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Chapter-13- The Unwilling Thrall

Celestial Realm...

Tamamo-no-Mae trotted through the foliage. The nine-tailed fox lifted her head to a tall tree, eyed the lowest branch, and leapt into the air. Her claws scratched at the tree, scrambling the last half-meter upwards. She pulled herself up onto the branch.

The graceful vixen turned about on all four paws, and bound upwards into the next branch. She walked along it with ease, made her way onto another branch of an adjacent tree, and moved into position above a hot springs pool.

Tamamo settled upon her belly and gazed down over the humanized form of her race's queen, Sigyn - the only fox spirit in existence to possess ten full tails, all of which were cloaked from the naked eye.

Sigyn settled beside her husband, his face obscured by shadows.

High above, Tamamo closed her eyes. Her white-furred ears perked.

"Sigyn - it has been long since you have visited me."

"I owe you an apology, my prince. I've been busy. However, I've come bearing news."

The man was half shrouded, only the lower part of his body and legs were seen on the rocks. Chains linked his wrists and ankles to the boulders beneath him. "Tell me of your news, love."

Sigyn stood over her husband and glanced into a large bowl supported by a spiderweb. Its gossamer strands glistened with dew.

"One moment," said Sigyn. "Let me check to see if..." She stood on her toes, peering over the lip of the bowl. "It is two-thirds of the way filled. I will dump the acid after we speak."

From Tamamo's vantage point, the silent vixen could see an enormous serpent above the man's head. Acidic venom dripped from its fangs, pooling in the bowl.

Sigyn knelt beside her imprisoned spouse, satisfied she wouldn't have to empty the bowl just yet. "I'm sorry I haven't been around to keep you company."

"Close to five hundred years, now, in this damned hot springs grove. I am rather well adapted to my bouts of solitude."

Sigyn frowned. "I am sorry you have endured loneliness."

The god, whose face was obscured from view, sighed deeply. "Sigyn, what news do you bring me?"

Sigyn smiled. "The 'Great Anomaly' has been captured inside of a vault. It was reinforced and coated with a spray-on material to make it less conductive to electricity."

The man, with a shadow across his face, nodded slowly. He rubbed his thumb against his forefinger, as if in thought.

"Are you not pleased with my hard work?" she asked.

"Forgive me, I was pondering."

"Stop your brooding and listen. The warrior called The Reaper by the council of Specials has been captured ... by me."

"So, he is just a man after all." He gestured for Sigyn to continue.

She eyed him. "The humans will ship The Anomaly across the sea, then take him by a locomotive across a continent. He will be in place by the zenith."

"And what of The Reaper's team? The legendary Four Horsemen - what of them?"

A smile returned to Sigyn's face. "The man who can teleport, Ethan 'The Ghost' Sandusky, was killed by the telepathic boy."

"And the others?"

Sigyn's tone grew confident and boastful. "The philogynist they called The Judge is now dead, struck down by one of the creatures created in the early stages of Dr. Falcon's super soldier program."

"Mm, that is splendid - I have high hopes for the super soldier program." He brought his hands together, causing his chains to rattle. "And what of the final warrior?"

Sigyn shook her head. "The Blood, whose name I do not know, is unaccounted for. We know little about him, except that he may be a vampire."

"Hmm. It was clever of their people to choose pseudonyms. Had we known their real names sooner, we could have destroyed the Four Horsemen years ago."

Sigyn frowned. "I am doing the best I can with what we now know of their team."

"Forgive my impatience - I appreciate what you've accomplished, Sigyn. I did not mean to make light of your hard work." He smiled, causing his tone to brighten. "The Esoteric Council is exposed and undefended. You've destroyed their greatest warrior force, their fabled 'Four Horsemen.' I am proud of you."

Sigyn smiled but remained silent.

Her husband shifted his weight. He smiled somewhat. "What is the status of the Cymric succubus?"

"Azazel's daughter is properly distracted by the telepath. The Esoteric Council wishes the telepath dead, as per their laws. If she remains with the boy, they will both die soon enough." Sigyn glanced back at the beautiful hot springs and sighed softly.

"You have done excellent work. For a century, you have done everything I asked to bring my plan to fruition, and I appreciate it."

Sigyn lowered her gaze. "A plan you never seem willing to share..."

"It's a complicated plan, I would not wish to bore you with it."

"No. Tell me."

"Sigyn..." The enshrouded prince sighed in frustration.

"I wish to know what you've planned in detail. We are married. We are a team. I take care of you, and I give you my loyalty. In return, I wish to know what I must prepare myself to endure."

"Endure?"

"Yes," said Sigyn in a stern tone. "I have endured more than you realize. I have endured your capture. I have endured the gods changing my son into an animal and using him to murder my other son. I was punished for your transgressions. I have endured loneliness. I have endured the loss of my children. And now I endure without your comfort, because you are imprisoned in the faraway land of the hot springs. Yes, endure, it is a perfectly appropriate word. Now. Tell me of your so-called plan, or you can find someone else to be your unwitting lackey. Are we clear?"

Silence.

Up in the tree, Tamamo covered her muzzle so as not to react.

Down on the edge of the hot springs, the shadow-shrouded prince sighed in defeat. His eyes lowered. "Very well. I only wished to spare you the details, so that you would not be implicated as complicit, should the gods catch us."

"They murdered my children! I want revenge! If you know a way to slay the gods, or to overpower them, then I demand to hear of it in detail! Now."

He grew silent, staring at his wife. "I am impressed by your resolve to..."

"Now!" she demanded.

"Where do I even start..."

"Give me a synopsis of your plan. Then, as a couple, we will break it down piece by piece until I feel comfortable that it will succeed."

"Very well." He took a deep breath and said, "I wish to free my son, Fenris. I wish to manipulate the oldest human supernaturals, and inspire them to cleanse ... to purge themselves of those who have crossbred with mundane humans. When the dust settles, and there are only a handful of supernatural humans left, Fenris will help the two of us make our way to Earth, where we will walk among humans as its gods. We will end world religions, causing our peers and other deities to fade away, forgotten. I will usher in the thousand years of peace and prosperity promised to humans at the end of Ragnarök and The Book of Revelations. That is my plan."

Sigyn stared at him in silence.

"As it said, it is complicated and can only be achieved in carefully calculated phases."

"My dear husband, my step-son is a mighty creature, and a powerful warrior, but he is no match for the Gleipnir. The geneticist is overburdened with tasks that you have given to him over the last several decades - you inspired him to discover how to steal immortality from the genetics of an immortal supernatural, then you made him obsessed with finding the capital city of the First Age of Enlightened Humans. Now you have him distracted by helping Sinopa have children, because you said these children are important to accessing the sunken city."

"Yes, well..."

"And, finally," she interrupted, "you mentioned destroying the supernaturals that protect Earth from our kind. However, the supernatural community is too numerous to destroy, and they have strong leadership."

Silence.

Up in the tree, Tamamo winced, hearing the queen of her species rip into her Jötunn prince.

The man, down below, rattled the chains that kept him connected to the bolder.

Sigyn ground her teeth together. She narrowed her eyes. "Do you care to explain to me how this will work? I want my revenge."

"It is a work in progress; I have pondered this plan for the better half of a century."

Sigyn stood up. She gazed into the bowl of venom above his head. She sighed and stretched her back. Her eyes gazed out over the beautiful hot springs. "Very well, my prince. Convince me it will work."

"First, Fenris will free me, so that..."

Sigyn grimaced. She brought her hands up and gestured him to silence. "No."

"No?"

"My step-son is a fine warrior, love. However, the Gleipnir chain that binds Fenris is powerful beyond imagination."

"You underestimate him, Sigyn."

"With all due respect, the Gleipnir's might is legendary. It saps Fenris' willpower with the strength of a black hole. It crushes him flat to the rock, so he is unable to move. If he were able to break it, don't you think he would have managed it by now?"

He stared up at Sigyn for a moment. Finally, in a soft voice, he said, "Fenris is more than an enormous wolf, Sigyn. Iron chains cannot hold him. Enchanted restraints break when he tenses his body."

"I did not mean to insult your blood..."

"My son is far more powerful than a silken fetter." His voice became stern. "Do you know why I was bound here?"

"Because you brazenly walked into the halls of Valhalla and mocked your peers; you are a kin-slayer. You insulted all the women of Asgard that day. And, most impressive of all, your children are prophesized to destroy the known world." She reached forward and placed her hand upon his. With an ego-stroking tone, she added, "Odin bound you to this rock because he fears you, my love."

He smiled. "But do you know why my punishment was to be served in solitude? Do you know why Odin keeps me away from the ears of others?"

Sigyn frowned. "I ... do not know, love."

"Because I learned how to free my son - the very creature prophesized to devour mighty Odin. So he locked me away in hopes I would never speak upon what I've learned."

Sigyn shook her head. "Your son's escape will not occur until the onslaught of Ragnarök. Your son breaks free and devours Odin. That is the prophecy."

The prince nodded. "So you have faith in the poems of Ragnarök?"

Sigyn narrowed her gaze. "I look forward to the end times. It is then that I will be reunited with my children, taken from me by Odin."

The shrouded prince reached for her hands. "For a moment, forget what we, as deities, know about the end of our kind." He paused, as if for dramatic effect. "Do you know the _human's definition_of Ragnarök?"

"Of course," she said to her husband, adding, "they define it as the fate of the gods. A Norse prophet stated the gods would one day meet their demise. The outcome will be so great it will destroy life on Earth. Few humans will survive."

The shrouded prince nodded. "Continue the prophecy," said the man, relishing in the thought of Ragnarök.

Sigyn nodded. "As you wish. Some say two humans, and some say two tribes of humans will survive. The prophecy claims they will repopulate the world, followed by a thousand years of peace."

"Go on. There is a point to this, Sigyn, I assure you. So, please, continue."

Sigyn nodded. "Some say your son, Fenris, will slay the man who raised you and imprisoned you. The prophecy dictates these events will usher in the end of the current age."

"Já. But the new age means suffering and immense loss. The new age is brought in by the world ending. My plan is to wipe out only some of humanity, but still ensure a thousand years of peace and prosperity."

Up in the tree, Tamamo rolled her eyes.

Down on the rock, Sigyn placed her hand on her husband's wrist. "This prophecy was foretold by a delirious human oracle from the distant past. However, every single one of his prophecies came true."

The man slowly raised his hands, causing chains to rattle where his forearms were bound to the stones nearby. He put his palms upon her face. "Sigyn, my plan is to change the events of the oracle's prophecy. My plan is to leave this forsaken grove and, before long, walk the Earth Realm freely."

Tamamo, up in the trees, rolled her eyes. For years, she often heard the two trickster gods speak of their eventual 'greatness' more times than she could count.

Sigyn sighed. "How do you propose we manage such an event? You require human faith to become strong enough to break free. However, faith in the Norse beliefs would mean that your captors would also grow strong again. It is what the humans call a 'catch 22.' We cannot allow Odin to regain his full strength."

"Já. You are wise Sigyn. We cannot allow faith to return to the Norse gods, else they will stand strong against me - against us."

She smiled somewhat. "You would be pleased, love. Valhalla no longer shines with the luster it once did, now that it is forgotten by humanity's faith that once sustained it."

"Mm, that _is_pleasing to hear."

Up in the tree, Tamamo sighed through her nose and closed her eyes again. She rested her muzzle along the branch.

The man on the rocks, his face shrouded in shadows, continued his explanation. "The descendants of Fenris grow strong."

"You must be proud of your grandchildren."

"Let's just say ... they will be useful."

Sigyn tilted her head. "In what way?"

"I've learned that one of your servants, Tamamo-no-Mae, has arranged for a werewolf named Peri Lynn to aid the succubus and the telepath. Peri has yet to manifest, but her death will be very useful to my plan."

Up in the tree, Tamamo's eyes widened and her ears perked up. She swallowed.

Down below, Sigyn tilted her head back the other direction. Reddish-blond tresses swept across her face. "Very well." Sigyn eyed her husband for a moment. "Regarding the succubus and telepath - what is their mission?"

He smiled. "To rescue the pregnant three-tail and the old man."

Sigyn's eyes widened. "I was not aware that Sinopa Parker was captured." Her eyes narrowed. "Wait, how could you know this? I only just delivered the news of The Reaper's capture."

Up in the tree, Tamamo bristled up at the thought of Sinopa in trouble.

"I'm telling you the truth, Sigyn. Your little three-tail, Sinopa Parker, joined the battle with The Reaper, and was captured alongside of him. Do not worry, the pregnant three-tail is safe. The children will be safe - which is important, as those children are part of the plan."

"I ... see."

He offered his wife a charming smile. "I assure you that Sinopa will survive, as will her children."

In the tree, the little white vixen swallowed again. Hearing that Sinopa was safe brought some measure of relief, but only slight. She held her breath, listening to the deities below.

"Once the children are in their teens, I will require for Sinopa to develop cancer. It's part of my plan, and I promise it will not be fatal for Sinopa."

Sigyn blinked. "Excuse me?"

From the tree high above, Tamamo's eyes opened. Her white-furred ears perked up.

Down below, the prince in the shadow said, "It is important that Dr. Falcon can study the tumor once it is removed."

"Why?!" Sigyn erupted.

"The immortal cells of an immortal's cancer tumor could be reverse engineered to create a more refined version of human longevity. Your three-tail will survive, Sigyn. The experience will make her stronger, and we still have her children to use as part of our original plan."

"You mean _your_plan - a plan you have not yet fully revealed to me." Sigyn pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Cancer is an extreme measure. I am very protective of my foxes."

"Sigyn..."

She raised her volume, speaking over her husband. "I was very careful when reinventing myself under the auspices of the Æsir. I ensured that my fox spirit creations would be prayed to by the distant Asian religions. I reinvented myself and my name in Europe. I worked hard so that humanity would see my vulpine creations as mysterious, thus guaranteeing my foxes would thrive."

"Sigyn, I know you care for each spirit fox throughout the two realms. However, I assure you that Sinopa's cancer would not be fatal."

She grimaced and furrowed her brows with a look of disgust. "My foxes are delicate..."

"They are _not_delicate, Sigyn. They are crafty, intelligent, strong, and their numbers continue to grow."

"I want you to promise that Dr. Falcon will save her life from this cancer."

"She will live, no matter who performs the operation. Listen to me, Sigyn. All that matters is the tumor will wind up in the hands of Dr. Falcon. He will study it, and it will help him to perfect the super soldiers for my future army. As it stands, they age just like Dr. Falcon. He doesn't realize it because he put the creatures into stasis, but they would eventually age, and they will break down on the genetic level."

"Super soldiers," said Sigyn with a scoff.

"If it doesn't work, we will have to fall back on the original plan of using the Jötnar to burn this realm to the ground."

Sigyn stood up and stretched. She reached for nearby branches and ran her fingers over the leaves. She balled her hands into fists. "Sinopa is mine. I would never endanger one of my creations by purposefully giving her cancer. Find another way. So what if the super soldiers can grow old? They stop aging once they reach physical maturity. They can reproduce like normal humans for all I care. I do not wish for Sinopa to have cancer. I am loyal to my foxes."

"Yet you abandoned them for hundreds of years. You left them in Asia while you reinvented yourself in Europe."

Sigyn turned away and began walking.

"Wait!"

She glanced over her shoulder, torn between her loyalty to her beloved fox spirits, and her loyalty and love for her husband.

"Forgive me. I spoke out of frustration for my imprisonment, and because I feel impotent, lying here on this rock, beneath this serpent. Forgive me, Sigyn."

She ran her hands back through her hair and sighed. "Loki..." Her eyes lowered.

"Sigyn, I cannot regain my freedom without your help to free my son."

She eyed her husband. "Tell me, love. How do we free Fenris?" She approached him and lowered to her knees at his side.

He sighed in relief. "First you must understand the truth of my son's imprisonment. Odin fragmented my son's spirit to ensure the silk chain of the dwarfs would be powerful enough to hold him."

Sigyn blinked. "What? Why?"

He smirked. "Everyone speaks of the legendary silk fetter stronger than the strongest iron. Everyone raves about mighty Gleipnir; the humans write poems of the silk chain that is more powerful than my mighty son ... but such an object does _not_exist."

"Are you suggesting the Gleipnir restraints are a lie?"

"No, Sigyn. The Gleipnir is real. I'm telling you that a restraint more powerful than Fenris does not exist. It is all a farce designed to bring about respect to Odin and the dwarves."

"Why have you not told me this until now?"

"It is difficult to acknowledge the broken spirit of my son, Sigyn."

"Help me understand - Odin shattered the spirit of your son to ensure Fenris would not break silken fetters?"

"Já, Sigyn. Now you understand."

"Does Fenris know what has been done to him?"

"No. My son believes he is truly not powerful enough to break a silk ribbon made by the dwarves. But silk, like steel, can shatter. It's true, the Gleipnir is far more powerful than the steel chains it replaced, but it was never strong enough to contain my son. That is why Odin secretly fragmented Fenris' spirit."

"Again I ask - how do we free your son, my love?"

"To release Fenris, we orchestrate the eradication of all werewolves."

Sigyn blinked.

Up in the tree, Tamamo blinked.

Loki reached for Sigyn's hands. "Each werewolf is born from a fragment of the spirit of Fenris. When a werewolf dies, their spirit returns to Fenris. If werewolves become extinct, Fenris will become whole once more."

"No easy task, my prince," Sigyn acknowledge with a firm nod. "But even if Fenris were to break free, and even if he were to rescue you, how do you plan to kill off one hundred thousand supernatural human beings?"

Silence.

She smirked. "Did you not realize the supernatural population has grown in the past hundred years?"

"The plan will work."

She sighed. "I know you've become married to a goal whenever you repeat your ideas several different ways."

"This one will work."

She rubbed her face. "We've tried for ages to free you and your son. It will never work. This is not the first time you've rambled about becoming free again."

He sat up a bit more and took her by the wrist. "Sigyn, you will do as I say. I am your husband, and I believe in this end game with all that I am. I need_your support. I _need you to help me."

Sigyn used her foot and swept back several of her ten fox tails, all of which were cloaked from sight. "Very well, I will ponder a way to drive the werewolves into extinction."

"I appreciate your loyalty, Sigyn."

Her expression faded. "Forgive me, I do not mean to take a tone with you, love. I, too, have been frustrated as of late."

"I understand."

She frowned. "I understand you wish to escape this realm and 'conquer Earth' as it were. But there are one hundred thousand supernatural beings across the globe. How do you plan to wipe them out?"

"I once considered having the geneticist create a virus to attack all humans with the Esoteric Community genome. However, it would kill Sinopa's children and we need them for the plan. So, we'll have to inspire a silent inquisition."

"And who will kill these people for us?"

"They will kill one another, Sigyn. It is human nature - they, as a species, cull themselves."

She blinked. "How will you convince them to wipe themselves out?"

"Racism and disgust for supernaturals who have crossbred with mundane humans. It is no secret that the older members of the Esoteric Community have whispered amongst themselves for a purity cleansing. They have spoken of such for centuries."

"And I suppose you wish me to find someone to lead this ... inquisition?"

"Yes. As I said earlier, find someone we can trust - a human who is hungry to be given abilities. We will find a way to alter them on the genetic level. Perhaps we can use the doctor's research."

"His name is Falcon."

"Yes, him."

"Now, remind me why we need a human-turned-god?"

"He or she would be genetically undetectable to the Esoteric Council."

"I see a flaw in your plan. Elder Specials hate mundane humans; they will certainly not wish follow one."

"Why did the Nazis follow Hitler, a Jewish man with brown hair?"

"That is one instance..."

He leaned forward, straining his restraints. "And what of Temüjin of Borjigin? He united nomadic tribes and, in a short time, created the largest empire humanity has ever seen. He became known as Genghis Khan."

She grimaced. "Genghis Kahn, yes. I know of him. He encouraged religious tolerance, ensuring the survival of my foxes. Yet my foxes feared him because of his brutality."

"My point is simple: Never ignore the power of a persuasive personality who is unafraid to speak his mind. We simply need an intelligent man capable of winning hearts and minds for a cause."

Sigyn lowered her gaze. "Is there anything else I can do for your plan, love?"

He nodded in reply. "The super soldier, Jasper Cunningham..."

"Yes? What about him?"

"I want you to convince him to send his daughter, Laura, to spend time with her mother. I have plans for Elizabeth and Laura."

"Very well." Sigyn leaned in and brushed her lips against his cold mouth. "I love you." She stood up and left the springs. She made her way through the grove back towards the heart of the Celestial realm.

Meanwhile, back in the hot springs, Tamamo-no-Mae stood up on the tree branch. Her ears eased back, flat over her head in annoyance.

"Fox creature."

Tamamo blinked and froze.

"Yes, I know you're there, nine-tail. I may not be your father, but I am the husband of your mother. Will you help us in eventually freeing your half-brother?"

The vixen leapt down, coming to rest on soft moss, facing the man with gorgeous blue eyes. "Sigyn-sama is not my mother. She is my distant great, great, great grandmother at best. I will never help you, lest I am caught and forced to share the fate of Fenris. I do not wish to be locked away. I do not serve my ancestor."

"You refuse to serve the very queen of your people, child?"

Tamamo snarled in reply then took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I have vowed my service to the Shinto god, Inari. I have overheard many of your conversations with the queen of my race. They are a source of amusement. I've heard so many plans for greatness over the last millennium. It is a constant reminder to me that evil is forever plotting while good makes actions to defend against such tyranny. Now, I must go and face my punishment for listening in on Queen Sigyn's conversation."

"I will not tell my wife that you were here."

"Oh?"

"I want you to see me succeed, so I can prove you wrong. You cannot stop me, Tamamo-no-Mae. You are not a true god - you are an over-powered messenger."

"I do not need to stop you. You are bound forever, Mr. Laufeyjarson. Humanity will never again have true faith in the Norse mythology. They have all but forgotten your kind, except in scholarly texts and in fictional illustrations called 'comics,' read by children. What has the Norse belief contributed to the modern day? Hmm, the names of the days of the week; not much more. It is only because of texts in a library that you are not yet forgotten. I laugh at you, pitiful fool. You are powerless."

Loki smirked. "Ah, so you think you are above me? You think the Shinto gods are greater than the Norse Æsir pantheon? Do you know how old I am, child creature?"

She scoffed. "Child!? I have evolved through several iterations and I am far older than you realize!"

"Ah. Yes, you were a two-tailed fox when you tricked your first emperor into loving you. Chinese, I believe. But, Tamamo, I was already considered old and had evolved through several iterations by the time Charlemagne was born."

"Making you puny compared to Sigyn-sama. A carving of her with her first tail exists upon a recently unearthed monolith at Göbekli Tepe, thirteen thousand years old. She is from what the humans call the 'Mesolithic' period. You cannot fathom a creature so old."

"And yet she does as I tell her, as a proper wife should."

"I am unimpressed. Look at you, lying chained to a bolder, naked and powerless. You are nothing, Mr. Laufeyjarson."

"There are two humans who predate the age of my wife, currently living in America. And even those two men knew to respect me, messenger girl."

"Methos and Isaac. People like those men are all that is left of the old ways. You know, I've decided I understand why you hide in that shadow. I understand why you do not let anyone see your face or speak your first name."

"You know nothing, Tamamo-no-Mae. For a nine-tail, you're still a child. And, in the end, you'll never amount to anything more than a messenger spirit."

She smirked, not wanting to let him get to her. "You're still upset that the Christianization of your believers caused you to become sterile, limp, and worthless. You must have cried when the Sami people converted in the eighteenth century. You've been nearly forgotten ever since. You are always on the verge of disappearing, should libraries ever be forgotten."

"My people were the Gods amongst gods! We were the first to be truly respected since the fall of the Olympians. We carried humans into battle, and drove them to do as we desired. Know this, messenger ... I will rise again. And rest assured, I will not forget your insults when I do."

The little white vixen rolled her eyes.

He sneered in reply, still mostly hidden by the shadows cast across his upper body.

Her tails flitted about, as though amused. "Shinto is backed by one hundred fifty million believers. I evolved from Chinese religions rooted in Taoism, Buddhism, and folklore mythology, all of which predates your people by almost a thousand years. Know your place, Frost Gnome. I could crush you. But, out of respect for my queen, I will leave her pathetic husband to lie here with that sheet of gloom across your miserable face, chained to the boulders, alone at the heart of the hot springs grove."

"You will beg forgiveness for mocking me. Wait and see little fox."

"Like your wife, I too bring you news, oh prince. Just because the werewolves on earth have grown in strength and power does not give any faith or power back to Fenris. Humanity does not know the truth of their existence. And even if they did, they would explain it with limited human science; it would not bring belief back to Fenris. As long as your son is helpless without the human belief of faith, he will never break Odin's chain."

Laufeyjarson grimaced. "Do not speak ill of my son, vixen bitch."

"You mean the one with the broken spirit? Or the dead one you fathered with Sigyn-sama?"

"I'll never be completely forgotten, because that limited human science you speak of ... it involves something called archaeology. These scientists categorize tales of my earliest beginnings, carved in stones. They told tales of my fantastic ability to manipulate all the way up to the dawn of the industrial age. I will _never_be completely forgotten. I will be eternal."

"I do hope you enjoy eternity. You'll never be completely forgotten, so you'll stay here until the end of time. Alone. Chained to these rocks - solitary confinement."

The man's lip curled up at the corner.

Tamamo reached down and touched her paw against the clattering chains, which bound the man to the rock. "You must despise the rattling of this metallic alloy painted over the guts of your dead son, Nari ... a horrible yet inventive punishment."

"You _will_respect me."

Tamamo sat up on her haunches and retrieved a skull from a satchel. She put her forepaws upon it and transformed. She stood up in full human form.

The kitsune withdrew a folded kimono from her satchel and dressed herself.

She brushed the back of her hand against a bowl supported by a spider's web above the man's head.

Liquid venom, caught in the bowl above him, spilled over the lip. It trickled down the side and dribbled from the bottom. A single drop of the venom touched his skin, causing him to writhe in pain.

"Respect you?" The kitsune smiled. "I will do no such thing. You may have tricked the queen of my race into agreeing to try and free you, and that abomination wolf of she calls a step-son ... however, the rest of us know the truth."

"According to my Vanir contact, I already know the future and know how this plays out. You know nothing, messenger girl. Helping me is the smartest thing you could do for yourself at this time."

"I know that Fenris is a monstrosity from the loins of your troll lover, Angrboða. Couldn't get anyone else to sleep with you at the time, so you had to settle for a giant troll? Not very godly of you. Way to make an 'áss' out of yourself. That is the singular term for a god of the Æsir, isn't it?"

The man remained silent, unamused by her word play.

Tamamo ran her fingers back through her long white locks of hair. "I am delighted by irony. It would be ironic to help you in order to hurt you," she said.

He remained silent, the tilting of his head was his only response.

"I see this bowl of venom is continuing to collect. I wonder if Odin knows it's here, collecting the venom intended to torture you drop-by-drop. You see, I will keep Sigyn-sama busy for a while, helping her complete your fruitless errands so that she forgets to empty this bowl. And then ... whoops." Tamamo reached up and flicked the bowl again.

Venom sloshed over the side, dripped down and burned his skin again. The man thrashed about in pain.

Tamamo smiled. "While your wife is busy doing as you've asked, this bowl will fill to the brim. I will make sure she stays on task so as to forget about emptying this bowl. Venom will pool over the side and burn you - it won't be a few drops like now. It will be a steady stream."

The man narrowed his gaze.

Tamamo's smile broadened. "And to further mock you, these silly plans of yours would bring about nothing productive. Do you need me to prove it to you? They're fruitless moments of wasted effort."

He grit his teeth in agony and muttered through clenched molars. "I suppose my imagination is not as vivid as yours. I don't see failure."

"This coming from the man who was once beaten in a fight by Heimdallr while in the shape of a seal," she teased. "That must have been embarrassing. Isn't he fated to kill you during Ragnarök? Why are you rushing to that outcome? Are you excited to die?"

"What has been foreseen can be changed. Again, I do not see failure."

"Then allow me to prove it to you. As I said, I am a fan of irony. I will help your wife make a proper idiot out of the geneticist you call Doctor Falcon. His actions will merely inspire the wrath of the Esoteric Council." Tamamo's eyes blazed with a mix of mirth and scorn. "By the time Sigyn-sama returns to your side, the bowl will be steadily dribbling acid upon you. A double insult."

"You know who I am, and you know what I am capable of causing."

The kitsune guided her white hair back and ran her fingers through it to smooth out the lengthy locks. "Yes,Loki, I know you're capable of causing mischief."

"I am a trickster god. I will always get what I want in the end."

Tamamo scoffed. "Actually, you're nothing now. And to make matters worse, even human scholars are beginning to agree that you were never a proper trickster. You're merely manipulative, but certainly not persuasive enough to make a good politician or lawyer."

Loki grimaced.

She saw him wince from the insult. It brought a smile to her porcelain visage. "Good bye, fool."

"You will see. I knew you were here all along. I said everything I wanted you to know. Just as Sigyn belongs to me, so do you, fox spirit."

Tamamo picked up the skull by her feet and smirked at Loki.

"I could make it so you wouldn't need that human skull in order to transform. I could..."

"I am quite old," said Tamamo. "I am used to using it, because that's how my species transformed when I was young. You have nothing I want, Loki." She held the skull up and smirked. "And you never will." Tamamo put the skull into her satchel.

"I know you are loyal to my wife. Just remember where her loyalty lies, Tamamo. You could be part of something greater than yourself."

Tamamo dropped back to all fours and a white pelt grew from her body. She shrank down to the form of a fox once more. The nine-tailed vixen turned about and trotted off with a gleeful bounce in her step.

The man narrowed his eyes and tugged at the chains, which bound him to the boulder overlooking the hot springs. "You may mock me," he whispered. "But I've tricked you to be here, spying on me, so that the humans would be able to capture your precious pupil. Now Sinopa is out of play and unable to interfere. Guess I'm not as foolish as you thought. "

X

X

Meanwhile, a short time later Back in San Francisco...

The sound of a woman clearing her throat broke the silence.

Karla and Chance both sat up in bed and looked over, wide-eyed, at Tamamo-no-Mae in the mirror above the dresser. The white-furred vixen appeared quite large, as if magnified in the wall mirror.

"O-machido sama. Oh." Tamamo immediately noted their state of undress. "I ... see you have found ways of passing time. I did not mean to disturb..." Tamamo trailed off. In an almost childish-sounding tone, she added, "Gomen'nasai ... very sorry, both of you."

Karla smirked. "Don't give me that half-assed apology - you knew what we were doing."

Tamamo looked down at the dresser from her place inside the reflection, then she gazed around the mirror, as though inspecting the room. "I have just heard from Sinopa and Nathan. They were captured by a clever trick. Whoever they were up against is shrewd and quite prepared. Your friends are locked inside of a vault that has been moved by truck. They are being fed and treated as prisoners but cannot escape."

Karla's smirk faded. "Where are they?" The succubus' expression changed into a slight grin. "I'll teleport them out."

"Arigato, Karla-san. But I do not know. The vault that has become their cell was taken away from the mirror that Sinopa went through to meet with Nathanial. I listened to Jasper Cunningham from it and learned very little."

"Learning 'very little' is still better than nothing, Tammy Fox. Go on, tell us."

Tamamo nodded. "They are being moved, presumably by ship, and will arrive somewhere on the American east coast. From there, our friends will be sent to a city called Las Vegas in the state of Nevada."

"I know what states Vegas is in," Karla said. "How about you stop beating around the bush, Tammy."

Tamamo grimaced at the nickname. Her ears eased back and her vertical pupils dilated. "It will be where they are unloaded from one train and placed upon another. I heard the date but no time was given. There is no way that you can check every train coming through the area. So you will need to prepare the boy to better his ability so that on the eighth of July, he will be able to sense their presence when Sinopa and Nathanial pass through."

"I'm right here," said Chance, holding the covers up to his shoulders. "You can stop condescending to me like I'm some sort of pawn on your chessboard."

"Hai, I apologize for my disrespect, Marcus-san." Tamamo frowned. "I am a fool. They most likely only meant to capture Nathanial-san. Now Sinopa-chan is with him because I was trying to..." She trailed off, and sighed with self-disgust. "It matters not why. All that matters is that you must rescue her."

Karla folded her arms, unashamed of being seen in a state of undress. "Relax, Tammy Fox. We'll get them back. What's the plan?"

"Your window of opportunity is very small. One city, on one date with an unknown time. Your search for the mirror is not important compared to finding her. I am told that Sinopa's children are paramount to the future, somehow."

Karla rolled her eyes. "Jesus, and you put her in harm's way? Dumbass."

Tamamo flinched. "Sigyn-sama is quite upset with me, especially since she already asked me to forgo searching for the mirror. Sinopa's children are the concern of my people and my shame is..."

"Yeah, yeah. I know how you Asian babes are about shame and honor."

"Do not generalize by race, Karla."

"So you put Sinopa into danger. Why? Because she wanted to go? Now you want me to rescue her with Chance? What do you have to say for yourself."

Tamamo sighed. "I have learned my lesson, Karla-san."

Chance frowned. "No need to apologize. You were trying to be nice to Sinopa by letting her have free run, right?"

"And that was foolish of me, Marcus-san! I let my fondness for her interfere with my sense of duty. My actions resulted in her endangerment!"

Karla slid out of bed and approached her bedroom window in the nude. She opened her drapes and turned back to the mirror over her dresser. Karla approached the reflective surface with Tamamo's image.

Tamamo tilted her head at Karla's confident lack of modesty and shame. "I require your assistance, succubus! I have no one else to whom I can turn at this time!"

Karla held her hands up, gesturing for Tamamo to calm down. "Listen, Tammy. We'll get them. I'll have Chance ready. Nathan has been my best friend since I met him in 1906. He is my sister's widower. We made a promise to look out for each other."

"Sinopa was supposed to have assisted him. My desire to help Nathan-san has endangered Sinopa and her children. It is my fault."

Karla placed her hands on the mirror, on either side of Tamamo's image. "Calm down, Tammy. If he's in trouble, I'll find him. Even if that means leveling every warehouse, flattening every attacker, and blasting every train off the tracks. But this rookie chick you're sending me..."

"The girl you will meet in Las Vegas? Karla, she is a weapon and will be of valued assistance. Unfortunately, I have recently learned that other deities already know of my arrangement for you to have help."

Karla eyed Tamamo.

"These deities plan for this girl to die because it will somehow help their agenda. Please, try to keep her alive. Her death would cause their plan to..."

"I can't be a babysitter to some rookie who is fated to die, Tammy! You've gotta work with me here. If you're going to give me a teammate, I need someone who can rip people to shreds."

"Excuse me?"

Karla hooked a thumb over her shoulder, motioning to Chance on in her bed. "Telepathy. That's a defensive power. I have teleportation. That can be defensive, but it's only somewhat offensive. My telekinesis is our only current means of attack, and I usually use it defensively. I deflect bullets and push attackers away. I need something _more_offensive."

"The girl you will meet ... she is a weapon."

Karla rolled her eyes. "So is any good soldier, but only after they've been trained! I don't have the time to do that kind of shit! If I have to have another person tagging along, they need to be a legitimate weapon, not a shield."

Tamamo stood up on her hind-paws, placing her forepaws against the mirror, unable to pass through it. "Karla-san ... she is a weapon!"

"Unless she's a badass, she's worthless! I don't want a rookie. I'm not a babysitter!"

"She is a werewolf."

Karla's eyes widened. A glimmer of mirth sparked in her emerald gaze. "Are you..." Karla reached both hands up and pushed her hair back behind her ears. "Wait, seriously? She's seriously a werewolf?"

"Hai. She has yet to undergo her first transformation. She is known as a 'late bloomer.' Most werewolves know of their heritage from an early age. Because this girl is in her twenties, she is under the impression that the trait skipped her. Her brother, Rufus Darken, is in Australia, or I would have sent him. However, young Ms. Darken is fated to come to America. So I gave her dreams of finding success and wonder in Las Vegas."

"Still, you're causing drama and you're giving me a heavy workload, Tammy."

"You will triumph, Karla-san. Each night, I have made Ms. Darken's dreams more vivid and gratifying. She is overwhelmed with curiosity about the faces she has seen in these dreams. Ms. Darken will seek out you, Marcus-san, and Sinopa's husband."

"Tammy, no offense but it's still a huge risk because this werewolf a rookie."

"I have met with a seer. I promise you that she will be useful to you on the date you need her. And she will be the very weapon you require."

"How the heck are we supposed to find her in time?"

"Determine a hotel you wish to stay at prior to your arrival in Las Vegas."

Karla folded her arms beneath the expanse of her bosom. "And?"

"I will give Ms. Darken dreams of that location. I will cause her to dream of seeing your face, so that she will recognize you and approach you. Please do not let her die. I have only just learned that another deity wishes to use her death as part of the plan. I do not wish to see that plan come to light, whatever it may be."

"Okay, okay. I heard you the first time. If this girl's death is important to another deity, why put this kid in the field to begin with?"

"This deity wishes to bring about the extinction of werewolves," Tammy explained. "She will be safe with you. You've kept Marcus-san alive this long, and you've watched over Nathanial Carrington - you have an excellent track record."

Karla frowned. "Yeah, I guess. Listen, if you can affect people's dreams, then I want you to give me one of this woman's face before the seventh of July, okay? I'll keep an eye out for her; she'll be looking for me. We'll meet. I'll keep her alive, and we'll find Sinopa and Nate. I promise."

Tamamo's body language relaxed. "I believe in you."

"Yeah, yeah. Look, if you can somehow get a message back to Nathan and Red, let'em know that I'm coming for them and I'll have help ... apart from your weapon."

"I've already given her dreams of you, Karla-san. She knows your face, now. However, my actions have put a spotlight on Ms. Darken. I do not wish to bring that spotlight to you, Karla-san. You will require stealth. Now ... what help are you referring to?"

"Don't you godly types talk to one another? Are you out of the loop? I was already going to be in Vegas on July eighth."

"I ... I was not aware of such. How did you come to know of this?"

"YiaYia told me ages ago that I would be there with Jonathan and Sinopa Parker, and she told me to take an umbrella. She said it would rain that day. You know of YiaYia, right? Little old Greek lady that sees the future. Surely you've heard of her, right?"

"Perhaps that is what your oracle saw ... you and the Parkers in that place on that date. It puts me at ease to know that another oracle saw a future where you would see Sinopa and her husband together. This means they will surely be reunited."

"I'm there to find the mirror, Tammy."

"Very well. I suggest you contact Jonathan-sama and tell him that his wife will be at that location on that date. Also, ask him for the whip of the viceroy of Poland. He will understand."

"A whip huh?"

"Can you handle such a weapon, Karla?"

"Hell yeah I can snap a whip." Karla grinned.

Tamamo nodded. "Please prepare Marcus-san. I will give this girl another dream of Jonathan's face, so she will recognize him. In fact, I will arrange for her to meet him first. Domo arigato Karla-san; Marcus-san."

The image of the white-furred fox disappeared from the mirror.

Karla turned away from it and grinned at the boy on the bed. She approached him and climbed up on the end of the mattress, approaching him on all fours.

"You're still 'Chance-san' to me, hon."

He reached for her. "That's okay. I've grown used to it. You should wait to call Mr. Parker. He's in the middle of his job and needs to focus." He cupped her face and pulled her closer.

"How do you know that?" Karla asked, her lips now inches from his.

"I, uh ... It's why Tamamo didn't warn him about Sinopa. She came to us instead."

"Could you see what Jonathan was doing?"

Chance nodded. "She saw that Mr. Parker was suspended from a high-tension cable, above a display case in some private collector's fancy house. She could have spoken to him through the mirrored tiles in the floor, but didn't want to distract him and injure him, or cause him to be caught. We can call him later when he isn't doing Mission Impossible."

"Your ability is getting impressive."

"I feel like a new person. You've given me confidence. I'm starting to get my identity back ... I just ... enough talking." With his palms still upon either side of her face, he guided her lips to his and kissed her hungrily. He couldn't understand why he desired passion so much.

Karla met his kiss, delighted. She arrived at the conclusion only seconds before he did. She broke the kiss, briefly, and whispered against his lips in a muffled tone. "You just want to have sex because I want to have sex. Silly telepath." She dropped atop of him, their lips meeting firmly. She tilted her head, melting into the kiss.

He reached up and clung to her.

Her hands sifted through his hair, loving how he gave back every ounce of passion and intensity that she had to offer. She tugged the blankets out from between their body and straddled his hips. The feeling of his hands sliding down her body caused her heart to race.

His hands came to rest on her hips.

She ground herself against him, foregoing the foreplay this time. All she knew was her hunger, and he returned every bit of her lust, love and desire.

Chance broke the kiss and grinned up at her. "You're holding your breath."

She gasped for air, coming to realize that he was right. She began to pant, shifted her hips a bit, and lowered herself upon him with a sigh of delight. "This is going to be a long night. Think you can handle it?"

"God yes," he said, spellbound by the need radiating from her body and mind.

---

Next Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/595231