Read Online Loki by Mike Vasich - Free Book Online Page A

schemes make mine seem pale. If you only knew the things he has done.”
    Sigyn clutched her hands, shaking her head slowly. “I don't believe you. The Allfather is good and kind.”
    Loki stared hard at his wife, his lips drawn into a thin line. “Would you know his black deeds?”
    She paled, but did not respond.
    “ Long ago on a journey in Midgard,” he said, “we approached nine thralls working in a field. He revealed enough of himself for them to know that he was no mere traveler. He pulled a whetstone from his pouch and held it for them to see. 'This stone,' he said, 'will make your blades as sharp as those of the gods.' They did not believe him, so he sharpened one of their scythes and returned it. When the thrall swept his blade at the grass, it cut through the tall reeds with no effort. Their eyes went wide, and Allfather sharpened all their blades. The thralls were able to cut the entire field down in moments only, where it would have taken them hours.”
    “ So he helped them. You see that he is kind and giving.”
    Loki eyed her before continuing. “Once the field was cut, Allfather told them he would give the stone to one of them. All the thralls were eager to have the whetstone, and they argued with each other over who should have it. I looked over at Odin, and there was a terrible gleam in his eye. He threw the stone in their midst. In the end, nine thralls lay slaughtered at his feet, each desiring the stone for himself. The High One smiled and pocketed the stone, and then we went on our way.”
    There was horror on her face, but Sigyn still could not believe that the Allfather would do such a thing. “There was a misunderstanding. The High One could not have intended it to happen.”
    He did not respond.
    “ It was their own greed that killed them. It is not Allfather's fault that they were controlled by their emotions.”
    “ You fool yourself. He enjoyed seeing them destroy themselves. I will not be spared a consequence from the Terrible One.”
    “ My lord, I am sure that—“
    “ Enough,” he said. He put a hand to his head and paced the floor. “I need to discover what sorcery is behind this mason. I am a fool for urging this bargain, even while I could see that he hid something from us. But why can't I detect it?”
    She folded her arms in front of her and looked down. No matter what her husband thought, she could not believe that Odin had done such a thing. Nor could she believe that Loki was in danger even if Freyja was lost. None would be happy with him, and they would certainly shun him even more so than they did now, but the Allfather would not turn on his own kind. There must have been some reason for the death of those thralls, something only Odin knew, and Loki misunderstood a look or gesture. She knew her husband well enough to know that he often saw things more starkly than they truly were.
    She put it out of her mind for the moment. She had seen him cast the runes several times, and each time he had been ultimately frustrated, unable to find anything out about the mason. She approached him, lightly putting a hand on his shoulder. “You have found nothing from the runes?”
    “ Nothing.” He spoke the word as if it were a curse. “Whatever sorcery he hides behind is beyond my ability to pierce. If I could see it, then perhaps we could justify breaking the bargain. But without that knowledge, it must stand. And the wall is nearly finished. It will be only weeks or days till it is done.”
    She leaned in, wrapping an arm around him. “If it is sorcery, you could consult with those who are adept at such things.”
    He turned his head to stare at her, breaking the embrace. He knew who she meant. “I will not go to them.”
    “ But the Vanir have access to sorcery that may help you find an answer. It is Freyja who stands to be lost. Surely she would be willing to use her sorcery to discover the mason's secret.”
    “ If they had an answer, would they not have already gone to