Chapter Three: Amortentia
Marina. He needed Marina. Intense desire poured through his whole being, crying out for his soul mate. For the one who completed him and made his life worth living. The longer he went without her, the more intensely he loved her. He had to get her back, he had to.
Greg blinked, gazing around at his bedroom. A vague, distant thought wondered at the sudden change in location…hadn't he just been in the kitchen…but his need for Marina overrode anything else. Hazel glazed over as he sank down, despair at her absence knifing through his body. Where was she? He knew he loved her – she must love him, too. Who was keeping her away from him? Keens erupted, his inner gryphon thrashing in torment as his need for Marina remained unanswered.
Marina…please…I need you… Yet her voice never reached his ears and Greg curled in on himself, sobbing for her absence. Without her, how could he survive? Without her, everything else was worthless. But as he sobbed on the floor of his bedroom, never once did it occur to the grieving man that his phone lay only a meter away, attached to its charging cord and blinking with a new message.
As the potion in Greg's system continued its work, focusing his every thought and desire on Marina Levin, there was an unforeseen complication. While most potions, love potions included, worked on a victim's mind and body, this love potion had been crafted to work on its victim's magical core, creating an obsession even more powerful than Amortentia and an effect that would last for weeks before draining out of its victim's core.
Although no love potion ever invented has ever been capable of creating true Love, the potion Greg Parker had taken came the closest. Since the potion worked directly on his core, the longer it remained in his system, the more likely it became that his inborn empathy, compassion, and ability to feel affection would be permanently damaged. As his core incorporated the potion, even his magic was obsessed with the love potion's focal point, twisting and corrupting his native power just as much as Dark Magic would.
Worse, because the potion was affecting Greg's magical core, the effects were beginning to spread…
Across Toronto, five men and one woman gasped involuntarily as their links to their former boss stirred. At first, they were just worried that something had happened to him, but then magic began to stream into them, engulfing them in a powerful series of emotions. Desire erupted, all but driving them to their knees as obsession took hold. Marina. They needed Marina.
Jules and Sam gazed at each other in desperation, struggling valiantly against the foreign emotions overriding their own. Instinct drove them closer to each other, seeking out contact with their true mate. Inside their souls, their Animagus forms raged, refusing to yield, but it was only a matter of time and they knew it. They didn't have enough magic to hold out against the obsession already flowing through heart, mind, and soul.
Alone in their homes, Spike and Lou fought lonely battles, straining to hold onto mental images of their chosen loved ones. But though Lou could cling to his knowledge that Lisa returned his love and would always stand with him, Spike had nothing but his own hopes and dreams. Dreams that were being hijacked and overridden by the magic flooding through his system. Bit by bit, he was losing the fight for his freedom.
In his own house, Wordy jerked awake and accidently woke his wife up by clinging to her. At first, Shelley was upset by the abrupt wake up call, but then she felt the fine tremors running through her husband's frame and hugged him back, humming a soothing tune under her breath. The brunet kept his eyes closed and focused on Shelley's nearness. Whatever was going on, he wasn't going to let it take away the best part of his life. Inside his soul, a stallion planted his hooves and prepared to hold his ground against all comers. Especially those named Marina.
Meanwhile, as he and his wife watched an old movie in their living room, Sergeant Ed Lane shuddered as the first vibrations ran through him and fixed his gaze on Sophie. She didn't notice his desperation, merely glancing up and smiling when he slid in closer. Staying nonchalant, Ed eased Sophie onto his chest and maintained even, steady breathing while he dug his cell phone out with his free hand. The obsession trying to take over his mind… It had to be coming from Greg and since the sniper knew his best friend would never volunteer for a love potion – and especially not one that would affect the magical core – there had to be something very, very wrong in the Parker homestead.
With a hawk's aloofness, Ed divided his attention between Sophie and his cell phone, discreetly typing out a message for Alanna Calvin. He really didn't know much beyond the basics of love potions, but if there was anyone who could reverse a love potion in a hurry, it had to be Alanna. It took several minutes to battle through the haze enough to compose his message, but once he was done, Ed hit Send and focused all his attention on Sophie, praying Alanna could fix the problem before he said something truly stupid in front of his beloved wife.
In his bedroom, Lance's head came up as his smartphone chimed. A slight frown crossed his face; only members of his family should have his phone number… No, that wasn't true; his so-called landlord had his number, too, but that guy hadn't ever called him and probably wouldn't unless the gold stopped flowing. Still, after what he'd done, why would any of them give him so much as the time of day, much less call him?
With a tiny sigh, Lance made his way off his bed and over to his charging phone. Uncle Greg had been keeping Team One at bay, but maybe they'd gotten tired of waiting. Maybe they just wanted to yell at him and tell him to go away and get it over with. He'd deserve it. Lifting the device, he thumbed the power button and tapped the text message icon.
LOVE POTION
GREG
AFFECTING US
HELP
Horror surged, right before he dropped the phone and ran for the door, skidding through the hallway to reach Uncle Greg's room. The door was closed, but Lance ignored that and pushed right through to find his uncle curled up on the floor, sobbing irrationally and muttering Miss Marina's name over and over again. His skin appeared pale and sickly despite the fact that he'd looked just fine at dinner and when Lance touched his uncle's shoulder, he felt minute tremors running through the older man's muscles.
Glazed hazel rose at the touch, but his uncle didn't seem to register his presence. "Marina?" The pleading hope in that one word… Desperation and need and lust.
Inside, his heart twisted, fresh hurt budding, but Lance pushed it away. Uncle Greg wasn't in his right mind, not with a love potion coursing through his system. He had to be careful though; even as a youngster, his father had taken the time to teach him all about love potions. What the symptoms were, how most victims responded, and how quickly the potions could take effect. He'd learned how to identify them, how to protect himself from them, and, if need be, how to use his magic to neutralize them. It was an old family trick that took advantage of their native ability to resist mind-magics and allowed a Calvin by blood to actively throw off all sorts of nasty compulsions. In fact, his father believed love potions were worse than the Imperius curse, capable of manufacturing obsession and lust that masqueraded as love, but were really anything but. What on Earth was romantic about robbing another human being of their Free Will? Where was the honor in forcing them into a relationship they never would've chosen for themselves? Even when the potion wore off, the damage was done, leading to a lifetime of misery and regret. Not just for the victim, but also for any children conceived in such circumstances and even, to a lesser extent, for the potioneer themselves.
Rage scorched through the young Wild Mage's blood – whoever had done this to his uncle was going to pay. He knew Miss Marina possessed no magic of her own, but there were plenty of love potions that could be brewed by one potioneer and set to another target by use of either hair or blood. But finding the culprit was going to have to wait. First he had to help Uncle Greg throw off the potion and then he needed to figure out why Team One was being affected.
Kneeling down, Lance met glazed hazel and reached out to grip his uncle's wrists. A touch of his magic allowed him to prod the muscles into reacting; unconsciously, Uncle Greg gripped back, twisting to gain a firm grasp on Lance's forearms. The Wild Mage nodded once, then let his power loose. Gold roared, establishing a mental connection between the two even as it hissed offense and forced the love potion's effects back.
'What?' Hazel cleared, only to turn confused. 'Lance? What are you doing here?'
'Somebody dosed you with a love potion,' Lance replied.
'They did?'
Golden magic curled around them, tugging the elder man's attention to what was raging through his blood. With the greatest of care, it pulled back; Uncle Greg staggered, gasping aloud as the obsession sought to take hold once more. Lance swallowed hard; his uncle's own magic was enhancing the love potion! Why? Determination surged ever higher, but although he knew how to fight back, he couldn't do it. Not without his uncle's cooperation.
'You feel it?'
Uncle Greg closed his eyes, leaning into Lance's hold as he panted for breath. 'Yeah.' It took a few seconds, but then his spine stiffened. 'Tell me you know how to beat this.'
'Dad taught me the theory, but I've never had to use it,' Lance admitted. 'And, um, don't know if you caught it, but your magic's making it worse.'
'Wonderful. Business as usual, then.'
Lance frowned at the comment, but put it aside for the moment. 'I think I can use my magic to push the potion out of your bloodstream, but for that to work…' He trailed off and his eyes dropped.
'Kiddo, look at me.'
Reluctantly, Lance brought his head back up, meeting pained hazel.
'For that to work, what?'
The young man bit his lip. 'You would have to trust me. Totally and unconditionally. And, um…' At the silent prodding and the expectant gaze, he blurted, 'It wouldn't just be me talking to you; I'd be inside your head for as long as it takes.'
Around them, the air seemed to still, outside sound draining away. Then Uncle Greg sighed. 'And you don't think I can trust you that much, am I right?'
Shame erupted inside his chest and Lance dropped his eyes to the floor again. 'I can lend you enough magic to shield yourself while you go get 'Lanna,' he suggested.
"No." Without breaking free, Uncle Greg adjusted his right arm and managed to tip his nephew's chin up. "Do what you need to do, mio nipote. I trust you."
The words rang, coming just as much from the temporary connection as from the sound of his uncle's voice. Lance swallowed hard and nodded acceptance. Then he shut his eyes and focused on his magic. Golden power flared in the darkness behind his eyelids, racing from his core to his uncle's. The scarlet magic fought, clinging to the love potion's effects, and Lance saw why. A keyed potion, the one thing capable of fooling even the most fiercely independent magic; as far as his uncle's magic was concerned, the love potion wasn't an outside influence, it came from within.
Fury echoed around him, but it wasn't his; it was his uncle's. 'Someone targeted me.'
'Well, yah, we knew that already,' Lance countered in a wry tone. 'But whoever it is, they know your magical signature.' That…that was going to make this even harder; he would have to trick Uncle Greg's magic into thinking his magic was just as native.
'Can I help?'
Oh, right; he was deep enough in that Uncle Greg could hear his thoughts, just like he could feel the fear running just beneath his uncle's anger. Lance frowned as he pulled back, ever so slightly, studying his uncle's magical core. The core was much better than it had been, but that had contributed to the problem, spreading the love potion more effectively than a damaged magical core would. The links pulsed, offering a possible avenue of attack, but they were attached at the core's outermost wall; for any solution to work, he needed to have access to the very center of the core.
'The goblin foundations?' Uncle Greg suggested. 'I think they crisscross with each other.'
Hmmmm…that just might work. Golden magic flowed downwards, seeking out the core's foundation. And when he found it, he knew his uncle was right; the foundational points did crisscross; if his magic could access those lines of contact, they would lead him right to the center. Tentative golden power pressed against all six points, seeking access. For several moments, the core resisted, then Lance blinked in surprise as Uncle Greg added his own efforts, silently pleading for his magic to cooperate. The scarlet power remained intractable, but the foundational points yielded, granting almost infinitesimal paths to the center.
Minutes passed as his magic curled through the tiny corridors, building up pressure against the scarlet clinging to the love potion. Bit by bit, the golden light reached the center and extended upwards, twining with the scarlet as it went. Not to bolster it, but to filter out the love potion and keep the effects at bay. Sweat dripped down, but the tide began to turn as his magic purified more and more of his uncle's scarlet; once purified, the scarlet added itself to his efforts, allowing him to pick up speed as he went. By the end of it, Lance's golden power was fully dispersed throughout his uncle's magical core; once the core was clear, the scarlet fought back, draining the last of the love potion out of Uncle Greg's body.
'Easy, kiddo, you did it.'
'Not yet,' Lance mumbled. Tired sapphire lifted. 'It hit your core, Uncle Greg.'
His uncle stiffened, catching on. 'What you did for me, can you do it for them?'
'Only if…'
'Only if they trust you unconditionally, huh?'
'Yeah.'
Uncle Greg considered, then nodded. 'Not a problem, then.'
What? Lance lifted wide eyes, but his budding protest died as he felt his uncle tap against one of the links. The yellow one – Uncle Ed's.
Even as he realized it, Uncle Greg was calling, 'Eddie?'
'Greg.' Relief rang, along with growing desperation. 'Tell me you got something, buddy.'
'Not me, but Lance does.'
Confusion echoed inside their heads. 'Lance? I sent my text to Alanna.'
Lance shrank back, understanding. Bile rose, but he swallowed it down. After what he'd done, it was only fair that Uncle Ed didn't trust him anymore. That was okay; 'Lanna had gotten the same training as he had. She could help them more than he ever could. Uncle Greg would need a bit more magic to hold off the love potion until 'Lanna could help, but that was easy.
'And where do you think you're going, kiddo?'
Startled, he looked up.
'Ed, I know you and the guys are angry. You'd rather have Alanna's help than Lance's, but the problem is, Lance is right here and 'Lanna isn't.' Hazel held steady on his sapphire. 'Now, mio nipote seems to think he can lend me enough magic to keep this love potion off my back while I switch between him and Alanna, but I'd rather not take that chance. Was bad enough the first time 'round.'
For an instant, silence hung, then Uncle Ed sighed. 'Copy that, Boss. What's our plan?'
Wordlessly, Uncle Greg prodded him and Lance realized they were both waiting on him. His grip on his uncle's forearms tightened, but the young man lifted his chin. 'I can… Um… Uncle Ed, I can use Uncle Greg's link to you, but, um… For this to work, you're going to have to trust me. Totally and unconditionally, 'cause I'm gonna have to be inside your head to fight off the potion.'
'Greg, that's too much,' Uncle Ed protested. 'Three weeks ago, he was messing with our memories!'
'You don't have to forget that, Ed. But right now, we're in a foxhole and the only person who's got our backs is someone we're both having a hard time trusting. We don't have a choice; Lance already knows how to fight this thing and I figure right now, you're having a tough time keeping your sanity.'
'Yeah,' Uncle Ed breathed. 'All right, kid, go ahead, but if you mess with my memories again…'
'I won't,' Lance promised without hesitation. Then he gathered up his magic and closed his eyes. The yellow link in his uncle's magical core opened wide and his power surged through it, going directly into Uncle Ed's own magical core. He could feel the unease and discomfort radiating from Team One's Sergeant, but he could also sense the determined faith that he could fix the problem. Drawing in a deep mental breath, Lance set to work.
One by one, uncle and nephew worked through each member of Team One. Greg served as negotiator and conduit, convincing his reluctant friends to let the young man help, then held his side of the links open for Lance to use. The young Wild Mage acted as Healer and cursebreaker both, pushing out the love potion and 'teaching' each person's magic how to recognize any future intrusions. While Parker didn't quite understand what the actual trick was, he got the feeling that it was more about subconscious instinct. Wild Magic was already naturally resistant to mind-magics, but like any ability, it could be honed and improved. The oddity was that their conscious minds weren't meant to wield this particular ability – it was solely the domain of their magical instincts.
Still, Greg could tell the effort was taking a toll on his nephew. He was struggling too; never before had he had to hold the links open for so long or for someone else to use, but he could see how Lance's sapphire was dimming with each additional link, determination and willpower keeping him on his mental feet, but it couldn't last forever. Greg could only pray that it would last long enough to extricate every member of his team from the potion's clutches. Somehow, in the depths of his own mind, with his power actively flowing through him, he couldn't deny they were his team and always would be.
Then, in between one breath and the next, it was done; Sam gasped in raw relief, the sound almost primal as his wolf instincts seemed to mix with his human soul. Through the open links, Greg sensed Jules move in, clinging to her boyfriend as they both reeled from the trauma they'd just endured. Guilt feathered at the lieutenant's awareness, only to vanish at the sound of a groan. Hazel snapped open just in time for Greg to cushion his nephew's boneless collapse; he was aware of golden magic still swimming in his core, but set the sensation aside as he turned Lance's body, leaning back against the side of his bed as he maneuvered the young man to keep his head from striking anything hard. That seemed a poor way to thank Lance for his efforts.
'Sarge, he okay?'
Greg wasn't sure who'd asked, but replied, 'He should be. Just pushed himself a little too far.'
'Like uncle, like nephew,' Wordy joked, though he still sounded unnerved.
And how; Greg wasn't sure he'd ever forgive himself for how Lance had been willing to let the person who'd beaten him half to death skate, just because the young man felt like he'd deserved it. Gently, he carded his fingers through brunet locks, wishing all over again that he'd handled the Marina situation differently. Inside his heart, he was aware his friends were getting the full force of his thoughts and emotions; the necessity of dropping all their mental barriers had temporarily suspended the 'team sense's usual protections; yet it was hard to care, especially with his nephew so wrung out in his lap.
'Greg, you were right,' Ed remarked, ignoring the murmurs of agreement from the others. 'He knew what to do; we got no idea if 'Lanna could've done what he did.' There was a pause, then the Sergeant added, 'When he wakes up, tell him we forgive him.'
One brow hiked. Just like that?
'Yeah, just like that, Sarge,' Wordy cut in. 'He did what none of us could and he did it even though he knew we were mad at him. Probably made his job a lot harder than it had to be.'
True. Greg had tried, but he knew Lance had been fighting to override the love potion even though he didn't have the full unconditional trust he needed. Aslan only knew how much extra magic had been required in the face of that lack. Slumping, he whispered, 'Sorry about what happened, guys.'
'Okay, show's over,' Ed announced. 'Now get lost so I can yell at the Boss for his latest guilt trip.'
Laughter rang through the links and then Parker felt them close off, one by one, leaving only Ed's still wide open. 'Eddie…'
'Unless you volunteered to get dosed, can the guilt trip, Greg.' His best friend's mental voice was fierce. Unrelenting. 'Now talk to me, buddy; what's going on with you?'
The stocky man slumped down even farther. 'What am I doing, Eddie? I can't even give my kids one weekend without Marina.' Anguish rang. 'I had it all planned out; my kids could choose an outing tomorrow and then in the evening, they could come to range with me, but now…'
'Can't you still do that?' Ed questioned.
Greg shook his head, aware his friend could sense the movement. 'Lance is wiped out,' he admitted. 'Magical exhaustion; he'll be lucky if he's halfway coherent by Sunday. Tomorrow…' Tears leaked down. 'Tomorrow was for him, even if he got outvoted.'
Ed sighed heavily, catching on. 'Give him what he asked for: a weekend without your fiancé.'
Greg didn't respond; despite his best efforts, Marina had intruded after all, once again ripping away the kids' weekend. And who was to say the next weekend would go any better? There were always going to be ways Marina could interfere, even if he kept refusing to answer her calls.
'Greg, get him back to his room and get some sleep yourself. He might've been doing most of the work, but you were right in there, too, buddy. And give your kids some credit. Once you tell 'em what happened, they're not gonna be mad at you. They'll be mad at her.'
'They shouldn't be.'
His friend stiffened. 'Greg?' Worry radiated, coupled with alarm.
'No, Eddie, I haven't lost whatever's left of my mind.' Greg frowned as he struggled to heft his nephew up; his arms seemed to have decided they were made of mush rather than muscle. 'Marina doesn't have any magic; there's no way she could've brewed that love potion.'
'That just means somebody brewed it for her,' Ed pointed out.
'Possible,' Greg admitted. 'But she shouldn't know anything about magic, either. I haven't told her and she works in technology. What wizard is going to be interested in computers?' Darn it, he just wasn't getting anywhere with trying to carry his nephew. And it felt like his adrenaline was draining fast, threatening to shut his mind down, just like the sudden release of tension had already brought Lance crashing down.
He heard Eddie say something, but couldn't comprehend it over the roaring in his ears. The stocky man made it to his feet, somehow dragging Lance up as well, but when he turned towards his door, his unsteady balance caused him to teeter away from his bed, towards the floor. Frantic to keep his nephew from falling, Greg pushed himself the other way and tumbled onto the mattress. He was vaguely aware of his arms around his nephew, then Lance sighed and curled closer to him. As if that had been a cue to his subconscious, Parker's own eyelids fluttered shut, mind and body surrendering to the blackness that beckoned.
