Standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter 6
"It's not that I mind watching you," Balthazar commented, directing his words to the bulldog ambling along behind him. "Although Dave may not think so, I do appreciate that he has a life outside of magic and make allowances for that. The fact that I'm watching you for the weekend while he goes home for his mother's birthday should be proof enough." He adjusted the strap holding the heavy bag on his shoulder, turning onto the street where the Arcana Cabana was. "But, is it really too much to ask that he drop you off instead of having me go pick you up? It's not exactly just a short romp around the block, after all."
Tank slowed to a stop by a hydrant, sniffing it curiously before deciding that was a great place to relieve himself. Balthazar sighed, waiting until the dog was done and shifting the heavy bag to the opposite shoulder before tugging gently on the leash to prompt Tank to keep walking. The dog did so with some reluctance.
"Keep moving," Balthazar said, glancing down at his current walking partner. "We're almost there."
The Phantom was sitting in its usual spot right outside the store and Balthazar paused, looking down at his car a little sadly. "It would be so much easier if I could start you myself," he muttered, placing his hand on the hood. "But, Veronica doesn't know nearly enough about cars to be able to alter that spell and Dave..." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, a physics nerd does not a mechanic make." He turned away from the car, heading up the front steps and unlocked the door before stepping inside. The dog seemed unusually interested in more than a few items as Balthazar headed towards the stairs in the back. "If you pee on anything in my shop, you're going to be castrated and banished to the basement," he warned, leading Tank up to the apartment before removing the leash. The dog happily collapsed onto the carpet, panting.
Balthazar dropped the bag next to the recliner, stretching his tired muscles before rummaging through it until he found the dog's food and water bowls. He pushed himself back to his feet and headed into the kitchen. He paused just inside the doorway, blinking in surprise. Veronica and Becky were both there, putting groceries away. "You're back early," Balthazar stated.
"Are we?" Veronica asked lightly, turning her back to him as she put a few items in the fridge. "I hadn't noticed."
Becky gave her a strange look, but didn't comment.
A soft smile lit Balthazar's features while filled one of the dog's bowls with water at the sink. "So, what's on the menu for tonight?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Well, we were going to do bread bowls, but we seem to have forgotten the bread," Becky said, giving Veronica another strange look. "So, we'll just be doing soup, instead."
"Sounds good to me," Balthazar said, heading back into the other room.
Tank had flopped onto his side, looking quite content to lie there for the rest of the night. Arista had noticed their new guest and was cautiously approaching him, sniffing curiously. Tank raised his head and she hissed at him, shooting across the room and almost knocking the lamp off the end table as she jumped from it to the top of the bookcase. When Tank didn't react to her flight except to lie down once more, she warily made her way back down to the floor, sniffing him again. Becoming a bit braver, Arista batted at his muzzle with one paw. Tank just sighed, sending Arista running once more, although she only ran to the back of the couch this time.
"Well, either Dave was right about you tolerating cats well," Balthazar stated, pulling a few more items from the bag, "or that walk tired you out more than I thought." He shrugged, taking the bag of dog food to the kitchen. "Arista and Tank seem to be getting off to a good start," he announced, filling Tank's bowl.
"That's good," Veronica replied. "I would not like to have to lock him in the basement for the next two days."
"Wasn't Dave planning on bringing Tank over in the morning?" Becky asked.
"He was," Balthazar said, clearing a spot for the bag of dog food in the cupboard. "But his ride decided to leave tonight instead of tomorrow, so Dave called and asked if I could pick up Tank early." He rolled the top of the bag of dog food closed and shoved it into the cupboard, making sure the door closed all the way so Tank couldn't get into it. "Apparently, the guy's allergic to dogs, so they couldn't just drop Tank off on their way out of town."
"Oh."
"I'm going to go close the shop," he said, heading back to the living room. Tank hadn't moved, still lying on his side while Arista had retreated to higher ground. Although she seemed to be removing the dog from the 'threat' category, it was clear that she was planning on keeping an eye on him, just the same. Tank couldn't seem to care less.
Balthazar chuckled at the pair, shaking his head as he headed for the stairs. "At least Marvin will be happy to get a break from the cat for a couple days."
. . .
Dave grumbled as he walked through the pouring rain, his collar turned up against the deluge. Forgetting his umbrella was just par for the course the way his day was going. His steps quickened when the Arcana Cabana came into sight and he shook as much water off his jacket as he could before stepping inside. He wasn't planning on staying so he didn't bother taking off his coat, heading for the stairs. Balthazar met him at the counter.
"Hello, Dave," the older sorcerer drawled. "You know, when you said you were going to be late, I assumed you meant around 10:00, maybe 11:00 pm last night," he said, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Not this morning." He took a moment to look his errant apprentice up and down. "Rough night?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"You have no idea," Dave groaned, leaning tiredly against the counter.
"Why don't you enlighten me."
Dave sighed. "Brian decided last minute that he wanted to come back a couple hours later than what he had planned initially," he began. "That's when I texted you, saying I'd be late. A couple hours after that, he finally showed up to pick me up. Said he'd lost track of the time." Dave shook his head. "The rain was really coming down so he was driving slow, which actually turned out to be a good thing. I didn't even see the elk until we were practically right on top of it. Brian didn't hit it- it probably would have tripped over the hood and came in through the windshield -but the road was slippery and we ended up running off it when he hit the brakes and swerved. There weren't many trees on the embankment, but we ended up on top of a pretty good-sized rock at the bottom instead. Neither of us were hurt, but the engine was busted. Fortunately, he had a flashlight in his car, so we didn't have to stumble around in the darkness as we hiked back to the road. I was actually surprised by how far off it we had gone."
"Sounds like you're both lucky to escaped unscathed," Balthazar commented.
"Yeah," Dave agreed. "Anyway, we just happened to be in one of the only dead spots on that stretch of road and of course we hadn't seen anyone else in the last hour or so. That meant we had to climb up the hill on the other side of the road to get service, which we did. Luckily, we didn't have to climb all the way, and I was going to call you and explain what had happened, but my phone died. Brian still had half a battery, but I don't have you number memorized. Anyway, he has one of those insurance plans where you have to call them when anything happens and he had the number on his phone. What he didn't have was the policy number. The guy he was talking to said it was on the insurance card, which was still in the car. So, we hiked back down to the car and tried to find the insurance card. It wasn't there. So, we hiked back up to where we had reception and called his parents. They looked it up online and gave us all the information we would hopefully need and then we called the insurance company again. Did I mention it was still raining the whole time?"
"I'm sure you've heard the saying 'when it rains, it pours.'" Balthazar said, smiling.
"That's the truth," Dave agreed, shifting so he could support his head with one hand. "The only thing that would have made the night even better would have been if we ran into that elk again. We didn't- I don't even want to think about what would have happened then," Dave said, shuddering. "Anyway, I finally got home sometime between 3:00 and 4:00 this morning. Slept through my alarm, Bennet woke me up half an hour before my 7:00 class and I managed to get there only a few minutes late. It was just review- at least, I hope it was, because I'm pretty sure I slept through the second half of it." He shook his head. "I completely forgot about Tank until about twenty minutes ago. And my phone's still dead- I forgot to plug it in when I finally got home this morning."
Balthazar chuckled, both at the story and at the pathetic picture his apprentice made as he practically laid across the counter. "Come sit down before you fall over," he said, gesturing to the stool on his side of the counter. "I'll go get your dog."
Balthazar headed up the stairs, finding Tank waiting by the door at the top. The dog darted past before he could stop him, bounding down the steps with more energy than the sorcerer would have thought possible. Shaking his head, Balthazar quickly gathered up everything Dave had sent with him, packing it back into the bag. He briefly explained the situation to Veronica before heading back down to the shop.
Dave had taken his advice and moved to sit on the stool. Tank was on his hind legs, front paws on Dave's thigh as his little stub of a tail wiggled madly.
"I've never seen him so energetic," Balthazar commented, moving over to his apprentice.
"Yeah. I guess he missed me," Dave said, scratching the dog's ears. His gaze wandered to the windows at the front of the store and the downpour visible beyond. His shoulders slumped slightly at the thought of walking home through that.
Balthazar almost laughed at how pitiful Dave looked. "In light of recent events, I'm giving you today off. I expect you to be rested and ready to learn tomorrow." He almost laughed again at how fast Dave's expression went from dejected to stunned to grateful. The kid was an open book on the best of days. When he was tired, it was like watching a kaleidoscope of emotions. "Come on," Balthazar said, clapping the youth on his shoulder. "I'll drive you home."
. . .
"Again," Balthazar intoned dispassionately, watching his apprentice with a bored expression.
Dave groaned. "Balthazar, we've been at this for hours," he said, his voice rising dangerously close to a whine. "I was close that time! Can't we call it day?"
"Close isn't good enough, Dave," Balthazar stated, shaking his head. It wasn't that difficult of a spell. Taking a deep breath, he lifted the empty soda can from the edge of the chalk circle drawn on the tabletop, handing it back to Dave. "Now, focus. Feel the can in your hand, picture the circle in your mind with the can inside it."
Dave sighed, closing his eyes as he tried the teleportation spell yet again. He felt the slight weight of the can disappear and opened his eyes. The can was lying on the table, half inside the chalk circle. Balthazar sighed.
"Come on! I almost made it in that time! Doesn't that count?"
"Almost isn't going to cut it. A gun that almost appears in your hand will do little to protect you."
"Bet a plasma bolt would be more effective, anyway," Dave muttered.
"It's about having options, Dave," Balthazar explained. "You might find yourself in a situation where this spell is much more useful than a plasma bolt. If you need to be discreet, for example."
Dave's eyes widened incredulously. "How could a gun suddenly appearing in your hand possibly be considered discreet?"
"It's considerably less noticeable than a glowing orb of energy between your palms," Balthazar countered. "If you can move your hand out of sight, or create some sort of distraction, people will assume you had the gun hidden somewhere on your person."
Dave's reply was cut off as the bell chimed, indicated someone had entered the shop. "That must be Becky," he said, starting to rise. "I'm taking her to lunch today."
"Or it could be Veronica," Balthazar pointed out. "Sit down. Do it again."
Muttering under his breath about slave drivers, Dave plopped back down in his chair. He snatched the can from the table, not concentrating quite as much as he should as he tried the spell again. The can clattered noisily on the floor a couple feet to his left.
Balthazar pinch the bridge of his nose, exhaling harshly as his face drew down in an irritated scowl.
Dave was saved as the bell chimed a second time. "That has to be Becky," he said, trying to pre-empt his master's chastisement.
The older sorcerer sighed in resignation. "We won't accomplish anything as long as you aren't focused," he said, getting to his feet and moving his chair off to the side of the room and out of the Merlin Circle. "We'll continue this later. Perhaps Veronica can show you how practical this spell is after you get back."
Although Dave winced slightly at the thought of more training with the sorceress, he helped his master carry the heavy table back to the side of the room, moving his chair over to it afterward and hurrying after Balthazar.
The older sorcerer ignored Dave's suddenly energetic attitude as the college student followed him up the stairs. Balthazar paused at the top as an unfamiliar voice reached his ears.
"I'm just trying to figure out what happened," the man said, his voice placating.
"I have already given you an accounting of the events. The man assaulted us with a knife, then left," Veronica replied, her voice carefully neutral. Balthazar recognized the tone as one she used when concealing her fear.
The man huffed in irritation. "You still left out where the fire came from."
"I do not recall any fire."
"Look my partner and I were down the street a ways, but we both saw the gout of flame quite clearly."
Balthazar stepped into the doorway of the store, taking in the scene with a glance. Veronica stood towards the front of the shop, her arms crossed over her chest defensively. Becky stood next to and a little behind her, looking a bit nervous as her eyes darted between Veronica and the man facing them. He was dressed in a dark blue uniform, the golden emblem on his hat, sleeves and the breast pocket of his navy blue jacket identifying him as a member of New York City's finest. He mirrored Veronica's stance, although where she was leaning back, he had pressed forward, subtly changing it from a defensive to an offensive position. His eyes were narrowed in annoyance and suspicion, clearly growing tired of her obstinate attitude. The two parties faced off, perpendicular to the entrance at the back of the shop. Neither noticed the sorcerer standing in the doorway.
Thinking quickly, Balthazar ducked back through the doorway pulling Dave with him. "Practice time's over," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You're mastering that spell now."
Dave looked at his master like the man had lost his mind. "What?" he asked, keeping his voice as quiet as his master's.
"Walk over to Rebecca casually," Balthazar continued, ignoring Dave's interruption. "Discreetly put your hand in her purse and find the mini bottle of hairspray she keeps in there. Then, use the spell and move it to Veronica's purse."
"What?" Dave's voice had a bit more of a startled squeak to it this time.
"Do it," Balthazar hissed, reaching into his pocket as he ushered Dave back into the shop and headed towards the girls at an easy pace. "What's going on?" he asked, drawing everyone's attention as he moved to Veronica's side. She looked up at him, relief warring with concern in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" the officer asked.
"Balthazar Blake," Balthazar introduced himself, putting his arm around Veronica as he tracked Dave's progress in his peripheral vision. "This is my wife."
"Officer Briggs," the policeman returned, nodding to the sorcerer. "It seems that someone tried to mug your wife a few minutes ago and I'm trying to figure out how she defended herself." His eyes slid back over to Veronica. "She's being a little less than cooperative."
Balthazar glanced at Veronica's dark eyes once more, easily seeing the apology within as well as the plea for help. "If it was in self defense, I'm sure you won't be punished for it," he stated, glancing at the officer for confirmation. He saw Dave withdraw his hand from Becky's purse out of the corner of his eye.
Officer Briggs nodded. "I'm just trying to get all the details of what happened," he explained.
Balthazar nodded, turning back to Veronica. Her brow was furrowed ever so slightly in confusion. "It's alright, beloved," he assured her, palming the lighter in his pocket as he withdrew his hand and gently took her purse from her. "She doesn't like to use mace," he explained, keeping his profile to the officer as he opened the bag and reached inside. A quick feel around the inside did not yield the item he was looking for and he made a show of peering inside as he moved things around, stalling for time. He reflexively clenched his teeth in annoyance at the loud clang of metal on the tile floor.
"Oops," Balthazar said, a carefully mild expression on his face as he bent down to pick up the small can of hairspray. He could see Dave cringe in his peripheral. Ignoring his apprentice for now, Balthazar held the can in one hand as he made a show of routing through the purse a few seconds longer before 'finding' the lighter and showing both items to the officer. "It's not really effective as a weapon, but sometimes the surprise is all you need to get away," he explained, keeping his voice casual.
The officer stared at the lighter and hairspray skeptically for a few seconds before nodding. "I think mace would be easier to use, but fire would definitely give you the element of surprise," he agreed. He turned back to Veronica, his posture almost visibly stiffening. "And, neither you, nor Ms. Barnes, wish to press charges, correct?" he verified, his polite tone sounding rather forced.
Veronica shook her head, keeping her eyes on the officer instead of tracking Balthazar's hand as he 'replaced' the items in her purse.
"Alright. Thank you for your time," Officer Briggs droned, tipping his hat to the ladies out of reflex before turning to exit the shop. They could hear him muttering softly under his breath as he pushed the door open and stepped outside.
Veronica let out a sigh as the door latched, closing her eyes as her shoulders slumped. She raised her hands, covering her face.
Balthazar pulled her into his arms, holding her gently. She returned the embrace, her entire body trembling.
"I'm sorry, my love," she apologized, a bit breathless from the adrenaline coursing through her system. "I was caught off guard by the cutpurse and reacted without thought. Then, when the officer started questioning my actions, all I could think about was the witch-hunts and the Inquisition..." She shook her head. "I should have exercised more caution..."
Balthazar shushed her, stroking her hair soothingly. "It's alright, beloved," he said again. "Do not fret over as trifling a matter as this." He held her for a while longer, feeling her tremors subside as she calmed. "Although, if you're going to make a habit of this," he continued, tone gently teasing as his mouth quirked up in a half smile, "it probably isn't a bad idea to acquire and lighter and a can of hairspray to keep in your purse."
Veronica pulled back slightly, studying his face. She tried to return his smile, but hers was much more strained. "How did you manage to place the items?" she asked. "The bottle is too large to completely conceal in your hand and I am certain we do not have its like anywhere in the shop." She paused, a little amusement lightening the remnants of fear on her face. "Although, you are generally not prone to such clumsiness. Were you as nervous as I, despite your reassuring words?"
Balthazar's brows drew down into a disapproving scowl as he looked at Dave. "That was Dave," he said, noting his apprentice wouldn't meet his eyes. "Apparently, he's not ready to move on from this spell yet. It was supposed to end up inside your purse, not outside it." Balthazar shook his head, turning his gaze back to his wife. "Fortunately, it didn't appear where the officer could see. That would have been a little more difficult to explain."
Dave kept silent, biting his lip as he stared at the ground. Becky squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"Is there anything more to be done about this?" Veronica asked, still sounding a bit apprehensive as she looked up into her husband's eyes.
"Did you burn the man trying to rob you?" Balthazar asked.
Veronica shook her head. "I may have singed his eyebrows, but I was aiming to frighten, not injure."
Balthazar nodded, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Then, it should be fine," he said soothingly. "You need not worry." He turned his gaze to the blonde clinging to Dave's arm. "Are you alright, Rebecca?" he asked. "I understand this isn't the first time someone has accosted you in public."
"It is going to make me a little paranoid," she admitted, her voice a little shaky. "I'm lucky Dave was there the first time and Veronica was with me today. It was just a fluke that I saw her heading out of the subway terminal on my way here."
Balthazar nodded. "Come upstairs," he invited, his arm staying around Veronica's shoulders as he headed toward the staircase up to their apartment. "Some tea will help calm your nerves."
The group moved upstairs, Balthazar putting a kettle on to boil while Veronica and Becky sat on the couch. Dave followed his master to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry, Balthazar," Dave said meekly.
"It's not your fault." Balthazar didn't turn around, pulling teacups and saucers from the cupboard.
Dave blinked. "Uh, you trusted me to do something and I messed up," he said slowly. "How is that not my fault?"
"You managed to move the can right to the edge and even straddling the circle on the table," Balthazar said, getting his tea mixture out of the cupboard. "I thought you weren't trying hard enough and required a bit more motivation. Now, I see that I was mistaken."
Dave cringed at the disappointment in his master's voice, slight though it was. "Balthazar, I'm sorry, I-"
"You don't need to apologize, Dave," Balthazar cut him off. "The fault was mine. I overestimated your abilities and almost made the situation worse." He sighed, opening another cupboard and pulling out a couple packages of different tea biscuits. "Just be glad it worked out and let it lie."
Balthazar wasn't blaming him. There wasn't even the slightest bit of accusation in his voice. However, even though the man claimed full responsibility for the mistake, Dave couldn't help but feel he had lost a measure of his master's trust. This wasn't the first time Balthazar had trusted him with an important task. But, it was the first time Dave had let him down. He couldn't help the feeling of bitter failure that washed over him. Thus distracted by his thoughts, he didn't see the apple until it smacked his forehead. "Ow!" he yelped, jerking backwards and putting a hand to his head. "What was that for?!" he demanded, glaring from the offending fruit rolling languidly across the floor to his master's back.
Balthazar didn't bother turning around, arranging a variety of biscuits on a plate although the fruit bowl on the counter was noticeably closer to him. "I told you before that love was a distraction," he stated, his voice sounding almost bored. "Self-incrimination is equally distracting, if not more so. I made the mistake. It doesn't happen often, but when it does..." He let his voice trail off, shaking his head. "You have enough to worry about without picking up my slack, as well. This wasn't your fault. Just let it lie."
Dave wasn't convinced and silently vowed to put more effort into his training. Although it should have been obvious, it wasn't until today that he realized just how much Balthazar would have to rely on him if something magical came up and Veronica was unable to take care of it for whatever reason. Dave was determined not to let him down again, to prove that he was still worthy of his master's trust. However, knowing how Balthazar would view the source of this new resolution and wanting to avoid more fruit to the head in the immediate future, Dave decided to change the subject.
"What else would you have done?" Dave asked, actually curious. "If you had decided I wasn't ready?"
"Come up with something else," Balthazar said, shrugging dismissively. "There is more than one solution to any problem, Dave."
"Such as?" Dave pressed.
"Create a distraction, or let you be the distraction while I placed the items in Veronica's purse. It didn't have to be the hairspray- most aerosols would work. I chose that because I don't have any travel size bottles in the apartment," Balthazar replied easily. "It'd be more convincing than someone keeping a full sized bottle in a purse."
Dave blinked, a bit surprised by the ready answer. "How do you do it?" he asked at last.
Balthazar turned around, regarding his apprentice with a raised eyebrow. "I had no idea you had an interest in sleight-of-hand, Dave. I'd recommend against it as a career choice- coordination aside, you need to be able to lie convincingly."
Dave shook his head, waving aside his master's teasing comments. "That's not what I meant. It's just that, well, I heard the same thing you did, coming up from the basement, and I saw what was going on in the store at the same time as you. Yet, you already had a plan and were starting to put it in motion about the time I was thinking, 'Oh crap, this is bad.'" He looked up, meeting his master's gaze. "How do you do it?"
"Practice," Balthazar answered, shrugging again. He turned back to the counter. "And, after a few life or death battles where you're outnumbered three to one, you learn to think on your feet and you learn to do it fast."
"But-"
"I told you that your ingenuity and your heart will give you an advantage over Morganians," Balthazar began, moving the whistling kettle off the heat as he added the crushed herbs. "But, they will also serve you well in all aspects of your life, once you learn to utilize them."
"And, how do you do that? Without the life or death battles, I mean."
"Always be mindful of what's around you. Think of not one, but three solutions to any problem you encounter. Master as many different and varied spells as you can to give yourself more options," Balthazar stated, a half-smirk tugging at his lips.
Dave nodded solemnly, already planning on doing just that. Although the practical use may not always be obvious, he knew Balthazar didn't teach him superfluous spells.
The half-smirk faded as Dave failed to make the expected complaint. He was still obviously upset about the botched translocation spell. Balthazar withheld a sigh, trying to think of how he was going to overcome this new obstacle. "Learn to think outside the box," he advised, pulling a tray from one of the lower cupboards.
"You mean more so than just adding magic into the equation?" Dave asked wryly.
"Of course." Balthazar carefully placed the tea, cups and plate of biscuits on the tray. "But, for now, you need to think about how to convince the young lady sitting on the couch that all muggers in New York aren't out to get her." He picked up the tray, handing it to Dave and waving him towards the other room. "I'll see to lunch. After that, we'll begin working on protective charms."
. . .
Dave took a seat on the train, only half paying attention to his surroundings. He had forgotten about the test today in his Advanced Software Engineering class and was hurriedly skimming through his notes. He had roughly twenty minutes until his stop and he intended to make the most of it. Thus distracted, he was only peripherally aware of someone taking the seat next to him until the person spoke.
"Hello, Dave," a familiar, faintly accented voice drawled, the words soft but smooth as they flowed off his tongue.
Dave jumped, startled. Papers were crumpled in his hands as his head whipped to the side. "Horvath!" he cried, all the different possible reasons for the man's presence on the train racing through his mind. Was he after Merlin's ring again? Was Becky all right? Was he here for revenge for Dave's role in Morgana's defeat? Had he been following Dave? If so, did he know where Balthazar was? Or that he had lost his magic? Had he already taken care of Balthazar and was now here for Dave? Having witnessed several magical fights between the two older sorcerers, Dave knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against Horvath.
Recognizing the beginnings of panic (and remembering Becky's comment about paranoia), Dave took a deep breath and released it slowly, focusing on clearing his mind as Balthazar had taught him, although he didn't dare take his eyes off Horvath. "What do you want?" he asked after a moment, surprised at how steady his voice came out.
Horvath smiled predatorily, looking as if he had read Dave's mind and was amused by his thoughts. "I was just wondering how Balthazar is enjoying life without his magic," he said, his tone casual with just a bit of glee in it.
Dave couldn't help the flinch as a wave of anxiety washed over him. "What makes you think he's lost his magic?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly.
Horvath's smile widened. "He didn't tell you? Well, I suppose I shouldn't really be surprised," he commented, nonchalantly examining his fingernails. "After all, we've already established that he likes to keep his secrets. Or, perhaps it's a matter of trust? I can't say that I blame him, after what you did..."
Dave was being baited and he knew it. However, Horvath also had a point. Balthazar had all but conned Dave into becoming his apprentice without telling him anything about Morgana, the Prime Merlinian, the Grimhold, or even Merlinians and Morganians. He tended to keep important information to himself until he was forced to reveal it. The fact that Horvath was all too eager to share it meant that it had to be bad.
Against his better judgment, Dave took the bait. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Tell me, did Balthazar ever get around to telling you how a sorcerer loses his powers?" Horvath asked, glancing at Dave out of the corner of his eye.
"Yeah," Dave said, his brows furrowing in confusion. "By being electrocuted."
"Technology has improved so much over the centuries. You can't go anywhere these days without finding electricity," Horvath mused, a smirk playing about his lips. "Even places designed to replicate nature, such as parks, are rife with power cords carrying electricity here and there." He leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. "I had planned on conducting a study one day of exactly how much electricity is needed to make a sorcerer lose his powers, but I suppose now I can just ask Balthazar. Most sorcerers avoid using any attacks involving electricity unless there is no other option because if they make a mistake it could cost them their magic."
Dave was still confused. Balthazar hadn't been electrocuted that night. Dave had pulled the power cords from the maintenance shed behind Morgana, sending them to all the lamps circling the fountain, but none came close to his master. Balthazar had fallen after protecting Veronica from Morgana's plasma bolt... Plasma. Plasma was electricity. He knew this, he worked with it everyday with his Tesla coils. But, was a plasma bolt by itself enough to strip a sorcerer of his powers? It had been enough to stop Balthazar's heart... Dave's eyes widened in sudden understanding. He had used plasma bolts to restart his master's heart. Even if Morgana's attack hadn't taken Balthazar's magic, Dave had certainly sealed the deal when he resuscitated him.
"Quite an accomplishment, I must say- you, in your ignorance, have managed to do something many others have tried to do and failed over the long centuries," Horvath said, smiling cruelly as he stood. "Congratulations. I'm sure your master is very proud." The train lurched to a stop and he joined the throng exiting the car. "Give Balthazar my regards," he called over his shoulder, quickly becoming lost in the crowd. "I do hope to see him again soon."
Dave didn't notice, his mind still reeling with the possibility that he had been the one responsible for the loss of Balthazar's magic. No, that couldn't be true. Balthazar may withhold information, but he had never outright lied to Dave. Balthazar said that exhaustion and shock had caused his loss of magic. Why should Dave believe Horvath, who had tried to kill him (and almost succeeded) more than once, over Balthazar who seemed to have Dave's best interests at heart, even if he didn't always show it? No, Horvath was lying- he had to be. He must have some ulterior motive- perhaps driving a wedge between the master and his apprentice to try and get Dave out of the way so it was only Veronica who stood between him and Balthazar. Yes, that must be it. It was just a Morganian trick.
A small traitorous part of his mind pointed out that what Horvath said was entirely possible. When teaching him to create a plasma bolt, Balthazar himself had basically said it was a weapon of last resort. Dave hadn't thought to ask why. If plasma bolts really could take a sorcerer's power... Then Dave had turned the oldest sorcerer in the world into nothing more than a civilian with a flashing neon target on his back. The only way to find out for sure would be to ask Balthazar directly.
Dave quailed at the thought. Penchant for withholding information not withstanding, Balthazar was almost brutally honest whenever asked a question. He wouldn't sugarcoat it, and he wouldn't lie. Asking him directly was the easiest way to solve the problem. But, Dave admitted to himself, he wasn't sure he really wanted to know the answer.
The train seemed to be more crowded than usual, so Dave got off at the next stop. He exited the subway terminal on autopilot, too consumed by his thoughts to pay any attention to where he was going. It wasn't until a strong gust of wind almost ripped away the papers still clutched in his hand that he realized he was standing on the balcony of the Chrysler building. He blinked, only mildly alarmed that he didn't actually remember coming up here. Usually the lab was where he went when he needed to clear his head.
Dave couldn't say how long he stayed up there, feeling the wind buffeting his skin as he mulled over the what Horvath had revealed. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out, seeing he had an incoming call. It was Balthazar.
Dave's first panicked thought was that his master had some how found out about his meeting with Horvath and he was in big trouble. His second, more rational thought was that his first thought was absurd. There was no feasible way Balthazar could have found out about it short of Horvath himself informing Balthazar of such and Dave didn't actually do anything wrong to be punished for. The third was a realization that if he ignored Balthazar's call without a good reason, he really would be in trouble.
Taking a deep breath, he flipped the phone open and put it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hello, Dave." Balthazar's tone was calm, which didn't tell Dave much. It could be anything from the calm before the storm to nothing more than a social call inviting he and Becky to dinner. "Where are you?" Balthazar continued.
Dave glanced around, toying with the idea of lying but immediately discarding it. Balthazar would be able to tell and it'd only make him look that much more guilty. "...the Chrysler building," he said quietly.
"And, where are you supposed to be?"
Dave blinked, completely taken off guard. He glanced at his watch, eyes widening in surprise. How had it gotten to be so late already? "...the Arcana Cabana," he answered, his voice even quieter.
"Is everything alright?" Balthazar asked, his calm tone changing subtly. There was just a touch of concern in it now.
"No. I mean, yes! I mean-" Dave sighed, starting to run a hand through his hair before he noticed he was still clutching his papers in it. "I just lost track of the time, I guess," he answered at length, dropping his gaze to the ground.
There was a short pause. "Alright," Balthazar said after a moment. "Then I'll see you in a few minutes." There was a click as Balthazar hung up.
Dave stared at the phone for a few seconds before slowly returning it to his pocket. He really didn't want to face Balthazar right now. He was horrible at lying and even worse at keeping secrets, especially when he was feeling guilty about it. If Balthazar asked, Dave would probably end up blurting out everything, which would in turn lead to the question about Balthazar's magic. The more he thought about it, the more Dave really didn't want to know the answer.
Dave glanced over at the steel eagle perched on the corner of the balcony. He was already late, but could reach the Arcana Cabana much faster if he got a ride from the bird. Of course, he wasn't exactly eager to get there tonight, nor would Balthazar approve. It was still daylight and the eagle wasn't exactly low profile even at night. Sighing, Dave headed back to the elevator, noticing again the papers still clutched in his hand when he hit the button. He stared at them for a few seconds, realizing he had completely missed the test. With a shrug, he slipped them back into his bag. In light of everything else he had just learned, he couldn't bring himself to care about one missed test.
. . .
To Be Continued
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