taken [loki laufeyson]

17: the pawn

Weeks have passed since Loki and I had our moment, and, like a schoolgirl after her first kiss, I feel giddy thinking about it. It feels like a dream.

I sit alone in the library, mindlessly flipping through a book that was already there when I arrived. Mostly, I daydream about Loki. And how bizarre but amazing my situation is.

But as much as I love being with Loki, something doesn't feel right. I don't know why I think this, or what would lead me to think this, but I feel like
Loki is hiding something. Maybe it's the dreams I've been having, or paranoia or anxiety or something, but my fear seems so real. Even though he has confessed his love to me a thousand times (verbally and physically), my feelings still linger. And that makes me feel like a horrible person.

I stand up out of my chair and close the book shut. I walk out of the library, trying to push away those horrible thoughts. I meander down the grand hallways of the palace, not looking for anything in particular. Just trying to clear my head.

The hallways, normally beautiful, are dark and dreary with the lack of sunlight. The Asgardian sun is blocked by thick clouds, and rain cascades down the huge windows in sheets. The sound is quite nice considering the ominous weather.

Every once in a while, I peek inside of the rooms lining the corridors. Many are empty, with only bare shelves and the occasional book left behind, leaving me feeling melancholy. I continue to wander, with no end goal in mind.

Maybe I should find Loki.

The only problem is I have no idea where he goes. He disappears on a whim, leaving me no answers to my many questions of his whereabouts.

My footsteps are small and silent as I discover that the halls of Asgard are practically never-ending, and that infinite rooms fill the castle. Countless banquet halls, treasure rooms, small libraries, and throne rooms repeat themselves over and over, leaving me bewildered and wondering if I had just been walking in circles.

Until, at last, I come upon one small door that looks different than any other. It is tucked away at the very end of a dark hallway, almost unnoticeable. It is probably only chance that I happened to come across it.

I peer at it from far away, as if it were some source of danger. I know that it's not, but it's distinction from every other door in the castle sparks my curiosity and frightens me a little. What could be behind the door?

After checking behind me to see if anyone has followed, I step closer and closer to the door. I am drawn to it— I have to know what's inside.

Suddenly I am standing in front of it, and I reach out to turn the knob. It is surprisingly cold, and shocks my skin. But I am no stranger to the cold. The knob creaks as I open it and pierces the silence of the hallway.

Now the door is open only a sliver. I peek inside, unable to see anything. The room isn't just dark-- it's pitch black, and not even a hint of light comes from inside. Regardless, I push the door open even more and step inside.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changes so drastically that I almost collapse from the weight. The door behind me shuts. The room is bitterly cold, and the hospitable feeling present throughout all of Asgard disappears, leaving me feeling unwelcome and alone. I feel uncomfortable in my skin and something inside me tells me to leave as fast as I can. Tears come to my eyes. I double over, holding my face in my hands, trying to push away these foreign feelings.

What is going on?!

The room begins to spin so I sit down on the floor, shutting my eyes tightly, in hopes that maybe I am just imagining things. I try to yell out for help but I can't make any sound. An incredible sense of dread fills my mind like a poison.

I'm not going to make it out of here.

--

I don't know how long it is after when I finally regain control and composure. I feel drained, but I sit up, wipe my eyes, and look around the room. It isn't as dark as it was before, and I think I can make out the contents of the room. It is surprisingly big, and there is so much inside.

I feel for the wall behind me to help myself up. I stumble across the room to what I thought was a candle atop a desk. Strike a match. Light the candle.

The candle's warm glow casts itself throughout the room. It hurts at first to look at, after being in the dark for so long. But my eyes quickly adjust.

I stand in the middle of a room about as large as my bedroom. Next to me is the desk with the candle, and just a couple feet behind me is the door. The ceiling is low, giving the whole room a claustrophobic feel, and the flooring is made of rough stone that looks like it has been here since the beginning of time. Quite a contrast from the marbled floors of the palace.

At the end of the room is a board covered with wildly arranged papers that look like something a detective would use to solve a crime-- a crazy wall, if you will. Papers are also scattered across the floor and multiple desks. Shelves full of books line the walls. But the most curious thing about the room is the slight red glow present. It isn't the candle, but something else-- something dangerous.

Entranced by the glow, I stumble over to the other side of the room to find the source. A glass tube about a foot tall sits on another desk. Before, the room was eerily quiet. But now that I am close to this thing, a slight humming noise takes over the silence.

I've never seen anything like this. And I have seen a lot of crazy things since I have arrived in Asgard. But this . . .

The tube is filled with what can only be described as a liquid that moves like a gas. It is dark crimson, the exact color of blood. Not only does it emit a noise-- it emits crazy energy that pulls me closer. I am no god, but I know if I touch it, I will be consumed by it.

My gaze shifts away from the red liquid to the crazy wall right behind it. Notes scribbled in messy handwriting hang upon it, and I squint to try and read it.

I can just barely make out a few sentences. Something called an Aether being the ultimate weapon to kill.

To kill what? Or worse, who?

My heart races faster, and I feel sick. I look over at a different paper and read it quickly. Then another, and another. Then I come across a particularly interesting one. I tear it off of the wall and sit down at a desk.

My mind is racing and it becomes increasingly harder to concentrate on what I am reading. I try to make it through the first couple sentences.

"  . . . the Aether's parisitic properties can be used to drive it's host mad, or kill them instantly, depending on what the wielder's intentions. The dark matter attaches itself to the soul, mind, and heart to completely take over its host's body."

Scribbled underneath this text is a note, written in the same handwriting as the rest of the papers on the wall. It is a list of bullet points.

" - collect the bait

   - locate the aether

   - lure and destroy the heroes"

I have no idea what any of this means, but I know I shouldn't have come in here. I should never have strayed down this hallway, or read these notes, or nosed around in whatever this is.

I begin to turn and leave, but before I do, something clicks.

I feel faint, but it all becomes very clear to me now. My hand, out of disbelief, drops the paper. I watch it float to the floor as I work everything out in my mind.

The bait . . . the heroes . . . the stories.

The heroes are the avengers.

Loki is their enemy.

And I am the bait.
—-

WOW!! Idk if yall picked up what i was putting down in this chapter but,, wheww that was wild. And dont worry, this is just the beginning of everything in taken. Like that kidnapping stuff? So small compared to the real plot of the story. So stick around for the next update because its gonna get crazy!!! i have some wild stuff planned. That being said, add this story to your library and follow me so you get all the notifcations for the next update!!! Tysm guys i luv yall💗💗💗