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Chapter One
Loki slept lightly. One arm lay draped loosely across his sister, the heat from their bodies and fur keeping them warm on the cool spring night as they slept in the entrance of a cave. Warm breath puffed at his neck, and he purred softly, black tail swishing in his sleep.
“Are you two still sleeping?” a male voice asked, faintly amused. Loki opened his eyes to gaze blearily around, blinking a few times to try and clear his vision.
“No,” he said with a yawn, just as Hel grumpily mumbled, “Yes.”
Vanir laughed and Loki clambered to his feet, ignoring the protests of his younger sister as cold air replaced the warmth he had provided. Raking a hand through the long mass of black hair tumbling from his head, Loki raised an eyebrow at the ginger Desaal.
“What do you want Vanir?” he asked, his typical good mood fading as he saw the way Vanir was looking at Hel. “Hel, get some clothes on,” he added flatly.
“I’m not exactly naked here brother,” Hel growled. “I’m fine.”
Vanir’s ears twitched in embarrassment as he tore his gaze from the half-naked Hel. “You’re on hunting today Loki,” he said hurriedly. “Don’t you remember?”
Loki frowned as he pulled a pair of loose grey trousers over his pants. “Nah,” he said, and then yawned, showing sharp teeth. “But then, do I ever?”
Vanir shrugged awkwardly, clearly glad to be on familiar ground once more as Hel scrabbled around on the ground for a pair of trousers that matched her brother’s and a shirt. “You said you’d take me along,” she told her brother, not looking up. There was almost accusation in her voice, just daring Loki to deny it.
“That I did,” Loki said agreeably.
“So?” Hel demanded, getting to her feet. Loki just grinned, looking her over. She was three years younger than him and a bare half-head shorter – their mother had said they both took after their father, growing like weeds. The only thing that could lead people to suspect that they might not be related was the difference in their fur colours. Loki was black all over, whilst Hel seemed to be split in half, with patches of black and white mingling in her fur.
“Loki?” Hel said impatiently.
“You ready?” he asked her, squaring bare shoulders. His fur would keep him warm enough when the sun came out and he felt confined by clothes at times. The only reason he kept from going completely naked was modesty and over-protectiveness of his sister.
“Of course I’m ready,” Hel snapped, her tail lashing about. “Will you stop delaying?”
Loki laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Come on then sister dearest. Time to take you hunting.” He paused and glanced over to where Vanir was still hovering. “You can go now lori,” he said in a friendly fashion. “Go tell the worriers that we’re on our way out.”
Vanir grinned at the familiar address and nodded to the two, making sure his gaze didn’t linger on Hel. She was fifteen, and of age to be mated – but Loki wouldn’t hear of such a thing. Vanir shook his head as he left the cave. Sometimes Loki could take his duty as a brother a bit too seriously, and Hel was too much of a wildcat to ever take to being settled down with any mate, whatever the amount of time might be.
Hel grinned viciously as she followed her brother. She rarely got out hunting any more and each time made her feel freer than she had in a while. “Where’re we going then? There might be some goat further up in the mountains…”
“The others will have gone up there,” Loki said casually as he jogged ahead. “They’ll have scared the poor beasts away by the time we get there. How d’you feel about doing some fishing?”
Hel made a face at that. “The only river big enough to hold fish is ages away,” she complained. “And I hate fish.”
Loki rolled his eyes. “You are such an odd kit,” he informed her, in the tones of one who’s only just worked it out.
“I am not a kit!” Hel flared. “I’m fifteen. I know fourteen year olds with their own kits so-“
Loki clamped a hand over her mouth as she caught up with him, his yellow eyes almost dancing. “Hush, Hel, hush,” he grinned at her. Hel freed herself from his grasp with a growl.
“I’ll give you hush,” she grumbled, but her muttering faded away as she followed her brother. There was a pause and then, “Do we have to go to the river?” she whined petulantly.
“No,” Loki said. “Where would you prefer to go?”
Hel barely had to think about this, her mouth widening into a smile. “Can we go down into the forest?”
“Hel, that place is cursed,” Loki said in exasperation, but a grin twitched its way reluctantly onto his mouth. He knew they’d end up going anyway.
“It’s sacred,” she argued, as she always had done. “The gods say that blood is sacred, and so much blood was spilt there that it has to be sacred.”
“I don’t think that’s quite how it works,” Loki said dryly, before shrugging. “We might get lucky and find something to hunt down there though.”
“So we can go?” Hel said.
“You know we can go,” Loki said. “You’ve got me twirled around your tail.” He grinned as he said this, knowing it to be unfortunately all-too true. He didn’t mind though, as Hel began smiling widely.
Hel made a face at her brother. “I’m being perfectly quiet,” she hissed. Did Loki honestly have to treat her as if she’d never been hunting before? She paused mid-step, and sniffed the air.
Loki glanced to her curiously as she sniffed again. “Don’t tell me you’re getting a cold,” he said in dismay. Hel was too intrigued to be offended.
“Loki, can you smell fire?” she asked curiously. “Upwind from us.”
Loki stepped back from his position behind a blackened, gnarled tree to stand where she was. His forehead creased as he breathed in. “Yeah,” he murmured quietly. “But who would make a fire in here of all places?”
“We could go and see,” Hel suggested, her tail swishing among leaves as her eyes narrowed in anticipation of excitement. Loki looked at her, thinking. “Don’t tell me you’re scared,”she taunted, and that settled it. Loki was never scared – or at least he’d never admit it. Besides, he was just as curious as his sister.
“Quietly then,” he whispered into her ear, managing not to snicker as it twitched in reaction to the ticklish feel of breath.
Hel threw a glare his way, and was forced to bite back a laugh as he made an impish face at her, before stepping away quietly to lead the way. Neither of them wore weapons; there was no need. They were Desaal, and all the weapons they needed were in their body already, claws projecting from their knuckles when in danger.
Loki was almost holding his breath as he followed the smell of smoke further into the forest. He could feel his fur standing on end to make him seem more intimidating, and he was forced to grin at his body’s alacrity in responding to the nervous adrenalin already begun to thud in his veins. He glanced over to his sister to see her in the same state as himself, a look of anticipation on her face as they moved as silently as they could.
As the acrid smell of smoke grew, so did an underlying smell of blood. Loki felt uneasy as he trod closer, but he’d not step down now. He was no coward.
They came to a clearing, where a small fire was smouldering, tended by a female. It wasn’t that which made Loki’s heart stop. It wasn’t that she was pretty in an odd way, either. She was a human. Fire-kin. He watched her with wide eyes, his pupils dilated, hearing Hel gasp behind him.
The human was odd, he noted in his shock. She had no fur on her – she was a soft pink all over from what he saw of her skin. Her ears were placed further down her head and were an odd semi-circle sort of shape. He couldn’t really see the rest of her, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to. Loki could feel a sort of wary hatred twisting inside of him. Her kind had wiped out all but a few of his people. Her kind had tried to burn the forests, stopped only by the weeping of our gods. She was demon spawn.
“We should kill her,” Hel whispered, cold vengeance in her voice. Loki wanted to nod, but he knew it was wrong. He sniffed the air softly, and bile rose in his throat. Blood. Not from the woman, but from close by.
“I think,” Loki said softly. “I think I’d prefer to know why she’s here first.” He considered for a second, and added on, “And if there’s any other Fire-kin around.”
“Who cares?” Hel hissed. “She’s human. They killed our father, Loki!”
They must have spoken too loudly, for the young woman looked up from the fire, a look of fear plastered on her face. “Who’s out there?” she called, a quiver in her voice.
Loki and Hel glanced at each other. Loki shrugged at his sister, and Hel’s eyes narrowed as he stepped out into the clearing, fully visible in the light of the day. With a growl to herself, she followed him.
The woman screamed, and both Loki and Hel covered their rapidly twitching ears with their hands, pain assaulting them with the noise. “By Kjal woman, shut up!” Loki snapped, when she paused to take a breath. “Are you trying to deafen us?”
“Demon!” The women cried, splaying her left hand out in the symbol of one of the Fire-kin gods. “Stay- stay away from me!”
Hel couldn’t help but let a snicker escape her mouth at the look of terror on the woman’s face. Loki sent her a chastening look, but a smirk twitching at the edge of his own mouth spoilt the effect. He turned back to the woman, and affected an injured tone as he spoke. “I’m not a demon,” he said. “I’m a Desaal. Don’t you humans know anything?”
Hel opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted as a man burst into the clearing. “Misa, what is it?” he cried, “Are you-“
He froze mid-sentence as he saw the two Desaal standing there casually. “Well put my head in a noose and leave me to hang,” he whispered, shock clearly etched on his face. “Desaals. I thought you had all been wiped out these fifteen years gone.”
“Well, you obviously thought wrong,” Hel drawled, a hard look on her face at the mention of the slaughter that had taken place previously. “What are you doing on our land human?”
“We didn’t know it was your land!” the woman – Misa, was it? – burst out, desperately. “We needed somewhere to heal our prince, and no one would chase us here!”
“Nice to see you’re blabbing your mouth off as usual, Misa,” a sneering female voice from behind, and Loki placed a hand on Hel’s shoulder protectively. How many of the Fire-kin were there? He didn’t know how many were warriors or could use the human magics either – Loki knew that in some places the humans allowed their women to be trained as fighters just as the Desaals did.
Misa blushed bright crimson, and the newcomer turned to look over the two Desaals. Loki suspected in human terms she would be considered strikingly beautiful, but he didn’t really think much of it. “Why do you come to disturb us?” the new woman asked, and Loki’s face darkened into a scowl.
“This is our land human,” he said. “We have the right to wander it as we will.” Hel hid a grin. The woman could have chosen no better way to rile her brother. “What you have not told us,” he continued, “Is what right you have to trespass in a place where your kind are despised as murderers and child-killers.”
The woman gaped at that, and she and the man traded looks. It was the man who spoke. “I am Taerser, a mage,” he told them. “Misa over there is a priestess of Sannon, and this is Lady Edanna, cousin to the prince. We truly had no intention of trespassing here, but we were in need of sanctuary. Our prince is… wounded very badly.”
Hel stiffened under Loki’s hand, but Loki needed no reminder. “What does this have anything to do with us, Mage Taerser? Your prince is of little import to us. We grant no sanctuary to those responsible for the death of our fathers and brothers and mates.”
Taerser looked shocked at the callous dismissal, but Lady Edanna stepped forward – and both Hel and Loki realised that she was not as old as they had thought her to be. She could not be older than Loki, but she moved with the haughty confidence of one who had spent years being obeyed. Hel disliked her almost instantly, beyond her normal hate of humans.
“You are both so young,” Lady Edanna said, in a tone of smooth sweetness. “Surely you cannot speak for the whole of the Desaal race?” Her entire posture showed her disbelief, and Loki sneered at her.
“My clan will speak as I do, Lady Edanna. We have no love for humans,” he said flatly.
She sighed and then with some difficulty arranged her face into a look of pleading. “Sir Desaal, come see our prince. He is dying – could you not leave us be?”
“Or give us some help in healing him?” Misa added hopefully, seeming to have got over the shock of seeing two furred ‘demons’ appear from the forest.
Hel laughed. “Why would we want to see your prince, woman? Or heal him for that matter?” Her voice was contemptuous, and it was only Loki’s hand that kept her from doing anything rash.
Loki had a look of contemplation on his face though. At least he could see how badly this prince was wounded – he saw no harm in it. “Show us then,” he said, and Hel looked up at him incredulously.
“Why?” she hissed into his ear, and Loki shrugged eloquently.
“Follow me, Sir Desaal,” Taerser said, regaining control of the situation. “May I ask your name?”
“I am Loki, son of Kvasir,” Loki told him. “This is my sister, Hel.” Hel muttered something distinctly uncomplimentary about consorting with the enemy, and Loki smiled softly. “Hush sister,” he whispered quietly into her ear. “It can do us no harm, and I have a feeling…”
Hel snorted ungracefully as the mage brought them to a halt, gesturing to a bundle of blankets that stunk of blood. “Our prince,” he said, pain in his voice.
Loki bent to the blankets and twitched them aside to look at the prince’s face, before recoiling.
“What?” Hel asked in concern.
“His cheek,” Loki said, his voice shocked. “He bears the mark of the gods.”
Hel gaped at Loki, and bent down to look for herself. Sure enough, resting on the pale pink skin of the human, underneath a mess of brown hair lay a golden symbol – a single slash across his face, underscored by a gleaming oval. She looked up with wide eyes. “Do you think-“ she said.
“A trick?” Loki asked. “I don’t know. How would they know the symbol to mark him with?”
“What are you two saying?” Lady Edanna asked with sudden hope. “Will you help us?”
Loki made a rapid decision, looking up at the three humans and then down at the resting form of the adolescent prince. “How badly is he harmed?” he asked.
“A sword wound across his chest and stomach,” Misa said, stumbling over her words. “It’s quite deep.”
“Can he be moved?” he asked, and Hel watched him, unsure whether her brother was doing the right thing.
“I- it would be possible,” Misa said. “If it would get him to better healing, then yes.”
“Very well,” Loki muttered. “The gods hope I’m doing what they wish.” He shook himself in a wave of fur. “I’ll take your prince to get healing. You will stay here.” He gestured at the three of them. “If he lives, I will return him to you when he is healed, and when the clan leader has decided what to do.”
Protests rose to the lips of all three, but Loki stood firm. “I will take him alone, or I will not take him. If you wish your prince to live, you will allow this.”
“How do we know you won’t just kill him?” Lady Edanna said, a look of desperation on her face.
“If I wanted to kill him, I’d do it now,” Loki said flatly.
The three humans looked at each other and dropped into a quiet but heated conversation. Hel glanced up at Loki, doubt in her eyes. “I hope you know what you’re doing brother,” she murmured. Loki gave her an awkward look.
“So do I,” he said quietly. “But he bears the mark. Let’s let the clan leader decide what to do. We don’t want to offend the gods by turning away their Chosen.”
“Why would they choose a human though?” Hel asked, unable to keep the bewilderment from her voice.
“They’re gods Hel,” Loki said. “It’s not for us to question.”
“That’s a stupid system,” Hel grumbled, trying to lighten the serious look in Loki’s eyes – and it worked. He laughed briefly, and looked towards the humans. They seemed to come to a decision, Taerser moving to stare directly into Loki’s eyes, having to look up a few inches.
“I ask for your word Loki, son of Kvasir,” he said, “That you will allow no harm to come to our prince while he is on your territory.”
“No harm, save should the wound claim him by the gods’ choice,” Loki agreed. “If the clan leader won’t allow you here, I will bring your prince to the border myself, unharmed by any Desaal. You have my word Taerser.”
“The word of a Desaal is as good as any oath, I suppose,” Taerser said, his eyes haunted. “May we stay here until you bring him back?”
Loki nodded and swooped to pick the prince up. He was surprisingly light; the fever from his wound had most likely taken its toll on him. Placing the prince on his back after stripping away a few of the excess blankets, Loki began to move swiftly. He would take this human prince before Odail and see what the clan leader thought of the god mark.
Hel trotted by his side as they picked up speed. “I don’t like this Loki,” she said, and Loki tightened his grip around the prince’s legs.
“Leave the worrying to the elders,” he told her. “Once we’ve brought him to the clan, it won’t be our business any more.”
“I hope you’re right,” she whispered, unable to banish the worries from her mind completely as they left the forest and began the run up the mountains.
Thanks to L. for reviewing. 'Twas much appreciated.
