Chapter 13
Loki ran a hand threw his own hair. Devian was right. "So some second resurrected part of me is going around copying the powers inside these relics in hopes to release Ragnor?" Cephera confirmed. "What happens when they find the last items? We don't even know how many they've found so far."
"My guess is that once this other you claims all the items powers she will become Ragnor or rather the power will most likely be too much to handle and it will consume her and then begin its journey devouring everything in its path." Loki growled in frustration.
"I'm beginning to think mother wasn't sent back to stop Ragnor specifically, but to stop herself. The dark magic used on the shoreline happened before our mother came back. Maybe the angel's hands were forced to send her because part of her was already here." Diana was stood her hand under her chin.
"Look, sitting around here with theories is all well and good, but it really doesn't matter why she was brought back we just need to know how to stop this thing," Natasha said breaking up the family conversation.
"That's the problem. We don't know how to stop it nor do we know the location of all the items and even if we did know we have no way to tell if they've been there or not. The best we can do is track down this group of extremists before they complete their goal." Loki informed them.
"Remind me again why we're not arresting him?" Tony asked.
Steve rolled his eyes at Tony. It seemed the past years had made Loki less a priority to the others than it had to the iron man. It might have something to do with the fact Loki had thrown him out a window with the intention of making him sidewalk art. "Do you have any information about this organization?" Steve asked them.
"I've been researching the faction throughout the centuries. They've existed a long time. They were actually created by the descendants from the original sorcerers who created Ragnor. Determined to cleanse this imperfect universe and make room for a new one to form. They are willing to die for the cause."
"Like a suicide bomber." Tony added and Devian nodded.
"These guys have been building their followers for centuries. We don't know how many followers they have, but we think it's a huge number. It's a long shot, and it's just something I'm assuming, but they believe this Ragnor is a spiritual being and that he is meant to be left to his destruction; if I'm correct they'll want to view his power. I'm willing to bet my life that they have an item she hasn't touched yet and will leave it until last so that they can gather together when she does consume its power." Loki could tell Devian had been thinking deeply about this and as always Loki was not disappointed in his son's keen mind.
"So what are you suggesting?" Clint Barton was looking interested in Devian's theory.
"I think it's a waste of time searching for the items, especially seeing as we won't have a way to tell if they have already been to it. I say we find the source. Find the cult's hideaway and we find our mothers other half." Loki could see the truth behind his sons words.
"Where do we begin?" Steve asked.
"Asgard." Loki told them. It unlikely even SHIELDS database will have the information required to find these people. You barely knew we existed until I came calling. Asgards archives are extensive and date back a long way. I'm sure if we all join in the search we can pinpoint a common location faster."
"Wonderful, a trip to the realm of the gods, who aren't really gods, with a man who failed to kill us all." Tony's sarcasm was clear across everyone.
"You're awfully judgemental." Karr pipped up. "My father is trying to help all the worlds, you need to learn to forgive and forget, for the sake of everyone's lives we should work together." There was silence as everyone looked down at Loki's youngest son. Loki couldn't help but be reminded how much Karr was like his mother without even meaning to be.
"Are you sure he's your father?" Tony asked pretending to say it so only Karr could hear. Thankfully Natasha swatted Tony in the back of his head before Loki could do something similar if not worse.
"When do we leave?" Bruce inquired looking slightly nervous.
"We just got here." Karr frowned and looked to his father.
"We'll have lots of time to come back when the world isn't in danger." Loki told him. His sons frown didn't go away, but he nodded. "I suggest we get this settled sooner as time isn't exactly on our side." Loki told them all. He really wasn't fond of taking everyone to Asgard, but the more help they had the quicker they could stop this catastrophe.
(Cephera)
The bickering in the archives had given her such a headache, Cephera left to go to the library instead. They had broken up in groups and putting Stark with Loki was not the best idea. Tony Stark seemed determined to poke at Loki until he broke and for Tony that would be bad. However, Cephera wasn't a babysitter and instead of attempting to break up the constant jests and snide remarks she walked away.
Thor was with them and would most likely stop Loki from killing the inventor. She joined Frigga, Diana, Shiva, Volstagg and Sif in the library. Everyone was brought in for this. Several large maps of each realm was stretched across the floor much like in the archive and every piece of evidence found they would mark. The plan was to find the highest count for places in common. Even a realm would be a good start. Karr was at his mothers side where he refused to leave and insisted he could be helpful.
"How is everything going in here?" Cephera asked them entering the room.
"Going well Princess," Volstagg said in his ever-polite manner. His cherry cheeks beaming in a smile behind his long beard and mustache. "The queen has been a great help. She knows this library better than most."
Frigga smiled and pointed to the floor. Cephera looked down and examined the maps. Her eyes flitting over them all and she tried her best to remember the ones marked in the archives. "It's can't be," She said. Moving around the maps to view them at different angles.
"What?" Sif stopped her research to look up.
"Add your marks to the ones we got in the archives and all maps have hundreds of marks. How would we possible figure anything out that way?" She felt her heart sink.
"Nefflehiem is full of markers." Diana insisted pointing.
"Yes and in our room it's near empty." Everyone looked between one another.
"Do you think it's a trap?" Volstagg inquired.
"We are talking about centuries of movement. There is no way this is a set up." Diana was shaking her head.
"Except most of these people probably live for centuries, there is a small chance they'd been trying to misguide us." Sif closed her book. "We've been using different colors for the decades just in case time became a factor. Maybe we should concentrate on the newest timeframes." She suggested. Cephera knelt down to review the colors. They did seem more consistent.
"I've been pondering what Devian explained to me upon your return." Frigga pipped up. "If his theory is correct I've been trying to think as one of these followers. Which place would hold enough significance to hail this being back into the world?" Everyone was shaking heads to signify no ideas. "The place where Ragnor was first created." Frigga then said.
Cephera thought about it and it did seem the more logical line of thinking. "Wasn't that consumed when he began his movement the first time?" She asked.
Frigga moved to the other side of the room and grabbed a different map still rolled up. "It was, but there are still small masses of land around its original location. If I were to choose a spot I would choose one of those closest to the origin." She pointed along the outside of the world tree up along the left side. "He was created outside the nine realms, but the maps are most littered with markers to the left of our world tree. I've never been outside the nine realms using any method but the Byfrost, but we have ships that can cross the void if need be."
"Didn't some of your people go over to help seal him away?" Sif asked.
"Yes, but that area of the cosmos was destroyed and lies barren of life. I don't know of anyone who has ventured there since." Frigga was nodding the more she spoke.
"I think it times to take a chance." Diana clenched one fist in a determined manner.
"I'm confused." Karr remarked toeing the map with a perplexed look on his face. Cephera ruffled his hair.
"I'll fetch Thor and the others." Sif offered and took to a run. The library held a lot less books than the old archives and so the majority of their group were still in the old vaults.
While they waited they continued to talk out their newest theory. While they did so Cephera felt her chest burn and stopped to sit back in a chair. Her breathing felt laboured and she began to cough. Her hands turned a strange ashen color while a buzzing began in her ears. She could hear people around her trying to ask her things, but the buzzing drowned them out.
She coughed violently until blood spattered her lap and hands. The panic around her was evident and she wasn't sure when Loki arrived. He was knelt in front of her chair his hands up holding her face as her head lulled forward. She could see her name spoken on his lips and the fear on his face. The same look was across everyone's face and even she wondered if they had been too late? The sudden realization hit her that perhaps when her copy became Ragnor maybe she would too! Already she had showed a connection to her and fear seized her. She coughed more blood, but after what seemed like hours the buzzing stopped and the urge to cough left her.
Everything settled around her and her hands turned back to normal. Cephera fell forward feeling completely drained unable to even keep herself sat up. Loki had a firm hold on her as he moved her to lie across his lap. She was shaking uncontrollably. "What happened?" He asked her. He clearly knew it was an effect of the other Cephera.
"I don't know. I didn't hear anything but buzzing. I felt sick and almost overwhelmed." She was shaking her head and moving her hand. She had no answers to what had happened.
"Mother." Karr's voice sounded so small. Cephera turned her head and saw his tear stained face. Even in her weakened state she reached for him and he practically dove into her arms. She tried her best to not touch him with her blood stained hands while she spoke soothing words to calm him.
"Don't go, please don't die." He sobbed burying his face across her shoulder. Cephera felt her own face draw wet as she too began to cry. She looked up to Loki who kissed her forehead and then rested his chin to the top of her head. There had to be some way for this to end happily. Cephera hoped with all her heart that she was wrong and when Ragnor was stopped she would get to remain alive and well.
Cephera refused to be carted off to a bedroom. Instead, she stuck around holding Karr in her arms with her twins at her side and Loki sat still holding her and listened to Frigga explain what they had been thinking. So much had happened and it had only been a week since her resurrection. Time was definitely not on their side. With every passing moment they spent thinking; the enemy was moving and they needed to catch up, or get ahead of the game.
A/N: Hey everyone I was hoping you guys could help me out! If you guys see any consistent mistakes in grammar or spelling please let me know. I'm compiling a list to help me avoid them in future. Working on an Ipad; autocorrect is my worst enemy and some of those errors slip through on a regular basis. So please if you see something I always screw up let me know. :)
Thank You's
- Guest: I'm glad the plot has your interest. I'm sorry you're disappointed about Diana, though I would consider keeping everyone straight to be more cliche than adding the diversity of having people who are different. If your disappointment lies within the age old stereotyping of Diana being a big lover of things guys usually do; like fighting, then don't forget she also likes to dress up for parties and get her hair done by her mother which are stereotypically girlie things to enjoy. :D Hopefully your disappointment doesn't take away from the overall fic. :D
- Vulcaniumx: I like twisting things up!
- Short Haired Me: the whole team is always fun to work with.
- Doctor Loki Love: the angels could be cruel, but alas the other Cephera was created first. And my heart swells as well thinking of them all a big happy family.
- Benfan1: keep the curiosity running. :P
- Loki's Dreamer: she is very creepy! That's what happens with necromancy and messing with the dead through magic.