Chapter 14

I raised my throbbing head, trying to focus my eyes again, still
shocked by the abrupt thrusting of my senses back into my own body,
feeling the freezing wind blow cold against me. Iczer-2 slid her right
arm about me, drawing me gently to my still-shaking legs, as I looked
about, trying to reorient myself.

"We.. we beat him?!"

She nodded, smiling tiredly.
"I didn't think you could produce power like that. I was right to
claim you."

I almost grinned, then realised with concern that her left arm was
hanging limp, blood running down from her shoulder.

"You're hurt! How..?"

"Sigma is part of me. When she was damaged..."

I blinked, trying to take that in; how could a beautiful girl be part
of a 500-foot tall battlemech? That fascinating avenue of thought was
broken by a scream of rage that nearly pierced my eardrums. It
startled me completely upright.

I stood panting, my sides heaving as if I'd just run a marathon,Iczer-
2's arm supporting me as I shivered with reaction. Across the
courtyard, Loki was almost frothing at the mouth as he snarled
incoherently at us, his face mottled red and white. For a second I
nurtured a hope that maybe even a God could have a stroke...

Then he managed to regain his control, or at least what passed for
control in him, as he reached out a hand, snapping his fingers.

"Tyrfang. Come!"

I blinked, distracted, as something started to slither across the
ground towards him. It looked just like a mobile pool of inky-black
shadow, slithering across the debris-covered ground. Then it stopped,
and the blackness rose up, slowly forming into a vaguely humanoid
shape in front of Loki, its head turned to us.

It was horrible, a misshapen demon out of a Bloch nightmare, its
twisted limbs and body a dead black that soaked up the light without
reflection, the only colour the hell-red glow of its eyes and the
bloody glistening fangs which layered its mouth.

Loki smiled at it, in an almost fatherly manner.
"Meet Tyrfang. One of my favorite pets, a demon of such _varied_
uses!"

Behind us, I heard Belldandy gasp softly.
"Oh, now I realise how he invaded the Yggdrasil systems...!"

Iczer-2 gently took her arm from about me, stepping forward to stand
in front of me, tensed and ready as she watched the demon carefully,
as her energy sword flickered into glowing life in her right hand,
ignoring her injured left arm.

Loki smiled again.

"Oh, don't worry, he's not going to hurt you. Well, not yet...
Tyrfang! Here!"

The demon laughed, a snarling noise like metal tearing, looking at us
as though we were lunch, then turned and leapt at Loki's outstretched
hand. I didn't understand, why would he attack Loki...? Then the
demon's form twisted in midair, its form shifting, until the hilt of a
black, evil looking sword impacted into Loki's hand. Yes, I know
swords can't look evil, but this one did! 

Loki sowly advanced, the sword gripped in one hand, his eyes locked on
Iczer-2.

"I'm going to make you pay for hurting my son. Tyrfang will tear the
flesh from your living body, strip by strip, until I let him feed on
your still-beating heart"

Iczer-2 looked back at me for a second, an odd expression on her face,
almost one of sorrow, then she turned, moving clear of me as her sword
slipped into guard position in front of her.

I didn't know what I could do; I knew I couldn't help her in a fight,
but she was already injured, surely she was no match for Loki? But I
could only watch with a hopeless helplessness as the two closed. She
looked so fragile against Loki's bulking form, blood trickling slowly
down her left arm from her injured shoulder.

**********************************************************************
**

The two circled each other, slowly, eyes locked on their opponents.
Iczer-2 glided gracefully across the shattered surface, avoiding the
obstacles with panther-like grace, her slitted eyes seeming to burn
with a soft crimson glow as she kept an unblinking gaze locked on
Loki, energy sword humming and crackling softly before her.

Loki simply scattered any obstacles with a foot, showing contempt for
the mundane obstructions, circling slowly, Tyrfang held poised, the
tip slowly moving as he searched for openings. The sword seemed almost
to move by itself; each time Iczer-2 made a movement as if to attack,
the sword moved up as though anticipating her. I could have sworn I
heard a low, grating metal-on-metal chuckle from it.

I could hardly bear to watch. While I was sure Iczer-2's speed and
skill could take Loki in a fair fight, despite his power and strength,
I was equally certain that the concept of a fair fight wasn't in
Loki's lexicon. I bit my lip, wanting to yell to her to warn her, but
terrified that so doing would distract her.

Time seemed to stretch out as the two of them made tentative feints
and blows at each other. It became obvious very soon that while
Iczer-2's grace and skill would normally have given her an easy
target, Tyrfang was not going to make that possible. The sword twisted
and turned in Loki's hand, always interposing itself against her
probes, even when it looked like an impossible parry to make, the two
blades clashing with an angry snarling hiss of plasma against magic.

Iczer-2 finally stopped, a little way out of Loki's sword-range.It
seemed she'd reached the conclusion that something had to be done. I
didn't know how much of the worry I was feeling she could sense now
that we were no longer inside Sigma, especially with the concentration
she was giving to the fight, but slowly the two of them stopped
circling. Then, as if by mutual agreement, they rushed at each other.
Iczer-2's sword flared, its plasma glowing fiercely as she shrieked
and struck at Loki with her full power and speed, to be answered by
Loki's riposte with Tyrfang.

The two weapons impacted against each other with a horrible tearing
screech, like a chainsaw at full power connecting with a steel girder.
There was a terrible flash, that blinded me for a second, leaving
glowing afterimages before my tearing eyes. When they cleared, both
combatants had lost their weapons. Iczer-2's sword seemed to have gone
through at least two walls, judging by the glowing holes in them, to
embed itself hilt deep in a third. Tyrfang had skittered across the
ground, lying there glowing with a fierce yellow heat. Both parties
were rubbing their hands, glaring at each other.

I groaned. Loki was more powerful than Iczer-2, and while he was now
deprived of his pet demon, she'd also lost her weapon, and I didn't
know if she could produce another, or stand any chance with him in
hand-to- hand combat.

The growing grin on Loki's face answered my unspoken thought. It
looked like he thought he's come out of that a winner as well, as he
raised his hands, slowly starting to chant a spell. I mentally urged
Iczer-2 on, trying to make her aware of what he could do to her if she
let him.

She stood for a second, watching him... then either she realised what
I was trying to pass on to her, or more likely made her own
conclusions, as she rushed him, her speed allowing her to close and
hit him fast, gliding away before he could react. He growled, not
seeming to take much notice of her blow, as his response missed her.

She grinned at him, trying to annoy him into a mistake again, and
repeated herself, rushing in to plant a quick blow before escaping
before he could touch her, her motion a graceful dance of applied
skill and speed.

It was a good plan, but I still worried. She couldn't keep this up for
ever, eventually he'd get lucky and hit her, or she'd wear out before
wearing him down. And I still had no idea of what we could do to him,
even if we did take him down in combat! How do you stop a god,
anyway??

It didn't come to that, however. At last, her movements left a gap in
her attacks, and Loki took advantage. Although he was starting to look
a bit harried by her constant blows, they didn't seem to have done him
any real damage. His hand dived into his clothing, emerging with that
same amulet he'd gloatingly displayed earlier, holding it high,
chanting as it started to glow with a ruddy brightness.

Iczer-2 didn't give him time to complete what he was up to, she leapt
straight at him, attempting a high flying kick at his hand. But too
late, even as she did so the glow brightened, and she was hurled
helplessly away from it, crashing to the ground to the sound of Loki's
triumphant laughter.

I snarled, moving forward in a foolish attempt to distract him, but
suddenly stopped as a wave of weakness crashed over me, blurring my
vision, the only thing registering the blurred brightening glow of the
amulet, pulsing in synch with my heartbeat. At last I understood where
Loki had got the power for it, and how he had kept it unnoticed.

**********************************************************************
**

Iczer-2 slowly regained her footing, her eyes not leaving Loki for a
moment. Standing crouched, she snarled at him, a runnel of blood
trickling down her face, startlingly crimson against the ivory skin.
Then she started to walk forward, slowly, deliberately.

Her eyes flickered to mine for an instant.
* He's using your power, isn't he?*

I nodded, gasping or breath as my strength seemed to drain away as
Loki used it, feeling a burning pain grow along my limbs.

She stopped just out of range, crouching slightly.

He looked down at her, that manic grin of his plastered across his
face again, the amulet dangling from his hand glowing and pulsing with
a hard blood-red radiance.

Then she startled us both as she suddenly leapt, almost faster than my
eyes could follow her, her injured left arm sweeping up, the hand
clasping about the amulet. I hadn't realised she could still use that
arm; it looked like she'd fooled Loki too. For a second I hoped that
the cord would break, that she would succeed in tearing it away from
him, but no such luck. Instead, she dangled from it, body arched up,
feet barely touching the ground, as Loki's features darkened with rage
as he glared at her presumption.

Growling, he struck at her with his free hand. It must have hurt, her
body shook as he made contact, but she made no sound, keeping her hold
on the amulet as a sapphire radiance glowed about her hand, mingling
with that of the amulet.

"You stubborn bitch!! How dare you...!!!"
This time, he didn't strike her, but narrowed his eyes, the ruby glow
brightening as he concentrated, watching as curls of smoke slowly
started to rise from the girls clenched fingers.

I moaned, unsure which was worse, the pain of the power drain being
inflicted by Loki, or watching my own power being used to hurt her.
Then I heard her 'voice' again in my head.

* There's only one way to stop him. This time you must synchronise
properly with me. Its the only way... pass your power to me instead of
letting him steal it*

I shivered. I knew she must be right, but I was scared. That previous
feeling of merging with her had terrified me, as I felt my personality
slip away as it joined with her. I couldn't... but what choice did I
have? If I didn't do something, Loki would kill her, then me, then
everyone else on this planet. So... I didn't have anything to lose,
did I?

I half-growled, hating the situation I was in, and Loki for putting me
in it. Then I stopped trying to resist any more, letting myself open
to Iczer-2. At least now it was up to someone else.

Iczer-2 looked up at Loki and smiled. He looked almost startled, no
doubt this wasn't what he expected as a normal sort of reaction. Then
her hand tightened about the amulet, gripping it with a desparate,
unbreakable grip as she poured all her power into her hand, the blue
glow brightening, flickering as azure streams of light shimmered from
between her fingers.

Loki looked even more surprised, then snarled, as the bloody glow of
his magic grew also, the two colours mingling and warring as both
strove for dominance, snakes of glowing scarlet and sapphire energy
wriggling across her body, shaking her like someone gripping a
high-tension cable as they sparked and exploded each time two of them
made contact, leaving bleeding burms against her skin.

I felt a humming in my ears, my vision blurring and fading as it
tunneled down to just the two combatants, as I sank to my knees,
trying to block Loki's drain as I willed as much power as I could
towards Iczer-2. I didn't know what I was doing, or how to do it, I
just hoped she did. I hardly noticed as my clothing started to smoke
and smoulder, hot blood running down from my nose and ears, mere side
effects to all this. I could feel my mind run and merge with hers,
like two pools of paint running together, feeling her and her emotions
as she felt mine, but none of that mattered any more, all I could feel
was a burning desire to stop Loki, to make him pay for what he'd done.


Iczer-2 looked straight into Loki's face, glowing cobalt eyes matching
his gaze as she clenched her teeth, ignoring the pain in her burning
hand as she poured all her power into it, the sapphire glow getting
brighter and brighter. Then she screamed, not in pain but in triumph
as her hand abruptly closed, and with an absurdly delicate sound, like
a delicate crystalline sculpture shattering, the amulet imploded,
releasing an explosion of light and heat that blinded me, making me
cower and fall forward stunned, the link between Iczer-2 and myself
snapping apart like an overstretched rubber band

**********************************************************************
**

I gulped air frantically, feeling it burn its way down my throat, my
eyes having trouble focusing as I gazed stupidly at the red droplets
dripping down in front of me, the blood still slowly trickling from my
nose and ears, the smell of my scorched, burned clothing in my
nostrils. With an effort completely out of proportion to the effect it
resulted in I raised my head again, to look at Iczer-2 and Loki.

Iczer-2 was crouched, her right hand supporting her left wrist, her
left hand curled and blackened, blood slowly dripping down from the
charred skin to pool on the ground. She faced Loki, her cheekbones
standing out harsh against the stark whiteness of her face, lips
clamped against the pain of her shattered hand. My own hand felt like
it had been dipped in acid, even though I could feel that she was
blocking most of the pain from reaching me and the link between us was
weakened; I didn't want to think about how it must feel like to her.

Loki wasn't in much better shape. His clothing was burned and
tattered, a charred circle of skin on his chest showing where the
amulet had been, but he recovered much faster, his face contorted and
completely inhuman in his rage and madness as he lashed out at her.

Iczer-2 tried to evade, but after all that had happened her speed
wasn't what it was. Although she half-dodged, his cobra-quick blow
smashed into her, sending her crashing down onto the unyielding
ground. Despite her pride, she couldn't conceal a ragged gasp of pain
as her ruined hand smashed against the stones.

Loki snarled, a sound that belonged to a rabies-maddened dog, not to
anything resembling a human, as he lashed out with his foot, kicking
her prone body. I heard a crunching snap as ribs broke, and she
half-curled up, trying to protect herself from his kicks and get up to
face him.

I couldn't help myself; despite my exhaustion I tried to stagger up,
to help her. I KNEW it was stupid, Loki could snap my neck with a
flick of his fingers, but I couldn't leave her there. It was futile
anyway; I managed to stagger half upright, but even that effort sent
pretty coloured lights and black shadows across my vision as I barely
managed to remain conscious.

The only thing I really accomplished was to gain Loki's attention. His
mad visage turned to me, momentarily forgetting the injured girl
trying to stagger to he feet in front of him, as he glared at me,
saliva running unnoticed down his chin as an unholy smile stretched
across his contorted face. 

"So...you are still alive too! Good, I don't want you in the tender
care of my daughter yet... Not before I've had the chance to teach you
what it means to interfere with my plans, then I'll send you both down
to Hel with the blood-eagle carved on you..."

I whimpered, unable to stop myself. The way I felt right now, I don't
think I'd have minded if he'd just killed us, but I couldn't endure
the thought of being tortured by him before being sent into the tender
'mercies' of his no-doubt annoyed daughter.

My attention was distracted my a harsh, bubbling cough. I wouldn't
normally have noticed it, with Loki glaring at me, but my mind was so
desperate to escape even thinking about him and what he had planned
for me that it drew me instantly.

Iczer-2 had managed, barely, to get to her feet. She coughed again,
small droplets of blood splattering against the remains of her costume
as she stood hunched to one side, favoring her broken ribs as she
glared at Loki with a fury that almost matched his, though with
considerably greater sanity. She snarled, raising her good hand...

"Bastard... you haven't finished with me yet!!"

She growled, and a faint, flickering shadow of her energy sword pulsed
for a second in her fist, before fading and dying. She looked at me in
despair...

"No energy left..."

I shook my head, numb. I didn't have the strength for anything else.
We'd done all we could to stop him, as much, I think, as anyone could
- and it hadn't been enough. Well, at least we made him realise he'd
been in a fight before he killed us...

Loki threw back his head and laughed, a pealing insane sound that
echoed from the ruined temple surrounding us. Then he looked at her,
and suddenly, with casual brutality, swept a kick into her already
broken ribs, followed by a smash to the temple. With a low moan, she
slowly fell, to lie unmoving on the ground, a pool of blood slowly
growing under her head.

**********************************************************************
**

He stepped forward, obviously intending to do more before finishing
with her, when a hard, brittle voice interrupted him.

"Loki!!"

We both turned to face the sound. Despite my wiped-out state, I could
no more ignore the imperative attention that voice demanded than fly
unaided.

Standing facing Loki with the glow of their power flaming in the air
about them were Urd, Belldandy and Skuld. But not the almost-human
'goddesses' I had met and liked earlier. These were the three Norns,
in full aspect of their godhood, and thoroughly mad as all hell at
Loki.

Skuld and Belldandy's faces weren't too bad. Skuld's was filled with
rage and loathing as she stared at Loki, the fingers of one hand
absently caressing the forgotten bomb she clutched there. Belldandy
gazed at him with disgust and promised vengeance; I didn't expect for
a moment she'd forgotten what he'd been responsible for doing to
Keiichi.

But at least those emotions were understandable and human, even though
their intensity beat against Loki with such force that I was sure I'd
have seen them even with my eyes shut. What terrified me almost beyond
reason was Urd's face.

This wasn't the Urd I'd come so quickly to like, or even the incensed
goddess form Belldandy and Skuld had assumed. This was Urd, the first,
original Norn, whose name means Destiny. Her face was almost blank,
showing no human emotion, reflecting the cold, impersonal force of a
glacier about to crush a town helpless before it, as beautiful,
impersonal and terrifying as a star.

Slowly, she raised her hand, pointing it at Loki. Her words were cold,
without emotion, inflection or any shred of mercy as she pronounced
his doom.

"You have broken your assigned fate, Loki. That will not be tolerated.
And you no longer have Baldur's power to protect you from us."

Even through his madness, this penetrated to Loki. His hand scrabbled
against his chest, brushing the scarred charred area as if in a
frantic search for the now-destroyed amulet that had been protecting
him. For the first time, he seemed to regain a measure of sanity, as
he cowered, falling to one knee as he started to plead, a rushing
torrent of half- coherent, begging words.

Urd took no notice of him whatsoever.

"Your doom is not rescinded. You will be returned to it. There will be
no escape, and no appeal."

He shrieked, a high, terrified squeal like a rabbit caught in a trap.
Then he - dwindled. I can't describe it any better way, he faded,
growing less substantial, hazy as if becoming distant, yet I KNEW he
was there, not moving. 

Urd turned and faced Belldandy, nodding slowly.

"Recover the power he stole."

Belldandy smiled, the happy, terribly innocent smile of someone taking
long desired, awaited and deserved vengeance, crooking her fingers at
Loki, as streamers of energy were torn from his eyes, twisting as they
curled through the air and shimmered into a softly-glowing ball of
fire atop her outstretched palm. His body twisted and shook as though
in the grip of a high-tension current, incoherent animal noises torn
from his throat.

"For Keiichi"

Urd nodded again at her sisters words, then pointed one finger at
Loki. With a terrible noise, and a twisting effect that despite my
absorption with the horrible scene I had to turn away from, or lose
what remained of my sanity, space ripped aside, as Loki vanished
through it with a final, despairing howl of anguish.

Turning, the three looked at Hel, the only one of Loki's followers
remaining alive.

"You have no place here, Mistress of the Dead. Leave now"

Hel looked at Urd slowly, her face impassive as she furled her
tattered cloak about herself.

"These two will soon be mine. Time enough then to make them pay for
their effrontery."

Urd half-raised one hand, in an obvious gesture of dismissal, and Hel
bowed, formally, before her body shimmered and faded, vanishing from
my sight. 

Urd looked slowly at her sisters, then she sighed, her aspect slowly
leaving her as her features changed without changing, back into the
more familiar Urd, as the glow of power surrounding the three slowly
faded.

I looked up blankly at the three of them standing there, then down at
the prone body of iczer-2 lying broken in a pool of her own blood.
Well, at least the cavalry came over the hill in the last reel... pity
they left it so late. Then I finally lost consciousness myself, the
ground rushing up to meet me in a sort of slow-motion, as everything
faded to black.


To be continued in Chapter 15, Truths and Consequences.