Chapter Fifty-One
Thor was convinced that the walls were alive and watching them. It was a disconcerting feeling. They only had Wanda's magic, Tony's armour and Sam's small flashlight to light up the darkness around them, but the tunnel was low and narrow so at least they were not forced to walk cautiously. They were marching forward with a much faster pace than before, the urgency of the situation descending down on them once more with Steve leading them forward with such speed. Thor wanted to ask Sam and Wanda if they were all right, since he could hear how their breathing picked up from moving this fast for this long, but he did not want to insult them by implying that they were unable to keep up with the rest of them.
Traps of course they found plenty, not magical in nature, but heavy doors Tony needed override, pitfalls disguised as steady ground, and even more automatic cannons that were likely lethal to most humans, but actually caused them very little trouble. Thor wondered again if it were the Darkholders who built all these defences, or if they just took the place over from someone else, but it mattered very little in the end.
They didn't run into any other demons, but that feeling of being watched remained with Thor, so his muscles tensed at every small noise that caught his ears.
'I feel like this is a maze,' Wanda said all of a sudden, as she stopped abruptly. The rest of them came to a halt and turned back around to look at her. 'We passed this crack in the wall once already.'
Nobody asked her if she was sure, because she wouldn't have mentioned it otherwise.
'The way we took turns doesn't add up into a loop,' Tony said.
'I didn't say it made sense,' Wanda told him.
'There's more than one way to make a maze,' Thor said. 'I, for one, expected to run into more difficulties.'
'Can we test it out to be 100% sure?' Sam asked.
'Not unless we go our separate ways,' Loki said.
'I would very much advise against that,' Vision protested right away.
'Let's keep going,' Steve said. 'See if anything else seems familiar.'
That was the best course of action for now, so they once again started moving down the seemingly endless series of hallways. Thor kept a close eye on everything that seemed even a little unique, trying to memorise the things they passed, like the crack on the wall Wanda pointed out, a small hole on the far right, a piece of dried plant on the ceiling, a little pile of pebbles scattered around.
They kept walking until Steve and Loki both came to a stop again. Thor only needed to take a few more steps closer to see that both of them were staring at the distinct crack in the wall Wanda pointed out earlier.
'Oh, good, I always wanted to be trapped in an endless loop of nightmares,' Tony sighed.
'This was less than a twenty minute walk,' Sam pointed out.
'So what now?' Wanda asked.
'I'd hate to be the one asking the obvious questions,' Tony said. 'But I don't suppose we can bust our way out of this with brute force.'
'I really don't think so,' Steve answered. 'Things are never that easy. And I'm not sure we should try.'
'I could try going through the wall,' Vision said. 'See where that leads me.'
'It might lead you somewhere you cannot return from,' Thor said.
'I'm willing to take the risk,' Vision said. 'And even if I can't find my way back to you, I might be able to go back and let Doctor Strange know about this.'
'Loki, any other ideas?' Thor asked.
Loki glanced around quickly, then shook his head.
'Nothing just yet,' he said. 'We don't know enough.'
That was the answer Thor didn't want to hear.
'But this is magical,' Vision said, looking at Loki. 'So you can try to find a way out from here, while I alert Doctor Strange, maybe he will be able to do something from the outside. I'd rather not waste time standing here.'
'No, fine, you're right, but watch out, we have no idea what else is lurking around here,' Tony said.
'I'll be careful,' Vision nodded.
'If you get out and find the others,' Wanda said. 'Stay with them. There's no point risking coming back.'
'I cannot promise I won't try if there's no other solution in sight,' Vision told her. She opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it again, reconsidering.
'Just don't be stupid,' she said in the end.
That seemed to amuse Vision to no end.
'I'll try my best,' he said, sliding into the nearest wall. They all stared at the spot where he vanished for a moment or two, then turned to look at one another.
'So… where to?' Tony asked.
'Is there even a point?' Sam asked. 'We're just gonna end up in the exact same spot over and over again.'
'I don't want to stand here waiting to be rescued,' Wanda said, crossing her arms.
'Let's keep walking,' Steve said. 'Maybe we'll find something if we look hard enough.'
'All my scanners are up and running, but I'm not sure I will pick up anything,' Tony said.
'You never know,' Thor told him. 'Magic leaves marks behind. Sometimes those marks are visible to Midgardian machines as well.'
'All right, even the smallest thing can be important then,' Tony nodded.
Thor tried his best to keep his eyes on anything out of the ordinary as they started walking again, but magic was not one of his strengths, so he didn't hope to achieve much. He was most likely not alone feeling useless as Sam stared at the walls with frustration too. Wanda's eyes were a lot sharper, probably trying her best to find anything that could help, while Stark was probably scanning every inch in front of them too. Steve lifted a hand and touched the wall as he walked forward, letting his fingers slide on the hard surface. It was odd for him to do that, but maybe he just tried to keep track of the wall with more than just his eyes, holding onto reality even if it was playing tricks on them. Loki didn't seem to be doing anything, but Thor knew magic didn't always come with bright flashing lights, so he was sure his brother was searching for a solution in ways that was invisible to the naked eye.
If the Darkholders' plan was to just trap them, they did a fine job of it so far, but Thor feared there was more to this. They didn't strike him as the sort of foes who would be satisfied with merely imprisoning their enemies. And there was still this tingling at Thor's nape... someone was watching them, he just knew it.
Steve stopped again, abruptly, turning his head to stare at the spot where his fingers touched the wall.
'What is it Cap?' Sam asked.
'There's someone here,' he said. There was silence in the corridor, nothing but the sound of their breaths, but Thor knew exactly what he meant.
'Aye. Someone's watching us,' he agreed quietly.
'How do you know?' Wanda asked with a frown.
'It's just a feeling,' Thor said, unable to explain it in any other way.
Steve flattened his palm on the stone, still just looking at it for a moment, before he quickly pulled his hand away, taking a step back. There was a hole on the wall now, where Steve hand was a moment before. As Tony turned and Wanda let her red magic flare brighter something moved in the tiny hole, shifted with a quiet noise, then black insects started crawling out from it and scattering all around the wall.
'This is not good,' Steve said, staring at the little things as they covered more and more of the wall's surface. Was the hole getting bigger?
Then a red arm smashed through the wall, those insects crawling all over it. Wanda and Thor both reacted without hesitation, her hex and his lightning reached the spot almost at the same time, Steve quickly moving out of the way.
The thing hissed as the arm retreated back into the wall... Thor doubted they killed it.
'Let me guess,' Tony said. 'Demon?'
'We should move,' Wanda said.
'Where?' Sam questioned right away. 'There is nowhere to go, it's a loop, we're gonna end up right back here.'
'So we fight,' Loki said.
'This is the worst place for a fight,' Tony said and he was right. They were trapped, the corridor was low and narrow, it put them at a significant disadvantage. Thor could only hope that the demon wouldn't turn out to be too troublesome.
The insects were still crawling all over the wall, more of them now than before. Holes appeared on the floor too, not easily spotted until the insects started pouring out of them, and not just insects, worms too. Wanda made a face and burnt all of them around her with her magic, cleaning the floor. Of course they all knew they had something much worse lurking in the walls than insects and other critters.
'We need to watch our backs,' Sam said.
They all turned and moved a bit to stand around in a circle, their backs to one another. Thor eyed the wall and the crawling insects as he moved to the right position, Loki to his right while Sam to his left. The noise from the walls was louder now, and Thor wondered if these creatures were able to move through stone or if there were tunnels somewhere. Although, even if there were tunnels, magic kept them trapped here, so those might not help them much at all.
'Shit!' Wanda cursed and her red magic flared up above them. Thor jerked his head up and saw that the creature was half through the ceiling already, clawing at the magical barrier Wanda threw up. The thing had dark compound eyes and teeth that looked dark and curved like spider-fangs. A vile stench invaded Thor's nose.
Tony's repulsors fired twice in quick succession.
'There's more than one,' he informed them. 'But they seem to scatter fairly easily.'
'Not this one,' Wanda said, her eyes locked on the thing still trying to get out of the ceiling.
One of them was crawling out of the floor, so Thor quickly stepped away from the circle to kick it in the head, then swinging his hammer as well, watching as the thing's head splattered on the wall, leaving a white thick smear that made the smell much worse. All the insects headed towards the body right away, and even the body itself was full with nothing but wriggling worms. It's been a while since he had to face such disgusting creatures.
Loki cut off the arm of one of them with his sword just as Thor backed off from the dead demon, the thing slipping back into the wall with a hiss. Sam shot at another one, but bullets seemed useless from the way he cursed. Thor let electricity flare up in his hand and around Mjölnir, letting the lightning free to burn the creature crawling on the floor towards them. More of them were approaching still. They were not too fast, but Thor saw more and more movement in the darkness. He feared not for his own safety, but demons were unpredictable, so they needed a better plan besides allowing these creatures to attack them endlessly.
Just as he feared, demons jumped out at them from the shadows, black fangs dripping... the sight made Thor wary. He sent Mjölnir flying, knocking two demons off their feet, hopefully killing them.
'Beware of poison,' he shouted, still eyeing the black fangs in the mouths of these demons, his hammer back in his hand. He did not know enough about these creatures, but he worried even Loki and Thor himself could be vulnerable.
He heard Steve's shield making contact, knocking a demon down with force, then Tony started shooting again as well. There were now flies and locusts buzzing around, and Thor thought of sickness and decay. He hoped the smell that surrounded them was just a smell and nothing more.
'Loki, you need to find a way out!' he yelled.
Loki made an annoyed grunt as he stabbed his sword through one of the demons, the body dropping immediately.
Wanda tore apart two demons from afar, her eyes ablaze with power. Sam wisely stepped further into the circle to stand behind her. He put his guns away, but he was still ready to fight.
One of the demons grabbed hold of Steve's shield and Thor only noticed when the Captain slammed the thing into the wall, pinning it down. The demon kept hissing and snapping its mouth, trying to bite him or claw him, but Steve kept it trapped well enough.
'You cracked the wall,' Loki told him.
Steve grabbed the demon and slammed it into the wall again, just as hard as before, and some more cracks appeared behind it. Maybe there really were some hidden tunnels.
'Thor, hit this thing with your hammer, send it through the wall,' Steve said.
That was a fine idea indeed. Thor readied himself for a swing and Steve expertly jumped back just before Mjölnir hit the demon in the chest, smashing it through the wall. The hammer flew much further than Thor expected, so he quickly called it back to his hand. Steve and Loki went to the hole the demon's body made first, while Tony and Wanda kept all other demons in check, not allowing any of them to get closer.
'Is there a tunnel?' Thor asked, turning his back on Steve and Loki to fight any incoming beasts.
'It's even better than that,' Steve said. 'Come on, this way!'
'If you're gonna tell me we could've just used Thor's hammer to knock a wall down all this time...' Tony spoke, but he was swiftly cut off.
'We don't have time for explanations, Stark,' Loki said. 'Start moving!'
'Is it safe?' Sam asked.
'Fine, I'll go first,' was Loki's answer. Thor felt the floor shift beneath his feet, the stone was moving like soft earth, something was right below them in the ground.
'More are coming,' he warned.
'Get moving, now!' Steve shouted, almost ordered really, sounding impatient now.
'Shit, fine,' Sam said, running to get through the hole.
'Tony, you next,' Steve said.
'There's an awful lot of them here,' Tony shook his head.
'Wanda's barrier will be more than enough,' Steve said. 'But there might be demons on the other side too.'
He was right, Wanda was strong enough to keep these demons far away from them.
'Go, my friend, we will follow closely,' Thor told him, encouraging him to go.
Tony didn't argue, he almost leaped across the corridor to get through the hole. Wanda backed up next to Steve and Thor, the demons throwing their bodies at her barrier, trying to get through.
'Thor, go,' Steve said.
'No, you should go first, I'll help...'
'Both of you get in the goddamn hole right now!' Wanda interrupted. Right, there was no time to waste.
Wanda was right next to them so Thor knew that she would not be left behind. So he climbed through as quickly as he could. He paid close attention to both Steve and Wanda behind him, wanting to be sure that they were following him closely. At least Wanda's magical barrier seemed to keep the demons from following them.
He couldn't see a thing inside, it was too dark. The hole did not lead to a tunnel, but another cave. He opened his mouth to call Tony's name when he reached a ledge and toppled over unexpectedly. He lost his balance before he realised there was no more ground beneath his feet. He quickly swung Mjölnir to stay up in the air.
'Watch out!' he called out, but of course it was a second too late as Steve was falling right towards him. Thor easily caught his friend's arm, grabbing hold of him before he could fall further down.
'That was abrupt,' Steve commented.
'The demons?' Thor asked.
Wanda was descending down after them, surrounded by red magic.
'They didn't seem too keen on climbing further in,' she said.
'That sounds like something to worry about,' Thor remarked.
'Where's Loki, Tony, and Sam?' Wanda asked then.
'I sincerely hope nearby,' Thor said, frowning. He's had enough of this darkness by now, hoped to see the sunlight again soon, but he knew they were too deep down below the surface for that.
'Oh, there!' Wanda said and she swiftly flew in one direction. Thor couldn't fly with Mjölnir the way Wanda flew with her magic, so he had to wait for her to reach whatever she noticed before he could leap after her. He watched her fly further away, her bright red magic the only beacon... then all light vanished and they were engulfed in darkness.
'Wanda!' he shouted right away, but no answer came, she was just gone in a blink. The darkness was so thick he couldn't even see Steve's face.
'Thor, get us down,' Steve said.
'Where?'
'Just down, just drop down, we can't stay here,' Steve said.
They might be rather high up, but Steve was not fragile so Thor didn't worry. He gripped Mjölnir tightly and let himself drop.
Thankfully they didn't fall much, the ground was much closer than expected, but there was still pitch blackness around them. It was unnatural, Thor knew it. The air was thick and the darkness had its own weight on his skin.
'I can't see anything,' Thor said, trying to look around. It took a moment, but then he saw an orange light, thin and long. It had to be Loki's sword.
'There, it's Loki!' he said, moving towards the only source of light. Steve laid a hand on his shoulder, to keep up with him.
Thankfully the light really was Loki's sword, because the closer they got the easier Thor made out his brother's tall form. Loki was moving, turning around, maybe searching for something, or probably trying to find any of them.
Loki turned around just when Thor and Steve were about forty feet away, and he put up both of his hands, his mouth opening. The warning was clear and Thor stopped right away. Loki's lips were moving, but no sound reached them. His hands were touching something, was there glass in the way?
Bright light flared to life and after the thick darkness surrounding them for so long Thor had to shield his eyes to let them adjust to the sudden change. The light still bothered his eyes when he looked around again, but he still searched out Loki again straight away.
His brother was inside something that looked like a glass cube, but it glistened oddly, so it had to be a lot more than what it seemed to be. There were glowing symbols beneath Loki's feet and if he could've gotten out on his own, he certainly would've done it by now. There was also a thick red glowing line separating them from Loki. Thor wondered what would happen if he tried to cross it.
The light came through some round disks... holes that appeared all around the large cave they found themselves in. They looked like normal openings at first glance as they showed a darkening purple sky, but the edges were moving, shimmering. Thor was reminded of the rifts the Aether tore into their reality, bringing different worlds together. If he was correct these were windows to a different realm, but most likely not one of the Nine. This did not bode well for them, for it had to be the work of the Darkholders.
'Thor,' Steve warned quietly.
There was a woman standing on a cliff edge high above them, pale and blonde. She was unnaturally still, her eyes empty and far away. Thor would've thought her dead if she were not standing on her own feet. A man stepped up next to her a moment later in Midgardian clothing, he was old, but not frail looking at all.
Thor gripped his hammer, lightning already at the tip of his fingers.
The man looked at them for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak.
'Tony, get rid of them,' he said.
Thor had a moment of fear that something has befallen Stark, a trick or a spell, but the person that appeared out of a dark corner was fortunately not their friend, but a young man with soft brown hair and a sick yellow glow in his eyes. Tony... Tony Hubris was his name, Thor believed, a Darkholder. He knew better than to ever underestimate humans, no matter how fragile they looked, but this was no mere human. Thor remembered Loki's warning; they did not know what powers Chthon has given to these people. He had to be cautious.
'Took you long enough to get here,' Hubris said. 'But I didn't mind waiting.'
Thor was not one to stand around and waste his breath on talking, not when they all knew what was about to happen.
'If you really think you can fight us both on your own,' Thor told him. 'Then just go ahead, try your luck!'
Darkholder or not, Steve and Thor could to take this villain down. Hubris did not seem intimidated by these words, he just threw a hand out towards them, making the ground explode beneath Thor's feet. He was quick enough to jump out of the way of the flames that erupted from the stone, and he hoped Steve was just as fast. He still felt the touch of flames on his arm as the fire was much bigger than expected, and burning pain licked up his skin, making him groan. He barely had time to glance at the burnt flesh on his arm when new flames burst forth, singing his cape as he leaped to safety. Steve was much further away from him now, light on his feet, ready to run from the flames, thankfully unharmed.
'You and your kind like to call yourselves gods,' Hubris said. 'But there is only one who is worthy of that title, and His power flows through me.'
The stone ground sizzled everywhere Thor stepped, amber glow just below the surface. His arm throbbed from the wound he suffered, but he could easily ignore it. The fire should not have burnt him this easily; his skin was thicker than that.
'Hellfire,' Hubris told him. 'You don't feel so invincible now, do you?'
Well, if fire was Hubris' choice of weapon, Thor just needed to keep his distance. He could also give him a taste of a different kind of fire, the burning power of thunder. Mjölnir was already thrumming in his hand. More flames erupted everywhere around him, the stone turning to lava under his feet, scorching his boots, but not burning through it. He could wear these boots in Muspelheim with ease.
He watched Hubris' eyes move to the side, glancing in Steve's direction. While it was inadvisable to look away from an enemy that was standing right in front of him, Thor had to check that his friend was okay in this boiling heat around them. And he was, for now at least, but there were tall pillars of fire surrounding him from almost all directions. The Darkholder was indeed pleased that he cornered Steve so. Thor was infuriated, trying to decide whether to attack his foe or aid his friend.
Steve caught his eyes and the fact that he was calm even in the face of such danger settled Thor's anger a little.
'Don't worry about me!' Steve yelled at him, sounding almost exasperated that Thor was wasting time. Steve had to have a plan then, so Thor hesitated no longer, sent Mjölnir flying, hitting the Darkholder right in the chest, which sent him plummeting deeper into the cave. A blow like that would've killed any normal human, but Thor did not relax just yet, but called his hammer back and ran after the man. The fires still burnt around them, so certainly his enemy was not defeated just yet.
Thor slid down a long rocky slope, prepared for any attack, and he did not have to wait long as silent spirits made of fire flew at him just as he reached the bottom. They had no real bodies; they were just living flames with amber eyes and blazing arms. He swung his hammer, but the uru head went straight through them. So he dodged and ignored where fire touched his skin again, burning him. There was only one last thing to try since his hammer and his fists were useless, so he called forth his lightning, letting it wash through him.
He knew his storms and lightning were more than just clouds and electricity; it was magic in one of its purest of forms, as his Mother often reminded him in the past. These creatures of fire were made of magic as well, and Thor was pleased to see them turn to ash. And maybe Hubris survived a blow from Mjölnir thanks to the power Chthon bestowed upon him, but Thor knew he could still win this confrontation, one way or another. The Darkholder was hiding in the shadows again, knowing he could not win against Thor in an open fight. Maybe he hoped to launch a surprise attack, but Thor was no careless youth anymore. He was ready.
'Where are your bold words now?' Thor asked out loud. 'Or are you covering in a corner like a child?'
He had a feeling Darkholders were arrogant, believed they were above other humans, so insults should work well enough with them. The stone sizzled under Thor's feet again, proving him right. He was cautious of the flames, the Hellfire, as they could cause him much damage, but lightning crackled on his skin, making his hammer glow in the darkness. Feeling the storm so strongly within him always filled him with confidence.
He could hear the sound of someone moving in the darkness and he let lightning strike that spot immediately. Hubris ran and new flames came to life around them, these ones swirling and moving, twisting into a whirlwind. Once Hubris was far enough he turned back around to face Thor, his arms raised to control the fire that separated them. The air was so hot around them that breathing it in was getting unpleasant, and the metal of Thor's armour was uncomfortably warm. He had to end this fight quickly. He couldn't call forth a real storm this deep underground, so his lightning would have to do.
'You all walked into our trap, you cocky, stupid heroes,' Hubris said, the glow in his eyes much brighter than before. 'But you're done for. You can't stop us.'
'We'll see about that,' Thor said in return.
'No, with Loki trapped there is no one left to stop us,' the Darkholder told him, his lips stretching out into a grin. 'Oh, and you still didn't realise that I'm just playing with you.'
The flames grew in intensity as Hubris lifted his arms higher, but before Thor could act someone grabbed the Darkholder from behind. Thor realized it was Steve when the two of them shifted.
Hubris laughed loudly despite the arm around his throat.
'Big mistake,' he said, and burst into flames.
'Steve!' Thor shouted as the fire engulfed the two of them. Thor's heart was beating rapidly in his chest, fear gripping his throat, and he was unable to move for a long second as the flames filled everything up with light and heat. Then he was on the move, trying to find a spot where the flames were not as intense, to find a way through...
The fire was snuffed out abruptly, leaving only bright spots behind in Thor's vision. He heard his own heavy breathing in the silence, then a wet gurgle full of pain.
Steve still stood there, miraculously unharmed, an arm still tight around Hubris' neck, keeping him trapped. And the Darkholder was struggling, but only faintly now, blood dripping down from his mouth... the tip of a blade sticking out of his chest... what?
Hubris tried to grab the arm that was around his throat, but he couldn't move it at all. It was not a serious attempt to get free, more the final desperate flails of a man in his death throes.
Thor was close enough to hear the words that came out of Steve's mouth.
'Did you really think you could trick a trickster?' he asked. Hubris stopped gaping and struggling after another moment, his body going limp as life vanished from his eyes, the yellow glow snuffed out just like his flames. Steve waited one more second then let the body drop, pulling the blade back out.
Thor must've looked like a fool, with his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide, but he did not understand. Steve looked up at him, stared for a long second, then his face shifted into a much more meaningful "look".
'Oh, come now,' he said... Thor blinked... oh... oh!
'Loki!' Thor finally said, shouted maybe, he was not entirely in control of his own voice at the moment. He recognised both the expression and the tone now, no matter how hard it was to wrap his mind around it.
'Keep your voice down,' Loki hissed. The voice was still Steve's, the face too, the body, the blue combat suit, the shield on his back, everything was perfectly in place.
Thor was speechless. He just kept staring at his brother in Steve Rogers' shape and hoped an explanation was forthcoming. Loki had other ideas apparently, because he just crouched down next to Tony Hubris' body and started searching him for something, almost completely ignoring Thor and his shocked silence.
There were a lot of questions in Thor's head, so he just walked closer and started saying them out loud.
'If you're here, then who's in that cage?' he asked.
'Why, our dear Captain, of course,' Loki said.
'But... how? And when?'
Loki stopped searching Hubris' body and glanced up at Thor again. He smiled in a way Steve never did.
'At the very start,' he said.
'Very start... you mean when we got here?'
'Hmm, Stark Tower, just after the rest of you walked through my portal,' Loki confirmed, looking all too pleased with himself. Then he went back to search Hubris' pockets and coat. 'I must admit I did not expect this to work as well as it did. I was sure one of you would notice much sooner and ruin it all, you or James, maybe Leah, or the Widow...'
He finally found what he was looking for as he got a dark piece of paper out of the inside of Hubris' coat, an envelope of sorts. He looked at Thor again as he stood up, and kept talking.
'Not that I doubted my own skills, of course, but it was hard to predict whether the Captain would be up for the task. So I'm very pleasantly surprised at how well he did.'
Thor frowned as Loki's words sank in. He was trying to remember, look back at every word that came from either Loki or Steve, searching his mind for any signs he might've missed. Like that cold vicious fury in Steve's eyes, Thor just assumed it was because of Barnes. Steve's oddly accurate suggestions when it came to magic... hints of warmth in Loki's tone that showed he cared... Thor didn't think… there was no reason to think some trickery was afoot.
'But why? Why all this?' he asked.
Loki tore open the envelope and he pulled out another piece of paper... a page of the Darkhold. As Loki held it in his hand his eyes, Steve's blue eyes still, locked on to the fragile looking paper, his gaze going somewhere far away, just like the last time he touched one of these pages. Then the paper went up in flames in his hand, and Loki was back, looking at Thor again through Steve's face. He continued their conversation as if nothing happened, like he didn't just absorb more power from this dark demonic god.
'Because we were walking into a trap,' Loki said. 'And I knew that out of all the traps that could await us, the one set for me would be the biggest.'
'So you let Steve walk into it instead?' Thor asked, his voice getting louder again.
'I didn't shove him into a pit full of snakes,' Loki rolled his eyes. 'We agreed on a plan, and it works.'
'A plan?'
'Yes.'
'If you tricked him...'
'Oh please, don't act like he's some hapless fool I can bend to my will as I please,' Loki cut him off. The long-suffering look Loki gave him was surprisingly not out of place on Steve's face, but Steve's version of it was never directed at Thor.
'You knew there was a trap waiting for you,' Thor said. 'And you wanted him to walk into it in your place. He could have been killed!'
'He knew what danger he would be in,' Loki told him. 'And he agreed to the plan regardless.'
'That better be the truth,' Thor warned.
'You either underestimate your friend's bravery, or you think more of my talent with words than I expected,' Loki replied.
'And what if the Darkholders tried to kill him instead of trapping him?' Thor demanded.
'We both agreed that was unlikely to happen,' Loki said easily, walking closer to Thor. 'As the Darkholders and Chthon already know that killing me is not a permanent solution.'
'You couldn't have known for sure,' Thor said to him.
'No, of course not, but it was a… calculated risk.'
Thor was not pleased about his response, but he pushed down on his urge to argue about it further.
'You could've told us,' he said instead.
'No,' Loki disagreed, eyeing the burns on Thor's arms. 'This would've been impossible then. To trust that you all would treat me as you would treat him, look at him like you would look at me. Nonsense. I couldn't even expect James to be able to do that.'
Maybe so, but Thor was still not pleased about being deceived like this, even if Steve agreed to this mad plan. They could've come up with something better, Thor was sure of it.
Loki grabbed his wrist and Thor managed not to tense right away.
'I'm no healer, so don't complain,' Loki said as his free hand lit up with a warm golden glow. He put his hand on the worst of the burns on Thor's arm. The pain slipped away straight away.
'You are unharmed… or is this just an illusion?' Thor asked.
'Fire seems to be a very integral part of my current form, so no, Hubris could not burn me.'
He was done a moment later and he pulled his hand away. There were still burn marks on Thor's skin, but at least he was no longer in pain.
'You need to see a real healer, and it might still scar,' Loki said.
'As long as I can use my arms without trouble I care not,' Thor answered. He would not deny that he could be vain, but he's chosen the warrior life and scars were inevitable. Loki's hand was still around his wrist and Thor wondered why he couldn't see the illusion shimmer where they touched. Come to think of it, he touched them both since they got here, and there were no tell-tale signs of magic.
'This is different than your usual illusions,' Thor said.
'Very,' Loki agreed. 'We needed something more solid.'
'Why Steve?' Thor asked then. 'You could've asked me.'
'Yes, because Thor not being able to pick up his own hammer wouldn't have been suspicious at all.'
'Barnes?'
'Gaea's magic shines like a beacon all around him, it was not possible.'
'I still…'
Loki dropped his arm. 'Enough questions. Your friends may be fighting for their lives this very moment and you want to chat… and we still need to find James as well.'
Thor nodded, seeing no point in arguing. His fellow Avengers could be in need of their help. He was surprised that Loki still kept Steve's shape though.
'Aren't you going to change back?'
'No. There are still two Darkholders left, and now is the chance to strike while they believe they have me trapped. So you will keep quiet about this, and act like I'm your dear friend Captain Rogers… understood?'
Thor tightened his lips, but considered his options before he spoke. Steve put himself in a lot of danger. Certainly there was a chance that Loki tricked him, but he knew the good Captain enough to believe that he was willing to take such a risk. It was definitely not out of character for him to agree to a plan as dangerous as this, risking his own life. Thor didn't have to like it, but it was the truth.
'Won't Chthon see through this trick?' he asked.
Loki's eyes narrowed as they always did when Thor called his magic mere "tricks", but he didn't make any scalding remarks.
'If Chthon was able to manifest here to kill us all, he would've done it the moment we set foot in this place,' Loki said simply. 'The fact that we are still alive shows that he cannot appear in this world right now, not this close to being free. All his might must be focused on opening that door for himself.'
That was not as reassuring as Loki made it sound, but Thor just nodded.
'And the other Darkholders?' he asked. 'Surely they will notice that their companion has fallen.'
'Surely,' Loki agreed. 'But they'll assume you defeated him. You do have a reputation, Mighty Thor.'
That certainly made sense.
'Let's go then,' Thor said with another nod, ignoring the slightly mocking tone Loki used.
'And Thor,' Loki said, sounding like Steve again. The voice never changed, but his tone, the way he spoke was different right away. It was a flawless switch that Thor knew would make the other Avengers nervous. They were no going to like how easily Loki could pretend to be one of them. 'Maybe the less you speak the better.'
'It's not as hard for me to act like you are my friend as you think it is, Loki,' Thor told him. They used to be friends, not just brothers.
Loki stopped and looked back at him, his face unreadable even with Steve's features. He seemed to want to say something, but he remained silent in the end. Maybe Thor was ready to be honest with his brother, but Loki certainly didn't seem to be. Thor shook the thought aside, not allowing his mind to focus on anything but their upcoming battles.
x-x-x
To be continued...
