Hogun the Grim

iwillreceivehomage:

shieldofasgard:

Sif was not fond of the idea either, but it did seem to be where Amora was headed. If they released her from her bonds, then they could easily meet the same fate as the marauder who had stumbled upon their camp. All of them.

Not for the first time, the shield maiden wished that she’d at least some skill in the arcane. Then perhaps she could better protect herself from it when it presented herself. 

A charm against bodily harm would do wonders in a pinch.

The thought of opening a text and reading it for hours to get all of the nuances of a spell committed to memory already had Sif wrinkling her nose. 

“Have you a better idea,” she inquired of Hogun and Fandral. It was true they did not have a boat, nor a means for using one. “Amora knows that at the first sign of trouble from her we will give her up to the Norn Witch. Even she is not foolish enough to want Karnilla’s attention.”

“Of course,” Amora raised her nose in the air. She extended her arms offering the cuffs out to be removed.

“The waters themselves interfere with the seithr and the senses. It should not be too much trouble for me to summon up a boat–provided my captors see fit to give me a small bit of reprieve from these ugly old things, hm?”

“Ah.” Fandral smiled tiredly, eying the cuffs before meeting the sorceress’s eye. “Ah ha ha. No.” 

He leat a little, making sure Sif met his eye too. “No. Do you want to drown in Nornheim? This is how we end up drowned in Nornheim - maybe after being cut up into tiny pieces. She got out of here once before, and if she’s free of the cuffs - she’ll be able to do it again. She may fear the Norn Witch, but she’s not an idiot.”

Karnilla knew the places where seithr could be sensed and hidden. She knew her magics. She knew Karnilla’s magics. The man paced a few steps to the side, as if those few feet might help them see the landscape a little better. 

“Is there a town, a house, something that might have a boat? Something else?”

Hogun ground his teeth. “Doubtful,” he said in response to Fandral’s suggestion of resources to help them.

iwillreceivehomage:

shieldofasgard:

Sif grunted. “Quit squirming or we really will go over.”

The shield maiden bent forward, removing Amora’s weight from her shoulder, a hand still on the other woman’s arm to keep her in place as she allowed her to stand once again. 

“When I was in the cells seven years ago, I could hear the river running under the Keep. There is obviously a lower level, but I do not know that it is a level of holding cells.” Sif looked to Amora. “Unless it is?”

“I am already telling you!” Amora’s voice edged with an irritated screech. Finally, blessedly, Sif shifted her weight from her shoulder and she stumbled a little in her new footing. Sif held her arm and she harrumphed, shrugging it away as best she could in her cuffs.

“The layers under the Keep are threefold in their water sources,” she explained. “One has the hotsprings on the warmer layer–that’s where the baths are. The next one is the river inlet–cold water among the prison cells. That eventually pools into the lowest layer–the Well of Urdr. There is no bottom,” she stated, “to that well.”

“The waters themselves are charged with their own elemental seithr,” she went on. “If we are in them, Karnilla would not be able to detect us because of the interference–but we cannot stay in them that long. Once you pass to the well, you cannot return,” she said firmly in her reiteration. “There is no bottom.”

“Warm water and baths sound wonderful. Cold water, prisons, and an untimely death drowning in a bottomless well in Norhneim - not so much fun.” Fandral sighed, body exhausted. His eyes fixed on the keep in the distance before slowly sliding to Amora. 

“Are we able to use a boat, or must we swim?” He raised a brow at the blonde. “And - we are still faced with the monumental task of getting to the keep without being discovered. It is a long way there and even if the waters have its own seithr - anyone looking at them will undoubtedly see us.” 

“Fandral is right,” Hogun grunted, “fun notwithstanding. We need a means of transport through these rivers, and one that will not be detected.”

iwillreceivehomage:

shieldofasgard:

Down…Sif thought of the time that she had spent in Nornheim the years before when Balder had been with her. Of the pain and arduous hours…or days…she could never be certain, that she had spent in the cells there being tortured and mined for information. 

She swallowed convulsively. “There must be an underground access. How else would they get water in the Keep?” It was beneath the Keep itself, perhaps.

Sif didn’t quite leave the cliff’s edge yet. She still needed to be certain she would get the answers that they sought from the witch slung like a sack over her shoulder.

“It’s a tributary to the Well of Urdr,” Amora explained, growing frustrated that her explanations were not getting the cow of an Einherjar who held her to set her down on solid ground. “It leads below the Keep–as you said. Now put–me–down,” she insisted.

She thumped on Sif’s back a little for emphasis, clinking her manacles between her wrists at the impact.

“Now, if you’d mentioned that earlier, you would not be so close to a very long drop.” Fandral offered an obviously fake smile. It was late. They were tired. There was much to do. 

He scanned the water below them - or what they could see in such poor light. A well under the keep. “Have you used the Well before? Will we need some kind of magic to keep us from drowning? Is it a one or two way route? There is no point using it if we have no exit strategy.”

Fandral looked to Sif. “If we set you down, will you tell us everything? It will be easy enough to pick you back up again.”

“What well needs a river?” Hogun scowled even more deeply, if it were possible. “Where is the bottom?” If they popped up from the river right into a prison cell, that would do them little good.

iwillreceivehomage:

shieldofasgard:

“Oh, are you referring to this view?” She turned so that Amora hung just barely over the edge of the cliff face, careful despite the threat. She had no desire to tumble over herself along with the enchantress, after all. 

“It is quite a nice one; very far down. You can see for eons.”

“The river!” Amora blurted quickly. “Use the river!”

She had no desire to test Sif’s patience with her over a cliff edge while her seithr was still bound and she remained weak from straining against such bonds.

Fandral could not help but smirk a bit. He reached out and gave Amora a gentle pat on the back. “There. That was pretty easy, now wasn’t it?”

He looked out at the space below them, the wind climbing the cliff face and rushing over them with a dark chill. “However, that isn’t all there is to it, is there? Drains and sewers are a way in, but as a way over the expense from here to there…The river is open, unprotected, and you could see a boat drifting along it for miles. If we just follow it on foot, the ground in many places is open and bare. How does one overcome such a thing? Hogun - can you see some river route that the night is covering?”

Hogun grunted and stepped apart from the group to step toward--but not too close to--the edge of the mountainside. “River headed down from the next ridge,” he identified. “Disappears down into the woods--no telling where it goes.”

iwillreceivehomage:

shieldofasgard:

Sif lifted a brow as she listened. Fun. Hogun had a rather morbid sense of fun, at times…Then again, he was correct about the idea that she would not lose too much sleep over casting Amora down a cliff face. 

“Answer carefully,” she warned Amora in a tone that managed to be almost playful.

Amora glowered from under her drooping hair. “Ask me nice,” she hissed, “or you will be on your own to find your way past Karnilla’s army minions.”

She shifted her head to shift her blond waves aside, glancing from Hogun to Fandral. “You wouldn’t allow me to be thrown to my death, would you? Certainly the Einherjar should have more honour than that.”

“The Einherjar exist to preserve and uphold Asgard, not to pander the whims and whinings of blonde witches,” Fandral replied, managing to match Sif’s almost playful tone. “Besides - I’d say we’ve been very nice to you so far - we carried you all the way up a mountain, and we did not leave you in your unconscious state after you diced an enemy into fertilizer for Karnilla’s forest. I even lent you my hairbrush.”

He raised a brow at Amora before glancing up at Sif. “Shall you show her the edge? A good look at the view might…open her mind.”

“We are not officially on duty here, either,” Hogun pointed out, folding his arms menacingly.

iwillreceivehomage:

shieldofasgard:

Sif adjusted her stance, teetering a little precariously due to the footing as Amora’s weight was shifted ever so slightly by Hogun’s rather direct approach at waking her.

“Could have put her down and thrown water in her face…” Sif muttered, waiting impatiently for his tactics to hopefully take effect.

“Hnn,” Amora winced under the strike, only groggily blinking her eyes up. The tips of her hair lined her vision from where Hogun held them upward. “What have I done now?” she asked groggily, shifting her jaw a bit in its soreness.

“Put me down,” she insisted.

Fandral opened his mouth to protest at Hoguns method of waking Amora but ended up balling his fist and touching it to his forehead with a sigh instead. 

“Sleeping beauty awakes.” The words came with the next exhilation, feet moving him to stand before the somewhat wakeful figure. He took a moment to glance at the man beside him before putting himself in Amora’s line ofo sight “You haven’t done anything for a number of hours. Well, nothing except act as a rather large backpack. Enjoy your nap? Don’t wriggle - you’ll put yourself and Sif off the edge of a cliff face.”

Hogun looked Sif in the eye as she shifted her stance with Amora. “Not as fun,” he said, deadpan.

“You were just about to tell us how to get from here,” he pointed to the ground at their feet, “to there--” he pointed over the cliff face to the spires that jutted out from the centre of the tundra, “--without having an army fall upon us.”

shieldofasgard:

“Hogun is right,” Sif shook her head awkwardly, “we cannot go back to Asgard without proof, and bringing an army to Nornheim will not end well for our side. Karnilla would then have legitimate claim to declaring war. Even if her army could be bought back, it is not likely to occur before the fighting starts.”

Though perhaps her bought arm would balk at the idea of fighting Asgard’s organised forces. They were not some marauders, disorganised and easy to scare away.

“If you are having second thoughts, Fandral, then you are welcome to retreat.” Sif raised a pointed eyebrow at her companion, wondering why she had to offer the out a second time, if he was truly so reluctant to venture forth to retrieve their friend. 

Sif turned back to the view, jaw set. 

“There has to be another way in,” she said then, “perhaps it is time we tried waking our captive up?”

“I do not mean to bring an army, I mean bringing resources - water, weapons, communications. We’re flying blind here.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “The last thing I want is to retreat. We cannot abandon this and I do not want to leave Balder behind. If he is here, then us being here … we have to be here. But if we get killed in the process, then it is all for nought.”

Fandral watched Sif stoically, eyeing Amora before stepping back from the edge of the cliff. 

“Yes. It’s time to wake our sorceress. I imagine she’ll have one hell of a headache.”

Hogun nodded at their assessments and came around Sif’s shoulder to Amora’s upside-down tumble of gold curls. With a fistfull grabbed, he yanked upward, exposing her face and set his other hand with an abrupt slap.

shieldofasgard:

“Nornheim is richer than one would imagine, considering the trade embargoes, “ Sif told Hogun dryly. Indeed, Karnilla had made certain that their economy was very lucrative. Somehow. Either way, Sif had seen a lot of wealth whilst they were in the keep.

She surveyed the open country below, wind whipping up from the pass and snapping her cloak behind her. 

Sif shifted her weight, Amora’s body cutting uncomfortably into her shoulder.

“I think that is the idea,” she noted, “it is not as though Asgard could really sneak up on them with the keep in the middle of the tundra.” Their best bet would be by sea, but even then Karnilla would see them coming…And she was a powerful sorceress.

“Our best way back will perhaps be by seaway, but even that is risky. We will more likely have to make our way back the way we came. It would be easier to hide in the forest, even despite the dangers.” 

Either way, they faced a harrowing journey home should they be discovered. And if they had Balder with them, no doubt they would be discovered. If not right away, then shortly thereafter. 

“Perhaps Amora knows some way out that we are not aware of. Though, she’d likely keep it to herself. She’s a survivalist, if anything, and selfishness comes with that territory.”

Fandral looked out over the tundra, leaning somewhat to survey the drop before casting his gaze upward toward the keep. Everything below was exposed, bare and naked and at a. perfect disadvantage. 

“If this sun army is a bought one…then perhaps they can be re-purchased.” He watched ahead, looking for signs of a camp, of life. “But it would be nice to know where they are so that we might skirt them widely on our way home. I imagine…” Fandral paused, glancing at Sif before speaking further “I imagine Balder knows more than we ever will standing here. We might persude Asgard in that regard - come back to find him to recieve his aid, with the resources of Asgard. Come back with a more concrete plan for his rescue.” 

“We would have to confirm he is here first,” Hogun pointed out. “As much as the witch may have information, we need to confirm it is true. Besides, bringing in an army to retrieve him would cause further problems.”

An invasion into Nornheim was sure to spark a war, and with their defenses spread as they were, it was not one they needed.

shieldofasgard:

Sif accepted the burden with a grunt. Part of her wondered if Fandral was correct. Perhaps Amora was faking it…But conscious bodies were always lighter than unconscious ones, and the Enchantress did not seem as though she ought to weigh so much when awake. 

“Well…It is possible that she hired a mercenary army when she saw the Marauders coming her way,” Sif posited. It didn’t seem so innocent as all that, however. How would she find a force that large in so short of time? She must have been amassing military forces for longer than that.

“Or she’d already been building one in preparation for an attack against Asgard.” Or a defence. The Norn Queen had seemed all together very convinced that it was Asgard who were the aggressors, not herself, when Sif and Balder had spent their brief time amongst her people.

“Either way, a paid army seems the most plausible.”

“That is almost preferable, a paid army is not as…loyal.” Fandral mentioned, watching as Sif shouldered Amora, standing close enough to help rebalance the unconscious blonde should it be needed. As difficult as it was to haul the woman around, the last thing they wanted was to drop her, and the last thing Fandral wanted was for any of his friends to be harmed in the process - unlikely though it was. They had a very capable team, but they were all weary and sore. This trudge followed a day of battle and likely preceded more sleepless nights.

“We will need to get word to Asgard as soon as possible. Once we reach the top of this peak, what is the best way out?” 

“Then this sun general,” Hogun considered, “you think leads the armies for a fee?” It was possible, he supposed, she had garnered up her resources for defense once the Marauders came through the realms. “She must be paying a lot for such results.”

Considering how much trouble the Einherjar had with the marauders, to route them from her lands in a way that was described as quite thorough was rather impressive.

He nodded in agreement with Fandral. “If she can afford to maintain an army like this, once we have completed our mission we need to get word to Asgard. The Marauders may not be the only trouble we will have to face.”

They came to the edges of the trees before a steep drop off into a sheer cliff face. The rest of the mountains seemed to do so in a similar fashion, jutting up with bare rock on most of their sides with small patches of clinging trees in their crevices. Beyond that, the cliffs dropped down into a flat tundra with small alvars and rivers coursing through. Finally, capping the edge of the horizon sat the spires of what he assumed to be the Keep.

shieldofasgard:

“Difficult to tell,” Sif admitted at the edge of a huffed breath, “but I believe we are.” The trees had begun to thin, and they had been steadily climbing uphill for hours. She was certain that they would reach the top of something soon. 

Not to mention the increasing cold.

It was amazing how different things could look in seven years alone. The surroundings had changed to the point that the only thing Sif was certain of was their direction. And so she kept to it.

“I can see sky, at the very least.” Sif stopped, turning to Hogun, her leg braced against an outcropped stone to steady her on the incline. “Do you wish for me to take Amora? We could take a small break.” Her attention turned to Fandral at that, assessing both of her companions and their level of fatigue.

Fandral set a foot upon a fallen tree as Sif stopped, taking a pause to assess their situation. They had been trudging for hours, mind set to the march and not much else. He surveyed the unconscious blonde still draped over Hogun’s shoulder, half certain that she was now playing sleep in an attempt to escape the long walk up. 

“As soon as the treeline breaks, we will be able to see down at least. A change of view would be nice. Staring at trees and Hogun’s backside has been fun and all, but it would be good to alter the scenery.” His eyes went to the path ahead, the thinning of the wood gradually increasing, frost forming on the ground as the windbreak from trunks and branches began to recede. 

“It cannot be much further.” 

“Even after the treeline, I am sure I will still catch you staring at my backside,” Hogun grumbled. He stopped a moment at Sif’s suggestion and swung Amora from his shoulder to pass to her.

The blood had dried beneath her nose, but so far she seemed to have remained unconscious--for now.

He ground his teeth a little, still pondering their next moves. After the trees would come the surveillance, and then the infiltration--several steps against what they now knew to be an army substantial enough to ward off marauders.

shieldofasgard:

No, Sif thought,  he wouldn’t have. Balder had always been infuriatingly self sacrificing. If it had been Balder, he would have gone to rescue them even if it meant terrible harm to his person. Of this Sif was certain.

He had not been Fandral’s shield brother.

Amber eyes slid sidelong to look at Hogun’s lightening silhouette in the forest’s twilight. “Yes,” she answered, tone clipped.

Her grip tightening on Vedr-Vig the shield maiden took a fortifying breath and straightened. They would move forward regardless. She would find what she found when they reached the keep, and the army’s encampment. 

“We will take turns carrying Amora,” Sif determined finally, starting in the direction she knew they would need to head, “share the load until she awakens.” Then they would find out exactly what she knew.

Fandral looked to the unconscious blonde once more, hands on his hips before sighing. He was doing a lot of sighing that night. “Alright. I shall carry her first. Someone else can be holding her when she wakes and begins to wriggle.” 

He was torn. They were there for Balder, but now Asgard was at risk as well. What he had known of Balder suggested that he had loved his people, loved Asgard. He would have moved mountains to protect his friends, and done the same for his land. When having to choose between both…it was an impossible task. It was far easier to believe that he would do as they were doing. 

“Let’s move, then. If there is an army to be seen, we have no time to waste.” 

It was slow-going uphill. More than once the sounds of the woods about them caused Hogun to start, grasping for one of his knives. The place was full of noises, but only in sudden bursts.

Hogun was certain if there could be yet another way the realm was trying to kill them, it would be through cardiac arrest.

They switched off carrying the Enchantress, whose weight hardly felt that much worth complaining about to Hogun, but he let Fandral find his outlet where he could. He was not above grousing himself on occasion, though Hogun was certain he did it in lower tones than his friend.

shieldofasgard:

Her heart clenched in her breast at Hogun’s revelation. Sif curled her fingers against her palms, looking away for a moment at where Fandral crouched before the unconscious Amora. 

The shield maiden’s mouth pressed into a thin, white, line before she nodded at Hogun’s words, her own response pressed to the back of her throat, stuck there like honey cake. 

“There is a mountain range not far from here that will afford us the higher ground that we require,” she finally responded. “When last we were here, Balder and I were set upon by Nixies. We must be vigilant and careful. If they catch us, we will freeze solid before we can ever make our way to Norn Keep.” There were a thousand other dangers, of course, but that one stuck in her mind the freshest. 

Balder had only escaped with his life by virtue of the nature of his seithr. 

“We will head North-West, toward the cliff faces, and climb up so that we can see above the tree line. From there we will have to be careful of drawing attention to ourselves, as we will be exposed without the cover of the trees. If the army sees us then there will have been no point in the reconnaissance in the first place.”

Sif looked to Fandral. “Does that satisfy your need for a plan, Fandral?” She lifted an eyebrow, almost in challenge.

He rose, set his hands on his hips and sighed “I suppose.” 

None of it was ideal. None of it was hugely satisfying either. But they needed to discover more about the army and how it influenced Asgard. As awful as it. was to admit, retrieving Balder was no longer a priority. 

“I prefer Nixies to The Norn Queen. Regardless, we need to get moving now. If there is one straggler, there may be more, and if anyone is looking to hunt them down…we cannot afford to linger. Can we make it up the mountain in the dark? Do you know of water sources on the way up? We will need to supply ourselves for a hike and a quick retreat. If Asgard is at risk, we must reduce ours to make it back. Balder has survived this long…he may need to wait a little longer. He would understand. He would do the same.” 

“Uphill then, Northwest,” Hogun assented. “The sun may well be rising by the time we need to climb. We have the supplies we have and little time to gather more. If we find water we collect it. Sif,” he directed his attention to the shieldmaid. “We will need those eyes of yours more than ever if we are to get an accurate count.”

It would be hard for her, he knew--the prospect of coming this close with the news of Balder alive and the chance they might have to abandon him to the field regardless. He had to make sure she was on task.

shieldofasgard:

“I will certainly toss her for you,” Sif joked back at Fandral, “but if I am to do the grunt work then I think you ought to be the one carrying.” 

The shield maid looked back to Hogun, listening as he made his points. He was correct, of course. They needed Amora not only for the journey, but for her abilities. Putting her back into the Norn Queen’s hands, especially if the two of them were in cahoots, would only hinder their efforts on the behalf of Asgard.

And of course there was the danger of bringing her to the Norn Queen in the first place. For a moment she really did consider sending Fandral with her back to Asgard to warn the others and bring up a reserve force to storm Norn Keep.

But that was too forthright, and they could not risk accidentally starting a real war with Nornheim.

History would likely not remember them kindly if they did. 

“If Nornheim is amassing an army then it is best to get all of the intelligence we might whilst we are there,” Sif mentioned as she moved to sheathe her sword, frowning at the leaf-strewn ground beneath her boots. “It could be that their Queen is readying herself to attack Asgard from the North.”

Not just could. In Sif’s mind it was the most likely scenario.

It was strange, though. Wouldn’t the All-Father have seen it? If not him then surely Huginn and Munnin. The fact that they knew nothing of it spoke volumes to Sif, her she frowned even deeper. 

“There’s strange magic here.” Fandral noted, eyes up to what little sky they could see overhead. “It is strange enough that you think I’ll carry Amora without quarrelling about it, at least.” 

Things were awry. They were not spies, but the need for spying was growing with each passing minute. The blonde dug a small hole in the ground with his toe, listless. “We need a plan. Obviously, it involves bringing Amora along, and peering ever further into the Norn Queen’s realm. The plans for a bath, a hot meal, and sleep come soon thereafter, I hope.”

Fandral crouched beside the sorceress, aware that if she chose to use her powers again, that he’d likely be the one she was closest to.”The first plan first - how do we react if and when Amora decides that someone else should be diced up? What do we do if caught with her here? Killing her swiftly might be a mercy. More merciful than The Norn Queen might be.” 

“I only have the standard-level seithr suppression bands,” Hogun grunted. “Anything higher-powered is beyond my clearance to carry.”

“But if such a spell takes so much out of her,” he indicated her unconscious form and the blood that trickled down from her nose, “it’s unlikely she would risk it with two more of us left to finish her off once her spell is cast.” It was a gamble, but he always hedged his bets with consideration, and Amora struck him as one who would do most anything she could to come out of the situation alive. Vindictive revenge beyond reason was the Norn Queen’s signature, not the Enchantress’.

dashingdebonair:

iwillreceivehomage:

“We are better for it. The seithr was not so advanced or extreme as to–” Amora winced, hearing a ringing in her ears and a pain that flared behind her eyes. The backlog of magics that the suppression had kept within had built up, pushing against her skull and sinuses with a vengeance.

“Nn,” she made a sound of complaint, raising her cuffed hands to press her fingers against the bridge of her nose. “Your manacles have don their work,” she informed them woozily. “She would have … identified us by his presence,” she nodded to the corpse she had made, “before she identified my seithr … at this level.”

She hoped that were true, but one could never tell …

“I would like to keep her unaware of my presence as much as you–”

A trickle of blood came from one nostril, and her feet struggled to keep her standing. With the ringing in her ears increasing, Amora stumbled, falling to her side as the pressure that had built in her skull overtook her.

Fandral watched Amora struggle to speak, the pain obvious in her. Yet he could not help but think that the manacles were somewhat delayed in their response. They could hold back magic, but only after such magic had led to murder. 

He was about to speak this when the woman went down, his posture moving to sheath his blade instead before crouching quickly at her side. 

“Amora?” Fandral brushed a blonde strand from her face, revealing her features as she lay in the leaf fall. He glanced at Sif, wondering what their course of action might be. “Can she die from this?” He asked. “I seem to have skipped the day where we covered magical manacle protocol so some assistance would be lovely.” 

“We were there on the same day,” Hogun grumbled at his companion’s forgetfulness, but came up alongside him to help regardless. He checked Amora’s pulse at her wrist, and with a quick glanceover grunted his assessment. “She will recover. The suppressors in the bands caused her to suffer the backlash of expending energy.”

He dropped her wrist unceremoniously.

“We, however, have a problem,” he said to the remaining conscious group. “Several. Body,” he pointed to the mass of sliced flesh within the armour, “witch,” he nudged Amora’s limp form with his foot, “and an army ahead.”

“The wildlife will likely take care of him.” It was distasteful, but Sif knew well enough they didn’t have the time to dig a grave…not to mention the hard, stone-made, Nornir ground. Lighting a pyre would only telegraph their position to the enemy.

“We will have to carry Amora until she wakes,” she sighed wearily. Damn her and her witchcraft. Damn her. 

iwillreceivehomage:

shieldofasgard:

“Amora don – “ too late. Sif felt her stomach churn once before she swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise up. Pressing her lips together into a thin, white, line, she glared at the other woman across the grove, on guard. 

“Yes, perhaps that is exactly what has happened,” she agreed with Hogun through her teeth. “Certainly she knew more of this army than she let on.”

“We are better for it. The seithr was not so advanced or extreme as to–” Amora winced, hearing a ringing in her ears and a pain that flared behind her eyes. The backlog of magics that the suppression had kept within had built up, pushing against her skull and sinuses with a vengeance.

“Nn,” she made a sound of complaint, raising her cuffed hands to press her fingers against the bridge of her nose. “Your manacles have don their work,” she informed them woozily. “She would have … identified us by his presence,” she nodded to the corpse she had made, “before she identified my seithr … at this level.”

She hoped that were true, but one could never tell …

“I would like to keep her unaware of my presence as much as you–”

A trickle of blood came from one nostril, and her feet struggled to keep her standing. With the ringing in her ears increasing, Amora stumbled, falling to her side as the pressure that had built in her skull overtook her.

Fandral watched Amora struggle to speak, the pain obvious in her. Yet he could not help but think that the manacles were somewhat delayed in their response. They could hold back magic, but only after such magic had led to murder. 

He was about to speak this when the woman went down, his posture moving to sheath his blade instead before crouching quickly at her side. 

“Amora?” Fandral brushed a blonde strand from her face, revealing her features as she lay in the leaf fall. He glanced at Sif, wondering what their course of action might be. “Can she die from this?” He asked. “I seem to have skipped the day where we covered magical manacle protocol so some assistance would be lovely.” 

“We were there on the same day,” Hogun grumbled at his companion’s forgetfulness, but came up alongside him to help regardless. He checked Amora’s pulse at her wrist, and with a quick glanceover grunted his assessment. “She will recover. The suppressors in the bands caused her to suffer the backlash of expending energy.”

He dropped her wrist unceremoniously.

iwillreceivehomage:

shieldofasgard:

Sif’s spine seemed to tingle at the mention of silver suns. A sun. A sun sigil. But it couldn’t be – no it definitely could not…

Her attention snapped to Fandral as he came forward to hiss at her about her ‘promises’ to the marauder. Sif offered her companion a tight smile. “Are you volunteering to bring him back to Asgard?” Her voice barely rose above a murmur, almost pleasant to the ear so as not to alert their captive any further.

She already knew it was too late. The air of suspicion surrounding him was enough to alert her to the possibility of his attempting to fight once again, though he was certainly not in any shape to do so.

“What do you mean by ‘sun fire’?” She narrowed her gaze in on the marauder once again. “Who is he? What name does he go by?” 

Perhaps they had caught it in their likely short encounter.

She had no doubt that she would be needing to pry the information from Amora, at some point or another.

“I didn’t stop to ask,” The marauder growled, “while he was mowing down the ground crews from his horse. I barely escaped his blade myself, all lit up and molten as it was–and himself besides.”

Amora pursed her lips, deliberating upon something a moment before she gave a shrug. “Well, if that is all you have to offer,” she said non-chalantly, “then I suppose we’ve no need to keep a deal with you after all.”

The hands she had outstretched from her cuffs clamped closed into fists, and the seithr net that surrounded the captive closed in with a snap. It clanked against the pieces of makeshift armour, but slid between the crevices and sliced through the slivers of exposed flesh with the swiftness and fatal efficiency of a garrote.

Pieces of the marauder fell, sliced into segments of the armour he wore, slumping into a pile.

“There,” she said, satisfied with herself. “Now we need not trouble ourselves bringing him anywhere, or wasting rations on him.”

Fandral’s grip tightened on his blade. If Amora could do that with her shackles on, then she could easily take one of them down - or remove a limb. He glowered at her for a second before crouching beside the remains, picking through what was left as he searched for a purse, orders, or anything that might give them further hints. 

“You know, Amora, it might be nice to discuss things before chopping others into bite-sized pieces.” He sighed and rocked back onto his haunches. “It’s a neat party trick, I’ll give you that. But hugely inappropriate. Massively. Massive.” He sighs. “Do you think the Norn Queen sensed that?” 

“Perhaps that was her intent,” Hogun growled in answer to Fandral. The cuffs he knew were made to withstand some of the highest graduates of Asgard’s magic academies, but he supposed any system faced with an unknown quantity had its limits, and Amora had practiced her brand of witchcraft under any number of unfamiliar and hostile tutors.