Blue Moon| Book 1 | An Avengers fan fiction series| *under editing*

60- There's a Traitor? (*)(/)

The Mantra.

"Wow." says Tony, looking around the cavern. There are little pockets of water scattered around, putting into Thea's mind the thought of the cave at the end of The Curse of the Black Pearl. It's quiet, save for the dripping of water and the eerie vibrating sound of the Mantra as it dances above the bowl. 

"Okay Thea," says Steve. "Looks like we're going to need you again." When she doesn't move, standing in one spot, her blue eyes flashing, Steve repeats his request, "Thea, come on up here." 

But instead, she lunges, grabbing Jack. The boy struggles madly, seemingly screeching out in a non-human way as Thea slams him onto the ground. 

"THEA WHAT-" yells Kyle, but he cuts himself off at the sight of Thea's knife, glittering in the light of the Mantra. 

"THEA!" screams Clint, but he's too late. With a flash of the dagger, Jack's life is ended by a small, upside-down smile across his throat that shimmers crimson. 

Chaos erupts. Two people lunge for Thea- Thor and Max- while Loki just stands there, a smile dancing at the ends of his lips. 

Suddenly, the cave rings with the sounds of Thea's screams as she realizes what she has done. "I didn't!" She howls as Thor grabs her from around the waist. "I didn't do it!" 

"What other explanation do you have then?" roars Kyle. 

Tears are streaming down her face as she shrieks. "I DIDN'T! I COULDN'T! I-"

Suddenly, she stops. Her eyes stare into Loki's. While she is murderous, his eyes are calm, though mischief dances in them. "YOU!" she screams so shrilly, her voice nearly gives out. "YOU! YOU DID IT!" 

"I don't believe it was by my hands-"

"Kill them...." The hissing sound grows louder as two shapes emerge from the shadows. Kafrandi and Lahryi. 

At the sound of the snake's voice, Loki's scepter reaches out again, touching Thea so that her eyes go blue. Her screams immediately stop.

"You have a traitor among you, Assssgardian..." hisses Kafrandi, circling his coils in front of Thor, who looks betrayed, shocked, and hurt by all that has happened in the last sixty seconds. The Norse god follows Kafrandi's gaze as the amber eyes look upon Loki, who is trying as hard as possible to look innocent.  

"Loki." whispers Thor. "What have you done?" 

"What have I done, brother?" asks Loki, no longer trying to hide his grin. "I have gotten even. I have, before me, a means of finally taking what is mine, the throne of Asgard!"

"Brother." says Thor mournfully, not able to say anything. "Loki..."

Loki smiles, then turns to Thea, who is standing stock-still. When he beckons to her, she walks, puppet-like towards him. "She's under my control. Make one move to kill any of us, and she will die." 

"Well," says Steve, breaking the silenced shock of the gathering crowd. "I guess we should have expected this. A leopard never truly changes his spots, eh Loki?"

Suddenly, Steve cries out as Thea robotically swings her arm forward, her dagger piercing his flesh. Nobody moves, not wanting to cause Loki to be angered and for him to kill Thea, helpless to watch Steve's winces.

"Now observe." says Kafrandi gleefully as he slithers towards the Mantra. "Bring the girl, Asgardian." 

*

~Thea's POV~

I feel strangely at peace, as if I am floating on a river. The dead boy at my feet, nothing. Who is he to me, anyway? 

And then it hits. 

It's Jack. 

I know him, right?

He was my...friend? I killed him, didn't I? 

I stop, even though my brain is telling me to move, to move towards the basin with the needle on top of it. Cocking my head, I think. Then, I remember. It's Loki. He's trying to control me. 

My thoughts are all in a haze, as if they are all congregated on various clouds that are floating before my eyes, waiting to be picked so that I may pick my next move. 

"Jack." I whimper, scenes of my murder flashing before my eyes. 

Someone is next to me, as well as that blissful blue orb shining before me. It knows all, I must obey it. It's the only way to live. 

"Walk on." Loki hisses into my ear, his finger tracing across my face. I want to scream at him, to kill him, but I can't stop. I can't stop myself from moving forward. His smile widens as I obey him. "Good girl." 

I see my legs moving without my permission, moving towards the basin. I see my hand rising above the needle. It trembles violently as I try to fight the curse, the power that Loki has placed upon me. 

But I can't do anything about it. My hand falls on the point, the blood drips over it, landing at the basin. 

And then it's over... I feel like I'm falling.

*

I open my eyes and I feel regular again, just as the Mantra begins to snake down towards the ground, towards the waiting and gleeful Kafrandi. 

When I lunge at Loki, he catches me, spinning me around so that he has bent both of my arms backwards. "NO, YOU MURDERER!" I screech at him, trying to break from his grasp so that I can at least try and save the world, save everything. "LOKI, NO!" 

He yanks my hair back, and when I yowl, he growls, "Hush. Now."

I'm about to scream at him again when I hear an unheavenly screech. I turn and see Kafrandi shuddering, failing, falling, as Lahryi's dagger pierces his hood. 

*

~Nobody's POV~

"What...issssss..thisssss...devilry?" wheezes Kafrandi, his head twisting madly, painfully, erotically as he is tortured by the knife.

"It's your satisfaction." says Loki coolly, ignoring Thea's shrieks as he holds her without any effort.

Kafrandi gives one last scream and falls silent. His body disintegrates into a black and red smoke, circling up towards the ceiling before it vanishes into the air. 

Turning to look down at Thea, pretending that the Avengers (who are staring) are no longer there, Loki says quietly, "Watch this, kitten." 

Thea's body is still convulsing madly as she fights Loki, trembling from the effort. 

Loki throws his hands forward and Lahryi's form begins to shift in a haze of green light. Thea stops struggling as the Imeldi transforms into a very confused, very frightened looking Jack. 

She stares, as the shouts of Kyle and Clint fill the cave. "What..." she whispers. "I thought...I thought..." 

"Are you ever going to learn to trust me?" teases Loki, wrapping his arm around her as Thea buries her head in his chest, dissolving into a fresh bought of relieved tears. 

"Okay." says Tony, recovering slightly, his voice ringing. "We still have a slight problem. We have the Mantra that is making its way down to planet earth. And I think they want it."

"They" is a huge collection of about seventy-five Imeldi that are slithering, hissing, and moving as a single unit inside the large cave, their beady yellow and red eyes fixed greedily on the Mantra, their one source of power that they have left. 

Uh oh.... :D 

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Love, Sierra