Boom,
Didn't think I was going to remember, but I did!
So, without further comment-
"Fuckin'-"
He groans before he catches the sweet scent of lavender and peppermint.
Well, if all it took was a dart to the ass to be laid up with his family-
Wait-
The kids.
Evil Queen and Cruella.
It was all too fuzzy.
Had they saved the girls?
His brow furrows as he opens his eyes.
"Harry!" Gil greets with the distinct noise of wood hitting wood.
"Hiya Sweet Boy-" his brow furrows, "wait. When we be ah gettin' ya an' Baby Girl back from the cove?"
His gaze drops to the girls laying beside each other.
Gil's expression falls, "right, you've been out for ah couple o' days." He lets out a heavy sigh as he sits on the bed.
A couple of-
Why did Gil look so-
He sits up so fast the room spins, "what the fuck be happenin'?"
"Not sure…" Gil frowns, "Jus' know whatever it was, wasn't good."
"Where T be?" He growls as he throws his legs over the side of the bed as he stands to glare at the empty hammocks.
Gil takes a deep breath, "he and Yensid haven't come back yet."
He blinks before he walks over to his notebook on the table.
The messages only vanished after the notebook was opened and closed again. At least he'd be able to catch up.
"Last thing I be memberin' be Evil Queen's place." He admits with a heavy sigh.
"Ya got hit with a spell."
"Yeah, I ain'nah forgettin' that brand o' pain anytime soon." He breathes out as he shakes his head.
One hand runs over his arm as if he needed the reminder that he wasn't locked in the cramps or convulsing uncontrollably.
Maybe he did need it.
He flexes his fingers several times.
Fucking magic.
Arms wrap around him and he's pulled into Gil's chest before the other boy kisses his head. "I bet'cha won't."
He closes his eyes as he lets the notebook slip from his fingers, "Thank you fer the charm," he says as he twists to return the hug, "Yensid be sayin' it-"
Fuck, if that was how that spell felt with a shield. No wonder the girls had been terrified for him.
Gil closes his eyes as their foreheads tap together. "From what I'm told, ya got lucky."
He snorts, "I always be lucky ,Sweet Boy, I be number one."
"S'not funny," Gil scolds as he looks away, "magic is scary."
He sighs before he pulls Gil's head back and presses their lips together, "Aye mate. It ain'nah bein' fun when it be gettin' used against us." He pulls back to grin and wink, "yer magic be nice though."
"Ain't worth it." Gil turns to glance at the girls with a sigh.
He frowns before he twists to grab the notebook again, "Come on, let's be snugglin' on the bed with 'em instead o' just starin' at 'em."
"Yeah," Gil nods as he slowly pulls his arms back and heads to the bed, "Beam an' James've been poppin' in..."
He sits against the headboard and lets the notebook rest in his lap.
"I'm glad yer up," Gil rubs the back of his head, "I've been kinda makin' it up as I go.."
"Mate, welcome ta the life o' ah leader." He chuckles as he reaches across to run his fingers through Gil's knotted curls. He'd have to make time to fix that later, "I think we all just be makin' it up on the fly."
"That makes me feel ah bit better," Gil breathes out as he nuzzles against his hand, "cause fuck this."
"Uma be makin' it look so easy, aye?" He smiles before he pulls his hand back and adjusts to read.
Gil turns to look at Uma with concern, "yeah."
"The ship be sailin' mate, don'nah be so hard on yerself." He points out before he opens the notebook.
"Pretty sure James was jus' comin' in here for show." Gil rubs the back of his head, "I jus' kept agreein' with 'im after we talked it out."
"Uma be makin' 'im Bo'sun fer reasons. It were ah good call ta be listenin' to him." He clasps his back.
For as much as he and Uma bathed in attention, Gil and the rest of their family seemed to thrive more by staying in the shadows.
Gil sighs, "thanks."
He smiles before he leans over the notebook, "let me be catchin' up, then we can be ah talkin' more."
Little ones from Cruella and the girls from Evil Queen.
Yep, he remembered that.
Worried about him-
That was a new sensation, reading about others being concerned for him.
Part of him couldn't help but reread every single line T wrote.
T reporting that they were ready for pick up with Yensid.
Yep, he remembered that.
And T's frustration about him and his sister fighting.
Which apparently didn't make the notebook.
Random exchanges.
The pool was nearly finished- Way to go Baby Girl-
His hands freeze over the entry from T stating that he and Yensid were going underground and then switching to code.
Fuck.
He closes his eyes and breathes deeply.
T was gone.
Again.
And with him went-
His chest constricts tightly.
Why wasn't Yensid writing to them?
Why wasn't she?
He grips the notebook tightly.
How was he supposed to find them?
Where would he even start looking?
Underground was a specifically vague place.
His heart slams against his chest.
Why?
He glares at the notebook before he pushes himself to his feet.
Fuck!
The minute they found T-
He glances at the bed, his eyes sweeping over Deez and Uma as ice spreads through him.
If whatever happened took them out-
What the fuck had it done to Yensid?
And why were neither of them writing!?
He lets out his breath as he shakes the thought from his head.
He needed to focus on something he could actually control.
"You and Deez okay?" He demands.
Gil takes a deep breath as he rubs the back of his head, eyes on the girls. "We were knocked out by… I don't know what it was- None o' us do. But everyone with magic- We went down and went down hard." He frowns, "Uma n' Deez haven't woken up since."
His eyes widen, "How long?"
"The night it happened, the next night, and now we're in the middle of the day."
He takes a slow, deep breath.
Almost two days since fuck only knows what knocked them out?
He shakes his head as he looks down at the notebook again.
The vague updates infuriating.
The calls for everyone not on the ship to respond.
The update when Gil and Deez were safe on the ship again.
Demands for Yensid and T to answer.
It was maddening.
He groans as he holds the notebook up and twists to stare across the bed, "this be what ya be dealing with the last two days, mate?"
"Yeah…" Gil sighs as he drops his eyes back to the wood on his lap. "It's been-" he pauses. "Unsettling. Not knowing when you three would wake up, T and Yensid not writin' and not knowing where to go find them, dealin' with what ta do with James an' Beam, an' I had to come up with reasons Faustina is nowhere ta be found." He rubs his neck. "Which-" He frowns, "hasn't been easy."
"Sweet Boy, I ain'nah praisin' ya high 'nough. This be- I don'nah even be knowin' what I would ah been doin' in yer shoes." He sighs as he tosses the notebook aside and stands, "Ya really held it all together."
He would have lost it.
The worry.
The not knowing.
Everyone in his family knocked out or missing.
A small smile tugs at Gil's lips, "thanks," he blushes, "but I'm glad you're up. You're much better at bein' in command." He glances at the girls before he returns his gaze to him. "An' I've been kinda lost without the rest o' you."
He smiles and takes a moment to really look his brother over.
Dark circles under his eyes from worry and not sleeping.
Wood chips clinging to his clothes.
His hair spilling loose from his cap and knotted, probably from all the times he'd rubbed his hands through it in frustration.
"When's the last time ya be restin' Sweet Boy?"
Gil shifts, "Pretty sure none of us've been sleepin."
"I ain'nah askin' 'bout the others now, am I."
Gil sighs as he rubs the back of his neck. "S'not like I did anything you wouldn't do."
He lets out a huff, "I did'nah be sayin' otherwise. An' I be doin' what any o' us would be doin' once we be findin' out." He pats the bed, "now lay down."
He takes a deep breath. "But-" he glances at the table where he'd left his project, "I'm almost done. I wanna be able ta give it to 'er when they get back." He grins brightly.
Not even questioning if they would return at all.
It was something he envied about him.
How positive Gil could stay despite the odds.
Sweet Boy's sheer ability to believe in something with no proof.
"Aye, the anklet an' charms." He glances at the charms spilled out on the table, "I be ah gettin' it mate, but ya can be ah workin' on it after ya be restin'."
Gil closes his mouth as he lets out a sigh, giving up on his argument as he settles into the bed.
"That's me Sweet Boy," He smiles as he runs his hand over his knotted hair.
When had it gotten so long?
An amused smile tugs at his lip when Gil quickly loses the battle with sleep, yawning widely as he curls around the girls.
He shakes his head before he tucks the three in.
As much as he wanted to stay and watch over his family-
Needed time to fully understand everything going on around him-
He had to move.
There were things that needed seeing to.
Decisions to be made.
Plans for the next step.
Figuring out where they stood in things.
How much the adults accomplished with their weird election thing?
What exactly had the witches done?
Whatever it was, there was no way it would be anything good.
Not here.
Not on this Isle.
Evil.
That's what Gil said.
Something evil and huge had happened.
And he'd slept through it.
Through a spell-
No. It wasn't the spell, it was the backlash that took out those touched by magic.
The way James and Beam described the hellish pillars of darkness-
That was the spell.
And according to the others, the pillars never came near the wielders that went down.
So, backlash.
Which was actually an even more terrifying thought.
He walks to the door, pausing only when his knuckles turn white around the handle.
And T-
Why wasn't T writing to them?
His eyes narrow.
He and T hadn't slept since leaving the ship, until T knocked him out anyway.
But knowing T, especially T on a mission-
He wasn't exactly known for taking care of himself on his good days.
He looks back over his shoulder at the three sleeping on the bed.
T would come back.
He had to believe that.
T and Yensid would watch out for each other, and they would come back.
He could believe that for now.
Until Uma woke up to take command so he could go find them.
"Apprentice, I said no."
"Yensid!?" A small tightly concerned voice prompts from the darkness.
That wasn't his apprentice.
And why was this person so-
He gasps for air as he pushes himself up, only for a hand to stop him.
He puts one hand to his head as his vision continues to spin and blur.
He was laying on something hard and lumpy if the knots in his back were any indication.
He could faintly smell blood.
Old blood.
His blood?
He couldn't rule it out.
"Where-" He croaks out, needing the voice to continue speaking if it was going to insist on keeping him vulnerable.
"Morgana's lair."
The voice was softer than he expected it to be while surrounded by such hard edges and suffering-
The Isle.
He was on the Isle.
How strange.
He seemed to be so disoriented.
The dream, it must have been a dream, had been wonderfully vivid.
The brooms and mops enchanted by his apprentice-
He shakes his head before the blossoming pain forces him to stop.
That had been a long time ago.
Another lifetime.
He was on the Isle.
And something bad-
He reaches blindly towards the voice, flinching when a hand unexpectedly clasps with his.
"T?" He tilts his head slightly, "No, Faustina?" He amends.
She pulls her eyes away from the altar, pretty certain that's where the fetid stench was permeating from and instead settles them on unfocused gray eyes.
Fucking T.
She wanted to strangle him for even thinking such a thing.
The last thing the wizard needed, after a blow to the head, was a slap to the face.
Yensid was old.
Centuries old.
Lord knew he was injured enough.
Head injuries always bleed a lot.
They always look worse than they were.
She'd been repeating those facts since they'd first uncovered the unconscious man and gotten a look at his dust and blood covered face.
It looks worse than it is.
Right?
Head wounds always looked worse.
Please let that be the case.
"Do you remember what happened?"
"I must admit I find myself muddle headed and out of sorts. Though I do remember I am on the Isle, and you are Faustina, so I suppose that is something."
"Ah," she sighs, "I'm not sure what happened. Everything seemed fine, then the earth quaked again and you pinned us to the wall-" she rebukes with a shake of her head.
It had been terrifying-
Terrifying and frustrating.
-witnessing Yensid get buried in rocks.
The helplessness of it all.
She frowns down at their torn nails.
Chipped, ripped, and bloody.
It had been hard to ignore the throbbing.
The aching and stinging.
But-
T was not a tender caretaker, and Yensid was ancient.
And exhausted.
Both usually led to fragility.
Not that she would ever admit that to the prideful mage.
Stubborn through and through, just like the rest of their family.
"Which you shouldn't have done-" She scolds.
A snort and low chuckle catch her off guard.
Her mouth drops.
Was he-
She sets her jaw as she glares down at the man, unamused.
"Really?" She lifts a brow.
She'd expect this type of levity from T-
But Yensid?
Her eyes widen with concern-
Exactly how hard had he hit his head?
"I am sorry my Dear, but your tone suggests you are upset that I would dare protect you."
She rolls her eyes.
How ridiculous.
"Hardly," She sniffs in indignation, "I'm upset you would protect us first. T can take a hit."
"Are you implying I cannot?" Yensid asks, eyes sparkling with mirth.
"What I'm implying is that your skin isn't as thick as your head is." She huffs.
Her eye twitches when laughter passes the old man's lips, until a pain-filled wince has him stopping mid-chuckle.
She lets out a sigh.
"It's been a long time since someone called me stupid." He smiles despite what she was sure was a throbbing head, "Even so eloquently as that."
"As to be expected for one with your prestige and wisdom-"
She glares when he tries to sit up, sending dust and gravel rolling before she, too easily in her opinion, pushes him back to her lap in exasperation.
"-however, it would seem the blow to your head has made you, momentarily I pray, rather dense." She finishes with a huff.
She narrows her eyes as he schools his expression and clears the laughter from his throat.
"I see, far be it from me to tell you how to tend to an injured old man."
"You could've died." She huffs as she turns to pull the necessary supplies out of T's bag.
"I shielded myself from the initial falling of debris, once I realized my mistake and got you and T to a safe place." Yensid explains softly, his eyes hooded as he looks away.
At least he was taking it seriously, kind of.
She lets out a sigh.
Why did it always come down to her being a bitch for people to listen-
Okay for T, and apparently Yensid, to listen.
She hated it.
-but if it meant them taking care of themselves?
She'd do it.
"I could not bear the thought of you or T dying from my mistake."
She tilts her head to the side, "Your-" her brow furrows, "oh," she frowns, "did you set off the cave in?"
"I did, when I removed the grimoire from the altar."
"Grimoire?"
"A witch's textbook for spells." Yensid explains with a heavy sigh, "Morgana must have cast a spell on it as a last resort."
Her eyes brighten with interest.
There were textbooks for magic?
That would certainly be useful for Uma and the others-
She frowns.
Assuming the Captain and the rest had time.
She shakes her head, no matter.
She could make the time to read and pass on the information-
That is if Yensid wasn't willing to teach it, which she highly doubted.
Still, she was nearly drooling over the thought of learning more about the trade.
Skill?
Ability?
Talent?
Whatever it was that allowed wielders to cast without injuring themselves.
Or those around them.
Her family would never forgive themselves.
And she already knew she'd find it fascinating.
She glances at the remnants of the altar curiously before she scrunches her nose.
Definitely not that one, but if there were evil books of learning-
-then there had to be good ones too, right?
"Ah," She nods her head as she starts dabbing away the blood from his head, pushing past the pain at the tips of her fingers.
It didn't matter.
They'd be numb soon enough anyway.
"Good to know." She offers slowly, pausing when she notices how deep the gash was.
She sucks in a deep breath.
Split.
The skin had been split exposing the raw flesh beneath.
It was a thin line from his forehead that ran into his hair, but it was deep.
Concerningly so.
How was he still talking?
How hard had he been hit?
She takes a deep breath, wishing she had schooled her expression sooner.
"My apologies," She douses the rag in alcohol, biting her cheek to keep from screaming as it burns her finger tips and seeps under her destroyed nails."That is to say, no matter your age, perfection doesn't exist. All you can do is learn from the past, and with dedication, progress." She shrugs.
"That is true." He smiles up at her, "But it was my explanation for why I acted the way I did. I was-"
She delicately places her hand on his head, "None of us want to be here. I don't fault you on hurrying." She sighs heavily, "Speaking of, I'm about to clean it." She warns, not waiting for a response as she dabs the wound.
"I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks-" Yensid inhales in a low hiss, "or feels."
"Just a scratch." She lies with little remorse.
"I must have dropped the shield too soon, though for the life of me I can't recall when I released it."
"Probably when the rock cracked your head would be my guess."
Yensid chuckles once, "Well, isn't this a tangled quandary. I would not have been hit if my shield was up, but at some point I was, in fact, injured."
She purses her lips, "Perhaps it propelled you as well as rained rocks?"
"As I recall, when the roof came pouring in I hunkered down on the ground to wait it out."
She frowns, "Though it would be good to ponder later."
When he could think properly.
She twists the cap off her ointment, the familiar scent settling her.
As concerning as the wound was, she'd seen worse injuries.
He'd be alright.
She was just concerned due to his age.
He could handle this-
And so could she.
She sighs when she notes the way Yensid scrunches his nose.
"I know it doesn't smell the best but I assure you it works."
She knew many thought it an unpleasant smell, but she loved it.
Was comforted by it.
She hangs her head.
She'd poured so much effort and work into concocting it-
But T was always so secretive-
She couldn't blame anyone for being hesitant to use it.
"It smells like my old apothecary class, from my childhood. My first foray into becoming who I already was." Yensid smiles as he relaxes and closes his eyes, "The memories, while pleasant and comforting, caught me off guard."
"Oh." She blinks as heat rushes to her cheeks as she starts to apply the greasy salve.
"Yes. It was the first time in my life I ever felt," He hesitates, though his smile never wavers, "safe. Safe practicing arts I'd been told my whole life were evil. In a small room with several other kids my age and one knobby little healer even older than I am."
She eyes him thoughtfully.
"I-" She shakes her head, "It's always disheartening when your family-"
He had been referring to his family, right?
"-thinks you evil." She sighs.
How many times had her father talked about the wickedness of women?
How they were born of evil and sin.
How much of a struggle it was to see past it, when every girl T had taken to guarding, at her behest, contradicted everything he was preaching.
A heavy sigh passes her lips.
Then again, what hadn't been a conflict within herself-
With T.
-when it came to refuting her father's teachings?
"Yes. Luckily you and I got to choose the family we listen to."
She nods, "I do count myself, overwhelmingly so at times, fortunate." She smiles as she tenderly places a bandage over his gash.
"I myself am constantly in good company here, I can find no complaints." Yensid slowly feels along the bandage with the pads of his fingers, before she smacks it away.
"Don't fidget with it." She scolds. "You're dirty and the bandage isn't secured properly."
"My apologies."
She nods in approval.
"Perhaps I should try to sit up now." He adds, already trying to move.
She laughs humorlessly, "Or you could tell me where else you are hurt."
"Nothing so severe as my head injury, bumps and bruises at most."
"Okay, T, but that wasn't what I asked, was it?"
Yensid chuckles.
Her eyes narrow, "Are you-" She leans over him to better study his face.
Amused.
He was amused.
Again!
The audacity of this man.
"In pain? Not especially now that you've tended me."
Her cheeks puff with frustration as she purses her lips to the side, tempted to prod it childishly before she exhales. "I am glad you are not in pain."
"I'm sorry I'm frustrating you."
His face was neutral, but oh, she could see the fight to keep it that way.
"Mhmm." She shakes her head, "You could at least try to not derive amusement-"
"I'm only human, Faustina."
"Really?" She snorts, "That's your-" She shakes her head, "Child." She huffs as she eyes his robes for any new rips and tears.
Searching meticulously for blood congealed in dust.
"It's been a long time since someone dared to call me childish, though I can't fault you for the comparison in our current situation."
"Well at least you aren't completely brain damaged." She absently grouses.
Yensid nods agreeably, "It would seem not."
"Stay," She orders as she spots a glossy red stain weaving up the fabric of his pants.
"Now I am to be compared to a puppy?"
"You said it." She shrugs.
"I should inform Uma that you are adept at issuing commands."
"I have no idea to what you are referring." She dismisses the absurd accusation.
Her.
Issuing commands?
How ludicrous a notion.
"Your brain is clearly still addled."
She glares when he snorts-
Actually snorts.
-at her.
She rolls her eyes as she pulls back and pulls off her hoodie and folds it. "Here." She places it under his head. "You're not going to be in any condition to make it home with your calf being torn up." She berates, "so will you stop acting as asinine as T."
His laughter is short lived as he lets out a painful groan while holding his head.
She sighs as she maneuvers him to rest on the hoodie and checks it again."Was it worth it?"
"If I say yes-"
She smacks his shoulder. "I know, you know that was rhetorical."
"I'm not sure I did." He grins up at her from under his matted mustache.
"Mhmm." She shakes her head before she moves to his leg and rolls up his pants.
She sighs in relief when it's just a scratch.
A deep scratch.
But still, it could have been so much worse.
"I assume that sound means you won't be performing any amputations."
"Not today." She breathes out as she gets to work.
"You did make that yourself, yes?" Yensid asks when she picks the container of ointment up.
She looks up curiously, "Oh," She nods. "I mean, T helped, but I was the one who figured out the right measurements if that's what you're asking."
"I can only imagine the hell you put yourself and him through to learn such a complex remedy."
She turns back to her task, "I hated seeing him in pain." She frowns.
Their father had never been one to hold back in his punishments.
And T had always taken them in her stead.
"And the basic principles were not unknown to me. Father always had me make his medicine."
"It is a heady thing to be able to take a chore such as medicine and apply your skills and compassion to create something far better."
A smile pulls at her lips unbidden, "It was rather intoxicating."
"And you managed to use your magical gifts without any guidance."
"Than-" She pauses as the whole sentence registers, looking up from her finished work.
Yensid smiles as he slowly lifts a finger to tap the jar in her hand, "You have a magical aura woven into your ointment. A most magnificent shade of.green suspected as much when I was told how quickly everyone seemed to be healing. But this is my first glimpse of your magical cure all, and my first time seeing you tend someone."
Her brow furrows.
What?
She narrows her eyes as she studies the thick, greasy, notably murky brown tincture, before she pulls back in concern. "It's-" She tilts her head. "I knew they were poisonous- Though I suppose them having a magical property makes sense-"
She stops dead as blood drains from her face.
Her herbs.
How many of them had been used in-
She slams the door down before it has a chance to grab root.
Still, that was a problem.
They were going to have to scour the Isle for as many as possible.
Not just for her-
But for everyone's safety.
She takes a deep breath as she meticulously wraps the scratch.
"I would very much enjoy getting the chance to see how your magic works during your next distilling session."
"Of cou-" She blinks before she looks down at him, "I don't have magic." She states in concern as she scurries back to his head and checks it.
How hard had he been hit?
Yensid sighs, "You are a healer. I can see your magic gathered faintly around your hands, the same shade of green."
She looks down at her hands with a frown before she turns her gaze back to him, "I see."
"You wound me," Yensid's hand flutters to his chest, "I was unsure of what I was seeing at first-"
"My apologies, that wasn't my intention." She gently pats his head, "I am simply expressing my concern for your state of mind."
Yensid narrows his eyes at her. "Hence why I did not push the topic when I first noticed the light gathering, but when I saw the same color threaded in your ointment, and then saw the experience repeated, I allowed myself to believe in my previous hypothesis, you, Faustina, are touched by a magical bloodline."
"And you were touched. By a rock. To the head."
"That does not change facts, merely allows you room for disbelief."
"Well, I do admit I have that in abundance in this case." She admits. "You can sit up now," she adds, helping him do so.
Her eyes sweep over him in concern before she holds out a bottle of water, "don't argue. We both know it's for the best." She adds as she guides him to lean against the wall.
She shakes her head at his amusement before she pulls the hoodie on and heads towards where the altar had been.
The pungent scent of rotting flesh becomes more potent with every step.
Her nose burns and tears trail down her cheeks, until she pauses beside a pile of rubble.
At least her fingers and nails were numb.
How T spent hours doing such grueling work was beyond her-
A cold chill runs from her skull to her toes when she feels the spine of a book-
The book.
Her brow furrows as she pulls it out.
How had she found it so quickly?
Curious.
Curious and concerning.
She yelps, dropping the accursed thing as she jumps away when her hand brushes something cold and-
No.
Ew.
No no no-
That was not flesh.
She sidesteps the book and the scattered loose pages spilling from it.
The smell.
She swallows hard to keep herself from gagging.
Like the smell hadn't been bad enough before.
She claps a hand over her mouth as she blinks tears from her eyes.
Oh god-
Was the smell coming from-
"Faustina?"
She jumps when Yensid's hand settles on her shoulder.
One hand drops her heart as she swallows her scream.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph-
When had he gotten up?
"Sorry that I startled you." He whispers before he kneels beside the scattered pages and, with a grimace, sweeps it all together before he tucks it into his bag.
She nods as she turns away from the pages.
"Being a healer, I can't imagine this smells pleasant." He sighs, "I also must apologize for the way I must smell to you right now, if you would like to know the reason, you've more than earned the right to ask."
She sighs as she runs a hand through her hair.
Huh.
She tilts her head to the side, is that why the scent had been faintly following them?
"I just assumed-" she pauses as her brow furrows. "Black magic smelled and was lingering."
"Not everyone is able to sense magic. I see it as a vile energy because I am a sorcerer. I see magic. You, as a healer, smell it. The different types of magic wielders that can sense magic are aware of its presence by different means."
She closes her mouth.
No.
That didn't make sense.
How could she-
Wait!
"Have you-" She tilts her head to the side, "have you been using it?"
Yensid sighs before he leans back against the wall and closes his eyes.
As if he were unable to watch her during this conversation.
"I realized too late what Morganna was doing, more accurately I realized her intended use of the-" He takes a deep breath, "the souls she gathered. When I grabbed T and we rolled away, I knew we were about to get hit with a wave, the backlash of the spell. So I grabbed some of the energy she was releasing to help shield us." He grimaces in disgust, "I forgot how easy it is, I grabbed too much, so the energy of her evil magic is tainting my own."
She turns up to him curiously.
"This wasn't the first time you've siphoned black magic?"
"No. It's the second time. Which is two times too many." He shakes his head before he runs a hand over his beard, "I, several hundred years ago, in my early two hundreds I believe, arrogantly thought the only way I could achieve complete dominion over arcane knowledge was to know all the arcane ways available. So I made a study of each type, no matter how small or insignificant the magical community considered it. And when I ran out of noble magical pursuits, I turned to the darker elements." He slowly opens his eyes, "It is not something I am proud of, even though I never actively practiced."
Was he-
Was Yensid nervous?
"So you reserved your magic and have been using Morgana's remnants?"
"Yes. I would rather not return to the ship with these veins of evil clinging to me, though I suppose I can't help the book's aura until I'm able to place it under a seal."
Her eyes go wide as she stares up at Yensid. "Oh no."
Their family!
The ship!
"That was my reaction once I was allowed to sit up."
She shoots a glare at him, "don't you dare attempt to place that blame on me."
"I see we are of a similar fear." Yensid chuckles lightly as he holds a hand up, "Don't worry, I let them know we're alive and then turned to find you digging through rocks." He sighs, "And then got distracted once I realized how affected you were by the magical energy of the grimoire."
She closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath, fire heating her cheeks."I-"
Her eyes narrow.
Drawn.
A shiver crawls down her spine.
Why had she felt drawn to the damned thing?
"could smell it."
"When we have time, I would love to go into detail about the differences in magical uses and the things you can expect now that you have access to that part of you," Yensid nods, "but for now… They're also alive, though the spell's backlash knocked all the, wielders, as they're calling them, out."
Knocked out all the-
Deez!
Gil!
Uma!
Celia,
Freddie-
Everyone else who was touched by magic.
Out cold?
Had T and Yensid been knocked out too?
"Harry is awake and in control of the ship again, though that is as far as I got."
She lets out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.
Harry was alright.
Still-
She frowns as her eyes sweep over Yensid. "We need to get home." She leans against the wall and rubs her arms.
Need might've been an understatement.
She turns towards the rock wall as her mind drifts to the lost children on the other side before she turns back to Yensid, "So what can we do to-" Her brow crinkles, "-burn off the energy?"
"First things first, we need a way out of here and back to the surface," he pushes off the wall with a frown, "After that, I'll use some of it to poke at the barrier to see if their spell had any lasting effects."
She nods as she steps further away from Yensid to give him more room.
I know. I know.
But so did you.
There's no way we're killing Yensid off this early in the book. We're only a fifth of the way through it people.
That's right.
In true Dark and Twisted style we somehow managed to end up on Chapter 36 a fifth of the way through.
How many chapters are there?
Fuck if I know. But for sure like 60 have been written- which is two fifths… So going with every part is about 30ish chapters, it's gonna be around 150 by the end…
Don't quote me though. Math ain't my thing, and that's just based on the first two mini-arcs.
Hilarious fun fact, this book is running concurrently with Book 4, except 5 is Isle side. So like, yeah.
This is only the beginning.
Only.
The.
Beginning.
Mooooooooooooooooooooooving on-
Yay! Harry is finally up, and bonus he and Gil get to have a minute to appreciate each other. And I mean, who doesn't love Gil being vulnerable around Harry?
Talk about stressful though.
What a fucking mess.
At least Yensid remembered.
Which dead.
Legit yo, that whole convo between a 'done' Faustina and an amused Yensid fucking slayed me.
So many of those quips had me rolling.
Dark too.
Any of them get you to choke back your laughter as to not disrupt the people around you.
Which, lolz, talk about vain, I'm fucking rofl-ing over here like it's fucking new to me-
Which kinda honestly, I totally didn't remember writing half this shit, but honestly, it's fucking gold.
Sometimes having DID isn't the worst thing in the world, because I don't know which of them help me write this story, but it's one of the things I appreciate most about them. How driven they are to help write this. I don't think we've ever all agreed on entertainment, but thanks to Dark and the need to create and-
Boom bitches.
The Mask Series.
For real though, back to the story and the questions only like three of you answer- which you know, same. So like, Karma.
What I don't get is why so many of you read these notes.
It's insane to me.
Like really. Baffling.
That's right, I am baffled by this knowledge.
Do you know how often I use the word baffle?
I mean, I can't. So I'm sure not very much on your side.
But out of the gazillion chapters of this series I doubt you'll find it typed.
Note: Doubt.
I could be wrong.
To be man is to error, or something along those lines or whatever.
Dead.
De-fucking-railing myself again.
Guess that's it for the questions on my end.
Would love to hear from you, and I ain't too proud to beg for some thoughts on Faustina and Yensid's interactions- cause seriously, Dark and I were fire with our banter. And I live on accolades.
Much love and appreciation
-Twisted