The Enemy of My Enemy
- Chapter Fourteen -
The Marauder stepped towards Jane, its armored bulk filling the small clearing as much as the stink of burnt flesh that accompanied it. There was a keen intelligence behind the sharp, bright eyes that assessed her, and the very idea that its every action was entirely premeditated, frightened her more than anything else. Feigning bravado, she straightened herself and drew in a ragged breath, but the shrill warble of a scream build up despite her staunchest efforts to defy it. If Thor could hear her and reach her in time…
But the cry stuck in her throat as the creature's eyes shifted to sweep its surroundings, and it struck her suddenly that it too was searching for a way out - had probably been following them all along.
Attention returning to her, the Marauder stepped forward. Jane tried to will herself to run, but her feet remained frozen. Her mind and body battling to believe what stood before her. To understand that it had been real all along, and not one of Loki's cruel tricks...
One more slow heavy step brought the creature close enough so that she could see in minute detail the way in which it's charred flesh had fused into some kind of hardened shell. The scream escaped her then - but only enough to gurgle over her tongue as the beast curled its calloused fingers around her throat. Squeezing so hard that she felt as if her head was going to become separated from her body and crushed.
And then it made no difference that her feet had now found a way to move - to lash out at her attacker. The hand that lifted her off the ground was unyielding. A hangman's noose.
"Monster!"
A green blast lit the clearing and suddenly Jane was released. Her legs useless once more as she crumpled to the ground in an inelegant heap. Great gulps of air searing her throat as her lungs sought to breathe.
The arcane blow sent the creature crashing into a cluster of rocks, but it recovered itself instantly; turning to face its attacker with a roar.
Loki.
Jane had forgotten Loki. When the creature had thrown him to one side, her scream had been for Thor - for the hope that he would come to her aide. But it was Loki who now circled the creature so he stood between she and it.
"Move, Jane." There was a note of apprehension in Loki's instruction, and he kept his eyes fastened on the massive Marauder whose bulk overwhelmed his own lean stature.
Feet skidding beneath her, Jane managed a half-crawl across the ground, away from them both, and wished for not the first time to be out of the ridiculous court attire the Queen had gifted her, and back in her jeans and sneakers.
"You should thank me."
The lilt of Loki's voice had become butter-smooth and serpentine. Jane frowned, a cold prickle of foreboding running down her spine.
Stepping towards Loki now, the creature drew a massive sword from its scabbard. It swung the weapon in a sweeping arc before directing it at Loki's chest. The threat unmistakable as its tip pierced the leather of his coat.
The trickster still held the Marauder in his gaze, and there was a hard glint in his eye - for all that his mouth had relaxed into an easy smile. "Were it not for my direction, you would have been impaled upon an Asgardian sword well before now."
"What!" Outrage burnt Jane's cheeks as she pushed herself to her feet; fear and sense of self-preservation momentarily displaced. "You helped that thing!"
The Marauder grunted. It's head rocking from Asgardian to mortal in silent observation.
"Perhaps I can assist you further?" Loki held a placating hand towards Jane as she made to protest again. "You seek the dark path. Yes?"
The question provoked another grunt, and the Marauder fastened its attention on Loki; sword still poised to impale. It uttered something, its tone low and gutteral so that Jane was hard-pressed to recognise a single sound. "Upsihi harudheen, Svartalfheim."
Surprise lit Loki's face, though he was quick to smother it. "Lengeril mavvavil läinilevii mouhela."
The creature canted its head to one side, sword arm unwavering.
"Lengeril mavvavil läinilevii mouhela." Loki repeated. "Vään domonavil djossasle."
"Mälekithäs heedrä." The creature rumbled in return. "Nöönä äth ruthihi veleme."
Loki continued speaking to the Marauder in soft, quick undertones, glancing to Jane often enough for her to build suspicion as to the topic of conversation. Had they been working together all along? Was Loki planning to trade her in return for his own life? She wouldn't put it past him…
And then something was passing him. An object blurring so fast, her brain had barely registered the movement before it was colliding into the Marauder; lifting the creature off its feet and propelling it not just into the rocks, but through them. And then further still, so that it disappeared into the haze with less effort than it would take to throw a stone.
"Thor! You imbecile!"
Loki's words were lost on his brother as the Thunderer roared past; hand reaching to grasp Mjolnir as it arced back towards him, face contorted with rage as he spun it again in pursuit of the creature.
"That creature is no Marauder, and it knows of Malekith's plans for Frigga! A few minutes more and it might have told me - "
"He's been lying to us, Thor!" Jane pushed forward, ignoring Loki's indignant splutter. "He let that thing out of its cell!"
Catching Mjolnir once more with barely a glance in its direction, Thor turned to lock eyes on his brother. "Is this true, Loki?"
"Not entirely -" The trickster's tongue flicked over his lips as he stepped slowly back from the dark scowl that thundered across Thor's face. "He escaped the cell of his own accord - I played no hand in that. I merely advised him to take the stairs to the left."
"So, you sent it straight to the Core of our defense system?" Thor's blue eyes widened in disbelief. "You let the Elven force in!"
Loki's sharp gaze flicked from Thor's hand - tightening on Mjolnir's handle, to his face - furrowed with the fury of a gathering storm. He threw his palms before him but held his ground.
"You're right. Were it not for me, the elves would never have penetrated the palace." The words flew quick as darts from Loki's lips as he sought to drive home the reason for his actions. "Instead, the beast's route would have led it directly to Frigga. It would have crushed Jane in its path and taken Frigga directly to Malekith."
"So Frigga would be abducted anyway," thunder rumbled through Thor's words, "but not at the loss of a thousand Asgardian warriors!"
"And if I could turn back time, would you wish me to do it any different?" The pitch of Loki's voice rose with zeal as he swept a slender hand towards Jane. "Would you wish to sacrifice your beloved mortal in their place!"
The question cut through Thor's fury. Stilling it in its tracks. "That is not a call I would ever wish to make."
"Well, fortunately, you won't need to." A flippant smile tugged at Loki's lips, his veneer switching back to a semblance of cool detachment as quickly as it had risen to alacrity. "I cannot shift time."
Thor folded his arms across his chest, perplexion furrowing his brow as he chewed upon his brother's logic. Loki was ever-talented at twisting even the most foolhardy decision into one that made sense.
"I wish I could trust you." Thor's voice broke on the words, but he lifted a hand as his brother's eyes lit with optimism; forcing himself to continue before Loki could render a new deceit from his tongue. "But you should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with the glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere."
The Thunderer paused, considering his next words. This journey should have mended the bond they had once shared. Instead, it only served to illuminate how much of a stranger his brother had become. "That hope no longer exists to protect you."
The threat behind Thor's words hung unspoken in the space between them. Loki pulled himself taller, eyes narrowing as he nodded. "Fair enough."
"Fantastic," Jane muttered. "So, are we done here? Can we find a way out now, before that thing returns?"
"That… thing?" Loki asked lightly, arching an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean, the creature you previously accused me of conjuring out of thin air?"
Jane swallowed, shame burning her cheeks as she cast her eyes to the ground. An apology, she realised, was probably in order. And perhaps a thank you - given that he saved her from the Marauder, twice over. But the words stuck on the roof of her mouth, and she couldn't force them past her teeth no matter how she worked her tongue. Besides, she reminded herself, this was Loki. And she owed Loki nothing.
"Yeah." She shrugged. "That's the one."
Ignoring the tight set of his jaw, Jane turned away, sweeping her eyes across their shadowed surroundings. At close range, she could see nothing but the tree roots that lay exposed like twisted skeletons. But of the darkness beyond… Anything could lurk. Fixing her gaze on Thor, she forced that train of thought from her mind. "Well, I'm ready to move on from here. How about you?"
"Indeed." Thor nodded. "It is no longer safe to linger here, given that we're not alone."
"You're a fool if you thought we were ever safe here." Loki snorted. "Have you forgotten what else lives within the roots of Yggdrasil, brother? The Kursed is the least of our worries."
"What?" Jane's voice rose above any answer Thor had been about to make. "You think to tell us now that we're not safe here? After we've been wandering this place for hours! Is this… Is this some kind of joke?"
"I am not joking, Jane," Loki replied quietly. "And I said nothing of it, because I thought it was no more than the stories one tells a child to scare them into sleeping."
"Scare them into sleeping?" She repeated, gobsmacked. "Who does that?"
Loki shrugged. "Is it not the most effective way in which to -"
"You speak of the Old Ones?" Thor interrupted. "Of Níðhöggr? The great dragon?" He laughed then, disbelief lighting his eyes as he watched Loki's solemn expression darken. "What trick is this now, brother?"
"It is no trick." Loki stepped closer, lowering his voice as he closed the gap between his reluctant companions. "When I left you, I went in search of water - some kind of means by which I could contact Frigga."
"You can do that?" Jane cut in, her voice pitching in surprise.
"Of course," Loki flicked her an impatient scowl before continuing. "I remembered something from my wanderings here as a child. A well."
"Where the Norns are said to live?" Thor scoffed. "Where human lore says we hold court at the end of every day? Loki, these are stories..."
"Some, yes. But not all, Thor. Not entirely." Loki combed a hand through his hair; shaking out the raven locks as if the small distraction from his thoughts would make the explanation any easier to bear. "I found the well -"
"And what of the Norns? Did you find them?" Thor grinned, incredulity thick in his voice. "Did they come out to greet you, and gift you with their wisdom?"
"You're just being an idiot now." Loki sighed, exasperated. "Could you practice shutting up for once, so that I might speak? Or would you rather we stay here and wait -"
"I'm sorry, Liarsmith." Thor ignored the icy stare his brother delivered him for the use of such a hated moniker. "Please, continue."
"There are three wells," Loki began stonily, " each can be found near the base of Yggdrasil's three great roots. Nearby the portal through which we entered this place, was Urdabrunnr."
"Now that is where the three Norns live, yes?" Thor's tone was dead serious, though the corners of his lips twitched with a stifled smile.
"So the sayings go." Loki paused, waiting for his brother to interrupt with another fool remark. But Thor held his tongue, and after a quick glance to Jane - who was staring at Asgard's Finest in frank disbelief - he continued. "The second, Mirmir's well, can be found near the next great root. The one that extends into Jotunheim."
"Ah! How convenient Loki!" Thor couldn't help himself. "Shall we take that path, so that you can see the remnants of your inher-"
"Okay, that's enough!"
Stepping between the two brothers, Jane drew herself taller as she eyeballed them both in turn. "This - whatever this rivalry is - has to be put aside! You both have to work together to bring Frigga home, and I am tired of listening to you antagonize each other!"
"I have done nothing wrong." Loki countered smoothly. "It is Thor who -"
"No!" Jane jabbed a finger in his direction. "You don't get to speak!"
Loki rocked back on his heel, mouth gaping, incredulous, before his eyes narrowed and a sharp smile twisted at his lips. The retort was there, all ready to be delivered. In crushing detail.
Jane braced herself, a hot flush spreading over her skin as she prepared to wage a verbal battle against chaos incarnate. Then, with a deep breath, she aimed her words at the both of them. "If you can't get through this mission without tearing each other apart, you may as well sit it out right now and let Malekith win."
"And what would you know of -"
"Jane's right." Thor's voice cracked upon the words, causing Loki to pause.
The dark prince ran his tongue across his lips, head tilted to one side - his curiosity piqued. "Oh yes?"
Thor hesitated. The anger still simmered there; showing itself in the set of his jaw. But his gaze skipped to Jane, grounding him, and he rolled his shoulders as if to shake the tension from his bones.
"Mother would not want us to fight." He spoke softly, finally, as if the words were a revered boon to be honoured in event of her passing. And although that was not the case, the influence of Frigga's wishes touched them still. Serving as a reminder of what brought them together.
"Hmm…" Loki's eyes gleamed in the half-light as the retort he'd prepared for Jane reshaped itself into a new barb. Jane watched, breath held deep, wondering if he'd stoop to his usual lows even now.
Against all odds, he held his tongue; his expression settling on something almost wistful - if one could believe any emotion Loki projected to be sincere.
"Well, she wouldn't exactly be surprised." The words escaped with a soft sigh as the dark prince offered his brother a tentative smile.
For a moment a memory of the strange, gentle-eyed Loki who had swept his fingers through her hair, struck Jane's mind. Quickly she pushed it aside, glancing to Thor to read his reaction to Loki's words - before he had the opportunity to school his expression.
The Thunderer looked wretched. She wondered if he was besieged by his own memories. Perhaps of a Loki who had not yet learned to hate. To plot. To betray. She watched a muscle in his face work to release his jaw, as if he were fighting to hold something in - or let it out. A chasm had opened between them, one she could almost see as much as sense. One so vast, even Thor struggled to bridge it.
"Well, we must move on." Loki said curtly, "time may all but stand still in Yggdrasil, but that doesn't mean we should waste it."
Jane felt a pang of regret as Loki turned on his heel and began picking a path through the tangle of roots and rock. Why couldn't these two idiots see, it wasn't time they were wasting, but the opportunity make some kind of amends! But by the way in which Thor hung back, it seemed clemency wouldn't happen anytime soon. If ever.
So she stepped in behind the trickster, finding a strange comfort in the familiar sight of his coat tails flapping behind him as he walked. Stranger still; comfort in knowing that with Loki ahead of her, and Thor behind, she was protected. By both of them.
Chapter 14, Part 2.
They walked in silence until Loki's path led to a sprawl of boulders. Their great outlines out of place with the scattered rocks and exposed roots that otherwise made up the contours of the land.
Picking up his pace, Loki threaded between the huge formations until he reached two tall pillars of rock. Opaline and tower-like, and clearly intended as markers.
"Subtle." Jane commented dryly. "Like a tourist gimmick at an amusement park."
"Have some respect." Loki chastised. "This is not a place where visitors tread."
"And certainly not for amusement," Thor added, stepping between the pillars to explore what lay beyond.
"Take care, Odinson." Loki cautioned. "We enter the territory of Níðhöggr..."
"Ah yes, the fabled dragon." Thor hefted Mjolnir in his hand, a lofty grin upon his face. "I look forward to the conquest!"
"See?" Loki leaned in towards Jane. "Woman and warfare. It's all the numbskull cares for."
"Shut up!" She hissed, forcing him back with a quick elbow to the ribs. Though the look she threw Thor was equally black. "So what happens now? Is there supposed to be some kind of swirling vortex for us to jump through? Because I'm really looking forward to all that nausea and vomiting again."
"If a maelstrom of water counts as a vortex, then yes." Ignoring Jane's disgruntled groan, Loki stepped past her, measuring his steps beyond the pillars until the shadows swallowed him.
Twenty paces past the pillars, a wide fissure marred the face of a rocky outcrop. With little more than a hunch to go by, he slipped sideways through the gap, sidling and maneuvering his body until the roar of turbulent water somewhere far below began echoing off the fractured rock. Finally the narrow opening widened into a tunnel, and satisfied that his instinct had been correct, Loki made his way back to the entrance. This was their way out. He was sure. And while the sharp angles and narrow shaft would be a challenge for Thor… Well, the big oaf did enjoy a challenge, he thought with a smirk.
As the encompassing darkness gave way to feeble light, a grinning face obstructed the fissure entrance. "If you expect me to pass through that crack in the rock, then you won't mind if I put Mjolnir to good use and widen it!"
Groaning at Thor's freshly rekindled zest for adventure, Loki batted away the hand that offered to pull him through and stepped out, brushing down his coat as he focused on not focusing at all on his brother.
"I somehow feel you're the one whom Odin should have been keeping from these pathways, not I." He said dryly, unable to evade polite and pointless small talk any longer. "At least I would have given the nursemaid less to fret over."
"Please." Laughed Thor. "As if you ever spared a thought for the nursemaid's concerns."
"This is true." Loki conceded. He glanced over his shoulder, sweeping his gaze across the shadowed landscape. "If you'd like to make yourself useful, Thor, I suggest you discover the means to make a firebrand. This leg of our journey will be pitch black and precarious. For all we know, one misplaced step could lead to a straight drop into a terrible death - for one of us, at least."
Thor followed Loki's pointed gaze, to where Jane stood examining one of the rock formations.
"You offer wise counsel, brother." Thor bit his tongue on anything else he may have added. They both knew well enough it had been Loki's rash action that had forced Jane into this situation.
As Thor strode away, Loki drifted to Jane's side. "Does the pillar speak to you?"
"Should it?" Jane turned in surprise, her fingertips halting their trace upon the rock.
"Not that I'm aware." Loki shrugged, a smile played at the corners of his lips.
"I think it's stalagmite. It's formed from the build-up of minerals found in underground caves." She paused, lifting her eyes to meet Loki's gaze. "Are we in an underground cave?"
"No idea." He offered helpfully, laughing at the brow she raised in return. "Alright then. It's possible this place is something of a giant cavern. An air pocket in some great cosmic..." And there he floundered.
"It makes no sense, does it?" Jane bit her lip, clearly tormented by the scientific anomaly that was Yggdrasil.
Loki held his tongue, sensing by the curl of her fists that she had something more to say. And he wasn't wrong.
"I feel like we really shouldn't be here. Like, this place is messing with us or something…" Her words trailed away, a light blush touching her cheeks as she ducked her head and sighed.
Somewhat perturbed and only half-mocking, Loki folded his hands across his chest. "Are you alright?"
"No, I'm not." Jane admitted bluntly. "I'm trapped in a story with elves and dragons and," Her eyes raked him skeptically and he bristled, waiting for the M-word to pass her lips. "Sorcerers." She said at last, surprising him with the honour. "It's crazy but, Tolkien must've actually been onto something."
"Is this your professional verdict?" Loki kept his tone light. Playfully patronizing, one might say. "Because I hope when it comes to writing your thesis, you'll have something better to offer than that."
"I don't know." She threw her hands into the air before sinking her head into them; the words escaping as a muffled groan through her fingers. "Dark paths… Pocket dimensions… It's every fringe scientist's dream! I just… I expected to be able to explain it before discovering it all really existed!"
"Yggdrasil is more than just the world tree of human myth. It serves as a liminal space." He said at last. "A threshold between worlds."
"A liminal space." She repeated, raising her head from her palms.
"Yes. It's quite disconcerting to be in one for more than a short while." Leaning in, Loki added a whisper, "Even for me."
"I know right?" Jane's face lit with a sudden wry smile. "I mean, I'm almost finding your company tolerable - can't get more disconcerting than that!"
"Why?" Loki said quietly, "it's the truth, isn't it?"
Sucking in a breath, Jane froze. No doubt expected some kind of eloquently-worded insult. A withering stare in the least. Wasn't that the game they usually played? Arrogant, sharp-tongued Loki she was used to. Had even come to expect. But this soft-spoken, obliging Loki? Borderline flirtatious? Evidently she didn't quite know what to make of him...
"I think I'm going to see if I can help Thor with something." She stammered finally, a slow step back widening the gap that had suddenly grown so narrow between them.
Wordlessly, Loki stretched out a hand, indicating the direction Thor had taken with polite dismissal. Sneered accordingly as she scurried past. But the hollow space that was left by her sudden departure left him feeling empty. And he slammed a curled fist into the stalagmite. Disturbed that he should even care.
Liminal spaces indeed.
TBC...
Lengthy Footnote: I want the liminal space that is Yggdrasil to be disconcerting. I want them to feel out of sorts enough to react and saying things that are out of kilter to what we expect from them. But, truth be told, there's this great big cement block that smashes down on my brain every time I try to work on this story (or any story, actually) and I've realised that I am floundering at every effort to try and chip away at it. So rather than spend another six months flailing over it, I just need to post this bitch. (Or I NEVER will.) And then I have to hope the dear people still reading this (i say with unwarranted optimism) will be kind and understand that I am trying - trying - to bludgeon my way through it!
Well, if I've achieved nothing else in this chapter, at least I've managed to give some resolution to Jane's Marauder problem! Finally. (Loki wasn't tricking her! Hands up who ever doubted him?!)