The Multiversal Road-Trip: Book Five

7

Loki exhaled, thinking up an answer. Honestly, he didn't really give a shit about messing up the multiverse. It wasn't his job to make sure it was all in order, and he'd never been one for rules anyway. If Wanda was in the right frame of mind and he was 100% certain that this was all her decision, he'd probably be more inclined to help.

But he was less than 1% sure this was even her decision. Even a few months ago, he'd had trouble with reading Wanda's mind, almost as though there was another force in her mind keeping him from some of her thoughts. Now it was even worse. And still he couldn't be sure what it was.

Yes, telepaths could shield some of their thoughts from other telepaths if they wanted to, but not like this. Her mind was taken over by something, it was just the what he didn't know.

And just before she'd stood up, her eyes had flashed some weird reddish colour before her whole manner of speaking changed. He'd seen them flash red before, but never with that malice, and that look was completely off from what he remembered.

"Sorry, Wanda," he said, eventually. "I'm afraid I can't."

He kept up the eye contact with her until she looked away. Strange, he saw, out the corner of his eye, wasn't sure whether to look at him or Wanda. Scott just tensed up like he was wary. Well, he didn't have anything to be wary about, especially when it came to Wanda. She wasn't going to hurt them, he could tell that much.

Loki frowned, a thought crossing his mind. He thought about what Strange had said about this spell-book thing. Clearly he had no idea what it was, but could it be that which was clouding Wanda's mind? And that's why she'd asked him not to tell Strange, in case he figured out?

Loki cursed himself. Here came the regrets. Before he even knew if they were true.

No. He knew already. It made sense now.

He side-eyed Strange, who'd decided on watching Wanda. One thing was for sure, and that was he wasn't going to be happy with him if he did, in fact, turn out to be right.

"Oh well. I didn't really need you guys to help me anyway," Wanda said, heading over to the cupboard at the back of the room. "I just wanted someone to confide in really, before I go."

"And where exactly are you going?" Strange asked.

"A dimension and time where my kids and Vis are still alive in Westview," Wanda said, pressing something at the back of the cupboard and waiting. "Then as soon as the me in that timeline leaves, I'll get Vis and my kids and bring them here. Or maybe somewhere even further away, to keep us safe." She looked at Strange, or more specifically, to his tracker. "I suppose it's a good thing you're not coming then. I'd hate to get you all in trouble with your agent friends."

"Oh trust me, friends is a stretch," Scott said, but although his words suggested an attempt at diffusing the tension, his tone suggested otherwise.

"I'm sure it is," Wanda said. She leant against the cupboard with her arms crossed, that look of intimidation on her face. It didn't suit her. "So tell me, did you guys lead them here? Or did they lead you here?"

"They didn't give us much choice to not be here," Loki chipped in, breaking the silence he'd had pretty much since he'd been there, his voice grave. "And even then, we only came because Scott's girlfriend's dad thinks you're a hostile psychopath. I hope we can prove him wrong."

Strange shot him a look, but Loki didn't care. He needed to get through to Wanda somehow.

And for a second, her face relaxed, before something else overtook it. And this time it came with a smirk. "Good luck with that, then."

She reached into the secret compartment in the back of the cupboard and pulled out a black book, and then, any hopes Loki still had that he was being paranoid vanished. Something had felt off walking into here anyway, but the book absolutely radiated dark magic. Much darker than he'd ever encountered on Asgard. Or any other realm. Almost instinctively, both he and Strange tensed up – they couldn't help it, it was impossible not to.

But Strange didn't only tense up, he gasped. All three of them turned their heads to him – he looked horrified. Scared shitless. That was it – he should've told him. That could only mean one thing – he knew what this was. That this was more serious than Loki had ever thought.

Heck, even the cloak was worried. And that wasn't a good sign.

"Wanda... is that the Darkhold?" Strange asked, guessing correctly.

"Ah, very good, Stephen," Wanda nodded. "And what do you know about the Darkhold?"

"I know it's the Book of the Damned, and it corrupts everything and everyone it touches," Strange answered, placing particular emphasis on "everyone". He shot Loki a glare, and damn, he looked angry.

Loki had never seen him look so angry.

Especially not at him.

"The Darkhold only showed me the truth," Wanda said, and thankfully Strange stopped glaring at him. "And it also showed me there is a way to get what I want. And I am going to get it."

"Wanda, stop," Strange half-demanded, half-pleaded. "This isn't you speaking. This is the dark magic taking over your mind. You know you can't do this."

Her eyes flashed that horrible red again. "Oh, but I can. Nothing, and I repeat, nothing you say can change my mind." The red dimmed slightly, and she added, rather more softly, "And so long as you don't try, there won't be any problems, will there?"

Loki felt some of his tea spill over the edges of his cup, and he looked down to realise how much his hands were shaking. His brain was divided in trying to help Strange, and trying to ignore his instincts telling him to take that power himself. He wondered if Strange was getting that too – hopefully not, he didn't need a corrupted Sorcerer Supreme and witch.

With only an increasingly confused Ant-Man to help.

Well, it was too late to do either of those things now, because Wanda ignored Strange's demands/pleas and her signature red power started up, more than he'd ever seen her conjure. She really was doing this then. And there was nothing they could do.

And then, trust Strange to do something stupid.

He stood up and tried to go up to her. Like a bloody idiot.

Wanda's magic, as though by it's own accord, immediately reached out to get him, forcing him backwards. Luckily, before Loki could try to help with his telekinesis, the cloak flew over to catch him. Luckily because it would have been really, really awkward if he'd had to catch him. Especially while he was angry at him.

"Sorry!" Wanda apologised, suddenly sounding like her old self before she changed again. "I did warn you that would happen."

"Just don't, Wanda!" Strange blurted out. "There has to be another way!"

He started trying to walk towards her again, but this time, Loki stepped up and held him back. It took ridiculously little effort. One hand was enough to get him to stay and watch.

Well, he wasn't the only one who hated this. But he had to realise they couldn't do anything while she was still here. And nothing was going to convince her not to go, so what was the point of trying? At least then Wanda wouldn't be as likely to take out her anger on them when they met again. And it gave them chance to make a plan.

But he still looked into her eyes and sent her a telepathic message.

Wanda, if you're still in there somewhere, it's not too late to rethink this. We won't be mad if you do.

There might have been a slight falter in her determined expression just before the magic enveloped her and she and the Darkhold vanished in a flash.

Loki released Strange at this point, then sighed and collapsed onto the armchair. He knew exactly what was coming now. And he was not looking forward to it.