“You want me to talk to dwarves.”

I grinned. “Yeah. You want me to stay alive, right?”

Loki laughed and snagged a brownie from the plate. “Of course I do. But what can we offer them this time?”

I considered thoughtfully. “You mean you aren’t just going to steal something for me.”

“That’s all part of the game. There’s always something in it for them.”

I felt my lips start to frown. Stopped it by snagging a second brownie myself. Chewing on it while I thought. “I gave the horn back to Tyr.”

“That would have caused too many problems anyway. Besides, it doesn’t have to be a thing.”

“So it could be a favor?”

He nodded. “From me, from you…Kanesha doesn’t have much to offer on that front.”

I rolled my eyes. “Kanesha’s tough.”

“Not tough enough to, say, deal with a stonedrake that’s messing with them.”

I frowned. “My dragon slaying record isn’t exactly great.”

“That was just an example. I’ll poke around. See what I can find out. Or…” He grinned around a mouth of brownie. “Steal.”

I didn’t really want to steal, but I did need a better weapon and I wasn’t sure what I could use to buy one with. Except for what Loki said. Favors. Assistance. One more blade. “I’d rather do it legitimately, but you’ve got a point.”

“Sometimes it’s steal and steal again.”

I remembered the one about Sif’s hair, decided I didn’t want to think about that too much. Thor in a dress was, at least amusing. Sif’s hair being cut off made me want to make a protective grab at my own.

Of course, I wasn’t going to be in danger of anything like that from Loki. He did care about me.

“Whatever we need to do.”

“And she wouldn’t tell you the prophecy.”

I laughed. “You don’t know it either, do you?”

“Not in full. Not the actual wording. Odin’s sitting on it pretty tight.”

“He seems worried that if I knew it I’d screw things up.”

“That’s the most charitable face on it.”

Should I be charitable where Odin was concerned? It depended. On this? I rather thought that he was right. If I knew what it was, I’d mess up. Somehow.