Thor was the last one to enter the council hall. He hung about the entrance for a time hesitantly, waiting to see if Loki would show himself. He did not, and Thor was not surprised by that fact. Loki's trust in Thor had been lost long ago.
He still trusted Angborn, Thor reflected as he finally walked in. Loki trusted him as if none of the past year had happened. Then again, Angborn hadn't had to defeat Loki in battle and bring him back to Asgard muzzled and chained.
The doors closed behind him. Thor was surprised that his late arrival had gone unnoticed. Normally Odin would at least glare at him, but he wasn't even looking in Thor's direction. Tyr and Vir seemed to be trying to glare daggers at each other and several of the Captains looked to be doing the same as if there was an invisible divide.
Jaro was among the gathered Star Guard. There wasn't even one of the Raven Blades senior officers here and again, Thor was surprised. Thor looked at Fandral curiously as he stepped up beside him, but his friend merely shrugged.
"Report," Odin ordered before Thor could ask what he was missing.
Vir began, jumping ahead of his brother. "There were two squads of enemies on the ground. One was the Celestials that attacked my Star Guard. The other was a group of their alien allies who ransacked the palace looking for their staff. I believe Loki hid it well enough that they were unsuccessful. That did not cease them from tearing apart every room in the palace searching."
"Among that destruction was the Weapons Vault," Tyr added somberly. "Everything but the Infinity Gauntlet was taken."
Everyone's breath stopped. Thor tensed with eyes wide. He hadn't just heard that. His heart sank when he realized that he had. That was as catastrophic as the dungeon being emptied!
*A clever move on the Celestials part* A voice whispered inside Thor's mind.
Thor nearly jumped out of his boots when he heard that. Luckily everyone was too lost in their own thoughts to pay much mind to him. Huh? Was that who he thought it was?
*Loki?* Thor thought back carefully.
The voice in his mind replied. *You do realize that the Celestials can trade the relics Asgard stole back to their respective races in exchange for their pledge of neutrality. Asgard won't be able to turn to the other realms for help like we did in our last war, which means no Alliance.*
Thor shook his head slightly. That was Loki speaking telepathically to him. If Loki was doing that, did that mean he trusted him again? Thor had let himself get shot with the Celestial disruptor in Loki's place, and that had to count for something.
*Loki, where are you?* Then Thor realized what Loki had said, *hold, what do you mean about the relics?*
Thor could almost hear Loki roll his eyes. *Asgard has been hoarding all of the artifacts of the other realms in the Weapons Vault* Loki explained. He knew already this would be one of those things that he would have to spell out. *By doing so, that has weakened all of the other realms.*
*You trust the Dæmon to behave themselves?* Thor asked tartly.
*I wouldn't know,* Loki replied in the same tone. *I've never see their realm when it's not in ruins.*
*You're exaggerating* Thor muttered.
*Am I?* Loki challenged brazenly. *If Asgard would at least protect the Realms that it weakens like it's supposed to then Muspelheim would not be in ruins. Surtr might be able to do something more than watch as his Realm tears itself apart thanks to all the rebel factions vying for a crown that is clearly his. Asgard has never stepped in to help keep the peace because it is not directly threatened by the Dæmon Insurgents so it's not their problem.*
*That is not true!* Thor shouted back.
*You needn't shout* Loki scolded in a grumbly tone, *all you'll do is give me a headache. Are you sure it's not true? Muspelheim lies in ruins not because of Surtus's incompetence, but because Asgard has rendered it helpless and then left it to infight. After all, the Dæmon Insurgents only weaken Muspelheim and that makes it easier for Asgard to control it. Why would Asgard ever want to stop that?*
Thor sighed instead of arguing. He had heard this argument from Loki before, but the threat of the Celestials put a new light on the friction between Asgard and its protectorates. Because Tilaria, a Dökkálfr, was friends with Surtr Thor had been to Muspelheim before. It was not in as good of shape as Asgard because of the Insurgents, something that would make it hard for the Dæmons to resist the offer Loki was talking about.
*Surtr doesn't want his realm in poverty* Loki continued, able to tell where Thor's train of thought was going. *Not only can Surtr reunite his realm under his rule, he can sit back and watch as Asgard gets a taste of its own medicine.*
Thor wanted to break the conversation off. He heard Loki's laugh rake across his mind like claws of ice. It was the same laugh he heard at New York.
*Scared of the truth, son of Odin?* Loki taunted. *Muspelheim's condition is hardly unique. After all, a weak realm is easier to subjugate.*
*Be silent* Thor ordered Loki.
Loki unsurprisingly, did not be silent. * Thanks to Asgard's "protection," one realm is gone entirely. Svartalfheim is dead. Tilaria was-is the last Dark Elf! And you think the other realms won't turn against you?*
Thor noticed how Loki said "you" as if he was independent to Asgard. No, what Thor had done earlier during the Celestial's first assault had had no effect on Loki's temperament.
*The Dökkálfr were going to unleash the Aether and turn the realms into dark matter,* Thor reminded Loki as if he had forgotten. *Asgard had to do something.*
*Do you know why Malekith unleashed the Aether, dear brother?* Loki taunted, clearly enjoying the pain he was putting Thor through. *The Ljósálfr crippled the Svarta's lifeforce. The planet and everything on it were dying and turning to dust. Dökkálfr are remarkably compatible with the Aether and dark matter, so they were the ones who had custody of the Infinity Stone. It was only after Asgard decided not to help and to let the realm die that Prince Malekith decided to use it. He thought that it was either use it to turn the realms into dark matter to rejuvenate his realm, or watch it slowly turn to dust.*
*Asgard is not to blame for the Dark Elves extinction,* Thor snapped, beating Loki to the accusation. *We retrieved and hid the Aether, but we did not destroy the race. That was Malekith.*
*Here's an interesting question then Thor,* Loki chimed. *According to our stories, after the Aether had been taken and it was clear Malekith would lose he ordered his ships to drop onto Svarta's surface and destroy Asgard's army. That action killed the civilian Dark Elves on the planet and wiped out any trace of life on it. Do you think Malekith wanted to kill his family and his race? You think he was the reason that his ships fell from the sky?*
*You cannot be accusing Asgard of that,* Thor exclaimed.
*It is an interesting question* Loki shrugged telepathically. * Tilaria scavenged the graveyard of those ships that fell and every one of their computers has the same virus in it. That virus is what forced them to crash, but it does not look like a Dark Elf virus. Malekith did not make that virus, so who did?*
Thor swallowed, but did not answer. Suddenly he remembered his nightmare. The blood at the end that had come alive and attacked him… That wasn't blood. That was the Aether. What did the Aether have to do with now?
Loki, Thor thought, intending to tell Loki about his dream with the Aether. There was no reply. Thor realized with some annoyance that Loki had closed the telepathic link. Since Thor was no mage, he couldn't reopen the link.
Thor knew that Loki kept secrets. He had never pried into what Loki knew before, but now he was concerned. Malekith and his ship, Nemesis, had escaped Svarta and vanished after the destruction of his home and race. Did Loki know something? Was it mere coincidence that Thor had a dream about the Aether at the same time Loki mentioned Malekith?
One of the beauties of telepathy was its speed. Thoughts were transferred from one person to another with the speed of a neuron firing. The conversation Thor and Loki had just had would have taken many minutes to say out loud, but because it was done telepathically, less than a minute had passed in real time.
"The Treasury to?" Odin said sharply.
Thor realized that he had been thinking so hard about the Dökkálfr he had missed the rest of Tyr's report. Any thought of Malekith vanished from his mind when what Odin had said clicked. The Treasury? Tyr couldn't mean…
"The Celestial's allies took coin as well as other objects of value," Tyr tightened a hand. "Some of it has been dispersed among the Marauders I am sure."
*Well* Loki said tartly, his voice back in Thor's mind. *It seems Asgard won't be able to bribe the other realms to help either. Now you have to catch all of those bad guys all over again on your own *
*What about you?* Thor asked. *Won't you help?*
Loki laughed.
Thor felt the link vanish again before he could respond. With it went any possibility to push about the issue of Malekith. Where was Loki? Typically, a telepath story needed a line of sight, so he was probably around here.
Vir took over the report. "7% of our total forces were killed in the initial attack. There are still bodies left to find though so that percent could be higher. Fey is taking care of more than twice that number in her infirmary. We have yet to get a count on civilian casualties."
There were that many dead from the initial strike? He felt the numbers like a punch to the gut, and dropped his head. Loki didn't respond to that figure, not even a scything insult, and Thor wondered why.
Slowly, he raised his head and looked at the other people present. One of them was likely Loki, but who? All of them looked equally shocked and disquieted, so it was hard to tell which one was Loki. Was Loki one of the captains? He could see Loki switching places with Jaro, an enemy, just for the irony.
*Don't be insulting* Loki scolded, startling Thor.
Fandral noticed Thor's reaction this time, but after a quizzical look, let it slide. It was probably a reaction to the news, news that also distressed him. Despite feeling physically ill, he didn't feel anger. Maybe he should, but he just couldn't right now.
"There are still the prisoners to discuss," Jaro pointed out as Thor looked through the small crowd again.
Vir's gaze turned to the surface of the table and stayed there as he spoke. "The Marauders have not wished to surrender, and we believe a third are dead. Other criminals with more minor charges have faded away and given the circumstances, we have not pursued them. Unfortunately, all of the black cell prisoners are gone as well, and none of them are accounted for. We believe that some have already left Asgard."
"You believe?" Odin demanded.
Vir almost cringed. "With the mages busy, we do not have the resources we usually do in tracking and apprehending escapees."
"Not that," Odin corrected. "What were you saying about the Marauders?"
Now Vir did cringe. "So many Marauders were captured at once that we did not have a full count."
Odin fixed him with his one-eyed glare, the eye narrowed in a dangerous manner. "You don't know how many Marauders are loose on Asgard?"
*It's almost as if the Marauders let themselves be captured* Loki remarked to Thor with a chuckle, obviously understanding some sort of plot that eluded Thor.
A feeling of dread crept into Thor's mind, and he repeated Loki's words to the council. "It's almost like the Marauders let us capture them."
Fandral stiffened and glanced at Thor, eyes wide from concern. "I thought some of the battles with them were a little too easy. I wasn't just imagining it?"
Thor didn't know, but he suspected Loki did.
"Perhaps the Marauders knew they'd soon be freed," Tyr pointed out.
"An alliance between the Marauders and the Celestials?" One of the other captains offered.
That silenced everyone, and Thor could almost feel Loki's laughter despite their thoughts being separate. Loki had already figured that out.
"I agree with Thor," Vir reluctantly added. "This raises another possibility though. If one criminal organization is allied with the Celestials, then maybe others are. The Evening Star maybe or the Dæmon insurgents."
"There aren't really any insurgents left," Tyr responded while Odin listened. "After Tilaria taught Surtr's people how to build and pilot Dökkálfr fighter craft during the First Celestial War, he used them to wipe out the opposition."
*Or HYDRA,* Loki mused, a musing that was not to himself since Thor could hear it.
Thor was confused by Loki's comment. The only hydra he knew was the Lernaean Hydra, a gigantic multi-headed aquatic dragon that lived only on Earth. They were widely considered to be myths due to their scarcity, a good thing since they were so hard to kill. If you cut off one head, two more would grow back.
Loki didn't deign to explain his comment, something that did not surprise Thor. Why was Loki even speaking with him? He wasn't being vicious or cruel towards Thor either, more so bemused.
Irritated at how unpredictable Loki was, Thor focused on his senses instead of the conversation in an attempt to sense the gimmer of magic that would give away Loki's location. Unsurprisingly, Thor's sensitivity to magic failed to find any trace of the trickster.
Asking Loki where he was wouldn't work – obviously – so Thor continued using his senses. He suddenly realized that Loki might not even be one of the people at the table. That would be too obvious, and he'd be very close to Odin who might detect him.
The only other place for him to hide was around the room, and only one location came to mind. Thor looked up. Despite the rafters of the council hall being well lit, Thor knew his guess was right. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did. Growing up with Loki endowed on him a certain synchronization with Loki's magic. Even if Thor couldn't see or sense him, he knew Loki was in the rafters. Then he got the distinct impression that Loki was laughing, confirming his guess.
Loki lay on one of the rafters above the council with his head resting on crossed arms, giving the impression of a content cat. He was anything but content with his ring so close to being his again, wary of losing it. Practice prevented him from outwardly showing his unease though.
The depths of Thor's nativity always amused Loki and it only reinforced Loki's impression that Thor was unfit to rule. Thor hadn't even realized Loki had done a more in-depth scan during the conversation and picked up traces of Thor's dream. Loki had never seen the Aether in person before, but he had a distinct feeling that Thor was right about that being what it was. Was it a simple dream, or was Asgard warning its future ruler? It wouldn't be the first prophetic Thor had had if that was the case.
Either way, Loki's first priority was getting his ring. So far, he had scanned every person in the room except Odin. Loki was sure that since the ring wasn't in the Vault Odin was keeping it on his person for extra protection. Odin knew how much energy was in that ring and how much damage Loki could do with it. His only concern currently was using the lifeforce he had stored in it to stabilize himself, but after that Loki had every intention of causing a little bit of damage.
The only thing standing between Loki and that goal was Gungnir. There was no way he could scan Odin as long as he had ahold of Gungnir, likely the reason Odin had thought the ring was more secure with him. Annoyingly enough, Odin's instincts were right. This wasn't easy. How could he get Odin to let go of Gungnir while he was on guard?
Fandral had been inching back while the conversation turned from the report to the immediate reparations they needed. He was nearly at a table where some drinks had been set out. There were no servants present, them having been dismissed due to the sensitivity of the information. That was just as good since Fandral was so torn. It was obvious he was to as he lacked Loki's acting skills.
Kasir was in the dungeons, and Vir had to know he was. It didn't seem like he had realized the Marauder Kasir was the same Kasir that had defected from the Star Guard a century ago. Vir likely assumed he knew nothing, leaving Fandral the only one that knew better. Fandral knew that Kasir was a high-ranking commander of Nira's – he'd seen him standing at Nira's right hand.
Instinct dictated that he pass the information about Kasir's identity to Vir. Now would be a good time in front of the council where the issue of him could be discussed. If anyone knew about the alliance it would be Kasir. His heart betrayed his mind here. He wanted to give the turncoat a personal piece of his mind over his treason, owing the backstabber that much.
Thor seemed distracted by the proceedings, leaving Fandral to look over the drinks laid out in peace. Given the importance of this and the tendency of alcohol to dull the senses, there was none present. That suited Fandral fine since he didn't want any alcohol right now. He just wanted some cold water and picked up a pitcher in anticipation of pouring a mug.
His internal conflict made his hand tremble, but he managed to pour his drink well enough. It was only when he went to set the pitcher down that it seemed to jump out of his hand and fall onto the table. He barely managed to grab the pitcher in time to keep it from spilling, sloshing water on the table and the sleeve of his shirt. The mug had been sitting on the table luckily, but it almost toppled from his struggle.
The sound broke the silence that had fallen as everyone tried to absorb the new information, just as Loki hoped it would. Everyone looked in Fandral's direction, making the young warrior slowly turn red. Odin also looked at him. Loki had not moved from the rafter and slit his eyes in satisfaction. No one had noticed his little jinx.
"Fandral," Odin called out, recognized Thor's shield-brother, "a drink."
"Yes Allfather," Fandral bowed his head mutely, trying very hard to dull the red coloring him.
He glanced briefly at the mess of water, but then looked away and started to fill a second mug. Considering that his rank was the lowest, Fandral supposed he would be the one to be getting drinks. Fandral wondered why Tyr had asked him to be present.
This time, he managed to pour the mug without error and set the pitcher down. Fandral glared at the pitcher as if expecting it to jump out of his hand. Loki was slightly tempted to make it, but forced himself not to.
Ice magic was a subelement that involved air and water elemental magic, and by using the water aspect of his ice, Loki had managed to sap away all the moisture in the air. The dry throats everyone was feeling were not just apprehension from the current situation. Loki had relied on that to get Odin to take a drink. With luck, Odin would relax his hold on Gungnir to take a drink.
Come on, Loki silently goaded Odin as Fandral passed him a mug and stepped back. Loki couldn't scan Odin with Gungnir's energy in the way. Then he could see if his ring was with Odin. Amazingly enough, Odin leaned Gungnir against the table to pick up the mug with his right hand, his dominant hand.
Loki knew his time window would be short, so he instantly focused his magic and called for his ring. This time though his ring activated. Odin jumped as he felt the power of the ring suddenly wake up. It felt like his skin around it had turned to ice.
"Knew it," Loki purred and swung down from the rafters.
He would have to get closer to draw his ring to him, and he knew Odin would react quickly. Before his feet touched the table he telekinetically threw Gungnir out of reach, a good idea since Odin was already reaching for it, and then shoved out a hand to touch knock Odin from his chair.
His head swam from using so many spells in the past few minutes and mindspeaking to Thor, and he reached desperately for the ring. With the energy stored in the ring he would stabilize his lifeforce and allow him to continue to cast spells for a long time to come. The ring beckoned.
Loki landed on the table with the ring almost at his fingers. Everyone was shouting at his sudden appearance and reaching for weapons, but their reflexes weren't fast enough. He'd get his ring, and all the energy stored in it, before they could stop him.
Tilaria turned the detonator over in the cockpit of her ship as it began final approach vector to the planet the Celestial troops had commandeered as their headquarters. Most members of the sentient species that lived on the planet had been wiped out by a plague, and the survivors had been gathered and turned into a competent slave force.
Although she wanted to return to her manor, she knew her orders were to report to Arjax, so that was where her ship headed once it entered the planet's atmosphere.
She liked her position here. As a High General, she had her own manor near the coastline where she could smell the salt in the air and listen to the waves as they crashed on the shore. The bay near her house was clear water with a reef nearby. Her servants would go fishing all the time for her.
This was the perfect place to relax and recharge after a mission. She was always assigned to subjugate planets and their species, not pick up the pieces of what remained. That was given to someone else who would stay and become regent, leaving Tilaria to recharge after each campaign – if things were relaxed enough to let her rest between wars.
Her failure on Asgard could compromise all of that. She needed to fix that. Tilaria looked at her wristcomm, checking the scanners that had been hidden in Asgard's council hall and main healer's ward. The numbers of heat signatures in the council hall had gone upward, indicating that the leaders of Asgard were finally meeting. There were still plenty of heatsigns in the Healer's Ward.
Normally she would wait until she was with Arjax to get his permission to continue, but she had to do this now. If she waited then the meeting might break up. It would likely take another hour before she was before Arjax.
Tilaria held the detonator for the bombs within Gladsheimr in her hand. Then she sighed and pressed the detonation button. The two red lights flashed green in acknowledgment and the bombs exploded.
The two explosives mentioned were the two planted during the Celestial's attack near the end of "Shadows of the Past." The plot moves on.