Sorcha's Secret World, Part one.

Chapter 18, A liar, a conman, a charlatan.

"So you are really bringing him back to the island?" Carter asked.

I was still in the habit of visiting the island once a week if I could, to check up on the villagers and the wards. Basic necessities were provided to the islanders by the Council of Venice, but I always brought some treats for the kids with me. Things like chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks.

We were having a picnic at Danny's favourite place, the Skateboard Park. I could see the golden beam of light shining down on Thor's altar from here.

"I am," I answered Carter's question. " He'll be here to help, and I promise I'll be keeping an eye on him all the time."

"Well, if Loki shows his face I'll stab him here, and there, and here!"

Kyra was swinging a stick around as if it was a sword, jabbing at the air as if to punctuate her words.

"Ouch," Danny winched, "At the height that she's poking that stick she'd be stabbing him right in the..."

"There will be no stabbing Loki!" I interrupted before Danny could finish his sentence. "As I said, he's here to help improve the wards. We're not going to stab him," I glared at Kyra, "set him on fire," I looked at Danny, "Or anything else!"

"But can you really trust him?" Carter asked. "What if he breaks the wards instead and goes after the Gaia engine again?"

"Then Sorcha will turn him into mush with her hammer, won't you Sorcha?" Kyra asked.

"But she won't have to do that, you see?" Danny explained. "Because he's one of the good guys now. Right, Sorcha?"

"Of course he isn't," Kyra answered for me, "He's only behaving now because the Templars are making him and he's scared of Sorcha."

"But, what if he isn't?" Danny's eyes gleamed with enthusiasm, "What if he isn't a villain anymore? He did try to help here on the island with that charity stuff, right? What if this is his redemption arc? Like in the movies?"

Carter just shook her head at him, "You are such a kid sometimes Danny! This isn't the movies!" she threw an M&M at him, and he threw a marshmallow back. Soon the kids were having a food fight, and I grinned. It was nice to see them just being kids again.

Tonight was movie night with Richard, and tomorrow I'd take Loki to the island to see if he could help with the wards.

"He is a conman, Sorcha. A silver tongued charlatan. Loki can not be trusted. I'm simply worried about you. You're spending far more time in his presence than I am comfortable with. Not only do you work together in the field, but he has dinner at your place every night, and you seem to be spending almost every waking hour in his company."

Every Thursday night Richard's wife went to her book club, and I would go over and watch Romcoms with Richard. They were his guilty pleasure, and Anita couldn't stand them. I don't mind them, so we'd watch movies together and eat far too much junk food. But now Catherine Heigl was showing off her bridesmaid dresses in the background while Richard and I argued.

I knew who Loki was, of course, I did. I knew what he was. A liar, a cheater, a trickster. A conman and a charlatan. A master manipulator.

His mind spells don't work on me, thanks to my Bee I could resist that kind of magic easily enough. But he was charming and observant. It would be simple enough for him to learn exactly how to manipulate me.

A compliment here, a little joke there.

And yet, I could not help but feel that that wasn't what was happening between us. I felt that he was being sincere, that he liked me enough to occasionally show his true self to me, at least as a friend.