"The rune key!" Odin repeated hoarsely. "It has come back to Asgard. This is the day for which dark Loki has waited!"
Chapter VI
Ancient Science
The frozen stillness in Valhalla was appalling. Aesir nobles and warriors all seemed turned to stone as they stared at the golden cylinder hanging from my neck. I could hear the torches guttering, the snap of logs on the blazing hearth, and the dull moan of the sea wind around Valhalla's lofty eaves. It was as though the feast of the Aesir had been smitten by chill terror.
"Where did you get that key, Jarl Keith?" Odin asked me hoarsely.
"Why, my comrades fished it out of the sea beyond the ice-pack — beyond Niffleheim," I answered bewilderedly.
A deep groan went up from the entire gathering. I turned to them unhappily, feeling like a hunted animal that knows it has done no wrong, yet still is persecuted.
"Why did you bring it into this land?" Odin demanded fiercely.
"I don't know," I blurted. Remembering the queer alien hunch that had made me find the key, I added: "Some strange whim in my mind told me where it was and warned me not to throw it away."
"Loki's work!" Odin whispered. "The evil one has cast forces abroad that have brought back the rune key that will set him free."