towels, then took a short shower and crawled between the two guys again, falling asleep within minutes.
I woke with Lukas kissing me, and when I opened my eyes I saw he was already dressed, and he said: 'Good morning love, I'm off for my morning run. Back in an hour.'
And off he was indeed. On my other side, Paul was still fast asleep, breathing slowly and deeply, totally at peace though he did not look as young as he usually looked in his sleep. I wanted to wrap him in my arms and kiss him, feel him as close as I could, but he needed his sleep so I controlled my impulse and just watched him.
Then a sleepy voice said: 'Please do, I want you to spoil me. Just be careful of my back, it hurts.' Wondering how he knew what I was thinking of, I caressed his beloved face, and his hair, and I moved towards him to snuggle up to him and kiss him.
Though I was very careful, I saw him wince in pain and asked: 'Do you need a painkiller?' He admitted: 'I think I do, I slept really well, but now I'm awake everything is starting to hurt.' I got up and fetched a glass of water and some painkiller, then sat next to him to help him up to take it. 'You're stiff as well as wounded, aren't you?' I asked, and he nodded: 'I feel stiff as a board, back, chest, even my arms and neck.
Can you take my arm to help me up? Oh, that smarts, but it has to be done.'
With my help he managed to sit upright, and he took the painkiller with the water. I still wanted to touch him, so I sat next to him again and asked: 'Can I hold you without hurting you?' In reply he slowly moved around a bit until he sat against me, and he gave me a very intense kiss that made me very warm inside.
Then he found a comfortable position in my arms, and I stroked him again, so happy to be holding him, to smell him, to feel his skin and see his face looking at me.
He didn't last long in that position, after a few minutes he had to lie down again and I asked him to lie on his side or stomach to show me the bullet-wound. I didn't look as nasty as other wounds often did, the edges were clear instead of ragged, but I knew it was very deep, and only partly healed.
It looked a bit swollen and red, and I wasn't totally convinced it wouldn't infect. 'I want Lukas to look at this when he's back,' I said,' I'm not entirely sure it isn't getting infected.'
Paul replied: 'It does hurt a lot, so I guess I'll turn my back on him as well.
How did he do that, get the bullet out?'
I said: 'I located it, then showed him where it was, and he seemed to work it out slowly with magic, as you turned the lock. When it came out, blood squirted, it was a pretty scary sight.'
'Were you very afraid?' he asked, and I replied honestly: 'When I saw you hit and fall, I was stunned with fear that you were dead.
Lukas was so quick with his head-butt that I had no time to fear the gun or the mage.'
'He was not a good mage, you could have taken him out yourself. There is even a way to shield against firearms, I'll teach both of you soon. And I think I'm going to build a gun myself, it will be an interesting project.
I can't wait to hear from George, I hope everything turned out well at the factory, it started as a raid but now someone is dead and he got involved.
That is not what I had in mind, we may be in trouble.'
To be honest, I hadn't looked at it like that. Lukas killed a man, an evil mage to us, but a respectable factory owner to some.
Well, respectable, he did have ten teenagers locked in his basement. Though we couldn't prove to a non-mage that the vile perversion of a node was the cause of the deaths along the river, and if Lukas was arrested, his hoofs were sure to be found and he'd be in a world of trouble. But it would not do for Paul to worry about it, for he had a bullet wound and needed all his energy to get well, so I said to him:
'I'm sure George will do everything in his power to solve this problem,' trying to reassure him, but of course Paul was used to being in control, and trusting someone else was not his strongest proficiency.
Still, there was nothing for it but to stay in bed, stay quiet and heal. He did not even contradict me, which to me was a sign he really wasn't himself.
Trying not to worry, I asked: 'Do you want to eat something?'
He replied: 'I do trust George, and he has a lot of influence in the higher circles. It's just that I usually manage quite well on my own. Still it cannot be helped. I'm really hungry, so I'd love some food. Do you think I can get up and shower, to soften up my muscles a little?'
Having no experience with wounds at all, I really didn't know and I suggested: 'Why not wait until Lukas gets back, he's our healer now. I'll get you some food and some coffee here, and we'll laze about until he gets here.'
Which Paul accepted, and that worried me even more, letting me boss him around like that. Still, I got us a nice breakfast in bed, and he did eat well and talk lively enough during the meal. After breakfast we cuddled a bit, but anything more was way too painful, so we just left it at that.
Chapter 35
After an hour, Lukas indeed returned, and he brought George along with him.
George looked very intently at Paul and kneeled beside the bed, I could see he was incredibly relieved to see him awake and alert, but dared not hug him for fear of hurting his dear friend.
Paul stiffly held out his hands and excused himself: 'I cannot do better than this, dear George, I hurt a lot.' George took the hands carefully and kissed them and said: 'I'm just very happy to see you awake, I've been worrying, though I've been busy too.'
This hit a nerve with Paul, who anxiously asked: 'Are we in big trouble, is Lukas in trouble?' George laughed and said: 'Actually, you're heroes, but your little raid is keeping me busy. I'll tell you all in the right order, as soon as Lukas has checked your wound.'
Now Paul mockingly complained: 'You're all so bossy.' Lukas grinned from ear to ear and kissed Paul intimately, saying: 'We are indeed. Will you show me your back?' 'If you'll help me, oh master,' Paul replied, and with Lukas'
assistance he was soon turned over again.
Lukas asked me: 'Will you guide me again, Melissa?' I nodded, and laid my hands on the skin beside the wound, feeling my way inside. Lukas touched my mind and soon we were connected as intimately as yesterday, a rather profound experience after our resulting love-making. I decided to give in to the feeling a little, or we'd only build it up, so I embraced Lukas and kissed him with heat, which he returned, also eager to lose some of the tension between us.
After that kiss we tried again, I touched Paul's skin and let my feeling enter the tissue below. The healing had been successful, the squares Lukas had used to repair the damaged tissue had held, and it only needed to grow together again. But there were some alarming signs, some places were swollen, with a different kind of shapes cluttering the moving fluid, and an unhealthy colour. Lukas touched Paul himself, but nothing happened, his talent didn't step in. Paul would have to fight this infection himself, with rest
and good care.
When we came back to the now, Lukas said: 'There is some infection, but I cannot heal it, you'll need to keep quiet and let your body do the work by itself.' George handed him a bag: 'I forgot to mention it, but Frances sent me this, antiseptic herbs, just steep in boiled water and apply with a clean cloth.' I said: 'I'll get boiling water straight away, and tea for us all. I won't offer you coffee George, it cannot compare to your own.'
And when Paul's shot wound had been cleaned with antiseptic fluid, not a pleasant task with him biting on the duvet to keep from crying out in pain, and bandaged with more of the stuff against his skin, we made him comfortable against a few pillows and all enjoyed tea with some chocolate.
Then George started his tale: 'After you had left, Frances took care of the ten children. They had come from all over the island, promised an education in the magical arts. Instead of to a boarding school, they came to a cell, where they were fed reasonably well, but ritually robbed of their energy, which that black mage stored into a perversion of a node.
He used the power of the faerie-souls
for no other goal than hide the power stolen from the children and the magic he used to steal it. The children didn't know what he wanted the store of power for. They were all from middle or lower classes, and this so-called school was their only chance of education in magic.
Some of them want to return home, some still want an education, some didn't have a family, and some disappeared, having deteriorated through the abuse, until they seemed to have no will or power left.
One day they would just disappear.' Here, Paul interjected: 'The children on the dump: parent-less, mindless. Living of refuse. Will you two test them, Lukas and Melissa? Together you may find if they can remember their parents and their homes, so they can at least go home and lead a bearable life?'
He was right of course, those poor children, burned out and destitute, they were the rejects. Of course we would do what we could for them. 'Of course we will, Paul, we'll go together,' Lukas said, 'we may have to ask Frances too, somehow small creatures trust her, maybe those kids will too.' George nodded and continued:
'When Frances and the factory guard were talking to the children, the watch arrived, which was interesting, for no-one in the factory had warned them,
and people in that neighbourhood don't like the watch. We soon found out why they were there, remember I told you about a mage on the council?
He had his suspicions about the deaths along the river too, and was keeping an eye on the factory, so when he felt the ley-lines being used, and saw the fireworks going on inside, he fetched the watch for an inspection.
With the faerie soul that powered the shield that hid the magic from sight released, the concealing magic had dissipated, and he could see the mockery of a node leaching into the river with his own sight, and he certainly could see those poor children, and hear their stories.
The watch found the mage, the cells and the altar by which time he knew enough to proclaim the three of you heroes of the city. He wants to meet you, especially you, Paul, he knew about guardians but had never thought of combining forces.'
I could see the relief on Paul's face, he didn't quite trust the voice of right against the voice of money, I guessed, and he feared especially for Lukas who couldn't spend a night in jail without being found out.
'Frances arranged for the children to be allowed to stay with us until their parents had been contacted. And we discussed a boarding school to be founded for these children, somewhere in the city, a combined effort of mages of all schools. Not all talented children can be taught by their parents, just look at Melissa here: had her talent awakened earlier, she'd have been in danger of falling in the hands of this black mage too.
Anyway, we have arranged a meeting today, to discuss this. You can be included too if you want to, we can come to you if you're not fit to travel, or you can latch on in a later stage if you're not well enough. I'll discuss those rejects living in the wasteland with him too, the city may pay for them to be helped.'
'The council member had the factory sealed, and the children escorted to our manor, where Ilsa and the staff fed them and prepared baths and beds for them. My steward and Frances will be writing a lot of letters today.
The council member, whose name is Tristan Telling, Frances and I remained at the site, and performed the rite to free the faerie-souls. One was already free after you destroyed the photograph containing its soul, and it was very upset not knowing what had happened and all the magic-use around it.
Fortunately it was one of ours, and it recognized Frances and came to her when she called it. We freed the rest, convinced them to come back to their
trees, though one wasn't ours. It seemed to remember where its tree was, so Marcus carried it there. Frances will check on all of ours and if you want to, on the others as well, to help the trees to recover.
That was about it. The black mage is dead and he had no family, so the council will probably sell the factory. I've shown interest in it, it would be a good investment even if I paid the workers a decent wage and attached a school to it. We've lived quite a secluded life so far, maybe it is time we went into the world once in a while.
Oh and by the way, we found these two statues in the bags with the photographs.' And with that he got the two statues we had taken from the office out of a satchel, and put them on the night stand But by now Paul was so weary that the statues were forgotten, his eyes were glazed with pain again, and George left quickly to allow him to rest. Lukas ran to the kitchen for more painkillers, and I tried to make him comfortable by helping him to lie down again, which was pretty difficult since he could hardly lie on his back, and all his muscles were still stiff as well.
When Lukas came back I could kick myself, for now he had to be propped up again to take them, causing extra pain. Still, that was also managed and soon my love was asleep and without pain for a few hours, hopefully.
I was worried, very much so. I had no experience at all with wounds, and Paul seemed in a very bad state to me. Lukas sat on the other end of the bed and held his arms open to me, and I sat quietly in his embrace, hoping to find some relief from my anxiety. He just held me and caressed my hair and my face in silence.
Then he touched my mind tentatively, until I welcomed him and connected to him. I could feel his solid trust in Paul's ability to get over this, relaxing me bit. He spoke: 'Bullet wounds hurt like hell Melissa, that does not mean he's in any direct danger. He'll just suffer a lot, and learn to never turn his back on an enemy ever again. That was foolish and arrogant, and he is paying the price. Fortunately it wasn't higher than this.'
That sounded harsh, but his feelings were so loving and tender, I knew he felt for Paul as much as I did, he just knew more about wounds and healing and worried less. Our intimacy did not result in making love this time, just being together and watching our dearest friend and lover sleep was enough. But of course Lukas got restless after some time, and he picked up the statues and studied them.
Both were silver, and in the same style, very simple and still very realistic. It was easy to see what they represented: elves. At least as I imagined them, tall, very slim, pointed ears, beautiful faces. Lukas handed me one, and I looked at it with sight. It really looked the same as the plates with the photographs, there really was a soul in these statues. But would there still be a body somewhere for these souls to go to?
'There is a soul in this one, but is there a body somewhere?' I asked. 'Would you double-check this one for me, I think there's something in it?' Lukas asked, and I did.
He was right, but that still didn't tell us whether these souls would still have a body to go to: 'I think there is a soul in this one too, don't you?' He nodded, and said: 'I have no idea if they still have a body, I guess not, unless they are a primitive kind of faerie that can live for some time without soul.' We put the statues back on the night stand, and Lukas said: 'Shall we take turns keeping an eye on Paul?
I have some reading to do, but there is also work that needs to be done in the workshop, some of which I can do unsupervised. He won't be up to working tomorrow, but he may be well enough to help me do the other jobs.' I found it difficult to even consider leaving Paul, but I did have a job I had to go to, and I wanted to see my boss today at the council building, to tell him this job was finished and to give him my resignation.
So I said to Lukas: 'Can you do the reading first? I'll cycle to work and to the council building, then return with groceries. I'm certain Paul will not mind my taking the bicycle, and it will be much faster.'
Within ten minutes I was dressed in a suit and on a bicycle towards my work.
I still didn't see any lewd or scandalised looks, but I think I would have used it anyway, it was so much faster. In a wink I was at the site, and I saw the architect and told him I'd sign off on the building today, there would only be one final inspection at its completion, but for now I had nothing more to inspect, there were no structural changes anymore.
We shook hands, and he said: 'I hope we'll meet again on another site, working with you has been
a pleasure.' I was pleased to hear that and told him: 'I have enjoyed seeing your building come to life from the drawings and ideas, it was a great inspiration to me. But I am thinking of quitting this job, I've had an offer for something else.'
He almost cried out: 'You're not going to get married to that crafts master and
quit your job, are you? I saw him propose to you yesterday, and he's a good-looking fellow, and very well-spoken and talented obviously, but you have too much talent yourself to give up your career.'
Laughing, I explained: 'He didn't offer me his hand, he offered me a job, or rather a partnership in a firm of our own, designing structures and building them, solving engineering problems with his inventions. I think I'll accept.'
The architect now showed some embarrassment at his outburst, and said: 'Oh, I'm sorry Miss Thorn, that was very forward of me, but he seemed to be...well... really fond of you. But your own firm, that is really good, I'm sure you'll do very well together. If I can ever help you with advice please don't hesitate to contact me. And would you still be available to do some structural checks on contract basis?
Starting a business can be uncertain financially, and I would be much mistaken if your extraordinary talent with material would not bring you a nice extra income.' That was a good idea if I ever heard one, and I thanked him for the offer, he certainly might hire me for structural checks.
We parted cordially and I went on to the building, to have a last look at it before I signed off on it.
After checking the outside, still in scaffolding but not for long now, I went inside and strolled along the paths through the increasing foliage. This was taking shape quite nicely, and by the time temperatures would start to drop the heating would be ready for its task.
Absorbed in the grotto that was nearly finished by now, I didn't see anyone until I was pushed to the sandstone wall by a large, strong body. A similarly large hand clutched over my mouth prevented me from crying for help, and I felt a short twang of fear because I really could not move a muscle, this guy was very strong.
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