by Emrys Apollo
Trax! Giselle thought. He giggled and she smiled into her bandages.
-
Will dropped a bar of gold into the great pot, a frown on his lips and his brows raised as he stirred the potion. Conrad was keeping his sister comfortable while she slowly healed, her body and her magic slowed down by infection. This potion wasn’t necessarily of the healing sort, but it would accelerate Giselle’s power and allow the process to speed up.
It would likely hurt. Champion’s Brew was a thing hoarded by dragons and warlords alike, an absolute last resort that led to feats of great magical power and physical strength. It could revive a warrior dying of the worst wounds, not by healing him but by empowering him so that he might feel like a god. Will wondered how it might work on his sister, as a scientist, and he was curious about his hypothesis. As her brother, he was terrified. And also opposed to experimenting on his own sister, so he kept his hypothesis to himself.
He thought her magic was beautiful, and it was. But there were times where it really… when it was cosmic. He loved those moments. He loved finding her sitting somewhere and staring out into space, her mind far off into the depths of the metaphysical. Will felt like he knew his sister best in those tiny liminal spaces she created by merely slipping off into time for a moment.
“I’ve got the tear diamonds,” Conrad said as he slowly and quietly entered the room. “They’re Giselle’s.” Will nodded and held out his hand as he stared into the golden vat of liquid before him, his other hand stirring constantly. Conrad approached quickly and poured them straight into his hand from the little velvet bag, and Will scattered them across the swirling surface of the potion. A sound rose like a sigh of relief, and Will quickly tossed in a handful of rose petals.
“This potion is like a gold digger or something,” Will said. Conrad smirked and raised a brow.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, all the ingredients are either mega expensive or just weirdly extravagant. Like someone is dating a courtesan,” Will said. “So you give her a potion with everything in it. I’m almost surprised I don’t need to add perfume or some bullshit.”
Conrad chuckled. He looked Will in the eye for a second and Will nodded, giving him permission. With a gentle hand and smooth circles, Conrad was able to get Will to relax a little as he stood vigil at the slowly thickening liquid in the cauldron. It began to turn purple and Will grabbed a silver plum from the tray, the second to last ingredient. He dropped it into the potion whole, stem and all, and the liquid became like molten silver.
“What’s next?” Conrad was curious as a medical alchemist himself. He wanted to see the effects it had on Giselle, for it could serve as a potential future treatment for the Elementals. They could not die due to their immortality, so as the God of Medicine Conrad often found himself looking for other ways to help his friends.
“The last ingredient is this,” Will said as he turned and leaned up to kiss his boyfriend briefly, taking Conrad by surprise. He then whipped back around and pressed his lips to a handkerchief before tossing it in. “Yay.” He stirred for a moment and the potion glittered a faint gold at last. Champion’s Brew would take on the taste and appearance of any liquid it was added to. The final amount wasn’t much, only a few bottles worth, but Will felt better as he watched Conrad run upstairs with a bottle for his sister.
He allowed himself a drop and then he felt amazing, and Will prayed that it would be enough for his sister.
Upstairs the kitchen bustled with activity. Dominic busied himself with cooking, his own injuries reduced to scars now. In a few days, even those would be gone. He felt much better, and now it was time to make his princess feel better. His gaze drifted upward from the boiling pot in front of him to the doorway as Conrad entered.
“I’ve got the potion ready,” Conrad said. Dominic held his hand out and took the bottle from his brother. With a quick flick of the wrist, he poured the bottle's contents into the pot of soup before him. Conrad made a satisfied noise and took off after giving Dominic instructions to call him if something happened. Dominic grinned and turned off the heat, leaving the soup to cool and settle. He stuck the immersion blender in and turned it on, careful not to splatter all over the counter.
Giselle was barely awake when he finally made it to their room with the soup. She managed to drink it all up and passed right back out again, her breathing shallow as she slept. Dominic took her hand and squeezed it, his lips pressed into a thin line. He slowly turned his head and looked to the door where his brother Trax was.
“Has she been able to talk to you at all? We need to find out who that wizard was that came after her.”
“That’s what I came to talk to you about,” Trax said. He wore a serious expression on his face, and Dominic felt a touch of unease hit his stomach.
“Tell me,” Dominic said. “Whatever is going on, tell me.”
Trax quickly came over and sat down in a chair by the bed. He inhaled and then breathed out slowly, his gaze lifting to look at Dominic. “The wizard she fought was Sienna Wren, former assistant to the Chancellor of Morcia. They found his body with the mark of the Order.”
“She killed him?” Dominic was incredulous and he turned to look at the sleeping girl in the bed. “How?” Sienna Wren? That guy was seriously Sienna Wren?
Trax inhaled again. “He was at the bottom of the ravine. I just got off a call with the Chancellor, he’s mortified.”
“Uh, he should be,” Dominic said sharply. He paused and collected himself. “I’m pretty mortified that one of the greatest known wizards in the last century tried to attack my girlfriend.”
“I am too,” Trax said. He sighed and leaned back in the chair. “The Order’s intent is clear. Their plan is to capture Giselle and use her magic to alter the state of the Universe to their will. But what I want to know, is why would a scholar of the sciences want to run with their crowd?”
Dominic slowly breathed out through his nose. He turned his head to look back at Giselle, who was so bandaged up she looked more like a mummy than a girl. “I imagine,” he said quietly. “That he decided he was tired of being a scholar when the answer to every question is right here.”
Outside the door Lance and Marcus stood and listened in, albeit inappropriately, and neither could keep the sour looks off their faces.
CHAPTER III
“Marcus,” Lance hissed. “Marcus, wait.”
The Fire Elemental turned around abruptly to face his boyfriend/partner/whatever the fuck they were, and he took in a deep breath as Lance took him by the shoulders. “She isn’t safe, man. The Order is amping up their shit and what are we doing here? We need to be out there, killing every last clown with that stupid red-eyed raven on their bodies.”
“Giselle doesn’t need that from us right now,” Lance said, even though he was inclined to agree. “We don’t have any official mission orders at the moment from Morcia, so we need to be patient.”
“We need to find their base,” Marcus ground out. “I thought we agreed on that.”
“And we will,” Lance said as he and Marcus continued walking, both of them desperate to ease the pent up energy. “But Giselle-“
“Is recovered,” Marcus said. “She’s just resting now.”
“She also killed her attacker. If Wren was the worst the Order had, then he’s gone and that problem of ours is solved,” Lance said. “So it’s not as bad now, right?”
Marcus shrugged. Lance said nothing more, as he didn’t wish to be unsupportive. Sometimes it was best to let his hothead feel the heat. Lance wondered if there was a chance might be wrong. What if Wren isn’t the worst they have? What if he’s a symptom of a far worse problem?
“Hey,” Lance said. “We can be proactive in another way, Marc. I’ve got an idea.”
Marcus turned and raised a brow, stopping in the hallway. Lance stopped with him and sighed.
“Let’s get Dominic; he knows Chancellor Briggs. We can question him about Wren.” Marcus visibly calmed at this suggestion
and he looked down for a second, his hands moving to his pockets.
“That’s a good idea.”
“It is a good idea,” Dominic said as he approached, his steps echoing down the hall. He smiled gently as he made their way to them. “I’ve already set up a meeting with Briggs. I spoke to him earlier this morning and aired my concerns to him.”
“What did he say?” Marcus looked up and met Dominic’s gaze.
“He didn’t want to talk over the phone,” Dominic said. “I’m planning to go to his office in Whitmore. He said it would be safer there.”
Marcus and Lance shared a look, and a thought with it. If the Chancellor feels unsafe, what does that say about the situation? They both turned to Dominic and he seemed to share the same unsaid sentiment.
“Okay” Marcus said. “When do we head out?”
-
“It was the Grey King’s influence, I know it,” Briggs said as he sat down in his chair. The Chancellor served as a mentor for many years, and he’d solidified the program that allowed the Elementals to aid the people of Morcia and their home, St. Leon. He sighed and stared at the three Gods with tired eyes. It was clear to Marcus that he hadn’t slept in a while. “He was always studying, always practicing his magic. Sienna was a good man who wished to understand above all else, and- and I’m afraid it led him down the path to chaos.”
“How do you think the Chaos God got him under his influence?” Dominic asked the questions. Marcus and Lance didn’t know Briggs like he did; before the man was Chancellor, Nic had saved his life during the Order’s early days.
Briggs sighed and leaned back further in his chair. “It was a woman. I knew the Order’s recruitment tactics were insidious, but I never thought my own right hand would turn against me and St. Leon. I’m so sorry for what happened to Giselle. It lightens my heart to hear she’s recovered.”
Dominic nodded. “We’re lucky to have Will to thank for that.” His face fell and he turned away for a second before meeting Briggs’ gaze. Lance and Marcus both noticed the change in his expression, but they said nothing. It was better not to, not here. “I didn’t recognize Sienna that day. He was hooded. If I’d known it was him, we might have tried a different approach-“
Briggs held up a hand. “None of you are at fault. You have a duty to protect the Goddess, and she has a duty to protect herself. I’m sorry for Sienna’s death and I rage at the Order for their evil.”
“What’s your plan for them?” Marcus asked. “Who was the woman that Sienna got tangled up with?” Dominic shot him a look, not expecting him to take over the conversation, but he sat back in his chair and forced himself to relax.
Briggs sat forward to give Marcus his full attention. Lance squeezed his hand. “The woman you seek is an incredibly dangerous witch who is known as Grodo,” he said gravely. “She is a demigod from the universe of old, before the Megaversa and our Nitavenir was created.”
“A demigod? Of what?” Dominic sounded almost frightened, and Marcus and Lance both looked his way. Marcus felt that same plunge of terror in his own heart, for the Elementals had never fought anyone stronger than some overpowered mage.
Briggs inhaled sharply and forced himself to slowly exhale. His knuckles were white and a vein throbbed on his head. “To my knowledge, she served as one of several demigods of the arts. As innocent as that sounds, Grodo specifically was the demigod of melodrama. I believe she’s working with the Order because she desires your Princess and her magic above all.”
“Melodrama? Why would such a minor entity seek Giselle’s power?” Lance was confused. Melodrama? Seriously? She doesn’t sound all that dangerous, to be honest…
“I can’t say to be sure,” Briggs said. “But I know she’s cunning. Grodo is terrible indeed, and I urge you to be careful. She plays her games from the shadows. I’ve only heard her name; I’ve never seen her face. But her influence is very, very real.”
Dominic nodded. Lance and Marcus shared a look, neither of them certain if what they were hearing was actually true. If he’s never seen her, that’s not much help to us, Marcus thought. He could tell Lance was thinking the same thing, but they both kept quiet.
“I’m afraid that’s all I can say,” Briggs said. He sounded anxious, his eyes darting to the door. Dominic gave him a look but he missed it. Marcus held back an exasperated sigh as Lance clutched his hand. The old man stood up and the Gods followed; Briggs held open the door and they wordlessly escorted themselves out.
Lance and Marcus both shook their heads in disappointment; their only plan for the foreseeable future was to keep Giselle inside, possibly even away from attending school. She’d be so upset, and neither Lance or Marcus wanted that for their friend. Dominic paused and the pair looked back at him.
He turned suddenly and his magic shifted like he was going to phase into his armor, but Lance and Marcus grabbed him. Dominic jerked and stumbled back, his sigil burning as his friends pushed his magic back into him.
“Nic, what are you doing?” Marcus demanded an explanation as quietly as he could manage. Lance gave him a nod in the hopes of encouraging him. They didn’t try to defy Dominic often, but the unstated truth was that he was precious in the way Giselle was, and they both had to be protected. Dominic disagreed.
“Let me go,” he said softly in a way that was almost dangerous, like silk as the words flew from his mouth. Lance and Marcus shared a look and then they three looked to the office door. There was a sound, a drawer slamming back into the desk. Dominic inhaled and Lance heard the sound of fear ring in his ear. He suspected Marcus heard it too.
There was a pause and then a gunshot was heard, muffled by the door and the walls insulated by paintings and posters and boards. Dominic gasped. Marcus let go of him and Lance pulled him into a hug. That move unknowingly saved them, for a second later the rotunda shook and the Babysitters Club jolted downwards.
Flame erupted as the building exploded, and were it not for Marcus pushing the fire away, Lance and Dominic would have been burnt. They lay on the floor, Lance doing his best to cover Dominic. Marcus stood up, his arms outstretched but bent at the elbow, red spell circles glowing before his fingertips. He pushed the explosion away and breathed through it gently and with grace, but it took all his concentration.
Lance thought he was utterly beautiful. Marcus looked at his best when the glow of a fire rested upon his face. That was where Lance loved him the most.
Silence rang out and the blaze came to a sudden stop. Ash rained down and Dominic cast a spell to push the darkness away, and suddenly the room was clear and clean to breathe. Marcus turned and rushed to them, only to fall into Lance’s arms as the taller man stood up.
“Marc!” Dominic helped catch him, and to Lance’s surprise he scooped him up with ease. “I’ve got him,” he said to Lance, who simply nodded.
Marcus used up all his magic fending off the explosion. It was only fair that Dominic return the favor in kind and get him home safely.
-
The potion wasn’t quite as strong as Conrad would have liked. He wanted Giselle to be able to grow stronger and get better, but the Champion’s Brew took care of her injuries without completely curing the infection. As a result she was still very weak, her eyelids fluttering as she drifted off to sleep on the chaise. Her toy familiar, the clown Dimitri designed by her brother Terrence, sat at her feet and honked up at Conrad as he approached. The doctor winked at him and got to work.
“Her pulse is weak,” Conrad said. “You’re sure we can’t give her more?” Will shook his head as he pulled up a chair by his sister’s side.
“Champion’s Brew isn’t to be taken lightly. Nic gave her a whole bottle, and while it helped, it’s not smart to overdose on a potion like that. The instructions explicitly say that too much can backfire.”
“At least she isn’t wrapped in bandages anymore,” Conrad said. “I’d rather her be tired than in pain.”
“That’s true,” Will said. Giselle’s hair was braided back with a
long trail of blonde down her back. She dozed in a soft linen blouse and skirt, a weighted blanket pulled over her legs. The princess twitched once and Dimitri honked softly to put her at ease.
“Poor little thing,” Conrad said quietly as he pushed an IV into her arm. A drip with meds for the infection would clear things up and she’d be able to regain her strength at last.
Giselle sneezed and then went right back to sleep. She was out cold. Will pulled her blanket up a little higher on her. It was best to let Giselle sleep on the chaise and then move her to the bed later. Will glanced up at Conrad and they nodded to one another in silent agreement. Giselle’s foot twitched under the blanket and Dimitri softly honked at her again.
The door suddenly opened and Dominic strode inside, his hair and shoulders covered in dust. He looked pale and tired, and there was a weariness in his eyes that could only be caused by witnessing a terrible death. Conrad knew the look immediately. He went to Dominic and gently took him by the arms to comfort him.
“Can you tell me what happened? Here, come sit. Will, go fetch him some juice, ice water, and tea, and a biscuit too, please.”
“You got it,” Will said as he flashed his boyfriend a smile. Conrad thanked him and hurried Dominic to the shower and got him dried and clothed in a clean linen shirt with pants. Dominic drank the tray’s worth of fluids presented before him, including an additional bowl of broth and not one but two massive buttery biscuits. He devoured them and pushed the tray aside. Will graciously took it for him and Dominic thanked him. He felt as exhausted as Giselle looked.
“You’ll be alright,” Conrad said as he rubbed his brother’s back. Dominic lay on the bed watching Giselle as her IV bag slowly grew thinner and thinner as the liquid pumped into her arm. Conrad eventually had to get up and replace the bag and he tested her pulse and temperature again.
“How is she?” Dominic hated that his voice cracked as it came out. Conrad shot him a goofy smile and Dominic would have cringed were he not so tired.
“She’s getting better but she’ll be out of it for a while,” Conrad said. “I think in a few days she won’t need this drip, if I can hope.”
