This was previously posted under my Wattpad in my Paper Magician one-shots book. It deserves its own book, so thats why this is here now. I've went through it, trying to add more detail and whatnot to what I have already written. I hope you all enjoy.
It felt strange walking through the city streets to the store, feeling watched with every turn she took. It was unnerving. It had occurred every time she went out, for a month and a half, ever since Ceony and Emery got engaged. She would always glance around, but nobody of true suspicious nature stood out. She debated telling Emery about it, but at the same time she didn't want him to worry anymore. There were no more problems that should perturb him. Ceony wanted to keep it that way and save his restless heart from anymore large cracks.
Once she had reached the store, she walked towards the produce area. She was thinking of making a new dish, but she wasn't sure of what. She perused the items, then realized they had run out of cucumber. Emery had recently grown a craving of salads and there were more cucumber slices than actual lettuce. As she picked up two cucumbers, she felt it again. That feeling, someone's eyes drilling holes in the back of her skull.
"Mrs. Thane?" Someone asked and Ceony whipped around. It was a man about Zina's age, but had an uncanny resemblance of Marshall, except for the sky blue eyes that pierced through her. She could see his roots start to grow, to show blond streaks. What a strange colour combination, but then again, Ceony had bright orange. Who was she to judge?
"Um...it's still Miss Twill, but I'm getting there." She frowned when the man didn't say anything in response, not even a chuckle came from his slightly chapped lips. "Can I...help you?" She looked at him, frowning. Ceony memorized his face intently, knowing she would need to. The man only smiled warmly- or at least tried to. His demeanor was too stiff and cold to be warm.
"I wanted to congratulate you on your engagement." The man said, "I'm...an old friend of your fiancé."
"Oh? Do you have a name?" She asked, crossing her arms and furrowed her brow.
"Val." He said, tipping his hat to her. She didn't recall Val to be in Emery's hopes, during the part where the Excisioners were all locked up. Perhaps he truly was a friend?
Ceony nodded and he extended his hand for her to shake. She hesitantly shook it. He had quite the strong grip, as if he was holding onto Ceony as a very last resort. The man smiled yet again and walked off. Ceony frowned and put the cucumbers in her bag.
She would have to ask Emery who Val was.
Ceony stepped into the cottage, Jonto and Fennel there to greet her. She smiled and handed Jonto a lighter bag. He followed her into the kitchen, where she placed the bags onto the counter. She heard a loud thud and a groan coming from the upper floors. Was he working on larger spells again? It was about that time of the month for him to start it. She climbed the steps, heading straight for the third floor. Ceony opened the door hesitantly, expecting something ridiculous from his unbound imagination. He must have had some absurd creation yet again.
When she stepped in the room, she found that he had transformed the room into somewhat of a nursery, or at least half of the room was. Starlights were held on a string, hugging the wall. A dresser held up a large paper dog, but just as an inanimate object. Blank picture frames were around the paper terrier. Fennel was watching Emery curiously and noticed Ceony, running up to her. She lifted Fennel up and found the paper magician she was searching for, causing her to chuckle.
Emery had just recently fell down off a stool, resulting in the thump. He was in the process of hanging up yet another row of starlights up onto the ceiling, but had failed miserably. Starlights were strung around his torso, as if he was a Christmas tree and the starlights were his ornaments. He rubbed his back and sat up, cursing under his breath. When he heard her stifled chuckles, Emery smiled brightly, but mainly in his eyes per usual. He rubbed his back, but it didn't seem to bother him at all.
"Ceony!" Emery called, "I didn't think you would be home yet."
"Well, I'm here now." She laughed, walking towards him. "What is all this?" She asked, gesturing to the nursery.
"I figured I might as well start this." Emery said, "One can never be too prepared."
"I suppose you'll be stopping those large spells of yours?" Ceony asked, "Considering you're just making this into a nursery at this point."
"Well, half of the room will be. The other half, I'll keep the glider there. And maybe tinker with some larger spells." He said, "Hopefully, the child won't mess with the glider and accidentally fly it."
"Emery, you're going so fast." Ceony said, shaking her head in disbelief. They haven't even done anything at all, nothing beyond a kiss. His rush seemed so uncalled for, but Ceony appreciated his sweet gesture.
"I'm just..." He sighed, "I'm really excited." And she knew that for a fact, recalling a chamber in Emery's heart of wanting a family after everything was settled.
"I know." She grinned. "But we aren't even married yet."
"Isn't an engagement technically marriage?" He asked, cupping her cheek in his hand. He must have spent the entire evening just folding the paper terrier and all the starlights that had flooded the room as she felt his callused fingers. He must have been folding these starlights all day while she was away.
"Maybe, but not quite." She frowned, her mind wandering back to the store as Emery started to pick up the starlights from the floor. "Emery, do you know a man named Val?"
"Val?" Emery glanced up at her and thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so. Maybe he's someone I know, but goes by a different name now?"
"He congratulated me on the engagement, even called me Mrs. Thane." Ceony recalled, "Though I can't recall him anywhere."
"I might have graduated with him at Tagis Praff or he was apart of Criminal Affairs. I really don't remember." Emery responded, "I have many friends and enemies in many different industries and places. I wouldn't be shocked if he was an enemy."
"You do have a way with words. Even if they were the insulting kind." Ceony commented and Emery only laughed. "It's true! You are very good at subtly insulting someone."
"Oh Ceony, but my words are why you fell for me, right?" He asked, trying his best to look handsome and gentlemanly, striking a pose. Ceony grinned.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Ceony chuckled, leaving Emery to his own devices.
The day went by slow. Ceony spent her day studying more spells for other magical properties and made them dinner. When it was time to turn in for the evening, she felt the feeling of being watched again as she washed her face. Why now, in her own home? Ceony frowned as she left the lavatory, heading towards the bedroom. Emery was already in bed, reading a book. Fennel had fallen asleep near his feet, his paper body moving up and down as he took deep breaths. Emery only looked up from his book when Ceony made herself comfortable in the bed.
"Goodnight, darling." Emery said.
"You aren't going to sleep?" Ceony asked, laying on her side to face him.
"No, my insomnia is rampant yet again. It's alright, I'll be asleep soon enough."
"It's really not a good habit." Ceony said and Emery only smiled. The basic corners of his frame were illuminated by the red candle on the nightstand.
"I know, Ceony. But then again, it wasn't a good habit tracking down the Excisioners, now was it?" He fired back. Ceony only rolled her eyes slightly and then closed them, feeling Emery's hand intertwined with hers before she fell into a soft sleep, unknowing of the problems to arise later that evening.
The first thing she noticed was how numb her legs were, as well as the fact that her whole body felt useless, except for her head. She knew that feeling of numbness, it bore into her memory. She forced her eyes open, jolting awake. She wasn't in bed anymore, she was sitting in a wooden chair, with no bounds. Why bound your prisoners when you could just alter their bodies? They didn't need to tie her up. Several candles lit the surrounding area, but for the most part, the rest was darkness.
"Mrs. Thane." That voice.
"I told you, I'm still getting there." Ceony grit her teeth as she realized, "You're an Excisioner." Ceony accused and the tenor only laughed.
"What gave it away?" The man asked, walking towards to the light. Val. His sharp cheekbones and messy raven black hair was very memorable, along with his piercing blue eyes. He wore a white button up and black slacks, to match with his black leather shoes. He also, like other Excisioners, had a belt of blood attached around his waist. He looked relaxed, unlike his creepy manner back at the store.
"Oh, I don't know, the feeling of numbness in my arms and legs wasn't an obvious hint on its own." Ceony said, "I can take another one of you down." She sounded confident. Too confident for her own taste. She really couldn't.
"Ah yes, you took Master Grath down, as well as Master Saraj." She heard the rolling of wheels slowly bringing something to light. She looked towards that direction and her eyes slightly widened.
"Lira." Crony murmured. There she was. Exactly how she looked like those years ago. Ceony frowned. How did they get her? She knew the shed was empty when the police had raided it, but how? She couldn't ponder on it for long as Val continued on.
"Master Lira is still here. She's not dead. Master Grath and Master Saraj may be gone, but that doesn't mean she isn't." They were holding onto a false belief- one that Ceony certainly hoped was false. "We have reasons to believe you can alter it. But we won't be rushing it, unlike Master Grath. He had quite the...attraction for her. But we are patient."
"We?" Ceony asked. She felt the chill of multiple eyes on her as she questioned it. There were more of them.
"Ceony, darling," The words were vile as Val said it, Emery often said those words to her in a sweet and kind manner, Val just sounded like poison.
"Master Grath had multiple students. My name must not have rung a bell to Magician Thane. I'm Master Grath's top student, after all. I worked all the planning and I helped him, with all of us. We stayed away from the limelight, however. We didn't want Master Grath's back-up to be ruined after all."
"You're insane." Ceony said, frowning. "What was the back-up?"
"To get revenge on you." He said simply, walking around Ceony. "And if he didn't figure out how to unfreeze Lira, we would."
"I don't even know how I did it." Ceony responded, "You know I don't, if you listened to Grath."
"Oh, we know. But that doesn't mean we can't torture you anyway." Ceony gulped, truly weighing the situation. She was trapped. No paper spells as they were all at home and she did make another necklace to switch around the bonds, but it wasn't around her neck. Val must know about the bond breaking, perhaps Saraj told him about it.
She had nothing to use to her disposal and she was stuck in a room full of Excisioners, hellbent on revenge.
Now, to answer your questions, in the deleted scenes, during the meeting of Emery and all the other Magicians in Criminal Affairs, Emery speaks about Grath having 'students', as the quote follows:
"Instead, he said, "A man can still learn Excision without being able to practice it. I knew a man in secondary school who had memorized all the basics of Folding before ever attending Tagis Praff. I'm positive that, at minimum, Grath personally trains his recruits.""
So I thought that it would be an interesting development if they were keen for revenge. Now it may not be the best story line, but I seriously hope that it's still alright. I had a lot of fun working on this. I hope I don't trash a good idea.