"Gregor! Please come back to me Gregor! Don't leave me Gregor!" I wept.
"I'm not leaving. I just need to figure out how to stop the compulsion without using more compulsion magic on you," replied Gregor, from across the field. He was miles away, so far away. I feared he might disappear, flicker out like a candle in the wind if I blinked.
"You are so far away Gregor. I'm scared. Please come back," I begged.
"I'm literally ten feet away from you," sighed in exasperation Gregor.
I pressed my lips together stifling a cry. I didn't want him to hate me more. I couldn't live if he didn't love me. I wiped my tears and watched Gregor in silence. I felt like I was dying without him. I was empty and lost. More tears gathered and fell onto the grass. I whimpered and cried- I tried to be quiet but I couldn't. It hurt to be away from him. It hurt not to touch him, to not kiss him. I was nothing without him, I couldn't exist without him, I didn't exist without him. His taste lingered on my lips and his touch lingered on my skin. The places he touched, the traces of him ached. They were scars, brands seared into my flesh. It hurt. Everything hurt. Every fibre of my being ached for him, begged for him, fell apart without him.
My body crumbled under the misery. I collapsed onto my hands and knees, tears pouring down my face. My brain throbbed and my blood was lava."Gregor," I whimpered. Through my blurry eyes I saw the shape of Gregor rush back to me.
"Tristan, are you okay?" he asked. His words crackled and buzzed like he was speaking through an old tv set.
I let my body fall onto the grass and I rolled onto my back. "I don't know, I don't know," I cried but it sounded like whispers. My tears burned like acid.
"What's going on?" The sound of Gregor's words faded as the buzzing grew louder in my ears.
"It hurts." My voice broke as my throat tightened. It hurt to speak. My jaw hurt, my lungs hurt, my tongue hurt.
"What hurts? Where does it hurt? Tell me!" Gregor looked desperate but he sounded like he was miles away.
"My head, my body, everything- hurts." My vision dimed.
"Don't close your eyes, wake up! Wake up!" Gregor shook me and a woke up a bit. He sounded clearer and felt closer than before. "What should I do? I don't know what I should do."
"Gregor," I gasped. Icy cold air filled my lungs, it hurt to breathe. My muscles were stiff but my limbs were limp. Gregor said something but I couldn't hear him- it was just buzzing. I needed to stay awake- for Gregor at least.
My fingers felt numb but I managed to sit up by clinging onto Gregor. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself focused. The world around me rippled, despite or maybe through the pain I felt a sudden rush of clarity. I remembered I could pass the magic inside me to Gregor.
"Gregor!" I cried but I couldn't hear my own voice. "You need to make a portal."
I saw his mouth move and shake his head but I couldn't hear him. My eyelids felt heavy.
"I can't hear you Gregor. I'll try- I'll try and give you magic but you need to take us to someone to help us." It took so much effort to speak, I couldn't even tell if I was actually speaking but Gregor nodded in response. I reached for his hand and noticing what I was doing held my hand.
I closed my eyes and imagined my magic gathering in my chest, like a swirling mist and then flow down my arm. I felt my burning hand tingle. I pressed my magic through my palms to Gregor's hand. There was a wall that stopped it from passing through, I tried to push again but my magic did not pass through. It felt like I was making waves against the edge of a dam.
It's so strange, it worked earlier even when we weren't trying to. Maybe Gregor was holding back and not letting the magic pass. Maybe it was me, maybe I was trying too hard. You can't just hit the thread against the needle and expect it to get threaded
I closed my eyes again. I imagined the Gregor's and my magic on either side of a thin film, a semi-permeable membrane. I was full of magic, both mine and his, my body thick and saturated with magic. Gregor was empty, I tried to push my magic through, I could picture the membrane move and change under the pressure I was pushing but it did not break, and the magic did not get pushed through.
I choked, my lungs constricted. Why is this so hard? I pictured our hands again and the film between us. I pressed my essence thick with magic and then I pulled back, I pulled my magic away until both sides of the film was diluted. I pulled more and more away, gathering it in my lungs. I pulled so much, some of Gregor's essence was pulled through to me.
I focused on slowly, slowly letting some of the magic through, some of the magic flowed back to my hand and mixed with Gregor's. I pushed again and this time it went through the. It went through slowly like syrup through a tea towel.
I reduced the pressure and let the magic linger at the border between Gregor and me. It slowly swirled and spread and seeped through the film into Gregor.
The heat and pain eased and I heard Gregor half laugh- half snort in surprise. I opened my eyes Gregor was smiling. He kissed me on my lips and I almost felt it. With a flick of his hand Gregor summoned his axe. He placed the blade on the grass in front of us. With a pulse the circle of grass disintegrated. Gregor helped me to my feet.
I gripped Gregor's hand as tight as I could and kept the connection between us flowing as magic pulse from me to him. With the blade of his axe he drew a circle in the ground. He added more curves and circles, a sun like fractal pattern.
Gregor hovered his axe above the pattern and the air above the it began to shimmer. It was a portal. "It worked," I whispered triumphantly.
My focus broke and the connection between us cut. The pain, heat and dizziness returned. Gregor held me so I didn't fall but I wanted was to sleep, I wanted the pain to end. I wanted to stop existing so I closed my eyes.
*
I woke up in a bed next to Gregor. He was curled into a ball pressed against the wall with his back to me. I could hear his even breathing as he slept. The pillows and sheets around us were white and soft. My body felt stiff and numb. I moved my fingers bit by bit until the stiffness faded. My whole body felt like it had pins and needles, a tingling prickling sensation followed each movement I made. Where was I? The last thing I could remember was being in a field with Gregor.
My neck was stiff and my joints clicked as I sat up in bed. I glanced around the room. There was a bookshelf full of books in one corner. A full length mirror next to a shoe rack full of black boots. There was a clothes rack full of black clothes next to a closet which I assumed was also full of more black clothing. The walls were covered in band posters and maps. A silver music stand stood between a wall and a large mahogany desk. There were books and files on the desk with a violin case placed precariously on top. Everything screamed Gregor.
The sound of a door opening made my pulse quicken. A tall middle aged woman in a dark blue Kaftan entered.
"Oh, you're awake. Good." Her words were monotone, decisive and intimidating.
She looked a lot like Gregor but with a wider jaw, sharper cheekbones and lighter redder skin. Her sharp steps clicked against the hardwood floor as she walked up to the bed.
She smiled but she didn't seem happy. "Hello Tristan, I'm Gregor's mother."
"Hello," I whispered. I saw her eyes twitch as I spoke as if she was so angry her stiff face couldn't hide it.
"Is Gregor awake?" she asked tilting her head to the side.
I shook my head. Gregor's mother sat on the edge of the bed and took my hand.
"How are you feeling?" Her tone had changed from before, it was soothing.
"I'm fine," I replied, my eyes fixed on her hands as she stroked the back of my hand with her thumb. "What...what happened exactly?"
She sighed and turned to Gregor. "When you and Gregor arrived he was exhausted and you were falling in and out of consciousness."
Like camera flashes I remembered how I had gone mad under Gregor's compulsion and how I was driven delirious with pain and fever before passing out. "I- I was sick and in pain earlier but now...I'm suddenly better," I whispered.
Her brows creased slightly. "No. You're still very sick."
"What?" I choked.
"You're still sick. I eased some of your symptoms and Nestor- Gregor's father, stopped you from feeling pain."
"Do you know what's wrong with me?" I said as I wondered why was I here and not at a hospital right now.
"Yes. You're being poisoned by Gregor's magic. Your body can't handle the amount of magic so it's like your overdosing."
"What-what should I do? Am I going to die?" I stuttered. My mind went numb. The idea was so horrifying I couldn't comprehend it.
"No, you'll be fine. Probably," she replied and placed my hand back down on the bed.
"What do you mean by probably?" I asked, my heart constricting.
The edges of her eyes crinkled. "You'll be fine. When Gregor gets up we'll fix everything, we just need you both to be awake so we'll know if something goes wrong. Okay?"
I nodded. "Yes, okay."
Gregor's mother smiled again showing off her fang like teeth. When she got up and left the room I exhaled deeply. A pressure in the room had eased. Gregor groaned and rolled over, pressing his face against my side like a cat.
"Are you awake Gregor?" I whispered.
"No," mumbled Gregor after a pause.
"Liar. How long have you been awake?" I smiled.
"When my mother came in. But I didn't want to disturb your conversation... or talk to her yet." Gregor hugged me around the waist and lifted his head. I moved his hair away from his face and he nuzzled my hand.
I smiled but then remembered the compulsion for earlier. "You're magic..." I muttered.
"It's gone," sighed Gregor. "I used all the magic I got back from you to portal here. My parents were pissed I brought you here suffering of magic poisoning but they said they'll take care of it properly."
I knew Gregor's mother was angry. "What about the charm? The compulsion magic?" I asked. My voice quivered more than I expected.
"It's still there but it's not active. My father said he'll take it off when he takes of the spell blocking your pain. Taking off the fairy magic however will be more complicated." groaned Gregor.
"You told them about the fairy forest?"
Gregor let go of me and sat up. "Just my father. When I told him, he did this thing where he pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales loudly which is his version of 'I'm not angry just disappointed'. I think he was more angry about how awry compulsion I used on you went. He'll probably give me a lecture on not to use emotional magic recklessly and how important consent it."
"Well consent is important," I said looking down and away from him.
"Yeah, I know. Sorry." Gregor bumped his shoulder against mine.
"No worries," I replied brushing the back of my hand against his. Gregor held my hand and kissed me on the forehead. A pleasant warmth filled me when he touched me. I liked soft, gentle, comforting moments like this. Hopefully this peace would last longer than the few fleeting ones like this we shared before.
"Do you want to kiss?" I whispered to Gregor.
He winced. "I do to but... not right now. We might trigger the compulsion magic again and I'd rather kiss you when you aren't under a spell."
"Urg, don't say that. It'll make me want to kiss you more," I said and placed my head on his shoulder.
"Oh no," he chuckled.
The door flung open but it wasn't Gregor's mother but a girl who I assumed was Gregor's sister Percy. Her skin was red but darker than Gregor's. Her curly black hair which was tied into a ponytail cascaded down to her shoulder. She wore a pink crop top and grey sweatpants. She eyed me up and down with a grimace on her face and clicked her tongue.
"If you two are awake, come down stairs already," she hissed and left, leaving the door wide open.
"That was Percy," said Gregor before adding. "sorry, about her."
"Ah... yes, the evil twin. Will the other evil twin be equally hostile?" I asked sarcastically.
"No. I doubt you'll see him, Theo only ventures out of his cave for meals." Gregor was joking but the monotone way he spoke made me wonder if he was actually serious.
We reluctantly got out of bed. Gregor lead me down the hallway to a large living room with an indoor courtyard. The walls were decorated with colourful mosaic and the doorways with carved wood and stucco. The tiled floor was covered in thick woollen carpets. Gregor's mother and Percy were sitting on a dark leather couch, they were talking but became silent when Gregor and I entered.
Gregor moved away from me when his mother waved me over to her. Percy got up and walked to Gregor and I took her place on the couch. Silently, Gregor's mother took my hand, pressing her thumb softly on my knuckles to push my hand open.
"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
"I'm fine," I replied. I glanced at Gregor from the corner of my eye who was whispering with Percy.
"How long did it take between the magic entering your body before you started experiencing symptoms? Like fever and dizziness," asked Gregor's mother.
"Um... I'm not sure. A couple hours maybe." My eyes darted from my hand to the couch to around the room, anywhere but at her. Her dark black eyes exerted a pressure on me. I couldn't tell if it was magic or because she was so intimidating.
"Fine!" scoffed Percy before whipping around and stomping out of the room.
Gregor's eyes widened and he sighed loudly. "I definitely wasn't as bad as her when I was her age," said Gregor as he walked to us and sat beside me.
"You were as bad, but in different ways," smirked Gregor's mother.
"Whatever. Where's Ada?"
"You're father's on the phone with Aleman again so he'll be awhile." She smiled as she spoke, her expressions were softer when she spoke to Gregor than when she spoke to me.
"Is about the knife again? He's got to let it go," said Gregor.
"It's important to him." Gregor's mother turned over my hand palm side up.
"Yeah, but I don't think right now is the moment to be pissing off uncle Alfred anymore," grumbled Gregor.
"When I talked to him earlier he didn't seem angry. I think he actually found it quiet funny." She lifted her right hand and snapped her fingers. In a plume of black fumes a paint brush appeared in her hand. It had white bristles and a black handle decorated with silver filigree.
"Uncle Cal said you were mad about it," grumbled Gregor.
"I was. He was so smug I could see him smirking through the phone line. I hated apologizing to him." She touched the paintbrush on my palm and drew circles."On the positive side, he'll probably stop picking on you for now."
"What makes you say that?" asked Gregor moving in closer.
She looked from Gregor to me and shrugged. "It's a feeling but-" She paused and looked down at my hand.
"W-what?" I muttered. My body reflexively leaned away from her.
A frowned flickered on her face before her expression relaxed to unreadable again. "Nothing- just...What type of magic do you practice?"
"I practice shadow magic- like shadow puppets," I replied.
"Shadow magic? Who taught you that?" she asked incredulously.
"I taught myself. I have a book on dark magic and I learned from that," I said and bit my lip. Was I in trouble? It sounded like I was in trouble.
"Tristan is from the middle world and they don't really practice dark magic there," added Gregor.
"No one practices dark magic there because there's no darkness to practice with- unless you use shadows. Shadow magic itself is outdated, no one learns it anymore. I'm not too familiar with it so, this might be a bit touch and go." She swirled the paint brush in figure eights.
My head was buzzing, I could barely follow what she was saying. "So you can't take Gregor's magic out?"
"I can but it's just strange how your magic and his magic are tangled together inside you. Our family magic has similar roots but we haven't done shadow magic since my grandfather's time for obvious reasons." She looked past me at Gregor. "It's probably why it messed you up so much."
Gregor winced and looked away. "Yeah, I figured. Can you do it already?"
"Alright, alright, don't get into a tizzy" his mother teased.
She moved the brush from my palm to my forehead and swirled in circles. I felt something inside my chest. A black hole sucking me up from the inside out. I gasped as if all the air was pulled out of my lungs, but it wasn't air but my magic. It felt like my blood was beings drained through a straw.
When the brush was removed, a black smoke like dust swirled around and around the brush hairs. She placed the brush on Gregor's forehead which sucked up all the black dust. Gregor inhaled deeply and his eyes widened. He blinked in daze like he came out from a dark movie theatre into the light.
"Feel better?" She asked with a satisfied smile.
Gregor nodded. "Yes. Much better."