Ingrid decided she had to focus on more practical thoughts and shifted her mind to what she knew. She tried to recall what she had read about the Norse gods. She had read all the dispensary’s books multiple times. The mythology was complicated, but Loki was in many of the stories because he liked to deceive the other gods. She wondered how she could reach him, if he really was the one who caused so much trouble for her town. He could shape shift and become just about anything. Could Loki have been any of the monsters they had already faced?
“What are you thinking about?” Stein whispered.
Startled, Ingrid replied louder than she intended, “You’re awake!”
“Yes, and I’ve been staring at you for a couple of minutes. You look like you’re having a conversation with yourself.” He smiled at her and she felt a spike in her heart beat.
“I guess I was, in a way. Let’s go away from here so we don’t disturb Hilde and Bjørn.”
Ingrid grabbed the water containers. She handed him the pouch and he drank greedily. They walked around a corner of the cave and found some flat rocks to sit on.
“We both fell asleep before they returned with the water. I’m sure we all had gone too long without drinking anything.”
“Yes, and I advise you to sip and not gulp it. You can get a stomach ache from taking in too much too fast.” Stein rubbed his belly, like he was speaking from experience.
“I’ve been sipping for a while now. Hilde woke me up so she could sleep. None of us have really been able to fully rest since we left Tuntre.”
“True. So what were you mulling over?”
“Who Loki is and whether he is a real god. I’ve read all our books about Norse mythology and it is rather complex; there were a lot of stories about Loki. I was trying to figure out where he could be now.”
“I was wondering the same thing.” Stein’s ice-blue eyes were mesmerizing. Ingrid liked when he talked because she could look at him without being weird.
“If Loki is a god, are we even able to reach him from our world?”
“I wish that question was easy to answer, but your guess is as good as mine.”
“The diary said I needed to find him to stop the Web, so he must be in a realm that is reachable. I keep replaying the words in my head; they make me feel like a terrible person since I’m to blame for all of this.”
Stein didn’t respond right away. He looked at her face in a way that she had never seen before. Now that she no longer worried about her scar, her hair was in a ponytail. The disfigurement was exposed to him and it didn’t seem to faze him.
“Why are you staring at me that way?” Ingrid finally asked Stein.
“I just think you are so beautiful, and that I know you from before. If I look at you long enough, faint memories try to come back.”
Ingrid felt her heart trying to leap out of her chest. “I’m not beautiful, I’m damaged. But I wish I could have your same recollections of us.”
“First of all, I don’t lie. I think I knew you would contradict me so I was afraid to say what I thought about you. So what, you have a scar. I’m not perfect either. Past that web on your face, I can see that you’re pretty. Second of all, my memories are so strange that I don’t know how I would explain them without confusing you.”
“I understand that, but maybe if you shared one thing, it would trigger something in my mind and I would start to recall our past too.”
Stein stared into Ingrid’s eyes for a moment and then said, “I remember talking to this boy who was maybe a few years older than me and who had the same colored eyes as I have, but his hair was dark blonde instead of black like mine. I think we were brothers. Anyway, we were talking about you. Except you weren’t Ingrid, you were Zoey.”
“How did you know you were talking about me then?”
“I’m getting to that part. The boy and I were fighting about you. He said that he was going to use you, but I can’t recall if he was going to – you know, um, try to get you in bed with him or if he had another plan for you. I remembered thinking about how sweet you were and how much of a crush I had on you. I wanted to protect you, but from what I don’t know. I do know I wasn’t from the same world you lived in and–”
“You came from another world? What does that even mean?”
“I told you it would be confusing. I know that when that boy wasn’t around we had developed a relationship. We had kissed. I just don’t know anything else. It is so jumbled. Before we left Tuntre, I hadn’t even had those memories. The only thing I saw was us kissing, but then when I fell asleep, I dreamt about that boy with my eye color wanting to use you. He was also from a different world.”
“What kind of world did you come from?”
“I don’t remember, but I think that perhaps it would have the capability of using your fears to create Tuntre and all the monsters we have encountered.”
“Maybe that boy you remember is Loki and he is related to you since you have the same eye color.” Ingrid felt that excited and afraid feeling again as she let the words leave her mouth.
“Then does that mean I’m a Norse god?” Stein laughed and then said, “I doubt it. I couldn’t do any better battling that wolf than Hilde had done. Maybe we could find Loki if we think of him as a Viking deity. What really do we know about mythological gods anyway?”
“As I already said, I’ve read a lot about them. We could also ask Bjørn what he knows. He has read many of the same books I have so maybe he’ll remember something I won’t. We probably should have studied that stuff more before we went into the forest. I was in a hurry to leave home before my parents had me married off to that widower.”
“I’m glad we left when we did. Sure, we probably could have prepared much longer for this journey, but I don’t think it would have mattered.” Stein smiled at Ingrid and then reached for her hand to pull her up from the rock. “We need to get back to Bjørn and Hilde. We’re supposed to be on guard duty while they sleep. Also, maybe we shouldn’t tell them anything about my recalled memories. With Hilde being so skeptical, it may be hard to help them understand.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell them anything. If Hilde thought that we had kissed, she would make a big deal about it. If we did kiss, I want to remember it before anyone else knows about it.”
Ingrid let Stein help her stand, and a tingle ran through her fingers from his touch. His confession about them kissing in the past sent her mind whirling. Then she quickly shut down those fantasies instead and went down another trail, mulling over the possibility that Stein was Loki’s brother – or at least someone from another world.
Stein continued to hold Ingrid’s hand long after they stood up. She thought she should let go, but she didn’t. Stein eventually was forced to drop Ingrid’s hand when they began to walk down the narrow passage of the cave.
“Where do you think we should look for Loki next?” Stein asked.
“I think we need to figure out where he could be first.”
They approached the place where Bjørn and Hilde slept. The two were still snoring and probably would be for a while. Ingrid felt rejuvenated with the help of the cool water Bjørn had found.
“How long do you think we slept?” Stein asked.
“I haven’t a clue. I feel better. I hope that Bjørn and Hilde will too. I think we were all getting a little grumpy. I can live without food for a while, but I really needed the water.”
“I thought by now we would have found a lake or some other fresh source of water in the forest. The animals that come into Tuntre must get their water from somewhere. This cave may have us trapped, but at least it gave us two things we were desperate for.”
So far, they whispered so that they wouldn’t disturb their friends, but an idea hit Ingrid and she spoke louder than she had intended. “I know where Loki could be!”
“Shhh, I’m trying to sleep.” Bjørn kept his eyes closed, but he was definitely awake.
“I’m sorry. I temporarily forgot you were here.�
� Ingrid replied.
“How could you with that snoring?” Hilde said from her curled up position.
Stein laughed. “You both were snoring loudly. I thought you would be out for several hours.”
Bjørn sat up, “We haven’t been? I feel refreshed, as if it has been eight hours. Maybe that water has some kind of magical powers.”
“How long did Stein and I sleep?” Ingrid asked.
Hilde sat up and replied, “Not very long, but I was so drained, I knew I was going to doze off, and that’s why I woke you.”
“It felt like we slept for hours too. Hmm, that’s strange,” Stein commented.
Ingrid saw the thoughts turning in Stein’s head as his facial expression changed so she asked, “What’s strange?”
“It feels like we’ve been in this cave for a very short time, yet we’ve been able to accomplish a lot. Maybe time is different in here. Maybe this cave is magical.”
“Goddess, now you’re talking wacko again. You keep saying all these farfetched ideas, and I don’t know where you’re getting this stuff from. Did you have an active imagination as a child? Oh wait, you can’t remember your childhood, because our memories were erased,” Hilde added snarkily.
“You know that’s what the book told us. Why can’t you believe that? You also saw that mysterious lady age right before your eyes. What more do you need to be convinced that supernatural stuff could be causing all of this?” Ingrid asked Hilde.
“I don’t know. I’m just a practical thinker and it’s hard to wrap my head around this weird stuff. That book wasn’t supposed to be true even though it had your name in it. I guess I wanted to think that it was the forest that fogged over past events in our minds. Yet I still remember my parents and we’ve been away from them for – how many days has it been?”
“I don’t know. There really isn’t a sunset or sunrise to help us figure that out. Anyway, before I shushed you and we went off on a rabbit trail; what were you going to say about Loki?” Bjørn questioned.
“I remembered that in one of the depository books, it said that Loki had caused so much trouble for the gods that they finally caught and bound him until Ragnarok.”
“That sounds familiar, but if he is captured, how can he curse us or remove a curse from Tuntre?” Bjørn asked.
“What’s the ragna thingy? I can’t even say that word,” Hilde asked.
“Ragnarok is the end of days for the gods and humans. None of the books that talk about it say the exact same thing. From what I gathered, the gods will have an epic apocalyptic battle with the giants and the world will be destroyed. A new Earth will rise up out of the ocean. The mass destruction is caused by Loki, who will be set free along with his son, Fenrir – a dreaded wolf. They will go after the other gods, along with the giants, to destroy them. Our world, which they call Midgard, will tremble from the battle because we are beneath their realm, Asgard. All the realms that are beneath the World Tree or Yggdrasil will be impacted by Ragnarok. Some think the word Tuntre came from the same idea as the World Tree,” Bjørn explained.
“Has Ragnoorook, or whatever you called it, already happened or is it going to happen?” Hilde inquired.
“It’s a myth, but I believe the books said it hasn’t happened yet,” Ingrid responded.
“Duh, I know it’s a myth, but so was the story about Huldra, and I admit that you were right; I did see her age magically before my eyes. I’m trying to be open-minded to all your theories.”
“I appreciate that. You know, even I have a hard time believing in every myth I’ve read about and I’m not convinced that Ragnarok is real any more than Loki is a god,” Ingrid admitted.
“Well, let’s pretend all myths are true. If Ragnarok hasn’t happened yet, then does that mean Loki is imprisoned?” Stein asked.
“Good question. I don’t even know where we could be in the mythological timeline. If Loki isn’t bound then he could be anywhere, but if he is imprisoned, then how can he keep Tuntre under a curse?” Ingrid questioned.
“Since we don’t know how he actually cursed Tuntre, we can’t know for sure the answer to how he can manage it even if he isn’t tied up. All I know is that according to the story, Thor and the other gods found Loki in Midgard, which is our realm, and that is where they trapped him. They also changed one of Loki’s sons into a wolf – Fenrir, who ripped out his brother’s throat,” Bjørn explained.
“Could the beast that attacked you been Loki’s son?” Ingrid asked Bjørn.
“If he was, then that means Loki is already imprisoned and in our present world. Ragnarok has not happened yet,” Bjørn replied.
“But what does that all mean for us?” Hilde asked.
“That we may be nearer to Loki than we realized,” Ingrid responded.
While they discussed the story of Loki, all kinds of things flowed through Ingrid’s head. Ingrid’s mind painted images of the snake in the books that the gods had used to torture Loki while he had been bound with his own son’s entrails – a serpent was also tied up above Loki so that its venom could drip over Loki’s head. It was a vivid picture she was conjuring up as she saw Signy, Loki’s wife, catch the vile liquid that dripped from the snake to avoid burning Loki’s skin.
Bjorn broke through her dreadful thoughts as he continued to explain to Hilde the myths. “As Ingrid said, Loki could be nearer than we know, because he was supposed to be captured and tied up in a cave. So far, this is the only cave we’ve come across in the forest.”
“That also means we could be in more danger than we thin–”
Ingrid’s words were cut off as a large serpent with a head as big as a human’s hissed its way towards them. The green skin seemed to shimmer unnaturally, but to Ingrid, there was no beauty in the dangerous looking creature’s appearance. It moved quickly, and they all dodged away from it.
“Odin’s teeth, grab your bags and axes, quickly!” Bjørn screamed.
Fortunately, their meager supplies were far enough away from the snake that they were able to take them before the thing reached the group. It blocked their path back towards the entrance of the cave, so they ran the opposite direction with Stein leading the way.
The path had several tripping hazards that they managed to barely miss as they maneuvered over the uneven surface of the cave floor. The only light that hadn’t been blown out from the wind of their retreat was the glass covered lamp Stein carried; all their other torches were exposed to the air and hadn’t stayed lit. Ingrid wondered if their pursuer could be the same reptile that had been used against Loki. It appeared just as Ingrid had been imagining the viper, and just before she spoke of it.
The hissing sounds were getting nearer as the foursome frantically moved away from it.
“Why don’t we just kill the thing?” Ingrid yelled.
“It could bite us before we have a chance. Did you see how it darted? Quicker than any snake I’ve ever dealt with before,” Bjørn replied.
Out of breath, they stopped talking and continued to move as quickly as they could. The serpent didn’t seem to tire or slow in its pursuit.
Although it was hard to think pleasant thoughts when being pursued by a dangerous snake, Ingrid decided to test Stein’s theory about her mind controlling their circumstances. If she had caused the thing into existence with her crazy imaginings, then surely she could go the opposite with her thoughts.
“The snake isn’t real, it’s just a stick. The snake is a stick. The snake is a stick,” Ingrid muttered to herself over and over again.
Stein halted suddenly and the group almost ran into each other. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Bjørn asked.
“Exactly. Stein is right. There is no more slithering or hissing sounds,” Hilde commented.
Stein brought the lantern behind the group and walked the direction they had just left. Ingrid whispered, “Be careful,” but she continued to picture the snake as a stick. She doubted serpents were clever enough to pretend to be silent, but it hadn�
��t been a typical reptile, so Ingrid maintained the image of a stick in her mind.
Stein picked up a strange looking thing. It was too long for them to see the whole object, and he had to use two hands to lift it. They all quickly realized it was a wooden image of the snake they had just been running away from.
“Goddess, Ingrid, it is because of you!” Hilde exclaimed.
“What is because of me?” She acted ignorant.
“You know. We all heard you mumbling that the snake was only a stick. You changed the serpent into a stick!” Hilde said with shock and awe in her voice.
“Were you purposely testing my theory or were you just so scared the words came out of your mouth?” Stein asked.
“I did it on purpose. I had figured it was as good a time as any to test your idea,” Ingrid admitted.
“So if you made the snake disappear, it was probably your fault it had shown its ugly face in the first place. Son of Thor, Ingrid, please stop thinking about vile monsters.” Bjørn begged.
Hilde began to laugh. “I don’t know if I think it is funny or if I’m just relieved we’re still alive. What an adrenaline rush! I don’t think I can handle many more of those.”
They all begin to laugh and it was a glorious release from the stress. The emotion was so contradictory to what they were actually feeling, but no one wanted to cry. They were, after all, mature eighteen-year-olds who had entered a dangerous forest. They weren’t going to blubber after fleeing a gigantic snake. They hadn’t lost control over the wolf or spider encounter; they weren’t going to do it now over the reptile.
Bjørn stopped laughing first and asked, “So now where are we? I was too petrified to pay attention to where we were going.”
The Web of Loki Page 8
