Chapter 14

"So what happens now?" Av-rom asked Noh as they walked through the town heading for the pub. "We're going to be the last ones who saw Shepherd alive. Everyone knows we left town with him. When the police start asking questions about his disappearance –"

Noh turned on him and grasped his shoulder tightly. "We got separated in the forest, understand? We split up per Shepherd's suggestion to cover more ground. We looked for hours and when we went back to the rendezvous he never showed. We searched for him but had to turn back. Understand?"

Av-rom nodded as Noh let go and they continued along the sidewalk.

"I've only ever killed people humanely." Av-rom admitted, "You know, a shot to the head, a slice of the throat? I've never left someone to be mauled and eaten before."

"Just shut up about it." Noh grumbled as he opened the pub door.

"I keep seeing it Noh. Every time I blink there are the wolves and –"

Stepping into the pub they saw a very familiar person with striking white hair.

"Shepherd." Av-rom finished looking shocked.

He was standing among the other jocks who were back to hanging around with nothing better to do during their summer break. Given the hour the adult regulars on the other side of the pub would have finished their drinks long ago and cleared out. Leaving just the teens.

"Noah." One of the teammates began to question him as he stepped forward. "Shepherd here has been accusing you of some pretty serious stuff. Says he's gonna call the Avengers."

Threatening to call the cops had become a dull threat in recent years. Police asked questions of both sides and tried to settle things calmly. The Avengers were a different story. First off, no one had the guts to call them directly, not even to crank call Stark Tower in the city. And the Avengers were the type to swoop in, pick up the bad guys and be on their way. All Shepherd had to do was mention his missing brother and point a finger at Noh and odds were that both he and Av-rom would be imprisoned – especially if Speed was able to slyly let the Avengers in on their secret identities. Going after a hero had serious repercussions. They looked after their own with fierce loyalty.

Noh glanced down and saw Shepherd's phone in his hand, the number already punched in, all he had to do was hit the call button. And even without super speed he'd be able to manage that fine by the time Noh even took a step in his direction.

He'd have to play this another way.

"Shepherd, thank God you're okay." He said showing false relief as he smiled and held out his arms. "We had looked for you for hours. Couldn't find you in the woods after we split up. Did you find your brother?"

"Don't bullshit me. You left me to die." Shepherd accused with anger in his eyes as he turned from the others giving Noh his full attention.

"Don't you think you're starting to get a little dramatic?" Noh asked playing it off. "I mean first you come in here saying your brother was kidnapped and dragged into the woods. Now I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt but Tommy, we found nothing in the woods you saw that."

"I'm not crazy! You're a –"

"And I know it's not your fault. Just the result of your traumatic past. But Tommy you can't let your delusions drive you to such extremes like calling the Avengers." He scoffed and Shepherd paused. All the others did too. While Shepherd might have an inkling about where Noh was going with this, the others didn't and they were gossip hungry for whatever 'traumatic past' Tommy had.

Shepherd hadn't attended school like his twin. He was 'home-schooled' or so the story went. So he didn't have the enemies Wiccan had but he also didn't have the comradery that Noh had with these people. And while Shepherd had played that to his advantage so far, Noh was about to pull it out from under his feet like a rug and use the distraction to get him once and for all.

"I didn't want to say anything but. . . I heard the secretary in the principal's office one day. She was talking about why you took your classes from a school online. How you were too dangerous to be around others." He lied as his eyes turned to the others and he made himself look sympathetic, "Tommy, had a few rough years. And from what I heard he really has improved. Not everyone can be perfectly normal after getting their brain cut up."

Gasps went around through the cheerleaders in the room. The jocks turned their eyes to Shepherd looking confused like they weren't sure to believe it.

"Check his head. He has the scars." Noh suggested from where he stood knowing Speed was waiting for him to make a move. What the speedster didn't expect was to be grabbed from behind. Kesler held his wrist firmly keeping his fingers from touching the call button on the phone. With his other hand he grabbed at Shepherd's hair. Tommy struggled but he couldn't use his super speed to get out of this, not without exposing himself and by extension his brother.

It didn't take Kesler long to push the pure white hair aside and find one of the scars which made his eyes go wide. Some of the others were close enough to see it too and Kesler pulled back more of the snowy hair revealing more scars.

Noh took his opportunity to seal the deal. "But if you're threatening to call the Avengers on people then you are still too dangerous to be left alone. Especially since now you've driven even your brother away."

Shepherd turned to him with a glare but as he lunged to attack Noh the other jocks stepped in and helped Kesler restrain him.

"Don't worry though Tommy." Noh said stepping forward and moving freely about now that he was in the clear, "There are places that will take good care of you."

.

.

Dorrek and Billy were sitting at the dining table finishing their supper and dessert while they made small talk. They were sitting the same way as last night so they were closer to each other and talked about everything from who won the last snowball fight to theories on the enchantress' spell – which often led into conversations where Billy had to break down some of the foundations of magic using. It was a subject that fascinated Dorrek. Magic was a complex compilation of many abilities, telepathy, telekinesis, astral projection, teleportation, levitation, spells and probably a dozen other things Wiccan had never even attempted before. And just that alone was so impressive to the prince that Billy had been able to self teach himself without books or a mentor. He listened intently and often had many questions about certain terms the mage would use. For example, spells and enchantments were apparently very different things once one understood magic. More then once Dorrek asked a question he felt may make him look stupid. But Billy always answered them in a way that subtly reassured him it was common to not know much about the topic they were discussing. That was the other thing that nearly made Dorrek gawk – if he hadn't been raised and trained to be so refined – at the incredible human Billy truly was. Because even with all his power and all he'd accomplished on his own, Billy still retained his humility. He didn't view himself as a big deal or someone who could bend the world to their will. Such things actually terrified him and let that heart of gold he had shine through for a moment before he hid it away again.

When he wasn't drowning in his intrigue of the young man sitting mere feet from him Dorrek tried to build Billy's self confidence. Clearly after all the research he'd done and coming up empty handed made him feel as though he was breaking the promise he'd made to the prince. While that wasn't untrue, Dorrek had a hard time convincing Billy that it was okay. His effort meant so much to him and even if they didn't break the spell, it suddenly didn't' feel like the end of the world. Because Billy was there. Billy being there meant Dorrek didn't have to look at the future trapped in this form, his friends stuck the same way, their home dark and falling apart and the world forgetting about them – in a negative way. Billy had brought a lightness to the castle that had been covered by the depression the enchantress had left behind. So in that way, Billy had overcome what the witch had set out to do. He'd made Dorrek happy regardless of how strong that stupid spell was. It was just difficult to get Billy to see that, especially since Dorrek was very new to expressing his feelings.

But maybe, he pondered, maybe there was a way to show that.

As they finished their final bites and stood from their seats Dorrek tried to find the right way to bring it up. Then, as he'd been doing quite a bit, it all just spilled out of his mouth.

"Billy. . . would it help you if you could, study the rose?"

Billy froze with his hand on the door pausing in pushing it open. He turned to Dorrek with absolute shock across his face, of all the times Billy had looked surprised while staying at the castle, this was the only time where Dorrek actually saw his eyes widen enough that the phrase 'bug out' came to mind. He hoped there wasn't any truth to the idiom, your eyes might fall out of your head that humans often used.

When the flabbergast look finally faded it left behind a light in Billy's eyes that went deeper then any ocean. He looked wholly and thoroughly touched to his very core. After the last time he'd approached the rose he knew what it meant to Dorrek. Having him offer to let Billy near it was not only a show of how much he'd grown to let the mage in but also how much he trusted him and cared about whatever relationship was taking root between them.

"Are – are you sure?" Billy stammered as his own lack in self confidence revealed its ugly head again, "You're not worried I'll make a mistake?"

"No." Dorrek replied without a second's hesitation and with a tone of great certainty, "I believe in you."

Disbelief at what he was hearing mixed into his facial expression. Dorrek could only smile back. Once Billy shook off the sudden awe he smiled back and meeting Dorrek's gaze nodded his head.

They headed for his room in the west wing, Billy had an extra spring in his step that Dorrek had to restrain himself from chuckling at, like a child on Christmas day. However, once he pushed open the door to his chamber Billy turned serious. He walked across the room slowly, hesitantly, often looking over his shoulder at Dorrek every few paces just to make sure he was really okay with this. Each time he gave Billy a smile and a nod from where he stood just a few steps behind him.

By the time they reached the balcony something changed in Billy's eyes. He checked in once more with Dorrek before he turned to the flower, covered by the glass. It only had one petal left and while that petal was still a vibrant and thriving shade of red they knew time was not on their side. It wouldn't take long for that last petal to wither up, fall and shrivel as it died. Marking the end of all hope to reverse what the enchantress had done. For Billy that thought brought a great amount of pressure. For Dorrek though, it brought an odd sense of nothingness. There was no despair, no anger, no misery or rage. Just... a sea of calm nothing. Because once the last petal fell his life would... well, continue as it had been. And if it continued as the past few days had been then, he was more then okay with that. He looked to Billy and smiled, though the young man's attention was on the rose and not him.
Billy had paused, staring at the flower like it was Ana votive bomb and he had to choose which wire to cut. Dorrek shook his head, still smiling, as some of his blonde hair fell into his eyes. He stepped up behind Wiccan and rested his large hands on his shoulders, then he leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"Don't be scared." Dorrek told him and felt Wiccan shudder, the logical side of his mind told him it was from the stress or the cold chill of the night. But another part of him hoped the reaction was from his whisper. "Even if you mess up, it's about to die anyway. And...I'm okay with that. I've found peace with that."

He didn't say why he'd found peace, just thinking about admitting that out loud made his face heat up with blush. He just rubbed up and down Billy's arms until the mage swallowed and nodded.

Taking cautious steps Billy pulled down the sleeves of his navy sweater as the cold of the night began to sink into his exposed skin. He raised his hand slowly, just the same as he did that night. Dorrek stayed in the archway between his bedroom and outside as he watched the mage. He seemed entranced by the magic that called to him, his eyes empty and looking unblinkingly at the rose.

Billy thought he'd felt great power coming from the rose his first night here but it was nothing in comparison to now. Even with less petals the flower itself still held the key to the curse within it and that magic wrapped around him and sucked him in. Part of him felt like he could stand there staring at the rose for the rest of his life, just basking in the aura of that magic. His palm felt warm the closer it got to the rose until it came to rest against the glass. His fingers conformed to the curve of the clear smooth surface like he was cradling the object. He didn't have it in him to lift the cover, he was nervous enough. Dorrek trusted him but he had trouble trusting himself, and his ability to do this.

He let his thumb caress the glass moving gently back and forth.

"How does it feel?" Dorrek questioned watching Billy's state of pure captivation.

"Incredible." He whispered not taking his eyes off the flower, "I've never felt anything so strong."

And similar, he thought to himself. He'd seen footage from news crews of Dr. Strange fighting in the streets of New York, his magic didn't resemble what Billy did at all. He'd also seen short clips of Loki atop Stark Tower but his powers didn't seem to match either. The Scarlet Witch had been the only one who's abilities mirrored Wiccan's. That was part of what gave him the idea for his theory in the first place – a theory that had proven true. But if this enchantress held magic similar to theirs then. . . what did that mean? Would it make it more likely for him to break the spell or less?

He pulled his hand back and shook his head trying to clear it of the fog the rose seemed to emanate for only him. He rested both hands palms down on the table and thought. Dorrek seemed to sense his stress and stepped forward joining him on the balcony. He rested one hand on the table as he waited patiently, fiddling with the handle of the mirror that was lying face down. The movement broke Billy from his circling thoughts and caught his eye.

"What's that?" he asked knowing odds were it wasn't an ordinary mirror.

Dorrek lifted his head and looked at him seeming to realize he hadn't explained the mirror before, or even mentioned it to Billy.

"A mirror that shows you whatever you wish to see." He answered turning it over allowing the reflective surface to bounce the moonlight from above.

"Another gift from her?" He inquired. Dorrek nodded looking down at the object with a mix of emotions.

"And it will show you anything?" Billy asked moving around the table to stand by Dorrek's side. His curiosity seemed to cheer up the taller man as he glanced out of the side of his eye and Wiccan caught a glimpse of his blue irises along with the corner of his mouth lifting.

"Anything." He confirmed pushing the handle in Wiccan's direction in silent invitation. He reached out and took the handle in his grasp raising it off the table. Dorrek secretly hoped that Billy didn't ask what he'd had used it for, his early days of spying on Wiccan in his room was not something he wanted to admit to.

"Go on." He encouraged, still smiling. "Ask it anything."

Billy took his free hand and cupped the silver frame. He stared at his reflection for a second before he decided what he wanted to see. He'd never talked to an inanimate object before and felt a bit foolish, "I'd like to see my brother."

The reflection rippled and he saw Tommy. He was being dragged by Kesler and a few others. Noh-var was in front of him leading the posse with an evil smirk on his face.

They led Tommy to a white van with a strange logo on the side Billy didn't recognize. It was like a glass box.

Then it hit him – it was a cube.

"No!" he shouted into the reflection breaking the peaceful quiet that had been surrounding him and Dorrek.

"What is it?" the prince asked, now tense like he was ready for battle.

Billy shook his head not taking his horrified eyes off his brother's image. "They're taking him away. They're going to lock him up again. He can't go back there!"

A tremor grew in his voice as he spoke. He knew what Tommy had gone through when he'd been locked in the Cube. The torture, the experiments. Getting his head sliced into while he was awake and could feel it. The thought brought tears to Billy's eyes. If Tommy went back to the Cube there was no telling how much worse it would be for him. That evil Warden would no doubt experiment on him painfully just to get revenge for Tommy escaping – and to make up for the lost time. And Billy couldn't just sit there while his brother needed him.

But then his thoughts froze and for a moment it felt like the blood in his veins did too.

He'd promised Tommy he'd never be a prisoner again. But he'd also promised Dorrek he'd break his curse. He glanced over the top of the mirror back at the rose. They had so little time left. He looked back at the mirror where Tommy was being dragged by some and pushed by others as they fought to get him in the van. Tommy had no time. Once he was a captive again he would be at the mercy of that damn superpower blocking technology that the Cube had somehow been able to develop.

Billy was caught between two promises he'd made to the two people he cared about most.

Dorrek had no idea about Tommy's past but after hearing that the military had already destroyed Billy's family and his home in Westview he knew he couldn't let that happen again. Couldn't let anything horrible like that happen to the man he loved again.

The hot anger bubbled inside Dorrek at the idea of someone wanting to take away Wiccan's family from him but as suddenly as it came, it paused. Everything paused. He knew how he could stop it and it made him feel cold inside as the heat of his anger vanished. Everything inside him felt like it had turned to stone as he braced himself for what needed to be done, "Then you have to go and help him."

Billy's head snapped up from the mirror and his eyebrows creased together, "What?"

Dorrek took a deep breath and looked down at the small table, "You have to go. Your brother needs you."

Billy stuttered, "You - you're letting me go?"

Dorrek looked up from the table with sad eyes, "Yes." He cleared his throat, "Go before it gets any later otherwise the wolves will be out."

Billy was at a loss for words as he looked at Dorrek who could only meet his eyes for so long before he had to turn away.

"But, your curse. . . " he trailed off glancing at the flower that only had one petal left. Was it his imagination or did the vibrant color seemed to have faded in the few short minutes they'd been out here?

"We weren't close to a solution anyway." Dorrek said miserably. The comfort of a life with Wiccan fading like waking from a dream because someone had dumped cold water on you. Billy hadn't heard misery like that color his tone since Dorrek first explained his situation to him that day they'd walked through the grounds. Dorrek met his eyes again. "I can't be saved, but your brother still can be. You have to go to him. Go. Save your family."

Still recovering from the shock and the display of pure selflessness Billy held out the mirror intending to pass it back but Dorrek lifted his hand at what Billy was trying to do and pushed the mirror back toward him.

"Keep it." He insisted his eyes sadder then Billy had ever seen them, "That way you can always have a way to look back here when we're apart." For however long it may be, Dorrek added in his head but didn't dare to say out loud.

"Thank you." Billy replied, "And thank you for understanding how much my brother needs me."

Dorrek nodded and turned back to stare at the table, some of his blonde hair falling into his face. Billy's heart clenched as he backed away, wishing there was some other solution. After about a dozen steps he found the strength to look away from Dorrek, turned and hurried out the door.

Dorrek remained on the balcony, one hand resting on the table while he looked at the floor. He should have known, he reprimanded himself, he should have known not to hope. It only made everything about this turn of events hurt so much more.

But what else could he have done? He knew how much Billy's brother meant to him. If he didn't let Billy go to help then the poor young man he'd come to care for would spend the rest of his life worrying what had become of his twin. His other half. Billy had said the day they'd met. Dorrek had no choice but to set Billy free and leave himself to suffer in the castle alone. At least he was used to it. He'd lost everything once before, this time shouldn't be any harder. But somewhere in him, whether it was a small voice in his head or a tug at his heart, something in him knew that was a lie.

"I was the one who had it all." He spoke aloud with no one to hear him, "I was the master of my fate. I never needed anybody in my life. I learned the truth too late."

He turned his head to gaze over the balcony, no matter how beautiful the snowy landscape was it would now always remind him of all the moments he'd shared out there with Wiccan. Even now as he blinked it was like small flashes of those memories. Their talks. His smile. The light in his eyes. "I'll never shake away the pain. I close my eyes and he's still there. I let him steal into my melancholy heart, it's more than I can bear."

He pushed away from the table, unconcerned if he tipped the rose over and it fell among glass shards. What did it matter now? He stepped up to the rail and leaned forward on it, his knuckles grasping the stone so much he heard small cracks. Looking down he saw a small red dot running down the steps and into the courtyard. Wiccan must have summoned his cape on the way out, he gave a small sad smile. He'd always liked watching him do that.

"Now I know he'll never leave me, even as he runs away. He will still torment me, calm me, hurt me, move me come what may. Wasting in my lonely tower, waiting by an open door. . . " he turned and glanced over his shoulder. The door to his bedroom was still open how Wiccan had left it. Even with his eyes wide open Dorrek could perfectly picture the mage stepping back into the room with a smile on his face. He sighed, "I'll fool myself he'll walk right in, and be with me for evermore."

He let go of the rail and let his fingers brush off it as he walked to his left where there was a break in the ornate stone. He stepped through the missing piece and spread his wings as he glided down onto the next rooftop. He walked along the high pitch, his head tilted to the right watching that red dot grow smaller as Wiccan moved further and further away.

"I rage against the trials of love. I curse the fading of the light. Though he's already flown so far beyond my reach, he's never out of sight. Now I know he'll never leave me, even as he fades from view. He will still inspire me, be a part, of everything I do."

When he reached the end of the roof where the next tower stood he laid a hand against the stones then rested his temple against his hand, his eyes still following that red dot that grew smaller as it wove through the shrubbery and headed for the gate.

"Wasting in my lonely tower, waiting by an open door. I'll fool myself he'll walk right in. And as the long, long nights begin. . .I'll think of all that might have been. Waiting here for evermore. . ."

And the red dot, all he could see of Wiccan, vanished through the wrought iron gate and into the forest.