The Hunters and the Prey - Chapter Twenty-Four
Author: Milady Dragon
Since no one was there to meet them, Ianto led his fellow Grand Masters, his husband, Clint Barton, and their accompanying dragons out of Pepper's casting chamber, where they'd arrived from Gateway after receiving Baron Tony's summons.
They'd just managed to get the Winter Knight back into the Zero Cabinet when Ianto's mirror had pinged his magical senses. He'd hated the very notion of putting that poor man back inside that thing, but Daisy had been right: it really was Sir James' decision. There were so many curses and other sorts of magic all over that arm and the man himself, that the Cardinal Wizard could certainly understand why he didn't trust himself enough to stay out of the cabinet. He was self-aware enough to not want to be responsible for hurting anyone in case he'd gotten triggered by something, but that didn't mean Ianto had to like the idea of basically imprisoning an innocent man.
Sir James had also expressed his quiet confidence that they'd be able to help him eventually. Ianto had felt a little humbled by that; yes, he was quite possibly the best spell-picker in the world, but that didn't mean he didn't have failures, and the spells surrounding the Winter Knight were particularly nasty. Still, that didn't mean he wouldn't do his best to help, and even if he could remove the about half of the magic, then that would be an accomplishment. Besides, he'd have help, and who knew the Void better than Phil Coulson?
Daisy had stayed behind, to gather her friends and to do the research she'd volunteered them to do on a possible origin of the arm and the Zero Cabinet. Ianto was glad to let them do it; it meant less work for him, being the Master Archivist as well as the Grand Master of Cardinals. It also meant that, after speaking with Sir Steven, he and his counterparts could start the work in cleaning up Void Order.
Which was going to be a job unto itself.
Toshiko had also remained, the better to talk to Natasha Romanov about her hunt for Hydra, and how she could help. Ianto knew she still wanted to get the word out to the various mercenary bands, but his Elven friend didn't have the contacts in the Western Lands that Natasha had. Ianto had a feeling the pair of them would make a very formidable team.
"Where are they?" Jack asked once they were up in the main house.
"Baron Tony said the sitting room. It's down this way." Ianto had been in the house several times, and was familiar with the Baronial residence's floorplan. He took a right out of the stairwell, and then was down the hall, moving quickly with Myfanwy at his side, the door he wanted open just ahead. As he got closer he could hear Pepper's calm voice speaking to someone, most likely Sir Steven, although he couldn't make out the actual words.
He blinked at the sword that was laying against the wall. Apparently, the Paladin had come out swinging. Not that he could blame the man. He'd awakened in a strange place, and in a strange time, so self-defense would be the most logical alternative.
Clint walked over to retrieve it. Leaving a naked sword lying around was never a good idea, even in a seemingly safe place as Ferrous Castle.
Ianto stepped into the sitting room, taking in the tableau in front of him. Sir Steven and Pepper were on the sofa, while Dr. Banner stood against the mantel, watching as Pepper spoke softly to the displaced Paladin as Baron Tony hovered over his wife's shoulder, looking as if he wanted to say something but was holding onto his tongue by the stint of sheer stubbornness.
Sir Steven was pale, and drawn, his eyes wide with shock. Pepper was holding his hand in an attempt to comfort him after what had to have been shocking news. He was clutching an empty glass that had to have had brandy in it, and without saying a thing Phil was at the drinks' cabinet, fetching the bottle of brandy and bringing it over to the seated pair. Gently, he pried the snifter out of Sir Steven's grasp and refilled it, handing it back over even as Myfanwy was making her way over to say hello. Before Ianto could stop her – realizing that the man wouldn't have had experience with dragons – she was chirping at him in a friendly yet concerned manner, and resting her chin on the Paladin's leg.
Sir Steven's eyes darted down in surprise and, before Ianto could call her off, he was taking his large hand away from Pepper and was resting it on her head, the web of his thumb wrapped loosely about the base of her single horn.
"She's very friendly," Ianto said softly, not wanting to break the fragile quiet that had descended over the room and yet needing to somewhat apologize for his dragon's behavior. "She wants to say hello."
Wide blue eyes glanced up at him. "I…" he stammered back into silence.
Pepper turned, shaking her head. "And I told Happy off for trying to make Sir Steven's acquaintance earlier." There was a laughing undertone to the seriousness of her words.
Happy chittered, obviously displeased that Myfanwy had gotten to their guest first and, making a leap off Pepper's shoulders, he landed right onto the Paladin's own, telling off Myfanwy who simply huffed at the younger and smaller dragon and let Sir Steven continue to touch her head.
Ianto couldn't help but chuckle. "Myfanwy always has to be first, Pepper. You know that."
"At least it wasn't Lola," Phil added. "She most likely would have jumped up in Sir Steven's lap." His own dragon had stayed by his side, even while he was fetching the brandy, but Ianto could tell she wanted to join the group on the sofa. Agamotto was the only truly calm one of the group, still wrapped around Stephen's left forearm and cuddled up to his Wizard placidly, half-hidden under the Cloak of Levitation…which showed its own interest in the Paladin by flapping one end in the Cloak's own approximation of a friendly wave.
Both Clint and Jack had taken up watchful positions near the door. Trust the pair of them to be on the lookout for trouble. Jack being vigilant was sexy as the hells, Ianto admitted to himself.
"I just broke the news to Sir Steven about his being three hundred years out of his own time," Pepper murmured, sympathy shining in her gray eyes.
Just from the way Sir Steven was reacting, Ianto was glad they'd decided not to inform him about Sir James just yet. They would, once the Paladin had a chance to settle down, and once they knew just how the best way to aid Sir James would be.
"I'd hoped we'd be here before then," Ianto commiserated, "to help perhaps soften the blow."
"I don't think there was a way to do that," Sir Steven managed to quip harshly.
"You're right, I'm sure," the Cardinal Wizard admitted.
"These are the Grand Masters I mentioned," Pepper introduced, "Grand Master Ianto Jones, Cardinal Order; Grand Master Stephen Strange, Great Order; and Grand Master Phil Coulson, Void Order."
The Paladin's eyes darted toward Phil. "You're the one who pulled me out of the Void."
Phil managed to keep the bland expression on his face, but his eyes showed just how startled he was. "You remember that?"
"Um, no. Mistress Pepper told me. I don't remember anything about being in this Void place."
The Void Wizard was nodding. "That's understandable. Being in the Void…it's not something a mind can deal with. I mean, a mind that's not a Void mind. A Void Wizard mind, that is."
There was something off about the man, something Ianto couldn't put his finger on. Phil seemed to be acting his usual self – and, to be honest, they really hadn't known each other that long, even if Ianto considered him now a good friend – but there seemed to be an excitement in Phil Coulson that the Cardinal Wizard wasn't certain where it came from.
Then he remembered the framed artwork in the man's study, back at Shield Keep. It had been of Sir Steven Rogers in his recruiting heyday, looking patriotic in his armor and with his shield, exhorting people to sign up for military service.
Phil was in the throes of hero-worship.
Oh, he was hiding it well. But Ianto could now see the barely twitching fingers and the gleam behind the concern in his friend's eyes, then there was the stumbling over his words... It was funny, in a way…someone with as much power, and in such a position of authority, trying so hard to stifle that sort of reaction to someone was pretty hilarious. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
Well, Ianto should have seen this coming. Apparently, Clint had, judging from the smirk on his face.
"There isn't anyone more knowledgeable about the Void than Grand Master Phil is," Pepper announced, although she was also giving the Void Wizard a side-eye. Baron Tony hadn't seemed to notice yet, neither had the other man present, Dr. Bruce Banner. Ianto was familiar with his work but had never officially met the man before.
With that, Phil seemed to lose even more of his usual collectiveness. Was he actually blushing? "I think you're overstating things…"
"Not at all," Stephen added. He also seemed to have noticed, and Agamotto was giving a very draconic grin, tongue lolling, reflecting his Wizard's mood. "Mistress Pepper is quite correct. You're the only Void Wizard to have actually been inside the Void, so that makes you the expert."
"Then maybe you can tell me how I managed to survive so long in there?" Sir Steven sounded almost lost, and that tone had to communicated itself to Phil, because he suddenly lost every little bit of embarrassment he'd been feeling.
"From what I can guess," he began, his voice going softly sympathetic, "you were suddenly thrust into the Void by the power of this Tesseract artifact. When that occurred, I believe a rift was torn from this world and into the Void, but with the spell that blocked magic still in effect it sealed the rift up almost immediately."
Ianto nodded along with that supposition. It was logical, and explained why Sir Steven hadn't been spit right back out again. Master John's spell would have healed the breach at once and would have prevented the Void from even that little act of protecting itself.
"Now," the Wizard continued, "when the Void realized there was an intruder, it acted the only way it could…by cocooning you in its own substance." Phil chewed the inside of his cheek for a second, then said, "Think of it like getting a stone in your boot. It irritates your foot until you can get it out but, if for some reason you can't right away, then your sock can cushion it a little while before it becomes too painful to handle. It was the same way with the Void; your presence irritated it, but since it couldn't expel you, it cushioned you."
"Only," Jack interjected, speaking for the first time, "it cushioned you a little too well, Sir Steve."
Their guest seemed to notice how Jack had referred to him, because Sir Steven's eyes narrowed as he took a good look at Ianto's husband. Jack stood there and let him, nodding when the Paladin's eyes widened a little in surprise.
"I know you," Sir Steven muttered.
Jack nodded. "You do, although I'm surprised I made that much of an impression on you." He stepped forward, standing at attention. Ianto knew he was falling back into old army habits, although Jack had long been the captain of his own team and really didn't take orders from anyone anymore. It was a sign of his respect for the Paladin that he did it now.
"You were with the battalion me and the Commandos worked out of, right?" At Jack's acknowledgment, the Paladin shook his head in denial. "That's not possible, not if you're all telling me the truth about it being three hundred years after the war…"
"They are." Jack stepped up, meeting Sir Steven's confused gaze. "It has been three hundred years. History calls it the Century War now, even though it didn't last nearly that long. And I was there, in your battalion, even though – as you said – I wasn't in your commando group, although I wanted to be. It would have drawn too much attention to me, and attention was the last thing I could afford."
"I don't understand."
Ianto watched as Jack took a deep breath. He understood why his husband was so very nervous; he'd lived a thousand years in hiding, moving when it became obvious that he wasn't aging. When someone had discovered his secret, it was usually met with fear and rejection. Now, of course, the fact that Jack couldn't die was common knowledge, even if the majority of the people had no idea what Jack looked like, and therefore couldn't identify him. He was accepted now, but that same old fear always reared its ugly head whenever it came time to confess his greatest secret to anyone who wasn't within their circle of friends and family.
Everyone else in the room was braced for that secret to be revealed once again, to someone else. Someone who might very well react badly to the news. Ianto could feel his magic rising within him, just in case, and Myfanwy left the Paladin's side to move toward Jack's, giving him the support that he so very much needed. Jack dropped his hand onto her head, and the dragon cooed at him, her whirling green eyes looking at him with absolute trust and affection.
Ianto took up a place just behind Jack's left shoulder, offering his own support. He didn't physically touch his husband, but he didn't have to; their magicks just knew when they were close by. He knew Jack was aware of him standing there, just from the lessening of the tension in his back.
Jack took a deep breath, then said, "You've heard the legends of the Deathless?"
"That old story about the witch who brought her lover back to life?" It was obvious when the realization of what Jack was admitting connected in his thoughts. "You?" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Are you telling me that you're the Deathless?"
Ianto could see the minute flinch in Jack's frame at the tone of the Paladin's words. "I am." There was no inflection in his words at all. It didn't sound like Jack at all; his voice was usually light and slightly flirty. This wasn't him, but the Cardinal Wizard could understand why he'd retreat into himself like that. It was always hard for him to admit to being the Deathless.
"It's true," Phil spoke up, his own words soft yet heavy with the truth of them, lacking the faint tinge of hero worship and shyness from before. "Jack is the Deathless. And a very good man."
Ianto couldn't help but smile at that endorsement. They might not have known Phil Coulson for very long, but both he and Jack did consider him a friend, so to hear him say that about Jack…it was gratifying.
Sir Steven rubbed his forehead as if he was getting a headache. "I don't know why that should have been impossible with everything else that's happened to me."
Jack reached out and rested a hand on Sir Steven's shoulders. "We're going to help you out, alright? I've been where you are, and we'll do the best we can for you."
"We will," Ianto confirmed. Everyone else in the room made the same sort of comment. "Although, we need your help as well, if you're up to it."
"Sure, anything you need."
"We need you to tell us everything you can about your version of Hydra."