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Valkyrion

1/4/2010

The Hall was so silent Iris could hear her heart beating.

She didn’t understand what was going on, and confusion made her frightened and angry. Why was Loki here? Wasn’t he supposed to be chained up under a rock or something? Why was the Allfather so upset about it? Just kill him and get back to the party. She reached up to her ears and took down her axes, but didn’t size them up. She wanted to see what the Allfather would do before getting involved. Odin pulled himself together. As Iris watched, he composed his features and straightened up his posture.

“You are unwelcome in my presence.”

Loki chuckled, the sound sending a chill down Iris’ spine, “Some things never change, old friend.” He sipped the mead, then chugged the liquid, pausing once to glance around as though afraid someone was going to take it from him. There was a sense of desperation, and Iris wondered if he could help himself. He finished, tossed aside the cup and licked his fingers were some of the liquid had spilled. He continued as though nothing had happened, “I must commend you for your…creativity. Seven-hundred years chained to a rock. Impressive. Of course, the subtlest part of the punishment was the worst. Convincing Sigyn to ‘help’ me; that was a stroke of genius. Listening to my darling wife bitch for the past seven-hundred years was worse than anything else. She turned out to have a use in the end, though.” He turned and Iris saw his eye focus on her. She swallowed hard, feeling the tiny axes in her hands. She wouldn’t try to use them unless he threatened her.

“I sent her out to distract Thor when he was selecting the champion. I never thought she’d be able to throw him off this much.”

“What have you done?”

He turned his attention back to the Allfather, “For someone with all the wisdom in the universe, you can be such an idiot. You were so worried about something getting into the Midgard you never thought something might wander out.” He sighed, “You people can be so dense. A couple of humans wandered through a portal, right into my cave.” In front of Iris’ eyes his shape changed, shrinking, melting into the immature body of a small child. It lasted only a moment, but the effect made Iris’ stomach turn. It was maybe the most revolting thing she’d ever seen. His voice changed too, became the high-pitched sound of a young girl, “Help me, please, can’t you help me?” His voice and features changed back, “They never even hesitated to break my chains.”

Something clicked in Iris’ mind, a tiny news story she’d seen the day after fighting her first monster. Two city repair workers had gone missing in the tunnels beneath the destroyed road. She hadn’t given it a second thought. Apparently no one else had either.

Loki continued, “You were all so distracted watching the champion, wondering if she was going to survive, that you didn’t have time to pay attention to anything else.” He focused her attention back on Iris, “I expected she’d be killed during the first skirmish, if she survived the testing at all, then you’d be put to the trouble of training a replacement.” He looked her up and down. His gaze made Iris feel flustered and hot. In the back of his dark eyes Iris could almost see a glimmer of flame. She wanted to look away and hide herself from his smoldering gaze. Instead, she lifted her chin and stared back at him. Hiding was a sign of weakness. There was something raw and animalistic about Loki. She knew he would pounce on any sign of disadvantage. She sized up her axes, keeping them low, and drawing strength from the weapons.

He laughed, “I like you, champion. We’ll talk again.” He vanished.

Iris blinked. It didn’t surprise her that Loki could disappear if he wanted to; she’d expected some flames or smoke or something. A mosquito hummed at her ear. She swatted it absently as she put her axes away.

She glanced around. The expressions on the pale faces around her made Iris’ skin go cold. What sort of creature was Loki that he could frighten the Allfather?

A few seconds passed, but in the tense silence it felt like hours. Odin finally spoke, “Tyr, take the Champion home. Thor, Vidar, Vali come with me.” He stood up and walked out towards the back of the Hall. Thor and two other men Iris hadn’t met stood up and followed him. Tyr stood up and walked towards her. She could see he was trying to smile, but not quite managing it.

“Tyr, what’s going on?”

“Come on girl, let’s get you home.” He led her towards the back of the Hall and out another side door.

It was the first time Iris had been outside in Asgard after dark. She glanced around, but there was nothing unusual. “Tyr, please, tell me what’s going on.”

He shook his head, “It’s over, Iris. Loki has escaped, he’s going to bring about Ragnarok and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop him.”

Confusion bled into anger. Iris remembered what she’d read about the end of the world and she wasn’t about to believe in some prophesy. “That’s bullshit and we both know it.”

Tyr sighed, “You mortals, so optimistic. Go home, Iris, make love to that geologist of yours. If you stockpile enough food and find a place to hide you might survive. I hope you do.”

“Have you lost your mind? You’re not even going to put up a fight? I thought you were a warrior.”

“Of course we’ll fight, but only so Loki’s evil won’t spread farther than it must. It’s over, Iris. There’s nothing we can do.”

“I don’t believe it! Tyr, he hasn’t won yet. There must be something we can do.” She thought of the thousands of seasoned warriors in the building behind them. With that much of an army, there must be some way to gain an advantage.

“There is no ‘we’, girl. You’re done here. There’s nothing more you can do.”

“You can’t send me back now. You need me; I can fight.” A month ago she would have given anything to leave Asgard and never look back. Now Iris couldn’t stand the thought of turning her back on it. The thought of sitting at home, not knowing what was happening filled her with nervous energy. There was no way Tyr was leaving her behind.

He smiled at her, “It might have been a mistake, but Thor did right in choosing you. I wish you didn’t have to see these times.” He put his hand on her shoulder.

“Tyr, wait—” Iris was back in her apartment. Jason was still sitting on the couch, looking bemused.

“God dammit Tyr you sonofabitch! You are not leaving me here! Get your ass back here!”

“Iris?”

She looked over at Jason. The look on his face would have made her laugh under any other circumstances. Some of the tension drained out of her. Jason was standing, his hands out. She wondered what he saw and what he was thinking. That she’d lost her mind, probably.

“I’m okay.” Iris took a deep breath and tried to keep herself under control.

“What just happened?”

She realized they’d been in the middle of a conversation when Thor had shown up to take her to Valhalla. A cross-country move was the least of her worries now, but she owed Jason an explanation. She’d put him through enough already.

“I need a drink. You want one?”

“A beer.”

The kitchen still had food sitting out on the counter. Iris mixed a drink for herself—her tequila supply was getting low—and opened a beer for Jason. The task was a distraction and gave her a few more seconds to get control over her body.

She sat down and handed the drink to Jason.

“Seriously, what just happened? I was sitting here pouring my heart out to you and suddenly you’re across the room yelling at a god.”

Iris sipped at her own drink, trying to organize her thoughts. Her entire body was still humming with unreleased frustration at Tyr and his pig-headed attitude about what was happening. She didn’t think anything was pre-ordained, especially not the end of the world.

“Thor came and picked me up in the middle of our conversation; he can do this weird time-stopping thing. We went to Valhalla. It was a party to celebrate the fact that I’m not dead.” Iris knew this had happened and was having a hard time believing it when she said it like that. “Loki showed up.” She shivered a little, remembering the way he’d looked at her. He seemed interested in her; he’d said they would talk again. Iris wasn’t sure if she wanted to. There was something primitive and dangerous about him, something that made her want to learn more, but frightened her as well.

“Who’s Loki?” Jason’s voice broke into her thoughts.

“He’s been living under a rock for the past seven-hundred years or so. He’s going to destroy the world. The Aesir are going to let him.”

“That makes a lot of freaking sense.”

“Tell me about it.” She searched his face for signs of disbelief, but found none.

“So, what are we going to do?”

“We?”

“Yes. You really think I’m going to run off now when things are just getting interesting?”

“Interesting is not how I would put it.” She took another drink and looked at him, “You’re taking this very well.”

“I’m a geologist. I deal with rocks all the time. I have a very small quota of shock. I used it up last night watching you fight that dragon.”

Iris had almost forgotten the dragon. It seemed like ages ago. She took another drink, trying to focus her thoughts. She needed a plan.

“I need to get back into Asgard.”

“I thought only the Aesir-people could go back and forth.”

“That’s the problem.”

“What are you going to do once you get back there?”

“I don’t know,” she put her head in her hands. “I have to do something.” She tried to remember everything she’d read about Ragnarok.

“If this happens it’s not just going to affect the Aesir. Earth is going to be screwed too.”

“How do you mean?”

“There’s going to be a global winter for one or three years, depending on who you read, massive wars, famine and general chaos.”

“Sound like fun.”

“How can you be so calm?” Iris glared at him. Her own barely-concealed panic bubbling to the surface. It was one thing to know the end of the world was coming. It was something else to not be able to do anything about it.

“I’m still in information overload. An hour ago you were telling me how you have been saving the world for the past month. Ten minutes ago you were telling me it was over. Now you’re telling me the world’s going to end. Give me a minute. It’s a lot to take in.”

Iris blew out her breath; she needed to move. She couldn’t focus with so much nervous energy. She stood up and began to pace. Jason pulled her laptop off the table and opened it.

“What are you doing?”

“If we’re going to save the world, I’m going to need some more information. Do you mind?”

She sighed, exasperated, “Go for it. Why can’t you freak out like a normal person?” She paced around, trying to find something to do. She went back to the kitchen and started putting away food. How could he be so calm? He was probably looking up mental hospitals, trying to decide which one would be best for her. It was crazy. Her whole life was crazy. If Ragnarok was only going to affect the Aesir Iris would have been willing—not happy, but willing—to let them destroy themselves. The fact that it was going to mess up her world as well was a different matter. She could not sit here and do nothing, waiting for the world to end.

Iris finished packing up leftovers and began doing dishes. Jason was still staring intently at the computer screen. She wondered what he was thinking. She needed to think. She needed to come up with a plan, some way to get back to Asgard and…what? Her mind shut down. How was she supposed to make any difference? The Aesir were gods; she was just some mortal who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was nothing but a mistake, and mistake Loki caused. How was she going to make a difference? Iris closed her eyes and twisted a towel in her hands, her knuckles cramping from the strain. She remembered what Tyr had said. She might only be a mistake, but she was still the right choice. Right or wrong, she wasn’t going to stand by and let her world be destroyed. She wasn’t done using it yet.

Iris opened her eyes. She needed to get back into Asgard; she couldn’t do anything from Earth. She remembered a sunny, green place with an enormous tree in the center of it. What had the Allfather said? That place existed in all the planes simultaneously? She remembered the man tending the well. Mimir; that was his name. According to the myths, the water was the source of all wisdom. The rudiments of a plan began to take shape in her mind. She would find the tree, she would ask Mimir if there was any way to stop Ragnarok from happening. Iris knew there would be a cost for the knowledge. Somehow she doubted it would be as simple as a few drops of blood. The knot of anxiety settled in the pit of her stomach. Whatever the cost, she would pay it. She had to do something.

Iris glanced over at Jason to see if he was still reading when there was a knock on the door.

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