then Loki tossed something right at the actor. Makepeace plucked it out of the air, turned and ran.
The door flew open as he rushed into the Tropical Corridor where the others stood up to congratulate him. “I got the seed!” he declared triumphantly, brandishing his clenched fist. “Let’s vamoose!”
Lewis was seized by a sudden doubt. “But how did you get it away from him?” he asked.
“A piece of cake!” laughed Makepeace. “I bet him a thousand bucks I could tell him what plant that nut came from, and he just tossed it to me. See?”
He opened his hand to display his prize.
Thor scowled. “Makepeace, that is not the Yggdrasil Seed.”
Makepeace was stunned. “It’s not?”
“No,” said Lewis, taking the object from the actor’s palm. “It’s just a pebble.”
“He pulled a switcheroo on me!” Makepeace gasped. “But why?”
“Didn’t you notice how he was looking at your shoes?” asked Lewis.
“Everybody looks at my shoes,” said Makepeace. “I told you, they’re designer.”
“But they’re not the Shoes of Vidar,” said Lewis.
Thor nodded sombrely. “And if you’re not wearing the Shoes of Vidar, how did you get across town so fast through all this snow?”
“Yes, you should have thought of that sooner,” said a mocking voice from behind them. Loki was leaning against the doorway with the seed between his thumb and forefinger. “There’s a display about ash trees down there,” he continued smugly, “and assome of you might know, the Yggdrasil is a kind of ash.”
“Thanks for the botany lesson, Loki,” said Greg. “What are you going to do now? Open a garden centre?”
Loki bared his teeth unpleasantly. “The first thing I’m going to do is get rid of you meddling idiots for once and for all.”
“Whoa, Larry, there’s no need to get all steamed up,” Makepeace protested mildly.
“I’m disappointed in you, Garth,” Loki frowned, “taking sides with these losers after all the good times we’ve had.”
Makepeace laughed unconvincingly. “Hey, Larry, I was just kidding around, you know.”
“Two things you should never do, my friends,” said Loki. “Never steal a banana from a gorilla and never try to trick the god of mischief.”
“
Enough
!” shouted Thor. He strode forward, muscular hands clutching Mjornir with warlike intent. “No more games, Loki. No more ice monsters. Just you and me.”
“The trouble with you,” sneered Loki, “is you don’t have much imagination. You see, the Yggdrasil Seed has special powers too.”
Clutching the seed firmly in one hand, he snapped his fingers. As if in answer to his command, the surrounding plants stiffened like soldiers standing to attention. When Loki waved his hand they ripped their roots out of the ground and launched themselves at Thor.
Thor tried to beat them aside with Mjolnir, but they shot right past the hammer. Two plants whipped themselves around his arms like handcuffs while others piled on top of him and dragged him down like an angry mob. Greg and Lewis waded in to help him, only to be engulfed in the frenzied, thrashing greenery.
11. Money to Burn
“This is the worst thing yet!” Greg exclaimed. “It’s like we’re drowning in jungle.” He ducked as a seed pod the size of a football swung at him, just missing his head.
A leaf as big as a deck chair slammed Lewis in the back. Winded, he gasped, “Hey, the plants weren’t this big when we came in!”
“Loki’s using that seed to make them bigger,” puffed Greg. He broke off with a grunt as an oversized shrub butted him in the chest.
Roots reared up off the floor like snakes to entangle their legs while branches lashed at them from above. Greg caught hold of a flailing frond and tried to twist it apart, but it was like wrestling with a huge rubber band. Holding it at bay with one hand, he used the other to pull out his Swiss army knife. He popped open the cutting blade and hacked at the stem.
“This is no use,” he
The door flew open as he rushed into the Tropical Corridor where the others stood up to congratulate him. “I got the seed!” he declared triumphantly, brandishing his clenched fist. “Let’s vamoose!”
Lewis was seized by a sudden doubt. “But how did you get it away from him?” he asked.
“A piece of cake!” laughed Makepeace. “I bet him a thousand bucks I could tell him what plant that nut came from, and he just tossed it to me. See?”
He opened his hand to display his prize.
Thor scowled. “Makepeace, that is not the Yggdrasil Seed.”
Makepeace was stunned. “It’s not?”
“No,” said Lewis, taking the object from the actor’s palm. “It’s just a pebble.”
“He pulled a switcheroo on me!” Makepeace gasped. “But why?”
“Didn’t you notice how he was looking at your shoes?” asked Lewis.
“Everybody looks at my shoes,” said Makepeace. “I told you, they’re designer.”
“But they’re not the Shoes of Vidar,” said Lewis.
Thor nodded sombrely. “And if you’re not wearing the Shoes of Vidar, how did you get across town so fast through all this snow?”
“Yes, you should have thought of that sooner,” said a mocking voice from behind them. Loki was leaning against the doorway with the seed between his thumb and forefinger. “There’s a display about ash trees down there,” he continued smugly, “and assome of you might know, the Yggdrasil is a kind of ash.”
“Thanks for the botany lesson, Loki,” said Greg. “What are you going to do now? Open a garden centre?”
Loki bared his teeth unpleasantly. “The first thing I’m going to do is get rid of you meddling idiots for once and for all.”
“Whoa, Larry, there’s no need to get all steamed up,” Makepeace protested mildly.
“I’m disappointed in you, Garth,” Loki frowned, “taking sides with these losers after all the good times we’ve had.”
Makepeace laughed unconvincingly. “Hey, Larry, I was just kidding around, you know.”
“Two things you should never do, my friends,” said Loki. “Never steal a banana from a gorilla and never try to trick the god of mischief.”
“
Enough
!” shouted Thor. He strode forward, muscular hands clutching Mjornir with warlike intent. “No more games, Loki. No more ice monsters. Just you and me.”
“The trouble with you,” sneered Loki, “is you don’t have much imagination. You see, the Yggdrasil Seed has special powers too.”
Clutching the seed firmly in one hand, he snapped his fingers. As if in answer to his command, the surrounding plants stiffened like soldiers standing to attention. When Loki waved his hand they ripped their roots out of the ground and launched themselves at Thor.
Thor tried to beat them aside with Mjolnir, but they shot right past the hammer. Two plants whipped themselves around his arms like handcuffs while others piled on top of him and dragged him down like an angry mob. Greg and Lewis waded in to help him, only to be engulfed in the frenzied, thrashing greenery.
11. Money to Burn
“This is the worst thing yet!” Greg exclaimed. “It’s like we’re drowning in jungle.” He ducked as a seed pod the size of a football swung at him, just missing his head.
A leaf as big as a deck chair slammed Lewis in the back. Winded, he gasped, “Hey, the plants weren’t this big when we came in!”
“Loki’s using that seed to make them bigger,” puffed Greg. He broke off with a grunt as an oversized shrub butted him in the chest.
Roots reared up off the floor like snakes to entangle their legs while branches lashed at them from above. Greg caught hold of a flailing frond and tried to twist it apart, but it was like wrestling with a huge rubber band. Holding it at bay with one hand, he used the other to pull out his Swiss army knife. He popped open the cutting blade and hacked at the stem.
“This is no use,” he
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