Hidden Troubles

Chapter 22

His voice cracked in subconscious fear of the creatures. He didn't know he'd spoken. He didn't know he needed to until he's started. But the silence needed filling, the ghosts needed to be freed.

Natasha had lifted her gaze from her fingers to the wall, a show of her attention.

"They once played a game similar to what we played with me. An older game, meant for masters of deception and trickery. Liar's Die was their name for it."

"Let us play a game, trickster."

Loki closed his eyes, trying to weed out their voices from his head. His limbs shook from trying to hold his beaten self upright, his hands tied above his head had his arms burning constantly. The agony of his previous punishments still coursed freshly through his veins, gaping wounds open to the cold winds of the Chitauri wasteland.

"Does it not wish to do so?"

"Does it wish for rest?"

He squeezed his eyes tighter, as though it would somehow stop their poisonous words from reaching his ears.

"What if we grant you rest for winning this game? A month of rest- none of our play and our punishment. A month of peace."

A month? A month sounded to good to be true- a month to be free of constant pain and torture, to not have his blood pour out of him and flow like a river, to gather strength and hidden magic that had been forced deep into himself.

"But..."

He clenched his fists in anticipation.

"If you lose, we do what we wish with you."

Cold terror ran through him, replacing the hot burning pain with something much worse. Deals with the Chitauri were dangerous—foolish, even—but the promise of a month—a month!—of freedom, of painless, fearless freedom, was so sweet and so unimaginable that he craved it. Needed it. He nodded and the Chitauri yelped with excitement.

"The Jotun had agreed!"

"Unbind it, and bring it here!"

He could feel the growing excitement building in the crowd of Chitauri, that had gathered to see the hopeful downfall of the fallen prince. They pushed him down before a small table of stone- his knees buckled quickly enough under the pressure, but he couldn't let them see how weak he was.

One of the creatures sat across from him, presenting him with five stones, almost coin like in shape. On one side, Loki could feel an engraved X, the other showed a small O.

"You know how to play, don't you Asgardian?"

He shook his head. He could feel the sneer grow on the creature opposite him.

"Tis a simple game. Liar's Die is its name. Five rounds, three tries, to decide the winner. You shake the stones in the cup, and you state your Crosses. Three crosses allows you another stone." A scaly finger pointed to the pile of similarly marked stones cast aside. " A shaking of three Crosses in a row allows for a Red Stone," a lesser clump of coloured stones were indicated to him. Were they even red? Was there any other colour other than darkness in this land?

"The Red Stone may be switched for a cross, should you lack the three. A false claim of crosses may be made. But a revelation of the lie from the opponent means for the removal of a stone. Should the opponent in fact be telling the truth, you must give the stone to them. And the one with the most stones by the end wins."

Loki swallowed his fear. He could taste the danger of the game, could already feel the consequences, the pain of their torture that would come for him should he lose. But the temptation of a month of freedom was too strong, too sweet. He needed it- if there was a chance for a painless month- he needed to try.