Hi guys, I’m not dead, just been doing other stuff. Also there was a lot I knew I wanted to happen with this one so it took a bit to get it to go.
There is a masterpost for this series, which can be found here.
Castor is a warlock, in service to the Great Old One and the Dark Emperor, in that order. Ed is a fighter, a knight and battle master in the service of the True King of Lumenea. They have always been enemies. Away from it all, they might be able to become something else. Maybe even friends.
(This time: Travel continues to be a nerve-wracking experience.)
tw: aftermath of torture, tw: mind reading, tw: captivity, tw: scars, tw: something about mindmelding, tw: vague presence of fictional deities
Castor slept poorly, waking frequently, but at least Ed seemed to be sleeping well, a dead, lax weight against his chest. Dawn announced itself with a sudden pulse of warmth in the amulet he’d held onto to reassure himself that they only needed to make it to the day. The light of the magic rushing back into it was faint, but with the sun nowhere near high enough for its light to make it down through the well above them, it was bright enough to make him nervous. Their captor would wake up soon.
Unwilling to jostle any of Ed’s injuries, Castor took a slow but deep breath, centering himself before he prodded Ed with his mind instead.
The knight shifted in his sleep, his brow furrowing as he snuggled up harder against Castor. He didn’t wake. Castor sighed, rearranging himself carefully until he could get a hand over Ed’s mouth before he prodded at a less injured spot on Ed’s shoulder.
Ed’s first sound of pain was muffled, but the hand over his mouth scared him. His eyes widened and Castor could feel a pulse of fear from him.
<<It’s just me,>> he said gently, letting go of Ed’s mouth only after he felt him put the pieces together and open his mind up, irritation washing through their connection for a moment before fading.
Now that Ed was awake, the morning seemed even more urgent, somehow. Ed sat up slowly, almost certainly as much from pain as a desire to be quiet.
<<It’s dawn,” he explained, grabbing Ed’s hand and pressing the amulet into the man’s palm, even though both the warmth and the light had faded. <<It’s magic again. We can plane shift away.>>
Ed still seemed groggy, but nodded. <<Where are we going?>>
Castor tried to keep his voice calm, to pretend he knew the answer. <<This was the safest plane I could think of. I think the only place we can go from here is back home. The material plane. We don’t have to go back in the same place we left from.>>
*******
Breathe, Ed thought, Keep breathing. Stay calm.
<<Where on the material plane?>> he asked.
It was only a moment later, as Castor averted his eyes, that Ed realized there wasn’t an answer. Castor didn’t know. He felt stupid. Why should he have expected anything else?
This could be good. It could mean he could go home. Or it could mean nothing. Anything.
He was less confused now than he’d been before, when Castor came for him. He was less frightened. If Castor meant to torture him - well, there wasn’t much point even arguing against it. He didn’t. He wouldn’t. He was just an idiot. Impulsive.
Ed’s mind might as well have been Castor’s, or maybe the other way around, but either way, it felt empty. Hollow.
<<I thought I’d let you decide,>> Castor answered quietly. <<I - I thought if one of us knew how to get you home, it would be you. But not ->> Castor seemed to lose the words, but while Ed’s mind (both of their minds?) felt empty, his chest didn’t.
<<You’re afraid, too,>> Ed said, <<Afraid I’ll betray you.>>
The sorrow wracking his chest was probably his own. Did Castor think he didn’t know how much he owed him?
Castor shook his head. <<I was. But then I found out about ->> he waved at Ed’s thigh, where the old burn scars were. <<I might deserve it. Just - I’m not sure I’m as strong as you.>>
Ed shook his head as if that would be a distraction, as if the conversation they were having had anything to do with words. He pushed hard on their connection, trying to force himself into Castor’s mind enough to just stop talking at all.
<<You’re lying.>>
<<Not about that last part,>> Castor said, not bothering to pretend Ed was wrong, but not letting him any farther in, either.
<<You’ve been in my head as much as I’ve been in yours,>> Ed snapped, backing off, <<You know I can’t. Not - like that.>>
Now he sounded like Castor, last night. “Like that.” What did that even mean? He snorted through his nose. <<I’m afraid I’ll choose wrong.>> Ed continued, his thoughts firm. <<But before that, I was afraid you would, so I guess it doesn’t matter.>>
There was a lot he didn’t say, but his emotions were still all stirred up. He was afraid, but not as much as he was tired. Tired to his soul. Tired like crying, back when he was a child, the kind of crying after dark that grown-ups said was fear of the dark, as if they couldn’t remember what it was to just be little, and worn down, and out of reserves. It might have been sadness, but he couldn’t be sure even of that.
His mind was empty. Echoing. Maybe it was just early. Maybe he wasn’t awake yet. Maybe he was dying, now that he didn’t have to fight so hard. So hard for what? How could he have slept so well and still feel so useless, so half asleep? It wasn’t even the pain, really. It was just - something. Something like the days before, in the basement. He couldn’t remember if the feeling had been before he told or after. He couldn’t remember when it was there and when it wasn’t.
His heart answered for him, his emotions still swirling and his mind still empty. <<We’ll find my sister,>> he said, <<The temple. They can’t ->> The words escaped him. <<They’re the temple,>> he concluded.
He could feel Castor wanting to ask which temple, or maybe which god. But then he didn’t. He just agreed.
********
Castor’s heart raced as he and Ed activated the amulet. They shouldn’t be able to do it together, not even with it pressed between their hands like this, and he knew as the world spun around them that whatever it meant to do this together was something he couldn’t come back from.
Castor felt the amulet’s magic drawing on his own attention and focus, but the destination was in Ed’s head, clear as day, a place as much felt as seen, and then they were tumbling into it, landing on the ground surrounded by wheat, both of them on their hands and knees.
Ed cried out in pain, but it wasn’t a new injury, just the jostling of their landing. Castor knew he shouldn’t know that without checking. He cursed lightly under his breath.
His patron’s voice was suddenly present, reconnecting faster and stronger now that Castor was back on the plane where he belonged. <<Ssssssomeone meddlessssss.>>
It was a relief to be closer to the source of his magic, but only a little bit.
<<At least the fields are still here.>> Ed said into Castor’s mind, as if he couldn’t hear Castor’s master here. That was - something, at least.
<<Wwwe will not ttttalk to him right nnnnnow,>> his patron informed him. <<He’sssss the onnnne who - invitessss Her.>>
<<Her?>> he asked.
<<Godddddddess,>> his master commented in distaste as he drew closer, giving Castor the old familiar feeling of something not-quite-him inhabiting the space behind one eye.
Whispering out loud to try to keep the conversations straight, he turned to Ed. “Who did you say we were going to a temple of?”
Ed laughed, without bitterness for the first time, but for only a moment before everything else covered the laughter over, dampening it to nothing. “Oh,” he said, “I forgot about talking. Chauntea. She’s-”
Castor nodded. “Agriculture.”
“Agriculture,” Ed repeated, but then kept going. “Life. Crops. New growth. Control. I dunno. Lots of stuff. Nature but - in rows.”
<<Sssshe does not thhhhhink she issssss the law,>> his patron supplied, sounding skeptical. <<She anddddd her kkkind never do. Exccccept the onesssss who say it.>>
<<Nature in rows,>> Castor answered thoughtfully.
<<Mmmmmeddling.>> his patron concluded.
“I, um-” Castor said to Ed, “Not that it matters, but when you said they were the temple, are you - I mean - Do you have -” He blew out through his lips, struggling for the words. “Are you. You know. Connected?”
“My sister is, uh - a Sister. There. Here. At the temple. But they’ll - I mean, they’re clerics. And she’d never hurt someone who helped me. So it’s - you’ll be safe either way. Both ways.”
<<Ttttttell her ttttttttto leave.>>
“And that’s your only connection?” Castor pressed. “You’re not - not connected yourself?”
Ed’s mind moved in toward his, and Castor’s patron twitched backward in his head, startled. <<Chhhheating.>>
Castor felt trapped, like he was trapped between both other minds.
“What about your magic?” he blurted, hoping if he were a little more clear, Ed would back off.
“Oh,” Ed said, retreating. Castor breathed more easily, relaxing. “No, that’s - I mean. It was only a couple of cantrips.”
Castor wrinkled his nose skeptically. “That thing you did with Amara in the castle was definitely a spell spell.”
Ed snorted. “Ok, but that’s one spell. It’s not like it’s anything. I just learned a little from my sister. And if you tell anybody I’ll kill you.”
The last part had no venom, like he said it out of habit and didn’t mean it.
“Well, did you tell Chauntea that?” Castor asked, B”ecause my patron says - uh.”
His patron hissed in disapproval in his head.
“My patron suggested otherwise,” he finished, hoping Ed hadn’t noticed him wince at his patron’s displeasure.
All of a sudden, a wall went up between them, completely. He didn’t know what was in Ed’s head, at all. He didn’t like it.
<<Stop that, I’m trying to listen to him,>> he said to his patron, <<You said he was a gift.>>
<<I diddddd not.>> the voice replied. But then Ed was there again, on the edge of Castor’s senses, and where before Ed’s presence had felt strangely light, a little bit of hope mixed in with the usual mess, now it was empty again, ringing with it, and he couldn’t tell why Ed’s feelings had gone hollow.
<<Telllllll him to mmmmake her llllllleave us alone.>>
Castor couldn’t, and he didn’t know why. Instead he pushed his thoughts outward, trying to figure out prayer on his own. <<Miss Chauntea - could you give us some space? I’ll - I’ll bring Ed to you like he wants. Or your temple.>>
He didn’t get an answer, not that he could hear like he could his patron, but a gentle breeze did blow over the two of them. Then something was gone that had been in the air around them, something he hadn’t even realized was there, and Ed’s emptiness rang even louder.
<That’ssssss not what Iiiiiii meant.>>
<<Sorry. I’ll, uh - I can check in later? Take him to the temple and then sneak out?>>
It was strange to hear a disembodied voice sigh, no matter how many times it happened.
<<Verrrrry well. But rememmmmmber whose conttttract you signed.>>
Castor nodded, then realized it probably looked odd to Ed, since the knight hadn’t been able to hear the other conversation going on.
He looked over at Ed and the man was looking down and away, studying his own knees.
Well, that was - something. Castor had given up trying to keep his head above water. If all of this was a little beyond him, he could live with that.
“Alright,” he said, trying to force a little cheer into his voice, “Let’s get going, then. You’ll have to tell me how to get us to the temple.”
