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He didn't know he could do that with his magic - create a blast so powerful that all the pixies that'd been attacking them were stunned and fell like rain onto the ground around him. He also hadn't known that it'd take so much out of him, so once the world returned to its usual colour instead of blue-tinted, his legs gave out and he fell to his knees.
"Arch?" He gasped, breath too fast and heavy. His limbs felt like lead, and it was an effort to keep his head upright as he searched for his familiar.
"I'm here, Douxie," came Archie's voice, the cat appearing in front of him as his vision swam. "Are you alright?"
"'M so tired," he mumbled, head lolling as the world spun. "Did it work?"
Archie pawed a frozen pixie on the ground nearby. "I think so," he answered, coming back to curl up in Douxie's lap.
The wizard smiled softly as he petted his familiar. "Good. I think I might just lay down here and take a nap with them."
"Doux?" Archie swatted at the wizard's arm, hard enough to startle the boy awake. "I don't think the grass will be too comfy. Now come on, we have yet to finish Merlin's task and we don't have a lot of time left if we want to get back to the castle before dark."
"Hmm." Douxie looked troubled, thinking it over. "Arch, I really don't think I can get up."
"Well, you have to. You can't stay here, it's not safe. We don't know how long the spell will last and you've got enough little cuts and burns all over you as it is, and once it gets dark then there'll be much worse things out there."
"I know, but I can barely sit up straight, Arch."
"We can rest here for a bit, then, but we really must be going soon."
Suddenly, they heard footsteps crunching on the dry grass, then a shout. "There it is! That's the witch-boy!"
Douxie and Arch looked at each other at the same time, eyes wide as they whipped between each other and the large man on the edge of the clearing holding a pitchfork. They could see the other men coming up behind him, with similar weapons.
"Arch?" Douxie asked, panic evident in his voice. "What do we do? I can barely stand let alone take on five men out to kill me."
He tried to activate his magic, but mere sparks appeared in his hands, fading after two seconds. Running wasn't an option, but it was their best bet. The men had started to advance, not knowing that Douxie's magic was exhausted - not that he'd use it to harm or attack them anyway. They wouldn't hesitate to thrust that wooden stake through his heart though, or burn him with the torch and thank god they weren't as bright as others who'd been after him before or they might have thought to set the field on fire so they wouldn't have to approach to kill him.
As it was, they made their way quickly through the grass, bold and cruel. Douxie tried to crawl away, but his body wasn't listening, too heavy, too weak, too tired. His magic refused to obey him too, dipping into empty reserves. Archie stayed as a cat, silent just in case they realised he was a threat too and hurt him or used him against Douxie but he raised his hackles and assumed a defensive position beside Douxie.
The men saw and surrounded him too fast for him to escape even if he'd have had the energy to run. One of them approached, a wicked smile on his face as he crouched down and sneered right in Douxie's face.
"Aw, look at this. He's but a scared little boy with a pet cat."
"Careful Smythe," the first man said. "He's dangerous even still. Best to just kill him now."
"Oh, if he'd have wanted to kill us, he'd have done it already. In't that right boy?"
Douxie was too busy trying not to pass out, to answer straight away, even trying to look strong using up energy he didn't have.
"Leave me alone," he whimpered, hating how small and scared his voice sounded. "Or I'll - "
"Turn us into toads? Roast us from the inside out? Get your little familiar here to do something to us?" Smythe interrupted, grinning as Douxie's eyes widened. "Oh yes, I know what this is. See, I'm no normal man. Back home, I have a fun little title. You know what they call me boy? They call me the Magic Maimer. Witch-hunter. Troll Slayer."
Douxie's stomach dropped, and through their familial bond, he could feel Archie's terror along with his own. Just his luck that this town had their own person designated for hunting his kind down, and that they'd show up at a time he was utterly defenceless.
Smythe turned to look at his buddies. "Let's take this one and his friend back to the village. He's no danger, so we can have some fun with him before we take care of him, permanently."
"No!" Arch quickly transformed into a dragon, rising into the air and firing a blast towards the man's outstretched hand, singeing his fingers.
Douxie got a sudden burst of energy, and from the way Archie had dropped two feet lower in the air, he could tell it was because of something his familiar had done through their bond. He got up and ran through two of the men toward the trees, Archie ensuring they wouldn't follow by creating a wall of fire blocking the entrance of where they'd re-entered the forest. It wouldn't stop them for long, but it stunned them long enough to but the two some time at least.
They didn't make it far before Douxie began to flag. They'd heard shouts, but too distant to be of any worry. In no way were they disillusioned enough to assume they were safe, but because of Douxie's current state, distance between their pursuers and them wasn't the priority. Hiding was the best course of action for now.
The first unoccupied den they came across, they ran inside, panting. Douxie leaned against the wall and slowly slid down, energy once again leaving him. Archie crept to the mouth of the small cave and peeked out. Shouts and thundering footsteps nearby forced the dragon to dart back inside, curling up in Douxie's lap as the boy held his breath.
It took ten agonsising minutes before the final shout came from the distance. They waited an extra few minutes just in case the men came back, but they didn't and the two relaxed. All the adrenaline that'd been keeping Douxie going abandoned him, and he slumped over.
"Douxie? Hisirdoux!"
Archie's panicked voice was the last thing he heard before darkness overtook him.
He groaned as he woke up, his whole body sore and exhausted even though he was quite sure he'd been sleeping. Didn't feel like it at all though.
"Arch?" He croaked, his dry throat making him cough.
A cup full of cool water found its way to his cracked lips. "Drink," a familiar voice ordered, and his eyes flew open.
"Master!" He said, squinting against the bright sunlight in the room. He tried to get up, but his energy was still drained and gentle hands held him down anyway.
Merlin rolled his eyes. "Try not to get up, will you Hisirdoux? I'm not as young as I once was and I don't want to have to carry you again, using my magic or not."
"Sorry Master," Douxie said quietly, coughing again.
"Drink," Merlin repeated, holding up the cup again and this time, Douxie listened. Once he was done, the cup disappeared and Douxie's eyes started drifting closed again. He'd only been awake for a few minutes and he was already exhausted!
"Where's Arch?" Douxie murmured, looking at the back of Merlin's head through bleary eyes.
"Gone to stretch his wings running an errand for me. Really just an excuse for me to get him away from you for a bit though - he hasn't left your side since I brought you back, you know. He should return soon. If you can stay awake that long," the older wizard mused, turning to smirk at a half-asleep Douxie.
"I'll finish my jobs later, Master. I'm just going to take a quick nap first," Douxie yawned, eyes drifting closed so he didn't see the genuine, soft smile Merlin gave him.
"Rest boy, and recover your strength," Merlin said quietly. "I can manage on my own for a few days."