Chapter 14: Engage

•£• Loki •£•

The blinding flash surprised Loki at first, then he realized Katirya had used some of her magic to whisk them out of the room. He found himself teetering on the edge of one of the cliffs of Asgard. He struggled to maintain his balance, noticing a waterfall off to his right. The falls spilled into a small pool before finally flowing over the edge of the cliff.

Katirya glared at him. "You were saying?" She crouched down, as if ready to pounce, never taking her eyes off him.

Loki felt a strange sense of power unlike any he had experienced before. He wondered briefly at it, but suddenly was hit by an attack from Katirya. He found himself staggering backwards. Regaining his feet, he shot a blast of energy back at her and watched as she flew into the pool at the base of the waterfall.

"You! You!" she spat at him as she stood and walked out to the shore.

Loki laughed, staring at the dripping form of his former wife. He found himself strangely attracted to her, as the water had completely soaked the gown she was wearing and it hugged every curve of her body. He tried to remind himself that he hated her, but the soaking-wet figure storming towards him was making it difficult.

Katirya raised a hand, and he found himself on a direct trajectory over the edge of the cliff. He reached out with his hand and flew towards a rock near the top of the waterfall. Grabbing it with one hand, he pulled himself up to the top. Suddenly he rediscovered his anger. Staring down at her, he shot another blast of energy towards her.

Katirya's eyes flashed as she dodged the light, then disappeared.

Loki's head swiveled around, trying to find her. She suddenly was standing right next to him. He frowned, realizing she was able to move across planes readily. That little trick was going to make it difficult. He reached out and grabbed her arms, pulling her close. "You are going to the prison. It appears you have healed rather quickly."

"I am going nowhere with you!" she shouted back at him. "I have had enough of your foolish ideas that I have betrayed you. The proof was right in front of you, yet still you believed it. WHY?"

"I saw what you did!" Loki shouted right back.

Katirya rolled her eyes, twisting as she tried to escape.

Loki pulled her closer.

"You cannot make me stay here," she hissed in a low voice.

"I can and I will," Loki replied with certainly.

"Good luck with that," Katirya said before vanishing.

Frustrated at her disappearance, Loki tried to think where she might have taken off to when he suddenly found himself inside the city once again. He was standing in a courtyard off the main stables. He wondered how he had gotten here, and more specifically, why this spot? Again, he thought about the strange sense of power he was feeling. A rider-less horse burst out of the stables, almost running him down and interrupted his thoughts. He decided Katirya was probably inside.

Entering cautiously, he stood in the doorway, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"I refuse to listen to you and you cannot keep me here, so go away," Katirya's voice came from one of the stalls.

He peered in to see her saddling up her mare. "No matter where you go, I will find you and haul you back here and put you in the prison."

"For what? Saving your sorry life?" Katirya shot back at him.

"I did not require saving," Loki entered the stall and grabbed her around the waist.

"Put me down!" She twisted in his arms and disappeared once again.

~ß~ Katirya ~ß~

Katirya attempted to hide her mind from Loki. She knew if he tried, he could probably find her. There was something going on between them that was confusing her. He had been able to use the Stones during the past few minutes as she had felt his mind controlling them at times during the recent encounter. She needed a few moments alone to think.

She had moved to the gardens. Searching, she found a quiet pavilion and took a seat. and considered her options. He was mad, but right now his anger was nothing compared to hers. She was tired of trying to explain herself to him and his brother. She considered her options.

As she continued to wait, she suddenly realized this was the pavilion she had been in when she had given Sif advice. Her mind flashed back to that day.

"Do not waste yourself wanting something that you cannot, or might not ever have."

She considered her words to Sif then, and realized they were very apropos to her situation right now. Loki wanted nothing to do with her. She had not wanted to come back here, but Frigga had always been pushing her to return. When Sif and the others arrived, it had seemed inevitable. She had known it would not be easy, but she had never imagined that when presented with proof positive that she had not betrayed him, that he would understand and all would be well. She sighed heavily as she realized that had all been a dream. She highly doubted he would ever trust her again.

That realization helped her to make up her mind. Rising, she headed back into the palace going towards the healers. She had left Kai there. She decided to collect him and leave. She wasn't sure where she would go, but she knew she had to get away from here.

•£• Loki •£•

Loki snarled when he realized she'd taken off again. Wondering where she had gone, he raced out of the stables and stared down the narrow streets. A flash of blue, the color of the gown she had been wearing caught his eye as it darted around a corner. He took off after it. As he rounded the corner, he almost ran into a young woman.

The woman's eyes widened when she realized who had almost run her over. "I'm so sorry…"

Loki cut her off. "Did you see Katirya? Just now?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Damn! Where is she now?" He whirled around, heading back towards the stables.

"Wait!" he muttered to himself. "What am I doing? I can probably find her…" his mind started to search for her, and he suddenly found himself standing outside the healers once more. "How did I get here?" he wondered. He had never learned to do this trick. He thought back to the fight that had begun at the waterfall just a short time ago. He realized he had accomplished things he had never been able to before. Why was this?

He heard footsteps coming towards him. Ducking back into a dark corner, he waited.

Katirya came into view heading directly towards the healers. He stepped out from the shadows to confront her. "What? Coming back here to hide?" he taunted her.

Katirya stopped and stared at him. "No, I am just coming to collect something and then leave. I will not trouble you any longer. Good luck dealing with Thanos. You do not have any idea what you are up against. Now, if you will just step aside…"

"No, I told you that you are not to leave."

"Why? So you can gloat over me? I'm sorry, but that will not happen. I have no intentions of remaining here, and as I have continually told you, you cannot keep me here…"

"Where are you going to go? Run back to your lover Thanos?"

"He is NOT my lover!" Katirya spat back at him, her anger rising once more. "Now, get out of my way."

"Or what?" Loki prompted. "And what were you coming to collect?" He was suddenly suspicious. Why was she back here? What would the healers have for her?

"Just something I left for safekeeping," Katirya's anger dissipated as swiftly as it had appeared as she thought about Kai. "Listen, you do not wish to believe anything I say, so I am just going to leave. You will not have to trouble yourself about me anymore. In your mind, I betrayed you, even though the proof was standing in front of you back at the feast."

"You were pretending to be someone else!" he shouted back at her.

She winced as she heard that. "Only until I felt it was safe," she finally countered. "When my sister showed up pretending to be me, I figured you might finally see the truth, but you couldn't see the truth if it hit you in the face!" She pushed past him and entered the healers.

"My lady!" One of the healers gasped when she saw who had entered.

"Where is Kai?" Katirya demanded.

"He just left with Thor," the healer replied.

"Thor?" Katirya looked at her, completely confused.

"Who is Kai? Your new lover?" Loki sneered.

Katirya whirled around to face him. "No, MY son!"

"So you were pregnant? You thought to pass Thanos's spawn off on me?"

"He is not Thanos's son! But then, I don't expect you to believe me," she turned back to the healer. "Where did they go?"

"The gardens, I believe. At least, that is what I overheard them say," the healer replied.

Katirya turned and pushed past Loki once again. He followed her out of the healers. "So, whose child is it?"

She rounded on him, punching him in the chest with both fists. "I HATE you! How could you ask a question like that? I was innocent until I met you!"

He noticed tears filling her eyes but ignored them as he grabbed her, pulling her close. "How? That's easy. You lied from the moment you arrived here."

His mind thought of the prisons, and suddenly the pair were whisked out of the healers, arriving in the corridor outside the cell containing Kyrath and Hadriath. He grinned, delighted at the outcome. For a brief moment he wondered how they had ended up here, for he did not think Katirya would bring him here.

"Excellent, right where I want you," Loki motioned for the guards to open the cell.

"You cannot keep me in there!" Katirya squirmed in his arms, struggling to escape his hold unsuccessfully.

"It seems that I can," Loki entered the cell the instant the guards opened it up.

Kyrath and Hadriath rushed the door, trying to escape. The guards stopped them immediately, forcing them back inside.

Loki dropped Katirya on the floor, laughing at her. "This is where you shall remain for the rest of your miserable life."

Katirya lay on the floor for several seconds, then she looked up at Loki. "You cannot keep me here. These walls cannot contain me. You have the proof in front of you that I did not betray you, yet still you believe I did?"

"Proof? What proof? That your sister is here?" Loki snarled.

"Yes, my sister, HALF-sister, is here. Does it not seem strange that she showed up pretending to be me? Did you not wonder when I finally appeared?" Katirya asked.

"You didn't appear. You were hiding," Loki snapped. "Pretending to be someone else. Why should I believe you?"

Kyrath started cackling with laughter. "You are so full of yourself, sister. How are you going to get out? Use that magic you always said you had?" She leaned down and sneered in Katirya's face.

Tears filled Katirya's eyes, threatening to spill out. She remained on the floor. Loki wondered at that.

"Going to cry again?" Kyrath mocked Katirya. "You always were such a crybaby."

Katirya ignored Kyrath, and finally moved to get up.

"I don't think so," Kyrath pushed her back down. "I rather like seeing you there. If I'm going to be stuck in here, I'm going to enjoy this. At least until Thanos gets here."

"Thanos will not help you," Katirya said softly. "You are a fool if you believe so."

"Well, he sure isn't going to help you," Kyrath chortled. "You are useless. I still don't know why they wanted you to marry him. I was the much better choice! And for your information, he married me!"

"You know him not," Katirya replied, then looked at Kyrath. "He married you? I do not believe it."

"He will give me everything I want," Kyrath shouted. Then she noticed the Stones set in the tiara. "Starting with this!" She reached out to rip the tiara off Katirya's head only to find herself flying backwards.

"Stay away from me," Katirya spoke warningly as she scrambled across the floor away from Kyrath.

"Why?" Kyrath rose up from where she'd fallen. Brushing herself off, she advanced once more towards her sister. "I want those Stones, and you are going to give them to me. Thanos will be so proud of me when he gets here and sees that I have them."

The guards stepped forward to restrain Kyrath. As they did, Loki suddenly realized the cell they were in was the same one he had been held in following his fiasco on Earth. He remembered his thoughts about his mother after he'd learned of her death, and his memory of his first meeting with Katirya. Little had he known that day that Katirya was about to reappear in his life.

Kyrath's words were finally starting to register with him, and he realized that Katirya had been telling the truth since she'd returned. He looked down at the woman lying on the ground, only now he saw the child she had been when he first met her, as his mind flashed back to that moment.

He sat on the ground next to Kiri. Using his sleeve, he wiped her tears. "I am sorry they were so mean to you." It brought to mind his brother and his friends. They mocked him on the practice field.

"I DO know magic. I do, I do, I do," she insisted, sniffling a little.

"I believe you," he said, although he really didn't. He remembered her mother stating that very fact before they had started his lesson. But he knew what it was like to be picked on. Thor and his friends were always teasing him; he simply did not excel with battle skills. Even Sif was better than he was.

"No, you don't," Kiri was staring at him.

He suddenly had a feeling that she could read his mind. "Well, it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Yes, it does. I do know magic. They just don't believe me. I'm not supposed to tell anyone, 'cause I'm the most powerful child ever. One day, they will be sorry. I will be Queen, and they will have to do what I tell them, or else!" She looked at him, and then spoke quietly. "But you must not tell anyone. We must keep it secret."

He wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or not, but he had an inspiration. "I know what, when we both grow up, we can get married. I will be King and you can be my Queen. Then no one will ever bother you again!"

She appeared to consider it. "But do you believe me?"

Realizing how important it was to Kiri, he nodded. "I do. Deal?"

"Yes, we will get married, and I shall be your queen and no one will ever push me down again."

Loki sat on the cell floor next to Katirya. Pulling her into his lap, he whispered into her ear. "I do not know whether to kiss you or kill you."

Startled, she looked up at him. "What?"

"I just remembered, that day when I met you."

"What does that have to do with all this?" Katirya asked.

"Do not tell me you have forgotten," he chided her.

"I never forgot…" she frowned, then whispered softly, "but… I thought you had."

"I guess I did, but something just reminded me," Loki replied. "I did not believe you that day. I told you that I did, but I thought you were making it all up. I didn't think it mattered, but it was important then, just as it is now."

"So… you just realized I am telling the truth now?" Katirya's back stiffened in anger. "After all this?" Her arm swept towards where Kyrath was being held. "And now you cannot decide whether to kiss me or kill me?"

Feeling her anger, he chuckled softly. "Yes, do you realize what you have put me through this past year? The emptiness I have felt?"

"And I have felt nothing? What I had to live with was…"

He stopped her midsentence with a kiss. At first she fought him, then she succumbed to the passion and responded back, her arms wrapping around his neck. He lifted his lips from hers, then kissed the top of her head gently.

Katirya closed her eyes, then leaned into him. "Just hold me."

He could feel the warmth of her body as it pressed against him. Once again, he felt an odd sensation of power, then it dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind a sense of calmness like he had never felt before.