3 | 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐃 ▹ LOKI LAUFEYSON

vi. the lie

A M O R A

Amora twisted her lip, wracking her mind for a name. Urd watched her, raising an eyebrow.

"Just pick a name, Amora," she said, "It does not matter who."

The sorceress nodded and held out her hand.

"Sif," she spoke, and a string appeared in her hand.

A grin broke across Amora's face at the familiar flashes of her friend. She saw Sif's sword flash through the air, a strange planet, and a raven in flight.

Amora frowned. "She's a Raven."

Sif had never shown any interest in becoming a spy. She had, on multiple occasions, called their work devious and dishonorable, preferring the open battlefield over the shadows of the galaxy's underworld.

"Oh yes," Verdandi spoke as she approached the two, "She's grown into the work quite well."

"Really?" Amora asked, "Is she happy?"

Verdandi scoffed. "Any woman that got to work with Odin's spymasters would be happy. Those brothers are quite a pleasant sight."

"Sif has never been one to fall for good looks like other women."

"Are you sure?" Verdandi raised an eyebrow. "As I recall, she fell for the golden prince just as the others did. She was just better at hiding it."

Amora pursed her lips. "I suppose you're right," she said, "but what would make Sif want to join in the first place."

"Her king, of course. She could never refuse him."

Amora nodded slowly. "I'm sure Odin had his reasons."

"He certainly did," Verdandi mused, regarding the sorceress carefully.

Urd motioned to the string in Amora's hands. "Try another one. And you don't have to speak the name out loud. Just think of it."

"Alright." Amora dropped Sif's string, and it vanished before it could hit the ground.

Both Norns at her sides watched her with attentive eyes as she held out her hand. But she hesitated again.

There was a name she wanted to say, a face she wanted to see, but the thought scared her. If she saw his face again, she feared that she would never stop seeking him out in Urd's tapestry. Even if his string had grown black long ago, Amora could still hold the frayed end and see flashes of their memories.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Loki.

The string felt hot in her hand as images bloomed across her vision. But they were not old, familiar memories. She saw Asgard, Odin sitting on the throne, and a flash of green.

Amora jolted and the string fell out of her hand as her eyes snapped open.

"He's alive," she breathed.

The man she loved was alive.

The shock gave way to relief, and she choked out a small sob. But the relief was swept away by a sick feeling in her stomach.

He lied.

Amora's brows furrowed. "He's alive."

She looked up at the Norn witches. "Did you know this?"

Urd scoffed. "Of course we did, dear. We were waiting to see how long it would take you to find out."

"It was very long," Verdandi said, nodding, "There were a lot of close calls."