In the Balance

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In the Balance Page 9

by C. Gockel


  Cocking his head, he gives her a tight-lipped smile. “No, I’m being set up.” Turning from Amy he goes to the front door. Almost to himself, he mumbles. “Skadi never gives me important orders.” His eyes flick to Amy and he smirks. “I just adore disobeying her.” Brow furrowing, he turns away again. “But Odin didn’t want to give me this order, which probably means that the threat of a new gate is a lie, but Skadi doesn’t know that so I detect no lie...” He looks to the door again. “If I obeyed the order I’d be leaving you alone...”

  Amy fights the urge to say something eager like, “Go ahead and go, have fun!” Instead, she just manages a soft, “Oh.”

  Dropping his head, Loki closes his eyes and Amy feels a buzz low within her. He’s doing some sort of magic.

  Loki opens his eyes an instant later and strides towards her. “There are Einherjar in the stairwells on this floor.” Mr. Squeaker stirs in her pocket but doesn’t hiss.

  “What?” says Amy.

  “My guess is they’re coming for you,” says Loki.

  Drawing back, Amy says, “Why?”

  Catching her hand, Loki cocks his head. “We’re going to find out.”

  “What?” says Amy, free hand sliding around her mouse. Mr. Squeakers doesn’t squirm or hiss, though Loki is very close.

  Still holding her hand, Loki steps behind her and pulls her roughly into her chest. In her ear, he whispers, “Perhaps you’ll appreciate me more when I save your life.”

  Amy sucks in a breath...but no air rushes into her, just cold. For a few seconds they’re in the darkness of the In-Between again. When they emerge into light and air and gravity again, Amy’s lungs convulsing seeking oxygen, they are standing in a huge office with dark paneled walls and a row of small, narrow windows that shimmer with blue light. One of the windows is open and a raven sits on the sill.

  Directly in front of the windows is an enormous desk. A second raven is perched on a reading light. Behind the desk sits a man with a white beard and long white hair in a perfectly tailored suit, next to him leans a spear. One of his eyes is covered by an eye patch.

  Gasping for breath as she recovers from the step through the In-Between, Amy feels a shiver run through her.

  Holding her tight, voice a hiss, Loki whispers, “Hello, Odin.”

  Chapter 8

  On the desk, one of the ravens raises its wings, bobs its head, and clacks its beak. “It’s her! It’s her,” it squawks.

  Standing from his chair, Odin gives a flick of his wrist. Flapping their wings and giving a few angry squawks in Amy’s direction, the ravens rise from their perches and exit the window.

  Eyes never leaving Loki’s, Odin says, “What is the meaning of this?” Loki huffs a laugh and his breath tickles Amy’s ear. “That’s my question to you, All Father.” He spits out the last words like a curse, and his fingers dig into Amy’s wrist.

  Taking his spear in hand Odin starts to walk around his desk. Odin’s long white hair and beard are neatly groomed, the eye patch a glittering silver. His movements are smooth, his body trim—he may look older than Loki, and he may be wearing an impeccably tailored suit, but it is obvious that he is a man that is not a stranger to physical activity.

  The All Father rounds the corner of the desk and his eye alights on Laevateinn at Loki’s side. The sword is glowing with the same blue light as the Board of Trade building.

  “You did not tell me about this sword,” Odin says. His voice is calm, almost warm, but Amy feels herself pushing herself back into Loki’s chest.

  “I did,” Loki says. “It was in my report. Now tell me what you want with the girl!”

  “You left out how powerful it is,” Odin says, cocking an eyebrow and leaning slightly on his spear. Holding out his free hand, he says, “Give it to me.”

  Amy hears a whipping sound. One of Loki’s arms is suddenly wrapping tight around her and Laevateinn is inches from her neck. Amy gives a short cry of fear.

  “Tell me what you want or I kill her!” Loki shouts.

  Odin is silent. Loki’s breath is loud in her ear. The only sound Amy hears is her own feet shuffling helplessly on the carpet as she instinctively tries to draw further away from the blade.

  Loki chuckles. “So that’s it. You want her dead.”

  Something clicks in Amy’s mind. Mr. Squeakers is quiet. Has he run off? Wanting to find him in her pocket—to know she’s not alone—and simultaneously hoping he’s escaped, Amy carefully slips a trembling hand into her coat. Mr. Squeakers is there. His whiskers are trembling...but he’s making no move to attack. Amy feels herself start to tremble. She squeezes her eyes shut. She can’t fight Odin and Loki, she has to use her brain...

  Odin lets out a long sigh and Amy opens her eyes.

  “I am sorry, Loki,” Odin says, frowning softly. His one blue eye goes to Amy. Odin looks and sounds genuinely sorrowful, but the way he looks her up and down without meeting her eyes makes Amy feel as though he’s looking at a piece of livestock. “She is a pretty thing. It is a waste...”

  A small huff of dismay, fear, and anger escapes Amy’s lips. Odin talks about her as though she’s an animal he doesn’t want to slaughter...but will anyway.

  Trembling behind her, Loki sucks in a breath with such force he hisses.

  Shaking his head, Odin massages his temple and leans against his desk. “World Gates should not be opening, Loki. Something about this girl is upsetting the balance of space-time.” He looks at Loki over Amy’s shoulder. “I am sorry, my friend, but for the sake of the Nine Realms, this girl must die.”

  Amy swallows and feels her legs go to jelly beneath her.

  “No!” Loki screams with so much force, Amy jumps.

  Straightening, Odin says, “It must be done, Loki. Give the girl and the sword to me. I will make sure it is quick and painless.”

  Odin takes a step forward. Mr. Squeakers gives a hiss, but it’s muffled by Amy’s coat. Sword near Amy’s throat, Loki draws her back quickly, and Amy gives another little cry.

  “No!” Loki says, his voice trembling, his arm holding Amy more tightly. Voice thick, he says, “No, if anyone kills her, it has to be me!”

  Amy chokes down her urge to make another sound, or to struggle. Something is going on here she doesn’t understand.

  Odin’s forehead creases in a look of concern, and he takes a step forward. In her pocket Mr. Squeakers begins to squirm in Amy’s hand. Her eyes slide downward. Squeakers is upset by Odin...but not by Loki...

  Loki is lying to Odin. Her eyes go to the All Father. He is not looking at her; his eye is fixed on Loki. Her gaze sweeps past him to his desk. It is as neat and clean as his appearance. He oozes authority and competence. She swallows. She’d definitely rather take her chances with Loki.

  “Loki,” Odin says, “I will do anything to make this easier for you. But you know how emotional you are...are you sure you want it to be you? Perhaps you should—”

  “No!” Loki screams. “It has to be me!” His last words come out a choked sob. Burrowing his face in the crook of Amy’s neck, he says, “I have to make sure she doesn’t suffer...”

  Cowering against him, Amy gives a whimper that isn’t completely an act.

  Odin lets out a long breath. “Very well.”

  Loki pulls her tighter to him and lets out a shaky breath. “May I use the sword?” Rocking slightly on his heels, he flicks Laevateinn closer to Amy’s neck and makes another choking sound against the side of her head.

  Odin sighs. “Of course. But then you must give it to me.”

  Amy feels Loki nodding against her, his movements jerky and frantic. “Yes, yes, I understand. First I must kill her, then I must give you the sword. Those are your orders.”

  “Yes,” says Odin quietly, as though he is speaking to a frightened animal. “Those are my orders.”

  Loki sucks in another breath. And then he starts to chuckle. And then to laugh. Amy feels him raising his head. Her eyes widen as understanding rushes through her. Odin doesn’t k
now she’s pregnant.

  She can hear the evil smirk in Loki’s voice when he says, “You just broke your oath not to harm my children, Big Daddy.”

  Odin’s brows constrict.

  Giving a kiss to the top of Amy’s head, Loki crows. “She’s carrying my child.” And then with a cry of rage, still clasping Amy awkwardly in his arm, Loki swings Laevateinn towards Odin.

  In a blink of an eye, Odin swings his spear up to block the blow. The sword meets the staff of the spear with the clack of metal hitting wood, but the spear does not break. Loki gives an angry snarl and Laevateinn shimmers with light, but the spear only seems to draw the light towards itself.

  Nostrils flaring, Odin’s eyes flick to Amy. With a grunt, Odin spins forwards, the force pushing Loki and Amy backwards. A heartbeat later the spear is aimed at Amy’s chest.

  With a curse, Loki raises Laevateinn—and then once again they are in the In-Between.

  x x x x

  When they emerge from the In-Between, Loki lets Amy go immediately. She falls to her knees and begins gasping for breath.

  “Father!” a man shouts.

  Raising her head, Amy sees one of the most beautiful men she’s ever seen rushing into Loki’s arms. He’s tall and broader than Loki, his features more chiseled. His hair is blonde with just a hint of ginger; his skin is warm and tanned looking.

  “Valli!” Loki shouts, pulling him towards him with one arm.

  Valli laughs. “You’ve slipped out of your deal with Odin and Laevateinn has let you slip into my magical cell!”

  For the first time Amy takes in her surroundings. She’s in a small room with a toilet and washbasin in one corner, a bed lying in the other. The whole room shines with Cera’s blue light. She looks backwards and sees bars of shimmering blue.

  “How did you know?” Loki asks.

  Amy turns her head back to the father and son. Loki is smiling at Valli, his face wide and open with wonder.

  Dipping his chin, Valli gives a wolfish grin. “Cera, Father! Cera speaks to me and has told me everything! We must set her free!”

  Amy’s heart stops, visions of a half-decimated LaSalle Street in her universe and the other universe with a world bathed in ashes fill her mind. “No!” Amy cries from where she is still crouched on the ground. “No, Loki, she’ll destroy you!”

  Valli’s eyes turn to her, for a moment annoyance flickers on his face, and then he shakes his head. Letting go of Loki, he steps towards Amy and holds out his hand to her. “Fear not, comrade. In your world Cera misunderstood the nature of my father’s magic. Father was never meant to contain her...but I am.”

  Amy suddenly remembers Loki’s words from earlier this morning. Valli would be the god of armed rebellion...

  “Once Cera is free, I’ll remove the yoke Odin has put upon humanity’s neck. I’ll set humans free as well,” Valli says, his jaw going hard.

  Amy remembers being in Loki’s apartment and hearing Cera’s voice in her head and hearing Cera’s plans for humanity. Kill them, kill them all.

  What had Loki said? Valli is the incarnation of armed rebellion. Cera fancies herself the second-coming of Josef Stalin.

  …And they want to be united.

  Oh, fuck.

  Chapter 9

  Ignoring Valli’s proffered hand, Amy scrambles to her feet and turns to Loki. “No, Loki! It’s a trap! Cera isn’t about freedom for anyone! She’s worse than Odin!”

  Loki’s eyes flit between Valli and Amy.

  Amy is distantly aware of the sound of many footsteps pounding not far off and rapidly getting closer.

  “Father,” says Valli, “if we don’t destroy Odin and his allies, we will live our lives on the run.” Pointing at Amy’s middle, he says, “My sister will spend her life on the run.”

  Loki’s eyes drift to Amy’s abdomen and then dart back to Valli. “You know she’s pregnant?”

  Valli smiles. On his chiseled features the smile is devastatingly bright and handsome, and yet in the way he holds it too long, the way the light catches his teeth, there’s something slightly feral about it. “Cera told me,” he says.

  Loki tilts his head at his son. “You’re right. What do we do?”

  “We must go to Cera now,” says Valli, a manic gleam burning in his eyes. “She’s showed me how to free her.”

  Backing away unconsciously, Amy’s back hits the bars of blue light. Wincing, she jerks forward as pain like an electric shock shoots through her shoulders.

  “You’re coming with us,” Loki says, moving towards her very fast.

  Mr. Squeakers wiggles in her pocket. From behind her Amy hears a shout. She turns to see the bars disappear. She almost bolts forward, but then men in the same camouflage uniforms she’d seen outside flood into the floor in front of the cell, all of them with guns raised.

  “Fire!” someone shouts but Loki’s hand is already on one wrist, Valli’s hand is on the other, and Laevateinn is cutting an arc through the air.

  ...and then they are in the In-Between. For a moment, Amy is staring at the blade’s glow. She sees herself in it, just as she is. In the split second she wishes that she saw another universe, like she had during that first leap, but her reflection doesn’t waver.

  Gravity catches Loki, Valli, and Amy and they fall. Loki and Valli land on their feet, in what from the light and wire flooring beneath them must be a maintenance room or warehouse of some kind. In the distance Amy hears the sound of a motor. She almost topples over, but Loki and Valli’s hands on her wrists keep her steady. They can’t steady her stomach though. Four walks through the In-Between in less than an hour undo her. Coughing and sputtering, she empties her stomach onto the floor at her feet, vomit spilling through the wire flooring to whatever lies below them.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Valli shouts as Amy’s body quivers and shivers.

  “It’s just morning sickness,” Loki says. Wrapping an arm around Amy, he barks. “Get ahold of yourself!”

  Gritting her teeth, taking deep breaths, Amy tries to will her roiling stomach to be still. She hates Loki in that moment. She wants to swing at him, but her body is shuddering from the force of her nausea. Tears of fury come to her eyes. Head bowed, fighting her body’s urge to dry heave, Amy doesn’t think she’s ever felt so helpless...not even when Loki used her as a pawn against Odin.

  She squeezes her eyes shut and feels bitterness as sharp as the bile in her mouth. The two men beside her don’t seem upset by where they landed. They must still be in their universe. How come Laevateinn only crosses universes when Amy holds the blade? It’s not fair that for Loki the sword only works like a battery...

  Another wave of nausea hits her. Amy coughs and heaves but nothing comes out. She clutches her stomach, and her eyes widen. Maybe it isn’t Laevateinn making the jump. Amy gasps for breath...her hands tightening on her stomach. She bows her head. Oh.

  Beside her Valli says, “If we use Laevateinn to bring down the support beams, the force of the building collapsing on Cera should be enough to crack the Promethean wire.”

  Taking a deep breath, Amy raises her head and instantly takes a step back. She’s on a catwalk. About 15 paces to her left is a landing with huge security doors, heavy industrial storage chests, and a glass box that looks like it is filled with artillery. But what makes Amy gasp in shock is directly in front of her. Just beyond the catwalk’s railing is an enormous sphere of twisted organic looking metal bars in a vaguely octagonal pattern. It’s Promethean wire...but mutated. It looks as though it has been stretched and expanded, like it is bulging from the force of all the magic it is trying to contain...which Amy realizes, it probably is. The sphere of Promethean wire is at least four stories tall—the catwalk they are on seems to run right by its center. The huge sphere is lit from within by a ball of pulsing blue light only a few hands wide floating in midair. Amy takes a shaky breath. It’s Cera. Prongs of more organic metal twist out from Cera and reach towards the crossbars of the giant cage.

  Amy glance
s down towards the ground the Promethean wire sphere rests upon. Her eyes catch on a conveyor belt just about a story below. On it are what look like cement boxes marked with spray painted signs for nuclear waste. Before her eyes, one of the cement boxes connects with the metal of the Promethean wire. Cera pulses, and the cement canister vanishes into the In-Between without a sound.

  Amy’s brow furrows. At least part of what Loki’s told her is true...

  “If we knock down those beams, the building will collapse on top of us,” Loki says.

  Amy’s attention snaps to Loki and Valli; they are studying large beams of vertical steel rising around the Promethean wire holding Cera. Even Amy can tell the beams are too utilitarian to be anything other than load bearing.

  “But...” says Valli. “Cera says it! Cera wills it!”

  “Cera’s not an architect,” Amy blurts out. “And she doesn’t care if any of us die!”

  “Shut up!” Valli screams.

  “Children!” says Loki in a bemused voice.

  “She’s thinks she knows but she doesn’t,” Valli screams, pointing at Amy. “We know!”

  We. Fuck and double fuck. “You’re already under Cera’s control!” Amy spits.

  “Both of you be quiet!” Loki says, voice tense, bemusement gone. Amy is vaguely aware of a tingling feeling low in her abdomen. Holding up a hand, eyes half closed, Loki shouts. “Valli, there are men coming towards us. There are weapons on the landing set into the wall. Cover me—I’m going to try and break the Promethean Sphere with Laevateinn.”

  “Yes, Father!” Valli says and runs down the catwalk.

  As Valli tears away, Loki walks over to the railing separating the walkway from Cera. Swinging Laevateinn above his head, he brings it down on the Promethean wire. The wire surges with light and Loki disappears, leaving the wire undamaged. Cera sucked him into the In-Between—just as she did to anyone that touched her in Amy’s universe.

  From the landing Valli curses, a weapon Amy thinks is an M-16 in his arms. Pounding erupts from the double doors beside him, and with another curse, he turns and begins propping the metal storage containers against the doors.

 

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