Chapter 3

Loki followed close behind Fenrir, as Fenrir sniffed around the area that Mayura was found. Fenrir sneezed once and looked up, "Got the scent, daddy. And boy does it smell bad. It's so strong I can smell it over the blood. The guy sure needs a bath."

Walking over to the spot, Loki could also smell the stench because it was so strong. He stiffened when he also felt the residual aura of the area. He said quietly, "Everything about this feels bad." Loki looked off in the direction the aura disappeared in, "After you, Fenrir. The aura is too weak for me to follow after we leave the area. Who or whatever did this moved fast."

"However, I will know when we get to the place where it lives. The aura around that place will be so strong that few won't feel it." Loki grinned, his smile promising retribution, since, even though Mayura could be irritating, she was important to him.

Fenrir walked quickly, his nose close to the ground. The small forest in the park seemed to become darker as they traveled inward to places that people rarely go. Father and son traveled for about fifteen minutes weaving in and out of trees until they were turned around, unable to see the sun through the dense overhead foliage.

Eventually, they came to a small groove of trees that were clustered together so tightly that no person could see between the trunks. It was here that Fenrir finally spoke again. "The smell passes right through the trees, Daddy. I think the trees screen the scent from the outside world." He looked up at his father and asked, "How do we get through?"

Loki smiled as he summoned his staff and stepped forward, "Forcefully if we have to."

- - - -

Meanwhile, Mayura watched the creature pull out something from one of the back cupboards with a happy exclamation. "Finally! The last thing I need." He abruptly switched to muttered reparations, "I swore I had put this in that cupboard. How did it get back there?" He looked around the room suspiciously, his eyes lighting on Mayura. "You moved it, didn't you?" he said standing in front of Mayura, moving so fast she swore that she had blinked.

I have no idea what you're talking about! she snapped. I only just got here you-you creep!

The creature huffed in response and moved away from the globe that Mayura was held in. His gate changed from a swaying motion to one that was smooth and controlled. He seemingly picked random items from the floor where he scattered them and began to collect them on the lone, scarred table in the center of the room.

Mayura pulled her metaphysical legs up to her chest as she watched the creature arrange its supplies on the table. He looked around for a moment, as if trying to remember something before he came to the countertop that the globe sat on.

The abrupt movement startled Mayura out of her reserve. Her curiosity finally began to overwhelm her fear-though her fear was still there, as well as a growing sleepiness that she could not shake off. She looked at the items on the table, trying to figure out what they were all for.

Taking her chances, she asked, in a reasonable voice, Well, if I am going to be used as some sort of ingredient, shouldn't I at least know what you are making?

"Hmm," the creature said, looking up from the ingredients that he was mixing in a large bowl. "Oh," he waved a disfigured hand dismissively, "not a complicated thing. Just really a relatively potion-spell to help me locate other souls with power." Two more ingredients went into the bowl. "The only problem is that there are few souls without any spiritual power. Sure if enough spiritual energy is in the area, the person will see stuff but not normally," he rambled.

Continuing, he said, "Spiritually powerless, or if you will, magicless souls are very rare. Didn't used to be but classes of people intermarried mixing all the bloodlines so almost everyone has some." He paused a moment and looked at Mayura's soul, "I'd hazard to say you weren't born without any." He waved what passed for an arm around, "Not that any of that matters for this."

'Weren't born without any?' What do you mean by that? she asked, not understanding his half coherent ramblings.

He really looked at Mayura for the first time, causing her to gasp when she saw what remained of what looked to once be a human face. "It's time for you now. The potion is almost complete!" he said, doing a little skip in place. "Finally I can really live well!"

He grabbed the globe Mayura was in and broke it open on the edge of the pot like cracking open an egg on the edge of a countertop. What Mayura had of consciousness was lost when the globe broke.

It was as the creature broke the globe that Loki and Fenrir choose to come out from behind the ajar door they had been waiting behind. Loki had his staff out and Fenrir had grown to a size that brought his head up to Loki's waist.

"That was an interesting bit of information about our friend there. But I'm afraid we can't let you use her like that," he said with a feral smile echoed by Fenrir.

The creature sputtered nervously as he moved away from the table, "How-how did you get in here?"

"Rather simple, you freak," growled Fenrir, "I could smell you a mile away. Daddy here is very good at getting through things, so your tress were nothing. So after we got through your tree barrier it was easy to find our way here."

In a sudden change of attitude, the creature ran to the table and wrapped his arms possessively around the pot. He screeched at father and son as he moved toward another door, "You can't have her! She's mine I tell you! MINE!"

As the creature made a mad dash for the other door, Fenrir ran into his path, blocking him. The creature was so startled at the speed that he did not react as Loki took the pot from his arms and cast a spell. That happened to trap him the mirror-prism thing.

The two left the creature in his new prison. As Loki followed his son through the destroyed tree wall, he cast the spell to shatter the prism.

Safely outside, Loki placed the pot on the grass. Fenrir, now back to his normal size, looked in the pot at Mayura's soul. "Are we just going to carry her back in the pot, daddy?"

"No," replied Loki, casting his prism spell again, only this time to transport Mayura's soul safely.

Loki plucked the prism from the air. "Fenrir, which is the most direct route back to our place?"

"This way, daddy," Fenrir replied, pointing in a direction. He walked off that way quickly with Loki close behind.

Reviews, feedback and constructive criticism welcome as always.