Chapter 26

Thor's thick clumsy fingers were trembling as they tore the draw from the chest of draws and tossed it on the bed, searching through the rags of linen shakily.

This was it. He was about to find the weapon that killed his son.

His heart was pounding in his chest and his tongue darted out to wet his dry lips. Gods, he never anticipated that this would happen.

All that Imogen had told him still echoed in his head. A witch. Everyone had believed Imogen was a traitor – including him for a time! – when in reality she was the victim. She was set up.

He couldn't help but wonder how different things could have been if he'd only listened to his wife in the first place, if he had trusted her word of innocence…

There was nothing that could be done about that now though, he reminded himself. The past was the past. And the next few hours would decide their future. Quickly, he glanced out the window and his heart stopped at the way the sun kissed the horizon in a burst of blinding yellow, red and orange how low the sun was in the sky. He did not have long – a matter of hours at most.

Imogen would be fleeing now with Linda.

Thor was sure it wouldn't take the witch long to notice that her assistant and target were missing. It would not take her long to figure out something was wrong, Thor was sure.

That just made it all the more dangerous now.

He didn't know much about magic. He knew it was powerful and dangerous – but how powerful? How dangerous? Of that, he didn't know. He didn't know the full capacity of what could be done with magic. With a mind like the witch's though, it was enough to frighten the god for his family's sake. They would all be in danger should he fail.

And he couldn't let them down again.

His heart ached guiltily – it was all his fault.

He should have reassured Imogen more that they were in no hurry for a son. He should have cherished her more. He should have made sure she never felt like she needed to go to such lengths, which would bring such disastrous consequences.

If he had been a better husband, perhaps his son would still be alive today…

But that wouldn't have stopped the witch, he reminded himself. What she condemned them for had occurred long before they had even known the witch existed. Their lives were already marked.

Soon, though it wouldn't matter. He just needed to find this powder and take it to the alchemist, then he could arrest the witch once his guards confirmed the existence of the same elements there. He would not let her live beyond sunrise. She was too dangerous.

His finger nails brushed the wood at the bottom of the draw and his heart skipped a beat. It had to be here, he thought in a panic, eyes scouring over the linen wads before him. That was all there was though.

No bundle of poisoned powder.

It wasn't there.

With a brutal cry of frustration, the god launched the draw away, hearing it smash satisfyingly against the wall.

Sinking to his knees, he ran his hands through his hair. Had someone gotten here before him? Had the witch? Linda? Was Imogen telling the truth at all or was this all just a lie? His heart balked at the last one and he felt sick, turning round to lean his back against the side of the bed. He had believed her…

Just as the burning in his chest grew to almost more than he could bear, the god spotted something – a dusting of crimson on the wall.

Nudging forward until he was kneeling, the god squinted at the wall. Crimson red flecked lightly against the pearly white wall of their chambers, not quite solid enough to be blood. Almost like a powder. The god's mouth ran dry as it sank in. Suddenly his eyes dropped down and scoured the floor amongst the shattered remains of the draw – it was here somewhere.

Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. The bundle of linen lay on its side, though it wasn't just a wad of pure cloth like the others were. Instead it was just a single sheet of linen wrapped around a small bundle. A bundle which had burst and now ruby red powder spilled out through the top of the roll of cloth.

Thor stared at it, feeling his stomach turn. Imogen had taken this stuff? For how long? Vaguely he remembered the glass of cranberry juice Imogen had had every night before bed, a habit she'd started just before their coronation.

Only now he knew it hadn't been cranberry juice; she'd been taking this poison all that time, right by his side and he'd not thought anything of it.

Then again, nor had she, he reminded himself. She had not known what she was doing.

Thor forced the thoughts away and battled down his heartache – those were things for a safer day. Now, there was no time. Swiftly, the god reached forward and gathered up the pouch, clutching it lightly in his palm as he hurried to his feet.

His hand touched the door just as a deep horn sounded from the city – or more specifically, from the witch's old store. The guards signal; they had found witchcraft there.

The god's fingers tightened around the bundle of linen.

XXX

"I must see him!"

Imogen wrenched her hand back from Linda's as they finally reached the small stone archways that led into the gardens from the palace. Keeping her back against one, her shawl drawn up over her hair like a hood, she peered back into the palace.

They were right on the edge, ready to slip into the elaborate lines of hedges and flora of the gardens. It was Frigga's gardens – now it was keen cover for their escape. Instead of a solid wall, the palace was lined with an open corridor, marked with archway after archway. In the summer, it was a nice stroll.

Now though, it was fully of shadows and places easy to be seen. The trees were much more appealing.

But she had to see Thor one last time.

Somehow he'd managed to slip a message to Linda and the maid had relayed the message to the Queen when she'd come for her.

Their escape still both scared and impressed Imogen. Being so close to the witch's trickery, Linda must have picked up a trick or two. At least, if the sedative in the guards drinks had been anything to go by, when Linda had stopped by to give them some 'refreshment'. It had been mere minutes of her flirting with them while the potion kicked in before they were both slumped at her feet, unconscious.

Thor was coming, or so he'd passed on to Linda. If he could, he would come to bid her farewell before they left.

"There's no time." Linda hissed behind her. "We must go now!"

Imogen ignored her; Thor had to come. But sadly, she knew Linda was right. They did not have much time.

Her heart pounded in her chest, feeling the danger. Outside the relative safety of her room, she felt vulnerable. But she was never truly safe there, she reminded herself, especially if the guards protecting her could be so easily neutralised by a small, pretty maid.

It felt good to breathe in fresh air again though and her body sung from the exercise of being able to take long, lengthy strides as she walked. It felt good. She felt free again.

Just when she was about to accept with a sinking heart that Thor hadn't been able to come after all, something moved in the shadows from inside the palace. In a heartbeat, Imogen and Linda flattened themselves against the wall, out of sight. They both held their breath.

Bootfalls hit their ears and from their pace, Imogen guessed their owner was jogging. As they drew nearer though, they slowed until they stopped completely. Imogen had no idea how far away the figure was though…

Until a hiss cut through the silence-

"Imogen?"

She threw herself out from behind the archway in an instant and threw her arms around her husband's neck. His arms crushed her to his chest instantly.

She never wanted to let him go. "I thought you wouldn't come." She admitted in a shaky voice against the side of his neck.

Thor's arms tightened around her. "Of course I would."

Finally, Imogen's arms slackened around his neck and Thor reluctantly let his arms loosen too until Imogen was able to draw back. Her face was awash with anxiety. Thor found it very unnerving.

"Did you find it?" she whispered.

He nodded quickly. "The alchemist is testing it. By the time I return to him, we should have all the proof we need that she is a traitor to the realm."

He knew he should have found that reassuring, but honestly he felt terrified. After he had his proof, there was catching the witch and that was what he was afraid of. What kind of fight would she put up? He had never felt a fear of battle - until he had his wife and child to leave behind should anything happen to him. Now, if he got himself killed, who would protect them?

But it was his wife and children that fuelled him with the fury to go after the witch in the first place. He would see her pyre light up the night sky in a brilliant blaze.

His hand cupped Imogen's cheek, cherishing every feature of her stunning face adoringly. "I'll prove your innocence." He vowed quietly. "I'll bring you home when it is once again safe. This I swear," his other hand reached down and cupped gently over Imogen's stomach, "By the life of our unborn child."

Imogen screwed her eyes shut and tried to calm the painful swell of her heart. Though Thor's words said one thing, the tone of his voice said another: goodbye.

Eyes watery, she finally met his gaze, forcing a small smile for his sake. "I'll see you soon." She said in a soft, but firm voice.

She needed him to come back to her after this.

Thor said nothing in return, his eyes glazing over with a seriousness that only made Imogen fear for him more. She let it go though, letting his hand move to her upper arm and guide her back to where Linda still cowered against the archway, eyes darting around suspiciously from the starry night skies to the blackness of the gardens. The maid eyed the King warily.

"Take care of her." Thor ordered the maid, though he could see he didn't really need to say it. The girl was a wreck. She knew that to let Imogen die meant that she too would also perish.

Linda looked very different to how Thor remembered her. She was not the temptress she had been when they'd first met. Now she had thinned in her anxiety, her eyes heavy from her sleepless nights and her posture shrunken as her shoulders hunched and she gnawed nervously at her fingernail. Her eyes gleamed with terror underneath the shadow of the shawl she had drawn over her head in a hood.

Imogen's shawl had fallen back when she'd burst out from behind the archway, but she settled it back over her hair as she stepped away from her husband.

"Good luck." Thor nodded, as Linda grabbed Imogen's hand and the two women hurried off into the thicket of the gardens.

XXX

The alchemist's cloak whooshed lightly behind them as he walked with the god, moving with a purposeful stride. Thor had his mind set on their destination: the council room.

"This poison… it is formed of the darkest magic I have ever seen." The alchemist had told him when Thor had returned. "Whoever made this had perfected their craft over years – decades even!"

Then he had said the words Thor had needed to hear: "It is not possible for the Queen to have made this."

For a moment, Thor had blotted everything else out. His sigh of relief, the way his eyes fluttered shut for a minute… he couldn't hold back the sheer elation of being proven right. Imogen had not killed their son. It was just a stone's throw away to secure the rest of her innocence.

"Nor do I believe her Majesty has the expertise to understand what it is. She is too young to have learned the skill required and does not bear the physical scars such witchcraft would inflict upon the host."

Everything tying Imogen to knowingly killing their son would disintegrate as soon as Thor brought this to the council, to the nobles and generals who had condemned her in the first place. Once they learned of the witch though, everything would change: murder of the Prince would carry no lesser penalty than death.

Thor strode so quickly that the alchemist had to jog to keep up. All he had to do was quote his findings to the court and Thor would give the word to arrest the witch.

His blood pumped with adrenalin; he was ready for this. He was ready to clear Imogen's name.

Once the witch was dead, it would not be hard to track down Elga and with her history and Linda's testimony, Imogen would be cleared. Cleared and released – released back into his arms.

As soon as the god turned and walked through the open doors of the Council Chambers though, his heart stopped.

He froze in his tracks.

The alchemist crashed into him from behind and the platter he carried bearing the poisoned powder clattered to the floor, spilling the powder in a crimson flurry. Hurriedly, he knelt to correct his clumsiness – until out of the corner of his eye, he spotted what the King had seen before him and froze too.

Glancing around, Thor could see every noble and general he'd summoned to be here – dead.

The bodies littered the room, collapsed where they had stood chattering as they waited for their King and their throats slit, blood spilling out across the floor and mingling with the spilt glasses of wine. It was horrific.

Numbly, Thor stepped forward. Dead eyes stared up at him with every footsteps, their shocked expressions frozen on their faces in their death.

He stopped as his foot accidentally knocked against a fallen goblet and it scraped loudly against the floor. Thor glanced down at it and its owner – and was met by the glassy stare of Lord Roanull. His usually well combed hair was splayed across his face, his usually smirking lips parted from his final, gasping breath…

The god felt sick to his stomach.

Only one person could have done this.

"Almere." Said the alchemist from behind and Thor turned to see him knelt beside the table amongst the bodies that bore the bottles and unclaimed glasses of wine. "A powerful paralytic, though one easy to detect by its scent and the watery appearance it taints the wine with."

The god was too horrified to be truly angry, but a slither of fury crept through at hearing this. "She poisoned them and then slit their throats while they were helpless." He realised quietly. "The coward…"

As soon as he said it though, he knew it wasn't true. To a warrior, it was cowardice. To a tiny, frail woman - bringing down a room full of strong, skilled men without so much as even a scratch! – it was cunning. And the witch definitely wasn't short of that…

The alchemist's dark gaze met his King's worriedly. "I would have expected something more elaborate from the one who concocted that powder. They must be getting desperate."

The same fears echoed in the god's heart as he turned and looked back into the corridor, through the open window directly opposite the council room. The wind blew lightly, knocking the open latch against the wall with a quiet clatter, dark clouds swirling in the sky. His concerned eyes stared out at the dark night.

Somewhere out there was his wife.

And so was the witch, hunting her.

Heart hardening, the god gritted his teeth and let the fury wash over him. He would not let this witch triumph. Not again. It had already gone too far to her will and he would be damned if she would be able to see her plan through.

She'd killed his council, imprisoned his wife, tricked him and murdered his son… she had crossed the wrong god, Thor thought vengefully, fingers flexing as they called silently for his hammer.

Grabbing a spare goblet of wine from the table, the god strode from the chamber swiftly.

Outside, thunder crashed.

XXX

The palace was long behind them.

The woman hurried through the streets of Asgard like ghosts, their skirts and shawls billowing gently around them as they trotted in step away from the centre of the city.

Imogen didn't dare look back, but she could feel how far they were. Her home felt like lifetimes behind her, her heartache for Thor dulling to the pure anxiety of being out in the open, in the dark, exposed… not that she could do anything about that now. This was her only chance at survival.

Around them, the city slept peacefully, not a single person in the streets or a single candlelit window to disturb them. For Imogen though, it was little comfort.

They moved silently, Linda leading the way. She knew where she was going.

Vaguely, Imogen did too. She remembered coming this way a few times when she had been young and drunk, but that was years ago and all she remembered was the forest over the bridge. How deep did the forest go? Was that were they were going to flee too? Or deeper, through to the mountains?

She didn't dare ask, knowing she wouldn't like either answer. And besides, Linda was hardly in a settled state of mind to answer.

Linda's fretful eyes glanced fearfully at every shadow, her shoulders raised and arms wrapped around herself as they scurried through the streets. Imogen almost found it unnerving, had she not felt the same fear herself. She was just better at hiding it. What she kept hidden in her frantically beating heart though, showed in Linda's twitchy frame and eyes wide as the full moon gleaming in the sky above them.

The air around them was chilled and Imogen glanced up as the moon light cut off abruptly. Her heart soared comforted at the sight of the dark clouds blotting out the sky, crackling with thunder.

Thor.

Then her spirits sank as soon as they rose: these clouds… they were dark and angry. Foreboding. Warning.

Her breath caught and she froze in her tracks; something was wrong.

Linda noticed she was hurrying alone and turned back, hood falling back in the breeze that was picking up. She grabbed Imogen's wrist again and pulled her forward. Imogen stumbled along numbly. "We must keep moving!" hissed from Linda, frightened.

Imogen wanted to say it. We're in danger. But the words caught in her throat, bringing a wave of nausea over her, barring her speech. She couldn't say it. How could she say it? How could she warn Linda?

Then an explosion tore apart the night.

Both women dropped to the ground in alarm as the fire burst behind them in a huge sudden burst of orange, lighting up the night sky with a sound that woke all of Asgard.

Linda was on her feet in a moment – and so was Imogen, holding her back. "That's my father's house!" Linda screamed, fighting against Imogen as she tried to hold back the young girl from running back. They could not go back now. It was too late. Imogen couldn't see the house that had been obliterated – it was too far away to see. But she knew it was the innkeepers. She knew the message it brought. "My father! No! I must help him-"

Imogen flattened her hand over Linda's mouth and roughly shoved her off the street and against the back of a house as a group of concerned Asgardians ran towards the flames. They could not be seen. She held Linda back against the house, keeping her silent until the men had gone.

When they had, Linda's white face was stricken with tears. Imogen slowly pulled her hand away from her mouth and thankfully, Linda stayed silent.

Glancing back to the flames and the smoke billowing into the sky, Imogen's heart plummeted. Linda's father was dead. The timing of that spectacle was no accident. Fear drenched through her system the longer she looked back at the destruction and she knew their hours were numbered.

She was backing away before she knew it, Linda reluctantly following. They both knew she had no choice.

"We must go." Imogen breathed.

All that lay for them back in Asgard was death.

Finally, Imogen tore herself away and didn't even blink as the wind snatched her shawl. She and Linda turned and ran away from the devastation as fast as they could.

The world whipped by in seconds, passing as a blur. All Imogen was aware of was the huff of her heavy breathing, the hard thump of her heartbeat and the flash of light colour beside her, reminding her that Linda was still there with her. She must just as terrified as Imogen, if not more. She'd just seen her house and father go up in flames; Imogen couldn't even imagine what that must feel like.

They had to get out of the city. If they could only escape into the woods – yes! Her heart soared as she caught sight of the bridge ahead and the forest beyond it. If they could lose themselves in those trees…

Their footsteps clattered loudly on the stones of the bridge, but they hardly noticed, their goal in sight. The bridge was small and lightly arched over a small river that trickled quietly, a peaceful sound that didn't belong on such a terror filled night. Beyond that bridge was a short clearing before the trees began, loosely gathered at first and then thicker the further the forest went on.

Imogen had barely stepped onto soil before she blinked – and suddenly a frail figure barred their way.