Breefolk

This interlude starts shortly after Liz kicked Howard out, and runs through the following evening.

Elizabeth Wilcox sobbed quietly in her living room.  It was impossible for her to believe how quickly everyone in her life had turned against her.  Her son, stolen by some weird albino; her husband had been sucked into a fantasy world that albino woman had concocted.  How had the life she’d worked so hard to build come crumbling down so rapidly? Howard had stormed out on her just an hour ago at Luigi’s, and she’d driven home alone.

She pondered the disaster that had become of her life over the past few months, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she stared blankly at the antique, dark oak coffee table she kept as the centerpiece of her living room.  It wasn’t that it was worth looking at, just that it was the center of her field of vision and she was not looking at anything in particular. Strangely, she realized that, sat perfectly centered on that coffee table was a crudely crafted clay vase with fake flowers made from pipe cleaner and construction paper.  Chris had made that vase when he was six years old at school, and he had brought it home and given it to her as a Mother’s Day gift. Remembering that, the sobbing began anew, her shoulders shaking with each wail.

Liz was not certain how long she’d been sitting there in the dimly lit living room when she heard the knock at her door.  She did her best to dry her tears on the sleeves of her blouse, then walked over to the door and peered through the peephole.  Through it, she saw the long, straight, raven-colored hair of her next-door neighbor, Leanne Johnson.

Though she realized she was hardly in a state to be receiving visitors, the sudden loneliness Liz found herself in compelled her to open the door.  She quickly straightened her blouse and did her best to wipe off her smeared mascara - a futile attempt, she knew, but still the best she could manage on short notice.

“I’m so sorry to bother you,” Leanne began as Liz opened the door.  “I was just- oh my. Have you been crying? Are you okay?”

Liz tried to keep her composure, but it just wasn’t to be.  Tears were already running down her cheeks as she told Leanne of her troubles.  “My husband just left me…”

Leanne pulled her into a hug.  “Oh, dear, I’m so sorry. You know what, forget what I was saying before.  I have a few bottles of wine I’ve been saving. I know we’ve only been neighbors for a couple months, but I feel like we’ve known each other for far too long to not know each other better.  Why don’t you come over and we’ll open up a bottle and have a girls’ night?”

Liz perked up at that.  “I… yes, I think I’d like that.”  She flashed a pained smile at her neighbor.  Her friend.

****

“… and I swear to GOD he could fart so hard in his sleep that he would LEVITATE!”

Leanne threw her head back and laughed uproariously.  Liz’s stories were as funny as some of her own, and those were literally the stuff of legends.  It had been far too long since she had spent much time among mortals.

The past few months had been a refreshing vacation from her worries as she assumed a mortal guise.  She had used her powers and the numerous connections she still had to create an identity - including a prestigious law degree that she had to call in some favors at Harvard to acquire.  She purchased a house, conveniently right next-door to her Bride’s parents. Everything had gone according to plan, and still was, despite one small catch: she was actually starting to like it here.  She was even starting to think of herself as “Leanne” and not “Loki.”

Liz and Leanne had talked and laughed the night away.  At some point, they went from drinking wine in Leanne’s den to opening up Liz’s “emergency” stash of whiskey in Liz’s living room.  Now they were drinking a cheap merlot Liz had been saving for a “special occasion.”

At some point Howard had shown up expecting Liz to have cooled off enough to let him back in, but Leanne couldn’t have that, of course.  It would mess up her plan too much. She quickly told Howard that Liz was filing for divorce - something that wasn’t exactly untrue at that point in time, just hadn’t been officially true either.  Liz was still angry with him, and in her somewhat inebriated state, it wasn’t hard to get her to nod along with whatever she said, so long as it at least loosely aligned with her feelings.

But, as fun as things have been, it was time to get down to business.  She had been working on this plan for too long to drop it now.

“I have an idea,” Leanne said as she poured another couple shots of whiskey.  “Well… I don’t know. It’s probably not your thing.”

“Oh, you can’t just decide that without telling me what it is!” replied Liz.  “Come on, tell me!”

That little tease always worked.  Tell someone they’re not likely to be interested, and they will immediately want to prove you wrong, as Leanne knew from centuries of experience.

“Well,” she began, “it’s kind of silly, but I tend to practice a little witchcraft.  As a hobby, you know?”

“Witchcraft?”  Liz was visibly concerned.  “You don’t really believe in that stuff, do you?”

Leanne shook her head.  “No, not really,” she lied.  “I just do it for fun. It’s a little weird, I know, but maybe we could do a little ritual.  You know, to bless your future endeavors, without Howard.”

“Hmm, I don’t know,” said Liz.  “I’m not going to have to strip naked and dance under the full moon or something?” she added with a nervous chuckle.

Leanne cackled like a stereotypical witch.  “Of course not! Well, not unless you want to.  Mostly you just have to drink something. It’s supposed to be the blood of a primordial dragon, but it’s really just a concoction of mostly harmless herbs.”  That last part was a total lie, of course. It absolutely WAS the blood of a primordial dragon. THE primordial dragon, in fact. “It tastes awful,” she added, “but given how well you’ve downed some of these shots, I think you won’t have any trouble.”

Liz pondered the shot glass in her hand a moment.  Finally, she shrugged, raised the glass in a mock toast, and threw it back.  “What the hell. Might as well commit a little bit of sacrilege while I’m at it!”

A smile spread across Leanne’s face.  She could have forced the issue if it was necessary, but it was always much more satisfying when your opponent gives in of their own free will.

****

That evening, under the light of the moon - it was a waxing moon, but the exact phase really didn’t matter, so long as there was moonlight - Elizabeth and Leanne stood in Liz’s immaculate garden.  Leanne filled a bird bath with the Blood of Nidhoggr, then offered a small chalice to Liz.

“Take this chalice, and fill it with the blood,” Leanne said.  “Then ask Nidhoggr, the Primordial Dragon, to bless you with its gifts.”

“That’s it?” Liz asked.

Leanne smiled reassuringly.  “That’s it.”

Liz stepped up to the bird bath.  It was a shame they had to dirty the thing with this “blood.”  It was a small blemish on her otherwise perfectly kept garden, but it could be cleaned up, and it made her friend happy.  She dipped the chalice in the blood. It was thick, and it stained the side of the chalice even after she’d lifted it out.

“Nithogger,” she spoke up toward the moon.  Leanne winced at the pronunciation, but according to her, the words didn’t matter as much as the intent behind them.  “Grant me your blessing so that I can… be happy, I guess?” Liz was not sure if she understood any of this, or if she’d even said the right words, but she brought the chalice to her lips and swallowed the viscous concoction.

Liz sputtered and coughed.  The blood was as disgusting as she had imagined, and it really did taste like blood.  She thought it was the most foul tasting substance she’d ever consumed, but that thought was immediately discarded as the world suddenly seemed larger.  Not in size, but in scope, everything she had ever known suddenly felt minuscule and insignificant. She looked to Leanne - no, Loki. Loki looked upon her with a wicked grin.

Liz immediately knew Loki had deceived her, but that deception was more to her benefit than anything.  Through the moon, she could see an eye - its eye. The Primordial Dragon gazed down upon her, and she understood it had granted her its blessing.  The dragon was all that truly mattered in this universe. Yggdrasil would be consumed, and Liz would be no exception, but in the meantime, she could have anything she wanted.

“Thank you, Loki,” Liz told her “friend.”  Loki seemed suddenly uncomfortable at the mention of his name.  “You tricked me, but I understand now that trick was necessary to open my eyes to the truth.  With this power, I can get my family back.”