Wings

Escaping the Sorcerer

Yeah, I don't understand why anyone would confuse us either, Lo.  On another note, I'm a sorcerer myself, so I'm resistant to compulsion spells as well, which makes me wonder why that sorcerer thought he could use a compulsion spell on you.  But then again, perhaps he wasn't expecting a fellow sorcerer.  I wonder what his problem is with Wings anyway.  It looks like he was bothering the Elementals, too.

- Felicity

***

"So, how is Althea these days?" the sorcerer inquired, his voice almost hypnotic in its smoothness. "Is it still running well? I suppose Orvin still rules you all. It's just his style to back out without saying goodbye."

"Althea is none of your business," Thom mumbled, his eyes fixed on the sorcerer. There was a hint of suspicion in their depths, but knowing Thom, it was about the wrong things.

"My apologies, I forget that's a touchy subject with you Wings. Don't like to discuss your origins or your capital. Tell me then, does Loki still practice sorcery? Or has he given up by now? Or is he dead? I hear many rumors and I'm certain most of them are false."

"Loki still practices sorcery," Thom said with a hint of distaste in his voice. "Unfortunately."

Yeah, not many Altheans liked sorcery. Orvin, Felicity, and I were exceptions. Everyone tolerated and even admired Orvin's and Felicity's devotion to the art, but I was different. Any new skill I learned would be treated with suspicion, especially if it gave me an advantage.

"Is Loki even his full name? It isn't, is it? Oh, well, it's not important. The important thing is that you, Thunderer, are going to be my guest for the next couple of days. Don't be alarmed, nothing bad will happen to you... for awhile. You'll just be nicely asleep until someone comes to get you." And with a flick of his hand, Thom fell asleep with only a spark of realization in his eyes before the spell took over.

The sorcerer then turned to me. His brows furrowed in frustration. "I forgot that you are a sorcerer as well, Felicity. Of course you would know how to resist compulsion."

I fought the extreme urge to grin and tell him what I thought of people who used compulsion on me. Instead, I said, "You should have thought of that sooner."

"I'll find another way to get you to show your wings," he said. "Out of the chair."

I got out of the chair and felt the itching fade away, much to my relief. It had been starting to get annoying. But then the sorcerer grabbed me bodily and pressed me against his body. He then threw back the hood of his cloak and my eyes widened involuntarily. He was actually quite handsome. He had chocolaty brown hair and rich brown eyes, not to mention perfectly chiseled features and warmly tanned skin. He looked me in the eyes and I knew this was another spell, one that was harder to resist. A Fire Wing was normally at the whims of his or her passions and it was only through necessity that I had learned to curb my desires to the point where they didn't set me off. As it was, I could feel my wings stirring under my skin and my magic threatening to burst out from my iron control. And I didn't really feel like hiding who I was for much longer.

"Wings are creatures of passion, aren't they?" he whispered, his voice lowering to a sultry whisper. He then placed his hands on my back, keeping me close and feeling the pulse of my wings under my skin at the same time. "Yes, I can feel your wings. I had doubts you were a Wing at first, but you were with the Thunderer. He can hardly stand other Wings, let alone someone from a completely different race. Tell me, how does it feel to have wings like that? Wings that aren't always there, except when you feel a certain way or summon them deliberately, I mean. And what is it like to have wings made from sunlight?"

"My wings aren't actually made from sunlight," I said. "And you talk too much." His voice reminded me of someone else and my wings pushed harder against my skin. He chuckled slightly and I became even more uncomfortable.  This guy was a creep.  I hate creeps with a burning passion.

"Your wings tell me otherwise," he purred. "You like the sound of my voice. Come on, baby. I know what you are. You don't have to hide from me."

That was it. I'd had enough with this man. I hated being called 'baby' and that was final. My wings jerked hard against my skin, causing me pain for a moment because anger fuels Fire Wings like nothing else. He let go abruptly, realizing I was about to spread my wings, and backed away slightly, watching with anticipation. And then I allowed the magic to surge through my body and I felt the light pressure of my wings bursting from my back. His eyes almost instantly changed from anticipation to fear, realizing that he had made a terrible mistake. I was definitely not Felicity, and I was far from amused.

"Don't call me 'baby'," I snapped, drawing myself up to my full height, which was made impressive by the size of my wings. Unlike Thom, I used my glam regularly in the intervening 200 years, so my magic was quite potent and it showed in my wings. However, I didn't usually show my wings except when I was certain I was alone, so they were usually in a state of molting when I did show them. This time was no exception and even as I stood there I could feel five feathers loosen from my wings. Thankfully, none of my primaries felt like they were going to fall off, which was a plus.

"Loki," he breathed, his fear filling the room with its rank scent. I wrinkled my nose with distaste. "The Trickster."

"The one and only," I said with a smirk. "Now, don't you have something better to do than gawk at me? Like, maybe undoing whatever enchantment you used on Thom? And if you try to play me for a fool, sorcerer, you should know that the Thunderer doesn't keel over like that without prompting from an outside source."

The sorcerer paled and with trembling hands, reversed the spell on Thom. Thom opened his eyes blearily and the sorcerer quickly backed up, not wanting to face Thom's wrath, too. Fortunately for him, Thom saw me first. His eyes narrowed slightly when he beheld my fiery wings. He had apparently forgotten that I was a Fire Wing and didn't care to be reminded. "What are you doing, Loki?" When he used that much of my name, I was in trouble with him.

"Rescuing you, obviously," I snorted. "Didn't you forget that a sorcerer enchanted you? Would you rather that I had left you here and gone on my merry way?"

Thom scowled, apparently remembering the sorcerer. "No. Where is he?"

I pointed and Thom scrambled to his feet, reaching for his sword. The sorcerer seemed to remember that he had magic and he was preparing an incantation when I sent a fireball whooshing over both their heads. They both turned to stare at me and I crossed my arms. "No fighting. Thom and I are leaving, sorcerer. And when we leave, you had better not be here when we come back because we are coming back and we are going to bring an entire party of Wings with us to trash your place. And Orvin might decide that he wants your head for a centerpiece. He has actually gotten much better at preserving human heads."

And with that, we left through the portal and the instant we passed through, I put away my wings. There was no need to advertise to the world that I was Lokiheku, or Loki as most knew me, or that I was molting. A single fiery feather escaped just before I put away my wings, so I caught it before it hit the ground and stashed it in my pocket with my four other fiery feathers. And then we teleported back to Althea to report to Orvin.