Disclaimer: I don't own Thor, or any of the characters used in this fic. They all belong to Marvel and their respective creators. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any original plot ideas.
Chapter 21: The Fire Rises
The city was empty, scorching hot, but empty. Sweat dripped from their brows even more than before, not even making it to the ground as it rolled off their faces. Looking among the crew, anyone could see that they were exhausted, near the point of collapse. Particularly the horses, having to carry the additional weight of their masters and the supplies. But still, they pressed on.
Above them, the buildings loomed, much like those of Asgard, but appearing to be engulfed in flame, making them appear nearly as radiant as the palace, as women like the queen. The walls shone as liquid gold would when tossed about in the pot, poured pounded into beautiful pieces of jewelry or armor by the Dwarves and sent off to adorn and protect bodies across the Nine Realms. Thor could feel the trembling of Sif's arms as she shifted slightly, the pull as her cheek, which had stuck for a time to his back, came away from him. In comparison to the overwhelming heat, the air which was sure to be killing his brother, the woman's breath felt cool as it blew through his air, touched the back of his neck, and Thor felt his skin freeze and ripple.
What a strange city it was, barren and seemingly devoid of all life. The sound of the horses' hooves echoed loudly as they traveled down the paved road, heading towards a structure that appeared to be a palace. It was not nearly so large as that of Asgard, which suited Thor just fine. The thought made him smile. There was no structure in the whole of the cosmos that could compare to his father's house, to the beauteous home crafted by the hands of a king long-since passed, a king made legend in the eternal pages of history. Should one ever appear in his lifetime, Thor would take his newfound power, that of the mighty Mjolnir, and bring its bricks to the ground. For so long as there was breath in his body, Asgard would be seen as the crown jewel, the most powerful, of the Nine Realms.
Thor gasped, tugged hard on the reins as the horse reared, threatened to throw Sif off. He grimaced, twisted at a sharp angle and brought the animal down on all fours again, spoke softly into its ear as the woman hopped off and shook her head. She fingered her blade.
"I do not like this," she said when he turned, and the others, save Loki, nodded in agreement. "There is something not right about this place."
The thunderer sighed as he dropped to the ground, watched the others follow suit. He snickered under his breath as Loki nearly fell over, saved only by Volstagg who had clamped a strong hand to his arm. The trickster nodded to the bearded man, his eyes, now strangely see-through and absent of a distinguishable color, turned to look at the God of Thunder. Though sincerely bothered by that fact, Thor reconciled himself to not make mention of it in the presence of their friends. If there was one thing his brother detested more than being made a spectacle, it was appearing weak.
That was probably why he hadn't complained about the heat for the whole of the ride.
"We will not stay," Thor told them, raising his hands in an attempt to bring about a sense of ease. "Should we find anyone, we will simply ask for what we need, water, and be on our way."
As soon as the words escaped his lips, his friends took several steps back, mouths all agape and eyes the size of saucers, all with their hands fingering their weapons. Even Loki, who had never been known to be sincerely affected by surprises, looked as though his sharp tongue might fall right out of his mouth and onto the ground as a pile of ash. The trickster raised a hand, dark brows having shot up towards his hairline, and pointed slowly behind Thor, insisting that he stop staring and turn himself around.
Thor flinched visibly as the ground shifted beneath him, the small spaces between the bricks looking as though they'd tear open, give way to bursting flame. He stared at his feet, suddenly afraid to turn and look, and caught sight of his shadow as it vanished, as bright, bursting light appeared in a wide column around the space where the darkness should have been. His blue eyes moved slowly across the ground, not stopping until they fell upon his brother who looked more and more uncomfortable by the second. Loki's eye twitched slightly as he stared up, presumably at whatever figure stood behind Thor. He looked about ready to let his knees buckle so as to pass out.
When Thor turned, he felt the shock slowly dissipate, even as he stared up into the dark-skinned face of a giant, his face covered in thick, coarse red hair that appeared to burn. The giant lifted his head higher as Thor straightened himself out, took a step back and pulled his shoulders level. He could hear the collective pounding of his companions' hearts, wondered if this giant, what with his gleaming yellow eyes, could hear it as well.
He no longer shared the uneasiness that flitted about among the others, as though it were a cold that had quickly exchanged hands.
The prince plastered a smug smile on his face, failing to realize that Loki now held fast to his shoulders, breathed shakily in his ear.
"Thor–"
"Know your place!" the god hissed, raising a hand to silence his brother. He didn't see Loki's eyes narrow, and returned his attention to the giant. His voice held firm as he spoke. "We have come to your city in search of–"
"Leave," the giant said flatly, voice striking a strange chord in Thor.
It sounded the voice of a king, of his father's as it bounced across the walls of the throne room, resolute and unyielding. But it was louder, deeper, and Thor was struck with the idea that this giant before them was not Surtr, not the legendary ruler of Muspelheim, for why would a king come to meet visitors at the entrance to his own palace?
Thor frowned, felt Loki start to hang on him for support, knew that he had to reason with this monster, play the part of the polite visitor that his brother would have been, and get what they needed from these people. So he swallowed, as if to force pride deep down into his gut, and took a step back, as if to show the giant that they had not come to threaten.
"We mean your people no harm," Thor said, and he could have sworn that Loki kicked him. He shifted, forced his brother to stumble back, and raised his hands, noting that the giant eyed the hammer at his side. "We have only come for–"
"Leave," the giant said again, this time with a sneer. He advanced on Thor, who jumped back a good three feet and stumbled, hitting the ground hard with his backside. "I care not for your reasoning, little one." Thor frowned. "You have entered this realm, breached the borders of our city without the consent of our king, our people. Regardless of your intentions, you are but the enemy."
Thor's nostrils flared, clutching the grip of Mjolnir tight in his hand. Loki stepped in front of him, hissed in his ear before the giant quickly shoved him aside.
That made the thunderer even angrier.
"Do you not know who we are?!" he roared, and cast his eyes about the street, shocked to find that a small cluster of Fire Giants had accumulated around them. There were women as well as men, their figures slimmer but sure to be just as powerful, eyes the same leering yellow, and that thick, coarse red hair falling wildly down their backs. They all appeared savage-like, Thor thought, clad in various pieces of stitched leather, seeking only to cover the most intimate parts of their bodies and leaving the remainder of their dark skin to burst through in the light of the brimming flames. "You stand in the presence of the greatest warriors of all Asgard! The presence of the Sons of Odin!"
Loki drew a sharp intake of breath, and Thor stood his ground. He tossed the hammer about in his hand, felt the solid form of Mjolnir as it seemed to mold to his body, take on the electricity that surged through him.
The giant seemed to consider this, looked from one member of their group to the next until he came to look at Thor again. A dark hand moved to his thick beard, heavy red brows raised high upon his forehead.
"The Sons of Odin," he repeated, and looked from Thor to Loki and back once more. Thor nodded, failing to notice the utter dread upon his brother's face. The giant grinned. "Well, than we shall treat you with the utmost respect... and mount your heads on the walls of our king's chambers."
Thor felt his heart sink, found himself frozen in place as his friends drew their weapons. The giant seemed to pull a club from out of nowhere, and Thor felt himself being thrown across the ground as Loki shoved him, head turning just as the hunk of steel flew towards him.
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"No!" he heard Thor shout, and dropped quickly to his knees, hands slapping the ground just in time to separate himself from his double, which was cleanly vanquished by the heavy blow.
The giant growled and Loki rolled to the side, managed to catch hold of Thor's hand as the thunderer stood. He swung the hammer with one arm, Loki with the other, easily catching a charging giant in the chest with the head of Mjolnir, sending her flying off and into the side of a building. The burning bricks splintered, sent chunks of rubble and dust towards the sky, the unrelenting sun, and caused all eyes to fall upon Thor. Loki threw his back against his brother's, forgetting all about fatigue and focusing solely upon survival. The giants screamed as a rain of daggers fell upon them, fashioned out of the remains of the building, and the trickster nudged Thor sharply in the side with an elbow, snapping him out of his stupid trance.
"What's wrong with you?!" he shouted, turning to see over Thor's shoulder. A giant was closing in on them and lunged, seeking to take the thunderer's feet out from beneath him.
Loki groaned loudly, couldn't believe that Thor was taking time to stare incredulously at his hammer, his magnified strength, and wrapped one arm about his neck, pulled back until his brother gagged, and shoved him off to the side. The trickster yelped, the giant's club catching him in the leg and sending him tumbling to the ground. His head hit the bricks hard, and white flashes appeared before his eyes as he grimaced, found himself staring up into the yellow eyes of the woman.
He grit his teeth, nearly grinding his molars to dust as her hand closed around his throat, a sharp pain, more than that of any blade, surging through his skin. He felt hot, as though the sun had dropped out of the sky, suspended itself a scant distance away from him, content in letting off its relentless flames until he was naught but a burnt patch on the ground.
There came a sound, sickening and familiar, as the giant woman's arm was severed, the blood, a warm gray color, spilling down the front of Loki's armor, causing him to scurry back and bump up against Fandral. For a fleeting second, Sif looked down at him, her breath heavy and labored before spinning on her heel, driving her blade through another of the beasts with a loud shout.
Loki jumped to his feet, turned in time to see Volstagg's feet breaking through the ground as he pushed a Fire Giant back with the handle of his great ax, face contorted into an expression that was nothing short of strain and desperation. The trickster, flinched, scowled when the burns on his skin flared up, and snapped his fingers, sent three of his duplicates towards the giant as it began to bend the Valiant backwards. The beast ignored them, used one hand to turn one of them into dust as he kept throwing his weight against the warrior. Knives flew towards them then, the giant growling as one struck him in the side of the head, stepping back just in time for Volstagg to straighten up and plant the head of the ax deep in his gut.
The bearded man dropped the weapon as soon as it was pulled free, his jaw slackened and causing Loki to turn. The others had stopped as well, as had the giants, and all eyes stared as Thor was thrown back onto the ground, the hammer escaping his grasp as the first of the Fire Giants seized a spear from one of the women, and drove it into Thor's chest.