"How did he do it?" Thrym asked Krampus. He hadn't meant to ask the question out loud, not while the room was full of those observing, but he hadn't been able to help himself.

He and Krampus had known that the attack was coming. They had been the ones to set the parameters for the challenge, after all. But the speed and efficiency with which the man had executed and proven his strategy were frightening. It had barely been a seven-day between the time they had set the challenge and the day it had been completed.

They still didn't know who he was. They weren't even sure if he was male. He had given them a name, though. Teigh, but that name was unremarkable. Neither Thrym nor Krampus could remember any mention of that name during the course of their existence. They had consulted a [Memory Holder], a Jotunn [Sage] that had been entrusted to stand as lore-keeper for the Jotunn people, but he had been of little help.

There was no mention of the name, Teigh in all the history of the Jotunn.

"Are you sure it was Thor?" Bergfinnr asked, the fear in his voice only noticed by Thrym and Krampus. Bergfinnr was one of the hundreds of Jotunn that had gathered in the council chamber. One of the hundreds of Jotunn that had been clamoring for an explanation.

Thrym was not happy with his son. Bergfinnr's actions and words the last time Thrym held an audience finally demonstrated what he had been refusing to acknowledge for eons. Bergfinnr was damaged. He was broken in some manner that had him reacting to fears and inner terrors that only he could see.

He would have to be demoted and disavowed, removed from the line of succession. That meant his younger sister, Skadi, would be named heir, but there was no choice. At least she was as intelligent as she was deadly. And she was proficient in making moves, both political and personal, that used that intelligence. Her emotions were as cold as her [Aspect].

She was [Winter] personified, and if she ever came to rule, her kingdom would embrace the cold starkness found in the deepest winter. Her emotions would never rule her. She simply didn't have the capability to release the fires of rage, lust, and envy that could overcome the cold starkness that made up her personality.

"The lightning enveloped him like a lover. The storms raged, and the winds moved as he directed. He wielded Mjölnir to create tornadoes. No other God or mortal could hold that weapon, let alone use it. Who else could it be if not Thor?" Braxus, one of Utgard-Loki's guards, replied.

"Anything else to report?" Krampus asked Braxus. The Jotunn reporting was the Head of Utgard-Loki's guards and had been tasked with detailing the day's events. Although he was usually never given voice or notice, he was doing a manageable job of remaining calm while being questioned. He was keeping his discomfort under control. His control only highlighted the stark contrast between what he was capable of and Bergfinnr.

As a guard, one of the four responsible for protecting his king, he and his brethren had failed in their duty. They were foresworn and would have to endure the [Rite of Censure] if they hoped to restore their honor.

Even knowing that his honor was lost, Braxus acted with the integrity that his former position as Utgard-Loki's guard demanded. He had reported the circumstance of Utgard-Loki's capture immediately. He had not hesitated to take responsibility for that loss. And he was now standing before the ensembled Jotunn council to answer questions and for his failings.

Neither Thrym nor Krampus was concerned that their participation and instigation of the events would leak. Word would not spread that they had been the architects of the day's events. Even if they did, no one would believe them.

Their decision would force four Jotunn to participate in a [Rite] that barely a handful of Jotunn had survived, but they had offered up their lives when they had agreed to stand as personal guards. They were honor-bound to protect, even if it cost them their lives and true death.

They had failed.

"There was no loss of lives, and the damage to the city was minor, even with the dozen or so tornadoes used to sow confusion while Thor attacked," Braxus continued.

"He had to have had help. The darts that were used to place each of us to sleep were launched at the same time. None of us had time to react. The narcotic they were coated in acted faster than our wards or bodies could protect against.

"No one reported seeing who that help might have been or how many there were. The spells they used to hide behind left no presence. There was no magical signature to find for Utgard-Loki's scouts or hunters to track.

"The city and surrounding area have been scoured, our search proving futile. The cities [Mages] were also unable to detect the king's location or who had helped in his abduction with scrying," Braxus said, completing his report, his emotions tightly contained.

"What kind of control over the elements must he have to have unleashed tornadoes, lightning, and wind with such precision that no one was killed, and the city escaped almost untouched," Krampus mused, the question making no sense to those gathered. Thor's mastery of lightning and weather was well known.

"Braxus, you and your fellow guards are to report to the [Rite Master]. You have two days to set your affairs in order before reporting. If any of you refuse to attempt the [Rite of Censure], then your lives are forfeit," Thrym decreed, ignoring Krampus' observation for the moment.

"You are dismissed. Inform the others and prepare yourself, you will have survived the [Rite] the next time we meet, or there will be no next time."

Braxus clamored to his feet, the two guards that had forced him to his knees finally allowing him to stand. He offered one last bow before he turned and almost fled the room. It was only after he had left and there were no sycophants or officials in view that he allowed the despair he was filling to manifest.

He had known the [Rite] was the only path forward. When Thrym forced him to report his failure without clearing the room, Braxus realized how the interview would end.

Thrym could have ruled that Braxus and the other guards had not failed in their duty and had done everything they could to protect Utgard-Loki. That was never going to happen. The guards had fallen before they could attack or defend. They had barely had the opportunity to move into position to surround Utgard-Loki. Thrym would never allow such failure to escape punishment.

Thrym had the room cleared after Braxus' exit. He could barely contain his excitement before the last person had left and the doors to the chamber had been closed.

"Whoever he is, his strategy seems sound. If he can show us how he plans to keep Utgard-Loki incapacitated, we would be fools not to at least make an attempt and use his tactics," Thrym suggested gleefully.

"I agree," Krampus said, "But there is something to consider. What is most worrisome about what he has done is if he could do this to Utgard-Loki, what is there to stop him from doing the same here to one of us?

"I have doubled the guards patrolling the halls and operating the gates," Thrym continued, "do you think he will attempt the same trick to capture one of us?"

"Not now. Teigh will wait until after he has attained his goal in Asgard City," Krampus mused.

"After that?

"I think it might be best if there was an accident during one of these hit-and-run escapades. He is too powerful to have as an enemy, his ideas too foreign to how we have waged war to guard against."

"You believe we have no choice but to kill or make an enemy of him? There is no way forward for an alliance?" Thrym asked.

"The enemy of my enemy is a time-tested truism. His feelings toward Asgard and Odin are obvious. The longer we leave him in play, the more damage and confusion will be sown. But without knowing who he is or what his motives are, we can only prepare for the worst. And it is best if we strike before he can."

"You may be right," Thrym agreed.

"We keep him as an ally until he has made his move. Maybe we can find out what he is after. What is there in the city of Asgard that he hopes to steal?

"Whatever it is he is after, we need to ensure that we gain possession," Krampus warned.