Sorcha's Secret World, Part 2: Mystery and Mischief.

Chapter 14, Tupperfrost

I absolutely forbid it.

Ridiculous custom, these 'ship-names'."

Loki wrinkled his nose as if he smelled something bad.

I carefully avoided looking at Carter in case I started giggling again.

"Anthony left a tablet with a note for you in the study, he thought it might be important," I said quickly, hoping to distract Loki and stave off any further acerbic comments.

Loki stalked towards the study, Carter and I practically running behind him to catch up.

Less than a minute later, the tablet Anthony had left for Loki went crashing into the wall as Loki threw it through the room in anger.

"ANTHONY!" he barked loud enough to be heard throughout the hold.

Carter's eyes met mine and I shook my head. Loki was in a foul mood and if she'd tried to intervene she'd likely just become a target for Loki's wrath herself. I motioned for her to get out of the room but she pretended not to see me.

Anthony came running into the room, nervously pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Whatever Doctor Lee pays you, it is obviously too much!

As a matter of fact, you should probably be paying him for the privilege of allowing you the pretence of calling yourself a 'language expert', Loki spat. "If even the simplest of documents is beyond your current grasp of the Jotunn language, please do not waste my time with your insipid and dull guesswork!

If incompetence and ineptitude are all you have to offer, why are you even still here?"

"Loki!"

I understood he was in a bad mood, but the Jotunn language was incredibly complicated and I knew Anthony Ryan was doing the best he could. I felt more than a little bit sorry for the young polyglot as he braced himself redfaced at the vehemence of Loki's sharp tongue and temper.

"I have had enough of this!" Loki growled. He roughly grabbed Anthony's head between both his hands, nearly knocking off the younger man's glasses and began chanting as his eyes glowed green.

Anthony screamed as his eyes began to glow green too, the power of the spell lifting him off his feet as he dangled in the air.

"Anthony!" Carter cried out as I grabbed her arm before she could run towards her boyfriend.

"Loki! Stop it!" I yelled.

Loki ignored us all, his long black hair streaming out behind him as papers began to fly through the room. I could feel the magic that was crackling in the air, ancient and so thick I could almost taste it.

It stopped as suddenly as it began.

Anthony fell to his knees on the floor, scrambling around for his glasses that had fallen on the floor. Carter ran towards him and helped him.

"What?" Loki asked me irritably, slightly out of breath. "All I did was grant him the gift of the AllSpeak. I've done it before. Of course, I was slightly younger back then..." he stumbled backwards into Jessie's desk and sat down on her chair.

"Yes, you could say that..." Carter whispered as she looked up at him, her eyes wide.

I stared at Loki in horror, my hand in front of my mouth.

"You should have used the circlet and Friezegem." I finally managed to say.

"Yes, probably," Loki admitted with a small smile. "I feel a bit weaker than I thought I would."

"Loki..."

"What?" Loki looked around at the horrified faces staring at him. "I'm just a bit light-headed, I'll be fine!"