When Darkness Falls - LOKI - Book One (Editing)

48. Lucid

     Athelia groaned as she rolled over on her side, her lungs and eyes full of a debilitating dust. She could barely breathe, let alone speak, but yet she tried to call out for them. Her heart raced as she called out for Freya, only to be drowned out by a blood curdling scream that kicked into hyperdrive.

     She was on her feet within seconds, scanning her surrounding. She was surrounded by a falling red fog that blinded her from anything more than a few feet away, but it didn't stop her from searching. She need Freya. She needed to know she was, but as she walked around blindly the fog began dissipate and she watched in horror as small red shards of glass floated in the air around her.

      She wasn't alone in her shock though. Thor stood only a few feet away above Loki who had shielded Freya from the blast that knocked them all off their feet.

     "Freya?"

      "I'm okay," her weak voice called out and she met Loki's gaze as he slowly helped Freya to her feet. The young girl examined her hands and white sparks twitched at her fingertips as she smiled. She was alive and  it seemed as though that all that was left of her power was that of which Athelia had taught her.

       Athelia'ls smile faded the moment her eyes landed on Malekith. A wicked grin spread across his face as the reddened shards moved slowly around them, as if they could only move in slow motion.

     It didn't work. Thor had struck the clouded aether with such force that she could bare to look at it and yet, nothing.
He wasn't strong enough, though a part of her already knew that.

      "Look," Freya gasped from beside them, staring up into the darkness of the sky.

      Athelia's heart sank as she barely made out the alignment. The realms were beginning to converge and as Malekith spread his arms, the shards began to vaporize around them, turning to dust once again as he began to pull towards him.

      "What do suppose we do now brother?" Loki seethed as he stepped away from Freya, backing up as if he knew their end was near.

      But Athelia wasn't about to let that happen. She reached out with her unbound hand, running her fingers through the pool of dust that swept passed her and cupped a handful tightly. Her eyes shut as she squeezed, focusing all of her energy on the bit of aether she had collected between fingers and once she felt the sharp edges against her palm, she opened her hand to see a shard shaking in her palm.

     "Athelia, stop."

     Her eyes met Loki's as he watched her carefully. He knew exactly what she was about to do and despite his pleas, she smiled. "It's the only way."

      Thor and Freya turned towards her and watched as she held the shard at her bound wrist. Blood rushed down her fingers as she dug into the bind, wincing away the pain that pulsed through her. She thought of nothing but Malekith. What he did and what he would do if he escaped this forsaken land. Frigga. Bronen. Dorian. Everything that pushed her towards the darkness flooded her as she screamed against the submission that awaited her.

     And then just like that, her bind fell to the ground as the world around erupted into a mixture of light and dark.

     Malekith stood firm as he adjusted to the swarm of energy just as Athelia did, but unlike Malekith who began to walk away, Athelia was frozen in place as she listened to Freya demand one of them something.

      Loki wrapped his hands around her wrist but pulled back as he felt surge beneath her skin as she blinked her blackened eyes. She was lucid, but she was dark, despite the fact that she looked exactly like the Athelia he had first met. Her hair whipped around her in all it's silverish glory as the dirt and blood faded from her pale skin and the Asgardian armor she had once donned, was replaced by the dark armor of her home planet. He didn't know how she was doing it, no one did except Thor, who smiled as he realized that the only reason she had never been able to control it before was because she had never had a reason to fight it.

      "Are you -"

      "I'm me," she muttered as she stared down at her hands. She watched the darkness pulse through her veins but a smile spread across her dry lips as she turned them back and forth, stunned to see the lack of complete blackness on her skin.

     It was beautiful, but it was dangerous and even though she knew she was capable of killing Malekith there and now, she couldn't be certain the others would survive it.

      "You need to leave." She demanded, looking at three of them. "Now. Loki take Freya to the ship and go."

     "What? No!"

     Athelia's eyes snapped to Freya and her smile faltered as her fingers began to burn. The irrational rage flooded through and she clenched her eyes shut, pushing it back until she felt a hand on her forearm.

      "I'm staying with you." Thor said softly.

      "As am I." Athelia looked at Loki, who stared deep into her eyes as she processed the possible outcomes of the situation, though none of them seemed to end how she had wanted it to. "I have nothing to lose Athelia. I refuse to leave you here alone when all I have is my cell to return to."

     She shook her head as she fought back every emotion that darkness would have otherwise muted. She was in control now though and she would never let her darkness back in control and if they stayed and fell her hands, that's exactly what would happen.

     So she clenched her fist and watched as her inky veins swarmed chaotically, before waving her hand in front of them. They were engulfed in a wave of power she hadn't wielded in nearly half a millennium and she cleared her throat, choking back the discomfort she felt as her emotions fought against her. It was as if they were stunned, despite Malekith's army that slowly began to retreat.

     She was running out of time.

     "You cannot stay here," she said to them as she closed in on Loki. "You are going to take your brother and Freya back to ship and you are going to take them home safely."

      Loki stared at her, his body absorbing her energy. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek, before inhaling a deep breath and walking away from them.