She drew in a deep breath. This was Loki. God of Mischief. The demi-god who had nearly destroyed New York City.
A man who, this whole time, had only asked. Not demanded, or commanded, but asked.
She poured out confidence and strength. ”What do you need me to do?”
A small smile quirked at the edges of his lips. He handed her a knife. ”What you do best. Display your incredible gifts.” He knew she would understand. ”Here,” he murmured, dragging a finger down her throat, sending a cool antidote into her lungs. Then he threw forth the full blast of his spell, growling ancient words into the sky. A thick storm cloud gathered over the fortress, throwing all into a confusion of gray, mottled darkness even more absolute than before. ”Now, we attack while they are weak.”
Summer turned the little knife over, then shoved it into the top of her boot. Wings flaring, she leaped for the shrouded sky, latched on to that beacon of terrible cruelty, and pulled, dumping the emotions back out as a rain of fire as fast as possible.
It hurt. Gods, it burned, not like familiar fire, but like acid, like freezing, like pain beyond pain. She wanted to vomit, channelling those emotions; she wanted to curl up into a ball and scream her anguish to the high heavens. Instead she gritted her teeth and held on, spinning a whirling cocoon of flame about herself, and loosing spits and flares of fire in all directions.
Loki darted into the lower entrance, knowing the way by instinct of his cruel memories. He knew he was being fueled by pure hatred and rage and he didn’t care in the slightest. He swore he could feel Summer’s energy above him, he could feel the heat and the pinpricks of sensation all over his body.
He would owe her a lot for this.
Thanos was slouched over an oversized throne in a posture that was eerily familiar to the fallen prince of Asgard. He drew in a quick hiss of air, and they locked eyes. ”Do you feel that?” He snarled, before Thanos could say a word. ”That is my secret weapon. Tell me, what do you feel?” He materialized a long spear and spun it swiftly across Thanos’s face, drawing blood.
He glared back at Loki, bearing his teeth. ”Laufeyson, you dare…challenge me? I, who own your mind, and all the worlds?” There was a catch in his voice though, and Loki could hear it. He was weak.
Loki threw a frenzied disarming spell over him, and grinned a sickening smile when he saw it taking hold. Just enough time to play with his catch. He found himself wishing Summer was there to see…
Anger and pain, rage and cruelty … they poured through her in a never ending flood, and Summer clenched her hands into fists, unconsciously weeping with the burn of it. They were fighting now; she could almost see it behind her eyes.
Almost wasn’t enough. She dropped lower, then lower, eyes half-lidded and moving solely on the line of emotions. Something barred her path, and she shoved fire into it until it exploded from pure heat, and another, and then cool stone lay beneath her feet, and Loki held a giant being at bay, cruelty dripping off him like water after rain.