A/N: I honestly have no excuse for why this chapter is coming in so very late. I only hope that I can finish the next one sooner. I really hope you guys like this chapter, and please don't forget to review. Bye!
When I awoke, the first thing that I noticed was that I was not in a cell. The second – I was still lying on the floor in front of the relics vault. The furious burning in my chest had subsided to a dull itch. That must mean that Sif and Volstagg are far away now, I thought with relief. Then it hit me. Sif and Volstagg left me.
They left me!
I sat up abruptly, my fury raging like wildfire through my veins. Those hypocritical bastards, threatening to kill me if I ever betrayed them, but they were the ones who abandoned me. The irony was almost comical. Almost.
I climbed slowly to my feet. Why had I not been spotted? I looked around and gaped at the destruction I had caused. The great doors of the relics vault were lying twisted and charred on the floor. Blackened, burnt stone surrounded me in a circle that stretched halfway down the hall. I could feel the residual energy from the wards around the doors floating through the air like dust.
I'd destroyed most of the hall. Why was I not in my cell right now? Surely the explosion had been heard, at least in the neighboring corridors. And if not, wouldn't some of the guards have noticed that their brethren had disappeared?
I suddenly became aware of how cold I was. It wasn't just on my flesh. My very core felt frigid, like an icy hand gripping my soul. I looked down at my hands and sucked in my breath. They were translucent and glowed an electric and piercing blue. I stumbled backwards. I expected to fall against one of the walls, but instead I fell through it. As I fell against the hard, stone floor, it hurt no more than if my back had landed on a soft mattress. I was breathing heavily, and felt the beginnings of panic creep into my throat. I just fell through a column. I just fell through a column.
Am I a ghost? Was this death? My heart thudded furiously in my chest, and I felt mad terror flaring in my head. I begged and pleaded to the Norns, when I a sudden realization hit me. My heart was beating. I was breathing. Of course I wasn't dead!
I looked down on my hands once more, and took careful notice of the shimmering blue energy outlining my flesh. Could the Tesseract have done this by itself? I vaguely remembered Thor telling me of how the Aether defended itself while it resided in his mortal paramour. I suppose it wasn't so hard to believe that the Infinity Gem would hide itself.
Despite my better judgment, I found myself grateful for the power hiding away in my chest. After a moment, I thought about what I was to do now. I couldn't stay here – that was certain enough. But then again, I had no way of reaching Sif and Volstagg, and I had no clue where they'd gone. Where, then, could I go? Midgard? No. Out of the question.
My mind briefly traveled to Odin, and I considered the idea of taking advantage of his current position. Nobody knew he was in the Odinsleep, and if I was able to fool Thor into thinking I was the Allfather…
Too risky. Besides, there were other matters I had to attend to. I could not possibly hunt down the other Infinity Gems while stuck here, impersonating Odin.
And when did you decide to hunt down the other Gems? a small voice asked me in the back of my head. I paused. Well, it was the most logical course of action. Whoever wanted these Gems was a force to be reckoned with. If they ever got their hands on such powerful objects, I doubt anything good would come of it.
I silently cursed Sif and Volstagg for abandoning me. So long as they had the Aether, they were in danger. If they had just brought me with them, they would've had a better chance of getting to their destination unscathed.
Why was I wasting time over those treacherous fools? Fretting over events I could not change would not help me now. Still, I was frustrated and angry. There was no way for me to reach Sif and Volstagg. I didn't have any plan, or anywhere to go. My only allies had deserted me to die. Just like Thor.
I wandered through the halls, and sometimes through the walls. My feet made no noise, and when I stood in front of a looking glass, I saw no reflection. I was a specter, a ghost. I might as well have been dead.
As I walked, I thought of the Tesseract. What else could it do? I read that the Space Gem could manipulate space and matter. That would explain my current condition. It was a very helpful power. The only thing that bothered me was how cold it felt. I'd felt coldness just like this when I was with…
My eyes widened. Of course. I was such a fool!
I quickened my pace, racing through the palace. I didn't even bother following the hallways. No object could impede me; I simply passed through them. Finally, I paused before my room.
How was I going to question Stian? Torture? With his mind and will so far away, could he even feel pain?
Yes, my mind responded, remembering the way he howled when I had stabbed him in the leg.
I sighed. I knew how to manipulate people. I knew how to scar them mentally, but Stian's wits were twisted and deformed. I knew I could not talk him into giving me information. I'd have to get messy. No matter. I knew torture. I knew every kind.
I rested my palm on the knob, spoke the words, and entered.
Stian was exactly where Sif and I had left him. The thin golden rope tied him to the plain wooden chair. He was slumped over, obscuring my view of his face. At the sound of the door closing, he lifted his head. Damn, I thought grimly.
His eyes were clear. His face had returned to its natural shade. Whatever had possessed him earlier was gone now. I suddenly felt unsure of myself. I could have dug my hands into that monster for ages without a second thought, if it was necessary. But Stian…
"Is someone there?" he said. My god, he sounded awful. I tried to steel my nerves. It's for the best. You have no choice. "Reveal yourself!" the injured soldier cried. I took a deep breath and willed the power of the Gem to subside. In a second, I was completely visible.
He did not look surprised. Stian's face only showed cold acceptance. "So it is true," he murmured. "I had half hoped that it was all some sort of terrible nightmare." He looked down at the rope that bound him to the seat. "I suppose I should have known when I woke up in restraints, but still…" He did not finish the sentence, nor did he look back up at me. A few silent moments passed before I decided to speak.
"Sorry to disappoint, friend. I know how much everyone was hoping for my death," I said icily.
Finally, the soldier looked me in the eye. His entire demeanor spoke of fatigue. When he spoke, his voice was soft and slow. "Did you kill Bjarni and Geirr?" he asked.
So it begins. I took a nearby chair and swung it around to face him. "I'm not here to answer your questions, Stian," I said as I sat down. "I'm here for information. And you're not really in the position to refuse, are you?"
A low chuckle rose from the soldier. "Are you going to torture me, Loki?" he asked.
"It wouldn't be my first time." The lie came easily. "In all honesty, I was hoping to avoid such measures. Our interests happen to be aligned."
Stian looked dubious. "Are they?" he asked.
I nodded. "Sif and Volstagg, your friends, have possession of the Aether, and they are taking it away from here, where it will be safer. But you know as well as I that they cannot hope to reach their destination alive without my protection."
The soldier snorted. "Is that what you want to do? Protect them?"
"Who else could they turn to, after you attacked them and hospitalized Fandral?" I asked with a smirk. Stian winced at that, and I knew I had struck a chord. I continued, "Think of me what you will, Stian, whether it be a traitor, a liar, or a fiend, but I am not a fool. I know the power of the Infinity Gems. I know that in the wrong hands, they could destroy every living thing in the Nine Realms, myself included."
I cocked my head to the side and looked at the soldier thoughtfully. "You must know that keeping two Infinity Gems in the same place is risky. I helped Sif and Volstagg obtain the Aether. Now I need to find them before they get themselves killed."
"How do you think I can help you? See for yourself – I'm no longer possessed. Whatever knowledge of the Gems that I had before, it's gone now," Stian said wearily.
"Do you think you can lie to me? Me? Really, Stian, I thought you were smarter than that." I sat back in my chair. "I assume that whoever we're dealing with was able to control you because it has possession of the Soul Gem. However, without the power of the Aether, the Soul Gem is weaker. It can only control one person at a time. Obviously, that person had better use for it elsewhere, or I would not be talking to you now.
"While under the influence of the Soul Gem, you would have had to be made aware of where the Gems were, or at least how to find them. That's how I know you can tell me where it is. The only way this person would have been able to steal that knowledge from your head is if he had the Mind Gem. And if he had both the Mind and the Soul Gem, I think we'd be in a very different situation right now," I said.
Stian slumped back down, and I took in how small and horrid he looked. His skin, though not ashen, was pale and beaded with sweat. Bags had formed under his bloodshot eyes, and his breath came out in ragged gasps. I remembered how terrible I had felt when I was finally free of the Other's hold, but I never knew what I had looked like. Not until I was washed, fed, and thrown in the Asgardian prison. By that time, most of the evidence of my ordeal had healed or worn away.
Stian pulled me from my thoughts when he said, "You claim that you helped Sif and Volstagg retrieve the Aether from our vaults. Tell me then, why did they leave you behind, if they are in such desperate need of your protection?"
I had nothing to say to that. Once again, I found the hot fingers of anger and betrayal writhing inside of me. How could they have abandoned me? First I'll save them. Then I'll kill them, I thought, though I knew it was a stupid notion. I needed them just as much as they needed me.
In response, I only stared at the soldier coldly. "I believe I already told you, Stian, I'm not here to answer your questions. Tell me where to find Sif and Volstagg, or you will see how much of a monster I can be," I said. "After that, you can tell me where to find the other Infinity Gems."
"I don't know where the other ones are!" he snapped. "I know where the Tesseract is, and I know where the Aether is. That's it, I swear."
"In that case, this should be easy for you. Just tell me where Sif and Volstagg are heading, and I'll be on my way," I said. Stian hesitated, looking pained. "Oh, please don't make this harder than it needs to be. I was truly hoping I wouldn't have to resort to violence," I added.
Stian paused to think for a moment before saying, "I'll tell you if you let me go."
I raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Excuse me?"
"If you untie me, and allow me to come with you, I'll tell you where they are," he repeated.
I scoffed. "Why would I take you with me? Look at yourself! You're half-dead, and if our enemy was able control you once, they could do it again. You'd be a danger to have around, and you'd only slow me down," I said.
"That's just something you're going to have to deal with if you want me to tell you," Stian said stiffly. I stood up from my seat and walked over to my nightstand as he continued, "That's the only way you'll get my help willingly – if you let me go."
"There's no way I'm stupid enough to do that," I said softly.
"You'll just have to torture me, then," he replied hotly.
The statement was probably meant to discourage me, to convince me to untie him. Instead, my eyes dropped down to the dagger that was still sitting on the nightstand. I picked it up and fingered the blade thoughtfully. "Well, then," I murmured. "Torture it is."
Stian wasn't a screamer. I was grateful for that. Though the enchantments around my room prevented most of the sound from getting out, I still didn't like the noise. It brought back bad memories.
Though I had never tortured someone before, I did remember a lot from my own experiences. It didn't take long for Stian to give me the information I wanted. Once I was done, I had to change out of my clothes again. They'd gotten rather messy.
Soon, I was dressed in my green and black armor, and I had finished tucking various blades and weapons into my sleeves and pockets. As I was preparing to leave the room, I heard a groan from behind me. I looked back at Stian curiously. I had thought he had lost consciousness. I suppose he hadn't.
He couldn't talk, only moan and blubber. I wrestled with the idea of simply leaving him here, but eventually decided on being merciful. I pulled out a slim, silver blade, walked over, and slit his throat. The moans turned into gasps and gurgles, but in a few seconds, he was silent.
I threw over an invisibility charm and exited the room. Though no one could see me, I carefully kept all emotion from reaching my face. I couldn't afford to think on my actions then. I only did what was necessary, and I had no time to waste.
Sif and Volstagg were in danger.
I was about to pay the Collector a visit.
