Having a bit of a down day, my apologies for no half-interesting/funny authors note stories. ^.^ I do hope you en-juh-hoy the chapter, my be-ay-yoo-tiful Rulers, and I'll be posting more news on the superhero story later on.
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Ch 7: "Not an Idiot"
"Has the great Dark Sorcerer gotten himself a boyfriend?"
Unfortunately, "No. Explain to me why there are uninvited guests in my forest," I growl, not yet dropping Brice's hand. He seems to be trembling a tad, anyways, so I figure it's for the best if we stay connected.
The leading Dark Mage laughs. "Oh, we're in your forest?" he asks patronizingly. "Rest assured, we'll be out in only a few minutes."
I raise an eyebrow. "Heading to the City, I assume?"
His expression relaxes. Because this is normal, everyday small talk, obviously. "Yes, sir. Coming from the City?"
"Indeed." Brice has still not stopped shaking, so I sigh as I drop his hand and move to stand in front of him. "I happen to have made an acquaintanceship with a few of the Citizens," I say, crossing my arms.
The relaxed expression disappears. "I see. And you were... what were you doing in the City? Were you visiting your acquaintances?"
"As it happens, I was. They were having a bit of an, ah... issue."
His expression un-relaxes even further, turning stony. "And did you take care of the issue."
I let the question hang for a moment. Finally, after a long, tense silence, I smirk and say, "I did."
"BAH!" he rages, splaying his hands out toward me, and I fly backwards and crash into a tree. Luckily, Brice had the good sense to move out from behind me, but now he's on his knees next to me, babbling and scared. "Then that means - we were successful! The Light Mages had no idea, but you had to go and ruin the whole thing!"
"Precisely," I cough out, and the rest of the Dark Mages, of which there are about thirty, glare at me and get into a fighting stance.
"Now, now," I say, ignoring Brice's hand and getting to my feet on my own, "let's all be calm about this. Would you like to explain why your people had taken up temporary residence in the City? They didn't seem to be very peaceful."
"They weren't supposed to be peaceful!" the lead Mage roars. "They were supposed to be capturing citizens so we could take them back to the Burg and make them our slaves!"
"Good Notch, going back a few thousand centuries, are we?" I ask, pushing Brice away in the hope that he'll stop bothering me about my health. "Sorry, pal, but our current time period isn't big on slaves."
His face has turned bright red, and his men look ready to pounce. "I don't care!" He grinds his teeth together. "First you take out our prophesiers stationed near 'your' precious forest, then you interrupt and badly damage one of my Kidnappers, then you take out another huge fort-" He growls. "Why'd you hafta get involved?"
"What can I say?" I smile sweetly. "I like the drama."
"ATTACK!" the Mage screams, and all of his Mages fire at me all at once.
"The spell!" I bark out, and Brice mumbles a rushed "Volito!" and then shouts in surprise as he flies above the firing range and watches every single spell hit me.
"Seto!" he cries, but I yell at him to keep his stupid face up there, and then I mumble a healing spell and thank Notch that none of those offensive spells were Instant Death.
"You've a bit of a temper, haven't you?" I laugh, struggling to my feet and then immediately getting knocked down again by a second flurry of spells. "Let me speak, dang it!" I roar, flying towards my attackers and blasting them all with a spell that encases them in an inescapable see-through bubble. I let out a long, slow breath and let my eyes fall closed. "Now then!" I say, my eyes flying open. "Let's have a civil chat, shall we?"
"Missed one," says the lead Mage, who has somehow dodged my attack. He points a hand at Brice, who squeaks where he floats. "Release them and surrender, or I will hurt your friend."
"Define hurt."
"I will tear him apart."
"Ah." I wave a hand behind my back so that he can't see. "And what happens once I surrender?"
"You come with us. Since we don't have a load of citizens to bring back with us, we will bring you instead. You will stay in a prisoner's cell in one of the most powerful Dark forts. We will torture you until you have no other choice but to either step out of the war or help us."
Brice's eyes go wide, and he frantically shakes his head.
"I can't let you get hurt," I say dramatically.
Slowly, I lower my hands and head. The bubble around the Mages disappears.
The lead Mage laughs and shoots a spell at Brice.
It bounces off, because "I'm not an idiot!" I laugh almost hysterically, leaning over and clutching my stomach. "Ah, but you folks sure are. He's protected. I'm protecting him. However, you can go ahead and escort me to this 'most powerful Mage fort.' I'd like to see it."
"You-"
"I won't make a fuss, I promise! Brice will come with us, of course. He will not leave my sight. If, at any point and for any reason, he does, then I will promptly blow up the whole lot of you."
"This seems risky," one of the Mages says nervously.
The lead Mage, who seems to be a bit of an idiot, laughs loudly. "Nonsense! This is the chance of a lifetime! Boys, tie up the sorcerer's friend."
"Tie up? Oh, no, that's hardly necessary. Brice will be good, won't you, Brice?"
"Y-Yes," he squeaks, slowly lowering himself to the ground.
"Well, there you have it. Now, Brice will walk either in front of me or next to me, but never behind me, and if I see any of you gentlemen harming him, disciplinary measures will be taken, as I mentioned before. Understood?" I ask, holding out my hands for them to tie.
"We will... allow you this one luxury. But that's all!" the lead Mage splutters.
"Lovely, I do appreciate your hospitality. Say, while you're at it with the whole hospitality deal, could you get me an ice cold water?"
"You sure do push your luck," Brice says quietly, and I laugh.
"Only because I can afford to."
"Tie up the sorcerer!" the lead Mage shouts angrily.
I tilt my head slightly as they yank my arms roughly forward and bind them together with magic. "Yikes. All right, then. Excuse me, but while we're conversing, may I ask why there are no female Mages in this group? I know of some very powerful women in this area who could certainly put up an interesting fight against me."
The Mage binding me yanks me forward again, and I grit my teeth as I fall to my knees in the dirt. "We're far stronger than them."
"Wow. You really are going back a few thousand centuries." I roll my eyes and look up at them. "We're past that, buddy."
"There was a second group preparing to follow us if we failed. They're the better casters, and most of the women are in that group," mumbles one of the Mages.
Brice bursts into laughter.
One of the Mages lurches toward Brice, but his feet freeze in place before he can touch the cowering boy. "Not a finger will be laid on him," I remind the Mage, waiting for his nod of agreement before I thaw his feet. "Brice, come here."
Eyes wide, Brice scurries to my side, hiding behind me slightly.
"Hush, it's all right. You'll stay by me, yes? I will protect you."
Brice throws his arms around me, and my own eyes go wider than Brice's were. "Thank you, Seto," he whispers in my ear, and I have to fight not to shiver in front of the Mages. But, Notch, his hot breath on my skin... "Are you sure this is okay? I'd be super scared if I were 'captured' by these guys."
I smile softly. "It's okay, Brice. I've everything under control."
He pulls back and grins at me, and I give up and grin back.
"What a cute little moment," the lead Mage snarls. "Justin, guide the sorcerer along."
The Mage binding me smirks and yanks me up off my knees, and I give him a polite warning glare. "You know, you're quite rough, and Brice and I have been on the road for quite a while," I say, casting a mental spell that traps me and Brice inside a see-through pink bubble. Brice laughs as the bubble floats us up a few feet in the air, and I sit down, cross my legs Indian style, and reach up to pull Brice down next to me. Justin the Mage furrows his eyebrows and tries to pull me forward with his magic, and the entire bubble goes floating peacefully after him with me and Brice inside. "I think we'll just stay up here and relax, if you don't mind."
"We mind," Justin huffs.
"Oh. Well, in that case, screw you."
Brice laughs harder and scoots closer to me, and I try to hide my blush when he puts his hand on my thigh. Dang it, Seto, you're the world's most powerful sorcerer! Not to mention - you're a dark sorcerer! You have no place falling in love with this boy, this boy who is pure and light and untainted, this boy who does not deserve to be wrapped up in your sorcery.
"Giddy up," I say dryly, looking at Justin.
He groans and begins the journey.
☼☼☼
For a while, we just sit quietly and observe the Dark Mages.
They walk briskly, always looking ahead, though Justin seems to have a habit of glancing back at me and Brice. The lead Mage is in the front of the group, leading, as he should be, and since he can't reprimand Justin, Justin's fellow Mages take the job instead.
Poor Justin.
"Hey, Seto?"
I look over at Brice. "Hmm?"
"Um, thank you for, like, saving me and then helping with the war and all that."
I smile, which is something I've done more in the past few days than in the past five years. "My pleasure, in the end."
Brice is positively glowing.
A few minutes pass, and Brice is drooping.
"U-Um... Seto?"
"Yes, Brice?"
"Uh- It's kind of been a while since we slept, you know, and... Could I lay my head on your lap maybe?" He winces as though afraid I'll push him away.
As the dark sorcerer that I am, I really should push him away.
But I don't.
"Yes. Go ahead, Brice."
He beams at me and then gets into position, carefully laying his head on my lap and almost curling up into a ball on his side. Oh Jeb. That's fricking adorable.
There is silence for a few moments.
"Hey, Seto?"
"Yes?"
"Could you, uh, sorry, but could you maybe, like, pet my hair? I'd be super grateful and it helps me fall asleep and-"
He purrs as I run my fingers through his hair.
Hot dang.
"Thank you, Seto."
"My pleasure."
A few minutes pass, and I think he's finally drifted off to sleep, when suddenly...
"We are friends, right, Seto?"
My eyes go wide. "Ah- Yes, I suppose so."
He clenches a fist nervously around the fabric of my cloak, though his head is still in my lap, and he's still got his eyes closed, I think. "Do you like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like that we're friends."
I frown for a moment. I shouldn't like it. I shouldn't. I am Dark, and I should not be tainting the Light.
But it has been an awfully long time since I have had a friend.
And Brice, if you ask me, is turning out to be one Nether of a partner.
"Yes," I blurt before I can overthink it even more, "I do like it. I like you."
The silence returns.
Finally, Brice whispers, "I like you, too."
And then he falls asleep.
It's entirely quiet now. Nothing to fill the silence, nothing but my own thoughts, and suddenly all I can think about is them, the people I trusted right up until the point I couldn't anymore. All I can think about is Ty, falling asleep whilst leaning against my shoulder, tired from a long day of fun; Jason, ranting about animal cruelty but then smiling apologetically and shutting up when I pointed at Ty's sleeping form; the rest of my friends gathered around us, laughing good-naturedly at Jason's embarrassed blush.
Oh, Notch, I miss them.
Forget it, Seto! Forget them. Why can't I forget them? They aren't coming back. They wouldn't take me back if I returned to them. They don't want me anymore. I doubt they ever wanted me in the first place.
I take a deep breath, bury my fingers in Brice's hair, and try to fall asleep with him.