mischevious

Chapter 28 (Loki)

I walked into the throne room and stared at my father. He sat on his throne holding his staff looking as regal as ever. "Father, I need to speak with you."

He looked up and smiled at me, for the first time in my life he looked truly happy to see me. Don't get me wrong, he'd been happy at the wedding and when I'd finally returned. But I thought he must know what I was coming for and he was happy to finally have someone willing to listen to his kingly wisdom.

"I need to know your advice on speaking with my sister."

"That is going to be a dangerous thing to do indeed. Your sister has been locked away for her crimes against Asgard-" he put his hand up when I started to talk and said "I admit my role in those crimes. However she refused to stop killing and had to be locked away. But I think if you send a shadow of yourself to her and explain everything going on there is a slim chance, and only a slim chance, of her listening and actually trying to help us."

"But what do I tell her?"

"Tell her the truth. And tell her that if she does this and helps us then we can give her time out of her cage."

I nodded. It was quite the gamble to get her on our side, but it was worth the risk with how strong these creatures were. Walking back to my -our now I suppose- room I thought about how best to approach her. She was a fickle bitch on her best days, and on her worst...well she'd damn near destroyed Asgard before.

Standing in the room I stared at a life size mirror that was on a set of metal rods bent so that it would be able to flip up and down, front and back. I stared at that mirror for a little while and began to focus on Hel, on the river by her castle that flowed with poison water. Water that would kill any who touched it that weren't already dead. Water that made the dead even thirstier, yet would never slake their thirst.

Sending out my essence to the devilish place I took a spectral form in the greeting chamber of Hela's castle. Hela was sitting on her throne torturing a poor soul who'd committed some offense to be sent here, but had some honor still. Probably a raider who had killed to wantonly and the gods had seen fit to punish him for his crimes.

"Sister, I would have words with you." I said taking shape a few feet from her.

To her credit she glared at me with so much venom I might have died. "What do you want Loki?" she asked, anger and disdain dripping from every word.

"I'm sure you have heard from some of your new arrivals that there was an attack on Asgard."

"I was not behind it, you should know this already." her face turned stern.

"We do." I said raising my spectral hands. "But we need your help and father has agreed to release you from your prison if you help us." she made a 'go on' gesture with her hands. "He's willing to free you because you are the only one capable of bringing an army to slow them down, maybe even to stop them. There are these black rings..."

I told her everything, how they showed up and began turning our citizens into zombies. How they worked when you dealt any damage to the person, how they reacted when you cut them from the person's arm. I told her everything including that they were hard enough to beat that we needed her help and were willing to negotiate with her.

"So if I give you an army to fight them with you will release me from this prison? That sounds doable. But am I to return here once the fighting is over?"

"I truthfully do not know but from how Father was talking it sounded like you would be free forever of this place."

She thought about it for a moment and nodded. "I will help you for this. For a chance at being free I will help you."