The Immortality of the Deathless
Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, but I like playing with it a lot.
Author's note: Would you all believe we're coming up to the end of this story? I started it to combat post-CoE traumatic stress disorder, and it took on a complete life of its own. Thanks to everyone who has read this, added it to favorites, alerted, and reviewed. I didn't think this would be as popular as it has been, and you all totally surprised me.
I'd also like to thank greendrider85 on Livejournal once again for the fantastic artwork she did for this. I couldn't have been more touched by it.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
"If you two are done with all the mushy stuff," Owen's gruff voice floated across the fire pit.
Ianto pulled himself a bit painfully out of Jack's embrace, not out of embarrassment – well, maybe a little – but to meet the battle surgeon's gaze. Both he and Toshiko were regarding them; the Elf with a happy smile; Owen smirking.
"Harkness, quit molesting Wizard-boy, I'd hate to have him bleed to death because you couldn't keep your hands to yourself."
Ianto rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to bleed to death, Owen."
"Yeah? You got your Mastery certificate in Healing then?" With that parting shot, the surgeon threw his blanket aside and, grabbing his medical kit, crossed over to where Ianto and Jack were. "Lie back, and let me take a look. Oh, and lend me that fancy crystal ball of yours so I can see."
The archivist snorted. "It's in my pack…"
With a flourish, Jack handed him the light globe even before he could ask for it. Their fingers brushed as Ianto took it, using his ability to set it alight. "Is that all right, Master Owen?" He put as much disdain into it as possible.
"Yeah, but can you get your pet lizard to back off? She's in the way."
Myfanwy had curled herself close to Ianto's body, her head resting on the archivist's abdomen near the sore spot that indicated where Suzie had stabbed him. The dragon heard Owen, turning to stare at the battle surgeon before making an irritated noise.
Then she darted forward, and used her forked tongue to lick Owen Harper in the face.
Even as the surgeon was making gagging noises and wiping the saliva from his cheek, Ianto practically choked on his laughter. Jack's own booming guffaws nearly drowned out Toshiko's tinkling chuckles. Myfanwy looked inordinately pleased with herself, moving away to a position near the top of Ianto's bedroll, then began to preen. Ianto could actually feel the glee radiating from the dragon, and as an experiment he sent back his approval.
A happy chirp signaled that she'd felt him as well, and she rested her head on his shoulder, beginning to purr contentedly.
"That was disgusting!" Owen shouted. "Keep her away from me, okay?"
"Aw, she just likes you, Owen," Jack chortled, trying to bring himself back under control.
"I'm not sure I want my dragon around Owen's sort," Ianto said, mock-seriously. "There have been times on this trip that I wished I had a daughter, so I could forbid her to date him."
"I wouldn't want to be seen with any of your devil-spawn, Jones," Owen answered snippily. "They'd probably be able to spin their heads all the way around and projectile vomit summer-pea soup or something unnatural like that."
With that parting shot, Owen proceeded to unwrap the bandage around Ianto's middle, using the light of the globe that Jack was holding to get a better look at the exposed wound. "Well, I'll be fucked," he said, shaking his head.
Ianto craned his neck, in order to see what Owen was on about. There was a finger-long gash on his stomach, but it was covered with a scab that appeared to be considerably older than a day. "I would assume it's not supposed to look like that."
"Yeah, you can assume that." The surgeon poked the area, and Ianto sucked in a breath when he hit a sensitive spot. "It looks about a week old, or more. Guess that magic of yours is gonna help you heal faster than normal."
"How much of the conversation did you hear?"
Owen carefully re-wrapped the bandage. "Pretty much all of it. Don't pretend to understand it, but it sounds like Harkness is stuck with you for a really long time."
Ianto smirked. "He might regret it…"
Jack pulled him against his chest. "Don't count on that."
The Wizard felt warmth flow through him at Jack's acceptance of what he was offering; he realized there would be no use to a long life if Jack wasn't there to share it with.
"So…you know about Jack then?"
"Yes," Toshiko answered. "He managed to get himself killed in front of us."
"Crossbow bolt to the face." Ianto felt Jack shiver against him. "I hate death by crossbow…"
"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Ianto murmured, resting a hand on the captain's arm. He recalled that Suzie had told him the same thing, that Jack had died.
"It's fine," the mercenary answered. "They didn't take it as badly as I thought they would."
"Yeah, well, it was more being angry at him not telling us," Owen said, pulling the blanket up over Ianto's chest, then sitting back, "than surprise at him actually being this mythical Deathless."
"We're your team, Jack," Toshiko said, also making herself comfortable. "We're your friends. We'll stand by you, no matter what. It was too bad though, that you missed Myfanwy in action."
"What happened?" Ianto felt the warmth of the dragon against him, curious to know just what she'd done.
"The moment Harkness went down," Owen replied, "she went off on those troops. Toasted them." There was admiration in his voice.
"Toasted them?"
"Apparently Myfanwy can breathe fire," Jack translated.
"It was more than that," Toshiko added. "She changed."
Ianto stilled. "Changed? How?"
"It was as if she'd become living fire," the Elf explained. "I'm sure you're familiar with the legends of the Phoenix?" At Ianto's nod, she continued. "It was like that. Myfanwy began to glow, and then just burst into flames. The only thing that didn't change was her eyes."
Ianto was stunned. Of course, from what Jack had said dragons had powers, but he hadn't expected such a powerful response from Myfanwy. He wished he could have seen it.
"I thought she was as much a goner as Harkness," Owen put in. "After all, there aren't a lot of living things that can survive something like that. It was damned impressive."
"Then," Toshiko went on, "once the soldiers were dead, she went back to normal and stayed with Jack. She wouldn't let either one of us close to him until he revived."
Ianto reached back, to scratch his dragon's head. She rubbed against him happily; he could sense how she felt, and it seemed as if their empathic connection was becoming stronger. Thank you for saving them, he thought to her, not knowing if she could hear it.
"But, unfortunately we were so wrapped up with Jack's drama, we lost Suzie," the surgeon said.
Jack shifted under Ianto's back, and something told him that his lover was still a bit bothered by that. "Yes, she followed me here." He told them what happened during their confrontation.
"That begs the question," Jack said, "just what did you do to her?"
"I – " The thing was, Ianto didn't know. He'd felt the magic flowing through him as Suzie had attacked…then he remembered being stabbed, and putting his hands on her head…and then nothing. He shook his head. "I'm sorry; all this is still so new to me. I have no idea what I did. Can I see her?" Maybe if he could touch her, the Wizard could tell just what had happened.
Jack helped him stand; Ianto hated himself for needing it, but he was well aware that he'd been critically injured, and even though the Deep Ways were intent that he should still be alive, he still wasn't totally healed. He had to dislodge Myfanwy, and the dragon huffed at him, obviously irritated. He rubbed her head fondly, then let Jack lead him over to where they'd laid Suzie.
The first thing he noticed was her eyes.
Ianto shivered, and it wasn't because of the cold breeze that brushed against his bare torso. He knelt down beside her unresponsive form, placed trembling fingers on her temple. He was honestly terrified of what he'd find, because he just didn't know what he himself was capable of.
And he still remembered a bit of what he'd done with John Hart. He hadn't liked the man, after all he'd been responsible for kidnapping Ianto and killing Jack, but he was certainly glad he hadn't killed him. At least he hoped he hadn't killed him. He might never know.
Ianto pushed that thought out of his head, concentrating instead on Suzie. The Magic tingled at the back of his head, and in his fingers as he stroked her temple. He'd definitely used the Deep Ways to defend himself, but he couldn't tell how…
It was frustrating.
He blinked, bringing his magical vision forward. Using it, he could make out bands of power looping around Suzie's head and eyes, like some sort of otherworldly blindfold. The Wizard trailed his fingers across it, leaving trails in the golden light.
He tried everything he could think of. He attempted to unpick the spell, using the same technique that had served him so well on the traps in the tower. He sank his mind into it, as he'd done with the magical lock. He even fell back on his Catalyst ability, in order to see exactly what he'd done.
Nothing was working.
Finally, he pulled back, his head beginning to pound from the exertion. "I can't…" He looked at Jack, hoping the immortal wouldn't hold the maiming one of his people against him. "I'm sorry Jack…I don't know what I did." His shoulders slumped. "I never would have hurt her, you have to believe me…"
"I do." A comforting hand rested on Ianto's shoulder. "She was being influenced by the Artifacts."
"There wasn't anything you could do," Toshiko's soft voice added to Jack's. "It could have been any of us."
"You were just defending yourself," Owen said gruffly. "She was gonna kill you, and judging from the wound it would have been fatal if you weren't so full of magic that it protected you."
He couldn't believe they were forgiving him this easily. "I'll work it out," he vowed. "As long as it takes, I'll figure out a way to bring her back. I swear it."
"I have no doubt of it," Jack answered. "In the meantime, we should all be getting some rest. We have a long ride back to Cardiff, and I for one would like to get a start as soon as we can. Owen, are Ianto and Suzie up to traveling?"
Owen raked a hand through his hair. "Don't see why not. We'll have to lead Suzie's horse, and maybe tie her to her saddle, but she should be fine to move. Wizard-boy though," he turned to look at the younger man, "you're gonna be hurting. I have some pain-killing herbs you can have if it gets too bad."
"Thanks, Owen," Ianto said gratefully. "I think, at this point, I just want to get home. No offense to anyone, but I'm ready to be back in my Archives now."
A strange look passed across Jack's face, but was gone in an instant, making Ianto doubt that he actually saw anything.
It was dark. A cold, velvety darkness that had no beginning or end.
She could only see the dark…feel the dark…taste the dark…hear the dark. There was nothing else, and it pressed upon her mind like a heavy blanket, stifling even thought.
She wanted to scream, but no sound came from her open mouth, and the darkness used that opening to press into her very body…into her very soul.
She was being suffocated, yet not being allowed to die.
She couldn't even remember her own name.
How she got there, she didn't know, although there had been a bright, golden light that seemed to surround her…and then nothing. Literally nothing.
Time had no meaning in the darkness. It didn't even occur to her to try to keep track of how long it was that she'd been trapped there. All she knew was the darkness, and it consumed her.
But then, something moved…
