AN: Many thanks to my beta-reader Fluffyblackcloud! Who managed to get this done pretty quickly! You are amazing! Anyways, please enjoy and this is longer than the previous chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Sorcerer's Apprentice or National Treasure Disney or Jerry Bruckheimer do!
Chapter 11: Breakfast at the Blake's
Dave's POV
Sometimes he felt like his master asked for the impossible to happen. He had told Mrs. Gates and Riley that breakfast was ready and if they needed to brush their teeth or wash their faces there were extra toothbrushes and towels ready for them in the guest bathroom. Riley was about to leave when Abigail pulled him back and asked Dave what they were playing at. Being extremely nice hosts only to then kill them?
Dave brought in reinforcements. Since Veronica and Balthazar were busy he brought in Becky. The two of them tried to convince Mrs. Gates they were not trying to dupe them, that it was honest. He even showed her the bathroom for her own protective measures. She finally let in. Dave gave a large sigh; she really was a scary lady, sometimes even scarier than Balthazar.
And that was saying something.
Dave looked up when the guest bathroom door opened and saw the younger man known as Riley Poole. He asked what in the world was going on and all Dave told him was it would be explained during breakfast. Riley seemed content with the answer. Mrs. Gates still glared daggers at him. He brought them downstairs where Dave saw they had expanded the normally small table (with magic of course). Riley's eyes dropped and Mrs. Gates eyebrows rose in surprise.
Dave could see why.
There was fresh orange juice, grapefruit slices cut, eggs on a platter, sausages, bacon strips, and even some toast (specialty bread it seemed). Dave knew that Balthazar and Veronica never made such large breakfasts. This was done out of stress and having company, while also having to explain something extremely complicated.
It was a measure to show that they meant no harm at all. Dave could see Riley had a small smile on his face. Abigail was frowning but sat in the empty chair. Dave could see that neither of them could see into the kitchen because the door was closed. Dave knew that Balthazar and Veronica would reveal themselves in time.
Dave turned around and saw the remaining member, Mr. Benjamin Gates, and he stared at him. Dave knew his master gave him the breakdown of the situation and said nothing to him. Dave moved aside and Abigail wrapped her arms around Ben.
"You're safe!" Abigail exclaimed.
Dave could see a slight smile on Ben's face as he patted his wife on her back.
"Yes, I'm safe. Why, were you worried?" Ben said. Dave saw that Abigail just liked to be in Ben's arms. Riley got up and patted his friend's back. They all seemed content for just a second until Benjamin's smile faded. He moved from his position and sat next to Riley. Dave saw an unfamiliar look come across Ben's face when he looked at his friend. Dave saw that Riley didn't notice the look on his friend's face
There was a pot of coffee on the table and Ben poured some into a mug at one of the place settings. Abigail sat across from her husband and drilled him for the details. She wasn't putting any juice in her glass, pouring any coffee, or grabbing any food to put on her plate. She was looking at it as if it was poison and shot glances towards her friends to let them know she didn't like this situation.
Ben, on the other hand, told her that everything was fine and safe to eat. In terms of details he told them that they would find out soon enough about what was going on. Abigail, it seemed, wasn't pleased. It was at that moment the kitchen door opened up and Dave looked up to see his master reasonably groomed.
He had shaved his five o'clock shadow a bit, wore a different set of murky brown trousers, a dark tunic, a murky green vest (he seemed to have a few of those) and his grey arm warmers. Veronica wore black slacks, a murky maroon sweater. She had a small smile on her face while she brought out some morning pastries. Balthazar, from what Dave could tell, was ready to get down to the main reason all of them were here.
Dave saw Abigail starting to stand up but Ben told her Balthazar could be trusted and motioned for her to sit back down. Dave took a quick glance towards Ben and saw weariness in Ben's eyes directed at his master. He saw his master sat at the end of the table. Dave slowly made his way to sit next to his master. Riley was on his master's right, he on Balthazar's left. Two seats down was Abigail, and Becky took the middle seat. Veronica put down the morning pastries and sat down at the other end. Ben sat down next to Veronica and across from his wife.
Riley looked at Balthazar in puzzlement and deep thought. Dave shrugged his shoulders.
The whole table was silent. No one moved an inch.
Balthazar cleared his throat and looked on to the table; he grabbed the pot of black coffee and poured it into the mug in front of him. He took a sip and everyone eyed him. He knew his master needed his coffee before pandemonium ensued.
Dave thought if a pin was to drop that everybody would be able to hear it because of how silent the room had gone.
"I am guessing all of you, besides Mr. Gates, would like to hear some answers as to why you are here and what happened last night back at your hotel," Balthazar stated. He looked at everyone with a calculating look. Ben, from what Dave knew, was already informed to at least a certain degree. The extent Dave wasn't too sure about.
Balthazar sighed and looked at Dave, Becky, and Veronica, eyeing them carefully. Dave knew they seconds away from a maelstrom of commotion.
"Let's start with introductions. My name is Balthazar Blake and I am a sorcerer of the 777th degree." As Balthazar finished his introduction Dave saw gaping looks from Riley and Abigail who looked at the other occupants of the table.
Benjamin squirmed a bit in his seat. Abigail was looking at him with the obvious look saying 'This guy is a complete maniac, Ben, and why are you sitting there saying nothing?' After a few seconds it seemed there was no progressing of any speech by anyone.
It felt like forever until someone said something.
And he was the one to mutter a word after the silence.
His master had a grim smile on his face as he opened his mouth.
"I'm Dave Stutler, Balthazar's Apprentice and the Prime Merlinian."
Dave could see a small proud smile adorn Balthazar's face before the smile turned back into a grim expression.
Dave was pretty sure that didn't help matters much.
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Elsewhere….
Horvath's POV
Why he collaborated with Harvey Whitefield he wasn't sure. They had a quick getaway from the hotel the previous night. Horvath saw that Harvey was still sleeping. It took a large amount of magic to teleport one person and two was even more. Harvey, from Horvath's calculations, wasn't that high of a degree, so for his companion it was even more taxing.
In the end his quick thinking to teleport out of an almost impossible situation helped him, considering that he was astounded that Balthazar and his nerdy apprentice had found him and without his cane, he was vulnerable.
He didn't like it one bit.
He felt like nothing without his cane. The magic he could use was pent up and without a conductor he was next to useless. He couldn't even win in a fistfight that was Balthazar's forte. He had been a noble, where that sort of activity was less desirable, and Balthazar was…Balthazar. He shook his head as he heard a rustle of movement.
Harvey had transported them to an abandoned building with a mattress it seemed. Rather underwhelming for his tastes but it would have to do. He also realized they were one man short.
He frowned.
This was not good, considering Balthazar and his apprentice Dave had gotten to Harvey's friend. He would ask questions as to where his friend's friend went.
Horvath, in all his infinite glory, had gone along thinking that Harvey would attempt to enter Dave's lab so he could get his cane back but, of course, it was futile, considering Harvey had another friend who wanted revenge.
He went along because what else did he have?
He was outnumbered three to one. Balthazar, Veronica, and Dave, those were not odds he liked, especially since he had a handicap.
He was wrong, he should have sought out the cane alone, but he needed the magical help. He looked up any other Morganians outside Manhattan and was brought to a low level (barely 200th degree) Morganian who did more street crimes than anything. Though, apparently he was told he killed a rather high degree Merlinian named Daniel Opoel a 560th degree sorcerer and his wife a good decade ago. He had planned to kill the whole family, but the kid wasn't there the day he attacked. He found out why.
Mr. Opoel was the keeper of the journey book that led to the location of the Excalibur sword. This was intriguing on many different levels. First with Excalibur, it was a sword of magic and any sorcerer could access its power. If he had that sword, it would be the equivalent to his cane.
He smiled. The sword would be Balthazar's and Dave's downfall, and Veronica would see reason with him. This had been why he partnered with Harvey, to get the chance to get back at his rival and too-lucky apprentice. Not to mention he would get at the little blonde Dave seemed to be affectionate towards too. He wanted to make sure nobody was happy in the end because he got his heart broken.
As these thoughts came to pass he saw that Harvey was staring at him.
"Do you have a plan?" Harvey asked.
He stared at Harvey and gave in to his anger. Of all the possible questions he had to ask...
"Do I have a plan? That's a preposterous notion considering, Harvey, you told me this would be, what is the saying you used? Oh yes, 'a piece of cake'. This whole enterprise was to help your friend out. Considering that now not only is the colleague of yours in Balthazar's overly capable hands, we are no closer to getting my cane, nor the black book back from that Ian when we left!" Horvath said quite evenly but with an icy edge.
"Horvath…" Harvey said quite slyly and had a smirk on his face. Horvath was about to yell at Harvey and ask him what is he up to when Harvey slipped a black book into his line of vision.
Horvath was never so happy to see a black book in his life. The only problem now was to open it. The book was enchanted so that it could not be opened nor read, but if he remembered correctly things were not always as they seemed.
"You got the book?" Horvath asked.
Horvath decided he was going to see where this was going to lead. He had the slight inclination that Harvey wanted to have the upper hand; the problem was that Harvey didn't know more than he did. Merlin only told them the basics of the book, but what Harvey, nor did the other apprentices know is that when he was in Merlin's good graces he was sent to King Arthur's court.
It was then Horvath found out a pivotal secret as to how the book works. Yes, magic was used, but King Arthur's blood was put into the book. This was to bind the book to a hereditary, not necessarily to royalty but to a family line and Merlin's magic was used to seal the blood in there. The blood of the current keeper of the book, besides the actual relative could open the book. Which meant one thing, find the keeper of the book and kill them. The book would reveal its secrets with the blood that is shed.
Harvey looked at him as if he grew a second head when he decided to 'play dumb' as Harvey put it. But when he told him this crucial information, Harvey stumbled as well as smiled. They could wait but if they got the blood of Mr. Opoel's son they were in the clear. Harvey told him his thoughts that the younger man, not Dave, but the other, was the relative of Mr. Opoel because, from what Harvey told him, he looked like a doppelganger of his father. Horvath questioned Harvey if he was one hundred percent sure.
A cold blooded death without any information was not going to go over very well with his previous colleagues, nor was it going to help their case.
It was at this point Horvath could see Harvey sweating because he wasn't sure if he was or not, only that he had quite the resemblance to the man he once knew. Harvey thought about it for a moment and he could see his dark brown hair waving in front of Harvey's furrowed eyebrows as he was sitting on the mattress in the dark room. Horvath could see the sun coming up, knowing it was morning and he was tired. Harvey looked at him.
"We have a plan to form," Harvey said as he got up and grabbed pencils and paper that were tucked away in the corner. Harvey looked back at him.
"Horvath, don't worry. We'll get your cane back and we'll kill Balthazar and the apprentice you told me about," Harvey said.
Horvath could only smile. He knew how to bring them down. What Horvath and Harvey both forgot was that this was not a one-sided fight.
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Back in New York City during Balthazar's and Dave's proclamation
Abigail's POV
She wanted to think this was nonsense, total complete craziness and psychopathic. It was preposterous. Not to mention her husband believed the whole explanation as to what happened the night before as was told by the man standing at the table with his blonde curly hair, Balthazar.
She truly thought the world had gone mad. She looked at Ben who was shifting in his seat, the woman next to her with ivory skin and black hair was looking up at the man, the younger couple shared knowing looks and Riley was…
Well, Riley was Riley.
He was incredibly quiet during the whole ordeal. His jaw dropped but Abigail could see that Riley was soaking up the information as anyone in the same situation would, except that he wasn't questioning it.
The thing is, the longer she listened the more, how could she describe it, romantic it sounded. Good versus evil that a young boy saved the world from total domination, that there was a map that led to Excalibur.
Excalibur.
If what Balthazar was saying was all true than everybody had everything wrong. She listened, knowing she had to have gone nuts for this whole... whatever one wanted to call it to be happening. Discussion, spiel, delusions of grandeur; it sounded like something out of a movie. The man talking was supposed to be over 1300 years old, the woman, his wife, held within her body the most evil sorcerer of all time in a prison known as the 'grimhold'.
The college student stumbled upon the man's store when he was ten years old to find that he was the Prime Merlinian, or Merlin's successor. She didn't want to get into this Merlin business. The Dave boy unleashed by accident an evil Morganian known as Maxim Horvath, who she found out betrayed Merlin, Balthazar, and Veronica. The whole story blew through what had happened a few months ago to finally talking about the black book.
Her mind was muddled with all this new information. She kept looking at Ben who was sitting there quietly, besides squirming a little in his seat (and he would say to anyone that he didn't though she could see it). Riley was still in a state of shock.
It was when the conversation turned to the black book that things became rather interesting. She dropped her jaw, Riley stared at him, and even the younger couple had to do a double take. What she just heard couldn't even be possible. Ben, on the other hand, didn't look surprised at all. Abigail, one way or another, was going to get an explanation and decided to put her foot down.
"You're insane!" Abigail said. He looked at her with a little amused smile and held up his thumb and forefinger apart about an inch. This was not the reaction she was hoping to get.
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Riley's POV
This was a dream. It had to be.
Sorcerers, wizards, and Excalibur, it was all real.
Or was it?
He didn't know what to think, say, or do. He wanted to outright deny it, think it is impossible, and his analytical mind wanted to see reason. He wanted to offer a smart retort but the further along the explanations made sense. A little out there but even at times the younger man added his two cents. The younger man, Dave Stutler from what Riley heard, had to, if what Balthazar said was true, have the coolest job in the world, as clichéd as that sounded.
But his brain, as much as it wanted to be immersed in fantasy and tales of romance and good versus evil, wouldn't let him believe the supposed sorcerer. He had get his thoughts in line. Treasure was one thing but this was another different level. He looked at Ben who was staring blankly ahead listening to this conversation with absolutely no expression, besides every so often moving in his seat.
A 1300 year old man and woman, a chosen one who inherits Merlin's powers, a black book his father owned with the clues to the location of the most famed sword in history, Excalibur. It was truly something that a Hollywood screenwriter would concoct and make millions off of. But…
Didn't he hear something similar some time ago? A treasure of all treasures hidden from the world and the only way to find it was to use clues left from the founding fathers, the Free Masons, and all that? He had heard craziness and he believed it. Why shouldn't he believe the same in this situation?
It was when he found out that his father had the book because he was the keeper of it and that his father was a Merlinian sorcerer where everything broke loose.
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Ben's POV
Ben knew that this wasn't his moment to shine. His friends, from their facial expressions he could see, were in disbelief and had every right to be. Riley's and Abigail's reaction to the last part was quite extreme, especially Riley's.
Ben could see Riley was not going to take this well and he got up. That was when the unexpected happen. Ben was sure that Riley was going to bolt for the door. He was pretty sure of it, but what came out of his friend's mouth, well, surprised him.
"You're my father's well traveled friend aren't you?" Riley asked quietly. The whole table went silent and he was going to add his two cents in but it seemed that it wasn't needed when the man, Balthazar, looked at Riley in the eyes with a sort of amused expression.
"Yes I am, Riley Opoel," Balthazar said.
AN: So, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and please don't forget to review! Thanks!
