Firebird by NorseFan1

Chapter 9

"How are you feeling?" Jane asked her, perching on the edge of the bed.

"Better, especially since Loki promised to show me the library. I'm sorry I got you dragged into my family mess Jane. I never meant for my past to catch up with me."

"It's not your fault. You couldn't have known they would discover you were alive. Everything is on them. I can't believe what they did to you. It was if you were nothing more than a weapon, like a soldier would view a gun."

"It seems that's what I am to them," Ana shrugged. "But I know better on that front."

"If you ever start thinking you're nothing more than a weapon, I'll steal Darcy's Taser and use it on you!" Ana just laughed.

Ana gaped at the sight of the library. It far surpassed even the Hogwarts Library. "Where would I start?" Her voice was barely a whisper. The library was on many levels in a cavernous room, stretching out before her for quite a fair distance. She could see reading tables in places and even small little alcoves.

Loki's arm moved round her arm and he guided her into the veritable treasure trove of a room. He was outright grinning at her reaction as he led her deeper into the library, down several aisles and up one of the staircases, down another aisle and to a small alcove which had a plush bench seat. "If I wish to read in the library, this is where I tend to sit. Thor has yet to find me in here when I remain here," he told her.

She could see why. With the vastness of the library, and the bench being built into the alcove, meaning it was obscured from view from someone walking by; many people would overlook the area if looking for someone. "The books around here all have a spell on them so that whoever reads them, no matter what language it was written in, will be able to read the contents. You could start here and work your way outwards. Most of these are histories, if you wish to start with something else…"

"No, I'd love to start here."

"In that case," he said, heading for one of the book cases and craning his neck up. He motioned with his hand and a ladder rolled across from the far end of the case towards him. He stopped it physically, and not with magic, before climbing up to one of the upper shelves of the case, and pulled out a book, before returning down, and bringing the book over to her. Loki handed it to her, and Ana immediately took note of how small it was compared to all the others. It was bound in soft, supple black leather and held closed by a silver lined strap, with a silver clasp. "This is a record of our realms interactions with the magical populace of Midgard, up until the last soul mates of several of our people were found. Not long after that, we withdrew from Midgard- until recently. It even records the few treaties we have with them, including the one concerning any of our soul mates found among them."

"There's a treaty on that?"

"There is. I was one of the group that opened negotiations, which was signed here in Asgard. The treaty was ongoing, one which you will find, when you read about it, has since been broken."

"How?"

"For several reasons, one of which being them trying to force you into another bond. One of the conditions were that, those with runes or symbols as birthmarks could not be placed into any sort of contract or bind that would keep them tied to Midgard. It was to ensure nothing would interfere if and when the couple activated the soul bond."

Ana ran her hand along the hard spine of the book, and smiled at him. "If this is a boring read, I am never trusting you to choose a book for me again," she teased.