Chapter 7: The Dark World
Guards patrolled the throne room, which was still a wreck. Despite his current behaviour, Odin was making sure the repairs were focused in the more necessary places, both in town and around the palace. However, it did mean that the crashed ship belonging to the Dark Elves still sat there, entirely useless.
Despite the looming threat that had everyone on edge, the guards that were stationed at the ship to guard it were bored. There was nothing hidden inside it, and until it was cleared away, all they had to do was stand there until their patrol swapped.
Odin had been called away, bringing a group of his men with him, leaving even less to guard the throne room, especially with Jane being locked away.
One of the men couldn't help it, and yawned widely. He ignored the side-eye from his partner, lifting his hand to wipe at his teary eyes. Like everyone else, he hadn't slept well, and he doubted he would until the threat was gone.
"Tired?" the voice echoed around the room.
"Isn't everyone?" he grunted, before freezing. It was a woman's voice. One that wasn't normally heard on Asgard. He whirled around, as did the guard he was with, and they found Ciara sitting perched on top of the ship. She wore her black cloak around her shoulders, and as a contrast to the blue tunic and black trousers she wore that were of Asgard, she wore her heavy duty boots with mismatched laces and goggles, which she'd been wearing when she'd arrived on Asgard.
"Hey," Ciara waved, suddenly darting down to the front of the ship. "So this is their ship huh? Smells musty," she moved so fast the two couldn't keep up, pointing their weapons at her warily as she looked around.
"Step away from there. You're not allowed to be there," one guard warned her, voice deep and gruff.
"I'm not?" Ciara tilted her head, and grinned. "Funny, those are my favourite places to be," she suddenly darted forwards, slamming into one of the guards with a crash. He gave a cry, toppling to the ground, and his armour clanged so loudly it caught the attention of everyone around. Ciara immediately started laughing at the dazed man, having been forced back a few steps herself.
"Hey!" the other guard yelled, lashing out at her. However, Ciara darted around him easily, grabbing him by his helmet and yanking him backwards. He yelled as well, falling backwards as Ciara released him just as quickly. Her laughter grew even louder as they groaned.
"Is that really all you have to offer?" she taunted. "I can't believe I didn't do this sooner," Ciara laughed, before hearing footsteps pounding towards her. The two started to get back up as well, angry.
"It's the mortal!" one guard shouted.
"We should have known she'd show her true colours eventually!" the patrolling guards rushed in to attack Ciara, who smirked as she heard their shouts. She then stuck out her arms, and started to spin. Winds began to pick up around the throne room, and she laughed as they were bombarded with the heavy gusts. Rocks lifted from the whirlwind that she had become, flying around the room. Some hit the guards as they struggled to try and get close enough to stop her, with enough force to knock them out or even just immobilise them.
"Well, come on then!" she stopped spinning just as suddenly, running straight past them and stopping nearby as if to lead them.
"This way!" as she'd hoped, they gave chase away from the ship and after Ciara. She laughed, stopping occasionally to either knock down a random guard or pelt them with more debris that was still lying around. Before they could catch up, she used her powers to teleport, reappearing elsewhere to distract them again. Turning around, her eyes widened when she came face to face with another guard.
"You're-" he stopped, and Ciara realised who he was, the one who'd attacked her before. He lifted his head, hearing the shouts.
"Where's she gone?" one demanded. The guard looked back down at Ciara, who raised an eyebrow.
"She hasn't come this way!" he shouted back, and Ciara's wary look was replaced by surprise.
"Damn, she must have gone the other way. Come on!" the footsteps marched away, and Ciara tilted her head.
"Thank you," she said quietly, and he shrugged.
"I owed you. Now we're even. Go, before I change my mind," he told her, turning and striding off to catch up with the others. Ciara snorted.
"So honourable," she rolled her eyes, and started running, stopping as she spotted four others waiting. Thor was looking around for any sign of trouble, and let out a sigh of relief as she appeared beside him.
"Any who were stationed near here are on a wild goose chase for the insolent mortal," Ciara smirked.
"At least you understand your place well enough," Sif muttered, and Ciara's smirk faded very slightly when she heard the words. She then glanced at Loki, raising an eyebrow.
"What happened to your face?" she asked, seeing the faint red marking across his cheek. He looked at Jane with a raised eyebrow, and she went red. Ciara started to laugh. "Nice one," she praised the woman, who glared at her.
"On my command," they looked around as more guards started to pour in as they'd expected.
"I'll hold them off," Sif decided as Thor walked forwards to deal with them. "Take her," she indicated to Jane. Thor was quiet for a moment, before agreeing.
"Thank you," he said quietly, turning and leading Jane away. As Loki and Ciara both went to follow, Sif's blade was suddenly at Loki's neck, and her shield was blocking Ciara's path.
"Betray him, and I'll kill you," she warned Loki quietly. The much taller man only laughed.
"It's good to see you too, Sif," he said, sarcasm dripping from his words. Sif glared at him, before raising her blade. He walked past, and Sif levelled a glare at Ciara.
"Let me guess. Same goes for me?" she asked mockingly.
"You'll regret treating me so lightly," Sif warned. Ciara glared back at her, shoving the shield out of the way.
"And you already forget that I'm not just some pathetic mortal you can crush," she bit back. Sif turned away from her, focusing her attention on the oncoming guards so she didn't think about how Ciara had bested her in a fight.
"I see you're in her good books too," Loki's words were quiet as Ciara walked past him, following Thor and Jane towards the palace.
"We haven't seen eye to eye since I picked a fight with her on Earth," Ciara admitted, and sped up as his smirk widened.
When the group made it to the throne room where the ship lay, Volstagg was waiting for them.
"You cleared them out well," he told Ciara, who winked.
"I got told to go full chaos. You're getting the mutant menace experience of my teenage years," she replied. Volstagg then looked up at Thor.
"I will give you as much time as I can," he told him, and Thor clapped his hand to his.
"Thank you, my friend," he said, walking by. Jane smiled up at the imposing man, remembering him as well from their brief time on Earth. Ciara cracked her neck, looking around.
"You're not coming?" Jane asked, seeing her stop while Volstagg warned Loki quietly.
"I'll catch up. Full chaos will buy you more time," Ciara replied, eyes still lit up with excitement. It had been too long since she had gotten to cause so much trouble, and she was taking advantage of it. Jane shook her head, exasperated, before following Thor into the ship. Loki soon followed, and Volstagg stood beside Ciara.
"Don't get in the way now," he warned her, and Ciara snorted.
"Do I get extra points if I manage to lift you off the ground?" her question made him bark out a laugh, and he raised his axe.
"I'd be impressed, I'll give you that," he told her.
"They're on the ship!" more guards arrived, and Volstagg gulped. "Get to the ship!" the guards yelled as they ran over. Volstagg knocked them out of the way, hitting them but making sure not to do any lasting damage. Ciara, on the other hand, had already begun to run around again, colliding with them and knocking them off their feet from the force.
"I think I have gotten stronger since I got here," she called to Volstagg, who shoved a man off him and slammed the butt of his axe against his head.
"At least you're not bouncing off them anymore," he commented, and Ciara stopped for a moment. She studied him for a moment, before smirking.
"I'd definitely still not take you down," she told him seriously, before darting to the side as one guard swung for her. "No way, I'm not getting hit again," she grabbed the man and vanished, reappearing a moment later.
"Where did you leave him?" Volstagg asked, concerned as Ciara laughed.
"A cell," she said simply. "Don't worry, it was an empty one," she soothed when she saw his eyes widen. She then began to spin again, creating strong winds that caused the rubble to start flying around. It pelted the guards, and as more began to swarm in, starting to overwhelm Volstagg, the ship suddenly pulsed to lift, knocking everyone off their feet, including Ciara. The winds that Ciara created didn't entirely die, as the ship lifted off the ground while they watched. "Whoa," she laughed as they all watched it spin, destroying almost all of the pillars in the room before taking off.
"Ciara, go!" Volstagg said as the guards began to recover.
"What about you?" Ciara asked as she looked around, seeing more starting to run in.
"I'll be fine. Go! Make sure Thor is okay!" Volstagg shouted over the chaos of their fighting. Ciara arched an eyebrow. "Do not betray him, Ciara," he warned.
"That's more like it," she laughed, vanishing in a ripple as several guards tried to pounce on her. They landed in a heap, groaning, and Volstagg grabbed his axe, ready to keep going.
Fandral was humming to himself, keeping the skiff in place as he heard explosions all across Asgard.
"They're not exactly subtle, are they?" Ciara asked as she materialised beside him, swaying in the large vessel. It hovered above the water, ready to move.
"I believe that's the plan," Fandral commented, his voice light, looking up as they saw the massive ship flying towards them, followed by multiple skiffs firing mercilessly at them.
"And the plan is to risk getting blown up? These guys are ruthless," Ciara commented, and almost overbalanced as the massive ship flew over their heads, causing such strong winds that Fandral had to catch her.
"Heads up," he pulled her into him as they heard a yell echoing towards them, before Loki landed with a heavy thud at their feet. Fandral couldn't help but laugh. "I see your time in the dungeons has made you no less graceful, Loki," he taunted as Thor landed, carrying Jane in his arms. Loki got to his feet, trying not to show how much it hurt, and tried to ignore Fandral's teasing words. Instead, his eyes lingered on where the man's arm was still around Ciara's waist, and immediately the speedster felt compelled to pull out of his grasp, pushing Fandral away.
"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a damsel for you to save?" she bit at the man, whose smile widened.
"How many times do you have to behave like a damsel for me to save?" he retorted. Ciara rolled her eyes and instead moved past them to watch the skiffs still shooting at the ship, oblivious to the fact that it was now empty.
"You lied to me," Loki realised as he turned and watched Thor set Jane down carefully. Ciara frowned as she saw how exhausted the scientist was. She was wearing out fast. Thor's plan really was the best way to save her. "I'm impressed," Loki told Thor as he straightened up.
"I'm glad you're pleased, now do as you promised," Thor ordered him, levelling a glare at his brother. "Take us to your secret pathway," he said. Loki laughed, taking control of the skiff. It sped up, racing across the water, before Ciara heard a noise behind her. She turned, and her hair, already whipping wildly around her, threatened to blind her.
"Looks like we got found out!" she called over the noise as she pulled her hair out of her eyes, and Thor looked around just in time to see shots being fired at them. Loki easily outmaneuvered them, and pushed the skiff up into the air.
"Fandral," Thor turned to the warrior, who nodded.
"Right," he reached down and took hold of one of the ropes still attached. He winked at Ciara, who rolled her eyes and turned back to the other skiffs still shooting at them. Chuckling, Fandral straightened up and turned to Thor. "For Asgard," he said, deadpan, before leaping out. Ciara then peered over the edge, watching as he swung with ease and landed on one of the other skiffs. In seconds, he'd knocked out the ones riding it, and gave Thor a two-fingered salute.
"What a showoff," Ciara rolled her eyes, unimpressed, and instead crouched down low. "Urgh, I hate this," she muttered.
"What's wrong? Afraid of a little open air?" Loki's words were barely audible, but she still heard them and shot him a glare. "Of course. Nowhere to run," he kept going.
"How about you just get us where we need to go?" Ciara grumbled, and looked away so she didn't have to see his smirk.
"Loki…" Thor's voice was warning as he looked up from Jane to see their skiff hurtling for one of the rock formations in the middle of the water.
"If it were easy, everyone would do it," Loki pointed out, carefully adjusting the angle.
"Are you mad?!" Thor demanded.
"Possibly," Loki's answer was honest, and Thor crouched over Jane to keep her safe. They flew straight into a crevice that wasn't entirely big enough, and the scraping sound made Ciara flinch. The force they hit it at caused her to fall backwards, and for a moment she thought she was about to fall out as she slid backwards, before she was caught by Loki's boot. Ciara stared forwards, watching as the tunnel began to flash with different lights.
A moment passed, and the lights exploded before fading, flinging the skiff out somewhere else entirely. The sky was completely overcast with clouds so dark they were almost black, preventing almost all sunlight from reaching them.
"Ta-da," Loki sang as the skiff swayed dangerously, barely able to stay in the air. Ciara clambered over to the edge, peering out as her eyes adjusted to the sudden difference in light.
"Whoa," she breathed. They'd done it. They'd made it to the Dark World.
Despite the damage done to the skiff in the chaos of not only escaping attack from the Asgardian forces sent by Odin, but also in using a secret gateway to get to the Dark World, the ship was staying strong. It shuddered occasionally, making Ciara nauseous, but it didn't give in.
Seeing Jane shivering, Thor covered her with a blanket. Even Asgard, on the brink of what would have been considered winter, hadn't been as cold as the Dark World. The lack of sunlight made it cold enough to put Ciara on edge, and she stayed curled up, hoping they'd land soon.
"What I could do with the power that flows through those veins," Loki sighed, wistful.
"It would consume you," Thor warned, aware of its power.
"She's holding up alright. For now," Loki lifted his gaze from Jane's sleeping form, to Thor, who had taken a seat near her.
"She's strong in ways you'd never even know," Ciara pulled her legs in tighter, keeping her eyes closed as she pretended to sleep. She didn't particularly want to listen to the pair, but she didn't have much choice.
"Say goodbye," Loki's words were a quiet warning.
"Not this day," Thor looked back at Jane, his determination to save her clear.
"This day, the next, a hundred years, it's nothing," Loki pushed as he stood. "It's a heartbeat. You'll never be ready. The only woman whose love you've prized will be snatched from you," he kept going despite Thor's growing agitation.
"And will that satisfy you?" he finally snapped. Ciara sighed. Even if she wanted to sleep, there was no chance of it now.
"Satisfaction is not in my nature."
"Surrender is not in mine," Thor bit back.
"The Son of Odin," Loki drawled, mocking at Thor's grand words.
"No. Not just of Odin," Thor stood, jerking the skiff. Ciara's arms tightened around her legs. "You think you alone were loved of mother? You had her tricks, but I had her trust," he spat.
"Trust?" finally Loki's true feelings slipped free, and he growled. "Was that her last expression? Trust? When you let her die?" he snarled.
"What help were you in your cell?" the argument was escalating, making Ciara groan.
"Who put me there?" Loki fired back. "Who put me there?" he raised his voice.
"You know damn well!" there was a thud and a groan, and Ciara's eyes opened as the skiff rocked again. "You know damn well who did!" as Thor raised his fist, Ciara materialised between them. He immediately stepped back as Ciara raised her hand in an attempt to stop him.
"Okay, enough. I ain't dying because you two idiots decided to crash this flying boat," she warned, cold and irritated and tired of their fighting. Thor sighed, taking a step back. Ciara shook her head, exasperated, and pushed past Thor. Jane had slept through the entire thing, which made Ciara's concern for her grow. Behind her, Thor and Loki were silent for a moment.
"She wouldn't want us to fight," Thor admitted, his temper already fading after Ciara's interference.
"She wouldn't exactly be shocked," Loki's reply earned a quiet laugh from both of them.
"I wish I could trust you," Thor admitted, his smile fading as he turned and walked back over to Jane. He met Ciara's gaze for a moment, seeing his own grim worry reflected in her own reflection, before he sat down beside Jane.
"Trust my rage," Loki said, so quietly that Thor almost missed it. He didn't look up, keeping his focus on Jane.
"You should get some rest," Ciara suggested quietly. "You'll need your strength if you're going to try to destroy the Aether," she managed a faint smile, and Thor nodded. He cast Loki one more wary glance, before looking at Ciara.
"I still don't know if I can trust you," he admitted to her, but had to admit that he was tired. He had barely slept in two days. Ciara looked out over the destroyed buildings and ships that spanned as far as they could see, her hair blowing behind her.
"You probably shouldn't," Ciara confessed.