Truths, Lies and Bilgesnipes [Complete]

Chapter 5

Loki sat on the edge of his bed, his feet dangling over the side. Opposite him, his mother had come down on one knee so they were more or less at eye-level. He wasn't used to seeing her like this and it wasn't just the matter of the strange shimmer the projection cast over her form. She had traded the finery befitting her rank as queen of Asgard for muddy boots and a plain blue and white dress sewn out of a sturdy fabric. If Loki didn't know better he could have mistaken his mother for a common working-woman taking a momentary break from her daily tasks.

'How are you doing, darling?' his mother said. She shook her head. 'By your father's missive, it was a ghastly incident. You and your brother must have been so frightened.'

Loki bit down on his lip in a bid to control his wide grin; projection spells over long distances took a lot out of the caster so he hadn't expected he would have a chance to talk to his mother face to face until she returned from Adra Taeral. 'I'm better, mum. It's not nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Caunas, the healer who's been looking after me, said the Chief Healer will come by later today; she should clear me to go back to class. It can't be all that bad at all then, can it?'

This wasn't quite what Caunas had said. Loki had asked when he would be permitted to return to class with his peers and the healer had replied that he wouldn't be the one to make that decision. Later, when Caunas was packing up his equipment, he had added that Eir herself would come to have a look at Loki later on. The implication seemed clear enough for Loki.

'Are you far behind your schoolwork?' his mother asked. Her hair was swept up in a bun, but a few coils had escaped and they shifted about lightly, stirred up by a breeze that didn't reach Loki.

'Not at all. Except for magic and combat training — that's too taxing apparently. But for the rest of it, Master Frode has been going over the lessons I missed. It's kind of nice really. He knows so much about everything. He even explained some of the theory behind the experiments Caunas is conducting as part of his work. And there's no one else here, so I don't have to sit around waiting while someone wants some silly question answered or the tutor is yelling because people won't stop talking.'

'I'm glad you've found an upside to this situation.'

'Yeah, I can finish the lessons quicker this way, just me one on one with someone,' Loki replied.

The intensity of those lessons had its costs. Loki's mind was so wrung out by the time Master Frode left, Loki found himself sleeping through most of the afternoon. Two days in a row Thor had ended up waking him up when Thor had finished his classes for the day and dropped by to visit his brother.

Loki considered saying as much but decided that his mother didn't need to know all that. Instead, he asked, 'Is it really bad out there where you are?'

'It's a tough situation.' His mother attempted to smooth her skirt, but a good part of the material was caught under the knee she rested against the ground, so the effort was futile. 'Many of the injured have recovered and are recovering, which is a positive. But the aftershocks continue and there is fear that the area remains unstable. If so, there will be further casualties and destruction.'

'Can you fix that? Prevent landslides from happening across so wide an area?'

'Not easily, but a team of sorcerers can achieve much with a touch of creativity and a bit of effort,' his mother said. She glanced behind her. As the projection showed nothing of her surroundings, Loki had no inkling as to what had drawn her attention, but his mother's weary sigh suggested it was nothing pleasant. 'But don't you worry about what's going on out here. I just want you healthy again and not making trouble for your father.'

'I know, mum.'

'How are you and your father getting along? And what about Asta?'

'Asta and I are just fine,' Loki said half-heartedly. 'Father's been busy; I haven't seen him much since I was released from the Medical Wing.' He caught his mother's shoulders tensing and not being keen to cause discord between his parents, he quickly added, 'I mean he still visits me each night, if only for fifteen minutes. And he said yesterday that he, Thor and I will have dinner together tonight.'