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

the Allfather? And what if they are the cause of this trouble somehow?”
    A look of unease crossed her face. “You do not think that they could be in league with the mason? They would not betray Asgard.”
    “ And why do you think so, wife? They have not been in our midst long enough to forget that we were once enemies, that they once used their magic to kill Aesir.”
    “ But they are Aesir now, as well. They have been accepted by the Allfather.”
    “ Or so he allows them to think. Why are you so ready to trust those who killed your kin?”
    She looked down. “The war is over, my lord.”
    “ For now. But can you be so sure that it will not begin anew? And what poison might they spread while they are in our midst? What plans are they perhaps spinning even now, plans that might mean the death of all the Aesir? Why do we suffer the enemy to live among us?”
    She held her head down and did not respond.
    He turned away from her. There were a few brief moments of silence where all she could hear was the slow rhythm of her own breathing.
    He did not turn back to her when he spoke. “There are none here that I can consult with. The Allfather does not reveal what he knows of the present or future, and there are no others that have the necessary skill to help me discover the sorcery behind this mason.”
    “ Is there another who could help? Someone not in Asgard?”
    He turned to look at her, thoughts already brewing in his mind. “Yes,” he said. “Of course.” He trailed off, staring into space. “They would know. Why did it not occur to me before?”
    “ Who is it, my lord?”
    He walked to the door and pulled it open before pausing to look back. “Have the servants prepare my horse. I leave tonight.”
    “ But my lord, where do you—” But he was out of the door before she could finish the question. As she moved to summon the servants the answer came to her, and her eyes went wide. They would know, of course. They would have the answer to the problem. But only the High One saw them, and he revealed little of what he knew.
    It was said that they lived at the Well of Urd, but that place was far from Asgard. Even if Loki could find his way to them, Sigyn could not see why they would help him. She thought again about what he had said about Odin. What if she was wrong? What if the High One had a side to him that she had never seen before? What might that mean for her husband if Freyja were to be lost? Suddenly feeling despair wash over her, she sat down on the bed, put her head in her hands, and quietly sobbed.
     

 
     
     
     
    The Wisdom of Mimir
     
    Freyja's first journey to Asgard was unknown to all. Using her magic, she disguised herself as a witch and traveled to the land of the Aesir. In Odin's hall for the first time, she incensed the Aesir by talking again and again about her lust for gold, her need for gold. They could not stand to hear such greed, and so they raised their sharp spears and assaulted her.
    She was riddled with spears and swords and arrows, and then she was hacked to pieces and thrown into the fire. Sitting by the hearth, the Aesir were satisfied that they had rid the Nine Worlds of her foulness. They were therefore quite surprised when she stepped out of the fire, whole and unharmed.
    Angrily, they attacked her again and threw her back into the fire. Yet again, she strode out unharmed. Finally, she left the hall and made her way back to Vanaheim, a smile on her face at the trouble she had caused.
    When the Vanir heard how she had been treated by the Aesir, they gathered their weapons and spoke their most powerful spells, eager to have revenge for the insults and injuries they had heaped upon Freyja. Sitting in his high seat, Odin could see all that the Vanir did. He sent his two ravens to bid the other Aesir to prepare for war.
    And so began the first war in the world.
    After much conflict, the gods tired of fighting and agreed to a truce. They exchanged leaders as a sign of good