Elemental Hope

by L. M. Somerton

  Evrain shot to his feet so fast his chair clattered to the floor. He picked it up, thinking it might make a potential weapon. Even collared he could try to escape. Before he could attack Imelda the door slid open. The two women wielding stun batons got between him and Imelda. One of them struck. Evrain lifted the chair in an attempt to protect himself but the baton made contact with his arm. The jolt knocked him to the ground where another strike hit his hip. He writhed in pain, lights flashing in front of his eyes. When his vision cleared he was alone. The three women and the chairs were gone, leaving just him and the cot in the room. Evrain managed to get to his feet. He stared at the white walls, frustration seething through his body.

  “Touch him, Imelda, hurt him in any way and there will be nowhere you can hide from me.” He really hoped the witch was listening.

  Chapter Ten

  Dominic dozed in one of the armchairs next to the fire. He wasn’t fully asleep, but he was exhausted by the day’s events and it helped to close his eyes and absorb the heat of the flames. Coryn had been keeping the hearth supplied with logs and a few twitches of Gregory’s fingers kept it well ablaze. Warlocks were handy for some things. Shadow stretched out on the rug at Dominic’s feet, snoring and twitching. A saucepan sat on the ancient stove in the kitchen, its contents bubbling away. The air was scented with apricots.

  Dominic jerked from his doze when the cottage door opened, admitting Nathaniel and Coryn. Coryn had several pizza boxes stacked precariously in his arms.

  “Any trouble?” Gregory asked from his seat at the kitchen table.

  “We were followed back, at a distance,” Nathaniel replied. “I’m sure it was Symeon. There was no sign of anyone on the path but he’ll be getting into position. Do you want me to go deal with him?” Nathaniel sounded like he would relish doing just that.

  “No.” Gregory yawned. “He’s right where we want him to be. Let’s eat. We all need the fuel.”

  Dominic ambled across to the table, lifted one of the pizza box lids then inhaled. “Smells great. I just need to check the agrimony.” He peered into the saucepan on the stove and gave it a stir. “I’d guess this needs another half an hour or so. Do you know what you’re going to do with it yet?”

  “I have an idea. I need to discuss it with Nathaniel.” Gregory spread the pizza boxes across the table. “Tell me there’s no pineapple on any of these.”

  “Coryn warned me.” Nathaniel laughed. “Though what you have against fruit is a mystery to me.” He leaned over to extract a slice of pizza. Strings of mozzarella clung tenaciously to the box.

  “Pineapple is an abomination. There’s a reason it’s covered in that thick skin. If we were meant to eat it we’d be able to peel it. Like a banana,” Gregory declared.

  “Don’t bother to argue with him.” Coryn shook his head. “I’ve had the debate with him so many times I’ve lost count.”

  Nathaniel shrugged then sat down to eat. Dominic joined them at the table. Now he wasn’t alone his appetite had returned. The four men munched steadily, washing the pizza down with fresh apple juice. Dominic got the feeling the conversation wouldn’t get more serious until Gregory and Nathaniel could talk in private. “Want to join me by the fire, Coryn?”

  Coryn rolled his eyes. “Sure. We’ll let the big bad warlocks get to their plotting. I’m sure they’ll let us in on the plans eventually.” He blew a kiss at Gregory, who mock-glared back.

  Dominic returned to his armchair. On the rug, Shadow rolled onto her back, legs in the air, exposing her ample belly. Dominic shook his head. “She already acts like she owns the place.”

  “Ah, but she does.” Coryn joined him, taking the other chair. “You are just a puny human, slave to feline kind. Get used to it.”

  “I think she’s a bit more than just a cat,” Dominic suggested, feeling a bit stupid for voicing the thought.

  “Oh, definitely. Gregory thinks she’s a guardian, drawn to Evrain. There’s no point in fighting it.”

  “She’s too rotund to make a good guard-cat,” Dominic said. Shadow leapt onto his lap, sinking her claws into his thighs before settling in a furry heap.

  Coryn laughed. “She stopped you from going out, didn’t she?”

  Dominic didn’t have an answer for that. At the kitchen table, Gregory and Nathaniel sat talking, deep in discussion about the properties of agrimony from what Dominic could make out.

  “Relax,” Coryn chided. “They’ll tell us when they have a workable plan.”

  “I can’t relax. Not while Symeon, or Octis, has Evrain. What are they doing to him, Coryn? He could be hurt…”

  “Evrain is strong. They need him in one piece, remember? I’m not going to tell you not to worry. If I were in your position I’d be feeling exactly the same. But you also have to save your strength for whatever rescue attempt Gregory and Nathaniel cook up. Evrain will need you.”

  “I want him back, Coryn. Every arrogant, controlling, dominant inch of him.”

  “I do understand. You’re two halves of a whole now, just like Gregory and I. I think it’s likely Nathaniel and Damon will be the same, don’t you?”

  Dominic nodded. “Seems probable. They already have strong feelings for each other, don’t they?”

  “It happens that way. The connections we have are powerful.”

  Dominic couldn’t disagree. Even after a short time together, he couldn’t imagine life without Evrain. He hoped he wouldn’t have to find out what it might be like.

  He and Coryn sat in companionable silence while Nathaniel and Gregory talked in low but urgent voices. Dominic itched to do something, anything. He hated sitting around while Evrain was suffering.

  “Stop thinking about it,” Coryn said.

  “About what?”

  “About what Symeon might be doing to him. It doesn’t do you, or him, any good.”

  “I can’t help it. Symeon hates Evrain’s guts.”

  “Symeon hates everyone…apart from himself.”

  “I wish…” Dominic didn’t finish. He didn’t want to verbalize what he was thinking. He didn’t like himself very much for thinking it.

  “You wish Gregory and Evrain had ended him when they had the chance?”

  Dominic nodded. “And I’m ashamed for thinking it.”

  “Don’t be. Symeon Malus has incited those feelings in all of us at one time or another. Doesn’t mean we stoop to his level and act on them. You wouldn’t really want Evrain to use his gift to kill, would you?”

  “No.” Dominic shook his head. “That would hurt him. Inside, you know?”

  “I do. Hey, looks like we’re being invited back to the big kids’ table.”

  Dominic peered over his shoulder to see Gregory gesturing in their direction. “Finally! I’d better check the pan first.” He relocated Shadow back to the rug amid a few loud protests before walking across to the stove. The agrimony had steeped well so he turned the burner off and put the pan to one side. Content with the potion, he joined the others at the table.

  “So, do we have a plan?” He looked eagerly from Nathaniel to Gregory. They both had serious expressions and Dominic’s heart fell. “You haven’t worked anything out?”

  “We have.” Gregory steepled his fingers. “It’s not ideal but it’s the only thing we can think of that has a hope in hell of working. We’ve decided that it will be less obvious if we leave in the morning. Not first thing. I want Symeon to have plenty of opportunity to get into a position.”

  “It makes sense,” Nathaniel added, “because he’d expect us to try to move you under cover of darkness and I want to avoid doing anything he expects. It should throw him off balance and he’ll be less suspicious. He’ll also have to wait out there all night.”

  “You’ll let him take me then?” The room felt suddenly cold.

  “Yes, we will.” Gregory nodded. “But there’s more. Coryn, could you strain the agrimony please?”

  “Sure.”

  Dominic watched as Coryn poured the contents through a
muslin cloth into a jar. The liquid in the jar was green with a hint of gold. He carried it over, placing it on the table.

  “Evrain isn’t going to like this when he finds out about it.” Gregory stated the obvious. He looked at Nathaniel, who stared back at him implacably. “But what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”

  “What exactly is it you need to do?” Dominic was beginning to feel anxious.

  “Are you going to tell him or shall I?” Nathaniel asked.

  “You’re the empathetic one, you can tell him.” Gregory smiled.

  Nathaniel grimaced. “You owe me for this, Gregory.”

  Dominic hunched forward in his chair, fingers knitted together. “You both look so serious, what is it? One of you has to tell me or we’ll be here all night.”

  “We think we’ve worked out a way to get the taint into Evrain’s blood,” Nathaniel said.

  “Then why do you look as if you are going to tell me the world is ending? Finding a way to do this is good, isn’t it?” Dominic chewed on his lower lip and waited for Nathaniel to tell him the worst. The warlock pressed his knuckles against his own temples, kneading in circles. He took a deep breath before meeting Dominic’s gaze.

  “Gregory will distill your brew to increase its potency, then paint it onto your skin. He will design it in such a way that it will be invisible to everyone but me, Nathaniel, you and Evrain. To him, it will seem like a set of tattoos, glowing with a magical signature—a message if you like, telling him what to do, in case you are not able to tell him yourself. He will need to absorb the potion by physical contact, so Gregory intends to put it in every place that Evrain might touch to increase our chances.”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad,” Dominic said. “What’s the catch? There must be one for the pair of you to be so worried.”

  “When the liquid adheres to your skin, it’s going to hurt. A lot.” Nathaniel sighed. “I can’t really explain it, but the spell will literally burn the liquid into your flesh—at least that’s what it will feel like. Tattoos inked with acid. There is always a price to pay for this kind of magic, Dominic. Unfortunately in this case the person paying will be you.”

  Dominic swallowed. He suspected his skin might be a couple of shades lighter. “You said Gregory would put this stuff everywhere Evrain might touch. Everywhere?”

  Nathaniel nodded sympathetically as Dominic’s tired mind processed what that might mean. “If there’s any other way, we can’t think of it.” Nathaniel ducked his head. “We need to do it now, to give you some recovery time before we leave in the morning.”

  Dominic just nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

  Gregory came and stood behind Dominic’s chair, resting his hands on his trembling shoulders. “Evrain would not want us to do this, Dominic. He would never let me hurt you, however good my intentions.”

  “Then it’s a good thing he has no say, isn’t it?” Dominic stood, pushing shaky fingers through his hair. “What do you need me to do?”

  “Coryn will take you upstairs and help you get ready. I’ll be with you shortly.”

  Dominic felt like a condemned prisoner heading for his execution as he climbed the stairs with Coryn close behind him. Nathaniel and Gregory hadn’t tried to hide anything. What he was about to do was going to hurt. He suspected it wasn’t going to be the good kind of pain either. He was scared but it didn’t matter. This was something he had to do for Evrain.

  Upstairs, Coryn squeezed his hands. “I’ll leave you to take a shower. Make sure you rinse all the soap from your skin. This isn’t about smelling good, it’s about having a clean surface for the agrimony ink. I would be asking you to shave all the hair from your body, but that’s not necessary, is it?”

  Dominic gave a wry smile. “Thanks to Symeon, no it’s not.”

  The bathroom proved to be something of a sanctuary. Dominic tried not to think about anything. He had a trick he’d been taught as a child when he would try to sleep after a nightmare—to imagine a blank wall. It had always worked better for him than counting sheep but he did have a tendency to picture varieties of moss and lichens between the bricks. On this occasion, it wasn’t working and the shower didn’t take nearly long enough. He rinsed carefully then toweled off. Evrain’s bathrobe was on the back of the door so he put it on in the hope it might feel like Evrain was hugging him. It wasn’t anywhere near as good as the real thing but Evrain’s scent helped a bit. He took a few deep breaths then went to join Coryn in the bedroom.

  Coryn’s eyes were full of sympathy. “Gregory won’t be long.”

  “I’m in no rush,” Dominic said. “No pressing social engagements in my diary tonight.”

  “You’ll need to take the robe off, then lie down on the bed.” Coryn patted the covers. “I also have to tie you down so you don’t thrash around while Gregory’s working on you.”

  Dominic’s face heated. He was sure he must be the shade of a ripe tomato. Only Evrain ever saw him naked.

  Coryn chuckled. “There’s no need to be shy, boy. Close your eyes if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

  Dominic loosed the robe’s belt then shrugged the garment from his shoulders. He climbed onto the bed. “You want me on my back or front first?”

  “On your back, please, and I know this is a really stupid thing to say, but try to relax.”

  “There’s rope in the closet,” Dominic offered. Evrain’s bondage ropes would be kinder against his skin than anything Gregory might find in the kitchen.

  “I’d never have guessed.”

  Coryn’s wry tone made Dominic laugh. “You too, huh?”

  “That would be telling.” Coryn found the short lengths of soft rope then used two of them to bind Dominic’s ankles to the bed’s corner posts. “Arms out to your sides, I think, rather than above your head.”

  Dominic stretched out his arms. He kept still while Coryn tied him in place. In his head he just kept repeating I’m doing this for Evrain, I’m doing this for Evrain.

  “Sorry, Dominic. I think I’m going to have to prop you up a bit.” Coryn shoved a pillow beneath the small of Dominic’s back. “Much better. I can see more skin now.”

  “Oh God.” Dominic squeezed his eyes shut with embarrassment. Evrain loved to tie him up and usually the feeling of helplessness was a huge turn-on for him. Being manhandled by an elderly friend did not compare, though Coryn was being as gentle and considerate as he could be under the circumstances. “This had better work.”

  “It will. It has to.”

  Dominic opened his eyes. The lines around Coryn’s eyes had deepened with worry. He patted Dominic’s shoulder.

  “You’re a very brave young man. Evrain would be proud of you. He will be, when he finds out about all this.” Coryn took a step back. “You’ll do. I’ll go and see where Gregory has gotten to.”

  No sooner had Coryn turned toward the door than Gregory appeared. He was holding a small, stoppered vial of a deep green liquid.

  “I was just coming to find you,” Coryn said. “Dominic is prepared.”

  “I can see that.” Gregory gave Dominic a wink that made him wish there was a pillow over his face. “You’ll need to gag him, though. We can’t have him screaming and alerting anyone outside that something’s going on. I can’t use my power to silence him because it might affect what I need to do with the agrimony.”

  “Would they be able to hear through the wards?” Dominic asked.

  “It’s possible,” Gregory mused. “Their senses may be enhanced for just that reason.”

  Coryn gave Dominic a questioning glance. Dominic sighed. His humiliation was complete. “There’s a wooden chest in the bottom of the closet, there will be something you can use in there.”

  After a bit of rummaging Coryn returned with a thick rubber bit gag. “This is big enough that you won’t be able to make much noise around it and it might help if you have something to bite down on.”

  Dominic opened his mouth and let Coryn insert the bit. He lifted his head so C
oryn could fasten the strap.

  “There. Not too tight?”

  Dominic shook his head.

  “I can leave if you’d prefer,” Coryn said. Dominic shook his head again. He wanted Coryn to be there. He wiggled his fingers and Coryn got the message. He settled on the side of the bed and took Dominic’s hand.

  Gregory stood at the end of the bed. He didn’t meet Dominic’s eyes. “I’ll be as quick as I can, Dominic. I’m going to paint this stuff over most of your body. You may be able to persuade Imelda that in order to convince Evrain to cooperate, you need to be alone with him for a while. If it works, encourage him to make love to you. If it doesn’t, any contact between you will help.”

  Dominic felt like he was dreaming as Gregory began to mutter incomprehensible words and make intricate gestures with his fingers over the length of his body. When Gregory removed the stopper from the bottle, an emerald mist rose from its neck. Involuntarily, Dominic tensed. Coryn began to stroke his hair, offering comfort as the glittering cloud swirled, divided and came together again. Misty tendrils began to dance in the air, winding and twisting, faster and faster. Then Gregory stopped talking. His hands stilled and ribbons of vapor descended to lay themselves on Dominic’s flesh. The first touch was agonizing, the burn of intense cold, then fire. Needles of pain stabbed into his skin over and over again. Dominic spasmed against his bonds, limbs straining. The gag muffled his screams as the pain went on and on.

  Beads of sweat formed on Gregory’s forehead as he watched intricate patterns of silver-green appear, first on the side of Dominic’s neck below his ear, then across his chest, spreading out from each dark nipple. The patterns started materializing lower, delicate lines winding toward his groin. As the etching reached the base of his cock and began to spiral along its length, Dominic moaned pitifully. Tears streamed down his face and his head jerked from side to side. Fine lines of pale green, drawn by an invisible hand, patterned his hips and thighs.

  Gregory checked the vial of liquid. It was still half full. He replaced the stopper then gave it a shake.