Disclaimer: I do not own The Sorcerer's Apprentice or National Treasure Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer do! I am just writing this for fun!
Chapter 10: Balthazar's Ruminations and Ian's conclusion
Balthazar's POV
Balthazar realized that he was potentially putting three or four civilians into this whole affair. He wasn't sure if he was going to mind wipe or leave them be after this event blows over. The three of them were in the news because they found the famed Templar Treasure and the other was a criminal in the FBI's books. But, one of them was his friend's son. He was one hundred percent sure and he had to explain to all of them what is going on. Including Veronica, Dave, and Becky.
The problem was getting more people involved in one's affairs typically did not end well. Rebecca, or Becky, Dave's girlfriend, was used as leverage for Dave to give Horvath Merlin's dragon ring and the grimhold. Luckily things worked out the way they did or otherwise she would have been dead. Balthazar had conceded in the end for Becky to know about everything because she was good for Dave and vice versa. From what he heard it was because of her note that Dave had appeared in his shop all those years ago. Fate, it seemed, had played its part in that setting.
As it seemed with Mr. Gates and company, who were all currently residing in the apartment above the Arcana Cabana II. After they flew from the hotel, Balthazar had left Becky, Veronica, and Dave to deal with them while he returned the eagle back to its respective home. After cursing a great deal because he let the black book out of his grasp, Horvath got away, and Mr. Opoel's murderer was loose. Now they had time to regroup and reconvene. It gave the attacker time to plan to get Horvath's cane back and time to catch them off guard. He had to deal with three civilians, one who had no idea about his past besides his parents dying prematurely.
As he saw Dave running around the halls upstairs he was pretty sure that was a sign that someone was up and awake. The time for explanations, it would seem, was drawing nearer.
He looked up and saw Veronica and whispered he was going to be right back and return shortly. At least, that is what he hoped.
He grabbed the banister and walked up. He left his favorite leather trench downstairs, it was going to be rather interesting conversation and there was no need to look even more out of place than he did already.
He knew that he never dressed in what was fashionable for this era but neither was it so out of place it would put him into an unpleasant situation. He creaked up the stairways and started hearing a raised voice, one that was a bit unfamiliar.
Balthazar frowned. The raised voice now was louder than he was comfortable with. He then saw one of the rooms opened with Dave in it. He knew where Dave was that the source of the raised voice would also be. He saw Dave and turned to his right and in the extra bed there, wide awake and eyes staring at him, was Benjamin Gates.
Balthazar took his attention off his guest, and spoke to Dave who nodded his head. He came forward to Dave to tell him to check on the other guests as well. Dave left the room. He saw an empty chair in the corner and grabbed it. Mr. Gates, it seemed, wanted some explanations, and he would get them.
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Ian Howe's POV
In the cellar of the Arcana Cabana II in an old storage closet….
He was awake and cold. Those were his first two thoughts. He saw that his hands were tied but his feet were not. He was in a small, inadequately lit room. He was lying on a rather uncomfortable cot. He was underneath a stairwell of some kind or in a storage closet, considering it wasn't large to begin with.
As he was orientating himself with his surroundings the events of the past twenty four hours whirled in his head from the blurred energy bolts, to the lifting of Riley into the air, to the steel eagle outside the windows that were forced open somehow, and now to his dismay at his capture. And here he thought this was going to be a piece of candy by taking the Gates plus the other guy unarmed and by surprise.
He was never so wrong in his life. He could make out that there was movement upstairs, but couldn't hear anything besides footsteps or creaks in the floor. Ian frowned; he saw that there were no distinguishable elements in the room besides everything being made of wood or brick. A light chain hung a few feet in front of him.
He had thoughts plague his mind telling him he was still in prison but the room was a different one than he had been in. He knew this to be untrue. But, he had more questions than fright. Why? His friend had kept something from him and abandoned him for his own safety. Granted, he would do the same if he was in the same boat but still one would think that being friends since their younger years one would help the other. It seemed that sometimes being a villain did have its downside.
Ian thought as he stared at the wooden door. After all that had happened last night he wanted to know who that man was on the steel eagle, why his friend abandoned him, and why the black book was so important to his friend to begin with that he would run off with that shady character, Maxim Horvath.
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Balthazar's POV
He explained more than he thought he would. He started off rather bluntly by telling that Mr. Gates his wife and his friend were in danger.
That was stating the obvious.
Mr. Gates snorted at this, realizing that he didn't need to be told what happened the night before. He nodded and thought that skirting the issue wasn't going to help. The blunt route would have to do. He told him who he was besides his name and that he was a sorcerer of the 777th degree. That he was originally one of Merlin's three apprentices and then that story had expanded into including Dave's story as well. Then, telling him about the black book, Excalibur, and eventually Horvath as well.
As he progressed through his planned speech at different times Mr. Gates jaw dropped and would lift up again, only after a few seconds passed. His eyes, from what Balthazar could see, held Ben's thoughts in their depths. He saw it before. At first Mr. Gates believed him to be a nutcase, lying, and was insane. The last part, well…he was a little, as Dave found out back in Chinatown. But slowly, as he explained more and more, and even did a little demonstration, he had Mr. Gates speechless. He would have had an amused smile on his face but knowing the circumstances were far less humorless he kept a stoic face and got down to business.
Mr. Gates after awhile held his own questions, and he answered to the best of his ability. Some were simple like how could he be Merlin's apprentice; the reply, magic. It would seem Ben was dubious but had rather accepted easier than he would have believed. Other questions were how did he know about the black book and he went into that whole explanation about his friend who was murdered.
It was at this point Mr. Gates eyes furrowed as he told about the tragic deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Opoel and how their son was left without any relatives or parents. It would seem that Mr. Gates greatly sympathized with his loss considering he knew someone who had been through the same.
This was where things were going to get interesting.
Their talk progressed into his ten year sentence in the urn and how the book got out of his possession, to the auction, and finally to Ben telling him the black book originally belonged to his friend's father. It was at this point that he had to tell Ben the connection with his friend and magic and walked over to find some paper. He found parchment that would work and saw there was a pen. He would have preferred a quill for parchment but a pen would have to do.
Ben had wondered what was he doing and Balthazar spelled it out for him letter by letter. By the end Ben had been rather certain that it was a coincidence. In his experience there was no such thing as a coincidence.
He knew further proof would be needed and that is when he remembered the one photograph he had of his friend and himself. He left the room and told Benjamin to stay where he was; he found the photo in his and Veronica's room in an old photo journal of his and grabbed the photograph. He came back and showed it to Benjamin Gates. The man in the picture (besides himself) was stern looking but had boyish features and short rounded hair. He wore thick-framed glasses in the picture.
The picture looked almost like a mirror image of the younger man under Becky's and Dave's care. He saw Ben pale and explained that having breakfast would be a good idea, as well as when they were going to tell everyone else what was going on.
Balthazar's impression was that Benjamin Gates was weary of him but right now Ben would have to trust him.
He left the room, not sure if Mr. Gates would be following him or not. He saw Dave was flushed and explained to him the other two were up. He told Dave to tell them breakfast was ready and that all questions will be answered at that time. He saw how dubious his apprentice was but right now he was hungry and his nerves needed a large mug of strong, black coffee. He was supposed to keep magic a secret and now it was going to be out in the open for three (or really four) civilians.
The other would be dealt with later, after he had his coffee.
AN: I am sorry for the long update and for the short chapter! Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner, but in the meantime check out my other stories and please review! Thanks!