ready, Asgardian. The Chitauri are yours."
His hands curled around the cool metal of the handle and grinned.
More Notes: The picture that's on Darcy's/Sigyn's iPod wiki/File:Loki_finds_Gullveigs_Heart_-_John_
I'm sorry this update took so long; this chapter was particularly difficult, especially getting into Loki's head. I'm thinking this story will probably go to the end of the Avengers...which means more chapters than planned :)
