For More Mischief, Call Loki: The Loki Adventures, #5

By Dawn Blair

This is the fifth novella in The Loki Adventures series.

This time, Loki must die.

Loki, Norse god of mischief, knows death draws near. His returned son, Fenrir, likely delivers Loki's demise. No matter how far he runs, dying by hellhound looms in Loki's fate.

He takes refuge in the safest place he thinks of: the library.

Surrounded by all the knowledge of humanity and Midgard, Loki searches for a solution to save the day.

The end comes. Hel awaits.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Morning Sky Studios
• Release date: Nov 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781540101068

Dawn Blair

Come take an adventure with your multi-dimensional, time-traveling tour guide, Dawn Blair. Telling stories of noble hearts and fantastic places, Dawn enjoys creating stories full of action, fantasy, quests, and maybe a touch of technology.  For as long as she can remember, she's been telling stories, starting with tales of cats and dogs. No one ever dared to ask her to "imagine" something because it would send her creativity spinning. One fateful day, her grandmother, certainly tired of listening to the endless prater, sat Dawn down at a typewriter and told her to write the story out.  Growing up on a ranch in rural Nevada, she had plenty of time and space to let her imagination roam free. When she wasn't out playing or working in the alfalfa fields or swimming at the pool, she was at home typing away at her novels.  Dawn moved to Idaho and, after a second fateful day where an instructor taught her to see as an artist, her life expanded to include other creative endeavors: painting, illustrating, animating, and photography in addition to writing. They all became mediums for the way she could share stories. Soon, she had won numerous awards for writing, painting, and photography, as well as gaining readers and collectors worldwide. All while raising her two fantastic boys as a single mom.  Dawn decided to start recording audiobooks. Knowing nothing about the process, she began learning and transformed a simple home setup into a home studio, a sequence marked by a third fateful day in her life when she decided to quit dabbling and get serious. Dawn aims for improving her audio with each narrative tale she completes. Still in Idaho, Dawn spends every moment she can exploring strange worlds, seeking out brave lives and magical civilizations. She wants to touch your life with magic, open your mind, and make sure you will never be the same again. Let her show you the sights. Let's be on our way, shall we? Sign up for your adventures at: www.dawnblair.com

Book preview

Chapter 1

My cell phone chimes as I walk along the busy city street. The ringtone foretells of a Class 5 priority case from Bronwyn, my Asgardian contact with the oracles, and one of the most important calls I could receive. A Class 5 is a life or death situation.

I click the ignore option and keep walking. I put my phone into silent mode as I walk up the stairs to the giant brick library. I can’t have Bronwyn calling me back and causing a scene.

Fenrir whimpers from inside the puppy carrying bag I’ve picked up for him. He turns around inside the case, which makes it wiggle and shift in my hand. I wish I could let him run free and I could dash along with him, but after his mysterious return I believe it’s best to keep him contained. Even the offspring of a god does not just recover from being incinerated by a phoenix.

Sorry, Fen, but you need to behave. I feel like a wretched hypocrite! He has to behave, but I’m breaking as many rules as I possibly can without attracting Odin’s wrathful eye.

I carefully open the sliding compartment on my phone and pull out a single Valkyrie hair. I hate doing this, but it must be done. I slip the phone back into the case at my waist.

I need you to be quiet for a couple minutes, Fenrir, and hold very still, I say as I pull the door open. I step inside and go through the RF security gate. Detect enemies, I command as I snap the Valkyrie hair. I feel the magic surge into the anti-theft detector and reprogram it to my purposes. Ordinarily it would be simple enough to manipulate a human invention to work my will, but this is not something I want to leave to chance. I need real magic, not the simple parlor tricks I’m handicapped with thanks to Odin.

Several women behind the large wooden counter glare at me. I smile and act natural, which for me is pretty damn charming if I do say so myself. One female barely passed her teens breaks her composure and grins back at me. I’m sure her elders’ sharp-eyed scowls of disapproval will turn to her shortly for her transgression.

Two girls standing over a cart giggle as I walk by, but it’s not me they are talking about but rather some story of what transpired here yesterday. I hope they aren’t about to have a different, non-funny type of story to tell tomorrow.

I circle around the rows of computers where several users sit typing away at their keyboards and none look back at me. I’m careful not to get to close to their auras. I don’t want to leave a lingering trace on them. I walk back to the far wall and stroll near the tall open windows then circle back to the staircase. I head upstairs. With swift strides, I disappear down a long aisle among the many rows. Once again at a wall, I turn, go down a few rows, then walk back down another aisle.

My phone vibrates at my side and makes me jump a little. I let it go to voice mail again.

Fenrir gives another whimper.

The essence of dead trees is beginning to cloak me. I feel a shiver go through me and the hair standing on my arms raises little goose bumps. I breathe deeply, taking in the odor of books. Now there are some humans who love the scent of books. Sadistic bastards! Then there are also the people who enjoy old, musty pages so much that they actually orgasm when going into a bookstore. Those are the truly depraved! Do you realize the amount of death that goes into creating a single book, let alone a whole library?

Above the desk-like stations along the wall hang framed photographs of local places. Some have been digitized and not all of them are expertly done. Just because you can use Photoshop doesn’t mean you should. Humans, why would they want to warp their beautiful world into something different?

No, I do understand. Sometimes the truth is too ordinary and we’re all looking for magic.

Yet, that magic is right here in each of these books: little windows into the lives of people real and imagined, destinations to other worlds, the complete and collected history and knowledge of all the brilliant minds of Midgard to date. All on paper. It’s no wonder that currency has become paper-based on this planet.

Do I even need to mention the death involved in paper money?

Or maybe we could start with the wooden houses people build in order to live. Live within a skeletal structure made by something else’s death!

I know, I know. Asgard is apparently housed within the skull of a very large giant. Death of one so another may live is a cycle repeated throughout the universe.

So I must wonder who died so that Fenrir could live.

I damn myself for that stray thought. I’d done so well avoiding it until now. Damn!

I reach in my pocket for the solitary dollar bill that is still there and it gives me comfort. Death to bring life.

A man sitting at one of the stations pretends that I’m not there walking by him, but his aura lights up signaling that he’s alarmed by my presence. I hurry by, not wanting to disturb him further. The last thing I need is the fabric of Midgard sending out distress signals from his location. Everyone, remain calm!

I head down a couple more aisles. I find myself looking over the tops of books into other aisles, expecting to see Death oozing for me. No one’s there.

I find a small table with two chairs in a back corner. It’s all brick here, no windows. I won’t be seen from the outside. I’m surrounded by silence and sweet fragrances of musty books, wood, and polish.

I set Fenrir down on one of the chairs so that if he wiggles a bit he won’t tip over and fall off. Then I pull up the other chair. Reaching out, I call out for the books I need and they appear on the table. Thank goodness Odin never took away by ability to call for the knowledge that I need. Brains beat brawn every time. I will win this.

A shadow falls over me. I’m expecting Anubis when I look up. Instead, Jason and Thor are there. What are you doing at the library? Jason asks.

What am I doing? What are you doing here? I retort, giving him the angriest stare I possibly could. Thor too! Hadn’t I told him to keep Jason safe? How did you find me here?

Jason smiles. Easy. I tracked your cell phone.

Chapter 2

Tracked my cell phone! How dare it be easy for him to find me? He could have led anyone to me! Damn you. You’re fired!

I turn to Thor. I told you to keep him safe. What are you doing gallivanting all about town with him? You’re fired too. Another thought comes to me and brings me to my feet. Wait, did you guys come through the front doors?

Jason looks confused, but he is so use to instantly responding to my questions that he answers, We did.

The siren didn’t go off. Damn it! I point at Thor. I set it to detect enemies.

Loki, Thor responds with a slow drag to his voice, That’s not very nice.

Perspective, Brother, perspective! I slap his arm with the back of my hand. I don’t like you very much. You’re a simple bane to my existence. I wouldn’t trade you for the world, but that doesn’t mean I want you in mine.

Thor nods slowly. I can almost hear the wheels turning again. I wonder if some WD-40 shot into his ear would loosen up those gears any.

Jason kneels down beside the carrier which contains Fenrir and peeks inside. Hi, Fen. Then, to me, he adds, I thought you said a phoenix killed him.

Thor grabs the carrier and lifts it up. Holding it close to his face, he shouts, Fenrir! Son of Loki, so good to see you again. You are so much smaller than I last remember you being. He sticks his finger in between the mesh screening and I wish Fenrir would bite it off, but I’ll be lucky if Fenrir only licks him.

I grab the bag back. Thor, don’t, I warn, setting the bag back on the chair where I had it.

Loki, Jason says, "what are you doing here? Why the