The Sweetest Rose-LokixOC

Chapter 25

The howling wind tore through Cassandra's robes, spraying her with icy sheets of snow. She blinked, barely able to open her eyes. The portal shrank to a pinprick and then vanished. Shit. What was she supposed to do now?

Getting her bearings Cassandra stumbled through the snow drift in the direction of the portal's last location. On her right, a deadly plummet awaited her to a field of jagged rocks below. Shivering, Cassandra hugged the mountain ledge, her bare fingers stinging from the cold wet snow.

There were no words for how unbearable the cold was. With every step, Cassandra felt like her bones would snap from the polar temperatures. Master Li's newest method of torture was going to get her killed.

The bitter air stabbed her lungs with every breath and soon the snow and ice sealed her eyes shut. Her heart threatened to leap out of her chest as she stood there in the dark alone.

Cassandra braced her back against the mountain, feeling small and insignificant in the face of nature's fury. A chunk of ice slipped into her boot, sliding down between her toes. Her knees trembled with the effort of holding her up. One wrong move and she'd fall to her death.

Then the cold and dark of this wintry world were replaced by a strange vision. Cassandra flew forward with the speed of a freight train into another time and place.

Two little girls played in a meadow overlooking the sea. The waves churned softly around the rocks creating small tidepools below. Cassandra stumbled toward the children. Their dark hair fell in soft waves around their small shoulders.

They faced away from Cassandra, so she did not know what they looked like. A strange emotion filled her as one of the girls lifted a flower crown, the bright yellow buds blazing in the afternoon sun.

An intense painful yearning to survive overcame her. Cassandra stumbled toward the sea cliff and back into the darkness.

Numbing cold brought her back to reality, chasing the vision away.

No.

No.

No!

There was only one choice. Cassandra raised her arms her hands shaking as she struggled to form a portal. Though she could not see it, she felt the sparks against her exposed fingertips, little flickers of flame against her freezing skin. Concentrating on the image of Kamar Taj she let the power swell inside her and overflow from her palms.

Jerking unsteadily, Cassandra formed a portal that glowed like a ring of fire in her mind. She had no idea if it was real or imagined but she staggered toward it, hope and desperation driving her forward.

Cassandra fell, her knees striking stone. Gasping, she rolled onto her side, wet hair slapping against her cheeks.

"Novice. Well done."

Master Li's words barely registered. Cassandra sucked in air greedily, her limbs filling with painful pinpricks as circulation was restored. She blinked, melting ice crackling on her eyelashes.

That vision. It had been so bizarre. It had felt like a warning.

Were those children in trouble? Did they need her help?

A hand grasped her shoulder. Cassandra reached for it, sputtering incoherently. "Master Wong. I must speak with him."

"First, lets get you to the infirmary."

Master Li deposited her on a bed and then a doctor looked her over. Cassandra barely noticed the poking and prodding her thoughts turned inward. The magic had come swiftly and easily. Maybe she had been holding herself back all this time.

She pressed a hand to her chest. The power was there. She could feel it now. A glowing nimbus of light at the core of her being.

Master Li watched her, a narrow smile curving his lips. "You understand now."

"Yes." She said softly, staring down at her chapped hands. Her fingernails were faintly purple. She flexed them repeatedly until the color returned to normal. "Although, I wish you hadn't hurled me into a blizzard to prove a point."

The wizard shrugged at the accusation. "You are bull-headed as the Americans say. It was the only way to get the truth through your thick skull."

Cassandra and Master Li were not going to be friends. Which was fine. One day she would surpass him and turn the tables and see how he liked being hurtled into a blizzard. "Well, I think I earned some rest."

"You aren't owed anything, novice." Master Li said with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Remember that." Pivoting on his heel, the wizard stormed out of the infirmary.

A few minutes later Master Wong showed up. Cassandra peered around him searching for Loki.

"The Jotun is studying." Wong pulled up a beautifully carved chair to the bed. "You asked to speak with me?"

Cassandra repressed a smile. The wizard always got to the point. "I'm sure Master Li told you I summoned a portal."

"I am aware of your progress." Wong said neutrally.

"Well, when I was in that storm I had a vision."

"A vision of what?"

"Of two children playing by the seaside." Cassandra rubbed a finger over her frost burned lips. "I have no idea who they are. I wonder if they need my help."

Wong considered this. "Visions are notoriously unreliable. Often they only show possibilities. The Merlin was said to be a gifted seer. It is no surprise you have inherited his ability. Have you had another vision?"

"No-well, I might have. I dreamed of my mother, dying." Fear spun away all reason. "Is she in danger? I should go to her. I-"

Wong raised a hand to silence her. "Novice, calm yourself. Panic solves nothing."

"How can you say that?" Cassandra demanded. "If my mother is in danger I need to know."

The wizard heaved a long-suffering sigh. "The Merlin relied on his gift too much. Gazing into the future for long stretches will drive you mad as it did him."

That stopped Cassandra cold. "Mad? He went crazy?"

"Yes. He became lost in the future and could not see the present. Do not repeat his mistake." Wong warned.

"But, I can't control it. Both times the visions just happened."

"You will learn to control it." Wong promised.

The wizard held her gaze and slowly Cassandra wound down by the sincerity in his brown eyes. She slumped over her knees and combed her fingers through her hair. "I hope so."

Still. Cassandra could not shake the importance of the latest vision. She had to find out who those children were.

A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. I am busy and can't write long chapters like I prefer. I tried to do this justice and I hope you enjoyed reading it. As always, comment, vote, and have a great day! BTW, I am loving Disney Plus. I haven't watched much yet but I am loving the historical documentaries and Loki of course.