Sorcha's Secret World, Part one.

Chapter 50, Jotunnhold.

It was the end of January, and we hadn't managed to locate another Place of Power. Anna had left to consult with an old colleague of hers in the hope that a fresh set of eyes might be just what we needed.

When she returned, her large eyes were shining with enthusiasm, but she wouldn't tell me what she had found until Loki and Thor were there too.

Loki had gone to look at a property with Cedric, Thor was assisting Matt with a training mission for the Templars. Two phone calls and half an hour later and both gods came barreling in through the door at the same time.

"Bad news first," Anna began in her clipped, precise voice, "I have as yet been unable to locate another Place of Power for you."

"I'm glad I left a business meeting for that exciting news," Loki muttered sarcastically.

Anna just grinned at him. "Not so impatient, Trickster. There is good news too!"

She picked up her laptop case and carefully placed it on the table.

"Early last century, a fellow scholar thought he might have found proof that the gods might have truly walked the earth. He was ridiculed for his claims, and without substantial evidence to back it up, he quickly became a pariah in the academic community.

Eventually, he sold his own house and used all his life savings to fund an expedition to where he was convinced the ancient untouched ruins lay that he firmly believed were once home to the gods.

The said expedition ended in disaster. Despite their best preparations, the team was unable to survive the journey through the inhospitable frozen wastes to where he had pinpointed the locations of the ruins to be, and none of the team members made it back alive.

A few years later the remains of the professor were found and with them his journals."

Anna opened her briefcase to reveal that not her laptop, but a number of journals were packed inside it instead.

"Yay, the rantings of a madman! My favourite reading material! Just how I had hoped to spend my afternoon."

Anna glared at Loki.

I kicked him under the table and shook my head at him. I knew he was frustrated with our lack of progress and the resulting continued presence of Anna in our lives, but I firmly believed Anna would not have brought those journals here if they weren't important. Anna was a lot of things, but she wasn't frivolous, nor likely to waste our time.

"I agree with Loki," Thor said unexpectedly. "I have better things to do as well than read some old dude's diaries."

"I thought you might feel that way," Anna smiled at Thor. "But I promise you, I come bearing more than old journals. You'll want to take a look at this for yourself. Perhaps you know what it is because I have never seen anything like it."

Anna lifted the journals out of the suitcase to reveal a large object wrapped in cloth.

Loki, who had been slouching on his chair so much he had nearly sunk underneath the table, sat up a bit as his curiosity was suddenly piqued.

Anna carefully unfolded the cloth to reveal a large flat circular object, carved out of a pale blue-grey stone. Engraved on the object were markings; circles, squares and dots that were connected with lines.

"As I said," Anna repeated, "It is absolutely fascinating, I've never seen anything like it."

I had. And so had Loki.

Our eyes met.

Unless Loki said anything I would keep my mouth shut, this was his choice to make. I saw him hesitate, struggling to decide whether his curiosity or his desire to protect the remains of his people was greater.