The Last Shifter (a Loki romance)

Prologue

3rd Person POV

Odin, Thor, Loki, the Warriors Three, and the Lady Sif were gathered in the War Room. Vaneheim was in chaos. Villages were being attacked by an unknown force. There were never any witnesses nor evidence at the sight. Sometimes the villages were burned to the ground, with no beam of wood left standing but other times, the villages looked normal but the inhabitants and all items of value were gone. They never left any trace or clue and even Heimdal could not see them.
"Hogan. What is the latest intel?"
"Another village fell two days ago, abandoned, not a sign of the villagers and even the animals are gone. The attacks are growing in frequency. I can find no pattern in the strikes and therefore cannot predict which village will be attacked next. There is no logic to the movements of the enemy."
"Loki. You went to inspect the scene. What did you find?"
"Nothing. No magical residue or signatures anywhere. Just like all the others. Whatever we are facing is a non-magical entity. The village was empty, it is as if the inhabitants just got up, packed their things, and left. There was no evidence of a struggle of any kind anywhere." Odin growled in frustration.
"They must be using some kind of enchantment to hide from Heimdal."
"There was nothing at all. I searched every structure and every pasture. Not a thing." Odin grumbled something under his breath. Something only Loki was able to pick up.
"If only that stupid Shifter hadn't gotten herself killed in the last Great War." Loki's eyes narrowed. The Shifters had been extinct since before the dawn of the Nine Realms. Very little was known about them, they showed up in only one of the many Ancient Legends. Loki and Thor had heard the story of the last Great War many times as children from both of his parents and neither of them had mentioned a Shifter being present. The only reason they heard that story so much was because Frigga's best friend, Istara, was killed in the final battle. The two of them had been so close that Thor considered her an aunt. Loki had never met her.
"Brother?" Thor asked softly, "What is it?"
"Excuse me." Loki left the room, his green billowing out behind him.

What the group did not know however, was that Frigga was listening in. Odin insisted that she need not trouble herself with such affairs but she felt that she should. They were getting nowhere. When Loki departed, she was puzzled. He never left meetings like this early. She followed him. He went straight to the library and searched the shelves until he found a specific book. Pulling it out, he went to a lounge chair and sat down. Frigga was standing in plain sight but he had yet to notice her. He must be after something specific, Frigga figured. Loki turned to a certain page and began to read.

The Legend of the Lost World Arda
It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the elves. Immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings. Seven to the dwarf lords. Great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine. Nine rings were gifted to the race of men, who above all else, desire power. For within these rings was bond the strength and will to govern each race. But they were, all of them, deceived. For another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring, to control all others. And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all. One by one, the free lands of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But it was Sauron was also deceived. In a final attempt to defeat him, the three elves called for the World Walkers and Shapeshifter, a powerful people with technology so advanced, they could walk between worlds through the sky. Little was known about them, all that was known was that they were the most powerful species to ever exist, ruled by a Council of Ten, the elves used their powers create a ring of power for each member. When combined, the Ten Rings were designed to overpower Sauron. The Shifters came to the aid of the last alliance of men and elves as they marched against the armies of Mordor and on the slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Arda. Victory was near but the Power of the Ring could not be undone. (For those of you familiar with The Lord of the Rings, yes, I changed the story a bit. Arda was once part of the Nine Realms but was lost long ago under mysterious circumstances and can no longer be travelled to. For those of you who are not, don't worry. It's not vital to understanding the events of the story)

Loki finished the story and slammed the book shut. Apart from the mention of the Ten Rings at the start, the Shifters were not mentioned again until the end, when they withdrew from Middle Earth, taking the Ten Rings with them, and were never seen again. Ancient remnants of the Shifters had been found over time but they were all in an unknown language. All that the scholars who studied the relics understood was the word: death, which was written in several different tongues, signifying its importance. In Midgardian English, it translated into the words extinction or genocide, leaving all to believe that the Shifters had been wiped out long ago.
"What troubles you, my son?" Loki jumped. There were very few people in the galaxy that could sneak up on him but his mother just happened to be one of them. She was also the only one who could see through his lies.
"The Shifters. Father made it sound like there was one fighting on the side of Asgard during the last Great War but she got herself killed."
"When did he tell you this?"
"He didn't. He mumbled it under his breath, almost as if he was cursing her." Frigga looked at the floor.
"Yes. There was a Shifter on our side during the last Great War but that is all I wish to say about it."
"Why?"
"It is complicated Loki. Not even your father knows the entire story." She got up and left, leaving Loki in confusion. His mother had never been that vague about something.

Frigga headed back to her chambers and called for her private guards.
"You are the most worthy for the task I am about to set you. All three of you have proven yourselves worthy of your positions and now you will be given the most difficult task of your lives. I need you to retrieve a Shifter."
"But my Queen, there are no more Shifters left in the Nine Realms!"
"There is one. She is the last and the most powerful to ever exist. She was here once, she aided in the last Great War but she was alive long before that. She is a master of illusion and can change appearance in a heartbeat. She knows how to blend into a crowd."
"Then how are we to find her? She could be anywhere!"
"She gave Heimdal permission to watch over her, he will be able to give you her location. All I know is that she is on Midgard and has been for the past one thousand and forty-eight years."
"What do you want us to do once we find her?"
"Bring her here, I fear we may have need of her abilities."
"Is there any way we may be able to tell her apart?"
"Yes. She will be wearing at least one ring and she has a birthmark behind her left ear. Use caution however, the birthmark looks like a tattoo, a permanent mark on the skin and often seen on Midgard, and the ring could be anything."
"When are we to depart?"
"Immediately. And do so without Odin's, or anyones knowledge, he must not depend on her help."
"Yes my Queen." They bowed and departed.

The guards saddled up and rode for the Bifrost. They had changed out of their formal armour and into clothing that was close to the current Midgardian style. Heimdal was waiting for them outside the Bifrost.
"You are dressed too warmly."
"Pardon?"
"You seek the last Shifter. I heard your conversation with the Queen. The Shifter is living in a warm environment." They were all dressed in long trousers and long-sleeved shirts.
"This was all we had."
"Very well." They migrated inside the dome and Heimdal started the Bifrost up.
"Where is she exactly?"
"In a country known and the United States of America. She lives in the state of New Mexico not far from the village Puente Antiguo. Be warned. I will honor my sworn oath to protect this Realm as its Gatekeeper. If your return threatens the safety of Asgard, the Bifrost will remain closed and you'll be stranded on Midgard." The guards barely caught the end of his words as they were whisked away by the Bifrost.