‘I said, get out,’ snarled Odin. ‘You’ve done quite enough for one night. And unless you want to bring even more shame onto Freyja and the Vanir, keep your mouth shut about what you saw. Loki has shown more loyalty than any of your people. Lay a hand on him again, you overgrown canary, and I’ll knock you off your perch for good. All right?’

Heimdall’s jaw dropped. ‘I don’t underst—’

‘Bye-bye, Goldie,’ I said, and grinned. ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’

He left, grinding his golden teeth so violently that sparks flew.

‘You got the necklace,’ Odin said, turning back to me.

‘Of course.’

‘Let me see it.’

I kept a straight face but inside I was grinning.

Oh, the Old Man was sweet on Freyja, all right, in spite of his comfy marriage to Frigg. Freyja liked to encourage it, as she encouraged everyone – but saving a special smile for him, and cultivating a girlish flutter whenever Odin was around. His admiration gave her status, of course. And even Allfather wasn’t immune to a little flattery.

I affected an air of sorrow as I handed over the necklace. There was no denying either its beauty or its value. The runes that held it together shone like captive shards of starlight, and the many gemstones spun into the work gleamed like the tears in a woman’s eyes.

‘What are you going to do?’ I asked. ‘Keep it? Wear it? Give it back?’

Slowly, Odin shook his head. Behind him, on the back of his throne, his ravens – Hugin and Munin, the physical manifestations of Allfather’s thoughts in bird form – clicked their beaks and glared at me.

‘Leave me alone. I need to think.’

I grinned and sauntered back to my rooms, where I slept like a babe for the rest of the night. I doubt whether Odin did, but then, that was kind of what I was going for.

I woke with the sun, showered and shaved, and was just contemplating a spot of breakfast when I heard a terrific commotion coming from Allfather’s hall. Freyja had discovered the loss of her necklace and, finding the doors to her chamber unlocked, had rightly suspected Yours Truly.

‘Where is my necklace?’ she was screaming as I wandered into the hall.

Odin was sitting on his throne, a bird on either shoulder. His face was stony. Only the birds moved.

Freyja saw me come in. ‘You! You broke into my chamber!’

‘Who, me?’

Freyja turned to Odin. ‘Yes! Loki stole my necklace. He crept into my room, like a thief, and stole it from me as I slept. I want him punished. I want him dead. And I want my necklace!’

‘What, this?’ Odin said, pulling it out of his pocket.

Freyja coloured. ‘Give it to me.’

He shrugged. ‘It’s a pretty bauble,’ he said. ‘Was it very expensive?’

Now she grew pale. ‘Hand it over,’ she said.