Parasite

Tetra had that feeling again, like her very skin was trying to crawl off of her. She paced back and forth along the length of the hallway, booted feet echoing on the stone floor.

After returning from her ride with Thor the previous day, she made sure that Loki had been returned to his room before going to her own, but was shocked when she opened the door. All of the books on magik had been placed around her bedroom chamber, the book about defensive magik on top of her unmade bed. And in between the pages of the old tome was a scrap of paper sticking out.

You have much studying to do before training begins tomorrow at noon. And I will be asking questions.

-Loki

She had wanted nothing more than to tear the note into tiny shreds and toss the book off her balcony. But instead Tetra had sat down and read for the rest of the night, getting almost half way through the book. But as she tried to recall different spells and how they were conjured up, her mind wouldn’t cooperate.

“Are you ready?”

She glanced up from staring at her feet to see Loki standing in his now open bedroom door. He was back in his normal green, black and gold armor, something that she was almost glad to see because it was familiar, and not as distracting as his casual clothes. Her own clothes were more of a dilemma considering she mostly owned gowns but had finally settled on a pair of tight-fitting black leather pants and a cream colored tunic. The neckline of her top was a wide scope across her shoulders, the hemline held in place with a gold belt. Her long auburn hair was pulled back into a thick braid that swung back and forth as she walked, brushing along her bare shoulder blades.

“Finally,” Tetra grumbled, arms folded across her chest.

Loki closed his door, that ever-present scowl twisting his lips. He moved forward, crowding into her personal space and she couldn’t help but take a step back. The sarcastic remark she had been ready to say dried on her tongue when she glanced up at his glittering green eyes.

“Shall we go?” she asked, and turned down the hallway.

“No, not that way,” Loki snapped.

“The training room-”

“Is not where we will be going. In order for you to focus, you need to be relaxed. I have another place in mind. Come.”

Tetra glared at his back as they walked down a different hallway, their guard following quietly behind. She slowly began to realize that they were going down to the ground floor of the palace. When they came upon the Royal Stables, she glanced at him quizzically but started to saddle her horse, Onyx. Once finished, she rubbed a hand across his smooth black snout and watched as Loki and Fendril handled their own rides.

The three of them rode away from the palace, weaving their way through the streets of Asgard, keeping to the less traveled roads. When they occasionally came across someone, there would be a look of shock followed by a respectful bow and a mumbled my prince. The news of Loki’s release had reached the rest of the kingdom that morning, but Tetra knew that nobody had expected to see him already.

The closer they reached the edges of the city, the more confused she became. The buildings and houses thinned until all there was were the flowing golden fields that surrounded the city. Beyond that in the distance were tall trees and majestic mountains capped in snow.

“This will do,” Loki finally said after they rode into the fields by a few yards. He dismounted and Tetra followed suit and they handed the reins to their horses over to Fendril. “Tie up the horses and wait for us.”

“Please,” Tetra added, then sent a small glare Loki’s way. “There is no need for you to be rude.”

They walked through the tall grass, the flower scented air breezing pleasantly around them, making her braid swing against her shoulders. She could see Loki’s point about being relaxed, because out in the mid-day sun and fluffy clouds, she felt the tension ease out of her shoulders. She lifted her face towards the sky to soak in the warmth and sighed happily.

“I will do as I please, Lady Tetra.”

When she opened her eyes she gasped at how closely Loki was standing in front of her. She could feel his cool breath that slightly smelled of mint hitting her forehead in small little puffs, and could pick out each shade of green in his eyes.

“There is one thing that you must understand. Any other time when we are together I may have to follow your orders, but out here, you will listen to me. Are we clear?” he asked, tone silky and menacing.

“I-I-”

“Good. Now, tell me what you have learned.”

Tetra took a deep breath, fighting hard to calm her pounding heartbeat and focus on what she had read the night before.

“That magik is merely an extension of one’s will and the power depends on the strength and determination of that person,” she finally responded.

“Very good. Although every person has the latent ability to learn magik, not everyone can harness those powers. It takes a great deal of concentration and strength, and someone with a weak will and mind cannot use them. They would simply crumble under the pressure of the magik.”

“Is that why you think I’ll give up?” Tetra snapped. “Because I have a weak will?”

The small chuckle that escaped his mouth was dark and almost sounded condescending.

“No. As much as I wish otherwise, I think you have a very strong will. What you lack is the patience, and the determination. Just like Thor; he could never focus long enough to learn. But my own opinions do not matter, because I am to teach you anyways. Now, close your eyes.”

“Why do I have to-”

“Must you question everything I say? Just do it.”

With an annoyed sigh she shut her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.

“Did I not tell you that you need to be relaxed?”

His voice was directly by her ear and it caused Tetra to flinch just enough that Loki laughed softly. Cool fingers wrapped around her wrists and pulled her arms back down to her sides. He was standing right behind her, close enough that she could feel his breathing and his armor scraped against her shoulder blades. His hands settled atop her bare shoulders and another shiver slid down her back.

“Just take a deep breath. In, out. Good,” he said when she did as he asked. “Magik is inside you, lying right underneath your skin. A defensive shield is the easiest form of magik because all you have to do is just push it out a little bit. You need to feel it in you, feel it building and coiling until you can let it out.”

All the sounds of the field faded until all Tetra focused on were the sound of Loki’s voice and the warmth in her chest. It slowly spread until she could feel it climbing down her arms and back, tingling along its way and leaving goose bumps. She focused on that warmth, thought about pushing it out until it wrapped her body in liquid heat.

“Open your eyes.”

She did and gasped at what she saw. A faint silvery light was shimmering along her arms and down her legs.

“That’s your magik. Hold on to it tightly and focus on it, for now we are going to test your concentration.”

Loki’s hands slipped off her shoulders and he came around to stand in front of her. The wind in the field blowed his black, silky hair around his sharp features and about his shoulders, but his face was like stone. Slowly, green light gathered into his hand until it formed a ball that glowed brightly, reflecting off his eyes that watched her intently.

“Wh-What are you going to do?” Tetra stuttered, her magik wavering like a flame.

“Pay attention!” he snapped. “This is a low-volt energy ball. You need to stay focused, or it will sting quite a bit when it hits you.”

“Hits me? You are not going to throw that at me!”

Her shield went down at the same time that Loki flicked his wrist, sending the glowing energy ball hurtling towards her. It landed right in the middle of her chest, bursting apart and sending a shock wave of pain through her body. The sting of it ended as quickly as it came, leaving her hunched over and breathing raggedly, face nearly touching the tall field grass.

“Maybe it hurts a bit more than I let on,” Loki said, voice amused.

Tetra glanced up, glaring heatedly at the smirk on his face. She wanted to march over and slap it off his face, but he gathered another ball of energy in his hand and tossed it up into the air. She eyed it wearily, already feeling tired.

“Care to try again?” he asked.

The ball went flying towards her the next second and she quickly put the shield of magik back up before it landed. The green sphere simply bounced off her chest and fizzled into nothing with a loud hiss.

“See how fast you’re learning? Now, again.”

With a grumble of annoyance Tetra strengthened the shield and widened her stance, waiting for the next hit. Another ball formed in Loki’s hand, and he raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

“I’m ready.”