Curse Of Blood: Gods & Monsters

Chapter LXII⎮Sigyn

Sigyn moved forward to lay a hand on his forearm, her smile sad. His heart's secrets he shared but rarely, yet she knew that only patience would serve her here. And she had an eternity of patience to look forward to, she thought with a sigh. "I know you mean, Fenrir."

"Yes, all of my children," he said at last. "When Odin revealed that I was not his blood brother, I was furious, and went to live a time in Utgard with the Jötnar. I never loved Angrboda, you understand, but I thought I belonged there with the giants, not in Asgard, seeing as I was no Aesir. So I took for my lover one of my own race. With her I fathered three children, all of whom are hated by the gods. Angrboda, I was to realize, was a vicious and evil woman, and though I am no paragon, I did not find myself able to stay amongst their kind — my kind — for long; leastwise, not with her.

"The rest you already know," he went on. "The Nornir foretold of Odin's defeat at Ragnarök — that Fenrir himself would devour him. You see now how my blood is cursed, if you did not fully comprehend before. My children will ever be feared and hated by all the nine realms. But perhaps there is hope for Rothgar and Renic, for they are nothing like Angrboda, and nor is Hel; nor Fenrir for that matter. None but Jormungand are truly evil."

"What future is there for my sons? You told me once you had been to see the Nornir." Sigyn's hand was resting at her husband's elbow as they perambulated along the cliffs. He'd told her that Roth would take for himself a kingdom in due course; he very nearly had already, and was still engaged in battles of attrition in the north with his vast war-band set to devour King Harek's. 

"The curse," said Loki, "may in time dilute. Given enough time, there may eventually be an end to it all. At least that is Odin's hope and it is why he was satisfied to take Laila's life in exchange that my sons may live and prosper; and propagate. For Heida can give Roth no more offspring."

"Laila's life?" she said, horrified. "He means to kill her then!"

"He will not," Loki replied. "That is not part of our agreement."

She nodded, satisfied. "And the dilution of the curse, that may be to everyone's benefit." Though she loved her sons with all her heart, she was troubled to think of how wretched the curse made them; and those around them. "Nature will be restored, that is well and as it should be."

"Perhaps." An odd gleam had lit his gaze as he peered down at her.

"You are keeping something from me." Halting abruptly, her gaze sharpened to see his lips curling deviously. "Loki! I know that look! What are you planning?"

"Only the continuation of our bloodline, my love."

"Explain yourself, my love."

"Do you really think that I will allow Odin to have another child of mine ... indefinitely? To use her as he sees fit. No indeed."

Odin had already banished Hel to preside over her dreary underworld, had flung the world serpent into the ocean, and had bound Fenrir for all eternity somewhere undisclosed. Fenrir's lot was indeed the most tragic one of all.

"You still haven't told me why she is so important to you both."

"Because she will be the first of her kind. Her blood will ensure that no such dilution will ever weaken my heirs, and therefore Odin will endeavor to keep her from me and mine; Odin and I might not be brothers in truth but, in Laila, we share that tie of blood. And that cannot please him."

"Odin may not use her, but you yourself have no such qualms, eh?" There was a flintiness in her voice that even she could not forebear.

"I shall do what I must. I wish above all else to see your children free and powerful enough to govern their own destinies."

She shook her head. "Beware, Loki, with power will come greed and self-destruction. That has always been the way. We ought not interfere." But for all she understood he wished to please her, he remained stubborn, eyes fixed, his countenance stony and his lips compressed in a determined line. She knew he would do what he thought fitting, and her censure was no deterrent to him in this matter. "All I wish to know now," she said, "is of the well-being of Heida's daughter."

"In time Laila will be set free, my love, of that you may be sure. The children of Heida and Roth's bloodline will rule this world some day, one way or another. And that is my vow to you if it is the last one I make..."

"So I am to be the mother of war-wolves am I?" She gave a troubled sigh.

"So much more than that," he promised vehemently, fingers brushing her temples. "Moreover, you are to be my eternal wife — a truth I have long desired. I have waited many lifetimes for you, Sigyn. And I want that our legacy should stand as a testament of that timeless bond. When I saw you die, I thought I might die as well."

He leaned in to kiss her then, but she was unyielding a moment, her love warring with her anger. Her trust in him wavering a moment even as her fingers tightened in his cloak. It had and always would be this way, she thought sadly: Loki unraveling her sentiments in so many confusing piles. Yet she loved him still. Erelong, though, she finally gave in and parted her lips to him, relaxing into his beloved arms. 

Of all the men to have captured her heart it had to be this one — this cunning, complex, ruthless god; this being that had stolen her mortality and forced on her an eternity she'd never asked for. An eternity that she was now and forevermore grateful for because she would spend it with him; and ever and anon even glimpse her children's children from the otherworld. And though Loki's flaws were many — imperfect creature that he was — she was his and he hers. Hers to council and hers to love, faults and all. Although he spoke of stratagems and war, she knew that some part of him, even against his nature, loved his children — their children. Howsoever he appeared heartless and unaffected by their suffering, she knew him better than anyone; he loved. In his own way he loved.

Loki lifted his head slightly, his breath warm, like smoked apples, against her lips as he searched her eyes. "All my hope lies with Laila: if I can prove to Odin that not every creature borne of my seed is monstrous, that good can come of my blood, perhaps Ragnarök need never come to fruition. To that end, I will finish what I set out to achieve..."

"And that is?"

He kissed her once more, his lips stretching over hers as he smiled. "A child born of both bloodlines — a Daughter of Odin and a Son of Loki. The ultimate war-wolf."

The End. The Beginning.

(Okay, I made a colossal error that no one else has called me out on 😂😅 so thank you @dtwo65 for catching the booboo. Here's where I was going with this tho—Not only did Heida's decision to save Roth—a life for a life—cost her the life of her daughter but it gave Gisli his wretched life back too, that bastard. So she was to suffer twice over. Like the power of three but in this case the power of two. She saved Roth but had to forfeit Gisli's death and her daughter's life. Make sense? Sorry for the screw up. Will be revised when I get around to rewriting this book.)

🌟I wanted to end this book with enough closure that someone need not read further if they don't want to, but I also wanted to whet appetites for the books to follow. What happens to Laila will remain a mystery for now. Okay, shoot! What questions do you still have, other than Laila, and what do you feel I need to fix or improve on. Thanks for following this novel and taking this origin journey with me. You want a family tree, I know. I'll work on it.🌟

🌟By the by, I have an instagram acc (authorjeaninecroft) and a website jeaninecroft.com that I think my fellow littérateurs might appreciate. I hope you'll follow/sign up for my mailing list. Love you guys! Thanks for the support!🌟