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“I need—”

“Men don’t knohat they need They barely knohat they want Wodin, father of storods, stern and wise But —oh the things that he has seen!” Loki spins to take in the room “Me, I’m just a jester in the hall where the world wasI’hif it were I that pulled the strings anddeep enough, uncovered every truthwhat if at the heart of it allthere was a lie, like a worm at the centre of the apple, coiled like Oroborus, just as the secret of men hides coiled at the centre of each piece of you, no matter how fine you slice? Wouldn’t that be a fine joke now?”

Kelem frowns at this nonsense, then with a quick shake of his head returns to his purpose “I estures at the doors Thirteen, lined side by side on each wall of an otherwise bare room “These are doors I can’t open You can leave here, but no door will open until every door is unlocked Ias the occupantsto its tune

“Why would I want to leave?” A goblet appears in Loki’s hand, silver and overfloine as dark and red as blood He takes a sip

“I coels of—”

“Yes, yes” Loki waves away the conjuring The wine darkens until it’s a black that draws the eye and blinds it So black that the silver tarnishes and corrupts So black it is nothing but the absence of light And suddenly it’s a key A black glass key

“Is that?” There’s a hunger in the door-e’s voice “Will it open them?”

“I should hope so” Loki spins the key around his fingers

“What key is that? Not Acheron’s? Taken from heaven when—”

“It’s mine I made it Just now”

“How do you knoill open theaze sweeps the room

“It’s a good key” Loki e’s eyes “It’s every key Every key that was and is, every key that will be, every key that could be”

“Give it to—”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Loki walks to the nearest door and sets his fingers to it “This one” Each door is plain and wooden but when he touches it this door beco “This is the tricky one” Loki sets his palht-spoked wheel of the sa proud of the surface, as if by turning it one ht unlock and open the door Loki doesn’t touch it Instead he taps his key to the wall beside it and the whole rooh vault, clean lines, walls of poured stone, a huge and circular silver-steel door in the ceiling The light comes fro further than the eye can see Thirteen silver-steel arches stand around the ins of the vault, each a foot froht, as if moonbeams dance across water Save for the one before Loki, which is black, a crystal surface fracturing the light then sing it “Open this door and the world ends”