2 | 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 ▹ LOKI LAUFEYSON

xii. the sight

So a lot of things have happened this past week:

- I saw Infinity War last weekend and it was insane and amazing! If anyone would like to fangirl with me, shoot a PM, but please respect the fact that others have not seen it yet. #ThanosDemandsYourSilence

- Happy National Star Wars Day to all of my fellow nerfherders! I have published my NEW STAR WARS FIC, Behind the Mask, so go check it out!!

A M O R A

Amora stared at Loki in disbelief. "I would have given anything to have a family, and you are just tossing yours aside like it's some worthless commodity."

Guilt flashed across over Loki's face as his mouth opened, but he simply looked away. Amora would have felt a twinge of victory, but she suddenly felt extremely lightheaded. Her vision came in and out of focus as her surroundings seemed to tilt and her ears filled with a dull ringing. She took a step to balance herself, but as soon as her foot hit the ground, the familiar fire of her old wound blazed viciously.

Amora opened her mouth to call out to Loki as tears welled in her eyes, but a heavy darkness suddenly descended over her. Stormy red clouds seemed to encroach on her vision as she felt herself fall to the ground.

The impact with the dark floor sent the wind out of her lungs. Amora leaned over with tears still leaking from her closed eyelids, struggling to catch her breath, as the ringing and pain faded.

She finally let out a deep, even breath. At least this episode did not last too long?

But as soon as Amora opened her eyes, her blood ran cold. She was not greeted with the white walls of Loki's cell; instead she only saw the great stone columns of what appeared to be an ancient stronghold. Everything appeared to be shrouded in shadow.

Standing slowly, Amora frowned down at the engravings that seemed to cover every stone surface until ground abruptly gave away to a seemingly endless drop just feet away from her. A chill ran down her spine as a sudden breeze blew through the halls. However, the wind did not lessen; it grew stronger and stronger until Amora fought to not be pushed by the gusts.

Crouching down, she tried to grip onto the grooves in the floor, but she started to slide back, closer to the edge. A sharp gasp escaped her lips when her feet felt only air; there was no more ground behind her. This was the end.

Then, just as abruptly as it had started, the wind ended and all was still. Amora breathed out a heavy sigh, glancing down at the depths just beneath her. A small clatter of crumbling stones and a shout jerked her head up.

A small figure--a woman--stood at just at the edge of the precipice, gazing at the dilapidated stone. Amora stood and opened her mouth to call out to her, but something else caught her eye. A great obelisk towered behind the other woman, an ominous, red glow emanating from an opening in its center. Its light was captivating and seemed to push any other thought out of Amora's mind.

It was beautiful. She had to get closer to it. With the same thought, her feet seemed to move on their own.

Suddenly, her surroundings faded and a firm voice echoed through her mind. Open your eyes.

Blinking away the shadows that seemed to threaten her vision, Amora finally saw the obelisk clearly once more. But it had lost its enchanting pull. It no longer appeared beautiful; it was sinister, dangerous.

A movement caught her attention and Amora stiffened when she saw what it was. Or who it was. The woman was leaning toward the light, her face only a few inches away. Tendrils of red flowed from the walls of the opening, seemingly whispering indistinct words.

Amora's puzzlement instantly disappeared and she broke out of her stupor. Taking running steps forward, she reached out toward the woman.

"No!" the sorceress shouted.

But she was too late. The red shot out at the woman and a heavy force struck Amora, sending her to the floor.

When her head hit the floor with a thud, her vision filled with stars. Disoriented and rubbing the back of her head, she sat up and fought to see clearly once more. As soon as she could, she let out a sharp yelp and scrambled back. Before her loomed a figures that she hoped to never lay eyes on.

Seated on an unbelievably large throne, a dark figure leaned forward, motioning to a hologram displaying six glowing stones, the Infinity Stone. Just the very sight of Thanos made Amora freeze in place, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest. Gamora stood resolutely, awaiting orders.

Amora silently prayed that none of them saw her, but the sound of her heavy breathing was impossible to not hear echoing through the large room. Her mind went back to the horrible sound of Loki's screaming at the hand of Thanos. How could she expect a less severe fate when she had acted directly against the titan when she had lied about the location of the Tesseract? Perhaps Gamora would have mercy on her, considering how the two conspired to keep him away from the Stone.

"These raids have proven worthless in finding the Stones," Thanos' voice sent a jolt through Amora, "I hope that you do not follow suit."

The green woman nodded, giving no sign of any weakness or doubt as she stood before her adoptive father. "I won't, father."

As Gamora turned on her heel and started away from the throne, Amora jumped to her feet. Clinging to the shadows, she rushed after the assassin. Gamora gave no notice of her as she walked down a long hall, and when Amora reached her, she finally knew why. Reaching out to grab the woman's arm, Amora gasped as her hand simply passed through.

Looking down at her hand, she thought, I'm not really here.

The walls suddenly fell away to reveal a great eclipse painting a shadowed mountain in dark orange light. Gamora was nowhere in sight.

"It attracts a terrible price," a low voice echoed around her.

The light of the hidden star began to glow brighter, harsher. Squinting, Amora held up a hand to block the light, but the heat nearly burned her arm and the light blazed until it blocked out her surroundings. Consuming her.

Then, a coolness spreading from her head and the vision faded, leaving only the darkness behind closed eyes. A series of muffled voices reached her ears. The noise slowly began to clear and two raised voices in particular harshly broke through the fog in her mind.

Amora nearly stiffened when they became distinct enough to understand and recognize.

"I had no hand in this," Loki said firmly.

"How else could she have ended up in such a state in your cell?" Theoric asked, his voice raised.

"I never touched her."

"So many lies!" Theoric said indignantly, his voice strained.

A harsh shush silenced them. Eir's voice sounded sternly, "Both of you hush. She is waking."

Reluctantly, Amora's eyes fluttered open and squinted against the stark, white light. With a groan, she tried to push herself into a sitting position, but a gentle hand stopped her.

Eir looked at her evenly. "You must rest."

Amora glanced about the room; Emilía and Theoric hovered over the back of the sofa while Loki stood to the side. He remained tense, but his sharp gaze did not move away from her.

Looking back at Eir, she said urgently, "I must speak to the Allfather."

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to hit that vote button!!

May the Fourth be with you! :)