2 | 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 ▹ LOKI LAUFEYSON

vii. the futile

A new chapter to begin Spring Break!! I have outlines for the next few chapters, so hopefully this break will help me make up for my past tardiness!

Anyways, enjoy! :)

L O K I

Loki kept his gaze firmly on the pages of his book when Amora entered the cell. He had already read this particular book three times, but he refused to acknowledge the healer.

A stiff silence filled the air as she strode to the lone, rickety table matched with two pathetic chairs. Another burst of animosity flooded Loki as he recalled how Frigga took whatever furniture he had previously enjoyed, undoubtably a result of his altercation with Amora. The subsequent scolding was perhaps the longest and most intense that Loki had ever received from the queen.

Scolding, he wrinkled his nose at the word, As if I'm a child.

"This potion will increase the rate of your healing," Amora's voice nearly made Loki drop his book, "Take the whole thing once a day until it stops refilling itself."

Loki glanced up at the small bottle that now decorated his table. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep his eyes from flitting up to Amora's face. The loss of his armchair particularly created some bitterness, but part of him also feared what he would see if he looked at her.

The shock--no, betrayal--in her eyes still flashed in his mind occasionally despite how hard he tried to dispel it. He attempted to focus on the memory of her turning her back on him to leave. It seemed like such a common occurrence with those that he once trusted: abandonment

However, this time, a breath of relief reached his lips as Amora made her way toward the golden barrier, but when she stopped, the sigh followed suit. Through his peripheral vision, Loki saw her hesitate at the threshold.

"I am bringing my apprentice tomorrow," she began slowly, as though a negotiation was about to unfold, "It would be preferable if you...behaved."

A snort escaped Loki as soon as he heard her final word of choice. The thought of a new way to agitate Amora giving him something to look forward to.

"If you try anything tomorrow," Amora said, her voice steely, "what happened last week will seem like a light headache."

Loki flinched at the memory of the sharp pain that had pierced his mind like a spike being shoved into his skull.

Waiting until Amora was a few paces down the hall, he finally called in mock earnestness, "I will show her the same hospitality that you have shown me."

* * *

A M O R A

Amora tensed as Loki's voice followed her toward the inner halls of the dungeons. She had hoped that her Warning would dissuade him, but now this appeared unlikely. Schemes were probably dancing through his mind as she left. The thought of Ana anywhere near the trickster made her stomach churn.

However, her next patient made it do somersaults. As soon as she entered the sparse cell, Amora was met with a chorus of harsh coughs. The prisoner was on her back, staring up at the ceiling with weary eyes through her disheveled red locks.

Amora swallowed down her hesitancy and drew out her holopad. "The guards tell me that you have been coughing for several days now, Lorelei."

The redhead attempted a low chuckled, but it sent her body into a long series of hacking.