The Family Lokison (Part 4)

Odin's Foil (LOKI)

Legend foretold that Surtur would arrive on Vigrid atop a horse burning white with heat; he would be armored in black glass molded to his form, unafraid of anyone or anything. His sword, aptly given a name since it was a masterpiece of balance and size, would do plenty of damage even without the Eternal Flame to ignite it.

Thor and I stared at him in complete awe as he crested the bottom of the hill to Vigrid. Every story spun when we were children came to life before our eyes without a single incorrect detail. He could've ridden out of Odin's animated books.

"Are you ready for this?" Thor asked with a grin, too giddy for the occasion. "It's been too long since I've had a worthy opponent."

I rolled my eyes. Only because I took care of the last one who might've challenged you...

Odin finished directing the other soldiers and stood between us. He met my height, albeit artificially, raised by his boots. One for ceremony, he wore his helmet of oxen horns, which encouraged me to appear as though I wore my horns as well—in reality, they would've interfered with movement. Thor felt the same way I did and didn't cover his head at all.

"We're here." Odin scanned Surtur's army, which spread out on either side of the great beast in a line of black weaponry. "Every soul left in Yggdrasil has a part to play."

Thor braced himself by spreading out his legs even though they were still more than half the vast field away. "Watch those ones on the left flank. They'll charge at us."

"No, no. Surely they will fly over our heads and turn for the city," I quipped. Sarcasm helped distance myself from the horror all around us.

Odin put up one hand and spoke so soft and slow, one might've thought he lost his nerve. "Enough, my sons."

I bristled. "That's the second time you've done that today." It wouldn't matter how strongly I glared since his eyes remained steadfastly to the front. It occurred to me how everything around us must've been something he saw in some vision—perhaps it's what he saw with Frigga at their binding with the Don. He'd been right about everything else to this point about Surtur's arrival and what to expect. What was he leaving out?

Odin took two steps forward instead of properly addressing my confrontation. Appropriate, if annoying. "Surtur has come for me and me alone. Let our army squash his minions. Your roles are to clear the field of wounded and advise where strategy is needed. There will be no tolerance for cowards. No freedom to wait out enemy resources. This last stand is where this universe will end. She births another, waiting only for the right horizon."

"We will defeat him, Father." Thor met my eyes and gave a quick nod of affirmation.

I didn't doubt his strength or skill. Only if fate would allow him to use all his talents. "Then let's go get the bastard."

At my declaration, Odin yelled a single long note and charged Surtur with Gungnir ready to strike. Once he took action, the rest of the army did as well, making a wave of bodies ready to crash against the enemy.

For life. For death. For Asgard.

***

Keep fighting. Keep fighting.

My hands became boulders on the end of my arms. Every new swing threatened to reinjure my long-since-cured left shoulder. I gave up using a sword and went back to daggers, forced to steal some from the dead so I could down enemies before they came too close. My magic disguised and covered me more than once—clever defense was still my strong suit, thankfully.

While our soldiers were swift and keen to avoid being crushed by the giants steadily flooding in, we lacked strong numbers. Even quick on our feet, we couldn't miraculously produce more fighters than we had available. A youthful troupe of Crimson Hawks valiantly spread out amongst the common guards—what initially looked like a flock of red birds was somberly replaced by a wash of their blood. Inexperience proved to be the end for many of them. Their flying counterparts, the Valkyrie, came in on winged horses and rained fiery arrows on the mess of disfigured creatures below.