Life's Requiem {Book 1}

Chapter 14: Enlightenment

"Oh, I overheard Loki ask her to explore the kingdom... am I mistaken in believing that they left?"

"Every decision my brother makes is precise and has a purpose. We are on a mission, there would be no reason for him to leave like this. What are you not telling me?"

Before either of them could take another breath, Vigdis threw a punch at Thor's face and sprinted down the hallway towards the stairs.

Thor ran after her, grabbing her by the arms. She managed to slip out and pull a sword from beneath her robes, bashing his nose with the handle. Pointing her weapon at him, she growled before swinging at his head. Thor dodged her every move, except for one, when she managed to kick him in the face.

Holding his hand out in front of himself, Thor mentally called for his hammer, listening as it pounded through endless walls and possibly furniture. When it happened to make its way through, it crashed into Vigdis, knocking her over.

"Apparently you do have something to hide." Thor panted before placing Mjolnir on her stomach, trying to mask the pain shooting through his nose. She didn't appear to be in too much agony, so he went along with his plan.

"So," he began, managing to add some tease to his voice; he knelt beside Vigdis, "let's have a little chat." He sighed. "I'm beginning to sound like my brother..."

Vigdis remained silent, even breaking eye contact with Thor. She struggled against the weight of the hammer, but failed to free herself.

He continued. "Unless you wish to stay pinned beneath Mjolnir, I suggest you tell me where Loki and Jennica are."

"King Ulric will have my head..." She hissed, tugging at the handle.

"I had a feeling he knew about this." He pinched the bridge of his nose, instantly regretting the pain that came with it.

Vigdis spat, "Of course he knows. He's the one who put your brother and Jennica in the dungeons."

"Where is it?"

"Take the stairs to the bottom floor, now let me go!"

"Why should I let you go? If I did then you would tell Ulric."

"If I told Ulric he would know that I revealed their location! Believe me, I wouldn't want to be subject to his wrath."

He shook his head, lifting Mjolnir off of Vigdis to let her go. A gasp filled her lungs and she put a hand to her midsection. Thor departed before she could reach him again, and that was last of their conflict.

With a kindled flame of hate, she glowered in the direction he departed before rushing away down the hall.

***

The hours had ticked by, slowly. They did not speak.

Remaining close to each other for warmth, the pair slept through the night, having failed to come up with a way of escape. Loki hated himself for not being of much use, but he enjoyed their closeness, despite the circumstances.

Jennica's head was absentmindedly resting on his shoulder as slumber kept its hold. Loki was wide awake, per usual, cursing his clouded mind. He was very good at finding solutions, except now.

Groaning and turning his head away from Jennica, he stared at the wall.

Mother... his mind whispered, what would you have done?

Silence was his only answer, and even with a person by his side, he felt alone. He would always be alone.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he mentally let out a scream of rage. Was there any mercy left for him in this universe? His head tilted back to the woman snuggled up beside him, as if his subconscious was providing an answer.

She is your mercy...

Afraid that could be true, Loki swallowed the lump in his throat.

Why are you afraid?

Thumping echoed from the stairwell, waking Jennica from her sleep. Fear grew in her chest, and she grabbed Loki's hand to keep her grounded, unaware that she was doing so but he only squeezed harder.

"Don't worry. We will find a way to escape this place." Loki consoled in a whisper.

The sound was footsteps, and they were coming closer.

"Jennica, listen to me," he began, cautiously wrapping his arm around and gripping her shoulders, "I promise... I vow, to never let them kill you."

"How can you promise–"

"I promise."

A shout echoed on the stone walls, slashing, grunts and then nothing.

They held their breaths.

The figure emerged from the shadows, revealing an impish smile. Realization struck them all.

"Thor? What took you so long?" Loki scolded with a wide smile on his face. Exuberance took place of the shock.

As he worked on smashing the door's lock with his hammer, Thor answered, "The real question, Loki, is why do you always end up behind bars?"

Loki helped Jennica on to her feet as the lock broke. Before he left the cell, he pointed at Thor and said, "Not funny."

Relief rushed through their bodies as they stepped out of the small space, their hearts fluttering with joy.

"We need to get out of here before anyone returns." Jennica blurted, anxious to be out of danger again. She felt delirious from the way her sleep pattern had been.

"Right." Thor kept his voice low. "The halls were pretty vacant on my way down here, so with Loki's help, we can go back the way I came–"

A voice shouted from above and footsteps of many guards came thundering towards the stairs. Their blood froze.

"I don't suppose you have a better idea?" Loki's hushed voice spoke in haste. His heart was beating just as fast as the others'.

Thor looked him in the eye. "You're one for sneaking. Did you notice any secret passages?"

"I think there might be another way out, at least. I saw a soldier walk the other way down the hall, but I can't be sure." Loki replied, scanning the dark room. The soldiers were too near for anymore planning.

They ran to the end of the hall where another staircase wound deeper into the ground. The stone steps were slippery and steep, the darkness covering them like a blanket. There were no torches or lanterns, no sign of where they were delving into. Regardless, they hurried down the stairs.

It ended at the bottom of the lowest floor, where the worst fugitives naturally would abide, if caught. The protruding smell of rotten meat and sweat filled the air, and it was difficult not to gag. If anyone lived down in this darkness, in this grimy filth that they could feel but not see, they might as well be on the death row.

Above them, they could hear the soldiers where they had been only moments before. Slowly backing around the corner beside the steps, the trio tried to hide deeper into the cover of the darkness. They could overhear the soldiers yelling that no one could be found. Their footsteps began to die away.

Jennica released what resembled a sob, letting go of her clenched muscles. Snapping over to her, Loki covered her mouth instantly and held a finger to his own to keep her silent. The silence continued for several minutes before he released her.

"I am sure they are gone now." Thor whispered. "No need to be so rough."

"I am only being cautious. Her life was at stake!" Loki huffed, tense and angered from this circumstance.

Thor could sense his tension. "Brother, we're alright and we'll continue to be. I assure you."

Backing up, Jennica wished to sit down. Her skull began to throb and her back ached from sleeping in that prison cell. She wished to get as far as she could from the brothers' conflicts, but her back bumped into something... different.

Her hand touched the foreign object, which felt scaly and moist. It moved, emitting a low grumble that echoed across the room. Everyone's hearts seemed to stop and they all froze in place at the realization of the creature that was with them...