Magical Exhaustion

Douxie tipped his former hand into the cauldron, ducking back as the molten metal steamed and splashed. His hand sank into the liquid smelt. He could practically feel the threads and pathways of magic held in his flesh unspooling, infusing the metal with the ways and strength of sorcery his body had always held. Nebulous thoughts about swords tempered in blood ran through his mind. This Trollhunter amulet, like the old one, would also build its strength on the magical flesh and blood poured into it.

If this worked, it would be a link, however tenuous, between him and Jim for the rest of their lives.

Well, he'd bound himself to others before, with far less preparation and planning involved.

"Not everyone would give up their own hand in order to save a friend," Merlin observed, stepping closer.

"I wasn't exactly thinking of that at the time," Douxie confessed. "You know how a fox will gnaw its own paw off to escape a trap, Master."

"Still," Merlin said, "you saved the both of you. And you continue to do so, Hisirdoux."

"I may be a vampire," Douxie said quietly, "but that's no excuse for me not to be a decent man."

"Yes," said Merlin softly. "So I see."

Douxie watched as his master walked over to the Oraculum, and pulled a part out of it. "There is but one final step," he said, turning. "To lock the amulet together, two master wizards are required." In his hand, Douxie saw for the first time, was a staff. With the sapphire he had selected earlier glowing as its focus stone.

"By Ambrosius' gleaming..." Archie murmured, eyes wide, eyebrows raised high.

Douxie stood frozen, his heart in his throat, and a terrified churning in his gut. The thing he'd wanted most, all the years of his apprenticeship, finally here before him. Merlin offering him his mastery, on a silver plate. "No, I can't... I can't accept this," he said. "I'm not worthy." He'd done too much and, paradoxically, not enough. He was just him; he would never be worthy of being considered a master.

Merlin's expression shifted. "Do you remember when I told you that staffs are those with mastery over magic, and magic is mastery over life?"

Hisirdoux nodded. "Yes. So first I needed to learn how to live. I remember."

"I may not be best pleased, Hisirdoux, about your willing descent into the realm of vampirism," said Merlin, "but in my absence, for nine hundred years you've guarded this realm." He raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Though you've somehow done the exact opposite of my extremely specific instructions. You have chosen paths I never would have walked, freed dangerous beasts, fought to save one life at the expense of countless others because you believed every life was precious. And still... despite such relentless hardships, you managed to protect those dearest to you." His arch expression softened. "I may be old, but I am not such a fool as to be unable to change. What a life you've lived, Hisirdoux. What a wizard you've become."

Douxie swallowed, biting back sudden tears. Merlin's smile, for once, was as loving as it was insightful. "Thank you," he whispered, voice harsh against his throat.

He reached out and accepted his staff.

Merlin stepped back, the glimmer of a smile on his face. "Now, let us finish this... Master Wizard."

Claire was beating her head against magical exhaustion by the time Merlin and Douxie returned. Nari said that Jim wasn't on their plane of reality, so she had to look for him on another? Fine, she'd do that!

...Just, she had no idea how. And all of her attempts to look and see had gotten her nothing but a headache.

Zoe, with hard-edged sympathy, had dug some Tylenol out of her purse and passed them over.

"What's going on?" Douxie asked, glancing between all of them in the room.

"Nari says Jimbo's soul is no longer on this plane, but she can't access any others, so Claire's been trying, but no dice!" Toby explained in a rush.

Douxie blinked. He looked gobsmacked. "Master...?" he asked, turning to Merlin.

Merlin's mouth was in a line. "I fear Nari is correct. The amulet may buy us some more time to search... but only so much." In his hand was a familiar silver disc. He leaned over, whispered to it. It rose from his hand, glowing blue. For a moment, it spun there. Then, without warning, it arrowed straight for Jim's chest, hovering over the gap, then lowering into it, sealing off the green light with its own familiar blue glow. After a moment, the green running under Jim's stony skin changed to blue. Krel's narrowed gaze widened; his mouth opened in surprise.

Claire swallowed and stood. "Jim...?" she asked uncertainly.

But Merlin shook his head. "The Trollhunter is still lost to us." His gaze met Claire's. "You must search for him."

"Me? Where?"

"Where all such lost things go, of course. The Shadow Realm."

"The Shadow Realm?" Claire was confused. He'd never mentioned it to her before.

"The Shadow Realm, Master?" Douxie's expression was appalled. "But you said-"

Merlin shook his head. "As you have taken a curse and made it a strength, so too may the girl be able to take a dark magic and make it her own. I see that now. But you must be the one to instruct her, Hisirdoux. I cannot, lest I fail again, as I did with Morgana."

"But Master-"

Merlin's gaze was sharp. "Do not argue with me, Hisiridoux. Not now. Not if you truly wish to save the Trollhunter."

Douxie was silent for a moment, then nodded. "As you wish, Master."

"Wait a minute." Zoe stood, looking suspicious. "How come he's suddenly saying you get to teach?" she demanded of her boyfriend, poking a sharp pink nail into the center of his chest.

"Well, ahh..." Douxie looked at the ceiling. His hand rubbed the back of his neck.

"He's a master now," Archie butted in.

Shock rewrote Zoe's face. "WHAT?!"

"Way to drop the lede," Douxie grumbled to his familiar. He looked back to Zoe, and, with a wincing expression, materialized a wizard's staff in hand. It was made of cool metal, angular, with a shining sapphire disc gleaming within its crook. "I'm... sorry?" he offered.

"Whoa," said Krel, staring, his hand half stretched out, as if to touch the staff.

Zoe stared at Douxie's staff for a moment, then gave a shriek of delight, leaping into his arms, her own wrapped around his neck. "Okay, for once you are being awesome!" she gushed up at him, expression shining.

"Thank you, love," he said softly.

Zoe let herself drop down to her tiptoes, arms still around his neck. "But don't think this gets you out of washing the dishes, either."

"'Course not." Douxie shrugged.

"So!" Toby broke in. "This is great and all, but, uh? Rescuing Jimbo? Teaching Claire?"

"Right." Douxie stood there for a second, brow furrowed, staff in hand. "First thing we'll need is... Master, may I make use of your library?"

"It is," said the elder wizard, "at your disposal."

"Right." Douxie nodded. "Come with me, Fair Lady Claire. I'll teach you how to ransack a wizard's library."