“You guys should come out with me tonight,” Duff insisted as Idris gathered up the last of his notes on Immortalis. It was Saturday, and all the sorcerers involved in his project were arriving.
“Look dude, we had a good time last week, but that doesn’t mean Idris and I are going to sign up to go out every weekend,” Delaney replied. Even if they had wanted to go out, it would be impossible. They were going to attempt the potion and it would tire them significantly.
“Well, I want to get laid.”
“No one’s stopping you,” Delaney said.
“I still say you’re missing out and—hey, Idris, did I tell you how much better it feels with a woman?”
Delaney offered him a bland stare. “He’s gay. I can assure you he doesn’t agree.”
“I thought I was gay until I fucked that girl. Now I know I like both, but I didn’t bother having sex with her friend. His dick was way too small, which I told him. He was pissed, but who cares? I hope he’s not there tonight though, because he kept calling me names when I bumped into him later.”
Idris was trying to ignore the conversation. Somehow, he’d managed to be busy enough to avoid it since their night out, but he should’ve known Duff wasn’t going to spare them any details. “I hope you have a nice time tonight.”
Duff crossed his arms over his chest and glared. “You aren’t going to change your mind and come with me?”
“Sorry, no. Del got a new movie in the mail today, and we’re going to watch it with Mac and Carter.” It was the perfect way to relax after using so much magic.
“Give me some of that to carry,” Mac demanded, and Idris handed over the two notebooks he’d filled with information.
Duff’s expression was smug. “Mac doesn’t have a choice. He has to go tonight. He’s the duke in charge of all of us.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, kid. Hadley already volunteered to go. He’s going to drive you to the closest Dérive teleporting station, which is right outside the club, so you’ll walk from there. You’re free to do whatever you want as long as you don’t leave, and he’ll be happy to come home whenever you’re ready,” Mac said.
“How am I going to get laid with a sentinel hanging around?” Duff asked.
“You had no problem last week when there were tons of them around,” Delaney argued. “You just want to fight about it.”
“You’re jealous of me.”
“He’s not and I need him for our meeting. Talk to you later, Duff,” Idris replied and tugged Delaney out the door.
“I want to punch him,” Delaney muttered.
“I don’t feel like we know him at all,” Idris told him as they walked down the hall and arrived at the space that was changed into a makeshift conference room for anyone who needed it.
“I wish I knew what his deal is,” Delaney complained as they found seats at the long table. All the sorcerers were grabbing chairs and the young, handsome version of Vadimas was still a shock to the system.
“We’ll begin whenever you’re ready, Idris,” the Prism Wizard said as soon as the room quieted.
“Okay,” he replied. “This morning, I finally got the success rate of Immortalis to over ninety percent. I have faith that we’re ready to do this. It won’t be easy, but I know we’ll be successful in the end. Renny, were you, Scheredin, and Brexton able to come up with a spell to highlight the potion as we’re casting?”
“Yes,” Renny answered. “It should be bright and will burn through the colors you guys will be producing. It’s difficult to determine how hard we’ll have to cast without having enough experience around demonic hybrids like Chand, but between the three of us we’ve got more than enough power to give you guys a good visual.”
“Great. Does anyone have any questions?” Idris asked.
“I’m not a sorcerer, but I was wondering how you’ll determine who’s going to be a recipient of Immortalis,” Mac said.
“That was my question as well,” Alaric added.
“This is Idris’s potion. He’ll determine how this is going to be doled out,” Dra’Kaedan answered.
“I was thinking we could do a vote just as we do at D’Vaire. Only a unanimous decision will allow us to offer the potion. The two things we all need to consider when we vote is how the person in question will receive the invitation and whether they can be trusted to keep the secret of Immortalis,” Idris responded. “My plan was to review the list of our first recipients before we cast today.”
“Before we get there, can I ask what kind of risk all of you are taking by casting?” Brogan asked.
“The simulations show no real risk. We’re all accomplished sorcerers. If we don’t perform it accurately, the only consequence is the potion failing. It’ll take all of the magic we possess so we’ll be extremely tired, which is why everyone was asked to spend the night here,” Idris replied.
“We’re going to throw a movie on downstairs in the theatre room,” Delaney revealed. “You’re all welcome to join us.”
Vadimas frowned. “It’s not a horror movie, is it?”
Delaney’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. Everyone was aware of how much he enjoyed the genre. “No, that’s a bit much when you’re tired. It’s a comedy.”
“Let’s go over the preliminary list of people I’d like us to consider,” Idris said. “I believe we should start with the most obvious person—Aleksander. Brogan, you’re his best friend. How receptive do you believe he would be?”
“He’ll either drink it, or I’ll shove it down his throat,” Brogan vowed.
“Well, we don’t have to question his honor or integrity, so are there any other things to consider regarding Aleksander?” Idris asked. After several minutes of silence, Idris bobbed his head. “Ready to vote?” They all raised their hands, and the D’Vaire king was unanimously approved to become the first recipient of Immortalis.
Delaney rubbed his hands together. “Who’s next?”
“I thought we should look past D’Vaire for a moment and consider King or Queen Beradraconis. Their sons are immortal, and I’d like for them to have their parents. Since they are Trystan’s grandparents, they’re closely linked with our family. Thoughts?” Idris inquired.
“I really like the idea of giving this kind of gift to Drystan and Conley’s folks. I resurrected them without their permission, and anything we can do to enrich their life—I’m all for it,” Chander said. “Aeron and Helen can certainly be trusted with secrets. They never once revealed the details of Drystan and Conley’s former lives, even though they were sure the pair were the former emperors. I can’t really imagine them refusing to get the chance to spend eternity with their sons and grandson. They already had to miss over six hundred years.”
“Any objections?” Idris asked. There were none, and a second vote was cast. The entire group agreed they were next to receive the potion. “I was thinking in cases like this where we’re giving it to a couple, we could present it to them and allow them to decide which person actually drinks it.”
“Does it matter which one drinks it?” Mac asked. “Are there side effects?”
“It’s going to burn a little when they drink it, and they’ll feel overly warm for less than a minute before they turn immortal,” Idris replied. “It doesn’t matter which one drinks it. Fate will extend the life of the mate who doesn’t.”
“I say, let the couple decide,” Brogan said.
“Good enough. Since we’re talking couples, let’s move onto Larissa and Madeline. Thoughts?”
“Do we honestly need to go through the list of D’Vaires?” Brogan asked. “It’s a small list of people who aren’t already immortal.”
“I have objections to some of the D’Vaires,” Delaney responded.
“Okay, why not discuss those instead of forcing Idris to go through them one by one?” Brogan stated.
“I’m cool with that. Should I start with who I object to, or does anyone have someone in the family they’d like to bring up?” Delaney inquired.
“I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say it’s Duff you’re objecting to. It’s no secret you two have had a rift grow between you in the last couple of weeks,” Dre’Kariston said. “And if I’m right, then we’re in agreement. I don’t think he’s a suitable candidate.”
“His behavior has been somewhat inconsistent since I arrived, and I have started to—at least in some small quarter of my mind—question his commitment to the D’Vaire name,” Mac commented.
“He had Aleksander legally change his name back to Cominsky, dropping the D’Vaire,” Brogan chimed in.
Renny’s head whipped to the dragon shifter. “That’s weird. He’s only been here a couple of months. He didn’t have to take the name in the first place—it’s optional.”
“He couldn’t really explain why he wanted the change either, but Aleksander wasn’t going to argue. He’s entitled to call himself what he wishes. It’s just another symptom of his strange behavior,” Brogan replied.
“I thought he was just irritating me. I did know about the name change, but is there something deeper going on here?” Delaney asked.
Mac shrugged. “I don’t know. I just think he’s a young kid trying to find himself. I’m not convinced he’ll remain here at D’Vaire, hence my objection. He hasn’t done anything crazy or detrimental, but I wouldn’t describe him as content or happy either.”
“I agree. He simply hasn’t been here long enough to offer him something that needs to remain a secret,” Brogan responded.
“Okay, so Duff is a no. Is there anyone else at D’Vaire you guys have an objection to?” Idris asked.
Mac shifted a bit in his seat. “My brother. He’s only been here a couple of weeks and while I’m happy he’s here, I’m only just getting to know him. I can’t vouch for his ability to keep a secret, because I have no clue. And like Duff, he’s young and may not remain here. This could be a pit stop, or he might find a way to reconcile with his folks.”
“I’ll be honest. I’m glad you said that. From what I’ve seen he’s a good kid, but let’s give him some time to get acclimated,” Dra’Kaedan told Mac.
“I figured it’d be easier if I started the conversation about him. I don’t want anyone to keep silent simply because we’re related.”
“Carter is our second no. Anyone else have a person they wish to discuss?” Idris asked. When he got no response, the corners of Idris’s mouth turned upward. “Okay, then we’ll reevaluate Carter and Duff in the future. We’ll go ahead and speak with the recipients after we’ve completed our task. With that out of the way, are there any questions about casting Immortalis?”
“Where are you guys planning on doing this?” Brogan asked.
“We need plenty of space—we’ll do it in the backyard,” Dra’Kaedan responded.
“The rest of the family might wonder what the hell you all are doing,” Brogan countered.
Dra’Kaedan gave no indication of concern. “We play with magic all the time. I don’t think they’ll be all that shocked to see us casting a lot of it. If they ask what we were up to, we can always say it was a spell that fizzled. Something along the lines of wanting to test our power now that the wizards have unlocked the full extent of theirs.”
“What if any of them wander out and get in the way?” Alaric asked.
“That’s what we have you, Mac, and Brogan for,” Chander retorted. “You keep anyone who wants to stroll into our spell out of harm’s way.”
“Can I get you guys to reassure me one more time that no harm is going to come to any of you?” Brogan asked.
“Trust me, big guy. We’ll be fine. Afterward, we’ll want food. Maybe a beer. Then we’ll watch Del’s new movie. Each one of us will sleep well, and tomorrow we’ll be facing a world where we get to live with the knowledge that everyone we love will be right by our sides forever,” Dre’Kariston remarked.
Idris’s thoughts went directly to the two people Mac wouldn’t ever be with again. Oh, how I wish I’d managed to put all the pieces together before Lloyd and Bretta died. “I promise no one will get hurt. I can show you the simulation if you’d like.”
“I know you think that helps, but you have to be a sorcerer to understand how that damn thing works,” Brogan responded. “I trust you, Idris. If you say you guys are going to be fine, then you will be.”
“All right. I’m going to give Mac a kiss. Then I’ll be ready to get to work,” Idris said.
Renny smirked. “Just make sure it’s one on the mouth. We don’t need to see your man’s junk.”
“I’ll try, but now you’ve tempted me,” Idris teased. He turned to Mac who offered him a wink, then united their mouths. The kiss was brief, but it was thorough.
“First full week as High Arcanist and you’re already kicking ass and taking names,” Mac whispered as they stood up.
Idris hugged him and followed him out. “Makes you wonder how the hell I’m going to ever come up with an encore.”
Obviously overhearing, Delaney gave him a soft slap on the shoulder. “It might take us some time, but we’ll think of something.”