Work Text:
Foam sat on the couch, Archie curled up behind her. Douxie was reading a book, one foot kicked up on the dinette seat across from him and a cup of tea steaming on the table. They had returned from the trip to the cave a few hours ago, and after dinner, Zoe had determined she needed to wander around the campground and the small nature trail she spotted earlier. Possibly to look for spell ingredients that she might have to come back for later.
These humans never ceased to amaze her. Her eyes were affixed to Douxie’s bracer. It was covered with runes, and if she Listened to it, she could hear the soft blue magic stored within. They reminded her of the road signs that humans used—they were not the road but the way to the road. She could Hear the connections between the runes and Douxie, a soft hum of his magic.
Douxie looked down at her, the book resting in his lap. He raised his arm up, so she could get a better look.
“May I?” She reached out one massive, furry paw.
He nodded.
The runes were warm under her touch. Douxie reached over and spun the bracer, lighting it up. It sang to her, the connections growing strong as he tapped two runes. Lines appeared between them, the bond between runes guiding his magic to his open hand, where a bright ball of blue light formed. It was as if he had unblocked just the part of the river that he wanted to, and his magic flowed through.
It was like the singing and dancing and art of the People, calling on the magic of the world, forming connections between where it was and where they wanted it to be. She had never seen it used quite this way, however. She cocked her head to one side, and poked at the glowing runes.
“Fascinating.” She sniffed at the bracer, Listening closer. The magic hummed, not contained by the runes—the magic was all Douxie, after all—but the runes acted as guides, directing it. “I have never seen the like…I have seen many different kinds of magic, but not like this. Where did you learn it?”
Douxie thought for a moment, his gaze distant. “Shortly after Merlin found me and made me his apprentice, I guess.” He ended the ball of softly glowing light, and Foam could Hear its magic fade away, back into the World. “My magic was instinctive, so he had me use runes to help control it.” He motioned to the bracer. “Turns out, I needed to keep them…uh…close to hand, so to speak.”
She placed a paw on his arm, just above the bracer. “Now, you use these runes to guide your magic.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You…you could say that. Though I never thought of it that way.” He looked closer at the bracer. “I just saw it as a way to store spells so I wouldn’t mess them up.”
She looked sadly at the bracer, then back up at Douxie. The wizard’s eyes, a brown so light as to be almost yellow, with flecks of green and darker brown, were shadowed. She tightened the grip of her paw, making sure no claws extended, to get his attention. “Everyone makes mistakes, Douxie. Especially when learning.”
He chuckled. “Merlin was not an easy Master.”
Merlin? No wonder Douxie relied so much on his bracer! While she had never met the man, she had heard stories of his perfectionism. He seemed to forget such abilities came from centuries of practice, and to expect an apprentice…her muzzle crumped in a scowl. She was going to have words with him if she ever met him. “Merlin was a fool.” She sighed deeply, “But a loyal one. I would have left Arthur in a wingbeat for the way he treated magical Folk.” She shook her head. “We were torn on if Merlin made it worse or tempered that man’s hate.”
She tapped on the bracer. “Merlin never was one to learn from other People. He focused on only what he knew.”
Douxie snorted.
She Heard the hitch in his magic. A past, deep hurt. A wound long healed, but still aching. She stood, and stepped delicately into Douxie’s lap. She had learned long ago that touch helped ease old wounds—not just in Humans, but in all of the People she had met in her travels. She flopped down, her head on the arm of the couch, her rear legs on the couch, a foot on Archie’s back. He blinked up at her, shifted over, using her leg and massive paw as a blanket, and returned to his nap.
She purred softly. “I have some Magic to teach you, if you are willing. It will require some unlearning on your part, however.” She left unspoken her disdain on Merlin’s teaching methods.
“I would appreciate that.” She Heard the hitch in his magic ease, and old achy wound easing a small bit.
She looked up at him. His free hand started to absent-mindedly pass over her side, another habit she learned humans need to do. The calming, repetitive motions, especially when that motion involved something soft and pleasant to touch. And she did not mind the pets, to her it was also soothing and relaxing. She purred in response.
**
Zoe made sure to knock the mud off of her boots before entering the RV. The door was unlocked, but not unwarded. A quick pass of the RV’s key undid the wards—put in place by the RV’s owner. There were small warning wards placed in bits of driftwood and hanging from the door handle.
The cellphone charger was at her right elbow as she entered the RV, a tangled mass of two overly long cables. She plugged her phone in—the memory card full of photos of moss and mushrooms—and looked further into the rig. At the end was the couch with the dinette table across from it. Douxie dozed on the couch in the corner next to the end wall, head leaning against the wall, book forgotten in his lap, his place held with half of his hand. Foam was sprawled over his lap, and blinked sleepily up at Zoe, flicking an ear in greeting. Archie was curled up under her hind legs and against Douxie’s thigh, whiskers and one leg twitching in his sleep.
The pink-haired hedgewizard smiled; this was the most relaxed she had seen Douxie or Archie for decades. She pulled off her coat, hanging it in the bathroom so the mist it had collected could drip into the miniscule bathtub. She placed the kettle, already filled with water, on the stove and turned it on. Douxie shifted at the noise, but remained asleep. Archie made a soft little prrt noise, and blinked up at her, his face half-covered by a huge bobcat paw.
Douxie stirred as Zoe placed four mugs on the table, along with a box of assorted teas.
“Good morning,” Zoe slid into the dinette, and selected a light green jasmine tea.
He stretched, his back popping. She knew that the couch was not the most comfortable thing to fall asleep on. Foam stretched as well, a full feline expansion, claws out and everything. Douxie absently placed a hand on her side.
Archie stood, and stretched as well, before giving Douxie a side eye. “I see how I rate.”
Zoe laughed, and beckoned Archie over. “Come over here and have your tea.” She motioned to a cup of hot water, still steaming.
With a haughty hmph, Archie hopped over and indicated which tea he wanted. Foam hopped over, claiming a spicy chai tea. Douxie leaned forward, placing his book on the table.
Zoe grinned over her tea cup. His hair was flat from where his head had been leaning against the wall.
Foam looked at them, her vivid blue eyes darting around. “What is it?” Zoe placed her cup on the table.
“When you, Douxie, and Archie are more awake, I would like to teach you some of the Magic as I was taught.” She shrugged one furry shoulder, a feline ripple of fur. “Douxie and I were talking; seems some of his training from Merlin was…lacking.” She ended with a deep growl and a scowl. Apparently, she did not much approve of Merlin’s teaching methods. Zoe liked her more and more each day.
“Find anything interesting on your walk?” Douxie set his cup on the table.
Zoe grinned, “I did. Moss, mushrooms, moss, moss, a few slugs, moss,” she shrugged. “Not much that I recognize, but,” she motioned to her phone, “fun to photograph. Some of them might make good ingredients, but I’d rather not collect them.” She shrugged one shoulder, “Protected land and all that.”
Foam inclined her head. “Wise, that.” She sipped her tea, “You need permission from the Tribal Elders and Federal Government to collect on this land, easier to find alternative materials.” She set her paws on either side of the cup. “Separation is an illusion, you find something and explore its connection with the world around it, and you use that.” She waved a paw, indicating the world around her. “I have talked with many People, from Tribes all over this world. They all share one teaching; Listening to the Magic of the World.” The paw returned to the table, and she leaned forward. “Europeans, like Merlin, would force Magic to his will using runes and words and the like, but never would they ask the World. They mistakenly thought that it weakened their magic, and they compensated by using more demanding runes, stronger words,” she sighed. “They limited their own magics more than they ever imagined.”
She settled herself into the bench, her head even with Zoe’s. “European Wizards are not all like that, in fact, most hedge wizards use Magic more like the People do.”
This was new. Zoe was confused as to what Foam meant. “What?”
She waved a paw. “Your abilities are varied; you have to find your specialty. You have to Listen and pay attention to your Magic and how in interacts with yourself and the world around you. Rarely is there a hedge wizard who can force magic to their will. That is the difference between Wizards like Merlin and Douxie, and wizards like you.” Foam pointed one paw at Zoe. “However, the Magic I can teach will help both of you. Zoe, you will have less to unlearn than Douxie and Archie.”
“Me?” Archie looked at her, ears forward.
Foam nodded. “Yes. As a familiar, you already have a sense of what Douxie’s magic is doing, but imagine having a stronger, more definitive sense of him.”
“Hmm, that does sound useful.” He placed a paw on his chin.
Douxie took a sip of his tea, his eyes closed. “Hmm, how do we want to go about this?”
Zoe leaned back in her seat; she had been enjoying exploring the coast, the temperate rainforest, and her rare free time. Another magic lesson, she wasn’t so sure. She looked over at Douxie. But he needed it, and Zoe wasn’t sure how long they would have Foam’s company. Having something of her would certainly benefit Archie as the two had become near inseparable. And anything that can help Douxie would help keep her and Archie sane.
She sighed deeply. “After lunch?”
**
Douxie sat by their campfire, lit by Archie’s magic. There was a nice pile of logs next to the firepit. Foam had directed them to make themselves comfortable, Douxie and Zoe sat in campchairs next to each other, wrapped in blankets, Archie curled up in Douxie’s lap. Foam told them that she would tend to the fire to help keep them warm. She also told them that this lesson would be outside to remove the presence of the RV; its artificial influence would still be a factor, but less so with them not in it.
She tossed in a few sprigs of cedar. Not for anything magical, but to make the smoke smell better. Douxie didn’t notice a difference, but he suspected the dragons did, with their more sensitive sense of smell.
Foam had constructed a small carpet of moss and cedar sprigs. She sat down, settling just so on her fluffy haunches. Douxie settled further into his seat, tucking a bit of the blanket over Archie.
Zoe shivered a bit. The ocean winds were calm, but they still had a bite. She pulled her blanket higher over her shoulders. Once she settled down, Foam began to speak.
“As you three know, there is more than one Way to learn magic. You will use what works best for you, but this does not mean there is no wisdom in others Ways.” She looked at each of them. “There are basics that are common to all Magic, and not always taught. Most are considered obvious, but what is ‘obvious’ rarely is. Truth is, most wizards live so long, they forget their basics. There is a saying I heard once about martial artists, and it needs to hold true among Wizards and sadly does not, ‘You can tell a Master from a Student by what they practice. A Student practices what they just learned, a Master practices the first thing they ever learned’. A good Master will teach the first thing they learned to their student, a Master who takes their own skills for granted will not, and they will expect perfection immediately.”
“Like Merlin.” Douxie remembered watching his old Master read through his tomes frequently, but never the earliest tomes. He cast magic with not a thought, lighting candles and levitating items was just something “You knew how to do”. Douxie had to learn how the hard way, and he most likely learned them wrong.
He also knew, even with his apparent immortality, he and Zoe were still aging, but it was very, very slow. Merlin never said how old he was when his aging slowed—but if the beard and receding hairline were of any evidence, the old Wizard was ancient. His basics were so far from when he started to teach Douxie, that Douxie doubted Merlin even knew that there was another layer involved in his magic.
Foam continued speaking, fully in Teacher Mode. This was not the first time she had taught, and Douxie wondered what his life would have been like if she was his Master. A single, extended claw drew a rune in the thin dirt in front of her, a familiar cantrip to cast a soft glow of light. “This is one of the first runes taught, but in it is the key to all of the Magic in the world.” She pointed to parts of it. “It is taught because it is considered harmless, but it is far more complex than it needs to be.” She waved her paw over it, and different parts glowed in different shades of light. Douxie always wondered why that rube in particular was in so many of Merlin’s tomes, and why it was so complex for such a simple task. His old Master never questioned its complexity, only ever answering Douxie’s questions on why it was not more streamlined with a curt, “That is how it needs to be.”
“Separation is an illusion; this rune—all runes, really—are capable of so much more.” It glowed a soft white. “This is the way that most wizards teach this rune, easy to read by, easy to force. But, if you Listen and Ask,” she closed her eyes, breathing deeply. The light shifted, and the clearing filled with multicolored light. Douxie felt like he was sitting inside of a prism. Zoe gasped next to him.
“Beautiful,” she whispered.
“I can teach you how to do this with this rune, it is up to you to explore the rest.” Foam pulled her paw back. “First, you need to Feel the Magic of a Place. Listen with your ears, your skin, your soul.”
“Like a trance?” Douxie raised one eyebrow.
“Not quite. It is different for everyone.” She cocked her head to one side. “For me, it is Listening, letting my soul hear the Song of this Place. And when I Listen longer, and I hear other Songs, other Music. I find the easiest Way to find what works best for you, is to try each different style. Listening, Feeling,” she shrugged. “Do not be discouraged if this takes a while. My goal today is for you three to Hear or Feel the connections between all of you. Extending that outwards is easier once you have done that much.”
Douxie closed hie eyes. He could do this. He had to overcome the inadequate training from Merlin. His Master was not directly abusive, but by today’s standards, he could easily be accused. It was cruel for his Master to leave his half-trained apprentice alone for so long. Enough of that.
He felt Archie relax, the dragon’s breathing pushing against his stomach. He placed a hand on his old friend’s back, concentrating on the connection between them. He breathed deeply. The world warmed up, soft music of warm tones. A thread of sensation. He followed it, sensing the bond deeper. Ancient fire, protectiveness. Loyalty. Friendship. Love.
Douxie smiled. “Very good,” he did not open his eyes as Foam spoke. “But that was easy; your bond is strong. Reach for Zoe.”
He moved his hand to Zoe, and she gripped it. Her grip was tight, typical when she was frustrated. He Reached for her. There was a bond, there had to be, their friendship was too old. “You can’t force it,” Foam admonished. “Relax, and Search for it.”
After a deep breath, he searched out. His Senses passed over his and Archie’s bond. He Leaned back into the chair. This was nothing like a trance, his mind was very much connected to his body, and he could feel a bit of the blanket’s hem as it dug into his thigh. He ignored it, concentrating on the feel of Zoes cool hand in his.
A soft electric trill. A stuttering bit of music, high and light. A twang of surprise, and a reflection of cool blue. The music twined around each other, and Douxie could Hear her spirit hum in joy. He opened his eyes and looked at her. Her eyes were bright, and she wiped at them with her free hand.
“Very good,” Foam stood and shook out her fur. “Practice with each other first, touch does seem to help with you three. And when you can sense without Touch, Feen the World around you.” She picked up an ordinary dark grey rock and placed it in Zoe’s lap. “When you Listen to this rock, Ask for it to tell you its story. You should hear quite the tale of fire and ice. When you Hear that tale, do the same with your runes,” she motioned towards the still intact but dormant light rune, “and Ask them what their story is. Most of these runes are far older than most people realize, and far more connected to the World.”
“This is incredible,” Zoe looked down at Foam. “Thank you.”
Foam inclined her head. “Wizards and Dragons are rare enough, anything I can teach to make you safer, I will.”
Archie purred, the purr stuttered to a stop. That had to have been an unintentional dragon-blush! Foam laughed. “I heard that.” She bumped her head against his. “But, enough for now. It is time for dinner, and I would very much like one of those marshmallows you have.”
“Dinner, already?” Douxie sat up straighter. His stomach did complain. He should’ve known, learning a new spell was never fast, and he should not be surprised that they had lost more than a few hours learning an entirely new technique.
Foam laughed. “Don’t worry about cooking, I contacted Mark while you two were Listening. He should be here shortly with the best pizza on the Peninsula! I use every excuse I can get to get it! Won’t be piping hot, he has to drive it in from Forks.” She looked at Archie. “I hope you like anchovy.”
“A woman after my own heart!” Archie stuttered for a second. Douxie and Zoe laughed, Zoe wiping at her face.
“Oh no, Arch, I know this was serious, but now, it’s serious!”
Foam laughed, then leaned towards Archie, purring. “It has been a while since I’ve had a flying partner, you know.”
Douxie did not need to Listen too closely to hear the chimes of their bond. He lowered his hand, as if he was placing a blanket over the sounds, to give his old friend his privacy. Archie must have sensed that as well, and he glanced at Douxie in appreciation.
**
The pizza, as promised, was phenomenal. Mark had been good company, regaling them with stories of Quinalt lore, of BlueJay and his antics, of the Dog Husband, and his own misadventures as a wizard. He refreshed a few enchantments on the RV, filling the freshwater tank and emptying the black and greywater tanks, most likely to another realm similar to Arogoth the Unclean’s. Douxie wondered who Mark had his contract with.
Foam stood in the campsite as Mark pulled away in his well-loved truck. Douxie was surprised that there was nary a dent, the truck itself in pristine condition. The moonlight shone on Foam’s fur.
She looked over her shoulder as Archie peaked his head out of the RV’s door. She spoke. “I have seen your dragon form, your turn to see mine.”
She walked over to a more open part of the site, concealed from the rest of the campground by thick bushes. She stretched, her magic glowing softly white and silver. Douxie mused on how she was so different from Archie, playful and outgoing, pale, preferring ice magic. And apparently, huge.
Her dragon form looped once around the RV. She was slimmer than a European Dragon, her muzzle still vaguely catlike, but with two large deerlike antlers sweeping back from her brow. She retained an amazing amount of her bobcat coloring, she had sideburns that swept down and were tipped in black. Her sides were mostly furred, but Douxie could see the flash of a row of large iridescent scales. She had a dark mane that cascaded down her back, and Douxie could only imagine that it fluffed out like a lion’s at the end of her tail.
Her wings were also different from Archie’s, the leading edges covered in feathers, with the usual membranes between thin fingerbones.
Douxie had to nudge Archie, to restart his breathing. The wizard spoke for him, “You are breathtaking, My Lady.”
She bowed, and Douxie could see her saberteeth protruding from her upper jaw. This was not a woman to anger, those teeth where half as large as his legs. He could hear Archie’s jaw clicking as he opened and closed his mouth. He knelt down next to the dragon. “Well,” he whispered over to him, “Go fly with her. Have some fun.”
Archie did not wait for further proding. With a quick glance at Douxie, he hopped into the air and transformed into his dragon form in a flash of golden light. He was so much smaller than Foam, but he flew up to her, looping around her head. She laughed, and launched herself off the cliff. She even flew differently from the Archie, her body moving snakelike and sinuous as she few away, showing her half-Storm Dragon ancestry. Douxie lost sight of Archie immediately, the little black dragon vanishing into the dark.
Zoe came up next to him, placing an arm around Douxie’s shoulders. “Ah, young love.”
Douxie leaned into her. “Hmmhmm.”
**
For once, Douxie rose with the sun. He was well rested, content, and warm. Zoe curled against his back, arms tucked into her torso, and there was an elbow in his kidney. He wouldn’t change it for the world. They had left warning wards in place, including a simple little spell that was already fading that would unlock the door, keyed to Archie.
But the door was still locked, the wards untouched. Douxie closed his eyes, Listening for the bond between him and Archie. He soon found it, a content fire, the coals banked. Archie was comfortable and still sleeping. But not in the RV. Huh. It was one of the very few times they had slept in different locations. Zoe murmured something in her sleep and shuffled deeper into Douxie’s back (and kidney).
What will happen now? Archie already had a few centuries behind him when he bound himself to Douxie, but the wizard would not get in the way if Archie had found The One. He wondered if Foam would be willing to move in with them, maybe settle down enough to buy a house. With a huge basement.
But Douxie still worried a bit about this new relationship with Foam. Immortal—or even very long-lived beings—usually took their time in forging new bonds. This was fast, even by mortal standards. He couldn’t tell if this was a fun, temporary fling, or something more permanent. In either case, he would be there for Archie.
The banked coals stirred. Ah, Archie was waking up. Douxie pulled back and stopped Listening to his oldest friend. His second oldest friend was intent on digging all of her elbows into his lower back. He slid out of the bed, unlocking the door as be passed by it into the kitchen. Soon, he was fogging the windows with the steam from the kettle.
Archie pushed open the door, and Douxie looked down at him, a coffee cup in one hand, hip leaning on the counter. “You were out late, young man.”
“Ha ha,” he sauntered in, Foam in her bobcat form just behind him.
“Have a good flight?”
Archie stammered, but Foam spoke for him, purring, “It was wonderful. Thank you. We,” she yawned, “stayed up far to late last night talking.”
Zoe mumbled something incoherent, and burrowed into the blankets.
Archie hopped up on the dinette table, pawing at a couple of mugs. Douxie obliged him, pouring hot water into two mugs. “You are up early, Douxie.” A black paw carefully pulled a tea packet from the box. Douxie opened it, dipping it into the water.
He shrugged. “I…” huh. No lingering adrenaline from nightmares. No tense muscles from tossing and turning. Only a slight bit of soreness in the shape of Zoe’s elbows. “I slept well last night.” He looked over at the lump of blankets that was Zoe. “I think we need to vacation more frequently.”
“I certainly enjoy the company,” Foam sipped at her tea. Her ability to shapeshift was more refined than Archie’s. Based on her size, she was far far older than his familiar; she had more time to practice.
Douxie could barely see Archie’s cat-smile over the lip of the mug. A flash of white teeth under black fur. “We have as well. I would like to continue the magic lessons, but we have to return to Arcadia soon.”
“I was thinking about that,” Foam placed her mug on the table. Archie looked over at her, eyes wide. Douxie could Hear a stutter in his fire. He was worried. Douxie took a sip of his tea. Archie had met another dragon, and one he wasn’t related to. There was a small, quiet ember of hope. Douxie smiled, he was growing rather fond of the “little bobcat” as well.
“I talked with Mark a couple of nights ago, in fact, he suggested it.” She looked over at Archie, who was staring at her, wide-eyed. The little ember of hope flared. “I have been here for a couple of centuries by now, and while this is my home, I should explore other places. And,” she lifted a paw and booped Archie on the nose, “It has been a while since I was in Southern California.”
Archie’s ears perked up. The ember was almost an inferno. “R-really? This…ahem…this isn’t too sudden?”
“There is one thing in my long life that I have learned. You must live in the moment, for there is so much past that it can weigh you down and stifle you. Live for now. And when it is over,” she shrugged sadly, “when it is over, you remember the lessons you learned. It was your choice, you have to live with it, might as well enjoy it whenever you can.” She thumped her head against the side of Archie’s. “I have missed being with my own kind for so long. We are so rare these days.”
“Well,” Douxie mused, handing Zoe her tea as she emerged from her blanket cocoon, “I do not know how much of Arcadia that Archie has told you, but let me tell you what I know…”