Loki's Apprentice: A Tale Retold

Chapter 22: Spells

"You have bewitched me, body and soul..."

Chapter 22: Spells

Magic was harder than Evelyn initially thought.

Her whole day consisted of reading the endless books of spells and the history of magic and the Beast never seemed to take pity on her tired eyes.

"I've had my whole life to study magic and I've barely scratched the surface of what a sorcerer can learn." The Beast calmly stated as he turned another page in his own book.

All that Evelyn was able to do was sigh and return to her mountain of books. It wasn't that it was dry to read, it was just the anticipation to feel the magic described that often distracted her.

Every so often she would glance up at the Beast in hopes to catch his eye. After feeling her gaze for the tenth time, he usually sighed and shut his book, ready to begin the daily lesson.

Her first step into magic was one of the easier spells to preform.

Levitation.

The first time it mainly consisted of her glaring at a feather and practically coaxing it to float. But after a few days she was able to master it and she smirked proudly up at the Beast as the feather circled his head.

The Beast watched the feather in amusement, but then a smirk began to grow on his lips and Evelyn knew that that only meant bad things.

With a sort of humor in his demeanor, he set down three large stones before her and she had to begin the whole process over again.

The magic, as the Beast said, helped lessen the pull of her visions. She was able to more easily resist them and the Beast said that overtime she could possibly have them at will if she desired.

But all the studies and the strengthening of her magic seemed to only worsen one vision in particular.

Every night her dreams were plagued by her first vision of the tortured soul, howling in pain and calling her name. She knew the vision so well and knew how it would end, but each time she couldn't help but run after the voice. With each step she only seemed to be further and further away and his pain seemed to only intensify.

She knew death was knocking on his door, but she could do nothing. She only woke up with tears streaming down her face after hearing him whisper her name in relief.

She never told the Beast that the vision continued to reoccur, mostly in fear that he would put her back to just reading his endless supply of magical books.

"Do you think it's time to learn something else?" Evelyn inquired as she levitated three heavy large books above their head as they read.

"It should take you a few more weeks to master this spell before you can lift something heavier than your books."

Evelyn rolled here eyes at the disinterested tone in his voice and she muttered the spell under her breath. It took him quite a while to realize that he had slowly risen above his reading chair  and he stared at her in bewilderment.

A satisfied smile appeared on Evelyn's face.

"I've been practicing."

She usually couldn't sleep after waking up from her dreadful vision, hoping to calm her mind she would practice her spells until she woke up floating with her many books encircling her.