Oh tell me you're here
That you will watch over me
Forever!
Oh take hold of my heart
Show me you love me
Forever
Forever!
Becky sighed as the song on the radio ended. She had felt a lot like that before she had met Dave again. Knowing he was a sorcerer made her feel even more protected. Also knowing that lyrics often came from emotions, the blond hoped that whoever had written the song found their 'Dave' soon. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud rapping on the above ground door.
"Becky!"
The music student turned back to where Dave was dodging plasma bolts thrown by his master, Balthazar.
"Would you mind getting that?"
"Sure. It should just be Veronica."
The woman who had been trapped in the Grimhold for centuries had taken to exploring the streets of New York. When Becky opened the street door there was dark haired woman standing there, but it wasn't Veronica.
"Can I help you?" Becky asked, a bit perplexed.
"I was wondering if I could talk to Balthazar. It's urgent."
"Um, who are you?"
"My name's Jess Knash. Please. It really is urgent."
"Yeah. Sure."
Becky let the woman through the door while taking in her appearance. She was taller than the blond, with very dark hair and extremely light blue eyes. She was thin and over all very pretty. She wore a black shirt, skinny jeans, boots and a leather bomber jacket. On each of her middle fingers she wore some kind of metal jacket that was made of pewter and clawed at the tip.
As Becky lead Jess downstairs, she called, "Dave! Balthazar! I don't want to interrupt your test, but we have a guest!"
The faint buzzing of magical on goings stopped. When she got to the sub terrain door, Becky asked, "You guys decent?"
"Yes, Becky. We're decent," Balthazar called.
Becky opened the door and let Jess pass her.
"This is Jess Knash. She said she needed to talk to you, Balthazar, and that it was urgent."
"Hello, Balthazar," Jess said, "I've come for the sake of my master."
Balthazar threw up his hands. Jess was instantly trapped like she was bound by ropes.
"Balthazar!" Dave and Becky shouted at once.
"She's a Morganian," was his response.
"N- no," Jess chocked.
"Would you at least let her breath so she can explain?" Dave asked.
Balthazar lowered his hands a bit. Jess gasped a few breaths.
"You are a sorcerer?" Balthazar asked.
"Yes," Jess said.
"What do you want?" Balthazar demanded.
"I came to ask for my master's ring back."
"We don't have anyone's ring," Dave said.
"Horvath's," Jess coughed, "It's still on Horvath's cane."
Dave looked over at the broken cane lying on a table.
"Your master's Drake Stone?"
"Yes."
"I thought you said you aren't a Morganian," Balthazar said.
"I'm not. He's not either, really. He's just-," she began to cough again.
"What is going on?" a voice demanded.
Becky, Dave and Balthazar turned to look at Veronica, who had just come from the street.
"She's a Morganian," Balthazar explained.
"I'm not!" Jess insisted, tears beginning to spill from her eyes. Veronica brushed away Balthazar's magic and took the woman into her arms.
"She's scared to death, Balthazar. Have you ever seen a Morganian go through this much, or anything at all, for a master and obvious friend?"
The look on his face was answer enough.
"Dave would you please get her a chair?"
The Prime Merlinian went to find one.
Once he was back, Veronica asked, "Now. Can you explain a little more?"
"He's not a Morganian," Jess said at once, "He's just been so mad at you Merlinians for so long, he finally just started telling people that so you'd leave him alone."
"Why is Drake Stone mad at the Merlinians?" Dave asked.
"His master was a Merlinian. But he abandoned Drake when he was fifteen. Left Drake with some serious abandonment issues."
"How serious?" Becky asked.
"Serious enough that he still sneaks into my room at night to make sure I'm still there," Jess sighed, "He's in a coma at N.Y. Medical. His life force is fading. It's all I can do just to keep him alive." Balthazar sighed and crossed the room, stopping at the table where the broken remains of Horvath's cane lay and slid off a ring made of pewter and embedded with a blue-green stone. Jess and the rest of them watched him carefully. The old sorcerer stood in front of the young woman in the chair. Slowly he held out his hand.
"I want to be there when you give it to him."
Jess's eyes lit up and she smiled so wide she thought she might break her own jaw.
Balthazar and Dave followed Jess into the coma ward of N.Y. Medical. She passed the nurse's station and walked straight into one of the privet rooms, still clutching Drake Stone's sorcerer's ring. The sorcerers behind her didn't believe that the man in the hospital bed was the same man who had attacked Dave in the university bathroom only a week and a half before. This man was pale to the point that he was almost grey, his cheeks were shallow and his blond and brown hair flopped over his forehead. The heart monitor at his side beeped slowly, but steadily.
"How long has he been like this?" Dave asked.
"Since the night Morgana was destroyed," Jess said quietly.
Balthazar was stunned. "You've kept him alive that long?"
Jess nodded.
"I had to. He's the only thing I have left. There's no way I'm loosing him too."
The brunette slid her hand into her master's and gently lifted it from the bed. She slid the ring onto his finger. After a dramatic pause, nothing happened.
"You need to release your spell," Balthazar said.
"Oh yeah," Jess mumbled.
She placed the clawed tip of her right middle finger on her forehead and slowly drew it away. A glowing blue-green thread of something-or-other followed the finger until she laid it over Drake's chest, where it was absorbed through his skin. Within the next minute, the illusionist's heartbeat sped up and he began to squirm. Jess took his hand in her's again.
Drake suddenly opened his eyes and tried to twist onto his side, trying to control a sudden coughing fit. Jess rubbed his back then helped him turn over again. She watched him quietly for a moment before pouncing on him.
"You rat bastard!" she nearly yelled as she wrapped her arms around him, "I can't believe you would do something so stupid! And while I was out of town to top it all off!"
Drake's arms, in turn, slipped around the brunette's waist.
"Jess," he finally wheezed, "As much as I love this, darlin', you're heavy and I can't breath."
She pushed herself off of him, though Drake refused to let go of her hand. He looked over to Balthazar and Dave.
"So you asked 'em for help after all. Thanks, sweetheart."
"Don't you 'sweetheart' me," she said weakly, "I'm still mad at you."
Drake took a good look at Jess's face.
"Have you slept at all in the past week? You look horrible," the two didn't notice the Merlinians leaving the room, "How long has it been? Did you even leave the hospital? And you said I had abandonment issues."
Jess began to laugh and knew everything would be all right.