by C. Gockel
Cindy grabs his arm, and they’re invisible again. “Run!” screams the invisible Cindy, and Steve doesn’t look back. He just stumbles with her to the exit. They plunge through the fire door and into an alley filled with puddles. Cold rain pelts them from above.
Cindy flickers into sight and points toward the street. “This way,” she pants. Taking a step forward, she suddenly bends over and looks like she’s about to fall. Steve grabs her shoulder and helps her stand up. The door they came through bangs open. Steve’s jaw drops. And then Cindy and he flicker out of sight again.
Cindy’s disembodied voice comes, a low, stammered whisper. “Get to the wall. Then get to the street.” Beneath his arm, she trembles. Steve looks back. A man, gun raised, is peering through the door. Steve pulls Cindy toward the wall and looks toward the street. A group of policemen is approaching. Are they real cops or…
“Fuck,” says Cindy.
From the door behind them come shouts in their language. The cops at the intersection to the street respond in kind, raise their guns, and begin to slowly walk forward.
“Just a few more minutes…just a few more minutes…” Cindy stammers. And then she and Steve flicker into view. Gunfire erupts around them. Steve hears a bullet hit the brick wall above his head and feels bits of brick rain down on him. Raising his Glock, he fires at the man in the door. With his back pressed against the wall, his stance is shit, even for a one handed aim. He still hits the fucker in the door—but another man is suddenly there to take his place. The guys at the entrance to the alley way are shouting.
Steve spins toward the front of the alley—and he and Cindy are invisible again. He pushes her to the ground as bullets fire and the wall where they’d been standing erupts in a deluge of falling pieces of brick. “Stay down,” he whispers. He wraps one hand around her shoulder, and they crawl awkwardly down the alley, the frigid water of the puddles seeping through Steve’s clothes. Bullets are still flying. He hears sirens and prays they’re real cops. He looks up and sees a beat-up sedan pull onto the sidewalk—knocking over several imposter police officers as it does.
“They’re here,” Cindy whispers. Maybe. Steve can barely hear anything over the sound of gunfire.
And then he feels a burning sensation on the back side of his neck. He tells his body to crawl, but he can’t. He falls to the ground and one side of his face hits the wet pavement of the alley. Something warm oozes toward his hairline.
He hears a car screech to a halt. Gunfire sounds overhead, a wind comes from somewhere, and he’s buffeted by rain so hard it stings his eyes. He hears screams and louder sirens.
Steve blinks rain out of his eyes and wills himself to stand. But he doesn’t move.
He sees Cindy above him out of the corner of his eye. Staring down at him wide eyed, she stammers. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m not so good at magic as my…”
And suddenly there is a man standing above her, he is holding a sword in one hand and an AK-47 in the other. His wet hair looks darker, and his skin is tanner than Steve remembers, but it’s not a face Steve will ever forget.
Steve’s eyes go wide. “Loki,” he whispers. And then everything goes black.
Appendix
The Nine Realms
Alfheim — Realm of the elves
Asgard — Realm of the Aesir, “gods”
Jotunheim — Realm of the Jotunn, or Frost Giants
Midgard — Earth, realm of humans
Muspellsheimr — Realm of the Fire Giants
Niflheim — Realm of mists, location of “Hel” — the place where Loki's daughter Helen and other plague-ridden Asgardians died.
Nornheim — Realm of the all-seeing Norns
Svartálfaheim — Realm of the dwarves
Vanaheim — Realm of the Vanir. Formerly rulers of Asgard, the Vanir retreated to their homeworld after they were defeated by Odin's forces.
Human Names & Places:
ADUO — FBI Department of Anomalous Devices of Unknown Origin
Amy Lewis — Veterinarian for ADUO. Loki's former “lover.”
Beatrice Lewis — Amy Lewis’s grandmother. Translator of Ukrainian and Russian, works for ADUO.
Bohdi Patel — Real name unknown. Computer programmer employed by ADUO.
Agents Brett & Bryant McDowell — Twin brothers, ADUO agents. Their specialty is technology.
Claire Rogers — Steve Rogers’ ten-year-old daughter
Agent Hernandez — Agent of ADUO, second in command at the Chicago Branch Office
Laura Stodgill — Legal Counsel at ADOU
Steve Rogers — Director of Chicago’s Branch of ADUO
Ruth Rogers — Steve Roger’s mother.
Henry Rogers — Steve Roger’s father.
Names & Places of Other Realms
Adze — Carnivorous hominids with dragonfly wings. In Ghana legends, the source of malaria.
Aesir — Denizens of Asgard, “gods.”
Allfather — Another name for Odin.
Andvaranaut — Cursed ring in Norse Mythology—part of a ransom an incarnation of Loki paid to a dwarf for Hoenir’s release.
Anganboða/Angrboða — Also known as “Aggie” by Loki. Loki’s Jotunn wife, mother of Helen. In myths, Angrboða, meaning “grief bringer.” In reality, her name was Anganboða, meaning “bringer of joy.” One of the few to see through Baldur’s glamour.
Baldur — Son of Odin and Frigga. Possessed a magical glamour that made him appear beautiful, wise, and kind. Tried to abduct Nanna, the beloved of the human warlord Hothur. Used enchantment to create a magical plague that killed Loki’s daughter Helen.
Bifrost — “Rainbow Bridge” between realms
Cera — A.k.a, the World Seed. A being of infinite magical power, tricked by Loki into destroying itself in the In-Between.
Diar — Odin’s council.
Einherjar — Mortal warriors recruited by Odin or Freyja. They are given access to Idunn’s apples of immortality.
Eisa — In Norse mythology, daughter of one of Loki’s incarnations and Glut.
Fenrir — In Norse mythology, Loki's wolf son by Angrboða. In actuality, just a wolf Loki and Aggie adopted when they thought they could not have children. Also the name of Amy's vicious, tailless, rat-like, Chihuahua-poodle mix.
Fire Ettin — Fire Giant
Freyr — Originally a Vanir, Freyr remains on Asgard. Associated with fertility. Former husband of Gerðr, brother of Freyja, son of Njord.
Freyja — Originally a Vanir, Freyja remains on Asgard. She is associated with love, beauty, and war. A master of magic and illusion, she can alter her appearance to match anyone’s romantic ideal. She is a cunning warrior and leader of the Valkyries. Sister of Freyr, daughter of Njord.
Frigga — Wife of Odin, Queen of Asgard. In Norse mythology Goddess of Motherhood and Marriage, believed to spin clouds and to see the fates of all beings of the Nine Realms. One of the few to challenge Odin’s authority and get away with it.
Frost Giant — Another name for Jotunn, the natives of the realm of Jotunheim. Not really “giants.” They are tall by modern standards, but nearly giants compared to ancient humans.
Gerðr — Jotunn enchantress, former wife of Freyr. Gerðr led a team of Jotunn from Jotunheim across a World Gate on a hunt for Cera. Realizing the danger of Cera’s power, she grudgingly aided humans in trying to control it.
Gleipnir — Magical, unbreakable rope. In Norse Mythology, believed to be used to chain Fenrir, Loki’s wolf son. In reality, used to control Sleipnir, eight-legged stallion, and one of Loki’s incarnation’s children.
Glut — “Glow,” the wife of one of Loki’s previous incarnations.
Gungnir — Odin’s magical spear. A gift from Loki to the Allfather. Broken when Loki destroyed Cera.
Heimdall — Servant of Odin. Creator of the classes among men. All seeing and hearing—if he happens to be gazing in your direction.
Hel — In Norse Mythology, Hel is Loki’s daughter. It is also a place in
Niflheim.
Helen — Loki’s daughter, in Norse Mythology known as Hel. Half-blue, Helen had the ability to reveal the lies around her. As such, she was a threat to Baldur’s power. After Baldur killed her, Loki, with Odin’s approval, killed Baldur.
Hoenir — Gardner of the Asgard and a powerful enchanter. Loki’s friend.
Hothur — Human warlord, slayer of Baldur—with Loki's help.
Huginn and Muninn — Odin’s raven messengers.
Idunn — An elf who lived in Asgard, and grew the magical apples they ate every year to restore their immortality.
In-Between — A place beyond space and time. Magical philosophers suspect it may be a place beyond the universe. Loki can step into the In-Between for inter-realm travel, but not for travel from realm to realm. For that he needs a World Gate (also called the Bifrost).
Jotunn — Natives of the realm of Jotunheim, also called Frost Giants — though not really “giants” per se.
Jörmungandr — The “world serpent,” guardian of Asgard’s seas. In Norse Mythology, the son of Loki by Angrboða.
King Billings — Frost Giant, father of Rind.
King Geirod — Frost Giant, held Loki prisoner for thirty days and thirty nights.
King Sutr — Fire Giant, one of only two beings that pose a serious risk to Odin’s power.
King Utgard — Frost Giant, one of only two beings that pose a serious risk to Odin's power.
Laevithin — Loki’s magical sword. Charged with Cera’s magic.
Laugauz — Loki’s Fire Giant incarnation
Lopt — Female incarnation of Loki
Lothur — Incarnation of Loki
Loki — Frost Giant incarnation of chaos. God of Mischief, Chaos, and Lies. Friend of Hoenir. Associated with fire. Feels when lies have been uttered. In mythology, blood brother of Odin, destroyer of the gods and bringer of Ragnaork.
Mimir — The severed head of Jotunn, animated by Odin. Knowledgeable about all things magical.
Mjolnir — Thor’s hammer. A gift for Loki offered in reparation for cutting Sif’s hair.
Mr. Squeakers — A venomous spidermouse given to Amy by Loki. Hoenir used to use spider mice to eat cockroaches that invaded his hut.
Nari — One of Loki’s sons by Sigyn. According to Loki, “the incarnation of democracy.”
Njord — Vanir, father of Freyr and Freyja. Associated with the sea. Married for a short time to Skadi. His father was the leader of the Vanir before he was slain by Odin.
Norns — Watchers of fate, compared to the three fates in Greek mythology. Powerful enchantresses.
Odin — King of the Aesir, and leader of the Nine Realms. Also known as the Allfather. His magic lies in preservation. Willing to sacrifice his own son for the benefit of the Nine Realms.
Ord — Husband of Freyja.
Prometheus — In Greek myth, the titan that gave fire to mankind. In modern times, the FBI’s source for information on all things magical, and Promethean wire.
Promethean wire — Magic-conducting wire. Any magical being or object placed in an unbroken sphere of Promethean wire will have its magic blocked. Blocks the eyes of Heimdall. However, a sufficient magical charge to Promethean wire can cause a tear in space time.
Ragnarok — End of the world.
Ratatoskr — Gossiping and extremely powerful, magical squirrel. Servant of the Norns.
Rind — Jotunn princess and enchantress, daughter of King Billings. Raped by Odin after the death of Baldur.
Sif — Wife of Thor. Associated with fertility and harvest. Her long golden hair was famously snipped off by Loki.
Sigyn — Asgardian, friend of Angrboða. Sigyn became Loki’s wife after Angrboða died.
Skadi — Native of Jotunheim, one of Loki’s former lovers. Her father was the giant that built Asgard’s great wall; he was killed unfairly by the Asgardians. Seeking vengeance for his death, Skadi came to Asgard. She agreed to forgive the Aesir if one of their number could make her laugh, and if she had her choice of Asgardian men for a husband. She chose Njord, father of Freyr and Freyja, and God of the Sea. Loki was able to make her laugh.
Skírnir — A powerful enchanter and servant of Frey. Skírnir blackmailed Gerðr into marrying Frey.
Skywalker — In Norse mythology, a name for Loki.
Sleipnir — Odin’s eight-legged steed, Sleipnir is the son of one of Loki’s incarnations and Svaðilfari, the stallion that helped the giant build Asgard’s wall.
Thor — Son of Odin and an unknown giantess. Carries the hammer Mjolnir that makes lightning and summons storms. Associated with strength, healing, industry, and fertility.
Ullr — Son of Sif by an unknown father, adopted by Thor. Became Skadi’s second husband.
Valli — Son of Loki and Sigyn, twin of Nari. According to Loki, he would be the "”incarnation of armed rebellion.”
Valkyries — Winged women warriors of Asgard.
Vanir — A person from Vanaheim.
World Seed — A being of nearly infinite power. Tricked by Loki into destroying itself in the In-Between.
World Gate — Any place where the fabric of space time is weak and allows magical beings to travel between one place or another.
World Tree — Also called Yggdrasil. In Norse mythology, the “tree of life” and the connection between the realms. A way of describing the universe, worlds within it, and connection between worlds.
All Stories By C. Gockel & Contact Info:
The I Bring the Fire Series:
I Bring the Fire Part I: Wolves
Monsters: I Bring the Fire Part II
Chaos: I Bring the Fire Part III
In the Balance: I Bring the Fire Part 3.5
Fates: I Bring the Fire Part IV
Other Works: Murphy's Star a short story about “first” contact
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