Learning To Love

Chapter 14

They rode until they were within walking distance of the stronghold. After dismounting and tying the horses, everyone drew into the shadows on foot. There didn't appear to be movement on the outside, and they picked their way through the rock until they crouched in a dark nook just outside the wall.

"Now all we have to do is get in," Thor said. "Heimdall told me of a back door, a secret way in that will let us eventually into the main rooms. From the main gates, it was around to the right, where we already are, and it is nothing more than a hole in the walls."

They started making their way to their right, North along the wall. Moving as quietly as possible, they crept around the corner on the North side with still no sign of the entrance. Fandral jogged ahead of the group, disappearing into the shadow at the base of the wall. After about fifty feet, they found him waiting impatiently.

"Just here," he said in a loud, excited whisper. Thor ran his hands along the irregular outline of a stone door. His fingers brushed over a bump in the rock and he pressed down. The door creaked open, revealing a dark hallway. He led the way inside. The hall opened into a dark, deserted room with walls like a cave, carved into the earth.

"Where is everyone?" Sierra murmured.

"Don't question it, it's good for us," Fandral said.

"Good until we're caught. They may already have realized they have intruders," Thor added. "The Bifrost is hard to miss, though they'll be waiting at the front gates." They found their way out of the room they started in. It led into a large hallway, which shot off in several different directions.

"Here's where we split up," Sif whispered. Thor, Volstagg, and Fandral crept down the huge hall in the supposed direction of the throne room. Sierra stayed with Sif and Hogun. They gathered closely together to speak.

"This seems wrong," Sierra said. "Too quiet. There should be someone around."

"Like Fandral said, let's not question it until it's a problem," Sif replied. That didn't ease Sierra's nerves but she resolved herself to the mission.

"So, what are we looking for?" Hogun asked quietly. "A stairway or something?"

"Yes," Sif whispered back. "Stairs, doors. Too bad they don't put signs up."

They slinked down the hall, skirting the side and checking around corners before proceeding. Finally, Hogun spotted a large, crudely-made door.

"There," he said, pointing. They advanced towards the door and attempted to push it open. It stuck in the doorframe, but finally creaked open. It ground, stone on stone, and Sierra cringed, waiting for something to come sprinting out of the dark at them, but nothing did so they hurried down the stairs on the other side.

At the bottom of the stairs, the darkness closed around them, but nevertheless they followed the narrow hallway further. The cell doors lining the walls confirmed that they'd reached the dungeons. They checked each one for signs of life, but to no avail. At the end of the hall, stairs spiraled down even farther. At the foot of the stairwell was a door, locked.

Hogun pulled out a small knife, and played with the lock for a moment, before successfully pushing open the door and revealing more cells. A Chitauri walked down the hall towards us, hunched over and grasping a gun, checking every cell as it staggered by. Sif rushed towards it and drew her sword, killing it before it could scream.

The very last cell had walls, not bars, and a solid door, also locked.

"This is it!" Sierra whispered. "It has to be!" With no door at the end of the hallway; there were no other conceivable places Loki could be. Sif and Hogun rushed over, and once again Hogun consulted the lock. It took him a few minutes, but eventually it clicked open.

As soon as they swung the door inward, the smell of blood and ammonia hit them. An unconscious figure slumped against the wall. Loki. Sierra darted forward, dropping to her knees beside him on the dirty floor. Sif and Hogun were close to follow. Hogun worked at unlocking the chains and cuff, while Sif and Sierra searched for a pulse, attempting to assess his condition. Though he was unresponsive and his pulse beat faintly, Sierra felt overwhelming relief as she discovered he was alive.

A clatter of chains indicated that he was free, and Loki slumped down into Sierra's arms. Hogun brushed his hands off.

"Got it." They tried for a moment to revive Loki, but to no avail. Hogun and Sierra hoisted him up, knowing full well that they were on a time limit.

Sif drew her sword, and they trailed her down the hall, up the stairs, and all the way back to the main halls. As they come through the first door, they heard the clash of swords. In the darkness to their left, the other three were fighting for their lives against Thanos's Chitauri.

"Thor!" Sierra screamed. He saw her out of the corner of his eye and shouted for the other two. They beat away the aliens that were close to them and ran down the hall to them. More Chitauri came into view, but Thor ignored them. He noticed Loki and scooped his little brother into his arms, relieving Hogun and Sierra.

"Go!" he roared.

They ran in the same direction that they entered from. The armies weren't expecting them to get in that way, and the path was clear, though they're hot on the group's trail. They crouched, still going as fast as they could, through the small tunnel and the door where they came in. Thor sprinted ahead of all of the rest, still carrying Loki, and led the way towards where the horses waited. Already, Chitauri poured out of the large entrances to the stronghold. The horses danced in their places as they got to them, but everyone untied them and mounted as fast as they could.

Thor laid Loki across his horse's neck and swung up, the last one ready. With everyone accounted for, Thor shouted,

"Heimdall, open the Bifrost!" Almost immediately they were lifted up into the sky, and a minute later their feet landed safely in the Bifrost on Asgard.

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