Chapter Text
The Past is the past, But Never Dead.
“Memory dust—Night’s Breath,” said the healer Hildegard. “But our memories are not truly lost. The powder just simply blocks or erodes the pathways to those memories. It’s effects can be reversed by a Mind Delver.“
Gabriel abruptly stood, shaking his head violently, pacing the length of the main surgery.
“However, the the Mind Block Hex tattooed on his stomach is designed to prevent exactly that. If a mind delver even attempts to go below his barest surface thoughts, it can cause severe consequences—“
“Vomiting, Chronic migraines, blindness, seizures, catatonic states, coma, rapid onset of progressive Alzheimer’s, strokes, eventual death…”Gabriel interrupted bitterly, turning on his heel to face the three of them. Nathan opened his mouth to comment, but Annalise stayed him with a hand as Hildegard continued.
“Yes, especially when compounded with Night’s Breath.” She looked at him contemplatively, eyes narrowed. “So you have seen this then?”
Gabriel’s throat worked furiously as he broke eye contact, swaying suddenly. “Yes”he whispered.
Screams and blood trickling from nostrils and ears as Gabriel hid in the workshop; Oliver’s glassy, empty eyes afterwards. “Yes,” he repeatedly more steadily, staring into the wall sightlessly. “Intentionally.”
Clearing his throat, he scrubbed away the tears that he found spilling down, ‘So, merci, mais NON. Beacoup.’ He managed with false bravado, plopping down on the exam table framed by Nathan and Annalise. But his mind was back in THAT place, the apprentice suddenly in charge because his first teacher could barely function anymore. Until one morning, he too was just…gone. ‘He just left without saying goodbye, my Dove.’ Riiight. His fidgeting fingers of his left hand were grasped by Annalise, who squeezed hand. Nathan resumed his protective loom over his right shoulder, firmly grounding him with his hold there.
‘Well, you are fortunate to have access to a rare decimator… who are probably the only ones who can undo such a hex tattoo and can help pull residual toxins out that are blocking your memories of the past. It would make the mind healing much smoother.’
Gabriel began to tremble, ‘The Past.’ He echoed, then lept through the door like someone might force him. His footsteps echoed down the hall and outside.
Stunned speechless, Nathan and Annalise turned back to look at Hildegard.
‘Hurt children.’ She sighed heavily, looking much older. ‘He is no doubt terrified—the process frees ALL lost memories. The things that he has seen…experienced…’ She looked up to lock eyes with each of them grimly ‘It is too much for some people, schatze. All of those memories and traumas, at once. Suicide and self-harm is not uncommon. It’s a very tenuous process. Some mind delvers have induced comas in their patients intentionally once the extent becomes clear.’
‘Mercury?’ She caught the surprised alarm on both their faces and nodded, sighing as she tidied a work table, ‘That bitch.’
‘I wondered. Few are careless enough to risk a mind with that hex, and even fewer are cruel enough to intentionally activate it. It was designed as a fail safe for medieval spies.’
‘How young?’ She demanded.
Nathan opened his mouth and hesitated. There were so many holes in Gabriel’s story.
‘She was quite pleased that I still had all my baby teeth.’ Came a brittle reply. Gabriel stretched casually across the width of the doorway, learning on his forearms braced against the trim, but his fisted hands were white. ‘However young that was. Very useful in potions and fertility spells, witch baby teeth. Rejuvenation treatments. Tidy source of revenue.’ He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and flashed angry eyes…daring them to say anything. Lightning quick, Nathan instead crossed the space and wordlessly engulfed him in a hug. Like a leaky balloon, Gabriel deflated into the embrace, burying his face in Nathan’s neck and shaking hard.
‘Thank you so much for your time, Frau Heiler.’ Annalise said. ‘It’s time for us to depart, I think.’
The older woman nodded. ‘Work on that text I gave you and return for revision when you can. Keep practicing separating and extracting, your sensitivity of like and unlike is improving very nicely.’ She looked at the boys linked together, ‘Safe travels, mein schatz. My door is always open.’
Later that night, Annalise and Nathan prodded Gabriel into the center of their bed, offering him what safety and comfort they could. Normally, he would grumble at being babied; that he gratefully remained silent let them know how much he needed their affection then. As Nathan was starting to drift off, he heard the barest whisper ‘I’ll be ready to try it…some day.’
‘And we will be right there, for you always. Darling.’ Annalise drawled the last bit, hinting at their inside joke, earning a snort from Gabriel. Nathan smiled with his eyes closed and curled tighter around his side of the alchemist, one hand holding Gabriel’s and the other draping across him to link with Annalise.
I just love these three.