The Sacrifice: Forgotten | Loki | Book 1

Chapter 4: When Fire and Ice touch

(Loki's P.O.V)

A light shone on my face. Through my eye lids. It was futile to close my eyes, this flame just burnt through them. This morning came too soon. I did not feel like awakening, so I kept lying in her bed, eyes closed but not asleep. I was somehow not able to find a comfortable position, and with a frustrated sigh, I finally decided to rise. I left the bed with a fast movement, too late to stop myself. My body tensed up, expected the pain to shoot up my spine. Alas, I noticed something strange, something that both relieved and terrified me.

There was no pain anymore. 

My hands fumbled with the leather cords and the metal plates, stripping off one after the other and disengaging those seemingly eternal knots. My bared torso was white as snow, cold, but smooth. I palpated the areas which had hurt the most last night. Nothing, just some very bright bruises.

I recalled hearing Caroline, supposedly a healer, claim I had broken ribs. There must have been some, for apparently, I fell through a ceiling. I turned around to investigate my back which should have been green and blue by then. But again no pain, even when I tried to stretch. Indeed my skin colour was normal, well, as normal as corpse-like skin can be. 

I heard female voices arguing in the living room. It must have been Caroline and the other lady. What had she called her? Xenia?  I left Caroline's chamber and approached the noise. I had a bad feeling about this. The reason for their disagreement was obvious. My instincts turned out to be right.

" - and now let him be!" 

"So, what's your plan, then?"  

"My plan is, that we wait until he recovers and then we help him find his people. Don't you understand? He has nobody now! He doesn't even know his own name, for cry's sake!"  Caroline stated the undeniable. I did have nobody, and I did forget my very name. What a disgrace! 

"We are the only ones he knows, and on top of that, I have responsibilities as a doctor."

"You're not even a doctor yet."

"Move your ass and help me lift that rock! It's too heavy."  She ordered, ignoring the other girl's comment.

"May I help you, ladies?"  What a foolish move! Now they will think I had been eavesdropping on them purposely. A part of me scolded myself. Nonetheless, I didn't wait for her to respond. The answer was not exactly hard to guess, for the boulder looked huge. My left hand grabbed the piece of the ceiling and lifted it. 

"Where do you want me to put it?" I asked her.

"Um - ah, r-right over there... please?" Caroline pointed to a big trash can. It sounded like a question to me, but I obeyed.

"As you wish." Within less than a second, the rock was out of the way. The impact with the iron can was deafening, the ladies flinched. Smoke rose.

"But - You can't just - How did you - " 

This was the first time I really perceived Caroline. She had dark hair, not as dark as mine, tied back. Very kind eyes, a prominent face. I liked here outward appearance, and I wondered only more why on Earth she was stuttering like that. A beautiful woman like her should be self-confident.

"This was absolutely unnecessary, you shouldn't lift heavy things. You're injured!  I-I mean look at your - yourself!"  She seemed like she couldn't find the right words. Something was distracting her... I feared that I caused her discomfort. Her eyes were stuck to me. I prayed that my healing did not frighten her?

"What the hell are you?!"  Xenia shouted doubtfully.

Ignoring her rude comment, I approached her and bowed my head. "I am truly sorry, Lady Xenia. I would like to excuse myself for my indefensible behaviour last night."