hey, you. your selfship is valid. it doesn't matter whether it's super fleshed out, or just an idea in your head. it doesn't matter whether the source material is popular or niche. the only thing that matters is that your f/o loves you to death and would do anything for you.
The combination of being Aromantic with ADHD is so unbelievably hard to explain when it comes to hyperfixations
Yk how allo ppl out there describes having a crush or falling in love with someone, it being so gut wrenching making u kick ur feet in the air,
With ADHD its the same for hyperfixations, everytime you get reminded of it, its also so gut wrenching making you want to kick anything and punch shit and scream, and especially when youre in public ofc you gotta hide it but a smile is as subtle as it gets, so automatically people would think youre texting someone of smth, when in reality i just looked at my Loki profile picture
The difference is between these two is that ig having a crush happens with one person right, but this same exact feeling ive experienced with a group of people OR teased ship, like youre crushing on a ship???? like???
The problem with it is that it could be easily mistaken as having a crush, which hqppened to me when i was younger, but turns out NOPE, I'd rather die ty
YES i do find that person attractive, YES i would like to be in the same apartment as them, ABSOLUTELY NOT would i date them, end of discussion.
Like yes i am feeling the same exact feeling towards this guy and this franchise,
It feels like the next Gathering of the Witches lies in ambush to catch him off-guard.
One minute itâs a month away and the next itâs today.
He and Martin travel up to it together.
He does ask whether Frey will be traveling up with them, but Martin just shrugs.
âXey told me xeyâll be going with xir uncle.â He says. âThough theyâve been veryâŠdistracted these past few days. Distant. I think xey might be trying to be more independent, to better access xir magic?â
Jon shrugs back. He doesnât really care so long as it means he doesnât have to spend time in the company of the Lukas who let Robbie get hurt in the first place.
This of course means that they have no reason to linger outside the inner sanctum.
They do so anyway.
Jonâs Eyes try to find Robbie in the crowd. Itâs unlikely but maybe, just maybe, Georgie will have brought them hereâŠ?
The crowd of apprentices and familiars is unusually sparse despite how close the Gathering is to starting, so itâs easy to See that Robbie isnât in it.
His Eyes keep Looking though, hanging around long enough that Jon has to actively corral them into following him again.
One of them catches the attention of Tim Stoker who, against all reason, gives Jon something approaching a grudging nod.
Jon, who has been on what can politely described as âbad termsâ with Tim ever since he went to the Desolation, is so shocked all he can really do is return a shaky little nod of his own before following Martin inside.
The oddities donât stop there.
He finds himself and Martin confronted by Jane Prentiss, Witch of the Corruption.
Sheâs smiling unpleasantly, though considering all the wasp larvae crawling in and out of the many holes making up their hive, it can be argued that every expression she makes is unpleasant.
âEye Witch,â The way the words come out is an awful mix of a rasp, a hiss and a purr. âSo glad to finally be forming an alliance between our territories. The Corruption shall not forget the debts owed to you.â
Martin is glancing between Prentiss and Jon with such incredulity that Jonâs mildly worried heâll strain something.
Jon does what he does best when he has no clue what the hell is going on.
He puts on his most firm and serious expression and inclines his head back, pretending he understands the situation perfectly. âTh-thank you. You have my word, the Eye will honor the ties between us as well.â
Prentiss lets out a hum that JonâŠthinks is positive? Before she turns and strides off.
âWhat was that?â Martin whispers, frantic.
âI have no idea!â Jon mutters back.
No sooner has Prentiss left them in peace than theyâre being confronted by the Witch that is Not Sasha James.
Or rather, the Grand Witch. The jewel-toned regalia which Nikola had worn so proudly looks gauche and ill-fitting on her, which given that sheâs a Stranger may be the point.
Sheâs followed by a vaguely male mannequin which dogs her footsteps with something that Jon almost feels like he recognizes.
âJonathan Sims. Witch of the Eye.â She says. âI would like to request negotiations for a ceasefire.â
Jonâs glare hardens, finding his footing on familiar ground. âYou? After all you and yours have done? Youâve got nerve, Iâll give you that.â
The mannequin gives what would be a derisive snort on any other being. âAs if what Nikola did was in any way comparable to what you turned her into, and you setting Seven of the Fourteen on usâ!â
Wait, what?
âEasy, Tom.â The Not!Sasha pacifies with a hand on the mannequinâs arm and a fond look, before turning a very obviously fake smile on him. âHow about it, Witch of the Eye? A cessation of hostilities between us, with an embargo on either entering each othersâ territories. Are these acceptable starting terms?â
Jon feels like heâs lost the plot a bit on this. Still, his mouth moves on its own as he says, âNo attempts on your part to capture or claim Robbie. Non-negotiable.â
âDone.â The Not!Sasha says it almost before heâs finished speaking. âThe further away from us that awful little familiar of yours is, the happier weâll all be. Iâll be in contact to negotiate whose grounds weâll meet on to formally discuss the terms once youâve tied off your outstanding loose end.â
And with that she and what Jon thinks might be her boyfriend sweep away in that uncanny fashion which comes naturally to all Witches of the Stranger.
âWhat was that??â Martin whispers, nearly hysterical.
âI have no damn idea!â Jon mutters back, in a similar state himself.
They donât quite flee towards where Georgie and the others are, but itâs a near thing.
Melanie, Georgie and Oliver are all huddled together, talking quietly and quickly. For some reason all of them look worse for wear.
ââŠout of control for months now!â Melanie is hissing. âWeâre lucky no oneâs been killed! This is bigger than us now, Georgie, bigger than your pride. Either you tell him, or I will!â
âTell who what?â Martin asks as they draw level with the group.
The three of them freeze, eyes fixating on Jon.
âWellâŠâ Georgie heaves a sigh. âI didnât want to have to tell you this, Jon, butâŠ?â
She trails off, biting her lip.
âBut?â Jon prompts, his Eyes clustering closer.
They note the slight tensing of her expression, the stiffening of her posture as though rigor mortis has set in.
Finally, she bursts out, âMelanieâs familiar is attempting to court Robbie!â
Jon promptly chokes on his own saliva.
Martin makes a worried noise and begins rubbing his back as he coughs.
âGeorgie!â Melanie squawks in something resembling outrage.
Oliver is covering his face with his hand, for some reason.
âWe didnât want to bring it up,â Georgie says, cheeks flushed. âBut I realized not long after they moved in, given what Emil did to them at the last Gathering. Iâm not entirely sure he knew? What he was doing, by stabbing them there? Butââ
âExplain.â Itâs a legitimate struggle to keep the Compulsion out of his voice. Especially considering that the feeling of prickling-licking-a-tea-towel is back in full force.
Georgie gives him a cool look and makes a careless gesture. âItâs something. Something Melanie did to me not long after we first met. A wound inflicted close enough to the heart that youâll feel it with every beat, but careful enough to avoid damaging the heart itself in any way. Itâs weirdly romantic once you get down to it.â
Melanieâs cheeks are flushed, but thereâs mutiny warring with affection in her eyes as she picks up where Georgie left off. âS dumb is what it is. So our magic gives us various impulses. Doesnât mean he shouldâve acted on them.â
âI think itâs sweet!â Georgie teases.
âI donât.â It feels like Jonâs mouth is responding on autopilot. His body is prickling all over, uncomfortable and itchy.
And itâs not because of the idea that his familiar (good lord, theyâre not even a teenager yet, how was this allowed to happen?) is apparently the subject of romantic interest from a violent ghost.
Well. Not just that, anyway.
Melanieâs expression creases with indignation that might be performative. âWhat, you think Emilâs not good enough for your familiar or something?! Iâll have you knowââ
Fortunately the Gathering is called to order at that moment, so Jon remains blissfully ignorant to what she would have him know.
The entire meeting passes by Jon in a blur.
He canât concentrate on whatâs being said, can barely recognize that different people are taking turns speaking.
Because while talking over distance through the crystal ball diffused its effects somewhat, the unfiltered face-to-face interaction has made Jon realize what the source of that awful, dry-mouthed, prickling feeling is:
Georgieâs using the truth to lie to him.
And that. That hurts. Not in the least because Jon hasnât any clue what she could possibly want to lie to him about.
He canât even talk about it to Martin, because Martin murmured something about âneed to have a Word with Oliver, love, wonât be but a minute, wait for me outside.â
And itâs as Jonâs waiting outside the inner sanctum that he is ambushed by the worst possible person in existence.
âAh, Johnny-boy!â Says Trexel Geistman as he sidles up besides him. âGood old Johnners, thatâs you. The Johnster! Johnston and Geistman, united at last!â
âNo.â Jon grits out, as if the verbal denial will somehow affect the awful reality heâs found himself in.
Trexel Geistman fails to dematerialize. âNot a fan? Hm. Well I think those are much better than boring old John, but who knows? Who cares? I do, because thatâs what Trexel does. He cares. Caring is the Geistman way, except for when it comes time to crush those ungrateful worms you call superiors or colleagues or family or friends under your boot! Thatâll show them, Johnny! Thatâll show them, for not coming to my ventwarming partyâ!â
Good lord, but Jon loathes Trexel Geistman. Every word out of the manâs mouth is nothing but pure drivel, coherent enough to make you feel like there should be a logic youâre following and responding to, but circuitous enough that trying to do so only results in frustration and a Spiral-induced migraine that effectively blinds him with its ferocity.
Heâs trying to talk himself out of murdering the pompous little creep here and now and causing an international incident, and heâs not sure heâs succeeding.
âJon.â A hand lands on his shoulder. âMight I steal you away for a word? Sorry, Mr. Geistman, important Eye business.â
Jonâs so grateful for the opportunity to escape that he doesnât really protest Elias leading him away, even as Trexel Geistman babbles some nonsense beginning with, âBut you tolâ!â
His head is swimming as Elias leads him through passages that heâs not sure he knew existed before.
His Eyes try to keep track of the journey, but theyâre affected by the pounding in his skull as well, too dizzy to really take in any relevant details.
They arrive in what Jon thinks might be a room? But itâs too curved, convex and concave, sending his poor brain reeling with the idea that heâs somehow stumbled into the Pupil of a giant Eye.
Eliasâ voice is too loud, too echoing as he recites an incantation that Jonâs muddled brain canât quite follow.
Thereâs the overwhelming THUD of doors slamming shut.
âEl, Elias, whatâŠ?â Jonâs barely able to stammer, turning around.
His limbs lock in place under the luminous green gaze that greets him.
Jon canât even move his mouth to speak as Elias walks forward and pushes him to his knees with a gentle touch.
His Eye are immobile witnesses, only able to watch as Elias manacles his wrists and ankles to the circular depression in the floor.
Why, Jon thinks but cannot say, whatâs going on, why is Elias doing this?!
âOh, Jonathan.â Elias smiles at him, responding to his frantically racing thoughts. âYou only have yourself to blame for this, you know. If youâd just been a bit more observant, you wouldnât be here in the first place.â
All of a sudden, like the moon emerging from behind the clouds to reveal something terrible in its stark light, Jon remembers.
Eliasâ eyes were blue. Pale, watery, often red-rimmed blue, but blue all the same.
They had twinkled when Elias was high off his gourd, slurring about how proud he was of his four star apprentices, how he was sure theyâd all surpass him in witchery someday.
Until one Gathering where Elias disappeared off somewhere after the meeting and remerged with green eyes so dark they resembled rotting mulch on the forest floor, with a calculating gleam turned on the four of them.
Eyes that had previously been in the head of former Grand Witch of the Eye, James Wright.
âOf course, if you had noticed, itâs unlikely it wouldâve done you much good anyways.â The thing that is Not Elias Bouchard says as he pours the memories of how many times he has done this into Jonâs head, how many witches of the Eye he has brought to this very room before taking up the mantle of Grand Witch anew in fresher, younger bodies. Cheating death and amassing power in one fell swoop.
âAfter all, Knowing never saved poor Miss James, did it?â
Oh God.
Jon chokes on a whimper as he Sees it, sees Sasha putting the pieces together, attempting to bargain with what Jon now Knows is the First and Only Grand Witch of the Eye, Jonah Magnus.
Sees as sheâs sent off to be Unmade at the hands of the Stranger Witches, the secret apparently dying with her.
âI really must thank you, Jon. The life youâre leading now is practically perfect.â The tool in Magnusâ hand is old, ornately carved, pristine. Jon Knows he is an expert on how to use it by now, hasnât left even an incriminating bruise in well over three hundred years.
âYour powers are strong enough to reduce even a Grand Witch of the Stranger to a mere plaything, to say nothing of the way you smote her followers.â Magnusâ voice is reverential, almost proud. âYou have secured steady alliances with the End, the Fog, and the Slaughter, to say nothing of your unwitting arrangements with the Flesh, the Buried, the Hunt, and the Corruption, thanks your little familiar. The Stranger has been severely reduced between the two of you, their Grand Witch so weak it will take next to nothing to wipe them from the map.â
He openly laughs at the confusion permeating Jonâs brain. âAh yes. Ignorant of that, arenât you? Iâll admit, it was a noble effort to try to send it away in an attempt to keep them out of my clutches. Pathetic, but noble. Itâs a shame its devotion to you lead to it undoing all of your hard work. Did you know it only remained in the End for three days before it managed to give its protectors the slip? It can be quite creative, when it applies itsef.â
Three days?
Robbie was only with Georgie for three days?
Jonâs mind is forcibly transfixed on memories of teaching Robbie how to get to the End from Eye territory, back when they first started staying with him. Of ensuring they could plan diversions and re-routes through other domains, in case the quickest path was ever blocked.
Butâ! No. They were in the End, they are in the End, they have to be in the End, because GeorgieâGeorgieâŠ
A thumb smooths over his cheekbone in a parody of comfort. âBut rest assured, Jonathan. Iâll bring my familiar home from its gallivanting about the domains, and put it to far better use than you could have ever dreamed. Itâs sacrifice will pave the way to greater understanding about a soon-to-be-extinct magic.â
The smile that splits Eliasâ cheeks is nightmarish. âThough of course the work Iâll do on it will pale in comparison to what Iâll be able to do to dear Martin. Iâve done good work with Peter, of course, but a Fog Witch with genuine emotional attachment? Think of the possibilities, Jon. Will he ever even realize the man heâs saying âI love youâ to is gone?â
Rage sparks uselessly through Jonâs paralyzed limbs, leaving him able to do little more than bare his teeth in defiance. Donât you dare touch them.
âHow sweet.â The tool is poised over his right eye. âWell, Iâm afraid this is goodbye, Jonathan. If itâs any consolation, you far exceeded everything Iâd hoped youâd bââ
BANG!
Jonah Magnus pulls back, a frown marring his features. âWhat in the worldâŠ?â
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The harsh blows continue, as if something is throwing itself against every door to this place with all its might. It does so in a way thatâs rhythmic, the pulse of boots marching to war, of bones cracking beneath a fist.
Magnus sneers, leaning back over Jonâs face. âIt seems time is of the essence. This wonât be as clean as Iâd liââ
âGBWEH!â
That actually causes Magnus to startle back as he looks up at something that has somehow entered the room.
Something that stinks of alcohol, lotion, and half-rotted fish.
Jon, who cannot operate his vocal cords, wishes he could groan in despair.
âGeistman?!â Magnus snaps, obviously as repulsed as Jon now is. âHow did youâ?! Ugh, never mind, get back to your vents and your boozing, you blithering, incompetentâ!â
Jonâs head has been tilted upwards all this time, to better allow for Magnus to perform his little âoperationâ.
Which means he has a perfect view of the vent that is suddenly present in the ceiling, and Robbie dropping out of it with murder in their eyes and jaw unhinged.
Thereâs a short, sharp scream from Magnus that ends in a wet gurgle.
Then all of a sudden, Eliasâ voice is shouting something indecipherable thatâs less a counter-incantation and more a frantic desire to Stop, to Open, to LET JON GO.
He finds his limbs loosening, slacking from their rictus as his eyes blink and move and swarm over to his familiar.
Robbieâs spitting something out with a disgusted look on their face, head shaking and hands flapping by their sides.
Then they spot him and their expression turns frantic as they run full-tilt over to him, colliding heavily as they practically trip over themself to get a good look at his face, staring at his eyes with a desperation bordering on manic.
âI, it.â His tongue feels thick and heavy, unwilling to obey him. âS okay, Robbie. He didnât. Itâs me. Itâs me.â
His familiarâs eyes fill with tears as they fling their arms around him and bury their head in his chest.
Jon rests his head on top of theirs as best he can while manacled, trying to soothe their gasping sobs. Thereâll be plenty of time to scold them for running off and not sending him any word of their harebrained schemes later. Now he can let himself feel the relief that theyâre here, theyâre alright.
Or perhaps not.
Jonâs Eyes catch sight of Magnus rising, blood staining Eliasâ high collar, his tool clutched in a tight-knuckled grip and raised over his head like a dagger as he staggers towards them.
Jon curls over Robbie as best he can, trying to summon some, any of the power that allowed him to reduce Nikola to lifelessnessâ!
Several things happen in rapid succession.
A pair of large, cool, familiar arms coil around Jon and Robbie, yanking them through the Fog and away from their attacker.
Thereâs the harsh thud of several doors opening at once, pouding footsteps and panicked voices filling the room.
Magnus is impaled from behind on several shard of glass and metal, as Melanieâs familiar unleashes his wrath.
A swarm of butterflies descends as Magnus gurgles and topples forward again, the earth itself reaching up to claim him.
Jonâs thankful that the Gatheringâs been over for long enough that most of the other attendants have gone home.
It means thereâs less witnesses for the apparent murder of the Grand Witch of the Eye.
Though, Jon considers, looking around at the motley crew gathered in the corridor outside of Jonah Magnusâ de-eyeballing room, there are still quite a lot of them.
Thankfully Trexel Geistman is not one of them.
âSo let me see if Iâve got this right.â Martin says, looking desperately like he wants to pinch the bridge of his nose but is wholly unwilling to release his grip on Jon and Robbie to do so.
âYou,â A squeeze of Jonâs arm which he replies to with a nudge of his head into Martinâs shoulder. âSomehow the most sensible person in this scenario, thought that the best way to protect Robbie was to send them to the End so they couldnât get caught in the crossfire when Nikola attacked your cottage.â
âHey.â Jon mutters without heat. Martin gives him a quick, pacifying kiss on the forehead.
âGeorgie agreed with this and took Robbie in. But you,â A squeeze of Robbieâs shoulder, who fidgets and looks guilty. âSomehow got it into your head to run away from the End, toâŠwhat? Fight the Stranger witches directly, or something?â
Robbie shakes their head as they sign, âI wanted to come home. I wanted to protect Jon. I kept having to make detours, though. They were trying to stop me.â
Martin heaves a sigh. âWhich is, I suppose how you all got involved?â
Petra Ito, apprentice of the Buried, gives a careless shrug with her arm around Frey Lukasâ hunched shoulders. âYeah, pretty much.â
âRobbie helped me anâ Janey get rid of the spiders! So Janey said I could go!â Des Fuentes-MacĂas, the very young apprentice of the Corruption, pipes up. Prentiss has a proud hand set on his head.
âI just wanted to torch it.â Tim admits, a flame sprouting from his clicked fingers that has Robbie flinching minutely. âBut then I got the chance to burn even more of the stranger fuckers.â
âI-I wasnât actually involved in, in any of this until this morning, when they arrived on the Fogâs borders, soâŠ" Frey Lukas trails off under Martinâs hard stare, head ducking again. âSorry.â
The Monster Pig has wandered off back into the Eye room after a few cursory sniffs.
Emil Walpole, Melanieâs wayward familiar of the Slaughter, flickers slightly even as he hovers a few centimeters above the floor, steadfastly not looking at anyone. ââŠThey asked for my help.â
Jon canât quite decide if that raises his estimation of Mr. Walpole or not. Especially given that Robbieâs face feels hot when they hide a small smile in Jonâs arm.
âOkay,â Martin begins diplomatically. âAnd Iâm guessing that while Robbie was trying to get back to Jon, Georgie, you were trying toâŠwhat, rescue them? While keeping Jon in the dark about it?â
âMe and Melanie were helping as best we could.â Oliver chimes in as Melanie nods. âEver since Robbie and Emil vanished from the Slaughter together.â
âBut why?â Jon bursts out, unable to keep quiet any longer, eyes fixed on Georgie. âWhy hide it from me? Why lie that everything was fine when it wasnât?â
She somehow looks small, even in her End regalia, one foot scuffing the floor.
âI didnâtâ!â She pauses, takes a breath, and starts again. âYou came to me for help and trusted me to look after them, Jon. I didnât want to betray that faith and disappoint you, not when I thought I could have the situation in hand.â
Jonâs mouth works soundlessly. He can appreciate that, but. But.
âBut the problem was that Robbie was more resourceful than you gave them credit for.â Martinâs gentle tone continues. âAnd by the time you were considering telling Jon, it had already gone on long enough that admitting felt like it would be worse than not. Even though he had a right to know from the start.â
Georgie gives a weak huff of laughter as she nods.
Melanie plasters herself against Georgieâs side and glares daggers at the room. âLay off. She was just trying to do her best.â
âNo, love.â Georgie nuzzles into her hair, and then straightens to look at Jon. âI am truly sorry, Jon. For keeping you in the dark.â
Jon nods, trying to decide how he feels about that, but ultimately being too exhausted to come to any firm conclusions.
At his side, Robbie circles a fist over their chest. âIâm sorry for running away. I didnât want to make you sad. I just wanted to go home.â
Georgie quirks a small smile at that, but doesnât say anything else.
âSo.â Martin says. âAt some point, Robbie and company find out about Jonah Magnusâ eyeball-stealing and race here in the nick of time to stop it happening, with Frey providing cover to sneak them all into the GatheringâŠhow did you find out about that, anyway?â
âIt was the lady that wasnât!â Des Fuentes-MacĂas pipes up. âShe said the old Eye man was gonna steal his!â
Robbie nods, signing, âThe One Who Isnât Sasha James contained her memories after eating up her life. She traded The Grand Imposterâs secret to us, so we could save Jon. And then we hit the slimy Spiral man until he agreed to help.â
âTraded?â Jon asks, feeling wary. âTraded for what?â
Emil Walpoleâs smile is chilling. âNot finishing what we started in the Strangerâs domain.â
Suddenly a lot of context for Jonâs earlier conversation with the new Grand Witch of the Stranger slots into place.
âSo, what?â Tim interrupts. âWe killed old Jimmy Magma, yippee for us. Does that mean Jonâs the new Grand Witch of the Eye?â
The very thought of it sends a shudder of pure revulsion down Jonâs spine. âOh lord, I hope not. Elias, Eliasâ body is still mostly functional, I, I think? Maybe we canâ?â
The Monster Pig emerges from the Eye room, licking its chops clean.
Everyone stares at it as it gives a vaguely self-conscious grunt and trots off, presumably to make its way back to the Fleshâs territory.
âWell.â Oliver says. âI suppose that answers that question?â
âWonderful. Just. Just wonderful.â Jon groans. He doesnât want to become a Grand Witch yet, doesnât want to have to leave his little cottage, forsake Robbie or Martin for any of the new responsibilities that will surely fall to him, without even an apprentice in training to help him manage them.
Oh good lord, heâs going to have to be diplomatic. Jonâs not got a diplomatic bone in his body, thereâs no way heâs cut out for this.
âWell, about thatâŠâ Frey Lukas glances at Petra, who sighs and reaches into one of her many pockets to pull out what looks like a particularly mucky metal tin.
The contents of the tin inspire several groans of revulsion from the onlookers.
âGood lord.â Jon mutters as Robbie cringes and hides their face between him and Martin. âDid you reallyâŠ?â
âWell,â Frey Lukas is actually standing up straight now, xir eyes bright. âWhen everyone told me what was going on, I figured that probably meant that there arenât any real measures in place for the transferral of power, between witches of the Eye? Given that it was just Jonah Magnus giving it to himself every time. So I thought it was best to have a contingency prepared, like Martinâs always telling me.â
Martin quirks a small half smile at that, and Jon canât not quickly peck the dimple that lovely expression brings out.
âPlus Grand Witches just need to be there, not actually do anything. Thatâs what they have us for.â Petra adds, closing up the tin. âS how Hezekiah keeps holding onto the position in the Buried. Wouldnât be surprised if half his brains are mulch by now.â
Georgie inclines her head. âThatâsâŠnot entirely incorrect. But youâd still need a vessel for him while the power transfer is ongoing, and poor Elias. Well. Isnât, anymore. Now what do we use?â
Thereâs a moment of contemplative silence.
âI believe,â Jon says slowly, the grin growing on his face only matched by the incredulous one on Martinâs, âI may have an idea.â
âYou only have yourself to blame for this, you know.â Jon tells the scarecrow.
Jonah Magnusâ eyes glare at him hatefully from what he now knows is Nikolaâs face.
Itâs the perfect prison, really. In order to ever let the body have any chance of reanimating, Magnus will have to give up his dependence on Eye magic and his need for total control to let Nikolaâs Stranger magic take autonomy.
And Jonâs suffered under his tutelage for enough years to know that this is something Jonah Magnus has no capacity for.
âDonât worry.â He tells Magnus. âThis wonât be forever. Just until Iâve got some other Eye witches properly trained up and established myself well enough to take over the Grand Witch position. Then weâll give this puppet to Tim to make a bonfire with. He and Melanie are particularly excited for that. Frey too, if you can believe it. Xeyâre very protective of xir uncle and xir teacher.â
He delights in the glimmer of fear thatâs entered Magnusâs gaze.
His Eyes tell him that Robbie and Martin are on their way to being done with the cake theyâve been baking, that Melanie, Emil, Georgie, and Oliver are almost here for afternoon tea.
Thereâs a bar of Martinâs âproperly bubblyâ soap by his sink, Robbieâs converted what used to be the spare room in the cottage into their permanent bedroom, there are several ladybirds with spots ranging from thirteen to seven flying around, and Farmer Peterâs Damn Cow is safely in its field, chewing a cud of grass for once.
âYou were right about one thing.â Jon smiles. âMy life is practically perfect. And Iâm going to enjoy every second of it.â