Douxie POV
After collecting everyone and meeting up in the war room, we had gone into planning on what to do with the information and how to overcome that problem.
The trolls, Dr. Lake and Toby were on one side of the table with the Arcane on the other side. Jim and Claire standing in the middle on the trolls left while I am on the Arcanes left with the Aliens on the trolls right.
We were settling into soft conversation about any new information or plans before the news was brought up. And to say it went poorly when the magic draining spell was mentioned is an understatement. Most of the group (everyone who didn't already know) were yelling at others or the arcane for not mentioning it before. Some in fear or worry, others in anger and distrust.
I'm leaning against the table feeling the headache appearing when I feel a cold hand on my right arm. Giving Skrael a tired smile, I look back at the group.
"This is why you didn't tell us." I said to him, my voice nearly covered by the shouts of the room. Both from the ones disliking the new knowledge's existence and the ones defending said existence.
"Sort of, we didn't want to tell you. I'm glad you found out before we couldn't tell you when it would've been too late, but now you know of the danger and reason he was feared. That is why we didn't say." He answers, forcing his way into my arms.
"It's better that I know."
"I know."
We listen to the arguing for a few more seconds before Jim yells above it.
"Okay!! We understand that it's not the best idea that they kept the information, but can you truely blame them? Name one time when we didn't hold info from each other when we thought it was for the best."
"This is a bit different than not mentioning your concerns as the Trollhunter, Young Atlas." Strickler said, trying not to be offensive.
"I meant more of the curses and/or the knowledge of someone through weird distant sightings and dreams."
A few people looked down, remembering when they didn't mention those things.
"We all thought it was in the best intentions to not mention, either thinking you're overreacting, or scared of this exact reaction, or something else. So instead of yelling let's figure out how to move around the problem." Claire says, backing Jim up with a hand on his shoulder.
"If you are upset at them for not mentioning a problem that hasn't appeared in years then you would have to be upset at me and Mer-.. No scratch that, you already dislike Merlin for turning Jim into a troll." I mention, adding the last part as an afterthought.
"What do you mean? Are You hiding things?" Aja accuses, probably still frustrated from the earlier topic. Krel placed his top arms onto her shoulders, giving her a kind smile, calming her down a bit.
"Everyone's hiding something. It just happens to be that the older ones of us keep a few more... annoying ones." I say, carefully wording what I'm saying.
"Well! Back to our previous topic of discussion, is there any way to reverse the spell?"
"There's not."
"Why? Wouldn't there be something? Every spell you guys make can be undone, right?" Steve asks.
"Many people have tried, there isn't a counterspell. It's almost like people don't want the ones losing their magic to gain it back." Skrael says, adding sarcasm to the last sentence. Promptly gaining a smack on his head from me.
"You could block it with a shield or dodge it, but anything else won't work." Nari says.
"Alright, so everyone with magic, which means the Arcane included, stays more on guard for any magical attacks–" Krel starts
"Last I checked, the spell does take a minute to cast and actually be performed." Bell says, noting the tired, exasperated or just done looks or stares from others.
"Not everything about this spell is always on the top of my head. I just remembered." Bell says in defense to the stares.
"Ok.. So magic users just look for any spells taking a bit longer than normal and get out of the way, and other than that everything is the same.. Is that right?" Krel finishes his earlier sentence.
"Sounds good." Claire says, as she is the only other person other than the Arcane and myself that could actually be affected by the spell... wait.
"Can the trolls be affected by the spell or is it only magic users?" I ask Bell, getting the trolls to tense
"Just magic users."
"Ok, so the ones who could be affected by the spell already knew the possible consequences. So all the yelling wasn't really necessary." Jim says. Purposely not looking at anyone for longer than a second.
"Why can't things ever be normal or at least less disaster filled?" Skrael mumbles into my arms.
"Because the universe loves to torture the ones who could finally be happy." Archie says, piping up in front of me on the table for the first time since the meeting started.
"Well screw the universe, It can have its problems back." The ones closest to us heard his comment and laughed at it.
Right then, like the universe heard Skrael's comment, the alarm Krel added to alert for Aridam's magical signature went off.
"I think it heard you." I say teasingly.
"Yeah no Sh– Sherlock."
"How'd you hear that phrase?"
"Krel and I were looking through things to catch up on humanity. Did I say it right?"
Kissing his cheek I respond. "Perfectly."
The humans and a few trolls ran to get our gear or some protection/ weapons on. Two minutes passed when we all met up in the main hall to shadow travel to the destination. Claire having got the location from Krel who was already ready, (finally after multiple attempts to have him take his weapon with him even while in the castle.) traveled us to a jungle somewhere in the Amazon rainforest.
When we got here, we were in a fully covered area of trees. We formed a circle facing away from each other incase someone appeared.
"Why in the world would he be here?" Nomura asked, blades already out.
"Because it's a trap." A deep, smooth, cocky voice says in my ear from somewhere behind me.
I turned quickly in fear to see no one behind me or in front of Nomura who was across from me.
"Doux?" Jim asks, looking at me.
"The little prince still hasn't figured it out? Why I am here? You've met me before, do you truely not remember? You were pretty young, it does make sense especially since you lived with Merlin for a while." The voice says again, placing a sickly sweetness into a few of the questions and spitting out Merlin's name.
"It's a trap." I whisper, with every second my fear growing.
Jim POV
"Doux?" I ask, when he whipped around for no reason.
"It's a trap" Douxie practically yells, looking more and more like he's about to have a panic attack.
We all activate or ready weapons as people start appearing from shadows or plain sight. We start fighting back, while Krel tries to gain Douxie's attention as he continues to panic. I'm slashing through a weapon when I get kicked in the side and lose my sword. An enemy's sword is aimed at my face when I summon mine back into my hand and attack them again, using their second of surprise to my advantage. I can see everyone engaged in their own battles, each fighting someone that rivals their skills.
Looking at Douxie when I get my attacker knocked out, I see him fighting against Aridam who is facing away from me. Krel is knocked out on the ground to the side of them. He's keeping him away decently well, but each spell is being deflected.
Everyone else is in a battle of their own when I run up and try to slash Aridam's back. Instead of hitting cloth or any sort of armor, my sword is met with an orange tinted force field that explodes back on me, forcing me far back.
Claire and Strickler are done with their battles now when I see something being placed onto Douxie's wrist as he tries to squirm out of his hold. Instead of using magic, Doux kicks back Aridam, causing him to be forced a few feet back. While he stumbles, he casts a spell, a force field around Doux that traps him into a small space.
Again instead of using magic he yells out pounds against the field none of which were heard. Archie is by the field, using his own magic to try and break it. Nomura, Bliknky and Aarrgh finished their fights. They fight against Aridam, who either deflects, blocks or redirects all of their attacks, not really attacking anyone.
Instead of joining the fight right away, I moved to Doux. I tried to break through the cage with my sword a few times, but all attempts failed. While doing so I notice that the thing that Aridam put onto Douxie's wrist was a black bracelet that is starting to slowly gain a dim blue color of Douxie's magic in the middle of it.
Skael and Bellroc finish their fights, Bellroc joining the others while Skrael checks on Krel for a second before trying his magic on the trap, failing himself.
The rest finish their fights, which again confuses me since Steve was fighting too and he's not the best fighter.
A strong orange blast attacks us all, sending us back or to the floor knocking most of us out.
I look up to where Aridam is walking to Douxie in the cage who is still yelling, or from what it looks like. Aridam stops a few feet away from where Douxie is, smirking. Douxie in return is glaring as if his stare would kill him.
I involuntarily blink and Douxie and Aridam disappeared from view, so did all of the attackers.
"They got away!" Steve yells
Everyone except Krel got up from the blast. Skael ran to his side and checked on him again.
"They wanted us here, they knew we would come." I say, gaining everyone's attention
"Why do you think that?" Bellroc asks, carrying Nari who, assuming by the very overgrown wildlife around, is pretty mad.
"The specific targeting of Douxie, the battles being too easy. Which I can excuse anyone else but even Steve got past his attacker." I point out
"Normally I would be offended, but yeah I got confused with that too." Steve says, looking around.
"Where's Claire?"
"What?" I ask, everyone's eyes on Steve for a second before looking around too.
Claire is nowhere to be found. Everyone's thoughts going to the same conclusion, he took Claire too.
"Well at least they didn't take me." Skrael says in a soft voice. Krel's head is in his lap now.
A few people glared at him, which in turn made him duck his head.
"I meant it as Douxie and Claire are the usual set of teleporters, but not our only ones. I can do so, so we're not stranded here."
"They're kidnapped and you don't even think about what could happen to them?! Your first thought is 'we still have a teleporter'. Seriously?" Archie says in clear distress, back in his cat form pacing in a circle.
"I am aware of what happened cat— Douxie's my boyfriend as much as Claire is Jim's girlfriend and it does worry me that he's not here and instead with Aridam, but our main focus should be to get back to the castle and to locate them from there." His tone changes from offensive to calmer when Krel hits Skrael's knee. A few people tried to calm down with that logic.
Skrael places his hand onto the grass, freezing the tips of the grass blades around all of us. His fingertips turning black like they used to be, and skin becoming a bit paler than before. Bringing his hand up in a quick motion, snow covers us all and when it settles, we're back in the castle.
POV Claire
Waking up after that blast Aridam created, I find myself in a dimly lit dungeon. Looking around, I can't find any guards or anyone else other than Douxie right across from me sitting against the other wall. We weren't chained, so I tried to create a shadow portal.
"It won't work."
"What?"
Looking at Douxie, he's looking outside the cell, he glanced at me before repeating the same thing and looking out again.
"You see that weird black bracelet around your wrist with your power color in the middle of it? It's a magic dampening cuff. You won't be able to do major magic like teleporting or major blasts. Your magic is basically limited to those new shadow manipulation and disappearing spells you've been working on with a lot more determination and energy than normal."
"How do you know about that?"
"I've had them on for long enough to understand how they work."
I was about to ask what he meant when I heard a creaky and loud door open. I heard five people approaching before I saw them. The first Is Aridam with more of a classier look in his clothes than before. His tunic and pants look like the secondary color of either black or orange is a fire burn and the cloak he was wearing is gone.
The next two people in view look to be a couple, both wearing crowns that look to be instate of a King and Queen. The Queen was wearing shades of dark purple in a simple but beautiful long sleeve dress, there are dark pants underneath with elegant close-toed heels. The king is wearing the same shade of purple with black accents on one of those king-like shirts and matching pants. Both of their crowns were a black-gold with purple jewels on them. The king had something near a scowl while the queen had a soft look while looking at Douxie.
The next person I can see is someone dressed similar to the king and queen except he was wearing a less dark flashy style and more armored version. His left arm and legs are covered in black armor, his right arm was covered as well but not as much. He's wearing a sort of like 'I told you so' smirk when looking at Douxie.
The last person is a guard in all black armor with some dark purple around the neck and back from what it looks like.
A soft, sickly sweet voice catches my attention.
"Hello Hisirdoux"
Douxie's looking back into the cell, glaring at the corner in the far side next to me. With obvious disdain and hate in his voice, he responds.
"Mother"
.......
"WhAT?!"