SHADOW OF DEATH

Chapter 35: Failure

As a king and as a man, T'Chaka carried many regrets on his aged shoulders. Too often, the duties to the throne came at a heavy cost, but none as heavy as the cost of his half-brother, N'Jobu. This was not the first time he looked back on that day with bitter regret and self-doubt. Now, as T'Chaka sat in the oppressive silence of the SHIELD prison cell, he had little else he could do but consider the costs of that day.

Ayo, the one Dora Milaje warrior granted as a concession to guard the king outside his cell in the Netherlands, stood stoically outside his door. She was not permitted to speak unless a SHIELD agent granted her an audience and all their interactions were closely monitored by the king's captors. Her role was simply to ensure the safety of her monarch during the investigation into Wakanda's role in the Fall-an investigation that could hardly reveal the truth as the very Pillars of Wakanda kept T'Chaka from speaking outloud in his own defense.

It had been three weeks after the mgeni left that the false border of Wakanda received fifty SHIELD soldiers, Director Nick Fury, and the fully grown son of T'Chaka's dead brother. They came not to seek information (for they were convinced they knew enough already), but to bring accusations and swift punishment on the nation they accused of "orchestrating the Fall" and "knowingly harboring and colluding with Earth's greatest enemy." This enemy was the one they deemed "solely responsible for the destruction of New York and subsequent upheaval across the planet."

As the questions and accusations outgrew T'Chaka's ability to answer in truth and maintain his bastion of secrets, he knew what the inevitable outcome would be. Still, as he looked upon the strong, angry shoulders of his brother's only son, T'Chaka's regrets were those of the man more than the king. He wondered, not for the first time, if he had made the right decision.

The times of N'Jobu's betrayal of the Pillars came during dark days for Wakanda. Uganda, southern Sudan, Rwanda, and the DRC were all beset by rebel armies (even as they harbored the rebels of their neighbors). Blood watered the soils as much as the seasonal rains and the turning of the Cold War in the northern countries of Europe meant their proxy wars in Africa were no longer of as much value. The Derg in Ethiopia crumbled first, tumbling neighboring Somalia into Civil War. The American support for the kleptocratic dictatorship of Mobutu in the DRC slowly withdrew, leaving the entire Great Lakes region ripe for reaping the violence that had been sown and carefully kindled for decades. Parasitic leaders (allowed and encouraged by Western political aspirations) ruled with iron fists, hungry pockets, and trigger-happy fingers surrounded Wakanda on all sides. Wakanda remained an island surrounded entirely by an ocean of petrol, ready for the match that would set the heart of the continent on fire and leave Wakanda scorched along with all the rest.

During those days in Wakanda, some of the younger, more ambitious, more idealistic politicians felt it their duty to "step in and assist their neighbors." Their well-intentioned and short-sighted aspirations only grew louder after the metaphorical "match" was lit and bloody wars exploded around them. The refugees became more plentiful than gazelle, weapons easier to obtain than safe passage, and all spoke in fearful whispers of the horrors which floated across the lakes and rivers and kept the crocodiles well-fed. The elders, those who clung to tradition and the Pillars and kept a long view of history, said this too would pass. They warned the younger generation that if Wakanda revealed their secrets, they could never recover and it would be Wakanda that the vultures of the world would descend upon next.

There were no words for how suffocated T'Chaka felt by the conflicts both within his own country and without. N'Jobu's betrayal of the most sacred Pillars, even if conducted with an intent to bring aid to others, was still a keen and piercing pain in the midst of so many other struggles. T'Chaka could not afford entanglement in more international conflicts and "struggles" for independence. Yet, the cost of his brother's life still felt too high a price and he had never hated the throne as much as he had that day.

He knew, as much as he knew is own name, that he would now pay that price with his own head. He had seen it in his nephew's eyes and the proud, vengeful cast of his shoulders. Erik Stevens, N'Jadaka, son of N'Jobu, or "Killmonger" as he called himself, came for blood. He would not leave until he made his own legitimate claim upon the Wakandan throne and forced Wakanda to pay for the death of his father. Killmonger came to finish what his father started and T'Chaka's flickering life was all that stood in his way. Whether by surprise attack or official decree, Wakanda's monarch would not be returning to the throne and, most likely, would not see the end of this year.

T'Chaka could only pray that his children did not pay for his mistakes with their heads as well as his own. As soon as the General requested his presence at their false capital to "speak with their visitors," T'Chaka had known he needed to send Shuri away. T'Challa, as next in line for the throne, would need to remain and fight his own battles on behalf of the country, but Shuri, her research, and her entourage of wageni, would only incriminate Wakanda further and put more lives at risk. The last thing Wakanda needed was for SHIELD to find evidence of extra-terrestrials, formerly mind-controlled and supernaturally enhanced soldiers and scientists, or blue prints for a bifrost in their labs and in their city.

T'Chaka gave the princess an hour to gather herself and escape through the secret tunnels to seek refuge from the Jabari. It was at crises like that that T'Chaka appreciated the stance the Jabari had taken in refusing all technology and outside influence on their way of life. No technology could trace them in the highlands there and they could hide in safety as they waited and watched.

As his nephew forced his way past their gates and into the secret heart of Birnin Zana as a "representative of SHIELD," T'Chaka knew how many of their secrets were still safe in Shuri's care, outside the reach of curious eyes. She would not share her research with the outside world and as long as Shuri remained safe, so would Wakanda.

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Skadmire burst through the door of his underground home with a look of fierce determination on his blue-armored face. He began to thrown his belongings into a chest without so much as a word to where Loki sat at on a chair with a book in his lap. Loki raised an eyebrow and watched in indifferent curiosity.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked.

"Leaving," Skamire responded. "Now."

Loki stood slowly and closed his book. He waved his hand over it and vanished it into his storage. He had to admit he was slightly impressed when he saw Skadmire perform the same spell on his chest of belongings. It vanished with a tingle of magic in the air and Skadmire turned fierce, red eyes onto Loki.

"He's here," Skadmire said gravely.

"Who?" Loki asked, concern beginning to bloom in his chest.

"The Mad Titan. I just had it meself from a communication in the town center. The capital is under attack. The Nova Corps vault be a'burning. Ye know what they held there, aye?"

Loki nodded, his throat suddenly constricting at the thought of his close proximity to his former master.

"He will kill at least half of all life here," Loki said.

"Aye. That be why I'm a'packing," Skadmire said. "Mayhaps we can reach the ships in the next town over before it come to that."

Loki shook his head. "I know another way," he said. "Come with me to Midgard. From there, you can return to Jotunheim. I swear it."

Skadmire gave a hesitant nod and rose to follow Loki out the door.

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Loki led Skadmire behind the village to a corner of the land sheltered both by a tall, overhanging rock face and a little clump of trees. Wary eyes scanned the sky overhead, fearing the dark shapes and explosions they knew would come.

Loki materialized the Ice Casket in his arms and began to prepare for their journey. Skadmire's silent appraisal of both the Ice Casket in Loki's hand and the blue shell coating his body left Loki feeling decidedly uncomfortable.

The return journey took decidedly less time since he was now more familiar with the intricacies of the Casket. He had misjudged his final leg and was a bit far from his intended final destination on Midgard. By all appearances, perhaps a days' walk from Birnin Zana. It would be easy enough to remedy that.

With another quick slip through space and time, he and the Jotun arrived just outside the secret tunnel into Birnin Zana's palace.

"This be a different Midgard than me eyes have seen before," Skadmire remarked as he took in his surroundings.

"We are in the center, where the Midgardian sun's rays hit the most evenly during all seasons," Loki replied as he attempted to open the tunnel into the city. To his dismay, the code to enter the tunnel failed him. Instead, it triggered an alternate message and a projection of a rushed, and rather frantic, Shuri materialized in front of him. Seeing her face, Loki grew concerned.

"Prince, if you return, seek us out," her image said. "There is trouble here. We have to flee to safety. They've taken Baba. They think you are behind it all and that we have aided you…eh, they are correct if I phrase it so but the way they put it, it does not sound nearly so well. Do not enter Birnin Zana or make your presence known until you find me."

The transmission flickered and evaporated, leaving Loki speechless and staring at where her image had just been.

"Trouble a'brewin' on Midgard?" Skadmire asked.

"So it would seem. I may need to delay our journey to Jotunheim for another day or two," Loki said.

"I be closer to home now than I be for long and I am away from the Mad Titan, for now. Let us do what needs be," Skadmire answered with a slight nod of his head. Against the emerald green forest behind him, the towering blue figure appeared all the more out-of-place and Loki cringed. How could he not bring attention to them while travelling with a Frost Giant in-tow? For the first time, Loki paused to appreciate his own mediocre height in comparison to Skadmire.

"Would it be possible for you to remove your armor for a time?" Loki asked over his shoulder as he turned to walk back the way they had come.

"What fer?"

"Your height will gain you more attention than we need, but if you are blue, I am afraid you may terrify the little natives who are not used to mingling with the peoples of other realms."

"Aye," Skadmire said. The bright blue armor evaporated and left only the pale, tattooed skin beneath. With a wave of his hand, Skadmire conjured a light robe which he used to cover his exposed chest and most of his head and legs. While still a formidable, striking figure, he was less ostentatious and Loki nodded his approval of the change.

Before they walked two paces, they were stopped by an orange and white furred shape sitting serenely at the side of a tree, as if waiting for them. Skadmire gasped and jumped backwards, nearly succeeding in withdrawing his weapon before Loki motioned for him to calm himself.

"Skadmire, meet Goose. It is a companion of mine," Loki said. As he spoke, Goose hissed and turned its back on Loki in such a haughty motion that Skadmire turned a dubious sideways glance back at Loki.

"If that be a companion, then I be a bosom-brother," the giant said. "Since when did the folks o' Midgard gain such beasts?

"The flerkin is another exile, though I know not how it came to be trapped on this realm. It found me and has shadowed me worse than an einherjar bodyguard. I do not think Goose has forgiven me for leaving it behind when I traveled to Xander," Loki responded and he cautiously approached the flerkin, kneeling before it and reaching out his hand. He received a clawed swipe on his hand and another hiss.

Loki withdrew his hand and shook it out with a hiss and a muffled curse.

"Fine, hold onto your ill-will, beast," Loki muttered. "Are you able to take us to Princess Shuri?"

Goose rose to its feet, curled its tail around Loki's ankles and gave the prince an imperious and begrudging glare before it pranced off in the opposite direction. It stopped once to turn back and mew at them before leading the way again.

"We follow," Loki said and he pretended not to notice Skadmire's skeptical raised eyebrows and pursed lips in response.

The flerkin took them through a tunnel far outside the city that led them onto a tall mountain pass. Loki knew little of this terrain or destination, but he knew Skamdire would not begrudge how the climate cooled the farther they climbed.

"He will have obtained the Power Stone," Loki remarked, more to himself than to Skadmire.

"Those cursed Stones were a'never meant to be wielded by any of the realms," Skadmire replied angrily. "No finite being were meant to hold infinity in they hands. It's a'like trying to fit the oceans o'Midgard into a teapot. The Stones are meant to be left alone and do they work without bein' disturbed by the likes o'us. There always be a cost when they be used for a means they were not made for."

"I fear the cost will be paid by many across the realms if the Power Stone remains in Thanos' accursed grip," Loki said.

"Aye…and it would please the damnable queen of Helheim to have so much power within her grips…how be the health o'the All-Father?"

"I…I don't know," Loki stammered, unsettled by how he never considered Odin's life to really have an end. As the life of a parent to any child, Odin's life seemed infinite and he had never really paused to consider that it had both a beginning and an end. "I have not returned to Asgard…for some time."

Skadmire nodded solemnly. "We must send more prayers fer his health to continue," he said. "Or Thanos may be the least o'our worries."

The flerkin reached a narrow path that led them through a set of rocky caverns when the sound of footsteps reached them. The sound grew until they could clearly hear the footsteps belonged to more than a single set of feet. Soon, a party of five men clothed in furs and leather appeared. They carried heavy ebony rungus in their hands. Their thick beards were dotted with specks of ice frozen from the condensation of their breath.

They halted in front of the three visitors, pounded their right fists against their chests, and chanted a chorus of barking grunts in greeting.

"Why have you come to Jabari?" one man asked.

"We seek the Princess Shuri of Wakanda," Loki said. The men nodded and turned to lead them the rest of the way through the caverns.

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The hidden mountain passageway that opened into a large city, carved out of the ridges and crests of the mountain face itself. Snow covered the mountain's face and the rooftops of the inhabitants' homes. Skadmire gave a wide grin and paused to bury his hands in the snow.

"Midgard grows more lovely and welcoming by the moment," he said as he poured the snow over his head and into his robe. He removed his boots so he could walk barefoot and he gave a happy sigh as he did. Their guides did not hide their expressions of surprise as they watched and Loki clicked his tongue to encourage his companion to keep moving.

Goose, much less impressed by the change of climate, forgave Loki's transgressions to the extent that it now rode on Loki's shoulders. The flerkin still glared at the prince at each opportunity and, once or twice, sharpened its claws on the prince's head. The flerkin reconsidered its actions when it found itself chest deep in snow again. It chose to sheath its claws and maintain its warm feet for the remainder of their journey.

They were taken to a large room within an expansive brick house that they were told belonged to the chief. Within, they were immediately welcomed by a very exuberant welcome committee.

"You are here!" Shuri said as she grasped Loki's hand and gave him a broad, dimpled grin. "I have never been so happy to see an alien in my entire life!"

She looked as if she'd lived through five years of life in the month he had been away and his concern grew. He could see five Dora Milaje around the room and three King's Guards. The queen, the Winter Soldier, and Dr. Foster were all present in the room, but the king and prince were noticeably absent.

"Please meet Skadmire of the Eastern Glaciers of Jotunheim," Loki said as his companion stepped forward to give a solemn greeting to each occupant in the room in the fashion of the Jotnar. He bowed his head and placed his hand on his forehead as he met each. He stood so tall, his head brushed the low ceiling of the room.

Jane, when she came forward to greet Loki, disregarded all attempts of formality and nonchalance and threw her arms around him.

"I'm so glad you are ok," she said.

Loki awkwardly looked at his hands, wondering what he was expected to do, before giving her back a rigid pat and clearing his throat.

"You look like hell! What happened?" she asked when she pulled back enough to take his appearance in.

"It's a long story," Loki said.

She gave him a lengthy stare until he squared his shoulders and pursed his lips so tight he looked as if he were in pain.

"Fine. You were right," he began.

She raised one eye brow and waited for him to continue.

"I should not have attempted this journey alone. It was fool-hardy of me to go unaccompanied. I nearly paid for my foolishness with my own flesh."

"I have a feeling you don't admit wrongdoing very often," she replied.

"I have a feeling I do not ever admit wrongdoing-out loud."

"It looks good on you," she said with a wink. "You should wear it more often."

"Tell us, Prince, what news?" the queen asked after introductions and a quick meal were given. Loki sighed. He would not enjoy this part of their reunion.

"I failed," he began as he kept his eyes on Skadmire. "The Power Stone went into the hands of our enemy. I fear Midgard will be the first place he attacks."

"How bad do you think this is going to be?" Jane asked.

"The Power Stone can extinguish an entire planet five times the size of Midgard in the blink of an eye."

"Ok. So, bad."

"It will take time for Thanos to reach Midgard. However, I fear that when he comes, it will not end well. Thanos will seek to destroy Midgard in revenge for my protection of it, regardless of which realm I am upon."

"Too bad we destroyed the Time Stone already. We could have used it to take the Power Stone back," Jane said.

Loki rolled his eyes. "And who told me to destroy it immediately?"

"Yeah, yeah. So what now?"

"There remains the Reality Stone, which was supposedly destroyed by Thor's grandfather, and the Soul Stone, which no one knows the location of."

"But it wasn't destroyed…and someone does know the location of the other," Jane remarked, her eyes distant.

"I believe the best way to proceed is to return to Asgard, face the wrath of Odin, and speak with our gatekeeper. He may be able to determine the locations of these stones, as well as the movements of the Mad Titan. If I survive facing the All-Father, I can plead for the aid of Asgard in defense of Midgard and the rest of the Nine and warn him of the coming of Thanos."

"Sounds like a plan…but, Loki-what about Wakanda?" Jane asked.

"You will need to explain to me exactly what has transpired on Midgard in my absence," Loki responded with one eyebrow raised. Shuri blew out a long breath and leaned forward to take over the conversation.

"I will tell you, but it will be a long story," she said.

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