Mother's tall, elegant form appeared in the healing room beside me.

"We've received word that Ambassador Ogma is on his way. Come back to the throne room, Son," she said. 

My fists clenched. Finally. I nodded as her projection dissipated. "Come with me, Mist. We may want your eyewitness account when we speak to Ogma," I said, turning to her.

"Of course, my prince. Anything I can do. Absolutely anything," she offered as she accompanied me out of the room.

I glanced sideways, meeting her gaze. "You know I may need to access your mind?"

Mist didn't flinch, but her jaw tightened. "As I said, absolutely anything, Loki. A bit of discomfort as you project my memories is a tiny price for getting Shannon back," she replied, fierceness in her tone.

Moving rapidly up the sets of stairs and down the hall, we entered the throne room to find additional guards stationed along the walls in anticipation of the presence of the Sidhe ambassador. The All-Father never failed to take advantage of an opportunity to emphasize Asgard's strength to political visitors from other realms.

Joining Thor at the foot of the steps at the base of the throne, Mist and I bowed. At Odin's gesture, we stood to the side so we would surround the ambassador when he arrived.

"Mist has agreed to allow me to project her memories of the event so the ambassador can't deny the presence of The Wild Hunt, Crom Cruach and Llew," I told them, attempting to control the anticipation surging through my veins. By the Norns, I wanted to grab the bloody ambassador by the throat and squeeze until he returned Shannon.

"Is this true, Mist?" asked Odin, his single eye unblinking.

With a short jerk of her head, she replied, "Yes, my king. Anything to help Princess Shannon."

"Thank you, Mist. I'm aware it is an invasion and uncomfortable," replied Frigga.

Mist smiled tightly and inclined her head.

Sigrdrífa and Thjalfi entered the throne room, leading a squad of six guards surrounding the tall, lean, golden-haired elven ambassador. Approaching the steps to the throne, they bowed to Odin and Frigga, then stepped to the side.

Ambassador Ogma stepped forward and bowed, waiting for Odin to acknowledge him.

"Ambassador Ogma, we have called you to Asgard to answer for the kidnapping of our daughter, Princess Shannon, consort of Prince Loki." Odin's voice was a threatening thunder, his fury filling the space with dangerous potential.

"King Odin, All-Father. I bring greetings from the Aos Si and congratulations to Prince Loki on his mating. I am appalled to hear she has gone missing. However, I am at a loss why you think the Sidhe would have knowledge of your daughter?" Ogma's answer was careful, his voice measured and polite in the face of Odin's anger.

My fists clenched, heartbeat increasing as I gritted my teeth. Yggdrasil's roots, nevermind throttling him—I wanted to tear his head from his neck in an explosion of visceral bloody rage.

"Valkyrie Mist was with Princess Shannon when she was taken. Prince Loki will project her memory of the events that took place on Midgard, near the town of Keswick and the Castlerigg stone circle in the United Kingdom," Odin stated, growling.

Ambassador Ogma inclined his head in agreement.

First taking a couple of breaths to attempt to maintain control of the chaos inside me, I stepped over to Mist. Placing one hand on Mist's forehead, I held the other out to the empty space between the Ambassador and the start of the stairs leading up to Odin and Frigga.

"This will hurt less if you bring up the memory for me, so I don't have to search your mind for it," I told Mist quietly as I met her gaze, not wanting it to be any more uncomfortable for her than it needed to be.

Eyes wide, she nodded, and I delved into her mind, allowing the imagery to flow through me as I projected it for all to see.

We watched as an SUV was driven into a ditch and Mist saw Shannon yanked from the vehicle by a river troll. Mist lost sight of her briefly while she crawled out between the seats, then saw Shannon bravely trying to battle the troll as it held her off the ground, shaking her. Long red-gold hair flew as the storm-driven rain soaked it into ropey lengths that whipped about her armour-clad body, emphasizing the troll's violent movements.

It took every iota of my strength and rigid willpower to continue to project the image. Rage howled within me like Jotunheim's dire wolves. With clenched teeth and straining muscles, I remained in place. 

Tears poured down Mist's face as she continued to remember. We saw her driven away from her attempts to help Shannon by a pair of redcaps and the headless dullahan on their horses.

Kara emerged from the car, and was set upon first by a dullahan, then a trio of spectral Cŵn Annwn white hellhounds. Additional dullahan galloped around them, their gruesome spinal column whips lashing the air.

Mist told Shannon to use sunlight and saw the troll shake Shannon violently at the first glimmer of light. Her cries of pain had helpless agony spearing my heart. Ragged breaths sawed in and out of my lungs as black rage darkened my vision. 

Mist took down one of the redcaps and we heard the crack of a bone whip lash her back. A large white stag with flaming eyes, the favourite animal form of Llew, appeared out of the sheets of rain. Shaggy Cŵn Cyrff, the black hellhounds, stood on either side of him.

The skeletal figure of Crom Cruach on his nuckalavee mount, a black demon stallion, pulled to a stop beside Llew. Behind them, numerous trolls and dullahan each carried captives, women and kids.

At the sight of Llew and Crom, Mist fought even harder to get to Shannon, unable to get past the redcaps, when three more joined the battle against her. She took a blow to the head when a dullahan whip threw her off balance, knocking her to the ground. Through the fight, she caught glimpses of Crom approaching Shannon with a dwarven iron cuff.

Shannon screamed, then went limp.

I bit the inside of my cheek hard, the pain helping me retain enough control to continue to project Mist's memories as the copper taste of blood filled my mouth. Chaos burned in my veins.

With a howl from the black hellhounds, Llew led the Wild Hunt into the nearby stone circle. Frantically, Mist fought to get back up and reach Shannon, as Kara was taken down by the pack of white hellhounds. Her last memory was the cruel smile on Crom's face as the troll carrying Shannon disappeared through the cloaking mists into a shimmering blue portal held open in the stone circle.

Mist continued to cry silent tears as I ended the projection and withdrew from her mind.

Thor put his hand on my back as I battled to control my surging rage now that I wasn't using my magic. Lungs heaved, nostrils flaring as I clenched and unclenched my fists, black swirls of energy flowing around them. Shudders racked my spine. As fast as I chained my energies down, chaos broke it wide open again, fed from the blackest depths of churning agony within my soul. Dead. I wanted every last fucking Unseelie dead.

"Tell us again, Ambassador, that the Sidhe have no knowledge of my daughter!" roared Odin, shaking the throne room with the wave of his power. Explosions of light burst like firecrackers throughout the room, blinding with their intensity.

Ambassador Ogma looked shocked and pale, his usual eloquence missing.

"All-Father, the Seelie, the light elves of the Summer Realm, have no need for such barbaric practices. I am appalled and disgusted at this breach of treaty and kidnapping of your daughter by our dark brethren, the Unseelie of the Winter Realm. Give me leave to rectify this immediately," Ogma pleaded.

"You have twenty-four hours to bring my daughter back, unharmed, or it will be war between us," Odin demanded. "Sigrdrífa and Thjalfi, escort the ambassador back to Alfheim, and wait there for either the return of our princess or for our armies to join you."

With a deep bow, the ambassador backed away from the steps, then followed Sigrdrífa and Thjalfi out of the throne room, still surrounded by the squad of six guards.

Once they were well out of earshot, I couldn't contain it anymore. A soul-deep scream of rage and pain roared out of my throat, and a burst of telekinesis hit everyone around me as I fell to my knees.

In a fog of misery, I heard Odin clear the throne room of guards and his feet appeared in front of me. A hand clasped my shoulder tightly, energy pouring into me.

"My son, I'm so sorry. We will get Shannon back, I swear to you. I'm incredibly proud of how you handled yourself. To have held your control to show Mist's memories like that. If it had been your mother that was taken, I don't know that I could have managed it."

I sensed him attempting to take some of my pain and anguish, returning strength to me, and I looked up at him through my blurred, tear-covered vision.

"I swear, Loki. We will get her back," he reassured me, no other possibility allowed in his expression.

"Thank you, Father," I choked out, grateful for his unwavering support.

"I noticed Shannon did not appear pregnant in Mist's memory and you did not mention our grandson," Frigga commented, holding out her hands to coax me back to my feet.

"Shannon was wearing a ring I'd made her to provide visual illusions, allowing her to hide her pregnancy while on Midgard. It won't hold up to physical touch, though," I said, choking on my words.

"Shannon kept the spell activated throughout our girls' weekend since Sophie didn't know about the pregnancy," Mist confirmed.

"Would the dvergr cuff deactivate the spell?" Thor asked.

"No, dwarven iron can't take away magic. Instead, it prevents Shannon from accessing the energy of her magic. That includes the soulmate bond, which is why both of you feel the pain of being cut off. Any spells that were active will remain active, such as the illusion and her armour," Frigga confirmed.

"So they may not know she is pregnant, which is why I didn't mention our grandson. I won't give them any further information or weaknesses to use against her, if they don't know already," Odin explained.

Frigga nodded. "Wise choice."

"Thor," Odin continued, "go prepare the Einherjar and Valkyrie for war."