The Old Gods | Book 2

Ten: Brjóta

They continued this torture on the goddess several times now. Had it been days? She doesn't know how long anymore. Each time, the pain was worse. She relived memories and each time they became lesser and lesser. A part of herself was gone every time they sat her in that chair. Her life, her stories, slowly vanishing.

She can barely remember her mother and father's faces. She had family... but how many? Brothers, sisters?

They questioned her again and again. She cried and told them she didn't know any more than what she already told them. A husband? Yes, she had one, she told them. What happened to him? I don't know. Something terrible.

They left her alone in the dark after every session. Days in between before the next. Or hours, or minutes?

A voice in the dark. She had heard this voice before. It called her. "Sigyn." Yes, that was her name! "Sigyn." it called to her, coaxing her out of another episode.

The goddess sits up in the dark. It sounded as if the owner of the voice was in the darkness with her right now in this cell. "Fight." it said. "Fight it."

That voice. So familiar. So homely. She knows this voice.

She hears him. "Loki." she called back. Her voice was broken and cracked. Sore from crying. She has barely spoken at all.

Sigyn looked at her bound wrists. She spent all those times staring at her chains she memorised the runes carved into the ancient cuffs. "Brjóta." she whispered to them. The cuffs glowed where the runes were carved as if they awakened to counter her incantation. "Brjóta." she firmly spoke again. They glowed brighter.

I am an incantation fetterer. She told herself. I can break these chains.

"Brjóta!"

Snap.

The runes stopped glowing.

A flood of magic flowed back into the goddess. It swept over her like the winds of Helheim. A great big breath of sweet relief and she felt whole again. All her magic returned to her. The wall holding it back suddenly collapses like a dam wall. Her strength building back up inside her.

All her memories are now back in order. She knows who she is. She remembers her son's face, her husband, and her family.

The lights flashed on blinding her and she curled. Her hands are still bound in the cuffs. The door to the cell breaks open and again soldiers drag her out, down the hall, and into the room where they tortured her. Except this time, they didn't throw her into the chair like before.

They brought the goddess to her knees and left the room.

Did they see her break her bonds?

She warily looked around the derelict chamber. To the chair. To the strange tools lying around. The silence is deafening to her ears.

No, they can't know she broke the magic on her chains. They always collected her when she was conscious. The door behind Sigyn creaked open and she spun around falling back. A different man entered the room. He is an older man with greying hair. "My, my, my." he said, upon entering. "What a pretty sight." he remarked at the white-haired goddess at his feet.

Her white hair in knots and dishevelled all around her. Unbathed and dirty. Scared and cowering where she is. The goddess shuffled back until her back touched the table centered in the room. The man stalked forward, "I hear you've been unreasonable and no amount of torture in that chair is getting anyone anywhere fast." he gazed up at a hook dangling from the ceiling. "So I have offered to take Daniel's place today since he is away on an important task." the man came at the goddess. He roughly grabbed her chains and she fought back. Tugging and pulling away. He slapped away her kicking foot and yanked her up. He landed a Hefty blow to her stomach.