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Chapter 47: Can We Have Cake, Now?

Nathanial sighed, *Fine. I don't want to have to repeat this a hundred times, though, not that I know much. We can't do anything for Lara, anyway, at least not right now.* He stopped channelling more Light energy. *Gods. What do I do with all of this extra energy? I'm already saturated with it.*

Zhaohui seemed confused, *What's wrong with that? But, if you need to get rid of it, for some reason, use it. Do... whatever you do with our energy.*

Nathanial opened his eyes as he pondered, shifting his awareness from Lara's brain to the yard, *While I think, why don't you come over here and talk to Liam? It sounds like you two have a lot of catching up to do.*

Zhaohui shook its head, *I'm busy. Life continues even on other planes; you mortals think you're the centre of existence, but we still have our own lives to deal with out here. It takes too much energy to just travel back and forth for the little time I have available.*

Liam frowned, *I do not believe Nathanial said you had nothing to do, he was extending a courteous invitation. But as an aside, I did not think it was hard for extra-planar beings to travel between planes, except for Demons, and that was due to the barriers placed by the Fey. I knew it was hard for Mages to travel between planes, it is one of the most difficult things they can learn.*

Zhaohui was incredulous, *It's extremely difficult, hmm, more draining than difficult, but still difficult. It takes a lot of energy to force your way through the planar barriers. The Fey didn't make the barriers, they just reinforce the ones between the hells and the worlds they inhabit. As the bond between Nathanial and I strengthens, it'll become easier to cross over, like building a path or road connecting us. It'll also allow me to draw more efficiently from him and those around him, but not as much as if I were there in person. Now, hurry up, I need to leave, soon.*

Nathanial was barely listening to them talk, and decided to try repairing the damage his fight with the Investigators caused. The car was going to be the hard part, it was too heavy for him to lift, and it was a mangled mess wrapped around a tree in the forest behind his house. He wasn't even sure he could fix it, since he didn't know much about cars. He decided he needed it out of the forest, regardless of what happened after, so he pulled it, bit by bit, from the tree. Once he got it into a single pile he opened a portal beneath it and dropped it onto the driveway. The crash made everyone jump, including Nathanial, "Um, sorry. I'm just cleaning up a bit." He frowned, tapping the side of his muzzle, and decided to fix the back wall, first. A gate would be nice, but was it necessary? Could he make one? Sure, but with what? He looked at the stones from the wall, a stone gate? Eh, why not? He hummed as he moved the stones into position, channelling bits of Dark energy to break them apart into the shapes he wanted and Light energy to meld them back together. He was really enjoying himself, making an arched doorway in the wall and an ornamental gate for it, as part of his mind started using Ella's repair spell to fix the broken patio furniture and the wooden screen that hid the pool area from the front of the house. Then, he dried out the swamp Lara made. The landscaping was going to need a lot of work, the repair spell Ella used was for inorganic material, not grass. Nathanial huffed in annoyance, but finished the gate, and attached it to the wall with smoothly polished stone hinges. He offset the hinges so he could balance the weight of the gates , allowing them to open smoothly. He chuckled, very pleased with himself. He could feel Liam's amusement, as well as Zhaohui's impatience. *I know, I'm hurrying. Just the car left.* He cast the repair spell, again, putting all of the remaining Light energy in him into it, and watched in amazement as the car rebuilt itself with tortured screams of metal and plastic. "How's my Chi, Sensei?"

Liam stood up, dusting off his pants, "Severely unbalanced. That can wait, though I am still concerned and perplexed by how... unaffected you appear to be by the wild swings in your Chi, and by the extremes it tolerates. Lara will regain consciousness, soon, I fear she will be most distraught by her fate. Let us rejoin the others and hear your tale." Nathanial nodded as he also stood. He swayed slightly and Liam caught his arm. "You used too much magic, again, I assume. You have a tendency of doing that."

Nathanial smiled, "I've been worse; I was just a little unsteady. I don't notice how much magic I'm using while actively casting spells, especially when I'm channelling it like now. Even if the power's not directly mine, it still has a 'cost', just not as much."

Ella frowned at them; she was wearing her work suit, "If you're back with us, pups, I need to debrief you, Nathanial. You attacked two Investigators, who were engaged in illegal activities, to be sure, but they were still Investigators. Ahjee will need medical care, and May," She waved dismissively at the Siamese Cat before her, "Has received the best care available in Atlantic Canada, and is still unconscious. Judging by your expressions while treating for her, she's not in good shape. This is going to be shooting up the chain so fast, it'll probably be on the National Commissioner's desk in Ottawa by Monday. At the very least, my boss or his boss, the Provincial Director, will be handling this personally. I'll do what I can to help, but it mightn't be much. Just so you know, they had it coming to them, but they have a lot of influence and pull at the local level."

"Thanks, Ella. Um, Lara is fine... ish. She's physically unharmed, for the most part, but... she's..." He stopped, head hanging low, took a deep breath, and blurted it out, "Not a Mage, anymore."

Ella froze, "The Commissioner will probably see this tomorrow, or Sunday."

Zhaohui cut in, snidely, *Your local affairs are terribly interesting, to be sure, but I need to know what that was so I can get going. The fate of one nasty little mortal is really unimportant.*

The muscles in Nathanial's cheek twitched, as he said in exasperation, "Fine, Zhaohui! It was a thing from Beyond the Veil! From the Void or the Aether, whatever you oh-so-self-important immortals call it! It eats magic and magic creatures like you, and it's what the Hunters are planning to unleash on our world to kill off every single magic entity, and they'll probably try to make sure they're unleashed on the Planes as well! Happy? Now, since I'm just guessing at that, based on my dreams, that's all I can tell you. I have no idea what this Beyond is, or where it is, or what these things want or do, or how to kill them. It's all bits and pieces of stuff I saw in visions and nightmares." Zhaohui was silent, but Nathanial could feel it was still with him.

Ella had steeped back in a bit of fear and surprise, and asked quietly, "Nathanial? Are you... okay?"

Nathanial snapped at her, "Yes! Yes, I'm fine! Zhaohui was just getting very impatient and rude. I know my insignificant mortal life might seem unimportant to a big shot planar being, but it's my life. I think it's very important."

Liam cleared his throat, "Zhaohui was referring to Lara, not you. I also do not care what happens to her. She was a nasty piece of work, and both of them walked away from this fight in much better shape than they deserve. One who breaks their oath after giving their parole in such a fashion should have died then and there. She is lucky her magic is all she lost, and she would not have lost that had she kept her word."

Zhaohui was curt and sounded offended, *Exactly, that was my point. There was no reason for you to explode like that, but since you are mortal, and a young one at that, I'll let it go. I will try to speak to you later, Ancient One.* Zhaohui left.

Ella was asking, "Who-who is Jowie? Not another dog-thing is it?" She was looking around like she was expecting a monster to come leaping out of the fog.

Liam smiled, "Your pronunciation was close enough. No, Zhaohui is not here, and no, Zhaohui is not like the Mastiffs. He is a Kirin, or Qilin, a sacred being of East Asia, said to herald the arrival or passing of a great sage or benevolent ruler. They are similar in appearance, and abilities to some degree, to a cross between a dragon and unicorn, though the Kirin have deer-like antlers as opposed to a single horn. Zhaohui is quite slender, but some Kirin appear a bit bulkier in the body. Now, we must decide what to do about the Investigators, and I desperately wish to speak to Nathanial."

Ella shook her head, "They will be arrested and treated. I have to call Arrie to deal with that, since she's on duty. I'm not looking forward to telling her what happened. I'll let her call our boss, while I debrief Nathanial. This will have to be recorded, so don't get into things you don't want on official record. The fight was recorded, so that can be skipped over."

Liam gave her a quizzical look, "You were there the entire time. Why do you need to debrief him?"

Ella raised her eyebrow, "I was? I thought Nathanial's grandparents were there. Who was present when the Investigators showed up, Nathanial? Remember, they'll want to know why Jay and I stood aside the whole time, and we'll tell them you asked us to. I don't think they'll like that answer, but it's the truth. I'm regretting it, but there you go."

Nathanial scowled and scuffed the grass, "I... wanted them to try something, just for this reason. It was dumb, but I knew that they'd continue to hound us, me, if I didn't do something to keep them away. I really doubted the few charges I could lay against them would do anything, they were too confident in the way they flouted due process. Even if the fight ended earlier, and not so decisively, the charge of assault would've been enough, should have been enough to give them pause. Yeah, you were there, Ella, Arrie will make sure everyone knows that you and Jay are friendly with us, so there's no point in hiding it."

Ella shook her head and pulled out her phone, "All right, but why are you so down on Arrie recently?"

Nathanial was surprised at the question, "What? Why do you need to ask that? She's always been on my case. From the first time we met, when she wanted to press charges for the way I summoned fog, to the way she acted when she tried to fix Mrs. Davis. She was even following me around in the SUV with JWD and..." He looked down at Lara, "Lara? It was Lara with her that day." He shook his head in disbelief, "If they knew, then, everything that was going on, why wait so long? What was JWD doing there? Are they friends?"

Liam poked Nathanial in the side, Nathanial barely noticed, "Nathanial. You are going off topic. Agent Ella, make your call. We will be going inside, I am sure our families are very worried and have many questions." Nathanial opened his mouth, still bubbling over with questions. Liam glared at him, "Inside, now." Nathanial grumbled, a little insincerely, and followed Liam inside. He could tell Ella was smiling as she watched them go. Jay was over by the pool watching Gordon, Jay seemed rather perplexed by the way Gordon repeatedly threatened to check him for Taint, once his magic was back.

Nathanial saw everyone was seated in the sitting room, looking anxious. He addressed Micah, first, "You can drop the illusions now, Sprite. There's no point in them, anymore." He smiled at Gordon's outraged hiss and Jay's laughter at the Cat's reaction. "Oh, I forgot, I probably should tell Gordon what happened to Lara." Liam stepped in his way, growling, "Fine. I thought immortals would've learned patience."

Garret sat up in surprise, "Immortal? What are you, Smith-sensei? You told me you were a Healer and a Monk, but I figured you'd have to be something more. You might be some sort of Nightwalker, but none of the ones I know of seem to fit."

Liam was glaring at a very sheepish Nathanial, "Thank you, Nathanial, for your discretion. It is none of your concern Mr. Marks. I am not a threat to your family, you may leave it at that."

Garret watched him a bit longer, but inclined his head in a seated bow, "Yes, Sensei. I owe you that much, at least. My family owes you." Nathanial could tell that answer made Liam feel a little guilty, maybe very guilty, since it showed on his face, however briefly.

Faelen was watching Liam closely, "Are you tired, or something, Liam? You seem awfully cranky, like Geoff gets when he's overtired." Geoff and Liam growled at him, "See?"

Liam seemed to struggle to keep from snapping at Faelen, "I... am out of sorts. Cranky, if you wish. I need to meditate and sleep, I got little of either last night trying to finish the grimoire for today. This evening has been trying, regardless off the quantity of rest I have received. I am... sorry."

Nathanial checked the room, again, for scrying devices. There weren't any, "I'm putting the kettle on, we can both have some of that relaxing tisane you gave me, Sensei. There's still some tea and coffee on the trolley, and cake to be eaten." He walked over and ran his paw over the grimoire, marvelling at it. He saw Snow walk into the room, but no one reacted. They didn't react the last time he walked into the room, either. They usually did, when they saw him. Maybe they're getting used to him. Nathanial sat down, and Geoff sat beside him, pulling him close. Nathanial patted his thigh to call Snow over, Snow seemed a little conflicted but came over and lay down on the floor, putting his head on Nathanial's lap. Everyone reacted to that. Geoff sat up a little straighter, in surprise, before relaxing. Liam's eyes widened, momentarily, as did Faelen's, but Faelen kept a very close watch, afterwards, since the beast was so close to his master. All of the adults reacted with varying degrees of surprise and fear. Micah, who was right beside Snow, stifled a yelp and climbed over Nicholas to cuddle into Garret, and Nicholas burrowed into Garret's side. Snow's body ran against the end of the couch the Marks were sitting on.

*We are not your pets, Alpha,* Snow grumped, *But thank you for the meal.*

Nathanial smiled, *I know. I could use the comfort, though. I thought they knew you were here, actually.* He looked up at Snow's silence, "Didn't you see him walk in? The room's pretty bright." He started scratching around Snow's ears.

Conor shook his head, "No. I didn't know he was here at all."

Liam shrugged, "His powers are much like Geoff's, he may have been hiding his presence. I could tell he was here, to a degree. He was here earlier, when you unwrapped your grimoire, too. He is not... offended?"

Nathanial nodded, "Yeah, he was here earlier, he seemed curious, not upset. Oh, Snow, um, we have a strong bond, right? Does it really make it easier for you to come over here to see me?"

Snow turned his large head to the side, to look up at Nathanial, *We can go wherever you are, Alpha, no matter what lies between us, or the distance. You are ours... our Alpha.*

Nathanial smiled at the slip, *You don't need to call me that, Snow. I don't own you, or want to be your Alpha or master. I just want you to know you aren't my master, either. We are equals in this.* He scratched a bit harder behind Snow's ear, and the big dog leaned a into it. "So, drinks, cake?" Everyone shook their heads, most of them eyeing Snow nervously. "Oh, come on, people. He's big, but he won't hurt you unless you attack me, or I get really mad at you. Neither is going to happen. Um, I don't recommend trying to pet him, though." Ella and Jay walked in, the Investigators were kept outside, but in sight.

Liam sighed, sounding annoyed, "You are trying two immortals' patience, Nathanial. Greatly trying. First, your speed and jumping ability. How?"

Nathanial smiled, "I pushed myself." Liam glared at him, "In truth. Telekinesis. I can't actually lift myself, directly, but I can use my clothing and stuff to give me a boost."

Ella looked at Nicholas and back to Nathanial, "The anti-magic aura, Nicholas said you could use magic in it. Can you?"

"An interrogation, now?" He smiled as he shook his head, "I'm not going to give away all of my secrets. The 'aura' isn't solid. It's like a random network of laser beams, like you see in sci-fi shows. I can use my magic between them. If you can't control your magic like that, or can't sense the beams, the chances of your magic hitting your target are next to nothing. Now, let me guess, hiding in the darkness. That was me using some of the Shadow Mastiffs powers, I think."

Ella raised an eyebrow, "You think." She rolled her eyes, "Yet another of this frustrating pups 'I have no idea what I did' spells."

Jay flopped onto the couch by Snow and Nicholas, "Hey, Snow." Snow lifted his head to glance back at Jay and put his head back onto Nathanial's lap, "Not very talkative." He leaned back and stretched out his legs, "I'm not familiar with what these guys can do, bro, but it looked like a Spirit thing to me. You and Geoff are close, right? If you can draw on these guys powers, couldn't you draw on his, too? I mean, what's the biggest difference between Snow and Geoff? One's four legged and the other's two legged, from what I can tell." Avery started growling, "Chill, missus. Snow's obviously sentient and powerful. I don't know how smart either of them are, or what their personalities are like. I'm just sayin' that why can't Nathanial draw on Geoff's powers? Or copy them?"

Nathanial raised his paw, "Okay, calm down, please, Mrs. McDougal. Yes, Jay, Snow is sentient, but he's very uncommunicative. I think they, Geoff and Snow, have very similar abilities, but I don't think I have the same type of bond with Geoff that I do with Snow or Zhaohui." He leaned into Geoff as he continued to pet Snow's head, stifling a yawn, "Oh, kettle is done."

Avery stood up, "You look exhausted, Nathanial, save your strength. I'll get the tea." Garret nudged Micah, who climbed off his lap and followed Avery into the kitchen. They kept a good distance from Snow as they went by. Snow gave a contented rumble after they left the room.

"Thanks, Mrs. McDougal. Anything else you guys want to ask me?" He noticed Geoff seemed a bit tense, and wasn't cuddling him the way he normally would. "Geoff?"

Geoff growled softly as he seemed to struggle with something. He finally blurted out, "How much of that was you, Nathanial? How much were you acting and how much of it was... you? You scared the hells out of us, and we weren't even fighting you."

Nathanial sat up, surprised, and looked around the room. Only Liam, Faelen, and Dirk would look him in the eyes, and only Liam seemed at ease while doing so. Snow was almost purring in contentment, and he moved his head under Nathanial's paw to try to get him to keep petting. "I-I... it was almost entirely an act. I... don't remember much after Lara went after Micah, it's kind of fuzzy, like someone else was in my head, but otherwise it was just an act to keep them off balance. Was it that bad?"

Liam laughed from his seat by the coffee table; he was working on the registration papers again, "Not at all, it was a masterful performance. I was most impressed by your sense of timing and convincing portrayal of a dangerous lunatic. You would make a great villain in those comic books I have heard of."

Faelen was sitting in a chair nearby and nudged his boyfriend with his hindpaw, "Love, he was asking if it was scary, not if he did a good job playing a psychopath." He smiled over at Nathanial, "Liam was right, though, you'd make a great villain in a movie or comic book. It was very, very, convincing, and that bit with Gordon singing 'Twinkle Twinkle' was brilliant. Of course I'm going to freak out whenever I hear that song again."

Nicholas shuddered and Dirk muttered, "I'm going to have nightmares for weeks." Dirk raised his voice, "Cake." Micah walked in with Avery, carrying two large mugs of tea, he stopped as he looked at Snow. Jay reached over and took the mugs from him, handing one to Liam and the other to Nathanial. Snow watched Jay closely as he reached over his head. Micah smiled gratefully and walked around to climb back onto Garret's lap. Garret stood up before Micah could climb onto him, nodding to Dirk, who continued, "We should get the cake now, so Ella and Jay can have some before they're forced back into work." Garret, Dirk, and Walter went into the kitchen to start cutting up the cakes. Dirk paused at the doorway, "Snow, do you... eat? Solid foods?"

Snow glanced up at Nathanial, *We can eat. We, this one... I will try a small amount. We are curious.*

Nathanial looked over at Dirk, who was waiting, "They can eat, but usually don't. He'll try a small piece of one. The cheesecake might be too rich for him, and the chocolate might make him ill, so give him a slice of the chiffon, if you please. He can taste a bite of my piece of cheesecake, for comparison. Oh, Arrie just showed up, Ella. She's outside."

"I'll delay her, sis, if you want to have some cake. Then you can free me from her totally anal clutches, when you're done." Jay stood up, shaking his head, "The girl needs to get laid, seriously."

Avery's back stiffened, "Why do you men always think a dick solves everything? She's probably trying too hard to compete in a man's field, and thinks she needs to prove herself."

Jay laughed, "No way, missus, not a dick for that one. Well, maybe, she might like it, she may just hate me, if that's possible. She's always on my case. But, I wasn't specifying she get laid by a guy, just whoever would get her to chill. Anyway, Ella's our Agent in Charge, and she's most definitely a woman, so what does Arrie have to prove there?"

Ella snorted, "Avery's right on that point, it is a man's career. No woman has ever been a Provincial Director, let alone a National Commissioner, and the first Regional Director to be a woman was just twenty years ago. We do have a lot to prove and to fight against."

Jay waved her off as he went to the patio doors, "Pshaw, I think you do a great job, sis. I like working for you." He cast a spell and his uniform appeared on him, except his jacket and glasses, which he picked up and put on, "Man, I hate wearing this thing so often, but at least I totally rock it." He flashed the 'devil's horns' as he slipped out the door. Ella seemed very bemused.

Liam shook his head, "He is most difficult to understand, at times." The men came in carrying the cakes and a stack of plates. Garret took the coffee carafe back into the kitchen to refill it, while Dirk began serving the cake.

Snow lifted is head off Nathanial's lap and daintily ate the pieces of cake that Nathanial fed to him. Everyone was quietly talking and enjoying the dessert. Snow licked his chops, *We find the taste and texture most interesting. The cheesecake is good, but it sticks to our mouth. We do not think we could eat much of that. The chiffon is too bland for us. You taste much better.*

"Um. Thanks? I think?" Snow put his head back onto Nathanial's lap. Nathanial looked over at Walter, "Thank you for the cake, Mr. Smith, it was great. Snow enjoyed the cheesecake, but it was a bit rich for him. He prefers the way I taste, apparently."

Nicholas snorted into his milk, "Nats, that sounded so wrong. Don't give me Geoff's thoughts on the taste comparison." Geoff blushed and cleared his throat, embarrassed. Nathanial glared at Nick before turning to Geoff with a curious expression.

Garret coughed, "Nicholas! That's enough. Nathanial, don't ask. The cake tastes great, Walter. Thank you."

Walter smiled, "It was no problem, Garret, thanks for having me over. I really enjoyed super, Nathanial, you did a great job."

Liam stood up from the coffee table, picking up the sheaf of papers, "I am done, Agent Ella. Do you wish to take these, or shall I return them to Agent Jay?"

---

Faelen finished off his slice of cake, the lemon chiffon, and put the plate down on the coffee table. He watched Snow, for a second, but the large beast seemed very docile and appeared to be enjoying to novelty of eating some cake. It was almost cute watching Nathanial cutting off smaller bits of cake and daintily feeding them to Snow, who would carefully chew them, rubbing the food over his tongue as he analyzed the taste and texture of it. When he got his first bite of the cheesecake and spread it around the same way, his expression of surprise was hilarious. It was obvious the cream cheese was smeared over the roof of his mouth and he was having a lot of trouble cleaning it off. Faelen hid his smile and shifted his attention to Liam, letting the conversation drift around him. Liam was quickly writing out the list of spells and the books he got them out of, his penmanship was superb. Faelen softly sighed as his eyes wandered over the body of his lover: the slight tilt of his head; the floppy ends of his ears waggling as he moved slightly; the careful, steady, breaths, each precisely timed; even the natural curve of his spine as he sat up straight at the table, legs crossed beneath him, held special, almost poetic, meaning to Faelen. His breath caught in his throat as Liam unfolded his legs and gracefully stood, handing the papers to Ella. Liam's young voice, barely starting to deepen, sang to him; the soft, measured, metre calming and exciting at the same time. Faelen felt a grin cross his muzzle as he met Liam's eyes and held his arms out, beckoning to his lover, thinking, 'Come to me. Join me. Enter my embrace.'

Liam's muzzle was split by his own grin, tender and almost shy, "Your eyes speak volumes, Faelen. I always marvel at how much you can say, while your tongue remains still. Allow me to retrieve my cake and I shall join you." Faelen's eyes continued their own feast of the sweet view of the younger male as he gracefully slid over to the cakes. Snow lifted his head to watch Liam walk by, Liam looked over and made some odd barking-growling noises, answered by Snow. Nathanial looked down at Snow in curiosity, and Liam addressed him, "I was asking if the sweets are settling well. When one does not eat for extended times, even a small amount of solid food can cause troubles. Excessively sweet or spicy foods can cause great internal distress. The Shadow Mastiffs' digestive system appears barely functional as it is. He said he is not experiencing any troubles." Liam picked up a slice of chocolate cake and walked over and sat on Faelen's lap, Avery pursed her lips, but said nothing. Garret smiled, slightly, and rolled his eyes. Faelen sighed happily, louder, this time, and nibbled on the end of one of Liam's ears, as he wrapped his arms around the trim Rottweiler.

"I love you." Faelen pulled Liam back a bit farther, so they were in full contact, as he said that.

Liam chuckled softly, "I could tell. You looked like you were either writing a sappy love song, or an inappropriately graphic novel in your mind as you watched me write." Liam took a bite of cake and ate it before adding, "Needless to say, I mirror your feelings." Liam tilted his head back to rub his muzzle along Faelen's.

Dirk quietly cleared his throat, "Just behave, you two. There are people around who would love to cause problems for us."

Ella stood up, "Speaking of which, I should be going out there. Thank you for a lovely evening, everyone. Thank you for having me, Nathanial and Mr. Marks."

Garret stood up and held his paw out, "Please, call me Garret. It was a great pleasure having you, Agent Ella. I'd like to have you over, again, soon. Perhaps without the after dinner show, next time."

Ella nodded, brusquely, "That would be preferred." She shook Garret's paw, firmly, before turning and letting herself out onto the patio. Garret stared after her, confused, his scent betrayed a little hurt and anger.

Nathanial spoke into the momentary silence, "Dad, relax. I think she likes you, as much as she knows you, but she's on duty. She's almost always all business when she has the suit on, until she knows you better."

Garret nodded, "Right, I can understand that, I'll just have to see about getting her out of that suit, more often." He stopped, "As in wearing a dress, or something, like she was in, earlier. This evening."

Avery started laughing, "Calm down, Garret, we knew what you meant. You meant both things. It was really obvious you find her attractive, she is very beautiful. Just, be careful. It's a bit soon for you to start dating, both for your sake and your sons." Garret nodded. Faelen resumed nibbling on one of Liam's ears and listened to his breathing and heartbeat. He noticed he was in sync with Liam, Faelen's breathing was timed precisely with Liam's, and their heartbeats were perfectly matched, too. He smiled and closed his eyes, leaning back, and felt Liam lean back with him.

Faelen rubbed his head against Liam's and listened to the voices. Liam's voices. He could just make them out, the eight voices deep inside Liam's being. He could recognize one, right away, Song Li. It was the loudest and clearest out of all of them. Faelen focused on that one, as Jay walked into the room, saying "Ah, cake. Sweet. I could really go for something palatable right now. Yo, Garret, what's Gordo got against your old man, anyway? He really has some hate on for you guys."

Song Li's voice was carrying on a running commentary, as Jay spoke, starting with cake, "Cake? Yes, yes. Lovely cake. Not like the cakes I had, no. Living in monasteries meant no cakes, no, no, no. Plain food, yes, even for the Ancient One. My choice, though, masters should eat same food as young students. Old man, pah! Not so old, no, not like me. Look this good, when my age, you will not. Demon Taint is obvious guess, yes? Tainted sons, Tainted self, reasonable it is for Tainted father, hmm? Who summoned Demon that changed young Garret? That is an answer to find."

Garret started answering as Faelen sought out a quieter voice, "I don't know. I have as little to do with my parents as possible. They live in Victoria, BC, now, and moved there almost fifteen years ago. They had planned on staying here in Halifax, and still keep a condo here, but they wanted nothing to do with Lily once Lily found out we were Mages. They found the atmosphere on Vancouver Island much more pleasant."

The voice Faelen found turned out to be Lowell O'Conall's, "Parents. What a weighted word that is, full of meaning and emotion, entirely dependant on the one who says it and the one who hears it, shaped by one's own experiences. I grew up with no parents, having been abandoned shortly after birth. I hope my children think of me in a kinder light than I've thought of my mother, even should they find out the lie I have been living. I pray they do not until after I have passed, I couldn't bear to face them and have to tell them how I deceived them all this time. I married to have them, and had them out of curiosity, not love or a genuine desire to be a father. They were an experiment, whose results I'll likely never learn. An experiment that turned on their creator." Lowell's voice had become full of shame and grief, before continuing on in a normal tone, "Vancouver Island, what a marvel that must be. I had heard it was warm, but not tropical, all year round, and with a full rainy season during the winter. A temperate rainforest. I would dearly love to travel there and study its peculiar flora and fauna."

Faelen jolted out of his reverie at the non-sequitur, thinking, 'They turned on you? My great-grandparents turned on you?'

Liam sat up and turned to face him, "Faelen? Are you well?" The conversation became quiet, "You... are upset about something. You are shaking and sweating."