The God's Awakening

Chapter 29

After finding Loki in the library Carly managed to convince him to go for a walk around the grounds. As the chirping of birds surrounded them the early morning sun shone down. Winter was starting to creep in with the chill in the air though it did not seem to bother the two as they strolled over the grass laughing as they spoke.

"You didn't?" Carly asked, laughter bubbling up again.

"I truly did. The funniest part was that he couldn't see it." Loki's laughter mixed with hers. "Any time he checked it was normal, only others could see it".

"Oh, that's brilliant!" The image forming in Carly's mind nearly had her crying with laughter. "So Thor was walking around for the whole day with pink hair and didn't even know? That's too funny! I wish I could have seen it!"

"Well the oaf deserved it. I had not finished reading that book." he defended himself.

After they had managed to calm down a little they fell into a comfortable silence. Carly was enjoying herself. They had been walking around for almost half an hour talking about anything light hearted. Carly had told a couple of stories from centuries past and in return he had done the same which had lead to much laughter. Though they hadn't revisited the conversation from a couple of days ago it had played heavily on Carly's mind. The sorrow, pain and remorse she had seen in his eyes told her that he had cared deeply for the Cailleach, possibly even loved her. She knew that she must resemble the Goddess to some degree for both Thor and Loki to think she might be her and it must be difficult for the God of Mischief to spend time with her but she wanted to get to know him. She wasn't sure why but she felt comfortable around him and, call her selfish but she wanted to at least be friends.

Feeling her stomach tighten a little she realised that she hadn't eaten anything this morning. Just as she was about to suggest they head back a shiver ran through her and a sense of unease descended. Something wasn't right, it was almost like the calm before the storm. Seeing Loki tense up beside her she knew he could feel it too. Slowly they both scanned their surroundings. They were at the furthest end of the eastern lawn near the tree line. Carly estimated it would take them possibly ten minutes to get back to the building without running. The sense of unease kept building and she knew whatever was going to happen would be soon.

Sharing a look of concern they moved to go back to the building when a voice broke the silence sending a chill up her spine, freezing her in place.

"Hello Shard".

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It hadn't been difficult to find where the Avengers had taken the subject but it would take careful planning to retrieve her. They had been about to start conditioning to implant trigger words when she had escaped so Commander Troln knew they would need to use force. If they could tranquillise her quickly it would be easier, the problem would be getting past the Avengers. Knowing they would be on high alert Troln knew he would need to plan everything carefully. Mobilising a large task force with a false mission had worked well as a distraction, luring away four of the so called heroes. With the information from their surveillance it was confirmed that Thor had returned to Asgard and both Stark and Banner had left the compound. This left only a few to guard the subject, though those few would be formidable if confronted directly. If their Intel was valid then the Winter Soldier was also at the compound.

The subject is the main target, though if there is time, a second prize would be worth the risk. Troln thought as he and his men approached the compound. Having both Shard and the Winter Soldier would consolidate my power.

Gaining access to the compounds grounds had not been easy as Stark had increased security almost immediately after arriving with the subject. It had taken a while but they had found a small hole in the defenses near the tree line at the eastern side. As he approached their entry point Troln could not believe his luck. There, just beyond the tree line, standing next to a tall dark haired man, was the target.

Looks like my prize has come to me. he thought smugly watching as the pair scanned the area, sensing danger. This will save us a lot of time. We can come for the Soldier another time.

As the target and the man turned back towards the building he stepped out from his hiding place, signalling for his men to surround them.

"Hello Shard. Thank you for saving us the trouble of looking for you".

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sensing Carly tense up at the sound of the deep voice Loki turned. There stood a brown haired man in his late forties wearing what appeared to be black combat fatigues. A quick glance around showed others coming out from the trees surrounding them with guns aimed. Instinctively the Trickster tried to reach for his Seidhr but was blocked due to the cuff. Hiding the flicker of annoyance he stepped slightly in front of Carly as to put a barrier between her and the threat.

"Thank you for saving us the trouble of looking for you." the man said, a predatory grin forming on his face. "So thoughtful".

Though his Silvertongue had gotten him out of many situations in the past he knew that these people were not here to talk. Without his daggers or access to his Seidhr he would have to rely on his hand to hand to defend her. Assessing the situation he realised the men were armed with tranquilliser guns, making the risk greater. Loki and Carly would need to move fast to ensure they were not drugged.

"Troln!" Carly whispered from behind him, her voice shaking.

"Glad to know you still remember me. It's time to come home Shard." Troln took a step forward extending his hand to her.

"The lady will not be going anywhere with you." Loki said calmly and confidently, taking another protective step in front of Carly. "I think you should leave now".

"I see you have found yourself a protector." Troln laughed darkly. "But can he truly protect you? Would you let him come to harm Shard? Come willingly and we'll let him live, otherwise...." he shrugged casually. "Well, things could get messy".

A shiver ran down Loki's spine at the confidence this man possessed. It was clear to the Trickster that Troln would not let him go even if she did choose to go with them. It was also clear that Troln did not know who Loki was which gave them an advantage.

"I won't let you hurt him." Carly said suddenly, clutching his arm. Loki could hear how scared she was even though she tried to hide it.

"Don't worry Darling. They won't hurt either of us." the Trickster said soothingly as he turned his head to her. Her eyes glanced briefly down to the cuff on his wrist before looking in his eyes. Trying to convey his confidence in her he gently placed his hand over the one clutching his arm. "You can stop them." he said so softly that only she could hear.

He could see the understanding enter her eyes at the meaning of his words. Shaking her head she looked at him with wide eyes. "No, I can't! I don't want to hurt you." she whispered, fear and desperation in her voice, making his heart clench. He could see Troln out the corner of his eye signalling his men to prepare to fire. There was no doubt in his mind that Troln would take them both and use Loki to force Carly to do what he wanted. In his current circumstances there would be nothing much that he would be able to do to stop him.

It had been a few minutes since Troln had said anything and Loki knew that every second that passed was a risk for them. Troln would only wait so long which meant they had to act now. Looking in her eyes he nodded confidently. "You won't hurt me." he whispered reassuringly.

Troln had obviously grown tired of waiting and turned to his men. "Take them both." he commanded.

As the guns were raised Loki saw the determination and resolve steel in Carly's gaze. Letting her hands go he braced himself for battle as her hands glowed blue from her gathering Seidhr.