Mac followed the bevy of sorcerers out into the backyard. The mood was jovial and light-hearted, which made the fact that they were about to cast an immortality potion almost dreamlike.
“Sorry, Roger, but I need you to amplify my magic. You can hang out with Mac later,” Idris said as he grabbed his familiar from Mac’s shoulder. The little guy must have been eager to help, because he didn’t fight him.
“Where’s Greggory?” Mac asked.
Delaney walked toward the house. “Shit, he’s inside. I’ll go get him.”
“Vadimas, it’s time to reveal the big mystery surrounding your familiar,” Dra’Kaedan insisted.
“I’ll be right back,” Vadimas responded, then shimmered away.
Delaney sprinted back to where they were all clustered. “Greggory flew right out the door once I opened it. Where’d Vadimas go?”
“To get his familiar,” Dre’Kariston replied. The words were barely out of his mouth when Vadimas popped back into the backyard.
Mac grinned at the violet dragon on Vadimas’s shoulder. “You know, he’s the same color as Noir’s beast.”
Vadimas returned his smile. “I know. I’ve already asked her if I could use her dragonskin in a cloak.”
Roger and Greggory flew over to greet their new friend. “It’s so awesome you chose a dragon,” Idris enthused.
“It seemed appropriate. I was inspired by two extraordinary young men and the Council ruler,” Vadimas said.
“What’s his name?” Delaney inquired.
“I’m a wizard. What else could his name be besides Myrddin?” Vadimas answered. “Now, you may all fuss over him later. Let’s get to work. Idris, what else do we need to do before we begin?”
“Chand needs to switch to his demon form, and the warlocks need to change into true form.”
“It’s about time,” Brogan yelled. “I’ve been waiting years to see Dra’Kaedan’s true form.”
Chander pulled off his shirt, and a gorgeous set of matte black and chartreuse green wings appeared behind him. The Arch Lich’s eyes flipped to red, and he had an impressive set of fangs. The warlock twins glanced at each other in amusement; then they changed as well. All along the right side of Dra’Kaedan’s body, an intricate pattern of gold and navy emerged on his skin. There were hints of dragon scales in the design and just below the hem of his T-shirt sleeve, a thick, gilded band materialized with Brogan’s name engraved on it. The orbs of his eyes turned the same color, and the pupils were replaced by dragonheads. Dre’Kariston’s transformation was similar, but the coloring was dark blue and silver.
“You said your true form wasn’t that much different from the way you normally look,” Brogan accused.
“That was before I knew I was the Grand Warlock.”
“Tell me, is the entire side of your body decorated?” Brogan asked.
Dra’Kaedan’s grin was wicked. “You’ll find out later.”
“Not fair. Our eyes change but nothing else,” Delaney complained.
“Yes, but we get to enjoy the colored marks on our arms all the time instead of only when we deep cast,” Vadimas responded.
“Let’s get going,” Idris said.
Mac, Brogan, and Alaric headed up onto the deck where they could keep an eye out on their sorcerers and keep anyone from wandering into the action.
“How did you get Dravyn out of his garden?” Mac asked as he took a seat. The assembled group of casters were getting set up in a wide circle.
“Dra’Kaedan and I went to the Circle of Druids and got our hands on every catalog they have. It should keep him busy poring through them for at least an hour,” Brogan replied.
“I hope this doesn’t take long. We’re only going to be able to distract the Skeleton Seven and Daemon Lords with video games for a little while. When they get together, their first wish is always to train, and the backyard is the only place big enough for all of them,” Alaric stated.
The whites of Idris’s eyes disappeared, just as they had the day he’d ascended, and turned indigo. He raised his arms, bent his wrists, and splayed his fingers. Renny lay down on the ground, right in the center, and a beam of light appeared over the top of him. A greenish glow started in Brexton’s palms; then he cast it straight into Renny, which made his stream intensify. Scheredin fired a bolt of magic that ran through both Brexton and Renny, keeping their wells filled.
The three men sitting in soft lounge chairs remained silent as Idris barked out orders, and an array of colors formed around the mix of demonic necromancer, warlocks, and wizards. Amidst the flow of swirling hues, a potion formed above Renny and slowly filled; like Idris, it was an unpretentious bottle of indigo. There was so much magic in the air; it was apparent exactly why Renny’s, Scheredin’s, and Brexton’s contributions were so valuable. It would’ve been impossible to see Immortalis without the trio.
It wasn’t only the sky that was tinted—the more they cast, the noisier it got. Mac couldn’t explain all of it, but the loud banging of the thunderbolts belonged to the wizards. Time seemed to be trivial, and Mac had no idea how much of it passed as they worked. Idris was yelling out instructions, and the strain on his face was obvious. The wizard was digging deep to make his dream a reality.
Mac’s gaze left the gorgeous countenance of his mate and returned to the tonic they were trying to produce. It was nearly filled; then a loud boom blasted his eardrums. Without any conscious thought, Mac rose to his feet just as all the sorcerers were knocked back and flew to the ground.
“They said it wasn’t dangerous,” Brogan shouted as he raced off the deck. Mac and Alaric were on his heels.
“They’re okay. They’re just fine,” Renny assured him as he sat straight up. Brogan helped him to his feet and brushed the sand off him. “Brogan. I’m fine. Everyone’s good. They did it!”
After glancing at Renny helplessly, Brogan went to his mate’s side and pulled the small warlock protectively into his arms. “Then why is Dra’Kaedan unresponsive?”
Mac got to Idris’s side and found him out cold, as was Roger. He brushed a hand over Idris’s dark curls and tugged him into his lap. “Renny, what happened?”
Scheredin cast a pale green light, trying to cut through all the magic that was settling on the ground over the unconscious sorcerers. “I promise, they’re okay. No healing spells even necessary.”
“Then why is my mate comatose?” Alaric demanded.
“Did anyone hear me?” Renny yelled. He ran over to Mac’s side and held out the potion in his hand. “They did it! This belongs to Idris. Give it to him when he wakes up. He managed the impossible!”
Mac took the potion from the familiar, who was practically shoving it up his nose. At the moment, he cared more about Idris than any concoction he might have crafted. “When is he going to wake up, Renny?”
Renny dropped down to his knees and patted Idris’s arm where he lay over Mac’s lap. “They’re okay. They’re just exhausted. It took all their magic to do it. They will sleep really well tonight and be just fine in the morning. They may be still a little tired but otherwise okay.” He hopped back to his feet. “Alaric, you remember when Chand freed the sentinels? This is just like that. I promise.”
Alaric rose with Chand in his arms. The necromancer had his stunning wings pulled around him. “Thanks, Renny. I do remember. I trust you. Do you need to lie down too, or could you go get some of the guys from the house to help us carry our warriors to bed?”
“Scheredin gave me too much magic because he’s totally awesome. I’m going to be wired and high as a kite for hours. I can go get some guys to help,” Renny replied, then dashed toward the house.
“We might have to tie him down,” Brexton observed.
“Brex, go help him rouse the sentinels. These guys are all at least your size or bigger,” Brogan requested as he walked with Dra’Kaedan securely against him.
“I wasn’t sure if this was really possible,” Scheredin said. Like Brexton, he was of small stature, so he was making the guys more comfortable but couldn’t really carry any of them. “Mac, your mate is a total rock star. Don’t lose that potion. It’s going to take them a couple of days at least to recover.”
“Thanks, Scher. I won’t lose it. I promise. Can you pick up Roger and set him on Idris?”
“Of course,” the warlock replied as he did as Mac requested. The back door burst open as dragons and sentinels poured from the house. Renny was right behind them, running as if his ass was on fire. Mac wondered what exactly the familiar told everyone in the house. Aleksander marched up and picked up Delaney while Dravyn grabbed Dre’Kariston. Gavrael made it to Vadimas before the rest of the Skeleton Seven, and he too hoisted a wasted sorcerer into his arms.
Aleksander marched back in the direction he came with Brogan on his heels. “Should I ask?”
“They were just playing with magic. I swear. I think their spell backfired. They’ll probably be mad when they come around,” Renny answered. His words were shooting out like bullets, and Mac found humor bubbling up inside him.
“I’m still going out tonight,” Duff announced when they got to the deck.
“You’re free to do what you want,” Aleksander replied. “Please open the door so we can get these guys into bed.”
Once Duff did as he was told, the D’Vaire king disappeared into the house. Mac was at the back of their little parade close enough to hear Duff mutter, “If I could do whatever I wanted, I wouldn’t need a sentinel babysitter when I go out at night.”
His words irritated Mac. “Do not disrespect your king.”
“I’m not even a dragon.”
Mac decided he had two choices. He could spend his time arguing with an immature brat, or he could get his mate inside and put him to bed. It was a rather easy decision to sail past Duff with an exasperated glare and focus on Idris. There was not a whole lot of discussion as their group wandered down the hall. Gedeon was directly in front of Mac and when they arrived at the right bedroom, the sentinel turned the knob and pushed the door open.
“Thanks, Gedeon,” Mac said as he strode past him into the space Mac shared with Idris.
“No problem,” the sentinel replied. Gedeon shut it as soon as Mac was inside, which he appreciated. Mac crossed over to the bed and carefully set his mate down onto the comforter. He picked up Roger, who was starting to make noises that sounded distinctly like dragon snores, and put him onto one of his soft pillows. He tucked a tiny blanket around him, then pulled the velvet curtain closed so the sunlight wouldn’t bother him.
Returning to where Idris was comatose, he tugged down the covers. He pulled off his shoes and his jeans, then plucked him from the mattress. He placed him back down where he’d exposed the sheet and drew the soft bedspread over him. Leaning down, he dropped a kiss on his forehead. Then, because he couldn’t resist, he placed another on the corner of his slack mouth.
“Scheredin’s right. You’re a rock star. Nice job, sweetheart,” Mac whispered. “But if you don’t wake up at your normal time tomorrow morning, there’s going to be hell to pay.”
After a long look at Idris, Mac decided he needed to go hunt down some food. Once his belly was full, he intended to spend the hours until Idris opened his eyes right next to him. He could hardly wait to hand him the potion he created and see his face at accomplishing such an amazing feat. Idris was going to be so happy, and that was something Mac didn’t ever want to miss.