Loki (14 page)

Balder spoke up as Loki drew closer. “The Sly One returns after nearly causing the destruction of Asgard. What clever bargains will you propose today? Will you invite the rest of the giants as our guests and give them our women?”

Loki ignored Balder and addressed Odin directly. “Allfather, it is true that I erred in judgment.” There were grunts and snorts of derision from the other gods. “I, along with others, failed to see the mason’s true nature,” he made brief eye contact with Balder, “and there was a price to be paid for this failure. As a gesture to show my regret, I humbly ask that I be allowed to present you with this gift.” He indicated the foal.

“
You have caused much mischief,” the Allfather said.

“
My lord, I only wished to have the wall rebuilt for our continued defense.”

“
You let the enemy onto our sacred ground.”

Loki bit his tongue. Why was Heimdall not to blame for this mistake? Why was he not here to face Odin’s wrath?

“
Perhaps you are right, Allfather. I should have seen through the mason’s guise. I realize this one small gift will not make up for the damage caused, but it is a worthy gift.”

Balder said, “So you bring an unnatural creature here to Asgard to curry favor with the High One? Where did you get this beast?”

Loki did not immediately answer. He considered how they would react to his change into a mare, his birthing of the foal, and knew that that fact alone would be enough to cause disgust.

“
The foal is a gift for the Allfather. It is the—”

Balder cut him off. “You still do not tell us how you came about this horse.”

Loki bit back an angry retort. “The Norns gave me the foal,” he said. “In a sense.” The gods quieted down and eyed him carefully.

“
You have been to the Norns?” Tyr asked.

“
Yes. They told me of a mare with . . . certain qualities that could lure the mason's horse from its work. I used the mare for this purpose. Without his horse, he was not able to complete the wall.”

“
And this foal is . . .?” Tyr asked.

“
The product of the two.”

Frey spoke aloud to the others. “It is likely true that failing to have the use of his horse prevented the mason from completing the wall. We all saw the power and speed of his horse, and how much slower he was without it those last few days.”

Balder could not contain his disgust. “This story casting Loki as the hero is ridiculous.” He turned to Loki. “Nothing could be more absurd than any vision of you as the savior of Asgard.”

Loki's irritation rose, as it had with Heimdall. “And what was your role in defending Asgard, Balder? Did you slow the giant down by getting in the way of his fists?”

Balder stood up, his fists clenched. Before he could draw his sword, he was halted by one word from Odin.

“
Hold.”

Balder stared hard at Loki, but reluctantly retook his seat. He turned to Odin, nearly spewing venom. “He should not escape punishment for his role in this, father.”

Thor spoke up for the first time. “I tire of this. A giant arrived in Asgard and we killed it. What else is there to say?”

“
There is much to say,” Frey said, “if Loki is responsible for this.”

Thor pushed his chair back from the table. “Bah. Even if he is, what can mere words do? Jotunheim sent the strongest giant any has ever seen to destroy us, and now his brains are scattered across Gladsheim. I hope they send more. I would like to face a dozen like him.”

The others ignored Thor's boast. Frey said to Loki, “You hide something, that much is true.”

Loki successfully prevented himself from sneering at him. He glanced at Odin. The High One stared at him without expression, but he knew the truth. As ever, though, he would not reveal his secrets to the other Aesir. Loki was glad for once that Odin did not tell all. If he were to reveal Loki's secret, death would be the least of his punishments. He was confident, however, that the gift of the foal would allow Odin to smooth the way for him with the others.

“
I cannot reveal all the Norns told me. They were clear on that. I regret hiding things from the Aesir, but I was made to swear an oath before they would agree to help me.”

Balder was not satisfied with the answer. “Half truths are nothing but lies by another name.”

Loki ignored him and spoke directly to Odin. “Allfather, I offer you Sleipnir. He will one day be the fastest horse in the Nine Worlds, and he will be able to carry you farther than any other. I have cast the runes and seen that he is destined for greatness. He will be a fitting steed for the High One.”

Sleipnir stepped forward without any nudging and presented himself to Odin. The other gods, except for Balder, could not help but admire the animal, and there was some quality about it that echoed Loki's words. Its presence was imbued with an ephemeral power that was clear to nearly all assembled.

Odin seemed to truly see the horse for the first time. If he found the eight legs unusual, he did not indicate it. After appraising the animal silently for long moments, he spoke. “I have seen that he will serve me well. The normal boundaries of the Nine Worlds will not contain him, even while his destiny is intertwined with their ultimate fate.” He stood. “I will ponder on your own fate, Loki. Go now. I will summon you when I have reached a decision.”

Loki stood for long minutes, feeling that more needed to be said. Finally, realizing that his audience and plea was done, he turned and left. Cold stares followed him as he walked out the doors of Gladsheim, uncertainty about his fate growing within him.

It was not been long before Loki received Odin’s summons. A wizened old servant led him beyond the main hall of Valaskjalf and to one of Odin's private chambers. They stood before a black door with carved runes. The servant opened the door and Loki stepped inside, the thunk of the door's closing breaking the silence inside.

He was in a round chamber with runes carved on the floor and walls. He looked up to see the darkness of a cloudy night sky. When he had first stepped into Valaskjalf only moments ago, it had been midday.

Mimir's head was on a pedestal in the middle of the chamber, but there was no one else in the room. Loki approached the head. The eyes were closed and it looked lifeless, but this was not the first time he had been here. He knew that Odin counseled with the head. Mimir had been wise in life, and Odin relied on that wisdom in death—or whatever this was—as well.

The eyes popped open and stared at him, the mouth moving soundlessly.

“
Do you have any words of wisdom for me?” he asked it.

The mouth continued to work while the eyes stared at him. Loki heard faint whispering and leaned in closer.

“
. . . chaos rages within you . . .”

Loki narrowed his eyes.

“
Mimir sees you clearly.”

Loki turned, surprised by Odin's voice. The Allfather stood just behind him, although he had heard no one enter the chamber. He wondered how long he had been there. Recovering quickly, he bowed his head.

“
You sent for me, High One?”

Odin moved past him and lifted Mimir's head from the pedestal, cradling it gently in the crook of his arm. He walked to a chair that Loki did not remember being there and sat down, placing the head on his knee. He made a gesture with his free hand, and Loki turned to see another chair next to him. As he sat down, he wondered if the seat had been summoned, or if it had been there the whole time and he had missed it.

“
You have changed since you visited the Norns,” Odin said.

Loki paused, pondering what Odin meant before answering. “An audience with such beings would change any, my lord. Except you, of course.”

Odin was looking down at Mimir's head, the mouth now closed. “They see what no others see. They are unlike any other beings in the Nine Worlds.” He lifted his head to stare at Loki. “But I see even what they do not.”

Loki looked down.

“
I sacrificed myself on Yggdrasil for nine nights, and much was revealed to me.” He turned back to the head on his knee. “Mimir, what does the future hold for Loki?”

Mimir's mouth moved again, the whispering louder than before.
“ . . . the treasure of Jotunheim . . . the youth of Asgard . . . the golden flesh of the goddess . . . will be taken . . . he will consume fire . . . twilight will come . . .”

“
What do you make of these words?” Odin asked.

“
Nothing, Allfather. I am sure his wisdom speaks to one such as you, but I cannot make sense of it.” Mimir's words echoed the Norns' in some ways, and he thought he understood some of it. Twilight referred to Ragnarok, and he wondered if the youth of Asgard meant Balder, the youngest of the Aesir. Was the goddess of the golden flesh Freyja? As with the Norns, however, Mimir spoke in riddles that could have many meanings.

“
All is laid out for you in his words. You have only to pierce their meaning.” Odin had a faraway stare in his eyes, a sure sign that he was seeing more than what was presently there.

“
I am not wise enough to understand, my lord.” He was always careful to subjugate himself when in the presence of Odin, cautious not to overstep boundaries.

“
. . . you are one and many . . .”
Mimir mumbled
.“ . . . legions will follow . . . you will ever be alone . . .”

Loki did not like hearing Mimir. Like the Norns, he spouted riddles and half-truths that could be interpreted in many ways. “Is Mimir always correct, Allfather?”

“
What do you know of your parents?” Odin asked, ignoring Loki's question.

“
My lord, you know well—”

“
Answer.”

“
I know nothing of them. Yours was the first face I remember seeing. I was raised under your auspices.”

“
And who have you served for as long as you remember?”

“
You, my lord.”

“
And do you still?”

Loki swallowed. “Yes, Allfather. I serve no other, and never will. Everything I am I owe to you.”

“
. . . he will serve the flame . . . the flame will serve him . . .”

“
I can make no sense of his wisdom, my lord.” He was beginning to be annoyed by the talking head. Every word that issued forth was designed to incriminate him for some imagined misdeed.

“
You will look down on my person one day. I will be Mimir to your Allfather.” Odin had a hazy look in his eye again.

“
My lord?”

Odin's eye cleared. “The mason is not the final threat that we face. We must meet the further threat.”

“
How can I serve you in this?”

Odin paused and looked at him oddly. “It is strange to hear you ask such a question.”

Loki cocked his head, perplexed. “How so, my lord? It is ever my wont to serve you.”

“
We shall see,” Odin said, so low that Loki almost did not hear him. He stood up and placed Mimir's head back on the pedestal, keeping his back to Loki. “You will fly to Jotunheim. You will seek the giant Thiazi, in the storm-home known as Thrymheim.”

“
How will I fly, Allfather?”

Odin turned, and Loki could feel his probing stare go deep into him. If the chaos inside him were a physical thing, he was sure that Odin could see it. Odin, of course, knew his secret, just as he knew all, yet it would remain unsaid. Both knew the roles that must be played. Neither could ever acknowledge Loki's true bloodline.

“
. . . you will wear the falcon skin . . .”

“
Thiazi sent the mason. He will further attempt to bring about the downfall of Asgard. You will seek him out.”

“
What do I do once I find him?”

Odin eyed him carefully. “He will find you. And then you will serve him, as you have served me.”

He did not like Odin's tone, but knew there was no other choice than to do the High One's bidding. He would trust to Odin's wisdom, although he could not help feeling a foreboding at the task he was given.

The Theft of Idun’s Apples

While the Nine Worlds were still new, Odin and Loki decided to explore those parts of Midgard that were unknown to them. While journeying through an unfamiliar forest, they came upon a herd of oxen. Being hungry from their travels, they took one of the oxen, built a great fire, and began roasting its great joints and flesh.

After a time they became eager to eat the meat roasting on the fire. Loki tested it and found it to be still undone. They waited longer for the meat to cook, and Loki tested it a second time, once again discovering that it was not yet cooked. They remarked how strange it was that the meat was still raw, and wondered what could cause such a thing to happen.

They heard a voice from a tree above them. “I am the reason your meat does not cook,” it said. Looking up, they saw a giant eagle perched in a large oak. It was the eagle who had spoken. “If you let me take however much I want from your ox, I will allow it to cook.”

The gods grudgingly agreed to the terms, thinking that they had no real choice in the matter. The large bird swooped down into the fire and grabbed the bulk of the ox, whereupon it devoured both shoulders and two of the legs in an instant.