Into The Shadows
Chapter Thirteen
Thor and I ascended the stairwell silently, occasionally passing terrified apartment-owners, who were pressed against the walls, their eyes wide with fear.
"Thor," I murmured, after climbing to the fifth floor, "Your brother, Loki..."
"We shall talk when we arrive back home." He reminded me, holding his hammer a little higher.
I watched him take the first few steps to the next floor tentatively, his eyes darting around like a cat's. I followed him, a few steps behind, listening carefully for any sign of Loki.
"Daughter of-" Thor began, but he was cut off and a blue bolt of energy flew into him, knocking him over my head and back down the stairwell to the floor below. He crashed a crumpled heap, coughing.
"Thor!" I cried, making to run back down to him, but he waved me away.
"Find Loki!" He ordered, and I turned back, taking the steps two at a time, Denearmul at the ready in my hand.
I almost missed him. He was standing in the shadows of the poorly lit balcony between the sixth and seventh floors, waiting for me.
"Ah, you have decided to join me in the shadows." He said, his voice cutting through me like a knife through butter. I turned on the spot, feeling my heart rise in my throat.
"You must be Loki," I managed to croak.
He inclined his head as he stepped into the light, and I felt the breath catch in my throat. "I am."
"What the fuck do you want with my sister?" I snarled, gripping Denearmul more tightly, and holding it a little tighter. He raised his eyebrows, unperturbed by my language. His eyes drifted to my sword, and for a brief moment, they widened.
"Oh yeah, I guess you know what this means then?" I smirked, taking the smallest step forwards. He looked back up at me, his nostrils flaring.
"You are the girl with the blood of fire, am I correct?"
His voice was smooth and silky. It reminded me of wind chimes for some reason.
Focus, Claire.
"You are here for your sister?"
"Damn right." I snapped.
"I have to say, you're just a few moments too late." Loki's eyes flashed, and a smile curled at his lips. "She really was fun to play with while she lasted though, she-"
I didn't let him finish. Somewhere along my right arm, I felt a warm glow, almost like electricity was shooting up and down it. Without realizing what I was doing, I swung Denearmul as hard as I could. Even though I was no where near Loki, a greeny-blue bolt of light shot through the air, knocking him backwards through the drywall, and into someone's apartment.
Without wasting a second, I ran up the stairs, taking them once again two at a time. My sister's apartment was on the next floor. Number 86.
"Anna?" I yelled, bursting through the door into an almost completely demolished room. There was broken furniture everywhere, and papers were coating everything.
"Anna?" I stepped further into the room, feeling my heart pound in my throat.
"Hello Claire." Something heavy slammed into the base of my skull. I felt a blinding white pain, and then everything went dark.
I struggled to remain conscious, trying to keep my head off the floor. Everything was swirling and blending into one around me. Somewhere to my right I could just make out the glowing hue of Denearmul's gemstone.
"Always were so stupidly brave," I heard a cold voice say from somewhere above me. A face came almost into focus. A pair of cat-like green eyes, a short dark bob, and a smudge of freckles. She lifted my head a little higher to inspect me more carefully.
"An-na?"
A snort of laughter, and my head was dropped back onto the floor. Her figure blurred as she stood back up, and another blurry outline appeared in the doorway.
"Did you hit her?" Was that Loki?
"And drugged her too. She won't be able to move for about three hours."
A small laugh. "Good, good. We should be leaving then. Say goodbye to your sister."
"Goodbye, Claire. I'll be seeing you." I watched as the blurry figures left my line of vision, and, still struggling to keep conscious, I closed my eyes ad let the darkness roll in.
The last thing I heard before I passed out though, was Loki's voice.
"Goodnight, girl of the Shadows."
When I woke up I could hear voices. People all around me were talking.
"She was definitely drugged, but I can't figure out what with... Thor, you had the same thing in your system, but you managed to shake it off far more quickly." Was that Bruce?
"I am of Asgard." Was the short reply.
"Yeah, well Claire isn't. So how long until she wakes up?" That worried tone was certainly Steve.
"It's hard to tell..." Bruce admitted. "Thor, any ideas?"
I tried to move my hands, let them know I was awake and could hear them, but, try as I might, my limbs just felt too heavy to shift. A large hand closed over my left one.
Slowly, I managed to open my eyes and move my mouth slightly.
"She's awake! Bruce, Bruce, she's awake!"
I managed to blink my eyes, and look around the room. I was in what looked like a private hospital room, but from the red and gold design, I could guess this was part of Stark Tower. Bruce was standing on my right, his glasses pushed up his nose. Thor, Hawkeye and Natasha were standing at the foot of my bed. Steve was sitting next to me, gripping my left hand, his hair pushed all over the god-damn place, and his eyes rimmed with red. Tony was standing behind him looking more somber than I'd ever seen him.
"How're you holding up kiddo?" He asked quietly.
I tried to form words. There were a million thoughts whizzing around my head at that moment. Running through the streets with Steve; Tony watching our kiss; the apartment building; Thor getting thrown down the stairs; me finally meeting Loki; and my sister drugging me.
"An-na." I managed to croak finally, and Tony looked away, sighing audibly.
"Yeah, I know." he murmured.
"Thor," I murmured, after climbing to the fifth floor, "Your brother, Loki..."
"We shall talk when we arrive back home." He reminded me, holding his hammer a little higher.
I watched him take the first few steps to the next floor tentatively, his eyes darting around like a cat's. I followed him, a few steps behind, listening carefully for any sign of Loki.
"Daughter of-" Thor began, but he was cut off and a blue bolt of energy flew into him, knocking him over my head and back down the stairwell to the floor below. He crashed a crumpled heap, coughing.
"Thor!" I cried, making to run back down to him, but he waved me away.
"Find Loki!" He ordered, and I turned back, taking the steps two at a time, Denearmul at the ready in my hand.
I almost missed him. He was standing in the shadows of the poorly lit balcony between the sixth and seventh floors, waiting for me.
"Ah, you have decided to join me in the shadows." He said, his voice cutting through me like a knife through butter. I turned on the spot, feeling my heart rise in my throat.
"You must be Loki," I managed to croak.
He inclined his head as he stepped into the light, and I felt the breath catch in my throat. "I am."
"What the fuck do you want with my sister?" I snarled, gripping Denearmul more tightly, and holding it a little tighter. He raised his eyebrows, unperturbed by my language. His eyes drifted to my sword, and for a brief moment, they widened.
"Oh yeah, I guess you know what this means then?" I smirked, taking the smallest step forwards. He looked back up at me, his nostrils flaring.
"You are the girl with the blood of fire, am I correct?"
His voice was smooth and silky. It reminded me of wind chimes for some reason.
Focus, Claire.
"You are here for your sister?"
"Damn right." I snapped.
"I have to say, you're just a few moments too late." Loki's eyes flashed, and a smile curled at his lips. "She really was fun to play with while she lasted though, she-"
I didn't let him finish. Somewhere along my right arm, I felt a warm glow, almost like electricity was shooting up and down it. Without realizing what I was doing, I swung Denearmul as hard as I could. Even though I was no where near Loki, a greeny-blue bolt of light shot through the air, knocking him backwards through the drywall, and into someone's apartment.
Without wasting a second, I ran up the stairs, taking them once again two at a time. My sister's apartment was on the next floor. Number 86.
"Anna?" I yelled, bursting through the door into an almost completely demolished room. There was broken furniture everywhere, and papers were coating everything.
"Anna?" I stepped further into the room, feeling my heart pound in my throat.
"Hello Claire." Something heavy slammed into the base of my skull. I felt a blinding white pain, and then everything went dark.
I struggled to remain conscious, trying to keep my head off the floor. Everything was swirling and blending into one around me. Somewhere to my right I could just make out the glowing hue of Denearmul's gemstone.
"Always were so stupidly brave," I heard a cold voice say from somewhere above me. A face came almost into focus. A pair of cat-like green eyes, a short dark bob, and a smudge of freckles. She lifted my head a little higher to inspect me more carefully.
"An-na?"
A snort of laughter, and my head was dropped back onto the floor. Her figure blurred as she stood back up, and another blurry outline appeared in the doorway.
"Did you hit her?" Was that Loki?
"And drugged her too. She won't be able to move for about three hours."
A small laugh. "Good, good. We should be leaving then. Say goodbye to your sister."
"Goodbye, Claire. I'll be seeing you." I watched as the blurry figures left my line of vision, and, still struggling to keep conscious, I closed my eyes ad let the darkness roll in.
The last thing I heard before I passed out though, was Loki's voice.
"Goodnight, girl of the Shadows."
When I woke up I could hear voices. People all around me were talking.
"She was definitely drugged, but I can't figure out what with... Thor, you had the same thing in your system, but you managed to shake it off far more quickly." Was that Bruce?
"I am of Asgard." Was the short reply.
"Yeah, well Claire isn't. So how long until she wakes up?" That worried tone was certainly Steve.
"It's hard to tell..." Bruce admitted. "Thor, any ideas?"
I tried to move my hands, let them know I was awake and could hear them, but, try as I might, my limbs just felt too heavy to shift. A large hand closed over my left one.
Slowly, I managed to open my eyes and move my mouth slightly.
"She's awake! Bruce, Bruce, she's awake!"
I managed to blink my eyes, and look around the room. I was in what looked like a private hospital room, but from the red and gold design, I could guess this was part of Stark Tower. Bruce was standing on my right, his glasses pushed up his nose. Thor, Hawkeye and Natasha were standing at the foot of my bed. Steve was sitting next to me, gripping my left hand, his hair pushed all over the god-damn place, and his eyes rimmed with red. Tony was standing behind him looking more somber than I'd ever seen him.
"How're you holding up kiddo?" He asked quietly.
I tried to form words. There were a million thoughts whizzing around my head at that moment. Running through the streets with Steve; Tony watching our kiss; the apartment building; Thor getting thrown down the stairs; me finally meeting Loki; and my sister drugging me.
"An-na." I managed to croak finally, and Tony looked away, sighing audibly.
"Yeah, I know." he murmured.
