“Great. Does anyone have any questions?” Idris asked.
“I’m not a sorcerer, but I was wondering how you’ll determine who’s going to be a recipient of Immortalis,” Mac said.
“That was my question as well,” Alaric added.
“This is Idris’s potion. He’ll determine how this is going to be doled out,” Dra’Kaedan answered.
“I was thinking we could do a vote just as we do at D’Vaire. Only a unanimous decision will allow us to offer the potion. The two things we all need to consider when we vote is how the person in question will receive the invitation and whether they can be trusted to keep the secret of Immortalis,” Idris responded. “My plan was to review the list of our first recipients before we cast today.”
“Before we get there, can I ask what kind of risk all of you are taking by casting?” Brogan asked.
“The simulations show no real risk. We’re all accomplished sorcerers. If we don’t perform it accurately, the only consequence is the potion failing. It’ll take all of the magic we possess so we’ll be extremely tired, which is why everyone was asked to spend the night here,” Idris replied.
“We’re going to throw a movie on downstairs in the theatre room,” Delaney revealed. “You’re all welcome to join us.”
Vadimas frowned. “It’s not a horror movie, is it?”
Delaney’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. Everyone was aware of how much he enjoyed the genre. “No, that’s a bit much when you’re tired. It’s a comedy.”
“Let’s go over the preliminary list of people I’d like us to consider,” Idris said. “I believe we should start with the most obvious person—Aleksander. Brogan, you’re his best friend. How receptive do you believe he would be?”
“He’ll either drink it, or I’ll shove it down his throat,” Brogan vowed.
“Well, we don’t have to question his honor or integrity, so are there any other things to consider regarding Aleksander?” Idris asked. After several minutes of silence, Idris bobbed his head. “Ready to vote?” They all raised their hands, and the D’Vaire king was unanimously approved to become the first recipient of Immortalis.
Delaney rubbed his hands together. “Who’s next?”
“I thought we should look past D’Vaire for a moment and consider King or Queen Beradraconis. Their sons are immortal, and I’d like for them to have their parents. Since they are Trystan’s grandparents, they’re closely linked with our family. Thoughts?” Idris inquired.
“I really like the idea of giving this kind of gift to Drystan and Conley’s folks. I resurrected them without their permission, and anything we can do to enrich their life—I’m all for it,” Chander said. “Aeron and Helen can certainly be trusted with secrets. They never once revealed the details of Drystan and Conley’s former lives, even though they were sure the pair were the former emperors. I can’t really imagine them refusing to get the chance to spend eternity with their sons and grandson. They already had to miss over six hundred years.”
“Any objections?” Idris asked. There were none, and a second vote was cast. The entire group agreed they were next to receive the potion. “I was thinking in cases like this where we’re giving it to a couple, we could present it to them and allow them to decide which person actually drinks it.”
“Does it matter which one drinks it?” Mac asked. “Are there side effects?”
“It’s going to burn a little when they drink it, and they’ll feel overly warm for less than a minute before they turn immortal,” Idris replied. “It doesn’t matter which one drinks it. Fate will extend the life of the mate who doesn’t.”
“I say, let the couple decide,” Brogan said.
“Good enough. Since we’re talking couples, let’s move onto Larissa and Madeline. Thoughts?”
“Do we honestly need to go through the list of D’Vaires?” Brogan asked. “It’s a small list of people who aren’t already immortal.”
“I have objections to some of the D’Vaires,” Delaney responded.
“Okay, why not discuss those instead of forcing Idris to go through them one by one?” Brogan stated.
“I’m cool with that. Should I start with who I object to, or does anyone have someone in the family they’d like to bring up?” Delaney inquired.
“I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say it’s Duff you’re objecting to. It’s no secret you two have had a rift grow between you in the last couple of weeks,” Dre’Kariston said. “And if I’m right, then we’re in agreement. I don’t think he’s a suitable candidate.”
“His behavior has been somewhat inconsistent since I arrived, and I have started to—at least in some small quarter of my mind—question his commitment to the D’Vaire name,” Mac commented.
“He had Aleksander legally change his name back to Cominsky, dropping the D’Vaire,” Brogan chimed in.
Renny’s head whipped to the dragon shifter. “That’s weird. He’s only been here a couple of months. He didn’t have to take the name in the first place—it’s optional.”
“He couldn’t really explain why he wanted the change either, but Aleksander wasn’t going to argue. He’s entitled to call himself what he wishes. It’s just another symptom of his strange behavior,” Brogan replied.
“I thought he was just irritating me. I did know about the name change, but is there something deeper going on here?” Delaney asked.
Mac shrugged. “I don’t know. I just think he’s a young kid trying to find himself. I’m not convinced he’ll remain here at D’Vaire, hence my objection. He hasn’t done anything crazy or detrimental, but I wouldn’t describe him as content or happy either.”
“I agree. He simply hasn’t been here long enough to offer him something that needs to remain a secret,” Brogan responded.
“Okay, so Duff is a no. Is there anyone else at D’Vaire you guys have an objection to?” Idris asked.
Mac shifted a bit in his seat. “My brother. He’s only been here a couple of weeks and while I’m happy he’s here, I’m only just getting to know him. I can’t vouch for his ability to keep a secret, because I have no clue. And like Duff, he’s young and may not remain here. This could be a pit stop, or he might find a way to reconcile with his folks.”
“I’ll be honest. I’m glad you said that. From what I’ve seen he’s a good kid, but let’s give him some time to get acclimated,” Dra’Kaedan told Mac.
“I figured it’d be easier if I started the conversation about him. I don’t want anyone to keep silent simply because we’re related.”
“Carter is our second no. Anyone else have a person they wish to discuss?” Idris asked. When he got no response, the corners of Idris’s mouth turned upward. “Okay, then we’ll reevaluate Carter and Duff in the future. We’ll go ahead and speak with the recipients after we’ve completed our task. With that out of the way, are there any questions about casting Immortalis?”
“Where are you guys planning on doing this?” Brogan asked.
“We need plenty of space—we’ll do it in the backyard,” Dra’Kaedan responded.
“The rest of the family might wonder what the hell you all are doing,” Brogan countered.
Dra’Kaedan gave no indication of concern. “We play with magic all the time. I don’t think they’ll be all that shocked to see us casting a lot of it. If they ask what we were up to, we can always say it was a spell that fizzled. Something along the lines of wanting to test our power now that the wizards have unlocked the full extent of theirs.”
“What if any of them wander out and get in the way?” Alaric asked.
“That’s what we have you, Mac, and Brogan for,” Chander retorted. “You keep anyone who wants to stroll into our spell out of harm’s way.”
“Can I get you guys to reassure me one more time that no harm is going to come to any of you?” Brogan asked.
“Trust me, big guy. We’ll be fine. Afterward, we’ll want food. Maybe a beer. Then we’ll watch Del’s new movie. Each one of us will sleep w
ell, and tomorrow we’ll be facing a world where we get to live with the knowledge that everyone we love will be right by our sides forever,” Dre’Kariston remarked.
Idris’s thoughts went directly to the two people Mac wouldn’t ever be with again. Oh, how I wish I’d managed to put all the pieces together before Lloyd and Bretta died. “I promise no one will get hurt. I can show you the simulation if you’d like.”
“I know you think that helps, but you have to be a sorcerer to understand how that damn thing works,” Brogan responded. “I trust you, Idris. If you say you guys are going to be fine, then you will be.”
“All right. I’m going to give Mac a kiss. Then I’ll be ready to get to work,” Idris said.
Renny smirked. “Just make sure it’s one on the mouth. We don’t need to see your man’s junk.”
“I’ll try, but now you’ve tempted me,” Idris teased. He turned to Mac who offered him a wink, then united their mouths. The kiss was brief, but it was thorough.
“First full week as High Arcanist and you’re already kicking ass and taking names,” Mac whispered as they stood up.
Idris hugged him and followed him out. “Makes you wonder how the hell I’m going to ever come up with an encore.”
Obviously overhearing, Delaney gave him a soft slap on the shoulder. “It might take us some time, but we’ll think of something.”
Chapter 40
Mac followed the bevy of sorcerers out into the backyard. The mood was jovial and light-hearted, which made the fact that they were about to cast an immortality potion almost dreamlike.
“Sorry, Roger, but I need you to amplify my magic. You can hang out with Mac later,” Idris said as he grabbed his familiar from Mac’s shoulder. The little guy must have been eager to help, because he didn’t fight him.
“Where’s Greggory?” Mac asked.
Delaney walked toward the house. “Shit, he’s inside. I’ll go get him.”
“Vadimas, it’s time to reveal the big mystery surrounding your familiar,” Dra’Kaedan insisted.
“I’ll be right back,” Vadimas responded, then shimmered away.
Delaney sprinted back to where they were all clustered. “Greggory flew right out the door once I opened it. Where’d Vadimas go?”
“To get his familiar,” Dre’Kariston replied. The words were barely out of his mouth when Vadimas popped back into the backyard.
Mac grinned at the violet dragon on Vadimas’s shoulder. “You know, he’s the same color as Noir’s beast.”
Vadimas returned his smile. “I know. I’ve already asked her if I could use her dragonskin in a cloak.”
Roger and Greggory flew over to greet their new friend. “It’s so awesome you chose a dragon,” Idris enthused.
“It seemed appropriate. I was inspired by two extraordinary young men and the Council ruler,” Vadimas said.
“What’s his name?” Delaney inquired.
“I’m a wizard. What else could his name be besides Myrddin?” Vadimas answered. “Now, you may all fuss over him later. Let’s get to work. Idris, what else do we need to do before we begin?”
“Chand needs to switch to his demon form, and the warlocks need to change into true form.”
“It’s about time,” Brogan yelled. “I’ve been waiting years to see Dra’Kaedan’s true form.”
Chander pulled off his shirt, and a gorgeous set of matte black and chartreuse green wings appeared behind him. The Arch Lich’s eyes flipped to red, and he had an impressive set of fangs. The warlock twins glanced at each other in amusement; then they changed as well. All along the right side of Dra’Kaedan’s body, an intricate pattern of gold and navy emerged on his skin. There were hints of dragon scales in the design and just below the hem of his T-shirt sleeve, a thick, gilded band materialized with Brogan’s name engraved on it. The orbs of his eyes turned the same color, and the pupils were replaced by dragonheads. Dre’Kariston’s transformation was similar, but the coloring was dark blue and silver.
“You said your true form wasn’t that much different from the way you normally look,” Brogan accused.
“That was before I knew I was the Grand Warlock.”
“Tell me, is the entire side of your body decorated?” Brogan asked.
Dra’Kaedan’s grin was wicked. “You’ll find out later.”
“Not fair. Our eyes change but nothing else,” Delaney complained.
“Yes, but we get to enjoy the colored marks on our arms all the time instead of only when we deep cast,” Vadimas responded.
“Let’s get going,” Idris said.
Mac, Brogan, and Alaric headed up onto the deck where they could keep an eye out on their sorcerers and keep anyone from wandering into the action.
“How did you get Dravyn out of his garden?” Mac asked as he took a seat. The assembled group of casters were getting set up in a wide circle.
“Dra’Kaedan and I went to the Circle of Druids and got our hands on every catalog they have. It should keep him busy poring through them for at least an hour,” Brogan replied.
“I hope this doesn’t take long. We’re only going to be able to distract the Skeleton Seven and Daemon Lords with video games for a little while. When they get together, their first wish is always to train, and the backyard is the only place big enough for all of them,” Alaric stated.
The whites of Idris’s eyes disappeared, just as they had the day he’d ascended, and turned indigo. He raised his arms, bent his wrists, and splayed his fingers. Renny lay down on the ground, right in the center, and a beam of light appeared over the top of him. A greenish glow started in Brexton’s palms; then he cast it straight into Renny, which made his stream intensify. Scheredin fired a bolt of magic that ran through both Brexton and Renny, keeping their wells filled.
The three men sitting in soft lounge chairs remained silent as Idris barked out orders, and an array of colors formed around the mix of demonic necromancer, warlocks, and wizards. Amidst the flow of swirling hues, a potion formed above Renny and slowly filled; like Idris, it was an unpretentious bottle of indigo. There was so much magic in the air; it was apparent exactly why Renny’s, Scheredin’s, and Brexton’s contributions were so valuable. It would’ve been impossible to see Immortalis without the trio.
It wasn’t only the sky that was tinted—the more they cast, the noisier it got. Mac couldn’t explain all of it, but the loud banging of the thunderbolts belonged to the wizards. Time seemed to be trivial, and Mac had no idea how much of it passed as they worked. Idris was yelling out instructions, and the strain on his face was obvious. The wizard was digging deep to make his dream a reality.
Mac’s gaze left the gorgeous countenance of his mate and returned to the tonic they were trying to produce. It was nearly filled; then a loud boom blasted his eardrums. Without any conscious thought, Mac rose to his feet just as all the sorcerers were knocked back and flew to the ground.
“They said it wasn’t dangerous,” Brogan shouted as he raced off the deck. Mac and Alaric were on his heels.
“They’re okay. They’re just fine,” Renny assured him as he sat straight up. Brogan helped him to his feet and brushed the sand off him. “Brogan. I’m fine. Everyone’s good. They did it!”
After glancing at Renny helplessly, Brogan went to his mate’s side and pulled the small warlock protectively into his arms. “Then why is Dra’Kaedan unresponsive?”
Mac got to Idris’s side and found him out cold, as was Roger. He brushed a hand over Idris’s dark curls and tugged him into his lap. “Renny, what happened?”
Scheredin cast a pale green light, trying to cut through all the magic that was settling on the ground over the unconscious sorcerers. “I promise, they’re okay. No healing spells even necessary.”
“Then why is my mate comatose?” Alaric demanded.
“Did anyone hear me?” Renny yelled. He ran over to Mac’s side and held out the potion in his hand. “They did it! This belongs to Idris. Give it to him when he wakes up. He managed the impo
ssible!”
Mac took the potion from the familiar, who was practically shoving it up his nose. At the moment, he cared more about Idris than any concoction he might have crafted. “When is he going to wake up, Renny?”
Renny dropped down to his knees and patted Idris’s arm where he lay over Mac’s lap. “They’re okay. They’re just exhausted. It took all their magic to do it. They will sleep really well tonight and be just fine in the morning. They may be still a little tired but otherwise okay.” He hopped back to his feet. “Alaric, you remember when Chand freed the sentinels? This is just like that. I promise.”
Alaric rose with Chand in his arms. The necromancer had his stunning wings pulled around him. “Thanks, Renny. I do remember. I trust you. Do you need to lie down too, or could you go get some of the guys from the house to help us carry our warriors to bed?”
“Scheredin gave me too much magic because he’s totally awesome. I’m going to be wired and high as a kite for hours. I can go get some guys to help,” Renny replied, then dashed toward the house.
“We might have to tie him down,” Brexton observed.
“Brex, go help him rouse the sentinels. These guys are all at least your size or bigger,” Brogan requested as he walked with Dra’Kaedan securely against him.
“I wasn’t sure if this was really possible,” Scheredin said. Like Brexton, he was of small stature, so he was making the guys more comfortable but couldn’t really carry any of them. “Mac, your mate is a total rock star. Don’t lose that potion. It’s going to take them a couple of days at least to recover.”
“Thanks, Scher. I won’t lose it. I promise. Can you pick up Roger and set him on Idris?”
“Of course,” the warlock replied as he did as Mac requested. The back door burst open as dragons and sentinels poured from the house. Renny was right behind them, running as if his ass was on fire. Mac wondered what exactly the familiar told everyone in the house. Aleksander marched up and picked up Delaney while Dravyn grabbed Dre’Kariston. Gavrael made it to Vadimas before the rest of the Skeleton Seven, and he too hoisted a wasted sorcerer into his arms.
Irresistible Indigo (D'Vaire, Book 9) Page 29