They return to the Bifrost chamber in Asgard to find Odin waiting for them next to Heimdal.
"Father, have you found no sign of him?" Thor asks as soon as his feet hit the floor of the chamber.
"No, my son, only this." Odin says, holding his hand out and revealing a bracelet of thick twined gold wire with stylized snake heads on each end. Thor takes it from his father and looks at it. Anara can't remember ever seeing it on Loki's wrist.
"How could he have removed it without triggering the trap?" Thor asks, handing the bracelet back to Odin.
"That is something we will have to ask him when we find him." Odin says, turning to exit the Bifrost chamber.
Thor and Anara follow him. "Allfather, where was the bracelet found?" she asks Odin.
"Ironically, at the site where your ship crashed, Anara," he says. "I understand he contacted you somehow while you were on Midgard. Did he say anything that would help us find him?"
Anara shakes her head no. "I'm sorry, Allfather, he said very little to indicate what his plans were. With your permission, I would like to try to search for him myself. I think a connection between us was forged when he tried to bring me out of my coma. I might be able to use that to find him."
Odin nods his assent. They continue to discuss possible places Loki might go as they walk across the Bifrost bridge and into Asgard.
Thor escorts her back to her rooms, and they stop outside her door. Anara faces Thor and places a hand gently on his cheek. He leans his head into her hand.
"I'm sorry, my love, that we spent so little time together while on Midgard, but the trip there was invaluable for me. Thank you," she says, and raises up on her tip toes to kiss him.
When he finally lets her up for air, he says, "I am glad the trip was successful, my lady, though I regret not getting a better look at what you were wearing under that dress last night."
She looks at him slyly. "Then pray I find your brother quickly so that you can find out." She holds up the bag Pepper gave her. "I think Pepper sent it home with me."
Thor laughs and kisses her again. Letting her go, he sobers. "I do pray you find my wayward brother quickly. I worry about what he plans," Thor says. "I will post a guard in the garden while you search. Send word through Gabrielle when you find something."
Embracing her once again, he says into her hair, concern clear in his voice. "Be careful, my love, my brother is crafty and known for his tricks. I would not like to see you fall victim to one."
She pushes back from him slightly to look him in the eye. "I will be careful, Thor. I have dealt with his kind before. I will not let my guard down."
Kissing him on the cheek, she turns from him to enter her room. As she walks through the door, Thor calls her name. She turns to him, and he says, "May the Force be with you." Bowing to her, he closes the door and leaves.
Gabrielle enters from the door connecting their chambers.
"My lady, it's good to have you home, though I'm sorry you were called back so soon."
Anara replies, "Yes, I'm sorry too." Giving Gabrielle a quick hug, she drops the bag by the bed and walks out onto her balcony. "I will be in the garden meditating. See that I'm not disturbed." Gabrielle replies, "Of course my lady," as Anara lightly leaps from the balcony down into the garden.
Anara settles onto her meditation cushion and takes several deep breaths to clear her mind. Opening up her second sight, she travels over to the crash site where Odin says they found Loki's shackle.
Looking around the clearing, she can see traces of his aura, but the signs are old, from the time of the crash and again more recently when she was knocked out during her visit there, but nothing to indicate he was there only a day before. Only the energy pattern of the bracelet is new. Reaching out further, she pictures Loki's face in her mind and tries to connect with him. She tries for two full days before giving up in frustration.
Getting up and stretching, she walks back to her balcony and jumps up, landing lightly on the railing. Jumping down onto the balcony, she throws open the doors to her room and throws herself face down on her bed, exhausted and frustrated.
Gabrielle enters and comes to sit on the edge of the bed. "Any luck?"
Anara shakes her head no. Gabrielle places a hand on Anara's back. "I'm sorry, my lady. I didn't hold out much hope really. If the AllFather can't find him, I think he's gone from any realm we know."
An idea suddenly hits Anara, and she rolls onto her side to face Gabrielle.
"Fetch Thor; I think I have an idea."
She gets off the bed and heads to the table to pour herself a glass of water from the pitcher while simultaneously searching for Thor with the Force. Stopping midstride, she turns and heads back towards the door to her chamber.
"Never mind. I'll meet him in the Mead Hall," she says, leaving a slightly bemused Gabrielle in her wake.
Anara finds Thor exactly where she expected to, sitting at a table in the Mead Hall, talking with Sif and Fandral. As she approaches their table, she asks a passing servant for a mug of mead. Their conversation stops as she sits down across from Thor.
"Did you find him then?" Thor asks.
Anara shakes her head. "No, no trace."
Thor's expression falls, and Sif and Fandral both sigh.
"But I have an idea if Heimdal will give his blessing."
Thor looks at her quizzically. "Go on." is all he says.
The servant she talked to earlier puts a mug of mead in front of her along with a plate of cheese and fruit. Anara smiles her thanks. Taking a drink of the sweet liquor, she uses the alcohol for a burst of energy before she tells the group of her idea.
"Heimdal can see anything, any one in any of the nine realms. Is that true?" she first asks.
Thor nods. "As can my father, should he chose."
"Then my search only confirmed that he is not here. Though he may be able to use illusion to hide himself from Heimdal, he cannot or has not learned to hide his aura. I know it frustrated him to no end that I could always find him without error when he'd throw out a group of his doppelgangers."
Thor raises an eyebrow at her. "I always wondered myself. What exactly is this aura you speak of?"
"It's the energy field that surrounds every living thing. Most beings cannot see it, but some species use it exclusively to identify individuals, and there are some of other races who have the ability to see it. Jedi of course can sense an individual's aura, though only a rare few can actually see it with just their eyes," Anara says, stopping briefly to take a bite of an apple. Continuing, she says, "Being energy, auras can also leave traces if an individual is powerful enough. Unfortunately, Loki has managed to disappear. The only traces I can find are several days old. He must have left soon after we traveled to Midgard," she finishes.
Thor nods, indicating he'd come to the same conclusion. "You said you had an idea?"
She nods, finishing a bit of cheese before speaking.
"Alone, neither Heimdal nor I can reach out beyond the boundary of the realms, though your astronomers and those on Earth can physically see many more than nine worlds. It is my hope that Heimdal and I can combine our powers and search a wider area," she says, looking at Thor to gage his thoughts on the idea. He considers for a moment before responding.
"I believe it's worth bringing to Heimdal for consideration."
Thor stands and addresses Sif and Fandral, "I must consult with my father and Heimdal on this matter. I bid you good night." He looks to Anara and says, "My lady, a moment?"
Anara stands and walks with him a distance from the table so they can talk quietly.
"I will talk with Father and Heimdal about this, and I while I believe they will allow the attempt, I do not feel comfortable allowing you to try without being rested." He holds up a hand to forestall her objections. "You have not had a proper night's rest since we left for Midgard. You would do me a kindness to eat a proper meal and get some rest tonight. I will come to you in the morning with Father's answer."
Anara nods her head, knowing Thor's request is not unreasonable. If Odin approves of her plan, she and Heimdal could be searching for days, and even in a meditative state, she will need to be fully rested. Thor smiles at her and leans down to kiss her gently.
"Then good night, my love. I will see you on the morrow." He turns and leaves, his stride slightly quicker than normal to Anara's eyes.
She returns to the table with Sif and Fandral and flags down a servant to ask for a bowl of stew to be brought to her. As she eats, her two companions ask her questions about her visit to Midgard and they pass the next hour listening to her story. Finishing her meal, she gets up from the table and bids her companions good night.
Back in her room, she fills Gabrielle in on her trip and plans for the next day as she readies for bed. As she winds down and crawls into bed, she realizes just how tired she is. She barely registers Gabrielle wishing her a good night as she falls asleep.
Anara passes the night in dreamless sleep and is woken by the feeling of someone sitting on the edge of her bed. She recognizes Thor's aura before he whispers to her, "Wake up, my love, the morning has grown long, and there is work to be done."
He leans down to kiss her as she opens her eyes. She throws her arms around him and drags him down next to her on the bed and snuggles close, not quite ready to face the upcoming task. Thor nuzzles her neck for a moment, then pulls away, leaving her suddenly cold. She shivers with a vague premonition that all may not go well with her plan. Taking a moment to chase down the feeling, she finds only the gray fog of the Dark Side. She tries to push through but cannot. Not without crossing over herself. Returning to the present, she makes a note to herself to be very careful.
Thor, who went quiet when he saw her eyes grow distant, takes her hand and asks, "What is it, my love? What did you see?"
Anara shakes her head negatively. "Nothing, I fear, only the fog of the Dark Side. " She looks at Thor and asks, before he can get in his own question, "Will Odin allow Heimdal and me to try to find Loki together?"
"Aye, he'll allow it, but he begs you to be careful. Loki is no one to be trifled with," Thor says. "Heimdal awaits your arrival. He believes your work can best be accomplished in the Viewing Room."
Anara gives Thor one last, quick kiss and gets out of bed. Walking over to the side table, she splashes some water on her face before donning the Jedi robes Gabrielle left out for her. Gabrielle appears with a breakfast tray as Anara is fastening her belt. Thor takes the tray and dismisses her. Walking over to the small table by the balcony, he sets it down and motions Anara to join him.
"Come, eat. Heimdal can go weeks without eating, but you do not yet have an Asgardian constitution."
She joins him at the table and smiles. "Maybe not, but as a Jedi, I can slow down my metabolism while meditating, as you know. I can easily go a week without food or rest but this is welcome."
They eat together, enjoying the midmorning sun and each other's company.
Finishing the last of the fruit on her plate, Anara wipes her mouth on a napkin and rises.
"We've kept Heimdal waiting long enough. Shall we?" she asks. Thor nods and joins her.
As they walk through the palace to Odin's Viewing Room at the top of one of the tallest towers, she asks Thor, "Do you think Loki is plotting something or just simply wished to slip his bonds and be out of the sight of your father?"
Thor thinks for several moments before replying.
"Gone are the days when I could say the disappearance of my brother meant he was planning some kind of prank or simply wished to be alone. Something in him changed when he discovered his true parentage, and it pains me to think that he may no longer wish to be part of this family," he says. "As to his intent this time, I know not. I only hope that if he is planning something vile, that you and Heimdal can find him before his plans come to fruition."
Anara squeezes his hand, attempting to give comfort, but knowing she truly has none to give. The fog of the Dark Side worries her, but she keeps those thoughts to herself.