A M O R A

"You must speak some reason with him, Amora!" Sif exclaimed, "He dismissed our words. Surely he will listen to you."

"I have already tried," Amora said defeatedly, "He seems obsessed with protecting his position as king."

She looked away despondently and found herself watching Volstagg's gorge himself on yet another pheasant. Attempting to pry anymore answers out of Lorelei had been unproductive and now Amora was left to speculate with her friends. Only they seemed to share her suspicions.

Glancing over at Hogun, Amora noticed the concentrated look on his face. "What are you thinking, Hogun?" she asked.

Having long ago found a kindred spirit in the quiet warrior, she valued the advice that resulted from such deep moments of thought. His words were never wasted.

However, the Vanir still hesitated, "The Gatekeeper would never allow us to use his gate to commit such treason--and I know that it would be a great strain--but could you not travel to Midgard and retrieve Thor?"

The thought had occurred to Amora; It would not be the first time that she had gone from one realm to another without the use of the Bifrost. But she did not trust her own strength to allow such a feat, especially with the avoidance of Heimdall's and Loki's watchful eyes.

"No," Sif said firmly, "that would be too much of a risk for Amora's health as well as her freedom."

They all quickly grew silent when a guard entered. "Lady Amora, Heimdall has requested your immediate presence."

Sif stood with her hand on her sword, but the sorceress placed a warning hand on her arm. The warrior shook her head adamantly. "I will not allow another one of my friends to be banished."

"Calm yourself, Sif," Amora stood and added with a smirk, "And even if I was banished, I'd be able to find my way back home quicker than Thor."

The long ride to the Bifrost did not help the sorceress' nerves as the guard transported her to an unknown fate.

When the guard dropped her off and left, Amora entered to see Heimdall already facing her. "You have suspicions concerning to our king," his voice boomed.

It was pointless to deny the all-seeing gatekeeper, so she nodded. "Yes, I do."

Amora silently braced herself to be berated. She of all people should remain loyal to Loki and no warrior should waver in their commitment to the throne. And no one upheld their oath as dutifully as the gatekeeper.

"Good," Heimdall said curtly, "I feared that your relationship with Loki would blind you."

His words both shocked and relieved Amora. The breath she had unknowingly been holding came rushing out and, dumbfounded, she blurted, "Wait. What? My relatio--?" she paused to organize her thoughts "You suspect Loki, as well?"

"Yes, and I need your help."

This made Amora's stomach churn; any issue that would cause Heimdall alarm must be serious. And this only legitimized her own concerns.

"I do not wish to suspect our new king," he said, looking down, before continuing, "Earlier this evening, he travelled to Jotunheim to negotiate peace, but when I turned my gaze upon him, I could not see him."

"Just like the Frost Giants," Amora said distantly, her eyes widening as everything she had feared began to come to light.

But she could not allow her emotions to hinder her, so with determined eyes, she asked, "What do you need of me?"

"Loki veiled his meeting with King Laufey from my sight. I need you to lift the veil."

A sick feeling overtook Amora as her mind absorbed the gravity of this moment. Loki had gone to speak with Laufey, his father and the biggest threat to Asgard, in secret. Such evidence was not favorable for Loki's case.

Amora's eyes suddenly became alarmed and glanced at the great expanse of stars. "Is he still in Jotunheim?"

If Loki returned and caught them eavesdropping, the punishment would undoubtably be severe. He may withhold the full force of his anger from Amora, but the same could not be said for Heimdall.

"No," the gatekeeper's word dispersed Amora's worry, "I am going to give you my eyes--my sight--from that moment, and you will break through his enchantment."

Only then did Amora hesitate. She hated the thought of eavesdropping on her friend, but something was certainly amiss. This would be the only way to expose him, and then help him.

If he is wayward, we can help him come back, she thought hopefully

But Heimdall misunderstood her hesitancy for a lack of confidence. Almost amusedly, he asked, "Did Karnilla not first train you to hide from my sight? Such a skill would be essential for any enemy of Asgard."

Pressing her lips together, Amora failed to hide her guilty smile. Heimdall only chuckled at her sheepishness. "You have no need to hide the extent of your abilities from me, dear Amora. I do not fear you."

This warmed the sorceress's heart; for the longest, she kept her full abilities hidden to avoid inciting any suspicion. But the gatekeeper's words held a special value to Amora, coming from someone that she considered a close friend, maybe even family.

Lifting her head, Amora met Heimdall's gaze and simply nodded, "Alright. Show me."

Both Asgardians closed their eyes, combining their power. The hint of a chill made Amora open her eyes. They now held the golden hue of the gatekeeper's and were met with an icy cave hidden in the depths of Jotunheim.

Turning, she nearly jerked back in fright upon seeing King Laufey so close. Backing away, she bumped into something tall and solid, but before she could whirl around, two firm hands rested on her shoulders.

"It is only me, Amora," Heimdall's voice assured, "Only you and I are real, everything else is just an image of the past."

"Kill him," the Jotun king's low order made Amora's heart double its pace. Maybe the gatekeeper was wrong; maybe this was the end.

But then, a familiar voice quipped, "After all I've done for you?"

No, Amora thought, no, no, no.

If anything, this was much worse for her soul than death. Just one playful statement could prove the impossible, the heartbreaking, the truth.

She did not want to look at Loki's smug face, but how could she not face the answer to all of her questions when it was before her?

"So, you're the one who showed us the way into Asgard," Laufey's deep voice only added to the chills that his words sent down Amora's spine.

"That was just a little fun, really," Loki's voice began to drop from its jovial tone into something darker, "To ruin my brother's big day, and to protect the realm from his idiotic rule."

"I will hear you."

The Asgardian king began to pace as he offered, "I will conceal you and a handful of your soldiers, lead you into Odin's chambers, and you can slay him where he lies."

The integrity of Amora's legs failed and she dropped to her knees. It was fortunate that the icy realm was only an image; if she were truly there, then her tears would have immediately frozen to her cheeks.

"Why not kill him yourself?"

Loki scoffed. "I suspect that the Asgardians would not take kindly to a king who had murdered his predecessor. Once Odin is dead, I will return the Casket to you..."

With hunger in his gaze, Laufey jumped to his feet at the possibility of power.

"...and you can return Jotunheim to all of its, um..." Loki glanced about the icy ruins, "glory."

"I accept."

Suddenly, Amora was roughly pulled from the scene by her unfocused and weakened mind. Disoriented and distraught, she remained on the floor. Her eyes attempted to adjust to the bright lights of the Bifrost while her ears picked up cries.

Her cries.

They wracked her trembling body. What had happened to her friend? She could barely recognize him on Jotunheim.

Then, a hand gripped her shoulder and gave her a shake. "Amora," Heimdall's voice boomed, "now is not the time for weakness. We can still act. We can still stop this."

Shakily, she stood and nodded. Her mind began to clear, and the despair was replaced by anger. Its flames coursed through her veins, reinvigorating her. How could Loki do this, betray his family and put countless lives at risk?

Her trembling hands clenched into fists at her sides. But she was drawn from her boiling anger by Heimdall leading her to sit on the central platform, "I will send for the Three to confront Loki. You must rest; that trick exhausted your strength."

Subconsciously reaching for her soul crystal, she was filled with newfound strength. "No," Amora said firmly. She had long grown tired of others telling her to rest, as though she were weak or about to break.

Jumping to her feet, she started purposefully towards the palace. "Get Sif and the Three to Midgard. We must get Thor back."

"And what of Loki?" Heimdall called.

Just before Amora disappeared with the gleam of a green light, she said steadily, "I will deal with him."

* * *

Oh, what is going to happen??? We're getting close to the end!!!

I guess this shorter chapter makes up for the last one's ridiculous length. *shrugs*

Get ready for the next chapter with Amora's confrontation!! And don't forget to click on that star button!

Thanks!! :)