The Witch and the Sorcerer

Avengers Tower

“Have we been able to contact Director Fury?” Steve Rogers asked as he entered the morgue where Agents Barton and Romanoff were packing away the body of the demon.

“Not yet,” Barton replied.

“Well, keep trying. We need to form a plan. If Loki is thinking about world domination again, I fear he has manipulated Stark and Thor,” Rogers said.

“I really don’t believe Stark was manipulated,” Romanoff spoke.

The Captain looked at her, stunned.

“How would you know?” he snapped.

“I have worked with Stark, and his assistant, Miss Potts, prior to Loki’s invasion of Earth. I know of his reckless tendencies. He pulls stunts like this for a reason,” she said defensively.

“Fraternizing with the enemy?” Rogers blurted out.

“Cap, I know it’s hard to swallow, but there has to be a reason. Loki could only manipulate me through the power of the Tesseract. I know its power, and I can tell you right now, that was not the power of the Tesseract influencing Stark. Not to mention Thor and Loki’s…friend. His sidekick,” Barton explained.

Romanoff nodded in agreement.

“I think we should trust them,” she said.

Barton zipped the body bag and transferred it to the freezer.

“As crazy as this may sound, I agree with her,” he grunted as he heaved the bag in and shut the metal door, pushing the handle in with a click.

“They did save us. We wouldn’t have stood a chance,” Romanoff said.

Rogers closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Loki is crazy!”

“But he is extremely powerful. And, it would seem as if the Avery woman is just as powerful, if not more,” Barton said, “Maybe Stark is thinking of forming an alliance.”

“Regardless, they resisted arrest of a war criminal,” Rogers argued.

“Yes, Cap, we’re aware of that. But Tony Stark, no matter how vain and immature he can be, we owe our lives to him. We have to give the guy the benefit of the doubt,” Barton replied.

“We owe Loki as well,” Romanoff said distantly.

Barton glanced at her.

“And Loki,” he added.

Rogers groaned.

“Just…ugh! See if you guys can reach S.H.I.E.L.D.,” he said.

At that, an alarm on a nearby laptop went off, alerting the three Avengers. Agent Romanoff dashed over to the laptop to read the windows that were popping up on screen.

“Loki and Avery have been located,” she said.

“What?” Barton asked.

He and the Captain ran over to the laptop Romanoff was typing away at.

“They were last photographed at 6:20 a.m. in New Mexico by a streetlight camera. This is near the same place S.H.I.E.L.D. discovered that satellite crash that was later revealed to be Mjolnir. Thor’s hammer,” she said.

“What the hell are they doing in New Mexico?” Barton asked.

“No idea,” she replied, “But they’re definitely not with Thor or Stark.”

Rogers groaned.

“That doesn’t sound good. I bet Stark got himself killed for sure,” he said.

His comment went ignored.

“Are there more pictures?” Barton asked, leaning over Romanoff’s shoulder.

“No. They disappear after that, but there is no doubt that that’s them,” she replied.

Barton nodded.

“Then we must get down there and see if we can track them,” Rogers said.

“I agree. Clint, go arrange for a jet. Cap, you better suit up,” Romanoff said.

The men nodded. Agent Romanoff closed the laptop and followed them out of the morgue.

***
London, England

The rain pelted down on Loki and I as we walked down the streets of a more shady area of London. It reminded me of the dumpy neighborhood I had lived in while I was stuck in Los Angeles. Run-down buildings, broken windows, trash littering the streets. It was a hole, that much was certain. I was thankful we were disguised, blending in with the scary people and the homeless that travelled the sidewalks.

“‘Ello, lovely!”

Loki and I stopped. Just not disguised enough.

“How’s about you come with me, eh? I can show you a better time than with that bloke. What do ya say?”

I growled. Loki set his jaw and turned around.

“Would you like to die?” he threatened.

“Hey, mate! We can share if ya like. I’m game,” he said.

I turned to look at the man. There was no doubt he was a drunkard. Greasy haired, round spectacles, one eye glossy with blindness. Raggedy clothes. I narrowed my eyes at him. My mood suddenly soured. Why was it that everywhere I went, even with Loki at my side, I was the focal point of some horny man’s desires?
The man grabbed his crotch through his baggy jeans.

“Come get it, love!” he shouted, then cackled with laughter.

Loki flashed gold, causing my disguise to flash off. Whether it was by accident or not was uncertain, but we were now exposed.

“Avery, you are forgiven for the preceding action,” Loki said.

I nodded and flew over to the man, fire in my palms. A look of sheer terror flashed across his face. He tried to run, but it was in vain. I pounced him and slammed him against the ground. With razor sharp, talon-like fingernails, I gauged his eyes out.

“You think women are toys, huh? Meat? Objects? Let me tell you something, you piece of shit. Your life is over. Know that your death came by Loki, King of Asgard. And while he kills you, may your tongue swell, your throat close, and your blood boil.”

The man, who was already screaming from having his eyes gauged out, screamed like a girl as his blood boiled and his skin began to melt. I removed myself from him and slung the eyeballs from my fingernails before shrinking them. Loki, who had summoned Gungnir, held the staff to the man’s head. Then, he flipped it to the spear side and drove it through the man’s face. Steam and boiling hot blood spewed everywhere. As morbid as it was, I couldn’t help but snort as I tried not to laugh.
Loki looked up from his handiwork and smiled at my amusement.

“That wicked little laugh of your’s,” he said.

I smirked.

“Why is it,” he paused to yank Gungnir out of the man’s skull, “That you and my brother gain so much pleasure from killing?”

“Thor’s a man, Loki. It’s a testosterone thing. For me, it’s not only an adrenaline rush, but I think hanging out with you has warped my fragile little mind,” I teased.

Loki concealed Gungnir and rushed me, grabbing my shoulders and forcefully kissing me. I flew us against the wall, slamming Loki up it and taking his face in my hands. I then detached my lips from his to catch my breath.

“What is with you?” I asked, “Get a kick out of that?”

I pointed to the mutilated body on the ground, which I magicked away before the police could come. Loki cupped my jaw with his hands and smiled warmly.

“It’s just so relieving to see you back to power,” he replied, “Not to mention having you by my side again.”

I smiled widely. That’s the only place I ever wanted to be, and I would never leave his side willingly.
Loki took my chin and kissed me again, this time more gentle, but still driven with a fierce passion. As if it was instinctive, I wound my arms around his neck, not caring if we were in a grungy neighborhood in London, and definitely not caring about who saw. The kiss broke and Loki pulled me tighter to him, trying to squeeze us both under the overhang of the building and out of the pouring rain. He closed his eyes and dipped his head to touch his forehead to mine. He mumbled a spell under his breath, and I felt heat spread through my insides and loving, protective energy fill my senses.

“I love you, Ave,” he murmured.

I ran my fingers through his wet hair and lightly pecked his nose.

“I love you, too, Loki,” I replied.

Loki smiled, but just as quickly as his lips curved upwards, they immediately moved down and he shuddered. I didn’t have time to react as he jolted straight up, his eyes wide as he rapidly looked up and down the street.

“What? What is it?” I asked worriedly.

Loki narrowed his eyes and a sly smile crept up on his face.

“I know where they are,” he said.

He quickly restored our disguises and took my hand.

“Come quickly,” he ordered.

With that, we ran back out into the rain and down the streets of London to the countryside.

***

I walked behind Loki up a dirt road that had turned to mud during the rainstorm. It was dusk. I was tired, wet, and completely famished. I think I could eat as much as Volstagg at this point in time.
Loki seemed to notice my lagging behind, and he stopped to let me catch up with him. He smiled at me as I took his hand.

“Tired so soon, Ave?” he teased.

I rolled my eyes. A low rumble came from his torso, and he clutched his stomach through his armor. I watched him curiously. He meekly smiled.

“I guess I’ve become spoiled to the easy access of food on Asgard. I had trained myself to go for days without eating,” he replied.

I gave Loki a sad smile. I would not bring it up, for I knew it upset him, but I wondered what kind of hell he had to go through in the Seven Circles to survive. I had gone through a similar issue when I was held captive in Los Angeles, but against Loki’s situation, mine paled in comparison.

“It’s good to be the king,” I joked.

Loki smiled and looked around.

“Maybe we can kill something,” he said, looking around at the fields and the treeline.

“Maybe we’ll find Thor, Tony, and Banner before we are forced to dress a rodent,” I said, trying to think positively.

Loki shook his head and rubbed his hungry stomach.

“I’m not sure I can wait that long, Ave,” he said.

I took his arm and perched my chin on a bicep bracer. Loki looked down at me.

“Patience, love. In a few hours, if we haven’t had anything to eat, we can hunt.”

Loki gave me a soft smile and took a lock of my hair between his fingers.

“You’re right, love,” he said, then looked up the road, “I feel we are close to our destination anyway.”

I nodded. Loki took my hand and led me up the hill. Once we reached the top, a small white and brown farmhouse appeared in the distance. Smoke was coming from its chimney, and a black car sat in front of it. Loki shivered.

“There they are,” he said.

I tilted my head to the side and squinted at the house. We had walked for miles and had not seen a single farmhouse. Nor had we seen any vehicles or heard voices. This just seemed suspicious.

“How do you know?” I asked, “That could be anyone’s car.”

Loki chuckled.

“I can sense my own magic, darling. They’re still wearing their disguises. Besides, I can hear Thor’s obnoxious voice,” he replied.

I tilted my head and turned to the wind, which, as Loki said, carried Thor’s booming voice. Loki laughed to himself.

“Come, Ave. The quicker we get inside, the quicker we can rest and receive some sustenance,” he said.

I shrugged and quickly followed him as we jogged to the house.

Loki had been spot on about Tony, Dr. Banner, and Thor being here. We found them inside, still disguised. Loki removed the spells from all of us, revealing our true forms, a sleepy Tony Stark, aggravated Dr. Banner, and a livid Thor.

“I’ve smelled worse things in battles in Muspelheim,” Thor griped.

“Thor, it’s an airplane,” Banner said, rubbing his temples as he sat down in a chair, “When you have been stuck in one for ten hours, people tend to smell.”

“I didn’t think it was so bad,” Tony spoke up.

“I do not understand how you could sleep in those conditions! I am never doing that again. That was the most uncomfortable experience,” Thor raged on.

“What? You don’t think someone like me wasn’t uncomfortable? A ticking time bomb in a metal tube?” Banner snapped.

Thor was about to argue back when Loki and I shyly slipped into the living room.

“So,” I sang.

Loki grinned wickedly.

“How was your flight?” he asked teasingly.

Tony, Thor, and Banner’s heads snapped up.

“Where have you two been?” Thor shouted.

Loki growled. I quickly grabbed his arm before a fight could ensue.

“I’ll handle it,” I whispered.

Loki grunted. I walked over to Thor and took his hand.

“Come here, Thor. Sit for a minute,” I said.

Thor allowed me to lead him to a chair and he roughly seated himself. I moved behind him and took him by the shoulders. I muttered a spell in which I had used a million times on Loki when he was stressed and angry. Thor unwound himself and relaxed in the chair.

“When did you guys get here?” Tony asked as he slapped a magazine in his lap.

“We’ve been in the country for the majority of the day,” Loki replied.

Tony reached for his glass of alcohol on the side table and took a sip.

“That would explain why you two are drenched,” he observed.

Loki nodded.

“Was your side trip successful?” Thor asked.

Loki gave me a quick mischievous smile. I winked at him.

“We shall see. In the meantime, Avery and I will go change and begin putting illusions around the house,” he said.

Thor nodded.

“When you guys are finished, come back in here so we can get started on tracing these portals,” Tony said.

Loki bowed his head. I patted Thor’s shoulder.

“Feel better?” I asked.

“I do. Thank-you, Avery,” he replied.

I smiled at him before leaving and following Loki up the stairs. The house was small and cramped, contained four bedrooms, fortunately, but unfortunately only had one bathroom.

“I guess we just pick a bedroom?” I asked.

We peered into the bedroom, finding Thor’s armor in one, and suitcases in another.

“I guess it’s safe to assume Stark and Banner are bunking together,” Loki said.

I laughed and walked down the hall to the last two bedrooms.

“Which one do you want, Loki?” I asked, “The yellow or the blue?”

“You can choose, darling. The color of the bedroom doesn’t concern me,” he replied.

I smiled at him.

“Fine. You get blue,” I replied.

Loki chuckled and shook his head. I slipped into my chosen bedroom and began to unload my pockets. Little cubes of wood and tiny pieces of cloth turned into full sized items. Clothing, necessities, witch tools, among other things. I loosened my armor and set to work.
Once dressed in a pair of black jeans, a black V-neck t-shirt, and a hooded cardigan, I opened my door and walked down the hall to grab a towel from the bathroom and dry my hair. I absently rubbed my head with my chosen towel as I walked back into my room. I popped open my wooden witches’ box with one hand and fumbled around for some incense to cleanse the room. Loki soon appeared in my door wearing a black tunic and a pair of dark green pants. His feet were bare, his hair dry and tamed, and the protective bracelet I had given him was still around his wrist.
Loki crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his right shoulder casually against the door frame. I smiled at him. He gave me a weak smile in return.

“You look tired, my dear,” he observed.

I shrugged as I cleaned off my bed.

“It’s been a long day,” I replied.

Loki sighed and nodded in agreement. I pulled my small, steel cauldron from its compartment and dumped my cleansing mixture in, then with a small spark from my finger, lit it and gently blew on it until it began to smoke. I then set it on the night stand by the bed and walked over to Loki. His eyes were cast down at the wooden floor. He looked tired and troubled. I sensed that more than his hunger was bothering him.

“Loki?” I asked.

Loki’s eyes quickly flashed up to me, his thoughts diminishing in his eyes. I was certain then that something was troubling him. His eyebrows were relaxed and his deep frown set the stage for concern. I reached up and stroked his cheek.

“Loki, what’s wrong?”

He watched me for a moment before looking away.

“You are a wanted criminal,” he said.

I narrowed my eyed. Um, yeah?

“I’m aware,” I replied slowly.

Loki attempted to laugh, but the act did not fully manifest before his eyes reconnected with mine.

“Because of my foolish actions,” he said bitterly, “You were right, Ave. I don’t think.”

I rolled my eyes and groaned.

“Loki-“

“I would have kicked my ass by now!” he snapped.

“I would have pulled the same stupid shit for you! Had I not been so scared of you, I would have come after you,” I snapped back.

Loki didn’t respond, but thankfully, he didn’t look away from me, either.

“I have been entirely too selfish with you. I keep digging a bigger hole,” he argued.

“At least you’re man enough to admit it. You can still grasp your morals—distinguish between right and wrong,” I growled out, “I am the pure definition of selfish. Loki, I could care less about this Realm—these mortals. I do what I need to do to keep what is mine. You, Thor, Asgard, my own life. I don’t care what it costs or who dies or…anything. My morals are blurred. I can’t distinguish between good and evil anymore.”

“But you can distinguish between right and wrong,” he said, “Avery, you have every right to be selfish about what you love. I mean, in the end, is it really selfishness, or is it passion?”

I crossed my arms and looked away from him, letting his words sink in.

“Selfishness is endangering the people you are passionate about,” he finished, “You have not return for more than a few days and I’ve already gotten you in trouble.”

I fought the smile threatening to appear on my face.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I said.

Loki set his jaw, his own smile slowly making its way upon his lips. I took his arms and broke them apart. Loki’s fingers wrapped around my hands.

“We’ll be okay, Loki. I know you’re trying desperately to make amends, but these worlds are not so forgiving. We can’t stay wholly good or wholly evil, Loki. We don’t have a choice. We are about to go to war with an unholy race of creatures. As far as I’m concerned, there are no rules. As for our crimes on Midgard, who cares? We’re Asgardians. Loki, you are King. You basically run the universe. They cannot control us. Three low-life, scumbags humans got what they deserved, and in the end, you probably saved more than one life. You did this planet a charity in the wake one disaster you were forced in to. Soon, they will be thanking us. As far as Fury goes, he should be kneeling before you. I could care less if they want to throw us in prison. It means nothing to me. All I care about is taking these demons out and keeping everything and everyone safe. We can’t play fairly anymore.”

Loki cracked a smile.

“Oh, but we’re good at cheating,” he said huskily.
I laughed.

“Indeed we are, my sweet Loki,” I replied, taking his chin within my fingertips.

I craned my neck, trying become level with his face.

“Be assured that they will regret the day they threatened you,” I said dangerously.

Loki grinned. I took his face in my hands as his lips crashed against mine. Below us, Thor’s voice rang out.

“Brother! Avery!”

I reluctantly parted from Loki.

“Our presence is needed,” I said, disappointed.

Loki chuckled.

“It is. Come. While we walk down, you can explain to me what you plan on doing to that infuriating Director,” he said.

I laughed and linked my arm with his.

“My pleasure.”

***

I sat with Loki on the loveseat, while Thor set in a chair next to us and Dr. Banner typed away at his laptop on the other side. Tony was pacing, tapping a pen against his bottom lip in thought while Banner spoke.

“It seems to be giving off its own electromagnetic field,” he said.

I had given Banner the coordinates to the portal near my old home, and after a few scans with a couple of programs, he was able to get a reading on the portal.

“So, a wormhole, essentially?” Tony asked.

Banner shook his head.

“I would say it was, but the characteristics are different. This seems to come and go. Likes it builds energy and then loses it again.”

Intrigued, I stood up and walked behind Banner’s chair to see his data over his shoulder.

“I can pinpoint readings, but I can’t see where the portal is exactly,” he said.

“It’s invisible,” I said.

Banner looked over his shoulder to me.

“Really?” he asked.

“It can’t be seen with the naked eye,” Loki said.

I shook my head in agreement.

“But you can feel it, though. It’s ice cold right there,” I added.

Banner shuddered.

“Really? That would explain these strange readings. Look at this,” he said.

He clicked off of one screen and switched it to a thermal view. Most spots were orange and yellow, and some spots had tiny patches of purple where the ground stayed cool, but it the patch where the portal was located, it was dark blue and black.

“The temperature readings are ridiculous. I thought that this software was malfunctioning, but I’ve had temperatures in the teens and twenties. Fahrenheit. It’s steadily dropping and the EMF reading are becoming higher. However, they’re no where near as high as what one would see with a wormhole.”

Tony sidled up beside me as Banner pulled of the electromagnetic view again.

“Look. It’s strange. It seems to cycle through number. 6.5. 6.7. 7! That’s a new one. Then…there! Back down to about 6.4, 6.5 mG. It’s climbing, but this is no where near as strong as a wormhole. Not in the slightest.”

“A wormhole would suck Earth in on itself, though,” Tony said.

“Not necessarily,” Thor spoke up, “Loki went through a small one on Svartalfheim during our last battle.”

Loki nodded.

“It had about the same power as a cyclone here on Earth,” Thor went on.

Tony raised his eyebrows.

“Hmm,” he hummed thoughtfully.

“But this is no wormhole. It’s almost like a gateway. But it’s weak. Something would have to literally pull you through time and space to another planet, and this is much too weak. You would die instantaneously.”

The cogs of my gears of thought started to mesh together and turn. Freezing temperatures, low EMF readings, and a force somehow strong enough to teleport you?
I shivered and goosebumps littered my skin. Loki looked up at me in alarm.

“Ave?” he asked.

Thor’s eyes locked onto me worriedly. Suddenly, everything clicked.

“What if they’re not portals?” I asked.

The men in the room all looked at me strangely.

“I mean, they are, but what if something has placed, like, stations all over the Nine Realms, devising some sort of trap, maybe?”

My words went unprocessed. If Loki, as smart as he was, stared at me blankly.

“Okay, look,” I said, “Low EMF readings, yet it’s strong enough to yank someone to another planet. Another dimension. Another plane of existence. It cycles through strength. It’s freezing cold. And what’s more, demons are coming through them, using them as means of travel because they can’t use the Bifrost. They aren’t magical, so they can’t be using magic to teleport themselves. The only person in the Nine Realms that can do that is Loki. That’s why these demons need a portal in the first place. Demons are not intelligent. They’re drones. They work for a higher force. They’ve been told to hunt and create bridges to find what they need, whatever it is. So, they would use power that they know. They’re from Nilfheim, which is like an Underworld. It’s the land of the dead. The only energy source is that of spirit energy. They’re using ghosts, essentially.”

Loki looked down, his eyes lighting up as he pieced my words together. I could see Thor’s excitement in his eyes.

“There’s no such thing,” Banner said, “Ghosts?”

“I believe in ghosts,” Tony said.

“Spiritual energy like this is weak. It comes and goes, as ghosts do. They do what they want. They appear when conditions are correct. They live on a different plane of existence, and if we let them, they can take us with them.”

Loki swiftly stood and summoned the laptop out of Banner’s hands. Banner stared at Loki in shock as he walked off with the laptop, his long fingers gracing over the trackpad and his eyes locked on the screen in deep concentration.

“Hey!” Banner exclaimed and scrambled to his feet.

“Calm yourself,” Loki growled, “Stark, do you have a device to project this information and display it in front of us?”

Tony looked confused.

“Um, yeah. Of course,” he replied slowly.

“Then hack this,” Loki ordered.

Tony’s jaw went slack. Loki smirked and his eyes were lit with mischief.

“You’re looking at a being of higher intelligence, Stark. It only took me and hour to figure out how the devices in your workshop functioned. Even that infuriating JARVIS program. Now,” Loki snapped his fingers, “do as I say.”

Tony quickly reached into his back pocket. I walked over to Loki and looked see he had several windows pulled up on top of the tracking program, all of which cycling through codes.

“I didn’t know you knew anything about computers,” I said softly.

Loki smiled.

“This isn’t my first trip to Earth, you know,” he replied.

I laughed and watched him work, briefly wondering if he could hack into any computer on the planet, if given the chance.

“Interactive interface?” Tony asked. Loki.

Loki nodded. Tony pressed a few buttons on his transparent device, and the map on the laptop was projection across the living room. Thor and I stared with our mouths hanging open. Loki’s eyes locked on to something, and he slowly handed the laptop back to Banner.

“Don’t touch anything,” Loki warned him, “Ave, come here.”

I followed Loki into the projection, walking through small trees to the portal. Loki placed his fingers around it, then pulled them apart, making the area bigger and easy to see. The zoomed in portion looked cylindrical, and inside, it was swirling with energy. Loki gave it a satisfactory grin.

“Avery, look closely. What do you see there?” he asked.

I squinted and moved closer to the portal. Inside, the energy was shaped in the form of figures. Humanoid figures.

“Spirits,” I whispered, “Holy shit! These portals are made of ghosts! I told you guys!”

Loki smiled and zoomed back out.

“The demons have commanded spirits from Niflheim and have placed them all over Midgard. Maybe all over the Nine Realms by now. That’s how they’re entering the planet,” he announced.

“So, what do we do?” Thor asked timidly, “How do we destroy it?”

“Energy cannot be destroyed. The only way to get rid of the portals is to send the spirits back to Niflheim, but I’m sure whoever is behind this is the only being with that power,” I said.

“Banner, have you pinpointed any other portals? Or areas that look like that?” Loki asked.

Banner nodded and brought up a map of Europe, which projected around the living room. He zoomed in and pointed to a spot in Scotland.

“There’s another spot that I’ve been monitoring,” he said.

Loki stretched the area, examining the dark blue area. Upon closer inspection, the same characteristics as the first portal appeared.

“Why would they need two?” Tony asked, walking up beside us inside the projection.

“One to enter through and one to exit through, it appears,” Thor spoke.

He stood from his seat and walked into the projection, looking around the map in wonder. He batted a building, sending it flying across the map.

“Thor, stop!” Loki scolded.

Thor brushed a finger over a patch of trees, the leaves moving with his finger.

“It’s fascinating,” he said, his tone reminding me of a little boy.

Tony slowly raised his arm and pushed Thor’s hand down.

“We’ll play with it later, big guy,” he said.

Thor was mildly disappointed, but it was quickly forgotten when Loki spoke again.

“You think they’re one way portals, brother?” Loki asked.

Thor shrugged.

“It’s like Avery said. They’re not intelligent. They’re made out of the energy of the dead, and in most cases, isn’t death one way?” he asked.

I bit my lip in thought.

“That is a possibility,” I said, “However, the portal I fell through came out in the sky. Either they were careless about placement, or simply too stupid.”

“Or perhaps that was their plan,” Loki said.

We all looked at Loki, then shared unsure glances with each other.

“Dr. Banner, keep monitoring the portals. If they spike, we have something to work with. Stark, I want to you monitor S.H.I.E.L.D.’s movements. Understood?” Loki asked.

Tony gave Loki a thumbs-up and disengaged the projection. Loki’s stomach growled loudly, causing all of us to freeze as the loud noise echoed throughout the room. Loki’s eyes widened and he held his stomach. He sighed and looked to Tony and Dr. Banner.

“Please tell me you two brought food,” he said.

Banner smiled.

“The refrigerator is full. Help yourself,” he said.

Loki and I looked at each other before racing and fighting each other to be the first to the food.

“Loki, move!” I squealed.

“Avery, don’t make me hurt you!” he threatened.

“If I don’t get anything, you’ll eat it all!” I argued.

“Are they always like this?” I heard Tony ask.

Thor just laughed.

***

It was early in the morning when I woke up. I opened my eyes to a dark bedroom, the only light being the moon. I took a deep breath and stretched before rolling over and curling back up. The room was cozy, as was the bed. However, it was no where near as comfy as my bed in Asgard. I wondered when we would be able to go home. I know Loki was probably as homesick as I was.
I reached up and rubbed my eyes. As I did, I felt something rough scrape my eyelids. I winced and wiped my closed eyes with the backs of my wrists. Feeling nothing, I touched my fingertips to my thumbs and rubbed them. They felt rough and strange, as if all of them were wrapped in bandaids. Thinking I had slept weird and they were just numb from disuse, I shook my hands violently and flexed my fingers, but there was no change. I couldn’t feel the blood rush back, as one would normally feel when your arm or foot falls asleep.
I rolled onto my back and sat up. I raised my hands up to look at them. In the dim light, I could see something rough covering my fingers. I jumped and wiped them on the blankets in an attempt to wipe the foreign substance off, but it was no use. My heart began to race. What the hell was on my fingers?
I jumped up from my bed and ran to the door, throwing it open with magic and jogging down the hall to the bathroom. From the doorway, I could see my reflection in the small mirror above the sink. I looked at myself as I reached a hand in to flip on the lights, but as I did, a silhouette with glowing yellow eyes stared back at me. I quickly turned on the light and rushed to the sink. In the mirror, I saw myself, but the eyes staring back at me were not mine. They were a fluorescent yellow color. I blinked and tried to rub my eyes, but I felt rough fingertips again. I held my hands up and opened my eyes to see that my fingers had turned gray and cracked. They had significantly shriveled, as if they were decaying. I began to breathe heavier as I went into panic mode. What was happening to me? What was wrong with my fingers? And my eyes?
I turned around and did the only thing I could think of.

“Loki! LOKI!” I screamed.
It took only a few seconds, but it felt like hours. I stared at my seemingly diseased fingers, wondering how this had happened and what would cause such a thing? Food allergy? Some strange reaction to the projection?
Loki shot through the doorway as I tried not to hyperventilate.

“Darling, what’s wrong? What is it?” he asked frantically.

I looked up at him and held my hands up. He stared at my hands in horror, then my eyes. He grasped my face and pushed my hair out of my face to get a better look at my eyes.

“What’s happening to me?” I asked, scared and dancing the line of tears.

“Damn,” he whispered, “Come here. Sit down.”

Loki reached around me and slammed the toilet seat down.

“Keep calm. Come on. Sit,” he ordered.

I obeyed, starting to shake.

“Thor!” Loki shouted.

“What’s happening to me, Loki?” I asked.

“Shh,” Loki said, and cupped my face, “You’re going to be fine. Just stay calm for me, alright?”

I nodded. Thor burst through the doorway. Loki moved to the sink and summoned several glass bottles, setting them all on the counter. He picked up a few, wedging them between his fingers as a means to hold all of them.

“What’s the matter?” Thor asked.

Loki pointed to me as he held a bottle to his lips.

“Sit with her. You need to bless her and bid her forgiveness,” he ordered.

Thor nodded and moved over to me, sitting on the rim of the bathtub beside the toilet.

“Forgiveness?” I asked, “For what? What happened yesterday?”

Thor furrowed his eyebrows.

“What happened yesterday?” he asked.

Loki placed the cork between his teeth and yanked it free with a soft pop. He spat it into the basin of the sink and handed Thor the bottle of clear, oily liquid.

“Here,” he said, “Anoint her with this.”

Thor took the bottle and place his index finger over the open top to seal it, then turned it over to get some oil on his finger.

“Avery, love, please forgive me,” Loki said, “I know I forgave you for what we did yesterday, but I wasn’t thinking. I was being foolish.”

Loki plugged the drain and began running hot water into the sink.

“Had the man threatened me, your actions would have been forgivable. However, he did nothing to us. We should have kept walking but we attacked him and the only person who can grant you forgiveness for it is Thor,” he explained.

Thor began gently drawing runes on my forehead and asking the higher powers to bless me for forgiveness.

“I, Thor Odinson, grant you, Avery Dupont, forgiveness for your wicked misdeeds,” he spoke.

“Loki, what’s this gray stuff on me?” I asked.

Loki filled an empty bottle with herbs and things, then filled it with water, corked it, and shook it violently.

“It’s called Witch Rot. It’s what happens when a witch performs wicked acts. It will slowly consume you, until you’re nothing more than a demon,” he said.

I stared at Loki in horror.

“Don’t fret, darling. I can stop it and heal it,” he said.

I let out a shaky breath and closed my eyes as Thor finished the anointing.

“God, Loki, why didn’t you tell me. I didn’t know such a thing existed!” I cried out, tears brimming my eyes.

Loki stopped shaking the bottle and checked it. Unsatisfied with the potion, he resumed.

“Darling, every witch is prone to it. Frigga placed a spell on you to keep it from happening, but now that she’s deceased, the spell has no effect. She didn’t tell you to protect you. I could say the same thing. That I didn’t tell you to keep the truth from you, but I didn’t want you living in fear. Questioning your every spell and ritual like Mother did,” he said.

I swallowed hard.

“So, is that the antidote?” I asked.

Loki nodded.

“I had to use it on Mother after she saved you from your burns and made you immortal,” he said.

My fingers were starting to become painful.

“You mean, she risked Witch Rot to save me?” I asked.

Loki nodded and checked the bottle again.

“She loved you, Ave,” he said, analyzing the orange liquid.

He uncorked it and set the cork on the counter.

“Darling, again, forgive me for not stopping you. I can’t tell you that this won’t hurt,” he said.

I nodded.

“Do what you have to do,” I said.

Loki nodded and summoned a dropper.

“Grab a washcloth, Thor,” he said.

Thor did so.

“You will need to put it in your mouth to keep from biting your tongue,” he said to me.

I cringed.

“Avery, I love you more than you could possibly ever know. Just know that it pains me to torture you this way. I am so very sorry for what I’m about to do, but it’s the only way,” he said.

I nodded.

“I forgive you,” I said.

Loki frowned and kissed me before handing me the towel.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

He straightened to his full height when I couldn’t see his face.

“Thor, hold her head,” he said.

Hold my head? What?

Thor grasped my head firmly and tilted it to the side. Loki stuck the dropper in my ear. I felt him squirt the liquid and all hell broke loose. My ear was immediately on fire and began to pound. I screamed and tried to jerk away, but Thor’s grip was like steel. I spat the towel out and screamed for the whole house to hear.

“It’s not in my fucking ear!” I roared.

“If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be in pain,” Loki spoke.

They proceeded to administer the antidote to my other ear. My ears rang as they were flushed of Witch Rot, but the worst part was to come. They did it quicky, using the element of surprise to their advantage. Thor pinned me down with a strong leg and peeled an eye open. Loki dropped the antidote in my eye, and I momentarily went blind. The pain was like no other, and I was pleading and screaming for them to stop. I couldn’t hear anything by the time the second eye was flushed. Loki then moved to my hands, igniting them with the antidote. I jerked and flailed and screamed, but under Thor’s hands, it was no use. My hearing soon come back, and I felt warm liquid dribble down my neck.

“Avery, I am so sorry,” Loki repeated as I screamed.

I cried hard. My vision soon come back and warm liquid drenched my cheeks.

“Is there supposed to be so much blood, Loki?” Thor asked.

I screamed at the mention of blood.

“Thor, you oaf. Shut up!” Loki snarled.

He began to wipe my fingers, revealing skinless digits.

“What the hell?” I shouted.

“Avery, the skin will grow back. Your eyes regrew. Your eardrums regrew. You’ll be okay. You regenerate as fast as any Asgardian. You’re fine,” he said.

I succumbed to perfuse crying while Thor wiped the blood from my cheeks and neck. Loki bandaged my fingers carefully. Once the complete, he yanked me into a hug, running his fingers through my hair and whispering over and over that he loved me, that he was sorry, and that he would never let this happen again.

“Has the pain receded?” he asked.

I swallowed and nodded. My head was no longer pounding, but I did feel pain when I moved too quickly.

“You will be sore in the morning, but it will ebb throughout the day,” he said.

“Avery, I apologize if I left any bruises,” Thor spoke.

I looked up at the blonde god and gave him a small smile.

“Thank-you for forgiving me,” I whispered, my voice gone from screaming.

Thor smiled and leaned down to hug me before bidding us goodnight and leaving to speak to Banner and Tony, assuring them that they did not kill me.
I looked to Loki.

“Thank-you, Loki.”

Loki looked like a kicked puppy.

“If I knew if an easier, painless way of stripping Witch Rot, I would have done it,” he said.

I reached up and pecked Loki’s lips.

“I’m just thankful you knew what to do,” I said softly.

Loki’s lips twitched, trying to form a smile.

“Please know that I would never willingly inflict some much pain on someone I love,” he said.

I gave him a sad smile.

“Loki, I know,” I whispered.

Loki gently took my bandaged hands with one hand and put his other arm around me, resting his forehead against mine.

“Never doubt that I love you,” I whispered.

Loki kissed me, showing his gratitude through the intimate gesture.

“Come on, love. Let’s go back to bed,” he said.

Loki gently scooped me up, carrying me back out of the bathroom, making the mess disappear by magic as we left. He returned me to my room and gently laid me down and tucked me in.

“Do you need anything, sweetheart? Water? Alcohol, perhaps?” he asked.

I blinked at him, then reached a bandaged hand up.

“Stay with me,” I whispered.

Loki smiled.

“Of course, darling,” he replied.

Loki slipped under the covers and pulled me close to him. I curled into him as he carefully cuddled me.

“I will always stay with you,” he whispered, then kissed my forehead, “Goodnight, my darling.”

I no longer had the energy to speak, and sleep slowly took over, but I managed to kiss his collarbone before succumbing to unconsciousness.

Goodnight, my King.