Chapter Nine
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"We need to get back to Asgard, now," Loki's voice was tight with tension as he looked down at Kenna.
Kenna struggled to her feet, nodding in agreement. Whatever the prince had felt in the talismans it had him unsettled. Kenna could read his rising tension in the set of his shoulders and the hardening of his eyes. She didn't want to stay here any longer than was necessary either. The thought that the entire army here was wearing those talismans was unsettling to say the least. Asgardians were difficult to kill on a normal day, but with talismans that prevented death and thousands of years of fighting experience made this army one of the most dangerous in existence.
The two of them turned and started off through the darkness together. Kenna struggled to keep up with the prince's long strides, occasionally tripping over the odd rock or pile of ash.
"We have to tell my father what we have-" Loki drew off, slowing his pace as he spoke.
Kenna turned back to the prince, not understanding why he stopped. "What?" she asked uncertain what had distracted him. When he didn't respond right away she took a step towards him, they needed to keep moving. "Prince Loki?" she asked uncertainly. She wanted to get out of here. Whatever magic was keeping these soldiers alive was more powerful than anything she had ever heard of and while the prince might be able to dispatch a handful of them an entire army was another matter completely.
"He'll not believe us," he said thoughtfully, then he lifted his eyes to look at Kenna. When he met her gaze his face was grim. "Me," he corrected chuckling humorlessly. "He'll not believe me. For you have been in the outer villages collecting plants for mother's garden and I..." he drug off and shook his head. He started walking once more, less quickly however.
Kenna trotted after the long strided prince. "You-?" she prompted when she reached him.
"It will be treason," he muttered almost too low for her to hear.
Kenna paused for half a step. She had only ever thought about what she risked coming here. She had never considered the fact that the prince could be punished for this as well. When Kenna didn't immediately keep up Loki reached back and ushered her in front of him with a hand at the small of her back. Kenna tried not to react to the prince's proximity and instead silently led the way. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to be a prince in the palace and know your own father didn't respect you enough to listen to the truth when you told it.
She pressed her lips tightly together as they walked trying to come up with a solution. The soldiers were hidden by magic...
"Loki," she said suddenly, reaching back to grab his arm.
Loki looked down at her hand in surprise.
Kenna immediately snatched it back uncomfortably, but pushed on. "The talisman's...you said they were what kept the soldier from dying."
Loki frowned down at her, nodding. "Yes, they must be what connects Harokin's army to his sorceress...assuming the tales are true."
"Right, and so they would also be what allows her to conceal the army."
Loki nodded and understanding dawned. "So if we were to remove the amulets from several soldiers and leave them alive Heimdall would be able to see them."
"Yes," Kenna said nodding enthusiastically. "We just need to-" she turned to head back towards the camp before finishing her thought out loud.
Loki reached out and caught her arm, stopping her. "You should wait here," he said.
She made a noise of disgust in the back of her throat and pulled her arm out of the prince's grip. "We don't have time for this Prince Loki," she said simply. "We will soon be missed."
Indecision played on the prince's face. He knew she was right. Rather than wait for him to admit it out loud she turned and walked of. When she kept walking and didn't look back he sighed behind her. She couldn't help the triumphant smirk that tugged at her lips.
Her smile fell when she flinched as the prince appeared beside her out of no where. She shot him an annoyed look but he only smirked back at her. Clearly proud of himself for startling her. "We should move to the other side of camp, knock out the sentries and steal their amulets," Loki said.
Kenna nodded. "All right," she agreed and she turned to Loki and held her hand out for him to take so he could teleport them.
Loki looked down at her hand for a moment, and she wondered if he was regretting his decision to bring her with him. Surely there were so many others he could have brought with him. Others who were far more capable of defending themselves and watching his back. Loki's expression however, was unreadable as he laced his large cool fingers with her own.
There was the uncomfortable pressure she had come to expect when they teleported. She recovered faster this time, glancing around at their new location. She turned to look over her shoulder and froze.
Laying out before them was the main part of the camp. Thousands of soldiers seemed to be preparing themselves for battle. Behind them however, was what gave her pause. Behind them was the dark ruins of the palace. Kenna froze at the sight of it. Her hand tightening subconsciously around Loki's.
There was hardly anything left. The once white stone walls were charred black and the entire west wing lay in ruins. The fires of the enemies camp however led straight to the ruined walls. Why were they here?
Loki squeezed her hand once to get her attention. Kenna whirled towards the prince. When she realized she was still holding his hand she jerked her's away.
She hadn't realized they were so close to the palace. The changes to the landscape made it difficult to reconcile their location with her memories of the forest covered world. Thus she had been unprepared to see the ruins. The last time she had been in Alfheim with her father he had steadfastly avoided them and seeing them now, was like being struck in the chest, she couldn't catch her breath and tears burned in her eyes. Looking around them, only the skeletal remains of the palace were left of her people.
"Kenna?" Loki asked in concern. He glanced around them. He had brought them to the edge of camp and the sentries would be here any minute. She turned back to him, her dark eyes were hard and determined despite the tears swimming in them.
"Let's go," she said firmly.
Loki nodded though he was watching her closely. She sniffed and swiped away the moisture from her cheeks, lifting her chin. When she didn't look away from his hardened gaze he nodded once more and turned to lead the way closer into camp.
When they were within range Loki sent out an illusion to intercept the first sentry. The sentry slowed as he spotted the illusion. Loki struck from behind, knocking the man unconscious with the hilt of his dagger. Kenna was there in an instant. She reached down and unclasped the talisman around his neck.
There was an unpleasant tingle that ran through her hand when she touched the metal. She frowned at the feeling and tucked the talisman quickly away in her pocket.
Loki nodded to her and they moved on to find the next sentry and the next after that. Two hours later Kenna had a pocket full of talismans and they had left a trail of fifteen unconscious soldiers behind them. More than enough for Heimdall to believe it warranted investigation and to notify the king.
"We should go," Loki said as he watched Kenna slide the last talisman away. Perhaps it was because she was not a magic user but they did not seem to affect her in the same way their touch affected him. She straightened and nodded, brushing her silvery hair back from her face.
Kenna frowned at the prince. He looked even more exhausted than she felt. She knew he was expending magic to keep them concealed but she hadn't realized how much of a toll it was taking on him until she saw the deep bags under his eyes. He held his hand out to her.
"Let us go," Loki said taking her hand once more.
Kenna closed her eyes as she felt the uncomfortable pressure of a teleport. When she opened them they were standing at the entrance to the caves. Her confusion must have shown on her face because Loki quickly explained as he led the way into the dark caves.
"It was too dark, I didn't trust my memory of this place and I wasn't certain how close to the barrier it would be safe to teleport," Loki explained.
Kenna nodded and then frowned as a wave of dizziness went over her. She cupped her forehead and staggered a step sideways. In the dark however Loki wasn't able to see her. She blinked it away, and forced herself to keep moving despite the pounding that had started in her temples. She wasn't sure what was happening. As an elf, similar to the Asgardians, she did not suffer from illness only injury and she hadn't been touched, the prince had made sure of that. Shaking it off she forced herself to keep up with the prince as he led the way through the caves. Perhaps it had to do with the sudden tidal surge of memories her mind was still struggling to process. It had been less than a day since Loki had removed the collar.
They traveled on foot the rest of the way to the barrier. When they crossed through Kenna held tightly to Loki's hand. The pain in her temples only seemed to increase as time went by. The pressure was so intense she thought she wasn't going to make it through, but Loki pulled her along with him, his strong, cool fingers wound through hers.
When they collapsed on the other side it was several moments before she realized they were still holding hands. She was about to pull away from him when he teleported them again. The jumps all started to blur together as her eyesight became hazy. They appeared at the mouth of the cave overlooking the sea with their boat far below them and then they moved again touching the docks below the palace and finally the balcony of the library.
It took everything in Loki's power to make the final jumps before he let the spell go. He was more exhausted than he realized, he needed to get some rest before his body forced him to. He wasn't sure if he had ever expanded so much magic over such a long time. It made him feel powerful on one hand and yet completely hollowed out. He simply had nothing left.
Kenna landed beside him after the final jump and her knees gave out. She pitched forward but she couldn't catch herself. Loki moved faster than she thought possible. In the space of a blink his arm snaked out and he caught her easily around the waist. She blinked again and it took an unbearable amount of effort to open her eyes. Her brain told her to step away from him, but he felt so warm and strong and she couldn't remember why she should keep her distance. Instead she let herself lean against him and finally allowed her eyes to drift shut. She just wanted to sleep.
Loki stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Kenna's slim waist to keep her from hitting the ground. Instead of flinching away as she normally did when he touched her, she leaned into him. He was surprised to find she was shaking. He quickly unwound the spell he had been keeping locked around them since they left the day before. As soon as he released the spell it felt as though he could take a deep breath again but only for a moment before he sent his wards out to shield the room.
"Kenna," he said quietly.
The small elf blinked up at him slowly with unfocused eyes. Her body was limp, depending on him to support her and her skin was pale and clammy to the touch. He frowned and scooped her up in his arms. He strided towards the fire place and set her on the ground before it. He threw a tongue of flame into the prepared kindling and then summoned a blanket to him which he wrapped around her. He had never felt the elf feel cold. Light elves were creatures of the earth they were warmth and light. Kenna felt like neither of those things just then.
"I'm okay," she promised but her teeth were chattering and her words were slow and slurred.
Loki stood and pulled another throw off a near by chair tucking it around her. She blinked up at him tiredly and smiled gently in thanks. He tightened his jaw as real fear went through him. Was this an after affect of him removing the collar? Once more real fear surged through him that there might be a good reason she wore it.
If there was something seriously wrong with her he was going to take her to the healer, regardless of the consequences. He wouldn't see harm befall her for her help in protecting Asgard.
He scowled, she had seemed fine, exhausted but fine when they had passed trough the barrier. The only thing he could think of was there being a chance of his magic affecting her adversely. He had teleported them before, but never so many jumps in such a short amount of time. He didn't know however, he had never used his magic so freely with anyone other than his mother unless it was to attack. And Frigga was a magic user herself which might have afforded her some kind of added protection. For some reason he disliked the idea that it was something that came from him that hurt her.
Kenna drifted in and out of restless and angry dreams. She saw the plains of her homeland shrouded in fire as they had been the night the dark elves had come for them. She saw the palace restored to its former spender only to fall to ruin before her eyes. But over and over she saw the face of the soldier who would not die. Only this time Loki never came to help her.
Somehow they were not like real nightmares. Instead she was trapped, unable to pull away or wake up, forced to face it over and over and over again. Minutes or hours later the prince's voice finally cut it's way through the nightmares.
"Kenna you need to drink this," his voice was gentle and quiet, but Kenna could hear the worry in it. It grounded her.
Kenna pulled herself out of the nightmares. She tried to think what could have the prince so worried. She feared for a moment there had been no nightmares and they weren't back, but were still out on the ash covered plain with the soldier who wouldn't die. Or that this was now some new form of torment and she was still trapped, thinking Loki had come to help her.
Something warm touched her cheek and she forced her eyes open to see it was the prince, gently cupping her face in his palm. She slow blinked a few times to see Loki's green eyes hovering over her. His dark brows were pulled down in a worried line, but it only served to enhance the color of his eyes. She had never noticed how beautiful they were. An odd combination of green and blue they reminded her of the sea back on Alfheim when she was young. A sea that now roiled black and dead like the rest of her homeland.
Then Loki was holding a cup up to her lips. Her sharp nose caught the scent of Warrjoliam tea. Only she wasn't in Alfheim anymore, she was in Asgard and they called it Warrag tea. The Asgardian's healing tea. She wasn't injured was she? As she blinked her eyes open further the light in the room sent a fresh wave of nausea through her and she tried to reach up to cup her temple but her hand tangled in a blanket.
"Kenna," he said her name again and she turned her face towards the sound, though she was hesitant to open her eyes once more. Her whole body was moved then and she felt a warmth she was sure was Loki. She could feel his heart beat slow and steady beside her. His scent was surrounding her, and she could think of nothing but the prince.
When she felt the press of the cup against her bottom lip she didn't have any strength or reason to resist. She sipped the warm liquid. It felt like it was scalding her as it went down. She could actually feel the trail of heat through her body and it made her shiver even more once it was gone. She closed her eyes against the cold and the pain, snuggling herself more tightly against the warmth beside her.
Loki sat on the floor of the library with Kenna draped half across his lap as she slept. He didn't know what to do to help her. She had slept for several hours and only seemed to be getting worse. The healing tea had no affect. He was hesitant to use his magic in case that was what had caused this in the first place. He had studied the slave collar once more but it was simply a hunk of bronze now. There were simply too many possibilities, he didn't know enough to help her and he hated feeling so powerless.
Kenna stiffened suddenly, crying out.
"Kenna!" He exclaimed, gripping her shoulders to keep her from flailing off his lap onto the marble floor. She didn't respond. With frantic hands he rolled her over. Her eyes were still closed but her face was drawn in pain. Then, just as suddenly she went entirely limp in his arms.
He shook her. "Kenna!" He snapped. But she wouldn't wake. With no other idea of what to do he sent his magic into her.
He released it tentatively at first but when she didn't seem to worsen he let it loose. Fueled by his worry it surged with a strength he hadn't known.
He felt it instantly, the foreign taint of another's magic. It was unlike the magic from the collar which had bound her. This was another's magic within her. Rage surged through him at the thought of someone else touching her. The strange possessive urge caused him to pull back for a moment. It threw him and temporarily distracted him. He had never been possessive over another being. Over his things and privacy certainly but not another person, certainly never a woman. It unsettled him.
Shaking it off he returned his focus to Kenna. He sent his magic through her, seeking out the other's magic, trying to determine what it was doing. A fresh surge of anger burned through him when he felt the thick viscous ropes of dark magic attacking her from the inside out.
He was no healer to undo what he found and he had never heard of one being attacked from a distance like this. As far as he knew Kenna hadn't come into contact with another magic user.
He went cold. Kenna had the talismans. With quick hands he tore off the blankets. Stealing himself against the surge of magic he knew would come he shoved his hand into her pocket and pulled out the fist full of talismans.
The magic was harsh and latched onto him instantly. It surged up his arm greedily viscous and inescapable as he held them. The pain was instantaneous and so much worse than when he handled them before. It was an attack.
He flung the talismans away from him into the fire. There was shower of sparks and he poured his power into the fire. The green flames flared, barely contained by the hearth. He felt the push of the sorceress's magic, he tasted it. Sweat broke out across his brow as he poured more of his magic into the flames as she fought to protect her talismans. And he now knew for certain it was a sorceress, for he felt her through her power. Ancient and powerful, it was fueled by a hunger the likes of which he had never known. The talismans provided a strong connection for her, but she was worlds away and Loki was in the heart of his kingdom, in the heart of his home, sitting before his hearth. And there was power in that.
When the foreign magic was at last gone the flames settled and he turned back to Kenna.
Reaching out he tentatively touched her cheek. Already the skin of her cheeks and forehead were warming. Loki sighed in relief and pulled the blankets back around her.
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Kenna woke slowly, her head was pounding and she was warm, almost too warm. A green fire burned in the fire place. She looked up to see it was night in Asgard though she didn't know how long she had slept. Glancing around she saw she was back in the library. A short distance away the prince was sleeping, slumped over his desk, piles of books stacked around him.
She stood cautiously, her legs felt wobbly but she steadied herself on the back of a chair, taking deep breaths until she was sure she was all right. She moved as quietly as possible to avoid waking the prince.
She didn't fully remember how she got here. The last thing she remembered was looking down over the cliffs at their small boat beneath them. After that things got hazy. She remembered her head aching but she felt fine now. It all seemed like a strange dream.
She folded the two blankets, placing them on the chaise and tried not to think about how she had ended up here. The prince had to have carried her back. There was no other explanation, but she didn't remember what happened to make her lose consciousness. Either way she didn't want to be here to face the prince when he woke.
She hesitated as she moved to pass the prince. Sitting on the desk was the slave collar. She swallowed thickly, she hated the thought of replacing the vile thing, but she could be punished for misrepresenting herself as a free person of Asgard. Moreover, Loki could be punished for removing it in the first place. She snatched it up. Moving silently, she slipped out of the door and fled.
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