Page 27 of Thor

Sibyl blinked at him. "Vikings believed the northern lights were Valkyries flying through the sky with the dead? I didn't know that."

"Not all of my people believed the lights were dangerous. When my mother heard my father's warning, she laughed and said he was silly. The lights were nothing to be afraid of. When the arctic foxes ran through the sky, their tails brushed the mountains, and sent up sparks, which were the lights we saw. There was nothing frightening about foxes playing," Thor said. To this day, he still did not know what made the lights. Maybe both foxes and Valkyries were responsible, and he would not know which one until a Valkyrie came down to claim him. He shivered. "What do your people believe?"

Sibyl laughed softly. "According to science, we're seeing particles of stardust from the sun, dancing with the air in the atmosphere until it glows. At least, that's how one of the tourist brochures described it. The tour was too expensive for me, so I figured I'd save up and try to go at the end of the year. I never realised I'd get to see the aurora out here."

Thor nodded. "Dancing stardust and foxes playing. There are so many stories, it is hard to know what to believe any more."

He barely believed that he was here, now, with a woman in his arms he'd waited a thousand years for. A woman he would give his life for.

Sibyl squirmed around until she faced him. "Well, I believe that I'm right here, on the roof watching the aurora borealis with a gorgeous Viking, and I believe with a view this romantic, we should definitely be kissing right now."

They started with a kiss, but soon had to go back inside the building, so that he might satisfy her completely. And, by the time the sun rose, he was more than satisfied himself.

He might have only known Sibyl for a few days, but he was certain of one thing: she was the only woman for him, and he would do anything to keep her.

THIRTY-TWO

The camp had not changed at all since they had left, except that there was more snow on the ground.

"What happened to the hammer? Why didn't it make it on the supply run?" Sibyl asked.

"What do you mean? I saw Nik pack it up myself. Didn't you, Nik?"

"Of course," said a third voice. "I had to use twice as much padding, it was so heavy. I hope you brought the replacement stuff I ordered."

"But it wasn't there! I helped Jakop unpack everything myself, then checked all the boxes, and the hammer wasn't in any of them. It must have been left here by accident or something," Sibyl insisted.

"You must have missed it. Because I packed it myself."

Thor was done listening to Sibyl arguing with the two men. The hammer hadn't been in the building where he and Sibyl had stayed, which meant it must be here. If her companions hadn't seen it, then there was only one person who could have taken it.

And Thor knew exactly where to find him.

"What is wrong with you?" Loki demanded as Thor dragged him out of the ice and pinned him against a rock. "I told you I don't know where your hammer is!"

"You must have taken it! It didn't come to the town with us, so it must be here. None of the others know where it is, so you must!" Thor insisted.

"Did it ever occur to you that one of them might be lying?" Loki enquired. "Something I have never done to you, in case you've forgotten."

Thor loosened his grip on Loki's throat. The man had a point. For all the pranks Loki liked to play, he had never actually lied to him. In fact, the few times Loki had taken something from him, he'd gloated loudly about how he knew where it was and Thor would never find it. So if Loki wasn't gloating now...

"But which one?" Thor asked.

Loki shoved him away and brushed off his tunic. "How should I know? I don't have anything to do with them. Unlike you and your little witch. Don't think I didn't see you kissing her while the others weren't looking..."

"Sibyl. Her name is Sibyl, and if you so much as look at her wrong, I will smash your face with my fist," Thor threatened.

"Right, right. You're her protector, and all that. Some protector you are, without a weapon."

Thor considered telling him about the poleaxe, but Sibyl had insisted he put it back, so he had. She would not be pleased if he dug it up again. She'd bought him a shiny new hammer, but he'd left it with her things at the laboratory. The balance just didn't feel right, and he hadn't the heart to tell her. He needed his hammer.

"Then help me find it, Loki!"

Loki tapped his lips. "Well, I might be able to help you, if you help me. You see, I promised I'd help someone search people's tents, but in order to do that, someone has to distract everyone and keep them away long enough to do a thorough search. If you and your witch friend can make a distraction, I can let you know if we find anything."

Thor thought for a moment. "Do it now. I will hold everyone's attention for as long as I can," he said.

THIRTY-THREE

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