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testing, testing
alright guinea pigs, I need your help. I have no idea of the quality of this story, so I'd appreciate some input before I turn anymore of my hairs gray. I'm hoping to post it on my site on the 13th, but it needs extensive work. I'm just so cross-eyed looking at it, I can' see the plot holes and such that I'm sure are there.
The prologue is already up on my site, this is the first...part I guess. It's arranged oddly, which is this first chunk is 26 pages. So - if you read it and like it, let me know. If you get halfway through and think it sucks, let me know. If you get 5 pages into and decide it's not worth the trouble, let me know. My feelings won't be hurt, believe me.
Unequal Children
Book One: Time Long Past
Part One: A Valentine
For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
Search narrowly the lines!- they hold a treasure
Divine- a talisman- an amulet
That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure-
The words- the syllables! Do not forget
The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor
And yet there is in this no Gordian knot
Which one might not undo without a sabre,
If one could merely comprehend the plot.
Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering
Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdus
Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing
Of poets, by poets- as the name is a poet's, too,
Its letters, although naturally lying
Like the knight Pinto- Mendez Ferdinando-
Still form a synonym for Truth- Cease trying!
You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do
~Edgar Allen Poe
"You will help me, won't you?" The old man's breath was raspy, his voice wavering.
Shelly looked at him, forcing a smile. "Of course, sir. I never refuse an assignment if I can help it. Now, you say these "strange people" have been sneaking in and out of your house at night. But they don't take anything? Damage anything?"
"No…I think they're looking for something. They just rifle around, shifting things, moving furniture. I don't know what though - I don't have anything of value. It's just me now…my wife died last summer…" the old man coughed, a wretched, pathetic sound.
"No ideas at all? How are they getting in?"
"Magic, of course. That's why I called you. I may be too weak now to cast spells, but there's no other way to get past the wards I put in place back when I was still a strong wizard. No one comes near here unless I invite them." Pride flickered briefly across his withered face.
"I see. Well then, I shall examine the premises myself and do some investigating in town. Are you absolutely sure you have no idea who could be behind it? Enemies? Anyone after your old spell books, other magical artifacts?"
"My spell books would mean nothing to anyone but myself, they're written in code. But you could try those funny boys at the lighthouse. I hear from my nurse about them. New in town, very suspicious."
"Right. If you'll excuse me then, Mr. Letelat, I'll start immediately."
"Of course my boy, and your price will be paid in full upon your success. Rest assured."
"Thank you sir. Get some rest, now."
Shelley walked slowly from the old man's bedroom, stepping into the hallway with a tired sigh. Why do I always get the loonies? No one normal ever contacts me…then again no one sane can really wield magic, can they?
He ran a hand through his soft, short brown hair. Repressing another sigh, the sorcerer began slowly walking around the musty rooms of the decrepit house. The floorboards creaked and groaned beneath him.
Deep green eyes flared briefly as the soft words of a spell filled the air around him. Waiting a few seconds, Shelley frowned as nothing happened. I guess there's too much magic here from the old man's artifacts and books and all to get a clear reading of any outside magic. Hmmm…Eyes flared again, but this time elaborate symbols and lavish words glowed briefly on the walls. That's the ward - he's right, it's a strong one. It would have to be pretty powerful magic to break through that, nearly my level. But if the intruders' magic abilities were that strong, they would only need a few spells to locate whatever they want. They shouldn't need to waste time trekking around in the dark night after night.
Turning back the way he'd come, Shelley turned away from his client's room and toward the stairs. He cast his searching spell twice more, once on the stairs and in the entranceway, but again there was no reaction. I already spoke with the nurse; that ninny is of no use. 'Boys at the lighthouse,' he said…I highly doubt it's as obvious or stupid as that. Doesn't know who's bothering him, doesn't have anything worth stealing - che, every wizard has something worth stealing, last I checked. Well, best head into town I suppose.
Stepping outside, Shelley paused to glance around. Where'd she go?
"Mreow," A medium-sized cat appeared from under the house, her steps soundless on the few inches of snow covering the ground. She was sleek, her fur a solid, unbroken orange, eyes a deep, burning blue. With a fluid leap she landed on Shelley's shoulder. "Mreow."
"There you are, Jinx. Off catching musty old mice, or were you actually working? Ready to go? The roof of the grocery store, remember." Raising his left arm, he reached over to hold the cat in place on his right shoulder. Speaking in a low tone he again called a spell. Green and blue eyes flared with the magic, and scrawling symbols appeared in a circle around his feet. A few seconds later, they vanished.
*~*~*
Symbols shimmered on a dingy roof, a heartbeat later Shelley appeared, cat in tow. He looked up at the sky, which was clogged with dark clouds. "Mmm…looks like more snow this evening." His breath came out in white puffs, and a sharp wind had the cat burrowing into his neck, seeking more warmth.
"Alright, Jinx. We'll go find some place warm for a bit - but we still have work to do, so don't get comfy." Heading toward the back end of the building, Shelley looked down into the alley below. A ladder was fastened to the back, and he made quick work of scaling down it. A few seconds later and he was back on the main street. "Look, head for that coffee shop - see it there on the corner? See if you can sneak into the main room, look for anything magical or strange. Follow me out when I leave."
Shelley watched briefly as the cat ran off, then made his own way toward the café. His boot-clad feet crunched on the slush-covered sidewalks, and he tucked his hands into the pockets of his green down vest. The heavy pullover under the vest was a dark cream, and his jeans were unremarkable, blue denim. He looked like any other member of the small community, or a tourist passing through to the ski slopes still four hours away. A gold hoop hung from his right ear, the only visible piece of jewelry.
Reaching the coffee house, Shelley paused to hold the door for the woman that had reached it right as he had. She was pretty, he noted in passing - but as she stepped by him, his eyes widened. The woman froze in shock.
"You're a sorcerer!" She spoke accusingly. Her carrot-colored hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, glasses perched sharply on her nose. She was dressed professionally, as if she worked in a bank or office.
"What's an enchantress doing here?" Shelley frowned. She could get through those wards, it wouldn't be too difficult to enchant him or the nurse, and make it possible for the wards to accept her. Dammit, I wish I could sense magic in that house.
"I'd say a sorcerer is much more suspicious than an enchantress, especially one bold enough to carry his grimoire with him."
"Be that as it may, I would like to know what you're doing here. There's nothing to be gained here for your type. Shall we speak inside?" He spoke curtly, and the woman nodded.
The two entered the coffee shop. Shelley skimmed the crowded space for a table. His eyes landed on one in the back, and he headed toward it, giving a vague nod to the woman's comment about getting something to drink.
He stopped. Someone is watching me. Turning around, he looked toward the counter. His eyes narrowed. Two men were staring at him. The first one had to be at least six feet tall, but the odd part was his hair. It was long, just past his shoulder - and stark white. But the man looked like he was in his mid-twenties, which mean he was only a year or two older than Shelley. He was wearing a long black trench coat, a dark gray scarf hanging loosely around his neck. The man shifted his gaze briefly to stare at the woman with whom Shelley had entered.
The other man was shorter, but taller than Shelley's own 5'6". His hair seemed to be pitch black, but a blue toboggan hid most of the chin length strands. He was pretty, Shelley noted, almost feminine but not quite. Even at a distance Shelley could see his eyes were bright red. That makes no sense. Now that he'd noticed them, and the enchantress's magic was not around to cloud his senses, there was something strange about the two men. The white haired one…unsettles me… The red eyed one looks about my age. He's not a magic user…what am I sensing…it reminds me of something…
"Here, I took the liberty of getting you some coffee. Is black okay?"
Shelley looked at the woman with carrot colored hair. "Hmm? Yes, black is fine. Thank you very much, Ms.--"
"Just call me Victoria. You are?" Her face was stern as she handed over a large cup of coffee.
"I am Shelley."
"Shelley? That's an interesting name; I swear I've heard it before. I don't remember where though…"
"It's not a very interesting name." Shelley glanced back toward the space where the two men had been, but was unsurprised to see they'd gone.
"Shall we sit?" Victoria collapsed at the nearest vacant table, Shelley sitting down across from her. "So what's a sorcerer doing in this small town?"
She's not using a spell on me, and the coffee is unaltered…I hope Jinx made it in, but I don't feel her in the vicinity. "I am…attempting to solve a problem. Tell me, do you know of any other magic users in town?"
"Only the retired wizard on the hill, but I'm sure you know about him. Of course, any others are probably cloaking their signatures like we are. A few witches passed through last week, but they're skiing by now."
"I see. Then tell me, what is an enchantress doing in a small town like this? There's nothing useful here."
The woman looked as if she didn't want to answer, but after a long pause she started to speak, "I'm looking for a friend. He used to visit here all the time, before going to the slopes. I was hoping he might have come here again. It's urgent that I find him."
"He's not magical then, I take it?"
"No, he's a scientist…look, trusting a sorcerer is generally a bad idea, but I'm desperate. He goes by the name Eddie Poh, but his real name is Edgar Letelat - he's the son of the old wizard, that's why he comes here. But I can't find him, and the wards around the house make it impossible for me to get in there - I can't even enchant that stupid nurse, she's too clean for my spells to take.
Then she definitely isn't the one. That's one suspect down then. Good, I really didn't want to contend with an enchantress anyway. "You're unusually cooperative for your type, but then you did say you were desperate. I will be equally so, as it suits my purpose. I am working for the wizard on the hill - intruders have terrorized him every night for the past several weeks. He claims there is nothing worth stealing, but I have my doubts. Regardless, only someone of high magic could bypass his wards."
"You thought I was responsible at first?" She laughed, "I wish, but as I said - my magic hasn't helped me any so far."
"Can you tell me more about the old wizard?"
"Unfortunately, no. Eddie never spoke much of him, and I've only been here a couple of weeks."
"Hmm…One more thing then - do you know anything about the boys at the lighthouse? It was recommended to me that I should look to them as a possible source of the mischief I am attempting to put a halt to."
"Boys at the lighthouse?" She frowned in though, "No, I'm afraid not."
"Hmmm…well, thank you Miss Victoria. Good luck with your search. And thank you for the coffee." Shelley rose, nodding at her return goodbye. Tossing the cup away, he strolled quickly out the door.
No sooner was he outside than Jinx leaped onto his shoulder. "I see you didn't make it inside - were you too busy playing to work? Ow!" Jinx had nipped his ear. "Sorry. C'mon, I need to see what you were up to."
Returning to the alley from which they'd come earlier, Shelley pulled the cat off his shoulder and held her with one arm, against his chest. He stroked her softly, enjoying the way she purred for a moment. Closing his eyes, he muttered a long spell. Brief, somewhat vague black and white images floated through his head, and he furrowed his brow in concentration.
His eyes snapped open. "What the hell was that under the house? We need to go back later. I see you spotted the white-haired man and his red-eyed companion. I don't know if they're relevant at all, but they're curious never the less. I still can't place where I've felt that sort of energy before." He looked down at Jinx, "It's interesting that an enchantress is in town - you don't see them very often. But if she says there aren't any other magic users in town, I’m willing to believe her for now. They tend to keep tabs on anyone who can interfere with their spells. At least she didn't put anything in that coffee - but few magicians will mess with a sorcerer, right Jinx?" Especially a sorcerer who speaks to his cat on a regular basis.
"Mreow."
"Let's go check out that lighthouse, eh? It's the only other "lead" we've got. I don't have a connection to this lighthouse, so it looks like we'll be doing it the old fashioned way. I'd like to scan for magic types anyway, just on the chance Miss Victoria was lying. And get back on my shoulder, I'm not going to pet you the whole way there."
"Mreoooww."
"Okay, okay." Shelley turned in the direction of the shore, and began walking.
*~*~*
"What a gloomy place," Shelley muttered beneath his breath. Jinx meowed sleepily from his shoulder. He stood in the yard, several yards from the house. The house was an extension of the lighthouse - undoubtedly you could enter the lighthouse without ever going outside. The lighthouse itself was a dark, weather beaten structure. Hasn't been used in forever, I'd imagine. This whole place has a sad look to it.
He shifted his gaze to the water, which was gray in color, as miserable and cold looking as the land and sky. The sound of movement brought his head whipping back around - he froze, tensed. "You again."
The man with white hair grinned, "I knew we'd see you again. You owe my five bucks, Hyde."
"Damn, I was sure that chick would do something to him," the black-haired young man beside him groaned in defeat, digging into the pocket of his loose black jeans for the owed money.
What the hell is with them - that one guy still unsettles me. "Who the hell are you? What are you?" Shelley demanded. Jinx jumped down from his shoulder, moving just far enough away that Shelley wouldn't trip over her, but close enough that she could still assist with his spells. "I don't like the way you feel."
The white haired man raised an eyebrow, though he was still smiling. "Oh? But you're the one invading our turf. Perhaps you should explain yourself first. Isn't that the polite thing to do?" He wandered away from the doorway, into the yard. The man he'd called Hyde was close behind him, still grumbling about the lost bet.
Shelley kept his guard up, "Fair enough. My name is Shelley; I came seeking information on behalf of Mr. Letelat."
"Mr. Letelat? I do not recognize the name. But since you gave me yours, I shall tell you mine. I am Jack, my comrade here is Hyde."
"Why were you staring at me in the coffee house?"
"You reeked of magic - Hyde could smell it before you even walked in the door. We were curious; we don't often meet magicians in our line of work. Are you a wizard? We met one a few months ago." Jack looked curious.
Shelley was outraged, "A wizard? I'm a sorcerer! Can't you tell the difference?" I reek of magic? What the hell - sane people can't sense magic. They're not insane…at least I don't think they are.
Hyde answered, "No. Does it matter that much?"
"There's a world of difference, but I'm not going to explain the intricacies of magic to a bunch of ignorant fools. I came on behalf of Mr. Letelat. Now tell me, do you know anything about the intruders that have been harassing him?"
"Nope." Hyde said.
"I believe I just said that I do not recognize the name," was Jack's response.
Shelley frowned, "He's the old man that lives in the estate on the hill."
"Oh, him. He reeks of magic too, though not as much as you. What is he?" Hyde seemed genuinely curious.
What in the gods' names is going on here? "He's a wizard. What's your game?"
Jack stopped smiling, "No game, we just don't like intruders. We prefer to keep to ourselves, and we don't trust magic types. Especially that woman - you should be careful around her."
Shelley laughed, "You presume to advise me? You admit to knowing nothing of magic, yet think yourself capable of advising me on whom to watch out for? I can take care of myself. There's no way an enchantress could get the best of me."
"He's arrogant."
Shelley spun around as his cat hissed a belated warning. He froze in shock - someone had come up behind him without his noticing. How the hell did he do that? It can't be - he has no signature, not even that of a sane person! He glared at the man, but as he took in what he was looking at, his eyes widened.
The young man had pitch-black hair, but it was cut short and slightly spiked on top. Tinted spectacles were perched low on his nose, so that he could look over them. His eyes were bright red, and the shape of his pretty face was very familiar. They're twins…Shelley looked back toward the house, where the one called Hyde had called a greeting.
"You're back! We didn't expect you until later."
Jack was laughing, "You're right about his arrogance - he's almost as bad as you."
"Indeed," the shorthaired twin seemed uninterested.
"Who the hell are you?" Shelley frowned. I'm getting a headache.
The young man said nothing. Jack spoke up instead, "His name is Jekyll."
"I see," Shelley tensed, sensing something was strange. At his feet, his cat began to growl. "What do you want?"
"Like I said, we don't like intruders."
I've had enough; I'll deal with them if they prove to be the source of the problem. "Hey, I can tell when I'm not wanted. Come on Jinx, we're leaving." Shelley smirked at the men gathered around him, "Here's a lesson for you, to show no hard feelings - only sorcerers can do this. Wizards don't approve, and other types don't have the ability." Ducking slightly, Shelley stretched out his arm. As Jinx jumped up his arm to his shoulder, he began to chant. Two sets of eyes flared with the spell, its words lost in the wind as man and cat disappeared in a circle of scrawling symbols.
*~*~*
"Alright, I've had enough. We're staying here until I figure out what's going on. An enchantress running around town looking for her friend, who happens to be the son of the old man who lives here," we waved his hand at the house he stood alongside, "And the friendly "boys at the lighthouse," who are most definitely the intruders the old wizard has hired me to locate and stop. Or I'm a witch."
"Mreow, mreow."
"Very funny. How about you stop mocking me and get to work? Get back under the house, let's see what's up."
"Mreow." The cat brushed against his legs, rubbing her head against his shins.
"Do I look like I can fit under the house? I'm not a shape shift--that's where! That's what that one red-eyed boy reminds me of! He feels like a shape shifter." Shelley closed his eyes in thought. "But not quite the same…it's odd." he opened them. "But it will have to wait until later - get with the searching."
"Mreow."
"That's enough."
Jinx darted off, disappearing beneath the wrap around porch to venture beneath the house itself. After she was gone, Shelley moved to take a seat on the steps. He leaned his head against the railing, closing his eyes and yawning. Too much magic today - I shouldn't have cast two spells together at the lighthouse, given all the teleportation I've already done today. Heh, but those bastards will be hard pressed to stop me now that I can teleport directly to them, anywhere within thirty feet of that mark I left. Nobody messes with me, the jerks.
He opened his eyes, sitting up, "Oh, back already Jinx? Are you slacking off?"
"Mreow!"
"That was uncalled for. Come, let me see what you found." The cat leaped on to his lap, turning around and around, nuzzling his legs and picking at his jeans until she'd made them suitably comfortable. Laying down, she began to purr. "Did I say "get comfy so I can pet you? No, I said I wanted to see what you found."
"Mreow…"
Shelley laughed, "I suppose I can do both. Try to help me out though, this spell is hard and I'm tired enough as is."
Jinx licked his hand as he began the long spell from before, closing his eyes to concentrate on the vague, black and white images flickering through his mind. "Yeah, that's what I thought it was. But would you like to explain to me why you couldn't smell the dismembered corpse under the house? Who the hell dismembers a corpse and then just lays the pieces under the house? That strikes me as rather stupid. Actually…they would have had to have done it from inside the house, b/c people can't fit under there, let alone drag along the miscellaneous pieces of a human body with them. 'Curiouser and curiouser,' as the saying goes. Near the center, off to the left…shall we see what room is in that section of the house?"
"Mreow."
Shelley lifted the cat in his arms and rose. Not bothering to knock, he entered the house. "It's getting dark, Jinx. I guess we should just do the obvious and stay until the intruders come. I still would prefer to know once and for all whom I am dealing with. Ah well, let's explore."
Slowly man and cat made their way through the house, Shelley casting in hopes of picking up some trace of foreign magic. "I still want to know why you couldn't smell that thing - it should reek. But you didn't sense magic…hmmm…here we are." Shelley paused just inside a dark room, reaching out to flick a light switch. "A study. How trite. The bad guy kills the unwitting victim and buries his pieces beneath the floorboards of the study. Except that the pieces are underneath the house itself - ah, the snow and ice keep the pieces frozen. That's why they don't really smell. And this house is really cold, especially this room. That could be the result of ripping holes in the floor. Well, it's all becoming clear." Shelley laughed mockingly at himself. "Except that I still don't know anything about the intruders, or what the enchantress and those freaks at the lighthouse have to do with all of this. I mean, where's the damned motive? So far as I can tell, it's just people running amuck. And who the hell killed and hacked up poor Mr. Floorboards?"
"Mmrreeooww."
"You're no help. I don't think there's any point in digging Mr. Floorboards up right now; he can wait until tomorrow. Why don't we wait for the intruders, eh? That'll clear things up real quick."
"Mreow."
"We'll sleep here then, just wake me up at the first sign of trouble okay?" Shelley paused a moment, "A block spell would be order I guess?" He cast the spell. "Maybe nothing will happen, that'd be nice. Then I could finally get a full night's sleep."
Jinx said nothing, merely curling on his lap again after Shelley settled onto the overlarge couch set near the study fireplace.
*~*~*
Shelley sat up straight, hissing quietly in pain as he clapped a hand to his ear. He turned to glare at the green eyes glowing softly in moonlight. "You're going to pay for that later," he whispered to the cat, "I think my ear is bleeding, you damn feline."
"Mreow," was Jinx's faint reply. She headed for the door, green eyes disappearing as she turned away from the sorcerer. Shelley rose silently from the couch, joining her at the door. "Ah, would you look at that." Looks like they can't sense me, I guess for the same reason I can't really sense them. Just too much magic around this place. I wish I could see something. Hmm…the cautious way or the easy way? Screw caution, I’m still tired. He looked down at Jinx, who stared back. Shelley smiled in the dark, glancing briefly at the watch on his wrist. Almost midnight, let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep.
Two figures stood in the main lobby, near the staircase. Shelley could make out no details as he moved quietly out of the study. Whispering soundlessly, Shelley held his arm out toward them as he shouted the last part of the spell.
They froze in place. Shelley laughed aloud, moving across the hall to flip the light switch. He turned to take in his intruders, laughing harder. "Well, well. Fancy meeting you here. You really don't know anything about magic, do you?"
Shelley stepped closer to the two men, looking up at Jack. "Nothing to say? The spell doesn't prevent your talking, you know. I don't recognize your partner." He turned to the second man, who was a few inches shorter than the six foot Jack. Messy, dirty blond hair mostly obscured his gray-green eyes. Hmm…now this one is insane…but it's untapped, how interesting. He took a closer look at Jack, who had yet to say anything. There's something strange going on--oh shit!
He dove to the side as a figure came dashing from the door leading to the dining room. Spinning back around, he didn't get a chance to see his opponent until he was abruptly pinned to the ground, head spinning with pain. He stared up at the familiar face of the man straddling him, "Jekyll, wasn't it?" They really are pretty. The strange thought flitted through his mind, Shelley banished it.
"What did you do to them?" Jekyll glared down at him, his red eyes dark with anger over the edge of his spectacles. "Are you the reason they keep coming here each night? Answer me!" The shorthaired twin tightened his already painful grip on Shelley's wrists. He turned his head to look at the still frozen men by the stairs. "Hyde, are they alright?"
The voice of the second twin was much calmer than that of his counterpart. "He seems to have just frozen them in place or something. It's kinda cool - I wish we knew magic."
"Don't be a dumb ass, just figure out how to get them unfrozen-or whatever."
Beneath him, Shelley smirked at the turned head. He began to silently mouth the words of a spell as the twins talked.
"Jekyll! Don't let him--!" Hyde shouted frantically at his brother.
Jekyll's head whipped back around, eyes narrowing. Brief indecision flickered across his face before he moved. Dropping his head, he crushed his lips to Shelley's.
Jekyll's lips were warm, almost pleasant in spite of the aggressive way they moved against Shelley's. Vanilla and lime, Shelley thought, he tastes like vanilla and lime. Furious, he jerked his head to the side, cursing as he felt his stopping spell break. I can't believe he broke my spell and my concentration, god damn him! He glared up at his captor, "Happy now?"
Jekyll said nothing, "Why do they keep coming hear each night?"
"How the hell should I know? That's what I'm here to find out. Shouldn't you be the ones telling me?"
"They're going upstairs! Jekyll, come on! We have to follow them."
"I can't! If I get up, this damned magician will freeze us."
"Oh no, I'd do much worse than that to you." Shelley's smiled nastily up at Jekyll.
"Tell me what you've done to them or I'll make sure you never cast another spell." Red eyes glared back.
Shelley's expression turned mutinous, "All I did was stop them." Wait a minute…Something clicked in Shelley's mind. "Tell me what they've been doing - and let me up."
"No."
"Goddamn it! I haven't done anything to your comrades. Last I checked they were the intruders. I think I know what's wrong, but you have to let me up!"
Jekyll said nothing, instead looking up at his brother, who had come to stand beside the two figures on the floor. "Jekyll…let him up. Jack and Dupin have gone upstairs. We need to follow them. But - no spells, magician."
Red eyes glared at red eyes, "Why should I? We shouldn’t trust him, look what he did to those two."
Shelley resisted the urge to shout, "I. Didn't. Do. It. I told you, I think I know what's wrong, but I need to check them."
"Fine, but your cat has to stay downstairs."
"Why?" Shelley demanded.
"Because it's obvious the thing's your familiar or something. Like he said: no spells. Which means you won't need her anyway, right? Now come on." Jekyll rose to his feet, dragging the sorcerer up with him before finally releasing his grip.
Shelley rubbed his sore wrists, noticing resentfully that he was indeed shorter than the twins, if only by and inch or so. "You said they went upstairs?"
"Yeah. You said you know what's wrong?" Hyde looked anxious.
"It didn't click until something you said. Tell me - they do this every night? They don't respond to you? Just blindly move about, like dolls or whatever?"
"…Yeah…how'd you know?"
Shelley laughed, "I should've realized sooner - your friends are under a high level enchantment. I couldn't even sense it, that woman is better than I thought."
Jekyll caught his wrist, forcing the group to a halt on the stairs, "Woman? You mean she's the one responsible for this? But, we've only ever watched her. We've never talked to her."
"Have you ever spent more than thirty minutes in the same room? Well, have your friends?" Shelley attempted to free his wrist, but failed. He frowned.
Hyde looked unhappy, "Yeah, they did recon when we first encountered her. Jekyll was busy doing something else at the time."
Shelley looked at them resentfully, "You guys are an odd bunch. You-" he pointed toward Hyde, "Feel very similar to a shape shifter. And you-" he glared accusingly at Jekyll, "I can't feel at all. Not to mention the one you call Jack - there's something off about him. And I mean off. The only legitimately insane one is that other guy. And would you please let go of me!"
Jekyll released his grip, making a face. "Are all sorcerers as annoying as you?"
"Yes." Shelly snapped, storming up the stairs. The twins stayed close alongside him, and the trio made their way down the hall, examining rooms as they went. At the end of the hall, they finally located their objective.
Jack and the blonde-haired man were searching the bedroom the trio found them in, moving furniture and shifting objects. They appeared to be having no luck. Jekyll and Hyde approached their friends, urging them to stop and attempting to gently halt their movements, to no avail. Jekyll spoke quietly to his brother, who only shook his head vehemently. Jekyll frowned, turning away.
Hyde sighed and looked at the silent Shelley, "We didn't mean to treat you so harshly earlier today. But Jack thinks it's a magician causing this, and nothing seems to stop it. They just disappear the minute night falls - it took Jekyll and me all week just to figure out where they go. We told them what happens to them every night, but there's nothing we've been able to do to stop it. And magic isn't exactly researchable. Jekyll's tried and tried."
Shelley looked thoughtful, "Well, would you mind if I froze them again? I can't break the enchantment if they're moving about like that."
"You can break it?" Jekyll sounded doubtful
Shelley was annoyed, "Of course I can break it!"
"You really are arrogant. What's so damned special about sorcerers?" Jekyll rolled his eyes.
Hyde looked at his twin, amused. "You're just as bad, brother mine. What's so damned special about you?"
Jekyll looked disgustedly at them both, "Shut up. Are you going to fix them or not, sorcerer?"
Shelley ignored him, instead casting the spell to freeze the two enchanted men in their places again. He smirked as he finished, pleased by the expressions on the faces of the twins. He approached the nearer of the frozen men, the blonde. "What did you say his name was?"
"Dupin," Hyde said quietly.
"Hmm…" Shelley rubbed his eyes, weary. Unzipping his down vest, he reached into an inner pocket, withdrawing a small velvet bag. Pouring the contents into the palm of his hand, he rifled through the small pile of stones a second, finally withdrawing a small, diamond cut piece of quartz. "Come help me lay him on the floor. Don't look at me like I'm crazy, just do it!"
"He's awfully moody for an all powerful sorcerer." Jekyll sounded sour.
Hyde smiled, "Yeah, but he's helping us. And that's even after your attacking him and molesting him.
Jekyll made a face, "Whatever works, that's all it was."
Shelley frowned at the memory. I still can't believe the bastard broke my concentration just by kissing me - and it wasn't even really a kiss! I'm better than that, so why did he do it so easily? The memory of warm lips flitted through his mind, along with the taste of lime and vanilla. Goddamn it, I don't have time for this. Focus, Ernest, focus!
Pointedly ignoring the shorthaired Jekyll, Shelley worked with the twins to lay both Dupin and Jack on the floor. Kneeling beside Dupin, he closed his eyes for several seconds to gather his thoughts.
"Are you going to take all day or what?"
Shelley's eyes snapped open, he glared at red eyes and low-riding spectacles, "Give me a damn minute, this isn't the sort of spell I can just mutter under my breath and be done with. Breaking another magician's spell is difficult work, all right? Just shut the hell up and let me work."
Reaching beneath his pullover, he withdrew a heavy gold chain. From the end of it hung a large, gold talisman. Strange writing shimmered in and out of visibility. Gripping it tightly, he again closed his eyes. Still holding it, he placed the piece of quartz still clutched in his left hand on Dupin's forehead. He left that same hand hovering over the quartz, clutching the talisman in his right. In a low tone he began to chant, the spell far more intricate than any he'd cast so far. It was almost sing song, the syllables rising and falling to a strange beat. The words were long, intricate. Shelley never faltered.
Finished, he rose tiredly to his feet. "There - he should wake up in a little while. Let me get the other one." More slowly, he repeated the process with Jack.
Hyde looked at him, "You look really pale."
Shelley shook his head, "I didn't have Jinx to help me, that's all. I'll be fine after I get some sleep. What concerns me now is why that woman went to all this trouble. It would have taken her days to cast that complicated a spell. Enchantment is hard work, that's why there's so few of them."
"You really know your stuff, eh? And you helped us though you didn't have to. I guess this means we'll have to be nice to you now," Hyde smiled slightly.
Shelley blinked, "Sorcerers generally don't work for free, but the old wizard is covering this one. So just give me a warm bed later, answer a couple of questions, and I'll consider us even."
"Come on, you two. I want to know what the source of all of this is. We aren't here to chat." Jekyll stalked from the room.
"What's his problem?"
"Ah, Jekyll's all work and no play. Plus he's kinda embarrassed about what happened down stairs - I don't think he's ever kissed someone to shut them up before. Just wait until Jack and Dupin hear about that one. They won't stop laughing for a week." Hyde looked sheepish, "Hey…we got off on the wrong foot, I know. But we are sorry, and we're grateful for your help."
Shelley sighed, "Tonight's been one of my stranger ones, but I've dealt with worse. Just explain some things to me when this is all over, okay?"
"We'll tell you what we can."
"Then let's go find your brother and finish this."
The two left the room, leaving the sleeping figures on the floor.
Hyde spoke quietly as they walked, "He probably went to wake up the old man - I feel kinda bad that we've been traipsing through his house like this."
"That reminds me. How the hell did you guys get past the wards?"
"Oh, that. We had plans of our own to explore this place - because of the magic. It really does reek of magic, enough that it's giving me a headache. But we realized something was blocking us. Jekyll did some work, that's why he couldn't follow that damned woman around. Anyway, he learned that the - ward did you call it? - Is set to let through familiar blood as well as those people the old man permits through. We just got some of that nurse chick's blood. Then we just make a potion. After a couple of nights, the ward is used to us and we no longer need the potion."
Shelley froze in his tracks, glaring accusingly at the slightly taller boy, "You know alchemy." Shit, I didn't even consider that before…I shouldn't have had to consider it.
Hyde frowned, "Yeah, we do. Not a fan, I'm guessing? Well don't get testy, because there's nothing you can do about it. But if it'll make you happy, we don't know it because we want to."
"Che, whatever. You guys are just full of surprises. Are you all alchemists?"
"No, just Jekyll and I - me more than him. Ah, speak of the devil. What's got you smiling like that, brother mine?"
Jekyll had a pleased smirk on his face, "Come see what I've found. The old man isn't."
"Isn't what?" Hyde asked.
"Come see." Jekyll turned back to the room he'd come out of.
Hyde and Shelley followed, stopping at the door in shock.
Gagged and tied to a chair was a young man, the state of his hair and clothing seemed to indicate that he hadn't been a willing captive. Shelley looked toward the bed, which was empty. He shifted his gaze to the smirking twin, who was tugging on the ropes, double-checking the knots. "Where's the old man?"
Jekyll pointed a thumb at the gagged man, "This is he. After I left you two, I came searching for him, seeing as there was nothing else to go on. Only instead of an old man, I found a guy that looked half young, half old. He was stirring that," Jekyll waved a hand at the remains of a glass, scattered in front of a small desk on the opposite side of the room. A red liquid stained the carpet around the shards of glass. "I knocked it out of his hand, and over the past several minutes he's become less an old man and more a young man."
"What?" Shelley frowned.
Jekyll frowned back, "He's been using a potion to make himself look like an old man."
"I got that. I’m just not happy to see there's another alchemist flitting about. And where did you rope from?"
Jekyll motioned to the slightly overlarge jacket he was wearing, made from a heavy black material and falling past his hips. "I've got all kinds of stuff in here. What has you so pissed of this time?"
Hyde spoke up, "He doesn't like alchemists. 'Dunno why. Anyway, what does this mean? Enchantress, alchemist pretending to be a wizard."
"Wait a minute…are you Eddie Poh?" Shelley asked the gagged man. Because that makes perfect sense, given the day I've had.
The alchemist glared back.
"Who the hell is Eddie Poh?"
Shelley was looking thoughtful, "Victoria - the enchantress - said she was looking for her friend Eddie Poh, better known as Edward Letelat - the son of the wizard that's supposed to be living here. But now I'm confused as to where your father is?"
The bound man only glared, until Jekyll approached him. "Answer our questions, if you want to stay healthy. Try anything funny and you won't see the sunrise, understand me?"
That's awfully harsh…Shelley sighed, rubbing his eyes again, "Damn, what a night. Alright, first question. Where is your father? I was under the impression I was working for him."
"You're working for me, sorcerer. I'm paying you to get rid of these intruders, so get rid of them already."
Jekyll buried a hand in the man's hair, tugging hard in a warning. Shelley continued, "I don't work for liars. Give me a good reason to obey you and I might, but otherwise our deal is off…are you what the intruders are looking for? That would explain why Victoria was behind all this. But I don't get why. What the hell is going on?"
Eddie said nothing, choosing to attempt a glare at the man pulling at his hair. Jekyll released him, looking at his brother. He smirked again, "Your medicine has worn off, brother. Perhaps you should handle negotiations then? I'm not half so intimidating as you now."
"What?" Shelley frowned, turning to look at the friendlier of the two twins as he saw Eddie's eyes widen in shock. Shelley blinked, not quite believing what he saw.
Hyde was flexing his hands, staring at them with an odd smile on his face. Where his fingernails had been were now short but clearly sharp, finely pointed claws. His strange smile displayed a change to his teeth - they looked like they belonged more to a cat than a human.
Shelley let his frustration show, "What the hell are you? Shape shifters don't partially alter; it's all or nothing. Argh, it's too late at night for this!"
Hyde scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. "Well…you see…it's not a transformation…this is the real me. I use a special tonic to make myself look 'normal.' But it only lasts eight hours and I didn't take a new one before we came here because I figured I wouldn't need it." He stepped closer to the man in the chair, "It's just as well, seeing as I'm about to prove useful." Reaching out he dug the tips of his claws into the alchemist's shoulder, ignoring the man's cry of pain. His voice lost all traces of lightheartedness, "You're responsible for the mistreatment of our friends. Explain yourself now."
Shelley sighed, "And here I thought you were the nice one."
Hyde smiled, though he didn't look entirely happy. "Not really, I just know how to play nice. Now," he turned back to the alchemist, "Start talking. I don't like it when people hurt my friends."
"Yeah, we don't like it when people hurt your friends either. Well, Jack is okay. They can hurt him. But not me," a deep, amused voice spoke from the doorway. The small group in the room spun at the sound, Hyde withdrawing his claw tips from the moaning alchemist's shoulder, "Dupin! Jack!" He darted over to the two men. "You're awake! Are you feeling okay? Should you be moving?'
Jack laughed, "We're still a little tired, but we'll live." He ran a hand through his long white hair, stepping slowly into the room. Dupin followed just behind him, covering a yawn. Jack paused as he took in Shelley, "Oh? What are you doing here?"
Shelley rolled his eyes, "I'm supposed to be here. You were the problem."
"Jack, it's alright. Shelley's the reason you and Dupin are back to normal. You should've seen it; he was really cool. He cast a spell that just froze you in your tracks, and then he put this gem on your forehead and recited all this really long spell…" Hyde smiled, his excited demeanor an odd contrast to his claws and fangs.
Dupin laughed, rifling through his pockets. "Sounds like I missed an excellent show, despite being part of it. Ah, here we go." Dupin withdrew a pack of cigarettes from an inner pocket of his leather jacket, his lighter scratching and flaring briefly.
Hyde wrinkled his nose at the sent. Jekyll grimaced, "Dupin, kill yourself outside please. Hyde, can we get back to the question and answer session?"
Jack frowned, "Yeah, I'd like an explanation myself. But lay off the violence a second. Start from the beginning, and tell me what's gone on tonight."
Sighing, Hyde leaned against the bed as he recounted their night, how Jack and Dupin had disappeared as usual, how they'd dashed off to the mansion only to find them "frozen." Then Hyde started laughing, which earned him a cold glare from his twin.
"And then…to stop Shelley from spell casting…" he couldn't continue, Hyde was laughing too hard.
Dupin looked amused, taking a drag of his cigarette. He looked over at Jekyll, "What in the world did you do that was so damned funny?" He turned to look at Shelley, who was staring daggers at Jekyll. Dupin raised an eyebrow, looking at Jack, who only shrugged. The blond haired man playfully kicked the boy laughing on the floor, "This is hardly the time or place to be laughing yourself silly, brat. What gives?"
Hyde's laughter slowed and he grinned up at the group, "Jekyll kissed him."
Silence. Jack and Dupin turned stunned looks on the angry, shorthaired boy, and then looked at the equally disconcerted Shelley. They started laughing.
Shelley looked at them, disgusted. "Do you guys take anything seriously? You two just recovered from an enchantment, we have a bleeding alchemist, a missing old man and a loose enchantress. Would you please stop being stupid?"
Jack's laughter faded, "True enough - but you don't know Jekyll."
"In my book, that's a good thing." He ignored the look Jekyll shot him.
Dupin sounded tired again, "Hyde said you freed us - mind telling us a bit more about what happened to us. I don't like knowing that I was so easily used like that. I don't even remember it, that's the worst part."
"I'll explain how enchantments work later, if you really want to know. But right now I'd prefer to figure out why you were enchanted, and why this guy here was pretending to be his old man."
Hyde stood, returning to the bound man. His claws were still tipped with blood. "I guess it's back to business then. Start talking, 'Eddie' or I'll do worse than just break the skin."
Eddie only looked tired and pale, not nearly so angry as he had before. "Fine, I don't care. It seems I really don't have a choice at this point," he sounded bitter. "Just don't make me leave this house. She'll get me if I do."
Shelley was confused, "But aren't you her friend?"
"Friend? Is that what she calls me now? That's not what she called me a month ago, I can assure you."
"What do you mean?" Dupin put out his finished cigarette. "Why not start at the beginning? We're going to get the full of it anyway, you may as well make it easy on yourself."
"…Fine. Who cares anymore? I met Victoria at school four years ago, we shared an interest in biology, but eventually we realized we had the occult in common as well. She was a magician, I was an alchemist…"
"I won't go into the details, but suffice to say we - she - fell into a group of our types, a group that was assisting some woman with all these odd experiments. By that point Victoria and I were dating, she used to call me her "beloved scientist." Friend, ha. Anyway, I didn't like the way the experiments were going, where they were headed. But they were really interested in me, because of my skills with transformation potions."
At this Eddie looked at the twins, who stared silently back. He turned away, continuing his story, "They seemed to be really interested in that, I don't know why. It was stupid, and it was suspicious. I bailed out about four weeks ago, just ran away when it seemed clear they wouldn't let me ago. Victoria was different too, she was completely immersed in it, and she'd been colder to me ever sense I began expressing my doubt."
"How touching, really. How does that affect us?" Jack asked.
Eddie looked morose, "I came here to hide, because I knew they wouldn't be able to get past my dad's restrictions. None of the magicians or alchemists I worked with was good enough for that - you'd be surprised how many of them completely overlook the obvious. Anyway, after a week I made the mistake of stepping outside - Victoria was watching the house and she saw me. After that I started using potions to disguise myself as my father, as an added precaution. Seemed like a good idea, especially as only a few days later you guys started coming in here." He glared resentfully at Jack and Dupin. "At any rate, I'm sure you were bespelled to drag me to her once you managed to find me."
"Where the hell was your father during all of this?"
"The old man died not long after Victoria found me. He was almost ninety, and nearly broken at that, so it was really just waiting to happen. That’s where I got the idea to disguise myself as him. Originally I'd just planned to run away again."
"…Is he the dismembered corpse under the house?" Shelley asked.
The alchemist looked miserable, "Yeah. I didn't want to do that! But I need pieces of him for the potion to work, so I needed him frozen and near at hand. But he was too big to fit under the loose floorboards whole…"
The group stood in silence a moment, until Jack at last spoke up. "So why does this Victoria want you back so badly?"
"Because I'm the only reason that group really put up with her. Enchanters are useful, but only when their spells work. You're a sorcerer," he spoke to Shelley, "you know how difficult it is to cast an enchantment."
"So she needs you back so this 'group' will take her back?"
"Basically. I want no part of it. I've done more than enough, and I've gotten nothing in return." He opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it again.
"What? Don't keep secrets, we don't like them." Jack said warningly.
"He's dying." Hyde said.
"What the hell? Where did that come from?" Shelley stared at Hyde in confusion.
Jekyll responded, "It looks like Mr. Know It All sorcerer doesn't know much about Alchemy."
"I know some, but I certainly don't why you just randomly decided to say 'he's dying.' What makes you say something like that?"
"Do you know anything about transformation potions?"
Shelley frowned in thought, "They're hard to make, because the ingredients are unusual and they have to be blended exactly right. Plus, it's slightly different every time, due to who's transforming and whom they're turning in to. It's like trying to change your own fingerprints, but a thousand times more complicated. Most people get violently ill trying to do it."
Hyde offered a tight smile, "Right. What most non-alchs don't know is that the body can't stand it. That's why most get so sick - every part of their body screams rejection. You have to have a strong mind and constitution to handle it. Those that can make the potions and endure them repeatedly and often are "more valiable than gold" to the alchemical world." Hyde paused for a breath.
Jekyll continued for him, "But even the strongest can't do it indefinitely. Do it too often and you slowly start to kill yourself. The body gets confused, there's too much strain on the mind and heart. If you stop, there's a chance the body will recover. Otherwise…"
Eddie laughed bitterly, "Otherwise you can feel your mind start to fray, feel your heart always beating too fast. I'd already reached the threshold when I fled. I just wanted to be left alone here, rather than be made to work and drink until my heart exploded. But I panicked when she found me, and I've crossed the threshhold. So now I would just like to expire in peace.
"Explode?" Dupin looked ill.
The alchemist laughed, though mostly it was a sad sound. "Don't worry, I won't do anything so dramatic. Am I looking pale, sickly?" The twins nodded. "If I had kept drinking the potions for another week or so, I may have done something so dramatic as explode. But as it is, my body is just slowly shutting down. It's sort of like slipping into a coma after severe trauma - except that I'll die not long after slipping into a coma. My heart's had enough.
"Why didn't you explain all this right from the start?"
Eddie laughed again, bitter. "Because I was hoping I was wrong. It's not something I've had personal experience with before. I was so good at both making and using the potions; I thought I was special. I didn't really believe it until the twins here said it."
Hyde looked sad, "No one is that special, the human body can't hack it. Not without making extensive alterations to it."
Silence reigned for several long minutes, until Jack finally spoke. "Untie him already, I can see he's not the problem here. Unless he's lying through his teeth, and I just don't see that."
"I don't think anyone would make up a story like that." Shelley agreed.
Jekyll withdrew a knife from somewhere inside his high-necked jacket and sliced the ropes. Eddie rubbed his arms, but otherwise did not move.
Dupin yawned again, "I don't get why that dumb chick thought this would work, especially with you added to the picture," he pointed a finger at Shelley.
Shelley sighed, "I'd be willing to bet she's not even in town anymore. She probably fled the moment I left the coffee shop. She must have known her scheme wouldn't work with my arrival - you were pretty smart to call me after all." He looked at Eddie.
"Yeah," Jekyll looked at him, "how do you fit into all this?"
It was Eddie that answered, "I heard of him through some magicians in the group - a sorcerer for hire, a kind of mercenary/detective for the magic world."
"You don't seem like a very good detective to me," was Jekyll's reply.
I'm going to kill him; I swear to god I'm going to kill him. Slowly. "Mostly I do more of the mercenary end of things. And it's not my fault this case was a pack of lies right from the start. You should be grateful I decided not to kill the intruders, because believe me I would have."
Jekyll sneered at him, "Oh, I doubt it. Kissing you seems a pretty damned effective way of shutting you up. Do you always lose your concentration so easily?"
Dead, dead, dead. "That's it! I've had it with you." Shelley stood straight, muttering quickly under his breath. Before he could finish the spell however, a calloused hand covered his mouth. He jerked the hand away, staring furiously up at the interloper. Jack grinned down at him, "As hilarious as it would be to see Jekyll burst into flame or whatever you had in mind, now is not the time."
"Fine," Shelley said resentfully. "But one more comment and no one is going to stop me."
"Che." Jekyll was unimpressed.
Hyde hid his laughter by coughing, "So what should we do know, fearless leader?"
Jack shrugged, "There's not much we can do here. I want that woman - it bothers me that we were so easily put under a spell like that. I can see that magic is our greatest weakness - that needs to be fixed."
"So we'll track down the woman. Any information that can help us, Eddie?"
Eddie's bitter laugh rang through the room, "Sure, why not? But first - what are you going to do with me?"
"Nothing. We have no interest in you, not really."
"Really? You'll just leave me here?"
"I can do better than that," Shelley spoke up, "I was hired to stop the intruders, so I'll do this to earn my pay: Wizard cast wards, but I can go one step further and add a deterrent to the ward. It will make this place seem abandoned, empty. No one will want to bother with it. How does that sound?"
Eddie actually smiled, sounding impressed. "You can actually do that? I always thought they were just exaggerating what they said about you."
"Of course he can do it, he's a sorcerer" Jekyll said mockingly.
Shelley ignored him. Don't kill him. Remember - it's more fun to torture your victims. "Exactly."
"That's fine then. Thank you - and you will be paid in full, exactly as you asked. You may have your pick, my father and I certainly have no need of them."
Shelley offered the man a genuine smile, "Excellent. It's not often I get to examine a wizard's books with permission."
"I'm so confused." Dupin said.
"Aren't we all?" was Jack's reply. "Eddie, tell us what we need to know."
"Our school is a private one, no one on campus even know who really owns/runs it. It's in the mountains, about three days away from here. It's hard to reach, and really you're only allowed entrance - student, visitor, or otherwise - by invitation only. I'm sure that's not a problem for you though. There's a small town about an hour's drive from it. Victoria probably went back there, at least temporarily. She doesn't really have anywhere else to go, unless she was lying about her lack of family and all."
"What's the name of this school?" Jack asked.
"The Cornelius Academy. I'll give you a list of names, but the group you're looking for calls itself the "Children of Prometheus."
"Children of Prometheus?" Dupin made a face at the name. "That sounds idiotic." He turned as he caught movement in the corner of his eye, to see a pale faced Shelley surging toward a wide-eyed Eddie.
It can't be, oh gods please tell me it is. "What do you mean 'Prometheus'? Why do you go by that name? Why!" Shelley grabbed the man by his shoulders, shaking him back and forth. "Where did you get that name, goddamn it, tell me!"
"I…I don't know! It's just what we were called, I never asked why. Some of the older members used to say Prometheus was our master, but that's all. There was never anyone by that name!" Eddie winced as Shelley abruptly released him.
"It can't be…it's got to be coincidence." Shelley wearily rubbed his pale face.
"Hey, psycho. Are you finished yet?"
"Shut up." Shelley snarled at Jekyll, who surprisingly fell silent. "Let's finish up here, I have a school to get to."
*~*~*
"You should just come with us." Hyde offered. "You're going to the same place, for more or less the same reasons, so you may as well." The group was gathered in the dingy dining room of the old lighthouse cabin. Sitting at a scuffed table, a fluorescent light glared overhead. The sun had risen only a couple of hours ago, still somewhat tired from the night before. All were drinking coffee except for Jekyll.
"Let him go." Jekyll sipped at a mug of hot chocolate.
Hyde frowned at his brother, "But it's stupid. Besides, I was hoping he'd teach us about magic. In case you hadn't noticed, brother mine, we're sort of at a loss as to how to deal with it."
Jekyll said nothing.
Jack nodded, "I agree with Hyde. We're not big on strangers, but we still owe you for helping us out and as much as I hate to say it - we know nothing about magic. We can pay you or whatever, if you'll teach us."
Shelley looked at the men gathered around the table, then looked down at the cat curled in his lap, "What say you, Jinx?"
"Oh, that's reassuring. A man that talks to his cat."
"Mreow, mreow!"
"That's not even funny, Jinx." Shelley looked at the bespectacled twin, "Don't comment on things you know nothing about. But she says I should go with you."
Dupin looked interested, "Is that really what she said?"
"It's not 'saying' so much as just feeling. She's been restless for a while now, and this 'feels' like a good change to her. So I guess I'll be your teacher, if that's what you want."
"And your fee?"
"Hmmm…I don't take money, I have plenty of that already. Generally I demand rare spell components, or books and manuscripts - like those I took from our friend Eddie. I highly doubt you guys have anything I want. So, I would like first claim on anything magical we may find. In addition to that I want full permission to bespell him whenever he really pisses me off." Shelley glared at Jekyll, who glared back.
"Oh, you can do that anyway." Jack laughed, "And the other part a deal. So, give us a lesson. We can't really leave until the snow lets up anyway."
Shelley sighed, idly petting his cat. "Do you know anything about magic? At all?"
"We met a wizard once, he was kind of preachy." Dupin made a face.
"Too much of it gives me headache, and it's harder to smell in crowded places." Hyde wrinkled his nose.
"I don't like enchantresses." Jack's voice was flat.
"Sorcerers are moody, temperamental and arrogant." Jekyll said over the brim of his cup.
"Shut up." Shelley shifted in his seat, rubbing his forehead. "You guys really are hopeless. Alright then, here's your first and most important lesson: Magic comes from insanity."
P.S. Don't look for any deep or even shallow meaning w/the poetry - I think it add a nice touch, but it's more for fun and all (as well as the titles for each section) rather than real relevance. As![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
abiona_sashenka will tell you, poetry and I are old enemies.
The prologue is already up on my site, this is the first...part I guess. It's arranged oddly, which is this first chunk is 26 pages. So - if you read it and like it, let me know. If you get halfway through and think it sucks, let me know. If you get 5 pages into and decide it's not worth the trouble, let me know. My feelings won't be hurt, believe me.
Unequal Children
Book One: Time Long Past
Part One: A Valentine
For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
Search narrowly the lines!- they hold a treasure
Divine- a talisman- an amulet
That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure-
The words- the syllables! Do not forget
The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor
And yet there is in this no Gordian knot
Which one might not undo without a sabre,
If one could merely comprehend the plot.
Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering
Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdus
Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing
Of poets, by poets- as the name is a poet's, too,
Its letters, although naturally lying
Like the knight Pinto- Mendez Ferdinando-
Still form a synonym for Truth- Cease trying!
You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do
~Edgar Allen Poe
"You will help me, won't you?" The old man's breath was raspy, his voice wavering.
Shelly looked at him, forcing a smile. "Of course, sir. I never refuse an assignment if I can help it. Now, you say these "strange people" have been sneaking in and out of your house at night. But they don't take anything? Damage anything?"
"No…I think they're looking for something. They just rifle around, shifting things, moving furniture. I don't know what though - I don't have anything of value. It's just me now…my wife died last summer…" the old man coughed, a wretched, pathetic sound.
"No ideas at all? How are they getting in?"
"Magic, of course. That's why I called you. I may be too weak now to cast spells, but there's no other way to get past the wards I put in place back when I was still a strong wizard. No one comes near here unless I invite them." Pride flickered briefly across his withered face.
"I see. Well then, I shall examine the premises myself and do some investigating in town. Are you absolutely sure you have no idea who could be behind it? Enemies? Anyone after your old spell books, other magical artifacts?"
"My spell books would mean nothing to anyone but myself, they're written in code. But you could try those funny boys at the lighthouse. I hear from my nurse about them. New in town, very suspicious."
"Right. If you'll excuse me then, Mr. Letelat, I'll start immediately."
"Of course my boy, and your price will be paid in full upon your success. Rest assured."
"Thank you sir. Get some rest, now."
Shelley walked slowly from the old man's bedroom, stepping into the hallway with a tired sigh. Why do I always get the loonies? No one normal ever contacts me…then again no one sane can really wield magic, can they?
He ran a hand through his soft, short brown hair. Repressing another sigh, the sorcerer began slowly walking around the musty rooms of the decrepit house. The floorboards creaked and groaned beneath him.
Deep green eyes flared briefly as the soft words of a spell filled the air around him. Waiting a few seconds, Shelley frowned as nothing happened. I guess there's too much magic here from the old man's artifacts and books and all to get a clear reading of any outside magic. Hmmm…Eyes flared again, but this time elaborate symbols and lavish words glowed briefly on the walls. That's the ward - he's right, it's a strong one. It would have to be pretty powerful magic to break through that, nearly my level. But if the intruders' magic abilities were that strong, they would only need a few spells to locate whatever they want. They shouldn't need to waste time trekking around in the dark night after night.
Turning back the way he'd come, Shelley turned away from his client's room and toward the stairs. He cast his searching spell twice more, once on the stairs and in the entranceway, but again there was no reaction. I already spoke with the nurse; that ninny is of no use. 'Boys at the lighthouse,' he said…I highly doubt it's as obvious or stupid as that. Doesn't know who's bothering him, doesn't have anything worth stealing - che, every wizard has something worth stealing, last I checked. Well, best head into town I suppose.
Stepping outside, Shelley paused to glance around. Where'd she go?
"Mreow," A medium-sized cat appeared from under the house, her steps soundless on the few inches of snow covering the ground. She was sleek, her fur a solid, unbroken orange, eyes a deep, burning blue. With a fluid leap she landed on Shelley's shoulder. "Mreow."
"There you are, Jinx. Off catching musty old mice, or were you actually working? Ready to go? The roof of the grocery store, remember." Raising his left arm, he reached over to hold the cat in place on his right shoulder. Speaking in a low tone he again called a spell. Green and blue eyes flared with the magic, and scrawling symbols appeared in a circle around his feet. A few seconds later, they vanished.
*~*~*
Symbols shimmered on a dingy roof, a heartbeat later Shelley appeared, cat in tow. He looked up at the sky, which was clogged with dark clouds. "Mmm…looks like more snow this evening." His breath came out in white puffs, and a sharp wind had the cat burrowing into his neck, seeking more warmth.
"Alright, Jinx. We'll go find some place warm for a bit - but we still have work to do, so don't get comfy." Heading toward the back end of the building, Shelley looked down into the alley below. A ladder was fastened to the back, and he made quick work of scaling down it. A few seconds later and he was back on the main street. "Look, head for that coffee shop - see it there on the corner? See if you can sneak into the main room, look for anything magical or strange. Follow me out when I leave."
Shelley watched briefly as the cat ran off, then made his own way toward the café. His boot-clad feet crunched on the slush-covered sidewalks, and he tucked his hands into the pockets of his green down vest. The heavy pullover under the vest was a dark cream, and his jeans were unremarkable, blue denim. He looked like any other member of the small community, or a tourist passing through to the ski slopes still four hours away. A gold hoop hung from his right ear, the only visible piece of jewelry.
Reaching the coffee house, Shelley paused to hold the door for the woman that had reached it right as he had. She was pretty, he noted in passing - but as she stepped by him, his eyes widened. The woman froze in shock.
"You're a sorcerer!" She spoke accusingly. Her carrot-colored hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, glasses perched sharply on her nose. She was dressed professionally, as if she worked in a bank or office.
"What's an enchantress doing here?" Shelley frowned. She could get through those wards, it wouldn't be too difficult to enchant him or the nurse, and make it possible for the wards to accept her. Dammit, I wish I could sense magic in that house.
"I'd say a sorcerer is much more suspicious than an enchantress, especially one bold enough to carry his grimoire with him."
"Be that as it may, I would like to know what you're doing here. There's nothing to be gained here for your type. Shall we speak inside?" He spoke curtly, and the woman nodded.
The two entered the coffee shop. Shelley skimmed the crowded space for a table. His eyes landed on one in the back, and he headed toward it, giving a vague nod to the woman's comment about getting something to drink.
He stopped. Someone is watching me. Turning around, he looked toward the counter. His eyes narrowed. Two men were staring at him. The first one had to be at least six feet tall, but the odd part was his hair. It was long, just past his shoulder - and stark white. But the man looked like he was in his mid-twenties, which mean he was only a year or two older than Shelley. He was wearing a long black trench coat, a dark gray scarf hanging loosely around his neck. The man shifted his gaze briefly to stare at the woman with whom Shelley had entered.
The other man was shorter, but taller than Shelley's own 5'6". His hair seemed to be pitch black, but a blue toboggan hid most of the chin length strands. He was pretty, Shelley noted, almost feminine but not quite. Even at a distance Shelley could see his eyes were bright red. That makes no sense. Now that he'd noticed them, and the enchantress's magic was not around to cloud his senses, there was something strange about the two men. The white haired one…unsettles me… The red eyed one looks about my age. He's not a magic user…what am I sensing…it reminds me of something…
"Here, I took the liberty of getting you some coffee. Is black okay?"
Shelley looked at the woman with carrot colored hair. "Hmm? Yes, black is fine. Thank you very much, Ms.--"
"Just call me Victoria. You are?" Her face was stern as she handed over a large cup of coffee.
"I am Shelley."
"Shelley? That's an interesting name; I swear I've heard it before. I don't remember where though…"
"It's not a very interesting name." Shelley glanced back toward the space where the two men had been, but was unsurprised to see they'd gone.
"Shall we sit?" Victoria collapsed at the nearest vacant table, Shelley sitting down across from her. "So what's a sorcerer doing in this small town?"
She's not using a spell on me, and the coffee is unaltered…I hope Jinx made it in, but I don't feel her in the vicinity. "I am…attempting to solve a problem. Tell me, do you know of any other magic users in town?"
"Only the retired wizard on the hill, but I'm sure you know about him. Of course, any others are probably cloaking their signatures like we are. A few witches passed through last week, but they're skiing by now."
"I see. Then tell me, what is an enchantress doing in a small town like this? There's nothing useful here."
The woman looked as if she didn't want to answer, but after a long pause she started to speak, "I'm looking for a friend. He used to visit here all the time, before going to the slopes. I was hoping he might have come here again. It's urgent that I find him."
"He's not magical then, I take it?"
"No, he's a scientist…look, trusting a sorcerer is generally a bad idea, but I'm desperate. He goes by the name Eddie Poh, but his real name is Edgar Letelat - he's the son of the old wizard, that's why he comes here. But I can't find him, and the wards around the house make it impossible for me to get in there - I can't even enchant that stupid nurse, she's too clean for my spells to take.
Then she definitely isn't the one. That's one suspect down then. Good, I really didn't want to contend with an enchantress anyway. "You're unusually cooperative for your type, but then you did say you were desperate. I will be equally so, as it suits my purpose. I am working for the wizard on the hill - intruders have terrorized him every night for the past several weeks. He claims there is nothing worth stealing, but I have my doubts. Regardless, only someone of high magic could bypass his wards."
"You thought I was responsible at first?" She laughed, "I wish, but as I said - my magic hasn't helped me any so far."
"Can you tell me more about the old wizard?"
"Unfortunately, no. Eddie never spoke much of him, and I've only been here a couple of weeks."
"Hmm…One more thing then - do you know anything about the boys at the lighthouse? It was recommended to me that I should look to them as a possible source of the mischief I am attempting to put a halt to."
"Boys at the lighthouse?" She frowned in though, "No, I'm afraid not."
"Hmmm…well, thank you Miss Victoria. Good luck with your search. And thank you for the coffee." Shelley rose, nodding at her return goodbye. Tossing the cup away, he strolled quickly out the door.
No sooner was he outside than Jinx leaped onto his shoulder. "I see you didn't make it inside - were you too busy playing to work? Ow!" Jinx had nipped his ear. "Sorry. C'mon, I need to see what you were up to."
Returning to the alley from which they'd come earlier, Shelley pulled the cat off his shoulder and held her with one arm, against his chest. He stroked her softly, enjoying the way she purred for a moment. Closing his eyes, he muttered a long spell. Brief, somewhat vague black and white images floated through his head, and he furrowed his brow in concentration.
His eyes snapped open. "What the hell was that under the house? We need to go back later. I see you spotted the white-haired man and his red-eyed companion. I don't know if they're relevant at all, but they're curious never the less. I still can't place where I've felt that sort of energy before." He looked down at Jinx, "It's interesting that an enchantress is in town - you don't see them very often. But if she says there aren't any other magic users in town, I’m willing to believe her for now. They tend to keep tabs on anyone who can interfere with their spells. At least she didn't put anything in that coffee - but few magicians will mess with a sorcerer, right Jinx?" Especially a sorcerer who speaks to his cat on a regular basis.
"Mreow."
"Let's go check out that lighthouse, eh? It's the only other "lead" we've got. I don't have a connection to this lighthouse, so it looks like we'll be doing it the old fashioned way. I'd like to scan for magic types anyway, just on the chance Miss Victoria was lying. And get back on my shoulder, I'm not going to pet you the whole way there."
"Mreoooww."
"Okay, okay." Shelley turned in the direction of the shore, and began walking.
*~*~*
"What a gloomy place," Shelley muttered beneath his breath. Jinx meowed sleepily from his shoulder. He stood in the yard, several yards from the house. The house was an extension of the lighthouse - undoubtedly you could enter the lighthouse without ever going outside. The lighthouse itself was a dark, weather beaten structure. Hasn't been used in forever, I'd imagine. This whole place has a sad look to it.
He shifted his gaze to the water, which was gray in color, as miserable and cold looking as the land and sky. The sound of movement brought his head whipping back around - he froze, tensed. "You again."
The man with white hair grinned, "I knew we'd see you again. You owe my five bucks, Hyde."
"Damn, I was sure that chick would do something to him," the black-haired young man beside him groaned in defeat, digging into the pocket of his loose black jeans for the owed money.
What the hell is with them - that one guy still unsettles me. "Who the hell are you? What are you?" Shelley demanded. Jinx jumped down from his shoulder, moving just far enough away that Shelley wouldn't trip over her, but close enough that she could still assist with his spells. "I don't like the way you feel."
The white haired man raised an eyebrow, though he was still smiling. "Oh? But you're the one invading our turf. Perhaps you should explain yourself first. Isn't that the polite thing to do?" He wandered away from the doorway, into the yard. The man he'd called Hyde was close behind him, still grumbling about the lost bet.
Shelley kept his guard up, "Fair enough. My name is Shelley; I came seeking information on behalf of Mr. Letelat."
"Mr. Letelat? I do not recognize the name. But since you gave me yours, I shall tell you mine. I am Jack, my comrade here is Hyde."
"Why were you staring at me in the coffee house?"
"You reeked of magic - Hyde could smell it before you even walked in the door. We were curious; we don't often meet magicians in our line of work. Are you a wizard? We met one a few months ago." Jack looked curious.
Shelley was outraged, "A wizard? I'm a sorcerer! Can't you tell the difference?" I reek of magic? What the hell - sane people can't sense magic. They're not insane…at least I don't think they are.
Hyde answered, "No. Does it matter that much?"
"There's a world of difference, but I'm not going to explain the intricacies of magic to a bunch of ignorant fools. I came on behalf of Mr. Letelat. Now tell me, do you know anything about the intruders that have been harassing him?"
"Nope." Hyde said.
"I believe I just said that I do not recognize the name," was Jack's response.
Shelley frowned, "He's the old man that lives in the estate on the hill."
"Oh, him. He reeks of magic too, though not as much as you. What is he?" Hyde seemed genuinely curious.
What in the gods' names is going on here? "He's a wizard. What's your game?"
Jack stopped smiling, "No game, we just don't like intruders. We prefer to keep to ourselves, and we don't trust magic types. Especially that woman - you should be careful around her."
Shelley laughed, "You presume to advise me? You admit to knowing nothing of magic, yet think yourself capable of advising me on whom to watch out for? I can take care of myself. There's no way an enchantress could get the best of me."
"He's arrogant."
Shelley spun around as his cat hissed a belated warning. He froze in shock - someone had come up behind him without his noticing. How the hell did he do that? It can't be - he has no signature, not even that of a sane person! He glared at the man, but as he took in what he was looking at, his eyes widened.
The young man had pitch-black hair, but it was cut short and slightly spiked on top. Tinted spectacles were perched low on his nose, so that he could look over them. His eyes were bright red, and the shape of his pretty face was very familiar. They're twins…Shelley looked back toward the house, where the one called Hyde had called a greeting.
"You're back! We didn't expect you until later."
Jack was laughing, "You're right about his arrogance - he's almost as bad as you."
"Indeed," the shorthaired twin seemed uninterested.
"Who the hell are you?" Shelley frowned. I'm getting a headache.
The young man said nothing. Jack spoke up instead, "His name is Jekyll."
"I see," Shelley tensed, sensing something was strange. At his feet, his cat began to growl. "What do you want?"
"Like I said, we don't like intruders."
I've had enough; I'll deal with them if they prove to be the source of the problem. "Hey, I can tell when I'm not wanted. Come on Jinx, we're leaving." Shelley smirked at the men gathered around him, "Here's a lesson for you, to show no hard feelings - only sorcerers can do this. Wizards don't approve, and other types don't have the ability." Ducking slightly, Shelley stretched out his arm. As Jinx jumped up his arm to his shoulder, he began to chant. Two sets of eyes flared with the spell, its words lost in the wind as man and cat disappeared in a circle of scrawling symbols.
*~*~*
"Alright, I've had enough. We're staying here until I figure out what's going on. An enchantress running around town looking for her friend, who happens to be the son of the old man who lives here," we waved his hand at the house he stood alongside, "And the friendly "boys at the lighthouse," who are most definitely the intruders the old wizard has hired me to locate and stop. Or I'm a witch."
"Mreow, mreow."
"Very funny. How about you stop mocking me and get to work? Get back under the house, let's see what's up."
"Mreow." The cat brushed against his legs, rubbing her head against his shins.
"Do I look like I can fit under the house? I'm not a shape shift--that's where! That's what that one red-eyed boy reminds me of! He feels like a shape shifter." Shelley closed his eyes in thought. "But not quite the same…it's odd." he opened them. "But it will have to wait until later - get with the searching."
"Mreow."
"That's enough."
Jinx darted off, disappearing beneath the wrap around porch to venture beneath the house itself. After she was gone, Shelley moved to take a seat on the steps. He leaned his head against the railing, closing his eyes and yawning. Too much magic today - I shouldn't have cast two spells together at the lighthouse, given all the teleportation I've already done today. Heh, but those bastards will be hard pressed to stop me now that I can teleport directly to them, anywhere within thirty feet of that mark I left. Nobody messes with me, the jerks.
He opened his eyes, sitting up, "Oh, back already Jinx? Are you slacking off?"
"Mreow!"
"That was uncalled for. Come, let me see what you found." The cat leaped on to his lap, turning around and around, nuzzling his legs and picking at his jeans until she'd made them suitably comfortable. Laying down, she began to purr. "Did I say "get comfy so I can pet you? No, I said I wanted to see what you found."
"Mreow…"
Shelley laughed, "I suppose I can do both. Try to help me out though, this spell is hard and I'm tired enough as is."
Jinx licked his hand as he began the long spell from before, closing his eyes to concentrate on the vague, black and white images flickering through his mind. "Yeah, that's what I thought it was. But would you like to explain to me why you couldn't smell the dismembered corpse under the house? Who the hell dismembers a corpse and then just lays the pieces under the house? That strikes me as rather stupid. Actually…they would have had to have done it from inside the house, b/c people can't fit under there, let alone drag along the miscellaneous pieces of a human body with them. 'Curiouser and curiouser,' as the saying goes. Near the center, off to the left…shall we see what room is in that section of the house?"
"Mreow."
Shelley lifted the cat in his arms and rose. Not bothering to knock, he entered the house. "It's getting dark, Jinx. I guess we should just do the obvious and stay until the intruders come. I still would prefer to know once and for all whom I am dealing with. Ah well, let's explore."
Slowly man and cat made their way through the house, Shelley casting in hopes of picking up some trace of foreign magic. "I still want to know why you couldn't smell that thing - it should reek. But you didn't sense magic…hmmm…here we are." Shelley paused just inside a dark room, reaching out to flick a light switch. "A study. How trite. The bad guy kills the unwitting victim and buries his pieces beneath the floorboards of the study. Except that the pieces are underneath the house itself - ah, the snow and ice keep the pieces frozen. That's why they don't really smell. And this house is really cold, especially this room. That could be the result of ripping holes in the floor. Well, it's all becoming clear." Shelley laughed mockingly at himself. "Except that I still don't know anything about the intruders, or what the enchantress and those freaks at the lighthouse have to do with all of this. I mean, where's the damned motive? So far as I can tell, it's just people running amuck. And who the hell killed and hacked up poor Mr. Floorboards?"
"Mmrreeooww."
"You're no help. I don't think there's any point in digging Mr. Floorboards up right now; he can wait until tomorrow. Why don't we wait for the intruders, eh? That'll clear things up real quick."
"Mreow."
"We'll sleep here then, just wake me up at the first sign of trouble okay?" Shelley paused a moment, "A block spell would be order I guess?" He cast the spell. "Maybe nothing will happen, that'd be nice. Then I could finally get a full night's sleep."
Jinx said nothing, merely curling on his lap again after Shelley settled onto the overlarge couch set near the study fireplace.
*~*~*
Shelley sat up straight, hissing quietly in pain as he clapped a hand to his ear. He turned to glare at the green eyes glowing softly in moonlight. "You're going to pay for that later," he whispered to the cat, "I think my ear is bleeding, you damn feline."
"Mreow," was Jinx's faint reply. She headed for the door, green eyes disappearing as she turned away from the sorcerer. Shelley rose silently from the couch, joining her at the door. "Ah, would you look at that." Looks like they can't sense me, I guess for the same reason I can't really sense them. Just too much magic around this place. I wish I could see something. Hmm…the cautious way or the easy way? Screw caution, I’m still tired. He looked down at Jinx, who stared back. Shelley smiled in the dark, glancing briefly at the watch on his wrist. Almost midnight, let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep.
Two figures stood in the main lobby, near the staircase. Shelley could make out no details as he moved quietly out of the study. Whispering soundlessly, Shelley held his arm out toward them as he shouted the last part of the spell.
They froze in place. Shelley laughed aloud, moving across the hall to flip the light switch. He turned to take in his intruders, laughing harder. "Well, well. Fancy meeting you here. You really don't know anything about magic, do you?"
Shelley stepped closer to the two men, looking up at Jack. "Nothing to say? The spell doesn't prevent your talking, you know. I don't recognize your partner." He turned to the second man, who was a few inches shorter than the six foot Jack. Messy, dirty blond hair mostly obscured his gray-green eyes. Hmm…now this one is insane…but it's untapped, how interesting. He took a closer look at Jack, who had yet to say anything. There's something strange going on--oh shit!
He dove to the side as a figure came dashing from the door leading to the dining room. Spinning back around, he didn't get a chance to see his opponent until he was abruptly pinned to the ground, head spinning with pain. He stared up at the familiar face of the man straddling him, "Jekyll, wasn't it?" They really are pretty. The strange thought flitted through his mind, Shelley banished it.
"What did you do to them?" Jekyll glared down at him, his red eyes dark with anger over the edge of his spectacles. "Are you the reason they keep coming here each night? Answer me!" The shorthaired twin tightened his already painful grip on Shelley's wrists. He turned his head to look at the still frozen men by the stairs. "Hyde, are they alright?"
The voice of the second twin was much calmer than that of his counterpart. "He seems to have just frozen them in place or something. It's kinda cool - I wish we knew magic."
"Don't be a dumb ass, just figure out how to get them unfrozen-or whatever."
Beneath him, Shelley smirked at the turned head. He began to silently mouth the words of a spell as the twins talked.
"Jekyll! Don't let him--!" Hyde shouted frantically at his brother.
Jekyll's head whipped back around, eyes narrowing. Brief indecision flickered across his face before he moved. Dropping his head, he crushed his lips to Shelley's.
Jekyll's lips were warm, almost pleasant in spite of the aggressive way they moved against Shelley's. Vanilla and lime, Shelley thought, he tastes like vanilla and lime. Furious, he jerked his head to the side, cursing as he felt his stopping spell break. I can't believe he broke my spell and my concentration, god damn him! He glared up at his captor, "Happy now?"
Jekyll said nothing, "Why do they keep coming hear each night?"
"How the hell should I know? That's what I'm here to find out. Shouldn't you be the ones telling me?"
"They're going upstairs! Jekyll, come on! We have to follow them."
"I can't! If I get up, this damned magician will freeze us."
"Oh no, I'd do much worse than that to you." Shelley's smiled nastily up at Jekyll.
"Tell me what you've done to them or I'll make sure you never cast another spell." Red eyes glared back.
Shelley's expression turned mutinous, "All I did was stop them." Wait a minute…Something clicked in Shelley's mind. "Tell me what they've been doing - and let me up."
"No."
"Goddamn it! I haven't done anything to your comrades. Last I checked they were the intruders. I think I know what's wrong, but you have to let me up!"
Jekyll said nothing, instead looking up at his brother, who had come to stand beside the two figures on the floor. "Jekyll…let him up. Jack and Dupin have gone upstairs. We need to follow them. But - no spells, magician."
Red eyes glared at red eyes, "Why should I? We shouldn’t trust him, look what he did to those two."
Shelley resisted the urge to shout, "I. Didn't. Do. It. I told you, I think I know what's wrong, but I need to check them."
"Fine, but your cat has to stay downstairs."
"Why?" Shelley demanded.
"Because it's obvious the thing's your familiar or something. Like he said: no spells. Which means you won't need her anyway, right? Now come on." Jekyll rose to his feet, dragging the sorcerer up with him before finally releasing his grip.
Shelley rubbed his sore wrists, noticing resentfully that he was indeed shorter than the twins, if only by and inch or so. "You said they went upstairs?"
"Yeah. You said you know what's wrong?" Hyde looked anxious.
"It didn't click until something you said. Tell me - they do this every night? They don't respond to you? Just blindly move about, like dolls or whatever?"
"…Yeah…how'd you know?"
Shelley laughed, "I should've realized sooner - your friends are under a high level enchantment. I couldn't even sense it, that woman is better than I thought."
Jekyll caught his wrist, forcing the group to a halt on the stairs, "Woman? You mean she's the one responsible for this? But, we've only ever watched her. We've never talked to her."
"Have you ever spent more than thirty minutes in the same room? Well, have your friends?" Shelley attempted to free his wrist, but failed. He frowned.
Hyde looked unhappy, "Yeah, they did recon when we first encountered her. Jekyll was busy doing something else at the time."
Shelley looked at them resentfully, "You guys are an odd bunch. You-" he pointed toward Hyde, "Feel very similar to a shape shifter. And you-" he glared accusingly at Jekyll, "I can't feel at all. Not to mention the one you call Jack - there's something off about him. And I mean off. The only legitimately insane one is that other guy. And would you please let go of me!"
Jekyll released his grip, making a face. "Are all sorcerers as annoying as you?"
"Yes." Shelly snapped, storming up the stairs. The twins stayed close alongside him, and the trio made their way down the hall, examining rooms as they went. At the end of the hall, they finally located their objective.
Jack and the blonde-haired man were searching the bedroom the trio found them in, moving furniture and shifting objects. They appeared to be having no luck. Jekyll and Hyde approached their friends, urging them to stop and attempting to gently halt their movements, to no avail. Jekyll spoke quietly to his brother, who only shook his head vehemently. Jekyll frowned, turning away.
Hyde sighed and looked at the silent Shelley, "We didn't mean to treat you so harshly earlier today. But Jack thinks it's a magician causing this, and nothing seems to stop it. They just disappear the minute night falls - it took Jekyll and me all week just to figure out where they go. We told them what happens to them every night, but there's nothing we've been able to do to stop it. And magic isn't exactly researchable. Jekyll's tried and tried."
Shelley looked thoughtful, "Well, would you mind if I froze them again? I can't break the enchantment if they're moving about like that."
"You can break it?" Jekyll sounded doubtful
Shelley was annoyed, "Of course I can break it!"
"You really are arrogant. What's so damned special about sorcerers?" Jekyll rolled his eyes.
Hyde looked at his twin, amused. "You're just as bad, brother mine. What's so damned special about you?"
Jekyll looked disgustedly at them both, "Shut up. Are you going to fix them or not, sorcerer?"
Shelley ignored him, instead casting the spell to freeze the two enchanted men in their places again. He smirked as he finished, pleased by the expressions on the faces of the twins. He approached the nearer of the frozen men, the blonde. "What did you say his name was?"
"Dupin," Hyde said quietly.
"Hmm…" Shelley rubbed his eyes, weary. Unzipping his down vest, he reached into an inner pocket, withdrawing a small velvet bag. Pouring the contents into the palm of his hand, he rifled through the small pile of stones a second, finally withdrawing a small, diamond cut piece of quartz. "Come help me lay him on the floor. Don't look at me like I'm crazy, just do it!"
"He's awfully moody for an all powerful sorcerer." Jekyll sounded sour.
Hyde smiled, "Yeah, but he's helping us. And that's even after your attacking him and molesting him.
Jekyll made a face, "Whatever works, that's all it was."
Shelley frowned at the memory. I still can't believe the bastard broke my concentration just by kissing me - and it wasn't even really a kiss! I'm better than that, so why did he do it so easily? The memory of warm lips flitted through his mind, along with the taste of lime and vanilla. Goddamn it, I don't have time for this. Focus, Ernest, focus!
Pointedly ignoring the shorthaired Jekyll, Shelley worked with the twins to lay both Dupin and Jack on the floor. Kneeling beside Dupin, he closed his eyes for several seconds to gather his thoughts.
"Are you going to take all day or what?"
Shelley's eyes snapped open, he glared at red eyes and low-riding spectacles, "Give me a damn minute, this isn't the sort of spell I can just mutter under my breath and be done with. Breaking another magician's spell is difficult work, all right? Just shut the hell up and let me work."
Reaching beneath his pullover, he withdrew a heavy gold chain. From the end of it hung a large, gold talisman. Strange writing shimmered in and out of visibility. Gripping it tightly, he again closed his eyes. Still holding it, he placed the piece of quartz still clutched in his left hand on Dupin's forehead. He left that same hand hovering over the quartz, clutching the talisman in his right. In a low tone he began to chant, the spell far more intricate than any he'd cast so far. It was almost sing song, the syllables rising and falling to a strange beat. The words were long, intricate. Shelley never faltered.
Finished, he rose tiredly to his feet. "There - he should wake up in a little while. Let me get the other one." More slowly, he repeated the process with Jack.
Hyde looked at him, "You look really pale."
Shelley shook his head, "I didn't have Jinx to help me, that's all. I'll be fine after I get some sleep. What concerns me now is why that woman went to all this trouble. It would have taken her days to cast that complicated a spell. Enchantment is hard work, that's why there's so few of them."
"You really know your stuff, eh? And you helped us though you didn't have to. I guess this means we'll have to be nice to you now," Hyde smiled slightly.
Shelley blinked, "Sorcerers generally don't work for free, but the old wizard is covering this one. So just give me a warm bed later, answer a couple of questions, and I'll consider us even."
"Come on, you two. I want to know what the source of all of this is. We aren't here to chat." Jekyll stalked from the room.
"What's his problem?"
"Ah, Jekyll's all work and no play. Plus he's kinda embarrassed about what happened down stairs - I don't think he's ever kissed someone to shut them up before. Just wait until Jack and Dupin hear about that one. They won't stop laughing for a week." Hyde looked sheepish, "Hey…we got off on the wrong foot, I know. But we are sorry, and we're grateful for your help."
Shelley sighed, "Tonight's been one of my stranger ones, but I've dealt with worse. Just explain some things to me when this is all over, okay?"
"We'll tell you what we can."
"Then let's go find your brother and finish this."
The two left the room, leaving the sleeping figures on the floor.
Hyde spoke quietly as they walked, "He probably went to wake up the old man - I feel kinda bad that we've been traipsing through his house like this."
"That reminds me. How the hell did you guys get past the wards?"
"Oh, that. We had plans of our own to explore this place - because of the magic. It really does reek of magic, enough that it's giving me a headache. But we realized something was blocking us. Jekyll did some work, that's why he couldn't follow that damned woman around. Anyway, he learned that the - ward did you call it? - Is set to let through familiar blood as well as those people the old man permits through. We just got some of that nurse chick's blood. Then we just make a potion. After a couple of nights, the ward is used to us and we no longer need the potion."
Shelley froze in his tracks, glaring accusingly at the slightly taller boy, "You know alchemy." Shit, I didn't even consider that before…I shouldn't have had to consider it.
Hyde frowned, "Yeah, we do. Not a fan, I'm guessing? Well don't get testy, because there's nothing you can do about it. But if it'll make you happy, we don't know it because we want to."
"Che, whatever. You guys are just full of surprises. Are you all alchemists?"
"No, just Jekyll and I - me more than him. Ah, speak of the devil. What's got you smiling like that, brother mine?"
Jekyll had a pleased smirk on his face, "Come see what I've found. The old man isn't."
"Isn't what?" Hyde asked.
"Come see." Jekyll turned back to the room he'd come out of.
Hyde and Shelley followed, stopping at the door in shock.
Gagged and tied to a chair was a young man, the state of his hair and clothing seemed to indicate that he hadn't been a willing captive. Shelley looked toward the bed, which was empty. He shifted his gaze to the smirking twin, who was tugging on the ropes, double-checking the knots. "Where's the old man?"
Jekyll pointed a thumb at the gagged man, "This is he. After I left you two, I came searching for him, seeing as there was nothing else to go on. Only instead of an old man, I found a guy that looked half young, half old. He was stirring that," Jekyll waved a hand at the remains of a glass, scattered in front of a small desk on the opposite side of the room. A red liquid stained the carpet around the shards of glass. "I knocked it out of his hand, and over the past several minutes he's become less an old man and more a young man."
"What?" Shelley frowned.
Jekyll frowned back, "He's been using a potion to make himself look like an old man."
"I got that. I’m just not happy to see there's another alchemist flitting about. And where did you rope from?"
Jekyll motioned to the slightly overlarge jacket he was wearing, made from a heavy black material and falling past his hips. "I've got all kinds of stuff in here. What has you so pissed of this time?"
Hyde spoke up, "He doesn't like alchemists. 'Dunno why. Anyway, what does this mean? Enchantress, alchemist pretending to be a wizard."
"Wait a minute…are you Eddie Poh?" Shelley asked the gagged man. Because that makes perfect sense, given the day I've had.
The alchemist glared back.
"Who the hell is Eddie Poh?"
Shelley was looking thoughtful, "Victoria - the enchantress - said she was looking for her friend Eddie Poh, better known as Edward Letelat - the son of the wizard that's supposed to be living here. But now I'm confused as to where your father is?"
The bound man only glared, until Jekyll approached him. "Answer our questions, if you want to stay healthy. Try anything funny and you won't see the sunrise, understand me?"
That's awfully harsh…Shelley sighed, rubbing his eyes again, "Damn, what a night. Alright, first question. Where is your father? I was under the impression I was working for him."
"You're working for me, sorcerer. I'm paying you to get rid of these intruders, so get rid of them already."
Jekyll buried a hand in the man's hair, tugging hard in a warning. Shelley continued, "I don't work for liars. Give me a good reason to obey you and I might, but otherwise our deal is off…are you what the intruders are looking for? That would explain why Victoria was behind all this. But I don't get why. What the hell is going on?"
Eddie said nothing, choosing to attempt a glare at the man pulling at his hair. Jekyll released him, looking at his brother. He smirked again, "Your medicine has worn off, brother. Perhaps you should handle negotiations then? I'm not half so intimidating as you now."
"What?" Shelley frowned, turning to look at the friendlier of the two twins as he saw Eddie's eyes widen in shock. Shelley blinked, not quite believing what he saw.
Hyde was flexing his hands, staring at them with an odd smile on his face. Where his fingernails had been were now short but clearly sharp, finely pointed claws. His strange smile displayed a change to his teeth - they looked like they belonged more to a cat than a human.
Shelley let his frustration show, "What the hell are you? Shape shifters don't partially alter; it's all or nothing. Argh, it's too late at night for this!"
Hyde scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. "Well…you see…it's not a transformation…this is the real me. I use a special tonic to make myself look 'normal.' But it only lasts eight hours and I didn't take a new one before we came here because I figured I wouldn't need it." He stepped closer to the man in the chair, "It's just as well, seeing as I'm about to prove useful." Reaching out he dug the tips of his claws into the alchemist's shoulder, ignoring the man's cry of pain. His voice lost all traces of lightheartedness, "You're responsible for the mistreatment of our friends. Explain yourself now."
Shelley sighed, "And here I thought you were the nice one."
Hyde smiled, though he didn't look entirely happy. "Not really, I just know how to play nice. Now," he turned back to the alchemist, "Start talking. I don't like it when people hurt my friends."
"Yeah, we don't like it when people hurt your friends either. Well, Jack is okay. They can hurt him. But not me," a deep, amused voice spoke from the doorway. The small group in the room spun at the sound, Hyde withdrawing his claw tips from the moaning alchemist's shoulder, "Dupin! Jack!" He darted over to the two men. "You're awake! Are you feeling okay? Should you be moving?'
Jack laughed, "We're still a little tired, but we'll live." He ran a hand through his long white hair, stepping slowly into the room. Dupin followed just behind him, covering a yawn. Jack paused as he took in Shelley, "Oh? What are you doing here?"
Shelley rolled his eyes, "I'm supposed to be here. You were the problem."
"Jack, it's alright. Shelley's the reason you and Dupin are back to normal. You should've seen it; he was really cool. He cast a spell that just froze you in your tracks, and then he put this gem on your forehead and recited all this really long spell…" Hyde smiled, his excited demeanor an odd contrast to his claws and fangs.
Dupin laughed, rifling through his pockets. "Sounds like I missed an excellent show, despite being part of it. Ah, here we go." Dupin withdrew a pack of cigarettes from an inner pocket of his leather jacket, his lighter scratching and flaring briefly.
Hyde wrinkled his nose at the sent. Jekyll grimaced, "Dupin, kill yourself outside please. Hyde, can we get back to the question and answer session?"
Jack frowned, "Yeah, I'd like an explanation myself. But lay off the violence a second. Start from the beginning, and tell me what's gone on tonight."
Sighing, Hyde leaned against the bed as he recounted their night, how Jack and Dupin had disappeared as usual, how they'd dashed off to the mansion only to find them "frozen." Then Hyde started laughing, which earned him a cold glare from his twin.
"And then…to stop Shelley from spell casting…" he couldn't continue, Hyde was laughing too hard.
Dupin looked amused, taking a drag of his cigarette. He looked over at Jekyll, "What in the world did you do that was so damned funny?" He turned to look at Shelley, who was staring daggers at Jekyll. Dupin raised an eyebrow, looking at Jack, who only shrugged. The blond haired man playfully kicked the boy laughing on the floor, "This is hardly the time or place to be laughing yourself silly, brat. What gives?"
Hyde's laughter slowed and he grinned up at the group, "Jekyll kissed him."
Silence. Jack and Dupin turned stunned looks on the angry, shorthaired boy, and then looked at the equally disconcerted Shelley. They started laughing.
Shelley looked at them, disgusted. "Do you guys take anything seriously? You two just recovered from an enchantment, we have a bleeding alchemist, a missing old man and a loose enchantress. Would you please stop being stupid?"
Jack's laughter faded, "True enough - but you don't know Jekyll."
"In my book, that's a good thing." He ignored the look Jekyll shot him.
Dupin sounded tired again, "Hyde said you freed us - mind telling us a bit more about what happened to us. I don't like knowing that I was so easily used like that. I don't even remember it, that's the worst part."
"I'll explain how enchantments work later, if you really want to know. But right now I'd prefer to figure out why you were enchanted, and why this guy here was pretending to be his old man."
Hyde stood, returning to the bound man. His claws were still tipped with blood. "I guess it's back to business then. Start talking, 'Eddie' or I'll do worse than just break the skin."
Eddie only looked tired and pale, not nearly so angry as he had before. "Fine, I don't care. It seems I really don't have a choice at this point," he sounded bitter. "Just don't make me leave this house. She'll get me if I do."
Shelley was confused, "But aren't you her friend?"
"Friend? Is that what she calls me now? That's not what she called me a month ago, I can assure you."
"What do you mean?" Dupin put out his finished cigarette. "Why not start at the beginning? We're going to get the full of it anyway, you may as well make it easy on yourself."
"…Fine. Who cares anymore? I met Victoria at school four years ago, we shared an interest in biology, but eventually we realized we had the occult in common as well. She was a magician, I was an alchemist…"
"I won't go into the details, but suffice to say we - she - fell into a group of our types, a group that was assisting some woman with all these odd experiments. By that point Victoria and I were dating, she used to call me her "beloved scientist." Friend, ha. Anyway, I didn't like the way the experiments were going, where they were headed. But they were really interested in me, because of my skills with transformation potions."
At this Eddie looked at the twins, who stared silently back. He turned away, continuing his story, "They seemed to be really interested in that, I don't know why. It was stupid, and it was suspicious. I bailed out about four weeks ago, just ran away when it seemed clear they wouldn't let me ago. Victoria was different too, she was completely immersed in it, and she'd been colder to me ever sense I began expressing my doubt."
"How touching, really. How does that affect us?" Jack asked.
Eddie looked morose, "I came here to hide, because I knew they wouldn't be able to get past my dad's restrictions. None of the magicians or alchemists I worked with was good enough for that - you'd be surprised how many of them completely overlook the obvious. Anyway, after a week I made the mistake of stepping outside - Victoria was watching the house and she saw me. After that I started using potions to disguise myself as my father, as an added precaution. Seemed like a good idea, especially as only a few days later you guys started coming in here." He glared resentfully at Jack and Dupin. "At any rate, I'm sure you were bespelled to drag me to her once you managed to find me."
"Where the hell was your father during all of this?"
"The old man died not long after Victoria found me. He was almost ninety, and nearly broken at that, so it was really just waiting to happen. That’s where I got the idea to disguise myself as him. Originally I'd just planned to run away again."
"…Is he the dismembered corpse under the house?" Shelley asked.
The alchemist looked miserable, "Yeah. I didn't want to do that! But I need pieces of him for the potion to work, so I needed him frozen and near at hand. But he was too big to fit under the loose floorboards whole…"
The group stood in silence a moment, until Jack at last spoke up. "So why does this Victoria want you back so badly?"
"Because I'm the only reason that group really put up with her. Enchanters are useful, but only when their spells work. You're a sorcerer," he spoke to Shelley, "you know how difficult it is to cast an enchantment."
"So she needs you back so this 'group' will take her back?"
"Basically. I want no part of it. I've done more than enough, and I've gotten nothing in return." He opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it again.
"What? Don't keep secrets, we don't like them." Jack said warningly.
"He's dying." Hyde said.
"What the hell? Where did that come from?" Shelley stared at Hyde in confusion.
Jekyll responded, "It looks like Mr. Know It All sorcerer doesn't know much about Alchemy."
"I know some, but I certainly don't why you just randomly decided to say 'he's dying.' What makes you say something like that?"
"Do you know anything about transformation potions?"
Shelley frowned in thought, "They're hard to make, because the ingredients are unusual and they have to be blended exactly right. Plus, it's slightly different every time, due to who's transforming and whom they're turning in to. It's like trying to change your own fingerprints, but a thousand times more complicated. Most people get violently ill trying to do it."
Hyde offered a tight smile, "Right. What most non-alchs don't know is that the body can't stand it. That's why most get so sick - every part of their body screams rejection. You have to have a strong mind and constitution to handle it. Those that can make the potions and endure them repeatedly and often are "more valiable than gold" to the alchemical world." Hyde paused for a breath.
Jekyll continued for him, "But even the strongest can't do it indefinitely. Do it too often and you slowly start to kill yourself. The body gets confused, there's too much strain on the mind and heart. If you stop, there's a chance the body will recover. Otherwise…"
Eddie laughed bitterly, "Otherwise you can feel your mind start to fray, feel your heart always beating too fast. I'd already reached the threshold when I fled. I just wanted to be left alone here, rather than be made to work and drink until my heart exploded. But I panicked when she found me, and I've crossed the threshhold. So now I would just like to expire in peace.
"Explode?" Dupin looked ill.
The alchemist laughed, though mostly it was a sad sound. "Don't worry, I won't do anything so dramatic. Am I looking pale, sickly?" The twins nodded. "If I had kept drinking the potions for another week or so, I may have done something so dramatic as explode. But as it is, my body is just slowly shutting down. It's sort of like slipping into a coma after severe trauma - except that I'll die not long after slipping into a coma. My heart's had enough.
"Why didn't you explain all this right from the start?"
Eddie laughed again, bitter. "Because I was hoping I was wrong. It's not something I've had personal experience with before. I was so good at both making and using the potions; I thought I was special. I didn't really believe it until the twins here said it."
Hyde looked sad, "No one is that special, the human body can't hack it. Not without making extensive alterations to it."
Silence reigned for several long minutes, until Jack finally spoke. "Untie him already, I can see he's not the problem here. Unless he's lying through his teeth, and I just don't see that."
"I don't think anyone would make up a story like that." Shelley agreed.
Jekyll withdrew a knife from somewhere inside his high-necked jacket and sliced the ropes. Eddie rubbed his arms, but otherwise did not move.
Dupin yawned again, "I don't get why that dumb chick thought this would work, especially with you added to the picture," he pointed a finger at Shelley.
Shelley sighed, "I'd be willing to bet she's not even in town anymore. She probably fled the moment I left the coffee shop. She must have known her scheme wouldn't work with my arrival - you were pretty smart to call me after all." He looked at Eddie.
"Yeah," Jekyll looked at him, "how do you fit into all this?"
It was Eddie that answered, "I heard of him through some magicians in the group - a sorcerer for hire, a kind of mercenary/detective for the magic world."
"You don't seem like a very good detective to me," was Jekyll's reply.
I'm going to kill him; I swear to god I'm going to kill him. Slowly. "Mostly I do more of the mercenary end of things. And it's not my fault this case was a pack of lies right from the start. You should be grateful I decided not to kill the intruders, because believe me I would have."
Jekyll sneered at him, "Oh, I doubt it. Kissing you seems a pretty damned effective way of shutting you up. Do you always lose your concentration so easily?"
Dead, dead, dead. "That's it! I've had it with you." Shelley stood straight, muttering quickly under his breath. Before he could finish the spell however, a calloused hand covered his mouth. He jerked the hand away, staring furiously up at the interloper. Jack grinned down at him, "As hilarious as it would be to see Jekyll burst into flame or whatever you had in mind, now is not the time."
"Fine," Shelley said resentfully. "But one more comment and no one is going to stop me."
"Che." Jekyll was unimpressed.
Hyde hid his laughter by coughing, "So what should we do know, fearless leader?"
Jack shrugged, "There's not much we can do here. I want that woman - it bothers me that we were so easily put under a spell like that. I can see that magic is our greatest weakness - that needs to be fixed."
"So we'll track down the woman. Any information that can help us, Eddie?"
Eddie's bitter laugh rang through the room, "Sure, why not? But first - what are you going to do with me?"
"Nothing. We have no interest in you, not really."
"Really? You'll just leave me here?"
"I can do better than that," Shelley spoke up, "I was hired to stop the intruders, so I'll do this to earn my pay: Wizard cast wards, but I can go one step further and add a deterrent to the ward. It will make this place seem abandoned, empty. No one will want to bother with it. How does that sound?"
Eddie actually smiled, sounding impressed. "You can actually do that? I always thought they were just exaggerating what they said about you."
"Of course he can do it, he's a sorcerer" Jekyll said mockingly.
Shelley ignored him. Don't kill him. Remember - it's more fun to torture your victims. "Exactly."
"That's fine then. Thank you - and you will be paid in full, exactly as you asked. You may have your pick, my father and I certainly have no need of them."
Shelley offered the man a genuine smile, "Excellent. It's not often I get to examine a wizard's books with permission."
"I'm so confused." Dupin said.
"Aren't we all?" was Jack's reply. "Eddie, tell us what we need to know."
"Our school is a private one, no one on campus even know who really owns/runs it. It's in the mountains, about three days away from here. It's hard to reach, and really you're only allowed entrance - student, visitor, or otherwise - by invitation only. I'm sure that's not a problem for you though. There's a small town about an hour's drive from it. Victoria probably went back there, at least temporarily. She doesn't really have anywhere else to go, unless she was lying about her lack of family and all."
"What's the name of this school?" Jack asked.
"The Cornelius Academy. I'll give you a list of names, but the group you're looking for calls itself the "Children of Prometheus."
"Children of Prometheus?" Dupin made a face at the name. "That sounds idiotic." He turned as he caught movement in the corner of his eye, to see a pale faced Shelley surging toward a wide-eyed Eddie.
It can't be, oh gods please tell me it is. "What do you mean 'Prometheus'? Why do you go by that name? Why!" Shelley grabbed the man by his shoulders, shaking him back and forth. "Where did you get that name, goddamn it, tell me!"
"I…I don't know! It's just what we were called, I never asked why. Some of the older members used to say Prometheus was our master, but that's all. There was never anyone by that name!" Eddie winced as Shelley abruptly released him.
"It can't be…it's got to be coincidence." Shelley wearily rubbed his pale face.
"Hey, psycho. Are you finished yet?"
"Shut up." Shelley snarled at Jekyll, who surprisingly fell silent. "Let's finish up here, I have a school to get to."
*~*~*
"You should just come with us." Hyde offered. "You're going to the same place, for more or less the same reasons, so you may as well." The group was gathered in the dingy dining room of the old lighthouse cabin. Sitting at a scuffed table, a fluorescent light glared overhead. The sun had risen only a couple of hours ago, still somewhat tired from the night before. All were drinking coffee except for Jekyll.
"Let him go." Jekyll sipped at a mug of hot chocolate.
Hyde frowned at his brother, "But it's stupid. Besides, I was hoping he'd teach us about magic. In case you hadn't noticed, brother mine, we're sort of at a loss as to how to deal with it."
Jekyll said nothing.
Jack nodded, "I agree with Hyde. We're not big on strangers, but we still owe you for helping us out and as much as I hate to say it - we know nothing about magic. We can pay you or whatever, if you'll teach us."
Shelley looked at the men gathered around the table, then looked down at the cat curled in his lap, "What say you, Jinx?"
"Oh, that's reassuring. A man that talks to his cat."
"Mreow, mreow!"
"That's not even funny, Jinx." Shelley looked at the bespectacled twin, "Don't comment on things you know nothing about. But she says I should go with you."
Dupin looked interested, "Is that really what she said?"
"It's not 'saying' so much as just feeling. She's been restless for a while now, and this 'feels' like a good change to her. So I guess I'll be your teacher, if that's what you want."
"And your fee?"
"Hmmm…I don't take money, I have plenty of that already. Generally I demand rare spell components, or books and manuscripts - like those I took from our friend Eddie. I highly doubt you guys have anything I want. So, I would like first claim on anything magical we may find. In addition to that I want full permission to bespell him whenever he really pisses me off." Shelley glared at Jekyll, who glared back.
"Oh, you can do that anyway." Jack laughed, "And the other part a deal. So, give us a lesson. We can't really leave until the snow lets up anyway."
Shelley sighed, idly petting his cat. "Do you know anything about magic? At all?"
"We met a wizard once, he was kind of preachy." Dupin made a face.
"Too much of it gives me headache, and it's harder to smell in crowded places." Hyde wrinkled his nose.
"I don't like enchantresses." Jack's voice was flat.
"Sorcerers are moody, temperamental and arrogant." Jekyll said over the brim of his cup.
"Shut up." Shelley shifted in his seat, rubbing his forehead. "You guys really are hopeless. Alright then, here's your first and most important lesson: Magic comes from insanity."
P.S. Don't look for any deep or even shallow meaning w/the poetry - I think it add a nice touch, but it's more for fun and all (as well as the titles for each section) rather than real relevance. As
abiona_sashenka will tell you, poetry and I are old enemies.
Ho-snatch
Other people have sent me cards and I have their addresses..... HMMMMMM hmmmmmm
How am I to send you gifties?
Re: Ho-snatch
you can wait until I send you something.
no subject
I liked that and I think you should change it at all. Its great! ^_^
Your also awesome at imagery!
Yay!
J & H are my favs to. They were actually the chars I created first.
Thanks for the comment on my imagery - I've always felt I was a bit better at that than dialogue.
I'm ecstatic, maybe I can start the next part tonight.
Re: Yay!
Thats a cool 'fun fact' "
Oooo that would be great!
BE HERE
I enjoyed that.
(Anonymous) 2003-09-29 11:55 am (UTC)(link)J and H are of course enjoyable characters, I think I remember you referencing to them or similar characters at some point during one of your creative moods.
As you know, I prefer stories with plenty of description and attention to minute aspects of the environment. Though that's me, and merely a matter of preference. Your story is certainly fine regardless.
A couple of other minute criticisms, but nothing worth a dime. Considering this what Chapter One? Yeah, characters will more fully flesh themselves out in later chapters. Nice little piece over all though.
-F
Re: I enjoyed that.
As always, we disagree on the amount of detail and description that should be included - I will make more of an effort in that respect.
And yes, the characters will form better as I continue. Thank you muchly.
no subject
But I suppose it was worth it. Though I could think of a somewhat better Poe poem to open up with.
Begins recital: Once upon a midnight dreary...
no subject
Actually, I'm hoping to use Raven later on, so no worries.