So caught up was Fen with stealing furtive glances with Lisle, his father was standing before him, a bemused look on his face.
"The ceremonies are concluded. It is time for the festivities. Will you sit here alone in the empty arena until dawn?"
"Forgive me, Father. I was...," and to his horror, he could form no excuse swiftly enough in his head, "I was...,"
"Indeed you were. Your mother was quite aware of this fact. Up with you now, let us take our place behind Thor and Jane."
Fen, his cheeks flushed scarlet, stood from his chair, moving to walk beside Brenna who had made her way to the box at the end of the ceremony and was now judiciously avoiding their father's hard stare.
Dropping a bit behind the others, Fen elbowed Brenna, "Where were you?"
"I was sitting in the stands with Chase, why?"
Fen gestured ahead of them, "Father was looking for you. He said you should have been in the royal box with the family."
"He would not have allowed Chase to join us, therefore, I stayed with Chase."
They passed through the archway at the upper rim of the arena into the central courtyard, his father giving her a stern look once more as they gathered into a group to mingle with the Aesir, waiting for Colin and the others to reach them.
"Had it meant I would be on Father's bad side," Fen scowled at her, "I would have been seated in the box."
"Of course you would," Brenna muttered, "Someday, you will see for yourself what it is like to yearn to be with someone."
Fen laughed, though his mirth was dampened at the truth of her statement as he looked about the crowd once more, trying to catch a glimpse of Lisle, "I would wager it is like some sort of curse."
Brenna smirked at him, "And no magic known to man able to break it."
"I keep looking for Simon," Beth sighed, clutching her mug of cider tightly to steady it from the crush of people in the square, "Then I remember he's gone. Do you think he's ever coming back?"
Colin shrugged, glanced about once again about until he found Stark talking with the King. He felt the need to keep an eye on Tony whether because of his penchant for saying too much or his ability to irritate even the saints with his blunt opinions, or a mixture of both, Colin wasn't sure. He could only hope Miss Potts was keeping him in check.
"I've not the slightest notion, Miss Chapel. If I had to guess, I would say he'll be back eventually. Would you excuse me?"
She watched Colin melt into the crowd, heading for Thor. Gretten had navigated the crowd to refill his tankard at least ten minutes ago. Helgi and Ingrid had taken the children to see a traveling puppet show set up in the square, Eidra had wandered off with the Queen, Brenna and Chase were somewhere about, walking along the vendors tents. She was all alone.
"At least Simon would keep me company," she mumbled to herself.
"Were the truth known, anyone would be honored to keep you company my dear," came a voice at her right ear.
She leaped to the side, sloshing the cider out of her mug to splatter on the cobblestones at her feet, "Jesus Christ!"
The woman at her elbow gave a loud cackle and Beth was suddenly reminded of the Wicked Witch of the West in that old Wizard of Oz movie she'd worn out when she was a kid.
"We shall get you another mug of cider," she clapped her hands together, "Nola, you may walk about. I will be fine for now."
The young girl who was standing patiently at the woman's side gave a trembling curtsey as she drifted away from them, looking back every few feet as if expecting to be recalled at any moment.
"My new protege. She is a bit nervous. She was picked from a family in Alfheim, first time she has been away from home. I must say you are not what I envisioned."
Beth tightened hold of her half empty mug, "Do I know you?"
The woman cackled again, peered up into her face and with a start, Beth realized the woman was blind.
"You may have heard my name along with a curse or two. My name is Trena."
Beth frowned. Trena...Trena? She had heard the name, in fact, though she couldn't remember where.
"...and you are Elizabeth Chapel. Daughter of the descendants of Zola. Let me see the rune Ingwaz. I am most curious to see the form it chose..."
Colin stood a few feet apart listening to Stark talk to Thor about the upcoming initialization of portal two though he was simply running through numbers. Colin doubted Thor had even an inkling about what Stark was saying. Colin turned to look back at Beth, his stomach doing a flip flop. Holding her hand, staring at the ring on it was Trena.
Without a word to Stark or Thor, Colin began to make his way toward Trena and Beth. What in the hell was Trena telling her? He twisted to one side, moving a few feet, then another, narrowly avoiding a woman holding a toddler on her hip, closing the distance slower than he would have liked...
"...so the crack is not in fact a crack. It is the symbol of the rune Ingwaz, and to be made of Moonstone, how very clever.."
"Sorry," Colin gasped, stumbling to a halt before the two of them, "Beth, why don't you join us? I'll go see where Gretten is...Trena." he nodded to the seer only to have her clutch his arm in her hand.
"Master Denehy. You are the sole reason I braved this maddening crowd. Would you help me find my new protege? She seems to have wandered off."
Colin looked to Beth but she was staring at the ring on her finger, her mouth open. Trena patted her shoulder with her free hand, "Excuse me, my dear. I must steal Colin away for a bit."
"Sure, uh...yeah sure," Beth raised her head trancelike to gaze about the square, "I'll...I'm going to find Gretten."
As Beth started away, Colin yanked his arm free from Trena's grasp only to have her reach for his arm again, giving it a good pinch in the process.
"Ahhh! Damnit, I don't have time for this." Colin cried, hoping someone would come to his rescue but no one made to move toward him.
"Yes you do, you impudent young whelp. I have a matter of some import to tell you," she pulled at him, turning toward the palace behind them.
"You already fecking did. Get one of the guards to help you find yer aide...," he wanted to get as far away from her as he could, whatever it took but she only redoubled her effort.
"I merely said such things to turn Miss Chapel away from us. I have something I must show you if you are to truly ken your place in this venture."
She waved a hand at the royal guards atop the stone steps and they swung the palace doors wide for her as she put a foot on the first step. Colin wrenched his arm free again, this time stepping back.
"I don't want to ken, do you hear me? I just want to do my job which is to be the liaison between Asgard and Earth. Nowhere in the job description does it say anything about researching family genealogy or traveling down the path of bleedin' self-discovery! So, no, I don't need to go anywhere with you. I don't...!"
"Then you will fail...when you are needed the most, you will fail," she shrugged, her sightless eyes dropping away from him.
Colin stood at the bottom of the steps gritting his teeth, watching her climb slowly, her foot feeling each edge before she stepped upward. When he was needed the most, he would fail. Failure was the last thing he wanted. What if he was called upon to protect Loki and his family but because of his stubbornness he was unable to do so?
"Fuck!"
He rushed up the steps to take her arm, "I didn't take this assignment because I intended to muck it up. Go on then, lead the way."
Eidra sat back in the brocade easy chair across from Jane, a hand to her mouth, "...but what of the baby? Will you not give birth in Asgard?"
Jane threw her hands in the air, "I'm six months along, Eidra. Another month and I'd be seven."
Eidra looked about the bedchamber, "Are you truly unhappy here? It is so very confining within the palace, this I ken. Come to the manor for a visit. We welcome the company. Perhaps it would distract you from your troubles."
Eidra watched Jane's face crumble as tears glittered in her eyes. When she'd approached Jane to ask after her, Jane had clung to her, guiding them away from the square and into the palace where she poured her heart out about her arguments with Thor, her extreme bout of homesickness, her heartbreaking boredom.
"Try talking the impact of climate on weather conditions or what types of cloud indicate rain or snow. Except for a precious few including your daughter, Brenna and Thor to some extent, they all stare at me like I've gone crazy. Either that or they laugh."
Eidra nodded, "The gods send the rain, the snow. They help things grow, refresh us with cool breezes in the summer..."
"Exactly. That's what I'm up against. Thor has brought books back from Earth for me to read, scientific papers, journals but what I wouldn't give to turn on the Weather Channel or talk to a fellow scientist. Hell I'd even sit and listen to Darcy's prattle. I'd love to hop in my car once again and take a drive wherever and whenever I want. Here, I try to take a walk and I'm shadowed by at least two guards. I'm not sure whether they're for my protection or to see that I don't escape," here Jane gave a dry chuckle, "I miss walking into a grocery store, buying a damn bag of potato chips and a candy bar, going home, turning on a movie and flopping down on the couch in my old pajamas. Add to everything else the frustration of discovering Prince Lóriði's secret visits to his mother in prison and you can imagine what it's been like the past couple months."And don't take it the wrong way. I'm not looking for an escape. I just need a break."
"Thor must have been beside himself," Eidra reached for Jane's hand, "I wonder it would not have been better to exile her somewhere less accessible..."
"Or chop off her damn head. Trust me, these past few days Thor has been seriously considering it. Lóriði' hasn't spoken to Thor for a week and this breaks his heart. Lóriði' may not be his flesh and blood but until he discovered Sif's whoring around, he proudly raised the boy as his son."
Jane let go of Eidra's hand to sink back into the chair, one arm over her eyes, the other draped over the growing swell of her belly, "The truth? I'm frightened. Before I became pregnant, if I wanted to pop back to Earth and stay two weeks instead of one, I could. I would have to listen to Thor chide me for staying away so long, you know, obligations, you-are-a-queen, blah blah but it was all good. After I have the baby, however, getting away won't be so easy...see there it is again, I sound like I want to escape...not to mention having to have the baby here without any drugs, ha!" Jane hauled herself up from the chair, standing before the fireplace, chewing on her thumbnail, "I cry over paper cuts. Whenever I imagine what having a baby is going to feel like, I start to panic, I mean there's so much that can go wrong, the baby could come out not breathing or the cord could become wrapped around its neck. It could be breech, it could be premature...,"
"Jane, I had four of my children in my own bed. I delivered Brenna in a tent on a bed of straw. Cait was the only exception. Mothers have been delivering babies safely since the beginning of time, it is not impossible. Perhaps you are restless because you are afraid."
Jane's expression stayed the same and Eidra sat forward in the chair, "Jane?"
"I know. I know I'm upset in part because of the baby but I also know I was feeling restless before I was pregnant. I need to return to Earth. I need to see if these feelings are a passing phase, a result of hyped up hormones or if I've made a horrible mistake."
Eidra stood, moved to her side to join her before the fire, "You love the King do you not?"
Jane nodded, "Tragic isn't it?"
Eidra thought of Loki, of their devotion, their ever stormy relationship, their unquenchable desire, their deep love for one another, "All unions have their share of tragedy. My marriage has survived raging storms, heartbreaking loss, horrible arguments because I love Loki. I know you cannot ken, nevertheless, he is my heart, I am his. If your love is strong, it will persevere, it will thrive."
Jane slipped her arm into Eidra's, "I'm not much for religion so if you'd send up prayers to the gods, maybe they'll take pity on me."
Eidra patted her hand, "You do not need pity, you need encouragement. You need to be sure of yourself."
Jane smiled sadly, "I guess I need a lot."
"Not much further..." Trena cooed.
Colin felt increasingly uneasy. Trena had guided him along the corridors of the palace, through sections he'd never been privy to, opening doors he wouldn't have noticed had she not been with him. He had wondered, at one point, how she could find her way about the palace without her aide and she had tapped her temple with a roar.
"Ah! Colin. When we heed the calling to be a seer, the decision to answer is not made easily. We lose our sight, 'tis true. We leave our home to live in the palace as servant to the King and his council but we gain much in return. While I do not see with mine own eyes, I am able to see...," she stopped, waved her hand before his face, "...with yours."
Of course. She was clairvoyant. Still he didn't like her being inside his head. He wasn't keen on giving up control of his senses to a madwoman.
They reached a set of tall doors which seemed, by their condition, to see little use. When she started to pull at the large iron rings serving for handles, he set her to one side, giving the rings a yank. The doors gave way with a deep groan, opening to the outer wall of the palace. Colin looked up at the darkening sky. The sun had finally set. Far off in the distance he could hear cheers echoing through the air from the city square. Ahead of them was a cobblestone path. In the distance, its entrance lit by torches on either side, was a tall structure built from dark stone. He pivoted about to take in their surroundings. They were in a deserted courtyard, empty except for the building in front of them. When he again set eyes on it, he put a hand to his chest. He'd been here before. Or he'd dreamed of the place.
"Aha," Trena squeezed his arm, "Like coming home is it not?"
Colin started toward the building, following it upward to the turrets silhouetted against the waning light. The word was on his tongue. A picture book flashed across his memory, filled with strange drawings...snapped shut before his eyes...a familiar voice beside his ear... "Yer too young to understand. Someday I'll show it to you, Col,".....
"Reliquary," Colin whispered, irritated when Trena clapped her hands together.
"Yes! Yes! Oh do lets hurry before you are missed."
He was betting he'd been missed a long time ago but he was powerless to turn back now. He had to enter that building, had to see what was inside.
"Why isn't this building guarded?"
Trena walked up to the arched doors and gave them a push inward, "It is...come now. I must show you."
They stood at the beginning of a long hallway flanked by tall arches. Torches stood out on each column. At the end of the long corridor, Colin could see a tall cylinder bathed in blue light.
"Follow me," Trena waved him along, "And mark all that you see."
He looked left and right. Between the columns were niches set into the stone walls. In the first niche stood a pedestal upon which sat a glove seeming to be made of solid gold. Gems, rubies, emeralds, diamonds, lined the fingers, a large opal glittering in the center of the palm.
"What in the hell is...?"
"The Gauntlet," Trena tugged at his sleeve, "Move along. There is more to see."
Another niche held a glass box encased in a dark metal frame. Strange markings were etched into the glass, the glow from the interior, blue like the object he'd spied at the end of the hallway. As he drew closer to peer inside it, he was surprised to see what looked like a snow storm in miniature raging beneath the surface of the glass.
"The Cask of the Jotunns. Were they to possess it again, they would bury the nine realms in an endless winter."
Colin glanced up at Trena, "This...reliquary is where the Rune Elementals...were."
"Were, yes. Right here."
They approached another niche. A pedestal stood, empty save for a green velvet pillow upon which sat a thick silver bracelet. Upon its surface were four insets, also empty.
"The runes, once they are united again together with this bracelet, will imbue the guardian with power beyond measure, the power to save the nine realms, so it is said. They will serve their purpose, return to their present forms and be secreted away until they are needed again."
Colin turned from the pedestal and continued down the long corridor past shimmering swords, a black marble sphere, a thick red leather bound book, other objects until he reached the pedestal at the end.
Trena ambled up beside him, "You see it yet you do not believe it."
"Tony said it was brought back here after New York but...I guess I expected it to be locked safely in a vault somewhere."
"And therein lies the final proof you need. Touch the cylinder. The Tesseract will do you no harm within its chamber."
Colin reached out a hand toward the pedestal and was greeted with a sound like a boulder being dragged across the floor as the wall behind the pedestal slid open and from the darkness emerged a monstrous collection of metal plate and rivets fastened together into the form of an immense guardsman. Where the seams of the plates met, a rainbow of light played, sending flashes of red, green, blue, and yellow to dance among the pillars. In what amounted to a face were set two red ruby eyes, seemingly lit from within and they glowed as the creature extended a plated hand toward Colin, hesitated, and stepped back, bowing deeply to him, the plate metal creaking and scraping.
"The Protector knows the Guardian. He knows the ancestor of his creator," Trena patted the great metal giant's cold arm, "Simon Foster will return and with him, the gods be willing, he will have the other runes. Then will the nine realms be safe once again."
Colin stared upward at the giant metal Protector. For the past three minutes, he'd fought to keep his footing, not to drop to his knees and scream into his hands. Every time he thought he'd weathered the next bombshell, someone reloaded the goddamn turret.
Trena gestured to the Protector, "We are leaving now. You have done your chore well. You may retire."
The Protector swung its head to him. Colin gave a tight nod, watched as the Protector turned about and vanished into the space behind the pedestal.
"Let us be off now. You can surely think of a good excuse on the return trip."
Still in a daze, he offered her his arm. He was desperately hoping that no one had noticed his absence or that they'd perhaps thought he was off wandering the square because his capacity to form coherent thoughts was going to be severely impaired for the rest of the evening.
Luck was on his side for once as Loki seemed surprised to see him when he reappeared, asking him what he thought of the festivities. He'd made a few perfunctory comments, excusing himself to walk about the square, passing Beth and Gretten who sat side by side at the edge of the fountain. He caught her gaze but kept walking, staying well away from everyone until some time later Fen found him sitting on the steps of the palace, informing him they were ready to leave.
Eidra insisted on riding in the back of the wagon with the twins who were overtired and fussy so Loki gestured to the empty space on the wagon seat beside him, "Colin, let Fen ride Agathon home. I would have company as I am well spent from the day's activities and Lightning would walk until he reached Rialo were the reins given to him."
Company was the last thing on Colin's mind but he climbed into the seat beside Loki and they were off through the city gates into the countryside.
The lantern hanging from the pole between Lightning and Blackberry swayed hypnotically with their canter. Loki, even though he had invited Colin to the seat, was quiet at first and Colin found himself nodding off more than once. After he had to grab the seat to keep himself upright he slapped his hand on the seat.
"Ah it's been a long day."
"It has indeed," Loki murmured, glancing back into the wagon where Eidra and Helgi lay sleeping, the twins nestled between them, "Eidra begged me again not to compete but I cannot back out now without losing face. I represent my brother, nay, the royal family, in the arena. Thor is in no condition to compete, were he even able to."
Colin sat up straighter, stretched, "Oh? He looked to be in fine form today."
Loki shook his head, "His mind is far afield. The Queen is returning to Midgard to visit her people within a fortnight. Thor believes she may elect to remain after the baby is born."
Colin turned to Loki, "Yer not serious. Stark didn't say anything about any portal trips to me. Does he know?"
Loki yawned, "Oh, she will likely travel the Bifrost. Thor does not trust the portal."
"Wise man," Colin leaned against the backboard, "This isn't going to create an intergalactic incident is it? I mean I can't imagine having to set up visitations. Which realm are we using for the supervised meetings this month? God help us."
"It is not a matter to be taken lightly," Loki chided though he gave a soft chuckle, "...though I ken your humorous view on the subject. Eidra told me Jane had confided much the same to her but believes she needs simply to see her people again and all will be made right."
"Hey kids, no PDA and keep your hands to yourself."
Stark reined his horse in even with Colin, "You going to be at the longhouses early tomorrow? We're having a meeting about portal two's initialization."
"You'll have to take notes for me," Colin jerked his thumb backwards, "I'm going to be in the arena tomorrow for competition."
"You weren't in the lineup at the opening ceremonies," he leaned across to wave at Loki, "He wasn't in the arena. Has this been cleared with HQ?"
"It's on the down low. Jesus, relax Stark," Colin rolled his eyes though the effect was largely lost in the dim lantern light.
"Your job may be liaison and all around party animal but mine is to see all my men come home in one piece and that includes you."
Colin peered beyond the lantern to the glowing marker just ahead of them, "Hey this is your turn isn't it?"
Loki slowed the wagon to a halt as Chase and Brenna trotted up to the side.
"Papa might I remain at the encampment tonight?"
Loki moved not a muscle though his eyes slid to hers and she let out a loud sigh as she dropped down from the horse, climbing into the back of the wagon.
"I will speak with you soon," She whispered as Chase brought the horse about to lean in for a kiss.
"Hey, I said no PDA!" Stark cried as he and Miss Potts broke away from the group, "Come on Wells before you cause more trouble."
Colin watched them down the road until he could barely make out their silhouettes against the sodium lamps surrounding the encampment, heard Brenna mumbling in the back of the wagon, "...am twenty seasons. Am I not old enough?..."and at last they were off again toward home.
Eidra's whispered reply made him smile to himself.
"If you wish to reach your twenty-first, you would do well to keep a civil tongue in your head for twenty is still young enough for your father to take you across his knee."
Colin glanced over at Loki and his smile grew for though there was determination in Loki's eyes, there was a sly grin upon his lips. He looked to Colin and gave him a conspiratorial wink.
"Many have been the times when I have reluctantly found myself upon my wife's bad side. I could almost feel sorry for Bren," Loki confessed as angry whispers began in earnest behind them, "...Almost."
