Detective Loki Fan Fiction ❯ Ragnarok ❯ Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Darkness blanketed Asgard, the various halls of the gods' silent in sleep. Nothing stirred within the silence of the night for a long moment. A creature, no larger than a bird, seemed flit across the moon, and then disappeared. Flapping its wings, a majestic falcon descended from the air, landing on the window sill on the castle. The window in question was situated in one of the largest towers of an old castle.

The furnishings of the room were sparse, plain. There was a desk to one side of the room; curtains surrounded the only other piece of furniture. The bed was large, easily taking up half the room. Loki knew it quite well, as he'd been there quite often in the distant past. Angrboda hadn't been the only one he'd visited when he and Sigyn had been on the outs with one another.

The encounter they'd had together had been passionate, but brief. Loki had wanted it that way, his feelings for Heimdall nothing more than an acquaintance at best.

Heimdall, on the other hand, had been nearly devastated at the blatant rejection. Unable to stand the thought of being used in such a manner, his hatred for Loki grew, until he could barely stand to see the Trickster God.

Loki was oblivious to this, of course. Heimdall was a challenge, to be certain, but nothing more than that. Thus, Loki had no clue about why Heimdall was so angered at him all the time.

Not that he cared much. The falcon at the window sill shimmered, becoming the figure of Loki. His eyes danced with mischief as he made his way over to the bed. Gazing down at Heimdall, Loki smirked. This was going to be like taking candy from a baby!

Kneeling on the bed, Loki gazed down at Heimdall. The other tossed and turned in his sleep, mumbling. Unable to discern what Heimdall was muttering, Loki shrugged. It wasn't really that important.

Reaching out with his hand, he pushed aside Heimdall's hair, revealing his right eye. Loki's smirk died, his eyes grew distant as he gazed at the Eye. It opened, gazing at Loki intensely. Loki caught his breath, but it appeared Heimdall was still asleep.

Ignoring the strange feeling of foreboding he felt at the look, Loki placed his hand over the eye. It closed, a soft purple light emanating from Loki's hand. He pulled his hand away, gazing at the crystal that now sat in his hand.

Scrambling away from Heimdall, Loki stared at the pillow, the white slowly being dyed from the blood pouring onto it from the open wound in Heimdall's eye. Clutching the Eye to his chest, Loki changed forms and flew out, moments before an ear-piercing scream came from the bedroom.

* * *

All was dark in the Hall of Ancients. A lone figure sat on the dais, waiting. It was well past midnight, when all sensible creatures should be asleep. The figure waited…and waited. It finally turned its head, gazing into the shadows.

Loki emerged from the shadows, a devilish smirk on his face. He hid his apprehension and fear well, so not even the visitor in the room would detect it. "I have it."

"Thank you, brother." Odin emerged from the dais, coming down to stand before Loki. He held out his hand, waiting ever patiently.

Reaching into his pocket, Loki handed Odin a leather pouch. Taking the pouch, Odin eagerly opened it. His eyes went wide in delight at the sight of the sparkling jewel inside. "Very well done, brother!"

Loki nodded curtly, and then strode out of the Hall. Odin arched an eyebrow, watching Loki's back before his half-brother disappeared.

Holding the jewel tightly in his hand, Odin gazed into it, searching. His eyes widened as the jewel began to glow.

* * *

Leaving the Hall of Ancients, Loki made his way back home; to Lyr. [1] He found it ironic that many of the gods thought he was a wanderer with no home whatsoever. Such thoughts were ludicrous, of course. Why wouldn't he have a home? He wasn't some homeless vagabond, after all.

The God of Fire entered Lyr quietly, solemnly. His head was bowed, his heart and soul troubled by what had occurred that night. He hadn't expected what had occurred at Himinbjorg. [2] The scene in Heimdall's bedroom still haunted him. Shivering, he pushed past the fire sentries, entering the main foyer.

As would be expected with the home of the god of fire, there was a great deal of red. Red marble floors, with traces of black, adorned the hall. Tapestries depicting the struggle of the Vanir and Aesir lined the walls. Strangely, none of Loki's own exploits were in attendance on the tapestries.

A long silver staircase branched off into two directions. Despite the blood colored floors, the hall was soft and light, a mystical feel to it. There weren't many that knew that this was Loki and Sigyn's home. Most believed that the hall belonged to Melgand. Melgand did live there, but she was more of lady in waiting for Sigyn than anything.

Loki had never tried to dissuade any of the other gods in their thinking on that score. Lyr was a sort of haven for him, someplace he could go without anyone knowing…somewhere he could be truly happy.

Turning to face one of the walls, Loki gazed at the portrait that hung on the wall. His hand reached out, touching the images gently.

It was a typical family portrait. Sigyn sat in a chair in the front, her white gown spread out around her. On her lap sat Fenrir, in his puppy form. Behind her Loki stood; his hands on the chair Sigyn at in. Narvi and Vali stood on either side of their father, looking proud as they glanced at their father. Hel sat at Sigyn's feet, next to her other brother. Jormungand seemed to be purring as Hel pet him.

Tilting his head to the side, Loki gazed at the picture more closely. Odd how much alike Hel and Sigyn were…

"I remember when that was taken."

Turning from the portrait, Loki gazed upon the figure of his wife, Sigyn. Her soft lilac hair framed her face, falling around her as she stood in her white nightgown. Her head was tilted to the side, gazing up at him inquiringly. She barely came up to this chest, her petite frame a startling contrast to Loki's tall frame.

He smiled, reaching out to brush her cheek with his hand, his previous thoughts forgotten. "Couldn't sleep?"

"You know I can't sleep when you're gone." Sigyn replied softly, closing her eyes as she leaned into his touch. Her eyes opened, gazing into his green pools. "Something happened."

He sighed; there was no fooling her. He nodded, but didn't elaborate.

She nodded as well, taking his hand in her own. Leading him from the hall, they mounted the stairs. Loki followed her wordlessly, feeling a sense of foreboding. "Sigyn…"

"Yes?" She turned her head, gazing at him. With him a step below and her a step above, they were eye to eye.

"Would you…do a reading?" Loki asked tentatively. He hated using such things, especially from her. But the night's events had unnerved him greatly.

Gazing at him thoughtfully, it was almost as if she could see into his soul, see what had happened and why. "All right." Turning, she climbed the rest of the way up the stairs, leading him down the right hand corridor instead of the left, where their bedroom lay.

There was only one room on the right wing of the hall. It was large, taking up the entire wing. Upon entering, Loki blinked, the light almost blinding.

The entire room was lit with candles. Candles of all shapes and sizes surrounded the room, giving it an eerie, otherworldly look. Stepping inside, Sigyn immediately went to the small circle drawn on the ground. She sat at one end, indicating the opposite end.

Loki nodded, going over and sitting down on the indicated spot. Sigyn returned, carrying a bowl and jug. There was a leather pouch in the bowl, strange clacking sounds coming from the pouch. Sitting across from Loki, Sigyn set the pouch to the side. Pouring water from the jug into the bowl, she then sprinkled some dust into the water. Setting the bowl of incense to the side, she lifted the pouch into her hand. Reciting an incantation over the pouch, she poured the contents out.

Runes fell out of the pouch, spilling onto the floor. Strangely, they all landed next to one another, each one turned over so the symbol on each was hidden. The runes were made of a strange semi-precious stone, one unseen on Earth.

Her hand over the runes, Sigyn closed her eyes and recited:

In this fateful hour,

I call upon all Heaven with its power

And the sun with its brightness

And the snow with its whiteness

And the ire with all the strength it hath

And the lightening with its rapid wrath

And the winds with their swiftness along the path

And the sea with its deepness

And the rocks with their steepness

And the earth with its starkness

All these I place,

By Heaven's almighty help and grace,

Between myself and the power of darkness.

Silence filled the air after Sigyn's prayer ended. A soft purple glow began to surround each rune, imbuing it with power. The light faded and she looked up. "Choose five stones. The first will show the situation as it is now. The second: challenge. The third shall depict what course of action you must take, the fourth, your sacrifice. The last will be your future."

Taking a deep breath, Loki closed his eyes. Runes held power; he did not want them to interpret something incorrect. The slightest hesitation on his part could prove disastrous. The Shadow creatures in Nifleheim had shown him that. Reaching out with a steady hand, he picked five stones, seemingly at random. Placing them before Sigyn, he opened his eyes.

She nodded, scooping up the rest of the stones and placing them in her leather pouch. Setting it aside, she picked up the stones and placed them in order. Once they were in the correct alignment, she turned them over.

Loki looked upon the stones, feeling apprehension in his stomach. What did they mean?

Reaching out, Sigyn touched the first stone, the one on the top. "This is Ansuz. Normally it signifies the attention of the Divine…however…"

Swallowing, Loki looked up at Sigyn, her eyes troubled. "However, you drew it in its reversed position. In its reversed position, this signifies that you are concerned over a present situation. There is a sense of futility…stagnation, even fear."

Loki went cold, gazing at the rune of Ansuz. `Heimdall…' That was the only thing he could think of at the moment. The way the Eye had shone when he'd taken it…shaking himself, he nodded for Sigyn to continue.

Reaching out, she touched the second stone in the spread. "Othila. A radial separation will occur soon. Paths will be separated, for how long I cannot tell."

`Separation?' What separation could she mean, Loki wondered. His brow furrowed, his teeth biting his bottom lip.

"The third: Uruz." Sigyn continued, her eyes glowing slightly as the stones did. As the foremost rune master in Asgard, second only to Odin himself, she held immense power. "Change must occur or all will be lost. The old ways must die to give way to the new."

A spike of fear slid down Loki's back, gritting his teeth as he gazed down at the runes. They continued to glow, as if mocking him. Did he dare to hear the rest?

But Sigyn didn't seem to be able to stop. She pointed to the fourth stone. "Nauthiz. Identify your shadow, dark or repressed side. Obstacles will be created for you personally, as well as the world around you. The need for restraint is unquestionable here. If it is not received, disaster will result."

Eyes wide, Loki sought to edge back from her, to break the trance. But her hand reached out, taking his arm in hers. She touched his finger to the last stone. It was blank, clear of any markings. "The last…the Unknowable, the Divine. Death may occur, but a rebirth will result. A new beginning after much hardship and strife will be your reward."

The glow disappeared, causing Loki to reach out to catch Sigyn as she slumped forward. The glow died from the stones, making them seem cold and lifeless. She smiled up at her husband gratefully, resting in his arms. "Did it help, my lord?"

"We will see, Sigyn." Loki smiled back at her, his concern over the reading banished for the time being in his concern for his wife. "Are you well?"

She smiled, nodding as she rested against him. He smiled, lifting her up into his arms. She snuggled into his strong arms, resting her head on his shoulder. Loki bent down, brushing his lips over hers. Breathing in his scent, her breath caught once more as his lips kissed hers more deeply, the two exiting the chamber to the more pleasurable and warm confines of their shared bedroom.

Unnoticed by either, the stones on the floor began to glow once more. The remaining stones in the pouch poured out, rearranging themselves. They glowed brightly, and then subsided.

Upon the floor, the stones had arranged themselves to spell out a single word.

Ragnarok.

[1] After much research, the only reference I found to Loki's hall was one he `made' with the help of some dwarves. The reference regarding Lyr was it was the Hall of Fire…since Loki is the fire god; it would make sense that this was his home.

[2] The name of Heimdall's hall.