(LOKI)
The sweet private moment with my Ginny—perhaps the only soul of Yggdrasil to ever find a way to love me—didn't last near as long as I wanted it to. A knock interrupted us shortly after our mutual confession and release.
Again, it was the same man who'd been present when I first awoke. "The senator's arrived. He's brought the tincture as expected."
"Oh..." Sigyn shuffled next to me, likely straightening herself for an audience, perpetually wanting to be presentable even when it only mattered to her. "Forgive me, I don't know the etiquette. Should I bow when he enters?"
"No need for that."
"Thank you. But still...I thought Grid said we were at least two days' ride away from The Don City?"
"He wasn't in the city, at least not yet—only on his way. This is his home. Loki is fortunate the great river has many tributaries between here and The Don City. Vidar guard them."
"Vidar," she whispered, humming in recognition of what I said when we first arrived. "I'm grateful for the senator's sacrifice to return here earlier than expected for Loki's sake. Since he can't ask for himself, might I know what it's intended to do, exactly?"
She certainly asked the right questions. If only I could've smirked with gratitude. I tingled with pride that she was mine.
He cleared his throat in the same annoyed tone he did earlier, as if answering her questions was beneath him, but he obliged anyway. "Before we bound him, his wounds degenerated from the inside out. His scratches and shoulder are nothing compared to his face, and given his terrors and inability to rouse from sleep, it's clear he's damaged beyond what eyes can see. It's hoped that this will stop the progression."
Her replies were appropriately skeptical, showcasing her usual distrust of anything she didn't fully understand. "Will it cause him more pain? Any...unpleasant side effects?"
"It's perfectly safe to use in this manner, for Vanir and Aesir alike, if that's what you're asking."
Wait— I snapped and pointed toward myself.
Without skipping a beat, she read my mind. "Loki is neither. Does that change anything?"
"...neither what?"
"He's of Jotunheim," she said, clutching my hand again. "Not sure if that's all of his heritage given his appearance, but he isn't fully Aesir or Vanir at all. If it isn't safe for Jotun blood, he should not partake."
The man hummed while someone else whispered in a cautious tone, out of earshot to be understood. He answered slowly. "The only certainty here is that his condition requires drastic action. Whatever the river can do for him, the benefit outweighs the risk."
She sighed, speaking softly toward me. "Loki, do you still agree?"
With nothing to lose but her, she was worth risking everything else for. [Yes.]
"Very well," she said. "Let's not wait. He's in dire need of real rest."
My heart—still tumbling over itself from Sigyn's influence—now thumped with eager anticipation of relief. How fast will it correct all these blights and make me whole again? Hours or days?
The room filled with people. Smoke on their clothes swirled in the air while they stood around me. Their crowding presence was palpable. Sigyn stood and moved to be by my head, releasing my hand.
She gasped at something. "Is that all? Only the tiny vial?"
"Is a larger vessel necessary for a single drop?" he asked with biting sarcasm.
"But...won't more do more for him?"
He snapped, "Lady Sigyn, this fluid is sacred. To grant even this to strangers is highly unusual. Be grateful for what Vanaheim is willing to give."
"Then forgive me if I still don't understand why he's being honored in this way."
"Because I pledged for him," another man said—this one older, his voice gravelly and severe. His tone hit me in a visceral way that tugged in my belly.
Something...familiar?
The silence from everyone else said enough. He had ultimate authority. Without doubt, it was the senator who brought a chill with him that even I noticed.
My love dared to speak. "Lord, we owe you great thanks for your kindness. I am Sigyn Eddasdottir, and this is—"
"Loki," he said. "I'm aware. Thanks are not necessary for recovering kin."
Can it be? The years since I'd seen him were irrelevant—I became a child again. He was tall in my memory, a caring man, one who smiled to see me excel in sorcery. But a senator? When had he taken up such a position?
The persistent quiet could've meant anything. If the Vanir had crazed internal conversations, they were hidden from Sigyn and myself. My own mind raced with confused worry and relief to have found family—what if he hadn't yet learned the truth about Mother's death?
"...kin?" Sigyn asked.
"I am Freyr, brother of Frigga, and as you might suspect, a senator of Vanaheim. My charge is to guard the sacred fountains and map the Vidar on the northern half of our realm. The magic of The Don River is not to be taken lightly, as Björn said. No other power in Yggdrasil is as potent or far-reaching. More than this would go beyond what Loki needs to survive, which is all he's permitted."
While I was grateful to learn the other man's name, Freyr's cryptic answer sparked my curiosity. No other power so potent. What else can it do beyond healing?
Sigyn's meek tone gave away the same concern I had about what all Freyr knew. "I'm sorry for my ignorance. And for the loss of your sister, Lord Freyr."
"Freyr alone is acceptable. And thank you. Shall we begin?"
"Yes," Björn said, manipulating the needle in my arm. "Let us hope Valhalla smiles upon him."
I braced myself for what was to come with a deep breath. Ice hit my veins unlike anything I'd ever felt or created alone. It crept over my shoulder, up my neck, and flooded my chest. Cloying sweetness filled my mouth. It poured down my throat and nauseated me. The table beneath disappeared as if I floated in midair.
No. Not air. Thicker than that. Wet. My lungs couldn't catch another breath—the one I took before it started was my last. Only a drop? A single drop? I'm drowning! I flexed my hand open and closed to find Sigyn, fearful it might be my last chance to feel her. The moment she touched me, my body flexed and seized.
"What's happening to him?" she shrieked. "Stay with—"
All sounds were lost to a new scream in my ears. But it didn't come from me. It wasn't Sigyn, either. This one made the sugary road on my tongue taste sour for how delicious it was.
Thor and Odin bellowed this time, pleading for mercy under my echoing cackle. They called for surrender. Puny cries against my strength.
What is this? Time was different. I was in the judgment hall, commanding a beast with a venomous bite which loomed over Thor and threatened to devour him.
As soon as the vision began, it evaporated. The cold settled, as did my shaking. Where bandages made the scars on my face sore, the pain lessened by half. I was far from cured, but no longer frightened. Mother didn't repeat her bitter disappointment. Sigyn wasn't carried into the sunset by another man. My supposed brother couldn't abandon me.
A voice cut through the loud humming in my ears, sounding distant but distinct. "Loki?"
I still had her hand and squeezed three times.
"Thank the gods. He's alive!"
"Be patient, now," Freyr said cautiously. "The river has completed its task. Loki must now heal as all others—with time."
My senses were calmed and ready to accept the wait. Soon I will forget these burns. Will look upon Ginny with hungry eyes. Will live as myself without fear of detection.
Sigyn kissed the bandage over my left cheek. "Any idea how long?"
"Difficult to say. Eight weeks. Perhaps as many as twelve."
She sighed. "I'll be right here. Think he'll be able to sleep properly now?"
Björn's rough hands touched my needle site again. "We'll know soon enough."
The warmth was so jarring against the river's cold that I jerked when he gave me the sleeping potion again. But I was unafraid of the nightmares that plagued me before. I wanted to see whatever Yggdrasil was willing to show me.
Sigyn and Björn whispered, trying to keep their thoughts private. "I hope it was enough," she said.
He scoffed. "I hope it wasn't too much."
"What would happen if it was?"
There was a long pause before Freyr said his piece. "It's safe to tell her. She's not an enemy."
"Very well," Björn said, doing the same poor job hiding his disapproval. "In The Don City, the river is used to create medicines—many are even given to the other realms for everything from mild aches to lost limbs."
"Is that what's in the purple bottles?"
"Yes, to place directly on the body. But when one drinks a tonic of it, they receive a gift of foresight. It is an honor traditionally reserved for Vanir alone."
"Foresight?" Sigyn was incredulous. "It's possible?"
My psyche smiled. What a gift.
"Aye."
"One can live a grand life in peace with only a shred of knowledge," Freyr said. "We senators and elders partake in times of war to gauge the movement of the enemy. Sorcerers have long since used its power to maintain Yggdrasil's harmony. In milder forms, couples are granted a taste before they wed. This is why Asgard fought with Vanaheim in the great war—they wanted unfettered access to the sacred fountains and were denied. It was Frigga's idea to share what little she could to keep the peace."
"Wow," she said. Like before, her voice wobbled in the periphery, swimming in an invisible sea. Fading as I fell asleep.
The drug let me down slowly, embracing me in a cushion of comfort. But my dreams were gifts, now. More than visions.
A future. Guaranteed.
Soon I will laugh at them while they beg my forgiveness. Now that I've had a taste, I won't rest until my boot leaves tracks in their blood across the throne room.
Odin—you did not defeat me. Nor you, Thor. Your time is coming.