Mac didn’t have much time until he was supposed to take Idris out for what he hoped was a romantic evening, but he was on a mission to speak with Delaney and Duff before they headed out. He found the pair in the kitchen and was grateful that Idris wasn’t with them. They were chatting with Noirin, and Mac smiled as the trio quieted when he approached them. “Sorry to interrupt, but if you two have a minute, I’d really like to speak with you privately.”
“Is that allowed?” Duff asked. “I didn’t think it was acceptable to speak to a man with a mate alone.”
“Are you planning on ravishing me?” Mac asked.
“If Idris couldn’t kill me, maybe,” Duff replied.
Delaney rolled his eyes. “You’re a goofball. There’s no rule against talking to Mac alone. In case you forgot—he’s family, even if there was. Let’s go to the Duke’s Den. We rarely get an excuse to go into your super-secret room.”
“Have fun, gentlemen,” Noirin called out as they headed out of the kitchen. It didn’t take them long to get to the Duke’s Den and once inside, Mac grabbed a seat on the couch while Idris’s friends did the same.
Delaney’s grin was evil. “Are we here to teach you about sex for your big date tonight? I’ve read some books and watched plenty of porn. I can probably give you some pointers.”
“You’re hilarious. No. I want to discuss Idris. I’m not asking you to talk behind his back or reveal any of his secrets. But I’d like to learn more about his past and how it’s helped him become such an amazing person.”
Duff snorted. “Good luck with that.”
“As Idris’s best friend for the last five years, I’ve been the closest person to him in his whole life until he met you, and there’s still a lot I don’t know. Duff and I spoke with Idris. We told him he should open up to you, and that you’d want to know everything about him. The reluctance was written all over his face, and I know he doesn’t want to. But I think he needs to let stuff out, and who better to do that with than your mate?” Delaney said.
“Is it growing up with his grandfather or the stuff with Latarian he’s most apprehensive about?” Mac asked. “Is there one of those subjects that’d be better to start with, if I can manage to get him to talk?”
Delaney crossed his leg and propped his sneakered foot on his knee. “Piece of advice straight off the bat—don’t bring this up tonight if you want to have a nice evening. He’s going to clam up and while he’s normally easygoing, Idris is no pushover. He’ll dig in his heels and can even get moody.”
“I have reservations at a restaurant known for its romantic ambiance. I won’t be discussing heavy subjects tonight.”
“Good. As far as which one is better to start with, I don’t have a clue. He’s sensitive about both but for different reasons,” Delaney replied.
“Yeah, in the few months I’ve known him, I’d say his reaction to either subject is almost exactly the same. He stubbornly refuses to speak about it and will flat out walk out of the room if you push him,” Duff commented.
“Like I said, I don’t want you revealing secrets, but any reason why they’re both so difficult for him to deal with?”
The room was silent for several minutes and Delaney studied the ceiling; then his attention returned to Mac. “Can I tell you a story? When I was four years old, I wound up at the Spectra Wizardry Academy—although it was called the Academy of Wizards until two years ago, when they began accepting students of all races. It’s the most prestigious school, and the woman who ran the orphanage where I was living recognized that I had a lot of power. I also scared the shit out of her because my eyes were so dark. She contacted Vadimas, and I became the only resident below the age of twelve. On the first day of classes, I was taught the very first wizard spell. You’ve read the primer. What is it?”
“Duplication.”
“Yep, it takes a drop of water and the right amount of magic. I had a great teacher who was used to small children. She had a little dance to go with it. Step left, then right, and finish with a twirl. To get your timing right, she had a phrase to go with it. ‘Where there is one, now there are two.’ We practiced it with her without the water, so it didn’t cast. She wanted us to learn the rhythm before we tried. Then she sent us out of class with a small ball. We were to return the next day with two. It was an indestructible magic ball. I was still occasionally peeing in my pants at that age, but I was full of confidence. When I got back to my dorm, I filled a cup with water and I started practicing. The first try was a dismal failure, and the ball exploded before forming again. Being who I am, I got excited about destroying it. That was my first taste of spellcasting and I was enchanted by the darkness, but I was also determined to get it right. The second time I did, and I was able to bring both to class the next day. Unfortunately for my teacher, I had also exploded those damn balls so many times, I had a phrase of my own to teach her. ‘Where there is one, there are now none.’ You see, I’d managed to explode her ball plus the one I’d replicated to the point neither recovered. I used my magic to create a new ball and duplicated it. By the end of the day, everyone at that school saw my potential. Of course, I also scared the shit out of them, but Vadimas encouraged me.”
“You still scare the shit out of people,” Duff observed.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t bother me as much as it did then. I’ve gotten used to it,” Delaney replied. “But let’s get back to my story.”
Duff frowned. “I thought you were done.”
“Mac didn’t drag us in here to hear about my first spell. He wants to know about Idris. When I first met him, he knew zero typical spells. He’d figured out how to do some stuff because he’s intrigued by magic and had invented ways to do things, but Idris found it all frustrating. No one taught him the mechanics of it, and when you’re casting without know-how, things are often unsuccessful. So, he was wary of failing, but he had a burning desire to learn. As you guys know, he’s a strong sorcerer, and I’m sure it’s maddening to have all that inside you without any clue how to use it. When he left D’Vaire for school, I couldn’t wait to hear about his first day. I knew he was going to love it because Vadimas had set it up, so he’d be taught lots of spells in rapid succession. He was sixteen—he could focus a great deal better than a four-year-old.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess he was over that whole peeing in his pants thing too,” Duff interjected.
“One would hope,” Delaney retorted. “Anyway, I called him up that evening, and he was in a bad mood. I’d only known him for a brief time, but Idris is one of those upbeat people, and that’s apparent as soon as you meet him. I grew concerned. I knew what jerks those kids could be, and it pissed me off that they were messing with my friend, but he assured me that wasn’t the case. He wouldn’t say anything about why he was mad. This went on for several days, and I finally called Vadimas. I was worried Idris wasn’t learning things easily, but Vadimas said they’d already increased the curriculum because he was picking things up lightning-fast. They were blown away by his ability to not only achieve each spell but memorize them. Finally, after the second week of him putting me off, he came home for the weekend. I was sixteen and was all like, ‘I thought we were friends.’ He was shocked. He told me we were more than that—we were best friends.”
“He’s pretty cool,” Duff threw in.
“Yeah, he is, but I wasn’t going to let it go. I told him, ‘Then you tell me why you’re mad.’ He blew up. Idris grabbed the primer—just like the one they gave you—and almost ripped it apart, he opened it so violently. He pointed at it and yelled that the first spell they teach you is duplication. I didn’t understand why he would be angry about it, but he went on to explain how he grew up with an educated sorcerer in a shitty house with barely anything. A few crops Idris didn’t know how to tend, and they were destitute, but he said the two things they did have were water and his power. At four years old, he could’ve been taught to duplicate food, clothing, etcetera. His grandfather wouldn’t teach him anything, no matter how he begged, but he allowed Idris to live with the weight of caring for them both. He was royally pissed but once he lost his temper, he refused to discuss it again. That’s the only time I think I’ve heard him straight out criticize the guy, but from what I’ve deduced over the years, his grandfather was a horrible man.”
Mac hated to hear how Idris had grown up. It was difficult for him to not share Delaney’s opinion about Idris’s grandparent. He couldn’t comprehend why he hadn’t eased the burden he’d placed upon Idris’s young shoulders with only a little instruction. “Thanks for sharing that with me.”
“Idris was like a ball of clay begging to be molded, and that’s the boy Latarian found. Starving for affection and a road to a different life. You know most of the story there, and I think you can probably figure out why he’s reluctant to discuss it,” Delaney said.
“I’m going to go with guilt,” Mac replied.
“Absolutely, but I doubt you can understand the depth of it.”
“I can read between the lines. What part of the story haven’t I heard?”
“You’ve heard the part about how he saved both Dra’Kaedan’s and Renny’s lives, right?” Delaney asked.
“Yeah, he’d figured out how to pull the Cwylld dust from those weird magic-sucking rocks, right?”
“Exactly. Latarian and Idris fashioned a knife with it so when you stabbed someone, the dust shook off into the wound.”
“I don’t know what to say about a woman who convinces a teenage boy to do that,” Mac said in disgust.
“Oh, it gets better. The bitch made him stab Renny with it. He’s the one who embedded the dust into his arm,” Delaney revealed.
“He also saved Renny’s life by pulling the dust back out,” Mac argued.
“Do you know how he figured out how to remove the dust?” Delaney asked.
“No.”
“After they had kidnapped Renny and Gedeon, Latarian decided it wouldn’t do to have them both there. She ordered Idris to kill Gedeon. He didn’t want to, but he had no idea how to refuse her. Latarian hurt him with his own magic, and not only did he want to please her, but she scared him. But he also had no idea how to kill someone. He was so nervous that even contemplating it, he managed to cut himself several times with the knife. In a panic, he used his magic to yank out the dust,” Delaney confided.
“Are you telling me he could’ve died himself?”
“Had he not acted so quickly, absolutely. His fear helped save Dra’Kaedan’s and Renny’s lives.”
“I get that he helped fashion the blade and even stabbed Renny with it, but from the way you’re talking, it seems like Idris is carrying around an excessive amount of unwarranted guilt,” Mac replied.
“Oh, it’s definitely misplaced, but I can understand how he’s managed to turn it on himself, because I think I would’ve done the same. You see, Idris was ordered to kill Gedeon, but he lacked the evil to do it. So, he went down to the room where Gedeon and Renny were kept, and he tossed the knife in there. Gedeon picked it up but he couldn’t hold on to it. It was covered in the dust—it would’ve drained him until he lost consciousness. Idris was able to keep it tucked in a pocket because he’d fashioned a copper sheath for it to protect himself but even through it, he could feel the pull. Unable to keep the knife in his hand, Gedeon left it on a table, and when the big showdown happened, Latarian seized the opportunity. She grabbed it and plunged it into Dra’Kaedan’s chest. Idris blames himself. If he’d stood up to her, the knife would’ve been upstairs, and Dra’Kaedan wouldn’t have nearly been killed.”
“My poor Idris,” Mac muttered.
“He needs you, Mac. At some point, he needs to get all this shit about his childhood out.”
“You’re pretty smart, Del.”
Delaney uncrossed his legs and got to his feet. “Yeah, I get that a lot. Now, go find Aleksander so he can pull Roger off your shoulder. You’ve got a hot date, and I’m not going to be responsible for you being late. I don’t want to face Idris’s wrath.”
Mac thanked him for his insight, then strode out of the room to do as he was told. There would come a time when he would sit Idris down and begin the task of prying him open, but Mac’s instincts told him neither of them was ready for it. He would be damned if he would hurt Idris in any way—nor would he allow anyone else to do so, including the man himself.