His Queen | Book 1

Forty Two: Bitter Cold

Her arm is jerked and a fiery red pain shoots through her shoulders. Sigyn's body slams into the cliff face. Her face connecting with the ice. Feet are dangling. Her left arm is left flailing and the deep dark abyss taunts her from below. Its dark cavities inviting her in. Howling winds creeping upwards like cold shrinkled fingers. Sigyn looked up to her rescuer.

"Are you okay?" Loki shouts, his voice wavering uneasily. "Sigyn?"

"I'm not sure." she shouts up. Her whole body was hurting after that. Her shoulder throbbing. Her left side burning with the sensation of freezer burn. Her breaths are short.

"Give me your other hand!" he holds out his right hand to her. It seemed to far away. A hurtling distance to bring up her flailing hand that can't seem to grip the slippery ice face. But she is confident in the hold he has her arm in as he hangs over the edge. Open to an attack.

Loki pulls Sigyn up from the crevice which yearned to swallow her whole. First her stomach clears the landing and she finds herself in the arms of her husband. She can hear his racing heartbeat against his chest. Finally on solid ground, Sigyn takes the moment to catch her breath. She collapsed into his arms. Looking down. Her left side was partly melted away like the Jotun had done to Loki and Volstagg. Patches of black ice crisping her skin in gruesome bruising.

"Gods." cursed Loki. "I am so sorry, my love." he cried to her.

"Do not weep for me." she pushed herself to her knees. One foot beneath her now. "We must leave here!"

A giant running towards the unsuspected Aesir is brought to his knees. Vali driving his blade through his heart and sending him over the edge where Sigyn almost met her demise. "ARGH!" he screamed, seeing her. He turned with a roar and cut down another giant. With an ungodly scream, "Thor!" Vali roared so loud the vein's in his neck popped.

On her feet now.

Loki as her support.

A barrage of ice erects from the ground cascading towards the retreating group. An icicle spike finds it way through the back of Fandral and out through his front suspending him from the ground. It takes a moment for the charming swashbuckler to comprehend what happened. A spike of ice protruding from his chest is unnatural.

Fandral screamed in pain. Glued to his position. Volstagg is screaming.

Loki violently turns his body swinging his arm and from his hand a knife flies through to the air and strikes down the Jotun from which the ice grew.

"Thor!" Sif shouted, mightily.

Volstagg and Hogun help their friend down from the icicle. They sliced the ice suspending him from the ground and left the piece inside of him.

Loki pulled his wide closer. "We must go!" he screamed, anger cracking this voice. Vali is running too them with a group of giants hot on his tail. His mothers spear in his hand. He flies into his father's side, taking the other side of his mother hauling her to her feet, shoving her spear into her hands. If they were going to die here today, then they would die a warriors death and ascend to the halls Valhalla.

At least, that is how Vali wanted to die.

"Go!" Thor's voice thundered back. His hammer flew forward barrelling down any Jotun standing in its way for no force in the realms can withstand the mighty hammer of Thor.

Vali turned away from his uncle who was swallowed by the fighting. He is told by his father to go ahead, upon objection, Loki tells the boy that he has Sigyn just fine, protect Fandral and the others. "I am fine!" Sigyn pushed his arm, telling him to protect their comrades.