I had tried to persuade Anna to stay behind, we had no idea what we would find. Thor and Loki could handle themselves, but Anna was a civilian.
Anna refused: "This is my chance to see history in the making! A whole new chapter to the tales of Thor, god of Thunder, Sorcha, his chosen mortal, and Loki the Trickster! It's going to be fascinating! There is no way I'm staying behind!"
I looked at Loki, but he just shrugged. So off we went, a party of four.
Thor was wearing his armour as always. I was wearing my usual sweater, leather boots and jeans combination, and Loki was in a new black suit (Armani autumn collection) and a new ankle-length black woollen tailored coat. He looked amazing.
"You two don't wear armour? How absolutely fascinating!" Anna thrilled.
"I left my armour behind in Asgard centuries ago," Loki said curtly.
"If I went around wearing leather and spandex it would certainly make Loki happy, but I'd be teased endlessly in the pub once the other agents found out. We're special agents, not superheroes. We don't do the whole "cape and spandex" look," I laughed.
"Recognise anything, Thor?" Loki asked his brother.
The Agartha portal we had come through was placed in the middle of a copse of trees. We walked a bit further and could see a small town and farms in the distance.
Thor looked around with a frown on his face. "Not really…"
"Bornholm is the only Danish island with the rock formations you described, the rest of Denmark is mostly gently rolling hills," Anna said.
We turned around. Behind us were dramatic rock formations, that seemed very distinct.
"Maybe it looks familiar…" Thor scratched his head, sounding unsure.
"Oh, by Ygdrasill's gnarly roots, who forgets their own Place of Power?" Loki snapped impatiently and started stalking toward the rocky cliffs. Thor quickly followed him.
"For someone known to be a cunning plotter and planner, Loki has very little patience," Anna grinned at me. We followed the brothers at a more sedate pace, there was no way to keep up with those long legs unless we'd ran along at a rather undignified trot. We'd catch up eventually.
"Thor rubs Loki the wrong way sometimes and his temper gets the better of him," I grinned back.
"He is different from what I expected," Anna said pensively.
"I felt the same once I got to know him a bit," I admitted.
"Loki lies all the time though, and even when he isn't lying he doesn't tell the whole truth." Anna said, "He has spent most of his time here on Midgard as a conman, a charlatan. Not exactly a changed man.
Thor hopes that Loki is changing for the better, but he still does not trust him fully.
And yet here you are, engaged to be married to the god of Mischief. It's absolutely fascinating."
Sometimes I could understand why Loki found Anna to be so annoying, I suddenly thought irritably to myself.
"He has changed," I sounded almost as brusque as Loki.
Anna nodded. "I have no doubt that it seems like he has. He kept failing at everything he put his hand to, it was only after aligning himself with you he started succeeding in his endeavours.
Can he really change his stripes though? Can you trust him?"
"I trust him," I said defensively.
"But he lies to you too, doesn't he? And hides things from you?"
"Well, yes," I sighed. "But what reason could he possibly have to marry me if he wasn't truly in love with me? Laufey made it very clear that she wasn't going to give us her blessing, and the staff almost killed me. What other reason could he possibly have?"
"You truly don't see it, do you? Fascinating, this is mythology in the making right before my eyes!"
Anna's round eyes shone with enthusiasm.
"Sorcha, what would Loki need a staff for, when he has one of the most powerful magicians in the world eating out of his hand?
You were his enemy, the one who thwarted his greatest triumph, and yet he forgave you in the blink of an eye, which seems rather out of character for someone who is known for his pettiness. He doesn't even seem to hold a grudge!
Loki has you wrapped around his finger, you walked right into Niflheim for him, you almost gave your life for him!
And with you comes the full force of the selfsame organisation that once held him captive, that treated him like a monster to be experimented on, an animal on a leash. Look at them now, running all over the world doing his bidding in finding these places of power.
Isn't it absolutely fascinating?
Are we truly witnessing the Redemption of Loki, or the Rise of the Trickster god instead?"
I frowned, not certain how to answer that. Anna made it sound like we were characters in a play, pawns on a chessboard. But it was all far more complicated than that, wasn't it?
"You don't know Loki the way I know him. You don't see the sides of him I see. I don't think anyone alive knows him the way I do. You only see what he lets you see, what he wants you to see."
It sounded feeble, the moment I said it. Like something someone who was hopelessly enthralled by Loki would say.
Anna nodded, her face still beaming with enthusiasm.
"Fascinating!" was all she said.
We almost bumped into the two brothers since neither of us had noticed they had stopped walking and were studying the rocky wall in front of us.
"Are you certain it's here?" Loki asked, a dubious look on his face.
"Yes! I recognise it now! It was awesome! People came from all over to party and worship me here, it was so much fun!"
"Here, at the foot of a cliff?" Loki tilted his head, his stunning blue eyes scanning around for any sign of something out of the ordinary.
"No, there was a cave! And large tunnels leading to it! And a cave opening!"
We all stared at the cliff. If there once had been a cave opening, it wasn't there now.
"Here," Loki said suddenly. "Thor, pull away those shrubs at the bottom, I think there might be something there."
"Why me? Do it yourself!" Thor rumbled.
"Not my Place of Power, I'm just along to mock and not so silently judge," Loki said with a cheeky grin.
I tried to unsuccessfully hide a grin as Loki winked at me, suddenly feeling butterflies in my stomach. That darn wink got me almost every time!
Thor began pulling away the shrubs. After a while, the very faint outline of a crude thunderbolt carved into the rock began to appear.
"Woohoo!" Thor crowed. "Now I remember! Stand back!"
Loki grabbed Anna and me by an arm each and pulled us back towards the copse of trees, as Thor wasted no time and raised Mjolnir to the skies.
His hair and cloak streamed out behind him, bolts of lightning forming around the hammer. Thick clouds formed above us, and a huge bolt of lightning came crashing down, hitting the cliff wall right where the carving was.
The carved thunderbolt lit up with a bright blue light, lightning bolts creeping away from it until the outline of a door appeared.
"Look at how gaudy and tacky! What an amateurishly display of
showmanship. How terribly vulgar and garish, what an absolute lack of taste!" Loki crinkled his nose and shook his head.
"He wasn't joking about the mocking and judging," Anna giggled at me.
"He takes his mocking and judging very serious," I giggled back.
Loki just glared at the both of us. I quickly looked down, I daren't look at Anna in case I started giggling again.
Thor pushed against the door that appeared, his huge muscular arms straining to open it. Slowly the door moved.
"Come! This is going to be amazing!" he bellowed as he went ahead without waiting.
Inside the cave it was dark, and there was a strange musty smell. It reminded me of the island for some reason, but I couldn't quite place it.
I started rooting through my backpack for a torch, but before I could find it Loki had conjured a Will-o'-the-wisp, a globe of soft light that cheerfully bobbed ahead of us.
"There were supposed to be lit torches here," Thor grumbled, "my worshippers were supposed to maintain them at all times."
"And I'm certain they did. Hundreds of years ago," Loki said dryly.
We were walking through a tunnel, the walls elaborately carved with what I presumed were supposed to be depictions of Thor's heroics in the past. But in the feeble light of the wisp, it was hard to tell.
"Fascinating, absolutely fascinating!" Anna's voice came from behind me. I turned around. I know I shouldn't have been surprised to find Anna lagging behind as she inspected the murals.
"Anna, do not linger," Loki's voice echoed through the tunnel. "I am not certain this place is safe. I can sense something evil around here, something powerful. We can not protect you if you do not stay near."
"There's nothing evil here," Thor said, "you are just jealous people liked me enough to create places like this dedicated to me!"
But Loki was right, there was something evil here, something magical. I could feel it too.
"Anna, you are going back. Now." I said suddenly.
"I most certainly am not!" she protested.
"No, you are. Your safety is my responsibility, and I agree with Loki that this place isn't safe. You are leaving. Now. Once we've explored and cleared out whatever is hiding here, we'll come and get you and you can study and record what you find to your heart's content."
Anna glared at me for a moment, but she could see I was serious.
"You'll promise I get a chance to take a good look around?"
I gave Anna my word, and once we were certain she had had enough time to leave the cave we went on. The tunnel broadened out, and the carved murals on the walls gave place to carved-out niches, stacked above each other. Each niche contained the remains of what seemed to have been Viking warriors, interred in their full armour, their weapons and shield resting on their chests.
"Cheerful sort of atmosphere, certainly a place I'd use to host a good party," Loki said rather sarcastically.
"It wasn't like this before," Thor frowned. "It was never meant to be a burial site. This must have happened after we left Midgard."
The smell was even stronger here and again I was reminded of the island. Suddenly I remembered; the Viking warriors that had protected me when I restored the altars had the exact same musty dead smell.
All around us the interred warriors came to life, the hollows of their eyes glowing with an eerie blue light, their weapons and shields at hand.
"Remind me not to put Thor in charge of organising our Christmas shindig, darling," Loki snickered as daggers appeared in his hands.
I readied my own magic, the air around my hands heating up as my anima formed balls of fire.
"Don't attack my worshippers!" Thor bellowed. "Just because they are dead doesn't mean they are going to hurt us!"
One of the warriors lurched at him, the rusted blade in its hand bouncing off Thor's armour.
"Hey!" Thor sounded annoyed.
"I'm not certain these are your worshippers, brother," Loki replied as he deftly dodged the two warriors staggering towards him. Both of them had one of Loki's daggers lodged solidly in their chests, but it didn't seem to do too much to stop them.
"I hate fighting the undead," Loki grumbled to himself as he dodged another swing of a blade.
My own fireballs were a bit more successful, the ancient cloth and desiccated flesh smouldering with acrid smoke as I pelted one undead warrior after the other.
"I am Thor, god of Thunder! Remember who you serve, kneel before me!" Thor bellowed, Mjolnir held high.
"Stop that!" he barked irritably right after, at an undead archer whose arrow ricochetted off Thor's helmet.
"These aren't your worshippers, Thor!" Loki barked. "Will you stop dancing around and throw that hammer of yours!"
I tossed fireball after fireball, one undead crumbling into a pile of bone and ashes after the other. I positioned myself in front of Loki, who muttered he didn't need my protection but stayed behind me all the same.
Finally, Thor seemed to realise that Loki was right. With a mighty throw, Molnir left his hand, splintering ancient armour and bone alike, leaving a swath of destruction in its wake.
Still, more warriors came.
Over and over Thor tossed Mjolnir at the undead warriors.
I realised we needed more than my trusty fireballs. I gathered anima until I could barely hold it, my body floating in the air from the sheer force of the magical energy I was containing in my body.
"Duck!" Loki's voice came from below me as he followed his own advice. Without question, Thor promptly dropped to the ground.
I unleashed a whirlwind of fire around me, undead warrior after undead warrior combusting around me as my magic swept over them.
Once my firestorm finished, only piles of ashes remained. I returned back to the ground, swaying on my feet as I landed.
"That, my dear girl, was impressive!" Loki eyed me appreciatively as he stood up and brushed the ashes from his coat.
"Thor, are you okay?" I asked worriedly.
"A bit singed," Thor admitted as he summoned a little raincloud to douse the corner of his cape which had caught on fire. "A bit of a heads-up would be nice the next time!"
"Sorry about that," I apologised, "I'll try to warn you the next time."
We looked at the carnage around us.
"I have no idea what happened here," Thor admitted. "Those were not my worshippers."
"No? Really?" Loki snarked back. "If only someone would have told you that!"
"But how did they get here? Who are they? What happened to this place?"
Loki sighed.
"As much as it pains me to admit it, those are good questions. From now on I'd advise extreme caution as we progress further. We have no idea what could be lying in wait for us."
Thor frowned, but from the look on his face he could feel the same thing Loki and I sensed; the evil presence wasn't gone with the destruction of the undead warriors.
We made our way further into the cave system. The walls were lined with niches, all of them empty now, as the occupants had risen to try and stop us from progressing further.
Loki stopped in front of a flat piece of wall, the Will-of-the-wisp bobbing a bit closer to the wall so Loki could better read the ancient runes carved within it.
Thor was walking around, shaking his head. "Nothing is the way it was supposed to be," he rumbled to himself.
"What does it say?" I asked Loki.
"Nothing good, Loki admitted. "After Thor abandoned them, his worshippers found a new entity to worship. They devolved into ritual sacrifice and other unpleasant activities. This place has been well and truly desecrated."
"Then we kill whatever this entity is, and consecrate the place anew," Thor tossed Mjolnir up in the air and caught it again.
"I'm not certain that is the wisest course of action. Perhaps we should leave," Loki said.
His face was pale, and there was a wild look in his eyes. Whatever it was, he knew more about what was going on here than he let on.
"Loki!" Thor saw it too. "What is happening here? If there is anything you know, anything that could help us prepare, speak now brother!"
Loki took a step back.
"What makes you think I know anything?" he hedged.
"Loki," I reached out to him but he dodged my hand.
"Those warriors were powerful, and whatever lies in wait for us is even more dangerous. It doesn't matter what you did in the past, but if you know anything, please tell us." I said.
Loki shook his head. "We should just leave, trust me."
"I am not leaving," Thor said stubbornly. "This place is mine, and whether you tell me what lies ahead or not, I'm continuing on."
With big strides, Thor began walking further into the cave.
"Wait, wait!" Loki had to do a half-hop half-skip just to get ahead of Thor.
"Don't go any further! He placed his hand on Thor's chest, but Thor pushed him aside as he continued on.
"Fine! Fine, I'll tell you what happened, but please stop walking!"
The panic in Loki's voice was clear.
Thor turned around and threw his hands up. "Fine, I've stopped! Better talk fast brother, I am in no mood for your tricks!"
I looked from one brother to the other. This wasn't good at all. Whatever it was, it looked like Loki's past misdeeds had caught up with him once again.
Loki looked down and rubbed his forehead for a moment then looked up again.
He gave what he thought of as his most winning smile, but what I rather uncharitably thought of as his 'Loki has been a little shit again and is trying to weasel his way out of it'-smile.
"Loki…" Thor started as he evidently felt the same.
Loki held his hands up as if to surrender.
"Remember the bet we had with Volstagg and Hogun, about stealing a dragon egg from one of the clutches buried deep under the surface in Myrkheim?" Loki spoke rapidly.
"Yes!" Thor suddenly grinned. "That was a grand heist brother, just you and I! Stealing an egg right from underneath the wings of one of the largest dragons in all of the realms!"
"Remember what happened after?" Loki winced at the memory.
"Father found out and gave us a right trashing! We had to stand at the dinner table for days, neither of us able to sit down, and mother refused to heal us to teach us a lesson!" Thor remembered.
"That's right. And remember how father made us return the egg, and I promised to do it by myself seeing as how I was better suited to remain unnoticed?"
Thor nodded. Slowly realisation dawned on his face.
"Loki? Tell me you didn't….
LOKI!"
Loki rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.
"I thought it would be a bit of fun, to hide it here and let it hatch. To have one of your parties interrupted by a tiny angry dragon attacking your guests.
I couldn't have known you'd abandon this place for centuries! That it would grow up and your worshippers turn to idolise it instead!"
Thor grabbed Loki by the lapels of his coat, lifted him up and smashed him into the wall.
"Thor!" I barked at him, "this is neither the time nor the place! We can have this discussion later!"
After a moment, Thor let Loki down again. His face was angry and red, he was barely able to contain his temper.
"You'll pay for this," he promised Loki, then stormed ahead.
Loki straightened his clothes, refusing to look at me.
"Loki…" I began.
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I truly didn't," he said sadly.
"Father had a saying:'Wherever Loki goes, chaos follows.' He wasn't wrong."
I took his hand in mine.
"I know you didn't mean for this to happen," I said softly. I was rewarded with a small lopsided smile.
Our fingers still entwined, we followed Thor who hadn't gotten far. A huge door barred our way, surrounded by symbols I didn't recognise. They made my skin crawl.
"Mjolnir bounced straight off it," Thor admitted.
"What are those symbols?" I asked.
"I don't know," Thor frowned, "I can't read them."
"I can, " Loki revealed.
"How? I have the AllSpeak, same as you! What sort of language would you speak that I can't?" Thor asked.
"The kind you sell your soul for to learn," Loki said softly.
His eyes began glowing green and he studied the symbols surrounding the door.
After a while, he began speaking. Loki's voice sounded hollow and distorted as if several voices were speaking through him at once. His black hair flowed out behind him, and shadows gathered around him. I could not understand the words, but they made the hair on my arms stand up.
Next to me, Thor shivered.
"Sometimes Loki truly frightens me," he rumbled under his breath. I knew what he meant.
Slowly the symbols lit up one by one with an eerie blueish green light and the door began to open, revealing a huge cavernous open space behind it. The evil emanating from within was almost overwhelming.
Loki's face was pale, his eyes had dark circles under them. Whatever dark magic had flown through him to open the door had taken its toll.
"We can still reseal the door and go back," Loki almost begged.
But Thor was already walking right past him into the open area. There was no going back now.