Rise of the Champions - Chapter Forty

Author: Milady Dragon


Phil leaned in the doorway, watching Clint and Crystal as his lover read to their daughter one of those horrible Wizard books that kids seemed to adore and yet got so much wrong, the little girl curled up in his lap in one of the large chairs by the windows.

Clint was even doing the voices.

He didn't think he could love him anymore than he did in that moment.

The Elf glanced up, smiling as he saw Phil standing there, but he kept on reading. Crystal didn't notice, so engrossed was she in the story. The two dragons, though, looked up from their place on the couch, welcoming Lola with chirps and making room for her to join them.

Phil simply reveled in the feeling of peace that flowed through him, knowing that it wouldn't last long. He was home, with his loved ones – except for Daisy, who was safe at Barony Ferrous – in a place that he never would have dreamed of having back when he'd first met Clint, as the angry and bitter Dark One. He'd changed so much, good changes that had come from those past bad decisions, and he couldn't begrudge his younger self from the path he'd taken to get where he was now.

Crystal realized he was there a few minutes later, and she jumped down off Clint to run toward him, calling, "Dad!" and flinging herself at him. Phil reached down and picked her up, shifting her so she rested against his hip, her arms around his neck. "You're back!"

"I told you I wouldn't be gone long." At least, Phil had hoped he wouldn't. Anything could have happened, Prince Thor could have wanted to see him for nefarious purposes. Now, having met the Prince, he'd come to realize that there wasn't a less nefarious person out there in the world, which had been a revelation in someone who was destined to become a king.

"How did it go?" Clint joined them, resting a hand on Phil's unburdened hip, the warmth of his touch like comfort and support all at once.

"I like him." Phil couldn't help but smile. "He suspects. But he won't say anything."

The Wizard didn't need to say anything more, Clint would understand. That Thor suspected that Phil had once been the Dark One, an evil Wizard, and yet wasn't going to pose a threat. He could tell the moment his lover figured it out, because the tension in his shoulders faded away, and a relieved smile touched his eyes.

That had been their number one worry, that Prince Thor had somehow figured it out. It could have caused all sorts of problems, because he could have easily spread the word beyond the Guild and the small group of people who knew the truth of who Grand Master Phil Coulson had once been.

And yet, he'd come out of that meeting with a potential new friend and ally, even if Thor had somehow worked it out that Grand Master Phil Coulson and the Dark One were one and the same.

"Who doesn't know what, Dad?" Crystal asked curiously.

He should have known she'd pick up on what he said. His little girl was showing her brilliance, and Phil couldn't wait to see what she would be able to accomplish when she was older. "I had a meeting today," he explained, "with Prince Thor, he's from a country to the north."

"Was he a nice man?"

"He was very nice." Phil had been impressed with him. He'd been able to work out that it had been Phil himself who'd faced down Loki with only a few random clues. At least he hadn't seemed to care about the Dark One, which had been a surprise. Phil had believed that everyone despised the Dark One and were glad he'd been killed by a mad Wizard in a duel. Apparently the news hadn't gotten to Asgard, or at least to Prince Thor, and he'd worked it out on his own. Phil had to wonder if Queen Frigga had been informed about it, and if she'd put it all together as well.

He was willing to bet she had.

"And he's a real Prince?" Crystal was in awe.

"Yes, sweetheart, he really is a Prince."

"You know a Prince!" that came out in an excited squeal. "Can I meet a real Prince, Dad?"

Phil glanced at Clint, and his lover had a hand over his mouth, most likely to stifle either laughter or one of those embarrassing noises that parents made when they thought their child was being adorable. It was most likely a combination of both.

"Maybe when Prince Thor has some time later on," he told her.

She hugged him tightly. Phil didn't know what it was about meeting a prince made his youngest so excited, but he was willing to indulge her. Crystal hadn't had a lot of that in her short life, and if he had to spoil her rotten for a bit, then he would. And, if that meant meeting Prince Thor, then he would arrange it as soon as things with Loki were done.

Besides, he thought the Prince of Asgard could be a friend. He would have a chance to find out if his feelings were correct.

He was about to suggest the three of them sitting down and letting Clint finish the chapter they'd been reading – even though he had absolutely no interest in that particular book, since it was pretty dire in his opinion – when a shiver of magic traveled up his spine to set off a warning flash in his brain.

"We have a guest," he said calmly.

Clint frowned. "No one can find the Keep."

"No one without an invitation. And they came in via one of my own Teleport Artifacts." Which narrowed the field considerably to family and friends. The UnPlotable spell on the Keep would have made anyone searching for him impossible, so it wasn't some sort of attack.

Carrying Crystal, Phil turned and left the library, heading toward the door of his casting chamber, where whoever it was had entered the Keep. It was yet another sign that it was an Artifact that he'd enchanted himself, since the only way into his casting chamber was through the nearly impenetrable Shield charms he'd put up ages ago, when Daisy had had much less control than she did now. Those charms plus the UnPlotable would have made it impossible for anyone to get in that way without permission.

Just as the three of them – Clint had, of course, followed along – got to the door, it was flung open, to reveal Ianto standing there, Myfanwy looking as ruffled as her Wizard at his feet. "Phil, it's –" then he seemed to notice Crystal, and every single shred of anxiety fell behind so perfect a friendly mask that Phil was envious. "Hello, Crystal," he smiled.

Phil wanted to know exactly what sort of magic she had that could turn adults into mush. Because he wanted to bottle that up and sell it. He would have more of a fortune than he already did if he could do that.

"Hi, Uncle Ianto!" Crystal's deciding to adopt everyone she knew into their family was undeniably cute, and Phil wanted to laugh because Ianto seemed so very surprised by it.

Daisy had done the same with James and Steve. Maybe it was becoming a habit with his daughters? Maybe he should be having a word with them?

No. If they both felt safe enough with these people then he wasn't about to make a big deal out of it.

In that moment, Andrew appeared from the direction of the sitting room, his eyebrow raised as he took in the tableau before him. "The alarm went off," he explained; Phil had set up the alarm quite a while ago, so that the non-magical residents of the Keep would know whenever a person Teleported in. "I was just coming to meet whoever appeared in our home without calling first." There wasn't any sort of censure in his words, but Phil understood how much stock Andrew put in on getting some sort of warning when someone was going to visit.

"I apologize," Ianto answered, a little breathlessly. "However, something has occurred that I need to speak to Phil about immediately."

Andrew held his arms out to Crystal. "Then let's let the adults have their boring meeting, and I'll help you with your letters."

"Okay, Dr. Andrew." Crystal let herself be plucked from her father's arms, making a face. "Is adult stuff boring?"

"Very much so." He gave her an indulgent smile.

"But you're an adult, Dr. Andrew."

"Which is how I know it's all boring." He scrunched up his nose at her, in an exaggerated show of disgust.

The little girl nodded in that emphatic way that all little children had when faced with something they didn't understand but trusted the adult who'd said whatever it was that did not know. "Then learning my letters would be more fun. But Daddy needs to finish the chapter he was reading to me later."

"I promise." Clint leaned over and kissed her on the head.

Phil did the same, his heart swelling. He really had no idea what he'd done to deserve this family he'd managed to build up around himself, but he wasn't about to give it up for anything.

"Bye, Uncle Ianto!" she called out over Andrew's shoulder as he carried her away, giggling when he swung her up and onto his shoulders. Lockjaw chattered at them both as he followed.

"He and Melinda need kids," Clint said. "They're both amazing with Crystal."

"You should have seen Melinda with Daisy," Phil told him. "At the time, Andrew was still carrying that curse around, so he wasn't around as much; he was too afraid of scaring her. Not that I think he would have, but I can't blame him for being self-conscious. Now," he turned to Ianto, "what's got you so up in arms?" It had to have been something pretty bad if Ianto was barging in like this.

"Something's happened. Can we talk about it in your study?"

"Of course." It must have been fairly bad if Ianto was just showing up without calling first. "And Daisy's not here so we don't have to worry about her listening in." Both Clint and Ianto were aware of Daisy's intimate knowledge of the best secret places within the Keep to spy on people, including the one near his study.

"I saw Daisy at Ferrous," Ianto confirmed as they made their way up the stairs and toward the study.

Phil's eyebrows rose and his heartbeat sped up. "Did something happen at Ferrous?" He had to calm down. If Daisy had been hurt, Pepper would have called him directly. No, Ianto would have been there for another reason, one that didn't have anything to do with Daisy.

"You could say that," his Cardinal counterpart confirmed, "and it's tied into what's got me here without any warning."

The moment they entered the study, both Lola and Lucky chivvied a calming Myfanwy over to the couch where Lola would usually curl up when Phil was doing work, the dragons getting her to lay down first so they could cuddle up to the elder dragon. It was fascinating to watch as every last bit of tension left Myfanwy once she was settled, and she sighed in pleasure at the contact with others of her own kind.

Clint took one of the chairs, while Phil himself remained standing, leaning against the front of the desk in order to watch Ianto pace a little, and he waved a hand that activated the wards and sealed the door shut, to avoid anyone just walking in on them. He had the feeling that the Cardinal Wizard would want privacy for what he was about to tell them.

Once the wards were set, Ianto stopped his rather frenetic pacing, turning on his heel so he could face Phil dead on. "There's no easy way to say this, but Phil…Clint…Loki's spear is missing from the Secure Archives, and I have no idea how anyone could have gotten in to steal it."

Clint stiffened, but Phil remained relaxed. Yes, he would have preferred it to have been a bit longer before anyone noticed, but it was bound to happen eventually.

"I thought the Secure Archives were just that…secure," Clint demanded. "How the hells did Loki get in there to take it?"

"I have no idea," Ianto answered fretfully. "I checked the wards, and the only people who have been inside were myself, Stephen, and Phil."

He needed to put a stop to this, to reassure both his friend and his lover that Loki didn't have the spear back. "Loki didn't take it. I did."

Phil didn't believe he could have surprised Ianto anymore than in that moment; Clint as well, his lover gaping at him like a fish. "Why?" Ianto asked softly, eyes narrowing.

"And when?" Clint challenged. "You were out like a light last night!"

He explained about waking up last night, knowing that he wouldn't really regain his strength without ridding himself of the tainted Void, and how he'd decided to do just that…and used the excuse to toss Loki's spear into the Void.

"I couldn't take the risk that Loki wouldn't be able to gain allies within the Guild," he finished. "I understand that only the three of us have access to the Secure Archives, but Ianto…there would have always been a chance that he would find a way to coerce one of us to let him in. Now, it's gone for good, and the Void will keep it safer than any of us could have done." He slumped a little against the desk, the edge of it cutting a little into his hips. "I wasn't about to take the chance that Loki would get it, and do to others what he'd done to Clint. Did you know he was the only one to have survived being taken control of? I just couldn't let it stay in the Secure Archives when there might be even the shadow of a chance of it getting out again. I didn't want anyone else losing someone they loved just because Loki could talk someone into whatever scheme he had going."

Ianto sighed. "I understand that, Phil, but couldn't you have said something to either me or Stephen?"

"No, because if Loki somehow got leverage on either of you…you can't tell me you wouldn't do anything if it meant Jack, or Eirlys, or your grandchildren were safe? Including telling Loki that I knew where the spear was and could probably get it back?"

Phil didn't think it needed to be said that letting the information get out that Grand Master Phil Coulson, who could open and close Void Points at will, had banished the spear to the Void would paint targets on all of them.

"Besides, that thing killed me. I wasn't about to just let it lay around for someone to take it and try again."

Even after all these years, Phil could still remember how it had felt to have been stabbed by that damned thing. He didn't want anyone else to have to go through that ever again.

Clint was confused. "You managed to sneak out of our bed, Teleport to Gateway, open a Void Point and not only expel the bad Void but to toss that damned spear into the Void…last night?" His face was disbelieving. "How, Phil? You got out past me, and I'm not a deep sleeper by any stretch of the imagination…" then his eyes turned hard. "Did you put me to sleep so I wouldn't notice you leaving?"

Phil didn't want to admit that he had, but he had to be honest, he couldn't lie to Clint. "I didn't want you to wake up, because you'd insist on going with me, and that wasn't possible. I'm sorry, and I would have told you at some point, but last night…don't you see? I wasn't about to let you get anywhere near that spear again, not after what it had done to you –"

"Do not make this about me," Clint snapped angrily. "This is all on you, because you're so used to doing things on your own that you don't know how to let someone help you! You were still exhausted! What would have happened if you'd collapsed down in the Archives? You might have been down there for days before anyone found you!"

"I had Lola with me," Phil insisted. "Even if I had collapsed, I would have been fine with her there." He was arguing because he didn't want to admit that Clint may have a point, when he said that Phil was just used to doing things on his own.

Yes, there had been that desire not to let Clint be anywhere near that spear, after what it had done to him. His lover still had nightmares about what he'd done under Loki's thrall, and Phil wasn't about to risk piling more on.

"You're not hearing me, Phil." Clint got right up into his face, and it was the angriest he'd ever seen his lover. "I get why you wanted to get that damned spear as far away from all of us as possible. But you didn't have to do it alone. You have me, now, I could've watched your back. Or, I could have carried you home if it was too much for you!" His voice quiet. "I am with you in this, for as long as we're allowed to have. But you have to let me in. You can't go behind my back just because you think it's for the best." His eyes were imploring, and they made Phil's heart ache. "I love you, you idiot. But you need to think about this, okay?"

And, with that, Clint was gone, Lucky hot on his heels, the door closing softly after him.

Phil slumped backward, the only thing keeping him on his feet was the desk under his hips and hands. That had gone so completely wrong; he'd done what he'd thought was right, in keeping Clint as far away from the spear as possible. Instead, Clint had found out, and now…damnit, he closed his eyes, feeling incredibly tired in that moment. Oh, not the tiredness of using too much magic, but what came when his emotions had wrung out to dry on the washing line of his heart, twisted up and blown about by winds that tore through him like a maelstrom.

A hand rested on his shoulder, the tingle of the Deep Ways thrumming through the contact. "This is my fault," Ianto murmured. "I had no idea…"

Phil took a deep breath, opening his eyes. "No, he's right…I wanted to protect him, when what I should have been doing was let him in. I just didn't expect anyone to find out about the spear so soon."

Ianto huffed a laugh. "You can blame Tony Stark for that."

"You can blame Tony Stark for a lot of things." Despite his despair, Phil couldn't help but be amused. "What has he done now?"

"Oh, he only created a magical set of armor that's powered by the gemstone that got grafted to him."

The longer Ianto talked, the more amazed Phil became. "And this is why you went to the Secure Archive?"

"Yes. That gem…the Space Stone…it was made by the same Wizard who created the stone in the Soul Pendant and the one in Loki's spear. I never actually read that particular Artifact, Phil, and I think I need to. The others…they're so powerful, and yet so completely different."

So they had a Space Stone, and a Soul Stone. How many other Artifacts did this ancient Wizard create? So far, two of them tapped into such universal forces…that sort of power had to have been incredible.

Phil could understand why Ianto would have immediately wanted to check out the spear, after 'reading' the Artifact keeping Baron Tony alive. Now that they knew all three were from the same source…

"Alright." Phil rubbed his hands together, feeling the Void calling to him, to know that he'd determined his course of action. "But I'm going to toss it right back into the Void as soon as you're done…that's if I can find it. Me locating Steve Rogers had been the Void giving him to me, and the spear is something completely different."

"No, I understand. Your instinct was right; we cannot chance Loki getting it back, and this way you would be the only one who could retrieve it. And, I know you…it would take an extraordinary circumstance that would get you to do that."

The only thing that would have forced him to, was if his family was in danger. At that point, Loki would have been dead and getting his primary weapon back would have been the least of the mad Asgardian's worries.

Calling upon the Void once more, Phil reached out with both hands and pulled the Veil apart. He didn't create a large hole, like last night; just large enough to put his hand inside and see if the Void would give up the spear to him.

He thrust his arm within the tear. The Void felt cool and welcoming, as if an old friend was reaching out to shake his hand. He sent a thought out, hoping the Void would understand what he wanted.

Something colder than the Void touched his palm. He wrapped his fingers around it, and pulled gently, sending a silent thanks out for providing him what he was requesting so quickly.

Loki's spear came out through the hole he'd created.

Phil handed it to Ianto, then closed the Void back up. He could have left it open, but he hadn't wanted the Void to disrupt Ianto's scans of the Artifact housed within the shaft of the spear and, as his friend was Cardinal, it would do just that.

Ianto was shaking his head in wonder. "That never fails to amaze me."

"Have you tried to do that yourself yet?" As Cardinal Champion, Ianto should be able to replicate it, only with the Deep Ways.

"No, and I won't until I absolutely have to."

Phil could understand why Ianto might not want to experiment with that sort of thing, but he was pretty certain that his friend would be able to do the same thing. However, he wasn't going to push the issue, letting Ianto decide in his own time.

The Cardinal Grand Master stared at the spear in his hands, brows furrowed. "Yes, Stephen was right…this gem was definitely enchanted by the same Wizard as the Soul Stone and the Space Stone; it has that same otherworldly feel to it. May I?" he nodded toward the desk.

"Of course."

Giving his thanks, Ianto rested the spear on the desk, then took the chair behind it. Laying there, it didn't seem like much, the main body of the spear silvery steel, the curved blade hooked a little at the sharp end. The stone sat within its setting, glowing softly, and with his magical senses Phil could tell there was something off about it, although it wasn't necessarily malevolent even if it had been used in that way.

Ianto leaned forward a little, then rested his fingertips on the stone. As Phil watched, the stone flared a little at the other Wizard's touch, Ianto closing his eyes as he concentrated on feeling his way around the gem's magic.

The stone began to glow a little more fiercely.

There was a sudden, small pressure behind Phil's eyes, as if he was suffering from some sort of allergy attack. It was vaguely uncomfortable, and he rubbed his temple in an attempt to rid himself of the headache that seemed to be growing.

It took him only a heartbeat to guess that it was the stone that was pressing against his mind.

Just as Phil was about to move forward and pull his friend's fingers away from their contact with the Artifact when Ianto gasped, yanking his own hand away. He blinked, the black ellipses of his eyes returning to their usual blue, widened in surprised awe.

"What was that?" he demanded as Ianto got himself back under some semblance of control.

"It…" he seemed unable to describe it. As impatient as Phil was to know what had just occurred, he knew rushing Ianto wouldn't do any good. "I suddenly found myself touching every single mind within the Keep."

That…wasn't good at all.

"But that wasn't all," his Cardinal counterpart added. "Soon, I was literally aware of every single mind in the world. It quickly spread out to…well, everyone. It was too much. The brain simply isn't equipped to handle that sort of thing."

Phil was stunned. That meant Loki hadn't even used a fraction of the stone's power. It was a truly scary thought.

He walked to the drinks cabinet, poured himself and Ianto a brandy, and offered it to his friend.

Ianto murmured his thanks, accepting the drink and sipping it. "Phil, you were completely in the right to put the Mind Stone away from any chance of recovery. If Loki had been able to tap into all that power…he would never have been stopped. Can you imagine…being able to control so many minds? He only took a couple of dozen eleven years ago. What would he have achieved if he'd been able to control a hundred? A thousand? There is literally no limit to what he could have done if he'd been able to access it all."

The Mind Stone. Was that the Artifact's actual name, or was Ianto assigning them as he discovered just what each of them could do? Because it hadn't escaped his attention that he'd called the one in Baron Tony's chest as the Space Stone, and the one in the Archive as the Soul Stone. No one really understood Ianto's Catalyst abilities, so it could very well be that the Artifacts were somehow communicating their own names to him when he touched them.

"What if he'd controlled you, Phil?" Ianto went on, sounding vaguely hectic. "You were powerful back then, and you hadn't even come into all of your magic yet. He could have used the Dark One to perform so many profane acts, it terrifies me. Thank the Gods Clint doesn't remember it all, I can't imagine him having to deal with all of that."

Phil didn't tell him that Clint did remember it all, if only in his nightmares. He'd asked Marcus about it, about what Clint had done under the power of the mad Asgardian, and his best friend hadn't wanted to tell him…but had, eventually, in order to get him to stop asking about it. It had been sheer torture to hear it all, but it meant that Phil knew exactly what his lover dreamt about, and could comfort him to the best of his ability.

"Put it back." Ianto pushed himself back from the desk, away from the spear. "We can't leave it loose in the world. And, eventually, I want you to banish the Soul Stone as well. Neither one should be left out where they might be used."

"And what about the other? The Space Stone?" He was dreading the answer, since its removal would affect a human being who hadn't asked for it to become attached to him so physically.

Ianto rubbed his forehead. "We need to get a powerful healer in to take another look at Tony, with the goal of getting it off him in a way that won't kill him. I don't see a reason why he can't keep wearing it until then, but whoever created these Artifacts…how many more of them are there? Had the original maker had some sort of purpose for them? I just don't have the answers, and it's best we get them contained. I was willing to let Tony keep the one he has, but now…I have a bad feeling about this. I don't know why, but it's there, and Jack's always telling me I should follow my instincts because they're usually correct."

Phil had to agree. "The more I learn about the ancient Wizards," he said dryly, "the more I wonder just how the world survived them."

"It almost didn't," Ianto snorted.

He had a valid point; after all, magic had been cut off because of one Wizard seeing a future where there'd been a war amongst the Wizards that had ended up destroying everything. Phil had hope that they could learn from the past but sometimes he despaired of it, what with the Greats and their propaganda, and now Hydra showing up. Things were bad, but not beyond repair. If they could get things settled, Wizards supporting each other…

Then he shivered. If someone had gotten to these particular Artifacts, if a Great who had it in for Cardinals and Voids…

At the moment, no one knew just how powerful the Artifact in Baron Tony's chest was. Hells, not a lot of people even knew of its existence. The Baron had been understandably tight-lipped about his kidnapping, which was actually pretty out of character for the man, so that secret was still in play. But, once it got out – and it very well may, if he's using it to power this suit of armor – he would be a target.

"Baron Tony can't use the armor," he concluded. "We can't let it get out that he even has that stone, let alone how powerful it is."

"Shit." Ianto rubbed his face. "And I didn't think it would hurt for him to use it for now."

"If he's dead-set on it, we need to come up with a cover story for it." Phil began to pace. "Right now, only a few people really know about the stone keeping him alive. For once, he's kept his mouth shut about the actual circumstances of his kidnapping. We need to keep it that way." He chewed on his thumbnail as he thought. "Maybe we can convince him to say it's some sort of new power source he's invented. People will actually believe it."

"Yes." Ianto nodded. "It may even hold up under scrutiny from other Wizards; Gods know I didn't pay any attention to it, because it only broadcasts the barest amount of power when it's quiescent. I doubt anyone would put together the vague magical residue it puts out and that glowing stone that powers the armor."

"They may even think it's some of Pepper's work," Phil pointed out. "Some sort of charm or protection she put on him." They needed to get this story out as soon as possible, to stave off anyone putting it all together and coming up with Tony Stark being in control of a very potent magical Artifact. That would paint a bullseye on him for anyone out to gain that sort of power.

"I'm going to contact Pepper immediately." He stood. "Go ahead and put that away and, if you get a free minute, do the same for the Soul Stone. I don't have any proof, but I just get the feeling that a Wizard putting all those stones together would be a very bad thing indeed."

Phil got the same impression. "What's the chance we can find out more about them in the Archives?"

"I have no idea. But I think we need to make the attempt."

Yes. They did. Because there had to have been a purpose behind those three stones. And they needed to know if there were more out there, just waiting for someone unscrupulous to find them and use them.

And Phil didn't want to see that happen.