Planning for a Better Future
Chapter Seven
Experimenting with Fire
Late Afternoon
Twenty Miles East of Central
Roy Mustang, Edward Mustang-Elric, and Severus Snape had decided on this location thanks to the geography. There was a large plot of land that had nothing but exposed rock, and there were no people within ten miles in any direction. It was the best they would be able to find in this short of notice.
Roy and Ed had not told their wives what they would be doing today, only that they were preforming an experiment. Riza and Winry had been understanding, having long grown used to the oddities of alchemists, they only cautioned that the men didn't blow themselves up and occupied the boys to avoid Yuery or William asking to come along.
Edward began with creating the requested 'bowl' by forming a deep crater, thickening the edges and closing most of the top. When he was finished, they had a safe platform to stand on and see into the crater which was 20 feet across and 30 feet deep. Roy had asked if it was deep enough, after reading the reports in Xing he had no desire to unleash this spell inside his own country unless they knew it would remain contained. Severus had assured them that it would work, and Edward was standing by to close the last of the opening if and when they needed to stop it.
Once they were all in place, Severus cast the spell aiming it to the center of their crater. The fire burst to life rapidly and spread toward the edges of their bowl before Severus could lower his wand. Roy frowned at the speed and strength of the blaze even as he activated the array to allow him control of the flames.
"Okay, I know I read the reports and the books. This is just unnatural." Edward said with a frown at the fire's intensity. "How is this spell not forbidden?"
"To be fair, it is illegal." Severus said as Roy harnessed the flames and forced them to dim and sputter. "It isn't taught in classes either. One would have to find it in an advanced dark book."
"So, about half you teenagers would have read it at some point then." Roy said, now in control of the flames and able to divide his concentration.
"I do not know the exact number on children who have managed to get their hands on books from the restricted section. It does sound like an accurate estimate." Severus replied, "Either sneaking into the restricted section or sneaking into relatives' studies."
"Yeah, that sounds about right." Edward said with a frown. He wanted to be disturbed at children seeking out forbidden information, but he HAD spent his adolescence doing just that with Roy's encouragement.
The flames died out without Edward having to close off the bowl, and Roy dropped the array, stumbling slightly. Ed reached out to steady him as he lowered them back to the ground and then once Roy was sitting comfortably on the small mound Ed left, he erased the bowl. "Well, that answered whether Dad can control the uncontrollable fire." Ed said grimly.
"I want to say I wish we knew this before what happened in Xing." Roy said with a tired frown. "However, as I understand the reports this was a much smaller blaze."
"It was." Severus said quietly, as he handed the other man a bottle of juice and sandwich that they had brought along for this reason. It had taken a lot of Roy's energy to control the array. He would likely nap the whole way back into the city, then most of the day. "I do not think we should dwell on what ifs. It is a slippery slope into madness."
"Fair." Edward replied, though he knew as well as Roy that Roy would be spending the next few days doing just that. It was just who he was, Ed understood he was the same way.
"Well, now that we know that works, we have means to destroy the item. Now moving on to actually locating one." Roy said. "How reliable is the information you were given?"
"For this situation…I believe it is completely reliable. I however feel there is information that is being…intentionally withheld." Severus replied with a frown. "Shall we proceed with limited knowledge?"
"Well, if I waited around for the complete information before acting, I'd still be sitting in a wheelchair in Resembool. Going in with a rumor and hope is how I operate." Ed said with a smirk, ignoring the frowns of the other two men.
"Yes, this is why I ended up with so many hospital bills." Roy said with a sigh. "I agree we should proceed, but I beg you Edward to move forward with caution."
"Okay. I can make the promise honestly. This is about keeping my family safe, and I can't do that if I'm dead now can I?" Ed replied. "I think we should go retrieve whatever it is and bring it back here to let Dad destroy it."
"I do not think knowingly bring pieces of the Dark Lord across the boundary is wise." Severus replied. "Is it possible for Roy to join us? Or teach you the array he used?"
"This array dies with me. It's too dangerous to allow it to continue." Roy said with a shake of his head. "I ay have altered my older promises to accommodate my newer ones, but I cannot and will not compromise on this."
"Which is why I never attempt to reverse engineer the array; Dad wants it to remain his burden alone." Ed said with a sigh. He wasn't going to tell Roy, ever if he could prevent it, that he had in fact solved Roy's array years ago and was completely capable of mimicking his flames. He thought Roy probably knew anyway. They just never spoke of it.
"Very well. Then we shall have you accompany us to the location." Severus said.
"We just got back." Ed said with a frown. "We can't keep just leaving."
"Well then what do you suggest?" Severus said with a sigh.
"We start with my array, if it fails, we collect Dad to come get rid of it." Ed said.
"Absolutely not." Roy said shaking his head. "We know with certainty that I can control the blaze that can destroy the horcrux. I go with him; you stay here and keep up appearances."
"I have to do this to protect my son!" Edward demanded.
"And I'm forbidding it to protect mine." Roy replied calmly. "You are not going to dabble in souls again unless we are out of options Edward. Go home and protect our family. Let someone else take the burden this time."
"It does seem the most effective plan to have Roy accompany me to the location." Severus said, but then fell quiet when both men leveled him with a glare. He knew this had to be able more than which of them should go but he did not completely understand the deeper argument between them. As far as he had seen they didn't really fight with each other often.
"I'm not dumb enough to risk visiting the Gate Dad." Ed said quietly.
"You aren't dumb at all Edward. You are stubborn and driven and this world has taken enough pieces of you. I am doing this. It's time my flames were used for something positive." Roy said, guaranteeing his son's agreement. It was manipulative, but as far as he was concerned necessary, to use his own lingering guilt to get Edward to agree. After a silent moment Ed nodded, before turning toward the car.
"Well, you better get a good night's sleep and eat a lot Dad. You aren't young anymore and we can't have you dying on us yet. Tad needs you…so do I." Ed said as he walked away.
"What just happened?" Severus said.
"Rule one of parenting. Know your child." Roy said before walking toward the car as well. "Come Severus Edward is right we need a meal and a good night's rest."