“What the fuck was that?” Ryker suddenly shouted, turning on me. I took a step back, my hand still on the mirror.
“It was my idea to summon the cursed object.” Owen tried to interject. Ryker put up his hand, silencing him.
“What did you do to me?” Ryker demanded again, taking a step forward. I took a step back, removing my hand from the mirror.
“What are you talking about?” I demanded. My mind was still reeling over what happened.
“My fist should have gone right through that thing, what did you do?” He was growing angry now. I could see it in his honey gold eyes. The more annoyed he got, the more they looked like liquid gold.
“Saved our asses whatever it was.” Owen interrupted.
“I didn’t do anything,” I told him. I really hadn’t. The only thing I had tried to do was open a dimensional portal through the mirror to chuck the watch into. If we couldn’t banish the dybbuk, then it could haunt a hell plane.
“I felt the energy swell up in me, I felt the magic. You were touching me, what did you infuse into me?” He demanded. I knew that wizards could do such a thing, temporarily grant other mythos creatures with their powers, just for a moment, but I had never done anything like that. I glared at him, hoping he would listen to me.
“I didn’t do that. Whatever magic you felt was your own.” I argued.
“That’s impossible!” Ryker shouted.
“Nothing is impossible,” I shouted back. We were standing toe to toe, our faces close to each other, as we glared at one another. He let out a groan of frustration, and he actually bared his teeth at me.
“You are the most frustrating little witch I’ve ever met.” He pulled away from me and started to pace around the room.
Owen was staring at me, with the oddest expression. It wasn’t angry or even suspicious, but more like he had encountered something he had never seen before and wanted to study it further. To break the tension, I glanced down at the watch still in my hand
“We should destroy this,” I said to both of them.
“Owen should do it,” Ryker said, snatching the watch out of my hand. “Magic goes wonky when you’re around.” He meant that as an insult. I could see it in the way he glared at me.
Tossing the watch to Owen, Ryker resumed pacing around the room. I stood with my back against the wall next to the mirror. Owen materialized a bucket full of salt. He set the bucket in the middle of the altar we had made earlier and then set the watch inside of it, burying it a little in the salt. Taking a step back, he hovered his hand over the altar and started to mutter an incantation. The house began to shake. Owen kept on as the walls rattled around us. Suddenly a shriek filled the room.
“Ivy!” Ryker shouted at me. The dybbuk manifested right next to me.
With a wave of its hand, the creature threw me across the room. I landed hard on my shoulder, hearing a popping sound. Shooting pain started at my shoulder and then shot down to the tips of my fingers. I let out a gasp, still lying where I landed on the floor across the room where the couch used to be.
“Keep going!” Ryker shouted at Owen, who had paused the incantation. Owen kept on as Ryker stood between us and the really pissed off spirit in front of us.
The house shook so hard around us. I thought it might collapse. A blinding agony quaked through my body as I tried to sit up. My left shoulder was throbbing, and every breath I took my ribs would send white-hot flashes of torment through my torso. Ryker went to punch it again, but his hand passed harmlessly through the shadow. The dybbuk released another shrill screech as it sent Ryker flying across the room towards me. I managed to scramble out of the way, despite my body revolting in pain. Ryker fell beside me, but it didn’t look like he was hurt, as he popped back up to his feet and charged again. The dybbuk threw the mirror off of the wall, hurling it straight at the knight. I screamed, but Ryker dodged easily, pivoting on his heel. The mirror then came right towards me. I couldn’t move. I was too hurt. Owen and I caught eyes.
The heavy metal framed mirror slammed right into me. The glass shattered around me as I felt the skin on my arms and face being slashed to pieces. All I could do was lay there, as I watched my own red blood seep into the cream-colored carpet, the heavy frame on top of me. I was too weak to move it.
The look on Ryker’s face was of pure rage. Turning, he did an interesting twist kick, making contact with the shadow monster this time, and sending it flying back. Owen sped up the incantation, smoke starting to spire from the bucket. The dybbuk shrilled and shrieked, and the walls wobbled around us as pictures and other hangings crashed to the floor. My eyes grew heavy as the carpet around me was turning more and more red.
The front door burst open as Agent Rogers and other instructors started to rush in. My Grams immediately went to my side as Owen finished the incantation banishing the dybbuk to the underworld. Grams lifted the mirror off of me and gasped.
“We need to get her to the infirmary right now.” Grams said, her voice rising in panic. I was so cold, and my body started to shiver. The more I trembled, the more pain I felt. I managed to whimper in her direction.
“Oh, my sweet Ivy.” She said, looking back down at me. Gently she placed her hand on my forehead. “Sleep, baby, sleep.”
My eyes opened just as we reached the infirmary. Grams was marching around in front of the path of my gurney, ordering people about. A doctor, or at least I think he was, leaned over, looking closely at my face and eyes.
“She’s awake.” He called. The others looked at me, smiles on their faces.
They parked my bed in a private room off the side of the emergency room. The MBI campus had a large teaching hospital for magical medical students. Mythos creatures had to go the doctor the same as everyone else. However, they needed their own medical staff. A fairy couldn’t go to a human hospital and complain of glitter syndrome. First of all, the doctors would have no idea what they were talking about and the fact that they had lungs that could process air and water would freak them out a bit.
As soon as my bed came to a stop, the doctors hovered over me. Some were checking my blood pressure and things like that, hooking me up to the vitals machine. One was leaned over my head, shining a flashlight in my eyes and checking down my throat. Doctor lingo filled the air as they all got to work. The doors of the room automatically slid open, and a tall, incredibly handsome doctor walked through. He was absolutely McSteamy, with his salt and pepper hair but strong jaw and high cheekbones. He had deep hazel eyes and a large build.
“Hello Ivy, I’m Dr. Pendragon.” He gave me a warm, comforting smile.
“Pendragon?” I found myself questioning. The other doctors and nurses scurried around me, wrapping my arms and legs in special bandages.
“That’s right.” He smiled and sat on one of those wheelie stools, near my head, to stay out of the way of the other doctors.
“Can you tell me what happened?” He asked, keeping my attention on him.
“Um, a dybbuk threw me across the room,” I remembered, and then a shooting pain invaded my shoulder and side. I gasped for air. Concern clouded Dr. Pendragon’s eyes as he stood. “When I landed, I hurt my shoulder and side, and then it threw a mirror at me.”
“That explains all the cuts.” Dr. Pendragon smiled. He gently laid his hands on my shoulder. I bit through the pain as he prodded his fingers over my bones and muscles.
“Get Ortho in here.” Dr. Pendragon said to a nurse. She nodded and left the room. Grams entered the room.
“Ma’am, please you can’t be in here.” A nurse was the first to run defense.
“The hell I can’t. Do you know who I am?” She snapped at the nurse. I felt sorry for the medical staff that crossed her. Dr. Pendragon looked over, and his eyes widened.
“My lady Le Fay.” Dr. Pendragon bowed his head in respect. He then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and started to lead her out of the room. “My apologies, my lady, but only medical staff are allowed in here. I promise you, we will take the
utmost care of your granddaughter.” He was saying as they left. A younger man sat in the wheelie stool that Dr. Pendragon had once sat in and started to put those strange bandages on my face.
“What are you doing?” I asked, wanting to take my mind off of the pain.
“We’re trying to save your face, my lady.” He replied in a gentle tone.
“My face?” I gasped. I had a pretty face, I’d always had a pretty face, and everyone said so. What would I do if I wasn’t pretty anymore? I know that was shallow to think, and looks aren’t everything, but my entire identity rested on the fact that I was pretty!
“Don’t worry, my lady, you will look exactly the same when we’re done.” He promised me.
“Why are you calling me that?” I asked as he pressed a bandage to my forehead. The bandages were at least an inch thick, and the ones that were already wrapped around my arms and legs were glowing golden sparkling light.
“You’re Lady Le Fay’s granddaughter, her titles go to you.” He murmured as he carefully wrapped the cloth around my eyes. He left tiny holes just enough so I could see without my peripherals. I hadn’t thought of my grandmother’s millennia-old title being past down to me, but then again they did call Ryker King of Knights, which was a title he inherited from Arthur, so I supposed it made sense.
“You can just call me Ivy,” I said as he wrapped under my chin.
“Okay, Ivy.” He gave me a smile. I read on his name tag that he was an intern and he wasn’t of a legacy. I didn’t recognize his last name.
“What do the bandages do?” I asked. If I was there, I might as well learn more about the capabilities of magic. My pain was suddenly non-existent, and my mind was clear.
“They’re Hippocrates Bandages.” He replied. Hippocrates? That name sounded familiar. I searched the archives of my mind and found that name under Ancient Greece. He was one of the most renowned physicians of the time and opened up many research aspects for future study. He was basically the father of modern medicine.
“He was magical?” I asked.
“Oh yes, a great warlock, specializing his magic in healing.” He smiled. “He was one of the first to do so.”
“And he made these bandages?” I asked.
“His legacy did, in the 1960s.” The young doctor nodded. “They heal any minor flesh wound without scarring.” I smiled at him, thankful that my face was saved.
Dr. Pendragon returned then with a lady doctor about his same age. She had soft red hair and big, pretty blue eyes that were full of kindness.
“Hello Ivy, I’m Dr. Frankenstein, of orthopedics.” She smiled, holding my limp hand. Since they put on the bandages, my body seemed to have fallen into paralysis.
“Frankenstein?” I asked. She nodded, giving me a wide smile, but I could see the slight aggravation of having a legacy like that, and having every person she comes in contact with point it out. “Sorry.” I then muttered.
“It’s alright.” Her smile widened. “I want to check on your shoulder, you might feel a sting, but the bandages should be taking care of your pain receptors, so hopefully you won’t feel a thing.” I nodded, and she set her small soft hands on my shoulder.
“Oh, yes, it might be broken.” She sighed. Then she moved her hands down that side, and I jumped at the tenderness. “And you might have some broken ribs as well. Alright, we’re going to take you to x-ray now just to have a clear picture.” She smiled down at me. I agreed and then orderlies were in the room wheeling me away again.
In the x-ray room, a gigantic orderly managed to just scoop me up and lay me on the x-ray table. It didn’t even hurt. The technician told me to lie as still as possible. Currently, all of my limbs were under magical paralysis, so I wasn’t sure what he was referring to that I could move. They took their pictures, positioning the camera this and that way over my shoulder and side, and then over my stomach. I wondered why they did that.
From there, they put me in a private room where my Grams was waiting. The nurses told us that the doctors would be in there soon to go over the x-rays and what needs to happen next. I felt my eyes start to grow heavy, as the warmth of the Hippocrates Bandages and the pain relief, caused my body to fully relax.
“Tell me what happened, sweet girl.” Grams said, sitting next to my bed. “I saw it, but I still can’t believe it.” Maybe it was the grogginess of my head, but I had no idea what she was talking about.
“Saw what?” I asked. Morgana leaned over me, she always smelled like patchouli. A worried expression clouded her emerald green eyes.
“You don’t know what happened, do you?” She asked.
“It all happened so fast.” I murmured.
“I know, sweetling.” She replied, rubbing her thumb over the back of my hand. “I’ll get the tape and show you. For now, take a rest.”
I wasn’t sure how long I slept, but I awoke to the sound of a knock, and Dr. Pendragon and Dr. Frankenstein were entering the room. They greeted my grandmother and then turned their attention to me.
“Ivy, we have good news. It looks like your shoulder is just dislocated.” Dr. Frankenstein started, putting the x-ray up on the viewing screen. “After they take the bandages off, I can come in and just pop it back into place. Three of your ribs have slight hairline fractures, so they’ll be sensitive for a couple weeks while they heal. I’m going to give Agent Rogers instructions that you are to do no physical activity for six weeks until those ribs heal.” She stated. I smiled and thanked her.
“Now the problem,” Dr. Pendragon started. “Ivy, I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but when you came in, you were bleeding from a cut on your stomach. We set the bandages on it, but it looks like a piece of mirror actually made it inside.” I could see the shard on the x-ray. “Now you’re lucky because it has not cut or harmed your organs, but it is imperative that you keep extraordinarily still until we can take it out.”
“No problem,” I replied.
“The nurses will remove your bandages in about,” He glanced down at his watch, “ten minutes. Then we will come in and remove the shard, no surgery needed, and after that, Dr. Frankenstein will pop your shoulder back in place. From there, we’d like to keep you overnight for observation, but by the morning, you should be able to go back to your dorm,” Dr. Pendragon explained. Grams and I agreed and then they left for a few minutes.
“While you were asleep I also talked to your parents, they’re on their way now.” Grams said, squeezing my hand.
“Grams, what happened?” I asked, wanting to know what she meant earlier.
“We’ll discuss it later.” She promised me, “For right now, you need to focus on getting better.”
I let the subject drop. After a few minutes, the nurses and intern doctors unwrapped me. Sure enough, the cuts on my arms were gone entirely. I couldn’t believe how well those bandages worked. When they were finished with that, Dr. Pendragon came in wearing a set of scrubs and a surgical mask. The nurses put a sterilized pad over my bare stomach with just a small hole in it where they could access the shard. Dr. Pendragon grabbed a pair of forceps and told me to close my eyes. I listened to him because I had no want or need to see that get pulled out of my own stomach. I didn’t feel a thing. In fact, I had no idea it was done until he told me to open my eyes again. My stomach had a Hippocrates Bandage covering the incision, and they were already throwing away all the bloody surgical supplies. Then, Dr. Frankenstein walked in.
“This will hurt.” She warned after helping me sit up.
“Oh, good,” I grumbled. Without warning or setting her hands, or even evaluating, she popped my shoulder back into place; then I felt the impact in my bones. I let out a little yelp, but my shoulder did feel better.
After I caught my breath, the medical staff retook my vitals and told me only to stand to go to the bathroom, other than that I was not to move. My Grams stayed with me the entire time. We ate dinner together, well, I ate Jell-O because that was all I was allowed to eat, and then we turned on one of those singin
g competition shows. I was just dozing off when there was another knock on the door. Owen stood at the door with Ryker behind him. I smiled, a warm feeling flooding my chest as I realized that they had come to see me.
“We’ve come to relieve you,” Owen said to Morgana in an authoritative tone. I noticed as they stepped farther into the room that they both had bags in their hands and pillows under their arms. Maybe it was the wear of the day or the pain medication, but at that moment, I just felt so happy that tears forms in my eyes. I realized that for the first time in my life, I had friends.
“Is that so?” Grams asked, crossing her arms over her chest, but she had a small smile on her face. Two security officers ran by and Owen and Ryker, both at the same time, leaned against the wall to become less noticeable.
“Visiting hours are over.” Grams said as she watched the security officers run by.
“We were stuck in questioning all afternoon,” Owen argued. She looked between the two of them for a long moment, her eyes shifting back and forth. Then she looked over at me.
“It’s up to you, Ivy Rose.” She then said.
“It’s okay Grams, they can stay.” I nodded. Grams nodded, giving me a warm smile.
“Fine, I suppose I should go call off the hunt.” Grams sighed and then stepped out of the room.
“Thanks for coming, guys.” I smiled at them.
“We’ve been trying to get here all damn day.” Owen snapped. “Ryker punched Agent Rogers when he restrained him from getting into the ambulance.” I stared at Ryker in shock. He just shrugged, looking away. “Which that made the questioning go longer because Golden Boy King of Knights punched a teacher, so there was a disciplinary hearing before the report meeting.”
“Why were you there?” I asked him.
“I had to have his back,” Owen replied in an innocent tone. I let out a little laugh.
“Well, you look a lot better than the last time we saw you,” Owen said, sitting in the chair next to me. Ryker sat on the couch behind him, looking up at the television.
Legacies Page 7