Chapter 14
Titans and Basilisks (June 2021)
The Titan's Knee wasn't a comfortable environment even for Icy: the fauna kept her from fully enjoying the cold. But she had to admit that the view was breathtaking, the eyes wandered for miles and miles over the sea and the Titan. But she and Darius weren't there for a trip. They were there because they needed an isolated place.
Tecna had finished the new device and she was ready to use it, and it sure wasn't the case to wait for her at the castle, thus they had left early in the morning and had reached the snowy top.
Darius squeezed himself in his fur coat and sat next to Icy on an upside down column from where she was admiring the landscape, glancing at her open coat. He couldn't figure out how Icy could stand that cold. On the other hand Icy had told him clearly, she was not a delicate, defenceless creature. The day after Raine's awakening she had noticed that Darius was reserving her more attention than usual and she had firmly told him to stop.
- I don't want compassion. - she had said, - Don't treat me like a porcelain doll for what I told you, it's irritating. -
Darius had still insisted they sleep together that night as well, since Easton had confirmed that Icy's sleep had actually been much calmer. They had talked for a long time before falling asleep and he had been once again surprised by how easy it was to talk with her. He knew he was able to be so straightforward with her because she belonged to another world and she wasn't tied to the dynamics of the covens: her being an outsider allowed him to not measure each word, gesture and expression to prevent any possible retaliation. He couldn't help but think that he was going to miss her.
However, he still couldn't bring himself to tell her some things. For example, when he showed her the secret tunnels he used to communicate with the previous Golden Guard, he had told her that they had been made by an old friend without going into details. He would use the tunnels to keep in touch with Raine without Icy and her telepathy.
Kikimora's spell had made Raine very weak and the bard couldn't do much more than sit up. They had been told that they had fell for a bad fever and that they had fainted in front of Darius, who had grabbed them with an abomination (to justify the stains on the clothes). Raine had played along and had taken Terra's tea, though without any effects. Darius knew they were alive only because it was a nuisance to Belos to look for a substitute and he was doing his best to not let them be taken to the Conformatorium.
They heard a faint noise that Icy recognized instantly. She jumped up and turned to the opening portal, taking a few steps forward while Darius also got up. Two people crossed the portal and Icy let out a joyful yelp and ran up to them. She hugged them both together, an arm around each neck. Lzzy and Dave hugged her back. Dave kissed her head while Lzzy tenderly caressed her hair.
- And where do you wait for us? In the snow, obviously. - said Dave, feeling the cold biting his legs, which sunk in the snow up to his calves.
Icy laughed, tears in her eyes, and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. She did the same with Lzzy, casting a spell to protect them from the cold. She was so happy to see them both there.
- But what are you doing here? - she asked, taking a step back.
She noticed that Tecna had crossed the portal just in time to hear her question.
- You know how it works, I needed a strong emotional connection to activate the device. Why do you think I had you and Natsume test the first? The first trip is always the most unpredictable... ha, not this time! - Tecna exclaimed, catching the device mid-air before it fell on her head while the portal closed.
- She wanted both of us to minimize the risk of the portal opening in the wrong place. You're so cute with pointy ears. - Lzzy added.
Icy nodded, smiling amused. Remembering she wasn't there alone, she introduced Darius to the others.
- So, everything's alright. You're going back home. - Darius said.
He tried to not let the melancholy he felt pronouncing those words creep out and cursed himself for that feeling. It had been a week, barely more, but he got used to Icy's presence so quickly that he felt that separation like a thorn sinking deeper and deeper in his mind each minute that went by.
- Yeah. - Icy replied.
- One last thing before you go. - he said, drawing a circle in the air and holding out his hand through it, - Undo the oath. I can't watch your back if you're in your world. -
Icy shook his hand without hesitation and the oath was undone. She tilted her head and looked at Darius amused.
- You do know I'll be back, don't you? -
Surprise, relief and embarrassment quickly passed on Darius' face. Ears pointing low, he opened and closed his mouth a couple times before managing to say:
- W-what?! Why?! -
- To help you out. - said Icy, shrugging, - Did you think I'd leave you to your problems with just a spider-spy and an insonorization spell? Am I your apprentice or not? -
Darius' surprise was equal only to the gratitude he felt.
Tecna seemed to have something to say about that.
- Service alert: I need another day to calibrate the programs and... ah, I need another day, full stop. - she said, giving up on the details.
- Yeah yeah, he'll survive a day or two. - Icy joked, winking at Darius, then she got serious: - I'll come back after fixing a few things. -
- And not alone. - Dave chimed in.
Icy gave him a perplexed look.
- You aren't on leave, you can't come with me. -
- I can ask for time off. Plus, you can't keep all the fun for yourself. -
- Mhmh... Speaking of which, try to transform. -
Dave raised an eyebrow but still tried, without results. Icy almost exulted.
- Ha, it isn't just me then! -
Tecna also tried to transform, uselessly. Lzzy pursed her lips and stared at Icy with a vaguely homicidal look.
- Are you saying that you couldn't transform all this time? - she asked.
- Oh no, you really can't say a word about it. -
- I don't transform regardless of the universe I'm in! -
Darius smiled lightly in front of that little quarrel. It was nice to see those people care for Icy and how she became instantaneously more cheerful and spontaneous the moment she saw them.
In the end they reopened the portal and crossed it, leaving Darius alone in the snow.
Icy recognized Tecna and Timmy's laboratory on Zenith. Timmy and Joe were anxiously waiting for them in front of a desk filled with computers. Icy thought that seeing Timmy with a ponytail was always weird, although he had been wearing long hair for a while now.
- Finally! I was starting to worry. - Timmy greeted them.
Joe started walking up to them, then he saw Icy's ears, which were still pointy, and wheezed. Icy got the message and undid the spell, to then try to transform right away. To her enormous relief, she succeeded.
- Ok, it's just that world. - she commented, going back to her civilian clothes or rather, the ones Darius had given her.
- Sorry for the delay, Icy had to say goodbye to her tall and handsome new partner. - Lzzy said.
Icy's cheeks turned red.
- What... no! Nothing like that! - she gasped.
Lzzy laughed.
- Oh come on, I'm joking. Though he looked at you with such eyes... Sure, can't blame him, purple looks good on you. -
- By the way, I'd give it a thought too. - added Dave, winking.
Icy shook her head. They were such babies.
- He's like forty... -
Hit where it hurt, Lzzy interrupted her.
- Hey, I am almost forty. And anyway he aged well, and given your exes it still seems like an improvement to me. -
- Low blow... - commented Tecna, amused.
- I'm pretty sure he's gay. - Icy replied.
- So you did think about it. - Dave teased her.
Icy rolled her eyes, but she wasn't actually annoyed. She know those two were just playing, and after all she did think Darius was rather handsome.
- I think he is crushing on you though. - Dave insisted, - When you said you'd go back he lit up. -
Icy sighed.
- I think he simply feels lonely. His situation is a bit... I have so much to tell. Can we go eat something? Possibly unhealthy, I've been running on fruit and bread for a week. -
A while later they were all in a bar, ignoring the suggestions for a correct diet which the computer had given them based on the automatic analysis at the entrance. While they waited for their order Icy gave them a detailed resume of the situation, explaining also the coven system. She stopped when the robot maid came with the food. She had never craved fries that bad.
She kept talking in between fries until she thought she had said everything relevant, then she focused on the salty waffles.
Timmy slurped a sip of frizzicola.
- So, Darius bet his career on a human stranger. - Dave commented rolling a fry between his fingers.
- He knows something we don't. - said Tecna, playing with her smoothie, - On the other hand he decided to take you under his wing after seeing you fight, so maybe that was enough for him. -
Icy nodded. She gulped and said:
- Maybe. In any case I owe him a big favor and I mean to give back to him. -
- Do you have a plan already? - Joe asked.
- No, I know too little about the Day of Unity. And I don't think it can be stopped earlier on, taking out Belos would just end up with everyone revolting against those responsible. -
Lzzy tapped on the table with her finger, thoughtful. Raine might have had the info they needed, but it was still a thorny situation: it was about telling a nation their emperor was a fraud, in the best case scenario, not exactly a message the people would be happy to receive. They needed to push Belos to make a mistake or publicly demonstrate it, without a chance for doubt.
After leaving the bar they went back to Tecna and Timmy's laboratory and said goodbye to then teleport to Magix. While the couple of technoscientists refined the portal device, the others stopped by Stormy in Magix City and, after telling her the whole story again, this time on a videocall with Darcy and the Winx, faced with the usual question ("what do you want to do?") Icy sighed.
- I don't know yet. I think in the next few days I'll search for any mention of that world in the libraries of Cloudtower, Alfea and Magix. Then I'll go back, hoping Darius has more useful info, and I'll see what my next move will be. -
Darcy's hologram frowned.
- Can you trust him now that the oath is undone? - she asked, diffident as usual.
Icy huffed, amused.
- I trust him more now that it's undone, honestly. If he isn't obliged to keep me safe, he can give me info he previously thought was dangerous for me. -
They heard a cry coming from an undefined point behind Bloom, who left the line of vision. She came back with a baby with thin red hair in her arms, she cried despite her mother trying to calm her down. The other girls exploded in a tender choir, but Bloom looked pretty tired.
- She keeps crying at night, I can't wait for this phase to be over. - she said, cradling the little princess.
- If it can make you feel better, soon I'll keep you company in the sleepless nights club. - said Stella, her belly speaking a thousand words.
The conversation shifted on the kids (Bloom and Stella's firstborns were both one year old, just like Aisha's boy), then the girls said goodbye with the promise to keep in touch. With a sigh, Icy fell on the couch, her eyes closed. Dave put an arm around her shoulders and she rested her head on his shoulder, exhausted. All the tiredness and the tension from the previous days was suddenly catching up to her, together with the apprehension of not knowing what to do.
On her partners' demand she spent the afternoon relaxing. She took a shower and then joined them and Stormy on the couch to watch a movie. She was very grateful to Lzzy and Joe for staying with them until late at night, she really needed to spend a few hours with her mindmate and she said goodbye unwillingly when the two of them returned on Earth.
The following day Icy got up early (Darius had given her a rhythm). Dave complained without even opening his eyes, making Icy smile. She tenderly covered him and kissed his forehead, then she left the room. An intense day awaited her.
First off she checked her planner. She knew she didn't have work related tasks until September since she hadn't held back any student, but she wanted to be sure. Griffin might have hired her but she expected diligence, and the Council did too. Teaching was satisfying to her though.
She sent an email to Barbatea to ask for permission to visit Alfea's library and left a note for Stormy and Dave, letting them know that she would be at Cloudtower.
She left the college for witches at sundown, and everything she found was a single book. The old tome flew on the bewitched bookstand, similar to the enchanted one in Alfea, when she arrived to the most absurd keywords. She started with "Boiling Isles", then "Belos", then "nine covens" and "alternative universe", to then think back to Darius' curse words. She tried with "titan" and dozens of books came, then she selected joining "isles" to the research, and she found that travel journal of an ancient wizard who had visited an impressive amount of realms and planets for the age he had lived in. It was undoubtedly more promising than many other books, so she added it to the pile of books to read.
It resulted to also be the only book which was worth taking home, even though letters danced before her tired eyes. In an actually rather brief section, about ten pages, the wizard told about a world where sea water was so hot it was impossible to swim, with few terrifying creatures living in it. The mainland was just as scary, and he told of a tribe of titan hunters, who had as sole goal to free a celestial deity of theirs that they thought imprisoned in another reality by the work of the same titans they hunted.
She repeated the same operation in Alfea and Magix City's library the following day, still not finding anything relevant. At that point Tecna had already given her the portal device, with an extra guard spell, so the day after Icy wore Darius' clothes again and returned to the Titan's Knee. From there she teleported to the castle, she turned invisible, and got in. It didn't take her long to find Darius' room and she was happy to find him at the desk, focused on revising some documents. She turned visible and cleared her throat.
Darius looked up from the scroll and turned to her, surprised by the sudden apparition.
- I thought you weren't allowed to come back alone. - he said, raising an eyebrow.
The statement caught Icy unprepared.
- Wha... oh. Dave acts all protective and I appreciate it but I've been through some stuff he can barely imagine, I can handle a conspiracy. -
- It's nice to see you again. -
Icy smiled.
- Same here. News? -
Darius sighed and got up. Pacing around the room, he told Icy that fundamentally there was no news, even though he managed to communicate with Raine through Easton and found out more about Belos' experiments on basilisks. Basilisks, he explained to the witch, were creatures able to absorb the magic and energy in general of creatures, and they had been thought to be extinct for a long time.
- Recently there's been a case that alarmed different towns. A basilisk infiltrated a few schools and stole magic from teachers and students, but all was solved. But it proved that basilisks are indeed around. -
According to Raine's story, Belos had succeeded in raising a few basilisks, that he had then kept imprisoned to study their magic.
- Raine believes, and I share their impression, that Belos means to use basilisk magic or something similar to it during the Day of Unity. - Darius concluded gravely.
The reach of what she just heard hit Icy like a bucket of frozen water.
- He wants to steal the magic of all the inhabitants of the Isles? -
- We fear so, even though we don't know why. -
Icy had an idea. Belos sure wasn't the first to think of stealing the magic of others, it was nothing new to her. But he was already the emperor, he wasn't like Valtor or the Ancestral Witches, he didn't need more power in order to conquer.
From the way Darius spoke it was clear to Icy that, if before he was just suspicious and critical of some aspects of Belos' rule, now he was against him. And it was just as clear that his hands were tied, at least in that moment.