‘Imprisonment,’ Odin said. ‘Until we know what the prophecy means, we can’t afford to let him go. We need to keep him safe, somewhere—’

I interrupted: ‘Wait! I know!’ Once more I quoted the Oracle:

I see one bound beneath the court,
Under the Cauldron of Rivers.
The wretch looks like Loki. His wife
Alone stands by him as he suffers.

Odin gave me the evil eye. ‘You’re very well informed,’ he said.

I smirked. ‘Like you, I keep ahead.’

Lesson 9 Venom

LESSON 9

Venom

Did I mention I hated snakes?

Lokabrenna

AND SO Your Humble Narrator, growing ever more humble as the sad tale unfolds, was dragged down into World Below, beneath the Cauldron of Rivers. Right at the source of the river Dream; on the borders of Chaos; the hinterlands, half in, half out of the waking world.

There springs Dream in its purest form; volatile, ephemeral. And that was where, deep underground, above a narrow, rocky vent that stank of sulphur and belched foul steam onto a trio of rocks the shape and size of a particularly uncomfortable chaise-longue, I was shackled and bound with runes that kept me from shifting Aspect.

Odin checked the bonds himself. They were quite unbreakable. He fixed me with his one good eye and said: ‘I’m sorry it turned out this way.’

‘When I get free, brother,’ I said, ‘I’ll be sure to pay you a call. It’s really the least I can do, don’t you think? After all you’ve done for me?’

Heimdall grinned. Those golden teeth lit up the cave like a string of fairy-lights. I promised myself that if Mimir was right, and I did get the chance to meet Goldie in combat, I would collect those golden teeth and make myself a neck-chain.

‘You’ll rot down here till the End of the Worlds,’ he said.

I uttered something obscene. But, in a way, Goldie was right; it’s just that the End of the Worlds was not as far away as they thought.

One by one, my erstwhile friends came to hammer the last few nails into Yours Truly’s coffin. Bragi played a madrigal. Idun kissed my forehead. Freyja shot me a spiteful look and told me I’d got what I’d always deserved. Frey and Njörd just shook their heads. Týr patted me with his one good hand. Thor looked awkward – as well he might, after everything I’d done for him – and said:

‘I’m sorry. You went too far.’

Lovely. What an epitaph.

By the end, there was only Skadi left. She stood very quietly by my side, watching me with a curious intensity. She’d let her hair grow while they hunted me, and it was pale as sea-foam, framing a face as deceptively sweet as that of a ravenous mink.