Chapter 11
Torture by Fire
Loki had cleared a far distance as his horse, Sven, galloped. He continued through the woods until the sun began to set. He came across a small meadow and decided to rest there for the night. He unpacked his things and let his horse graze. He sat back against a tree and took a deep breath. He took in the peace and quiet as the sky was turning purple and the stars where appearing. As the quiet sounds of the night began to rise, Loki began to feel more relaxed. He started a fire and went back to leaning against a tree, chewing a cattail. He pondered his dreams again. The thought of Jenny hadn't left him. He wondered if they were dreams sent from his mother, who only wanted him to know that he could still be loved and cared about. Still, Odin and Balder seemed to care about him, and Thor wanted to seek forgiveness. Things were turning out well. Loki felt comforted by the thought. His eyelids were starting to get heavy, and eventually, he let them close and drifted off to sleep.
He wasn't sure how long he had been sleeping when he heard Sven. His steed was rearing slightly, and he was snorting as if something had startled him. Loki quickly stood and ran over to him. He placed and hand on his muzzle, and speaking softly to comfort his horse. This seemed to work for a moment, but Sven still seemed on edge. Loki gazed around the meadow. His fire had died down, and now only pieces of charcoal were glowing. Loki stayed silent for a long time before a lighted arrow flew into the middle of the meadow and set the grass on fire. Sven reared and let out a loud screech before taking off. Loki jumped to avoid getting hit by a hoof. He lay in the grass for a moment, listening as Sven's pounding hooves became more and more distant. He quickly stood to see the men in strange clothing appear with their crossbows and strange guns. He let them charge at him, taking his dagger out and swiftly dodging their hits. He was able to fight most of them off, only to realize there were more coming out of the trees. The fire grew larger, demolishing the pile he had burned off earlier. Once he saw her face come out of the trees, he knew he had to surrender. He kneeled and lifted his hands in the air.
"Nebula," He curtly greeted the cyborg. She strutted across the meadow, glaring at him. "How long has Thanos been working with these ruffians?"
"He hasn't." Nebula said in her almost mechanical voice. "He doesn't have a clue that I'm here."
"I see you've grown some sense," Loki taunted. "Obviously, not enough."
"I turned my back on Thanos." Nebula replied. "I have some other plans now."
"So…" Loki hesitated. "He's not coming?"
"No," Nebula said. "But that doesn't mean I won't show mercy. You see, a lot of the Chitari were my friends, and you set them up for failure."
"I wasn't even sure if we would win or not." Loki admitted. "And I wasn't sure if I wanted to win."
"You got what you wanted." Nebula said. "You still have the Tesseract, and you came home to Asgard." Nebula narrowed her eyes. "And it seems you were stupid enough to leave."
"I'm different now." Loki said.
"I see," Nebula said, picking up a large stick. She stepped over to the burning fire and held the end of the stick in it. Two men ran over, grabbing Loki's arms. "You know, I may hate Thanos, but I wouldn't mind keeping this one promise. We warned you, there would be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where we can't find you. There would be nowhere you could hide from us. Now you've failed." She walked over to him, the edge of the stick now on fire. She pressed the flame against his cheek. He cringed in pain. "And now, we will make you suffer."
"Please…no…" Loki breathed.
"Take him to your base." Nebula said, looking at the guards.
~jb~
Jenny had changed out of her dress and into what felt like a hunter's outfit. The top was long-sleeved and hung down to her knees. She wore comfortable pants with thick boots. She had brown leather and armor covering her torso. The rest of her friends wore similar clothing.
"Well gang," Summer said. "I like our new look."
"Marina, you look pretty." Chijo said. Marina blushed slightly.
"Are you ready?" Balder walked into the room towards the team.
"Yes," Summer replied. They began to walk into the hallway.
"No hard feelings, Miss Robinson?" Balder asked.
"Oh, of course!" Jenny smiled at him and shook his hand. As they walked and she was out of hearing range, Chijo leaned in and whispered to Balder.
"Don't worry, she gave me a bloody lip once."
"Huh?" Balder looked at him. "For… for calling her…?"
"Yep." Chijo nodded. "But she's quick to forgive, so don't worry."
They made their way to the front door. Thor, The Warriors Three, and Lady Sif were all waiting for them.
"Jenny!" Jane came running up to them. "Be careful!"
"I will." Jenny said before walking over to Thor. He knelt down, cupping his hands. She swiftly stepped on them and mounted the horse. He sat behind her and urged the horse to move forward. Jenny was really glad Thor offered her a ride; she was a little nervous around the horses after her misadventure from earlier. Jenny noticed Summer was riding with Balder. Chijo and Marina were riding together. Chijo was comfortable around animals, and it didn't take him long to learn how to ride a horse. The rest all rode on their own horse. Fenrir followed behind them, Momo clinging onto his back.
The sun was sinking further and further behind the mountains. The sky was dim, but Jenny could barely make out the horse running towards them.
"Wait, Thor! I see something!" Jenny shouted.
"I see it too!" Thor replied. "Everyone, halt!"
A light-brown horse came riding towards them. Chijo dismounted his horse and ran towards the rearing one. He placed his hand on his muzzle and whispered to it.
"Sven!" Thor gasped and nearly jumped off his horse. Jenny didn't even try to get down. The ground was too far away for her liking.
Oh sure, I can jump from building to building, but I can't get off a freakin' horse…pathetic. Jenny thought bitterly. Thor's next words pulled her out of her thoughts.
"This is Loki's horse…"
"Something's not right," Balder said, hopping down from his horse as well. Summer stayed put, clearly feeling the same discomfort as Jenny. "Loki would never just let his horse run in panic like this… not without trying to comfort it."
"Loki should be close by then…" Thor said, looking around hopefully.
"No, he's faster than that." Fandral reasoned.
"Maybe he…" Hogun hesitated. The group went silent for a few moments. The silence made Jenny feel uncomfortable as she began to feel the worst.
"This is bad…" Thor said. "We need to get to their base, as soon as possible." He remounted his horse once more and rode off, the others quickly following him.
Jenny couldn't believe this was happening…she didn't want to. Flashes of Audrey's death went through her head. She could hear her voice calling out…the gun-shot… the phone hanging up… the entire scenario of that night played in her head, as they rode through the forest. A strong determination grew. When they got to the base, she would help Loki at all costs.
~jb~
Loki opened his eyes. His wrists and ankles were bound by shekels and he was lying on the cold, hard floor. He took in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a cave. There were torches all over the walls. His captors had removed his clothes, except for his pants. The limited movement of his hands made it hard for him to use his magic.
A group of men walked into the room, led by Nebula. "Are you ready for what I promised?" Nebula asked. The men grabbed their torches and slowly walked towards him.
"Just…do it." Loki replied. "I deserve it."
"You know, it doesn't have to be this way." Nebula added, kneeling down next to him. "If you tell me where the Tesseract is, I'll spare you. No pain, no death…just freedom."
"I'd rather be dead." Loki grumbled.
"Well then, I have bad news." Nebula said. "It will be slow and painful…unless you tell me where the Tesseract is."
"Go to Hel," Loki spat at her.
Nebula slapped him across the cheek. She quickly stood and turned to the door. "You boys know what to do." She added before leaving the room.
The men began to scorch Loki with the torches on his bare skin. He cried out in pain as the flames burned him.
I deserve this… I am nothing… I have done so many wrongs…maybe this is how I can pay for my mistakes.
