After The Summoning
POV: Alexandra
I widened my eyes when Mordred called out to Loki. The trickster God had been the one to curse me but I didn’t care. All I wanted to do was to free him from his chains and run away with him. I had tried to fight that instinct. Loki smirked at Mordred, “I might’ve known you would be the one to play a trick on me using what’s mine to lure me out. How long has it been, Mordred?” Mordred’s jaw clenched, “Not long enough. Why did you target my family, Loki?” He shrugged, “It wasn’t you that I was messing with this time. I think that king, pretty boy what’s his face, needs to be knocked down a few pegs. He annoys me and I saw an opportunity to do that with the one he loved the most. The idiot didn’t even realize his own feelings about her until it was too late.” He laughed then continued, “Not to mention this beautiful creature is so alluring. I couldn’t get Aphrodite but I sure can get the one that looks like her. Imagine my surprise to know that she has a much better personality than her soul mother. I will claim her as my wife when I kill her or maybe I should just wait for The Order to do it. Either way, she will take her place by my side in the Heavenly Realm.” Mordred shook his head, “You forget that you are trapped here.” Loki looked at me and his eyes glowed green as he looked directly into my eyes, “I don’t think that will be an issue. Darling, would you be a dear and release me from my bonds?” I smiled at him, “Of course, my love.” I rose from my place on the altar but my inner voice was screaming at me, “You need to stop yourself now!” I shook my head and placed my hands on his chest, “I want another kiss first.” He winked at me, “See Mordred, she can’t get enough of me. I shall indulge you.” He leaned in and kissed me as my inner voice yelled, “He’s tricking you Xan. You cannot fall for it.” Mordred shouted, “Little one, you cannot give in to him. Fight it!” I shot Mordred a dirty look and summoned Bash then pointed at Mordred, “Keep him away from us.” Sebastian lunged forward and growled at Mordred. I pulled at the invisible chains and some had broken away. I kept this up until I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and I fell to the ground. I heard Mordred shouting, “I told you not to come! You’ve ruined it!” I heard Loki whisper in my ear, “I shall see you again really soon, my love. Wait for me.” My eyes fluttered shut and the world around me went black.
The next thing I heard was my mother’s voice, “Xan? Can you hear me?” I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at my mother. She smiled, “Oh thank the Gods, except that one.” She turned and shouted, “She’s awake!” My family minus Ashton came into the room. Mordred sighed, “I’m sorry, little one, I had not accounted for your curse. Unfortunately, Loki has disappeared. Fortunately, he is still bound from going to the Heavenly Realm so he’s either in Vellum, Terre, or Seely. Knowing his extensive connections in Seely, he’s likely there.” I got up and looked at him, “Who stopped me from unleashing him completely?” I heard a woman’s voice from the door, “It was me, kid.” The small woman came into the room and she smiled at me, “How are you doing, kid? I didn’t get you too hard did I?” I shook my head, “I’m okay, Dorothea. I’m just glad you stopped me.” Mordred rolled his eyes, “I’m not. I could have lifted the curse. I needed three more minutes.” She grunted and folded her arms on her chest, “Oh really! And this three minutes would have been had after this beauty completely unchained him and he disappeared? I made a decision to interfere. You merely needed last night to summon him. Now we can find a way to find him and cast the other enchantment.” Mordred clenched his jaw, “Now I remember why our relationship was always rocky. You just butt into my business all the time.”
My father cleared his throat, “I don’t think it does us any good to argue. The fact is that Alexandra remains cursed. We’re all just lucky he didn’t want to harm her for helping to trick him.” I sighed, “Aphrodite or Apollo. Are you there?” A golden orb appeared in my room and Apollo appeared, “Alexandra. I am here.” My father looked at Apollo then at me. I shrugged, “Everyone, this is Apollo who is my soul father.” Apollo waved at everyone and then smiled at me, “Are you okay? Why did you summon me?” I sighed, “We did the ritual tonight but it failed, sort of.” He frowned, “That’s upsetting. Do you at least know who it is so All Mighty can punish him?” I nodded, “It was Loki. What I’m still not understanding is how he did it.” Apollo grunted, “You said Loki?” I nodded and he narrowed his eyes, “I will make sure All Mighty knows. He messed with the wrong child. I have to go Alexandra, we will speak another time.” I nodded, “Bye Apollo.” He disappeared and everyone looked at me. My father spoke, “I’m guessing you needed to tell All Mighty who it was.” I nodded, “Yes, for some reason my desire to protect Loki was overruled by the order from All Mighty to tell him who it was that cursed me.” Mordred interceded, “It makes sense. All Mighty is the creator of all things including Loki so his orders would be stronger than a curse.”
Dana ran into the room and whispered into my father’s ear and he nodded, “Excuse me, I need to go downstairs for a bit. I’m glad you’re okay, little rose.” My father rose from his seat and left the room with Dana in tow. All of us watched him walk out of the door and my mother stared at the door for a bit longer, “I wonder what was so urgent that he had to leave the room where his daughter is in bed.” I shrugged, “I’m not bothered by his leaving, Mother. I’m sure that whatever took him away from us must be important. Besides, I’m not ill or injured aside from a small headache. What did you hit me with Dorothea?” She smiled, “It was a sleeping potion that gets absorbed through the skin. I was aiming for your back but I’m not very good at throwing and you were a moving target at the time. Sorry if it hurts.” I shook my head, “Nah, nothing like that. Just curious what could have hit me that could knock me out but not so hard as to hurt when I woke up.” She shrugged, “Well, I do have to admit that I may have put a little liquid pain relief in there just in case I did hit you in the head.” Mordred rolled his eyes and Whisperia cleared her throat, “In any case, we are all happy that you are fine and not in Loki’s grasp. He seriously has had some rivalry with my brother and me in the past so we did suspect him, especially with your description of him. We just needed confirmation and to rid you of him. Sorry, we weren’t able to accomplish the latter.” I shook my head, “It’s not so bad, I know that he cannot run away to the Heavenly Realm and now All Mighty knows who did this. He will be punished properly and my curse will be lifted in no time, I’m sure.”
Dana came back into the room just before I finished my sentence and waited patiently before announcing, “Pardon me, Your Grace Alexandra, but if you are well enough…your father requests your presence in the study. He also asks that she come alone.” I was confused as to what my father could possibly have to say to me that required the absence of my grandfather and mother. I pulled the covers back from myself and thankfully I was dressed in the robes still and not in my underwear or something embarrassing. I looked at her, “Dana, you can tell my father that I will be a minute. I would like to change and could you bring me some medicine to help with my headache?” Dorothea spoke, “You can forget the last part, Dana. I’ve brought another pain relief potion that should work better.” She pulled out a small vial and handed it to me, “Thanks.” She smiled and stated, “Well, I’m off. I am supposed to meet with my sister and niece tonight for a craft and complain session.” I remembered in Terre this ritual of sorts was described as a stitch and bitch so it made me giggle a little. She opened a portal but Whisperia called out to her, “Can I come? It’s been a while since I’ve attended one of those.” Dorothea smiled at her, “Of course, lovely lady. Just don’t bring that jerk brother of yours.” Whisperia looked back at Mordred apologetically and he waved her on, “Like I’d want to hang out with a short cackly hag like yourself. I’m going back to my tower.” He opened his own portal and stepped through. Dorothea huffed before she and Whisperia stepped through her portal. My mother and grandfather rose to leave the room before I called out, “Hey, where’s Jess?” My mother smiled, “She told us she had to go into town to procure some herbs in preparation for the full moon. She said this will keep the others from mating with her before she’s ready.” With that declaration, the two left the room and I was alone. I walked over to my wardrobe and stripped off the ridiculous ritual outfit and pulled out jeans and an oversized peach-colored sweater that would expose one of my shoulders and a white undershirt. After I threw all of that one, I pulled my hair into a messy bun. I walked down the stairs and up to the study door and knocked. My father opened it and smiled at me, “As expected, come on in.” As I walked into the room, I saw the back of the head of a tall blonde man with short hair and Grand Pretre sitting on the settee. As I approached, I found that the tall blonde man was Lucien and I gasped, “What happened to your hair?!” He shrugged and looked embarrassed, “It’s definitely a story but you should probably sit down. We have a few things to discuss.”
