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blackquartzsstuff · 19 days ago

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Follow the Crow - Chapter Thirty

Pairing: Norse Mythology Loki + OFC + OMC

Tags: Love triangle / Romantasy / Norse Mythology AU / Shapeshifting / Magic Realism

Warnings: I don't think there are any (apologies if I missed anything)

Length: 3k

Summary: In which Dee watches a fight and is then engaged in a battle of her own.

Chapter List

Full Master List of all works

Sweat broke out along Dee’s brow and a shiver of concern trickled down her spine. Dislodging a salty droplet with an annoyed shake of her head she frowned. Normally, the Inbetween was cold enough to freeze the tits off a witch and sweating had never been an issue, so why now? The temperature hadn’t changed, but something had.

When she was alone, the process of skating along the edge of the Inbetween felt like skimming a pebble across the smooth surface of a pond–exhilarating and effortless–but this time, however, the shadow felt thinner and less substantial than she was expecting.

A current of darkness eddied around her ankle and she stumbled, almost losing her footing. Were they sinking deeper? Alarm sparked through her system. Was that because of the size of the team she was trying to carry or had the consistency of the shadow beneath them subtly changed? Her knee scraped against some unseen obstacle, tearing a yelp from her throat. Clearly something was different, but it was too late to turn back now. Swallowing back the tears, she focussed on the steady pull from the Wayfinder and summoned every remaining shred of strength to drag them clear of the murky undertow.

Had she been over confident? Twelve was a lot of people, far more than she’d ever tried to carry before. And it wasn’t like these were just regular sized humans either. She was attempting to shift a metric tonne of pure muscle, not to mention the additional baggage of all that ego and attitude. What if Sy was right and she couldn’t manage it? What if she wasn’t strong enough and lost her footing in the dangerous terrain? What if…?

As if sensing her internal doubts, Sy’s arms tightened around her waist and through the rushing air and the howling chaos she heard him whisper, “You’re doing great. It can’t be much further.”

Shutting down the terrified thoughts of failure she leaned back into his steadying embrace, closed her eyes and summoned the image of Loki to guide her. The pull was stronger now, telling her they were getting closer. A few seconds later she could see the tear in the barrier. Teeth clenched, she forced them over the final few yards and when they were a finger tip from the shimmering rent, she changed direction, wrenching them back through the barrier and out into the clear, crisp, Alaskan air.

Barely giving their feet time to hit the hard packed snow, the soldiers were immediately preparing to join the battle. A wave of unnatural energy crashed over Dee, taking her feet out from under her, as they seamlessly shifted from man to beast without even breaking stride. If it hadn’t been for Sy’s firm grip on her waist, she would have ended up in an inelegant heap on the floor.

“Are you okay?” he asked, turning her around so he could scour her face.

Summoning her bravest smile Dee nodded. “All good,” she said, relieved that her voice didn’t waiver. “Just glad to be back out in the fresh air.”

Despite her breezy tone, Sy looked unconvinced and a sharp line drew his brows together. “It was too much for you,” he muttered. “I knew it was too much. We shouldn’t have–”

Dee patted his arm and took a breath, praying that her head would stop swimming. “I’m fine. Give me a few minutes to recover and I’ll be ready to take everyone home again.”

His expression didn’t change as his eyes searched her face. “You’re pale.”

This time her laugh was real. “How can you possibly tell?” She waved a grey-blue hand through the air. “This is just my natural colouring now!”

He leaned closer and pressed his forehead against hers, his voice a low growl. “I can tell.”

His words rippled through her and her skin tingled. Dee closed her eyes, instinctively leaning into the unspoken offer of support when a blood-curdling wail from the other side of the hill interrupted the moment, bringing a sharp reminder of why they were here. Her stomach lurched. The fresh wave of troops she’d just transported had reached the battle ground and engaged the enemy. Sy cast a worried look over his shoulder in the direction of the noise.

Carefully disengaging herself from his grip, Dee managed a weak smile and took an unsteady step backwards. All her remaining strength was now focussed on remaining upright but she kept her expression firm as she met his gaze. “You didn’t come all this way to babysit me.” She jerked her chin towards the sounds of fighting in the distance. “You’ve got a job to do, Mister.”

Sy took a step forward, guilt and concern battling for control of his features. “I…”

Tremors were starting to shake her legs but Dee held her ground. “They need you.”

He shook his head and moved closer. “They’re fine. You need–”

Holding up her hand, Dee halted his progress. “I repeat. I’m fine. The quicker you get this over with, the quicker we can all get out of here.” Another howl tore through the air and her smile waivered. Swallowing the lump of fear in her throat she said, “Just keep them on the other side of that hill and I’ll be perfectly safe.”

Sy’s gaze whipped back and forth between her face and the crest of the hill. His jaw clenched. Cupping her chin in his palm he tilted her face to his. “You’ll stay right here?”

Dee nodded as far as his grip would allow. “Right here.”

“And if anyone comes over that ridge who isn’t me–”

“I’ll dive straight back into the shadow.”

“Promise?”

Gently disengaging his fingers from her face she nodded again. “I promise.”

His hand dropped to his side as he took a reluctant step back. “Okay then.” With soft whump of feathers his wings unfurled and Dee felt a wave of heat sweep through her, battling the chill Alaskan air. Damn! Who knew that watching your boyfriend spring new appendages could be so hot!

Boyfriend??? That word jarred her thoughts to a standstill. Where had that come from?

Before she could question the random thought any further, Sy crouched, bracing his bare feet against the hard packed snow and then launched himself skyward. In one fluid motion he swung his bow free and reached for an arrow from the quiver slung over his shoulder.

Dee swallowed hard, forcing moisture back into her mouth. Even at this distance she could see the muscles in his shoulders flexing with every beat of his wings and the look of grim determination on his face as he notched an arrow, taking aim at his unsuspecting foe.

Oh she was in so much trouble!

Closing her eyes she finally released the death grip she’d held on her exhausted muscles and tumbled boneless into the snow. Utterly spent, she rolled onto her back and watched Sy’s spiralling ascent against the pale blue sky. Circling over the battleground he was immediately barking orders to the soldiers on the ground before swooping low and disappearing below the ridge line.

She groaned and closed her eyes again. She’d never felt this bone crushingly tired before, like she could sleep for a week and still need to snooze her alarm for five more minutes when it went off.

For the first time since suggesting they venture into the Inbetween, she allowed herself to relax, sinking into the soft blanket of snow and was about to surrender to the lure of sleep when a vicious snarl from somewhere beneath her on the hillside snapped her awake. Where had that come from? Was there a second battle site or was that the walking wounded trying to make their escape?

Her muscles screamed in protest as she pushed herself into a wary crouch. Injured they might be but potentially still dangerous. A low growl of curses reached her ears, steadily increasing in volume and Dee tilted her head. The distinctive voice was all too familiar. Loki!

Not questioning why the sound of his voice sent a sudden burst of energy through her tired limbs, Dee jumped to her feet and a smile tugged at her lips as she took a tentative step in the direction of the one-sided argument being conducted in at least three different languages. Belatedly, she remembered her promise and the smile faded as she cast a guilty look over her shoulder. Shifting her weight, she hesitated and engaged in a swift heated debate with herself. Yes, Sy had wanted her to stay right here, but he just wanted her to be safe. Surely the safest thing for her to do, would be to find Loki… right?

Maybe it was just a side effect of her utter exhaustion, but she couldn’t form a cohort argument in either direction. Abandoning any attempt at logic, she decided to ignore the original question and follow the siren sound of Loki’s voice.

It took her a second or two to spot him, a few hundred yards from the main fight, but clearly engaged in a desperate battle of his own as he wrestled his magic against the rippling tear in the barrier separating the realms.

Gathering the last of her strength, she limped towards him. Her knee was already starting to stiffen up; she must have given it a real whack during the journey. Ignoring the pain, she picked her way with care over the icy ground.

Loki jerked his head around at her stealthless approach; his expression immediately morphing into one of concern as he took in her state.

“You’re hurt!” he said.

Dee shrugged one shoulder. “Took a knock on the way in. Nothing too serious, but it’s probably going to slow me down for a while.” She cocked her head towards the rip in reality and her eyes narrowed. “What’s going on here? Is there a problem?”

Loki returned his attention to his work and growled, physically trying to pull the edges of the tear together. “Something has changed,” he muttered. “It’s not holding.”

He didn’t need to explain further; Dee could see the issue for herself. He was attempting to use the same suturing technique he’d employed before, back in London but this time the stitches weren’t holding. The edges of the tear were fraying with each attempt and the rent grew wider.

“Let me see if there’s something I can do.” Without giving any further thought to her actions, Dee dropped to her knees and sank her hands into the barrier, feeling for the shadow.

She hadn’t imagined it earlier! The shadow felt thinner, much less substantial than the barrier she was used to. What was happening to it? Closing her eyes she ignored Loki’s bark of alarm and thrust her arms deeper. Somewhere in its depths she could feel a strange, unnatural current eddying around her fingers. Her brow furrowed as she followed the tide, where was it going?

“It’s being drawn away,” she murmured.

“Drawn away? By what?” Loki moved closer but Dee was fully absorbed in her task of tracking the energy flow and paid him no attention.

What was left of the shadow streamed through her fingers and she let her thoughts drift, allowing her consciousness to be carried by the tide.

She’d never done this before. Not intentionally at least. Deliberately allowing her mind to venture into the Inbetween while her body remained firmly in this realm was an unsettling experience; the armour of her physical self stripped away, leaving her fragile thoughts unprotected and exposed.

Somewhere in the distance she heard Loki’s voice. “Dee? What are you doing?”

Unable to answer, unable to even shake her head she pressed on. Here and there, through the gossamer thin strands of shadow, she could glimpse the gnarled and twisted trees of the Inbetween.

The current of darkness jostling around her thoughts suddenly dipped downwards and her breath caught as she was dragged along with it. As her consciousness plummeted through the twisted branches of the forest she caught a glimpse of a tall figure, hunched over, resting his weight against a distorted trunk with one hand, while the other clenched around a slim, dark rod.

Who was that? she wondered, trying to slow her descent enough to get a proper look. And what was he holding? It didn’t appear to be a branch hewn from one of the trees, for one thing it was far too straight. It occurred to her that she’d never seen anything approaching a straight line in the inbetween. Everything in that space was warped and twisted. But the rod was so linear it almost hurt her eyes. Ultimately, however, it was the colour that gave her the clue she needed: an intense black that seemed to attract and absorb all the darkness around it, feeding on the shadows streaming in its direction. Somewhere far away from her conscious mind, her fingers tightened around the tiny figurine in her hand and she gasped.

Nightshade!

As if hearing the unspoken word, the stranger’s head snapped up and he growled into the darkness, his blazing, amber eyes searching the gloom. The fist holding the rod tightened and Dee felt a tremor run through the shadow surrounding her.

She froze. She was sure she’d never laid eyes on him but there was something uncomfortably familiar about the imperious tilt to his chin. His eyes narrowed as his gaze swung in her direction and his lip lifted in a snarl. Could he see her? Slowly releasing a breath, she let herself sink into the darkness, praying she could hide from that vicious gaze.

Without warning, a distant, unseen arm wrapped around her waist and jerked her backwards. Someone was trying to pull her free of the barrier. Frantic to break her connection with the shadow, Dee collected her scrambled thoughts and tried to disentangle herself from the cloying darkness To her horror, she found the task of peeling herself away from the dark realm far more challenging than she’d expected. The shadow had welcomed her presence and freely allowed her to drift along with the current but it seemed less happy at the prospect of her wanting to leave. Tendrils of darkness wound themselves around her thoughts, snagging on her wishes and diverting their intention. Without the physical strength of her body, it was becoming harder and harder to tell where her thoughts ended and the shadow began.

Did she truly want to leave? It had been so long since she last visited the Inbetween...

Were those her thoughts or the shadow’s tempting whisper, promising she’d be safe, welcoming her home?

Confused, Dee stumbled and her thoughts spun. What was she doing? Where was she going?

Somewhere in the distance a familiar voice whispered her name and she instinctively moved towards that sound. It was Sy. The magnetic north to her thoughts, tugging on her internal compass and giving her direction.

But he sounded so far away?

How long had she been in here, she wondered? She hadn’t realised she’d wandered this deep! The steady pull on her physical self grew more insistent. Long fingers digging into her hips and trying to drag her bodily back through the barrier. “Wait!” she wanted to scream but she could no longer force her vocal chords to obey.

She had to get back before that happened!

Dee was absolutely sure that if her corporeal body was wrenched free from the barrier before her mind had the chance to return, the tenuous connection could be severed, leaving her consciousness adrift in the dangerous sea of the Inbetween, her thoughts scattered and lost in its ever growing darkness.

Summoning every ounce of failing control she focussed on the voice, dragging her thoughts free from the shadow and forcing herself back the way she’d come. But it felt like wading through thick sludge and her strength ebbed.

Help me! Her thoughts were almost lost in the chaos and swirl of the Inbetween but she tried again. Help me, please!

The shadow swelled and then settled, almost like a heavy sigh, but it stopped fighting her, at least. An instant later, she could feel it rallying around her, lifting her thoughts and carrying her back through the darkness.

Ahead she could see the tear in the barrier and the darkness weeping through the rent which had been made. So much pain, so much fear. Another thought occurred to her, although she wasn’t sure of its provenance. If she stayed, she could repair the barrier. She could seal up the Inbetween and stop anyone passing through from the other realms. That would keep them safe. That would keep them all safe.

It was the sibilant hiss at the end of the final word that told her the thoughts were not her own. Even so, she found it hard to argue against them. How much damage were they doing to the barrier with this unending war? How long before it failed entirely and unleashed the full horror of the Inbetween on the unsuspecting world.

Pale grey arms extended through the divide, the Inbetween leaching all colour from their skin. Dee hesitated. Was that her? One hand curled into fist around a precious object while the fingers of the other were clawing at the shadow, trying to find purchase in the remaining wisps of darkness. Even from this distance Dee could see she was losing the battle against the strong arms trying to pull her away.

“Wait!” she screamed in silent plea. She was so close. She just needed another few seconds and she’d be able to–

The barrier flickered and glowed as the small hands vanished, and for one, brilliant moment, so did everything else. Then the glow faded and her world faded black and silence.

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