Something Wicked This Way Comes
Part Six of the Impractical Magic Series
Disclaimer: Not only are the characters not mine, but certain parts of the
underlying theory of this whole series are heavily borrowed. Xena, Gabrielle
and Joxer belong to Renaissance Pictures and Universal/USA Studios. The
atmosphere of the series, along with a few specific concepts, lean heavily
on the Discworld books; if you have read them, you will recognize a lot of
Terry Pratchett's spirit in these stories. If you haven't read them, try to.
They're wonderful. As always, I beg of you not to sue.
Rating: Probably PG-13. There are some adult concepts, more in other stories
that this one. I'll just say that to remain consistent.
Violence: No
Sex: Nope.
Archive: SUJE, GJRS, JFFG, TedTalk, TRIS, Raye. Anyone else with permission,
probably.
This is story number six in the (Energizer -- "it just keeps going, and
going…") series, the first being "The Gift That Keeps On Giving", and the
second "Ooops, I Did It Again..." - followed by "Spelling Lessons" and "Every
Witch Way" and "School Daze". You can find them at my website,
http://tedjoxertimandmore.homestead.com/ in the "Serial Stories" section,
where this will soon be archived as well. If you want to understand this
story, you have to read them first.
This wraps the cliff-hanger, but there's a lot more to go. As I may have
mentioned before, there are so far TWELVE stories in this series, and there
are more tales yet to tell. I owe Rebecca Littlehales an enormous debt for
this completed work, as she found time around her own personal things to get
it beta'd and tweaked to readiness. She's a saint, really. And I appreciate
each and every one of you who have given me so much encouragement on this
series. It's already fun to write, but your comments make it even more so.
Thanks.
He was weak. It had made him the perfect target. He had enough power to use,
but not enough to fight Them. And he was close to the one They really
wanted. A perfect vessel. All They needed now was the other half, and he
would be complete. And she would be even easier to get. Then They would be
able to reach the Right One through his weakness, and then They could take
what They wanted. They wanted it all.
Graduation. Gabrielle never thought that one-on-one witches' training would
end with a graduation ceremony. She wanted desperately for Joxer to be
there, but he had been staying away from them for some time now, and she
didn't know what to do about it. Hellena had implied that she was getting to
know the wizard better, but Gabrielle couldn't really believe that. He
wouldn't set foot outside the Academy without coming to see her and Xena.
He hadn't even sent the idiotic rat with a message in ages. And she had no
way of contacting him, either. She hadn't really seen or talked to him since
that night she'd accidentally gotten drunk and he'd had to carry her
upstairs. The bard wondered if she'd said something stupid that night that
had made him mad at her. She didn't know, because he wasn't around to ask.
She couldn't even get excited about her graduation, because this was
worrying her night and day.
Xena had worn that serious scowl of hers, and tried to get Gabrielle to talk
or write about what was bothering her. Mother Wigglewort tried to distract
her pupil with promises of big surprises for her at graduation time. The
blonde bard made a valiant effort to respond to both her friend and her
tutor, but that nagging concern about the distant wizard just never went
away.
And now the big night was here. The new witch had to admit she was a little
excited. But it would be so much better if she could share it with Joxer.
"Look, Joxer. I found these gorgeous daisies on the far side of the
courtyard behind the stone bench. I think Hellena might really like them.
Would you take them to her for me later?" Milt simply glowed with excitement
at the thought of giving something more to his lovely witch. Ever since he
first saw his roommate's ability to exit their virtual prison, he'd taken
advantage of it. He had been sorely disappointed when he discovered that
Joxer's power to move the door and pass through it seemed limited to Joxer
himself. The 'opening', or whatever it was, closed securely the minute the
Greek passed through it, and trying to put Milt through first had failed as
well. So Joxer had been a go-between, acting as Cupid's messenger for the
head-over-heels young man that he roomed with. Milt had managed to see her
again once, briefly, when he was tapped to help receive a delivery, and she
had been outside. She had even waved at him. He'd asked Joxer if he'd seen
it, since he was nearby at the time.
Joxer looked up from his studies. Daisies. Gabrielle loved daisies. He took
his feelings out, turned them over, examined once again the pain of the
memory of his last meeting with his beautiful bard, poked at it just to feel
the sting, and then shut them down again. "Sure."
"Jox, what has been wrong with you lately? If you bother to talk at all, it'
s in words of one syllable. You're pale as a ghost, and I heard Old Bear say
he was going to go get Mother Wigglewort to look at you soon if you didn't
start asking questions again." Milt cared about his roommate. That was the
reason he'd agreed when those voices had asked him to help. They said if he
would just look at Them, They could help Joxer. Milt had never had a friend
like Joxer before. He hadn't even heard from Them since.
Mother Wigglewort. Joxer sighed. Why did Milt have to mention Mother
Wigglewort? She was close to Xena and Gabby. How come he couldn't get away
from thinking about them, even here behind the closed doors of the Academy?
The only joy he had, and that was small, was in acting as Milt's messenger
boy. It so thrilled the young man, and Hellena was actually starting to
smile when she saw him coming. He could at least offer to help them to have
the things he never would.
Never was an awful long time.
Girl?
Hellena spun around in a circle. No one stood near her, and certainly no one
had been whispering in her ear.
You like power, don't you girl? A chorus of voices hissed inside her head.
She was apprehensive. We like that about you, girl. We can give you power.
We can even give you that wizard you want. After We finish with him. They
didn't bother to add what's left of him. She'd be lucky if she lived till
They were done, anyway. Just help Us get him...
Hellena hesitated. They wanted Joxer. So did she. Perhaps they could work
together. But she'd have to see what they had to offer. "He can give me
power without you."
Ah, but We can give you more... Just look at Us. Look...
"And now, you stand here, ready to go share your witchcraft with the world.
Remember that witches are healers, and as such, are sworn to do good and not
harm with the power they have..."
Gabrielle did her best to listen, as Mother Wigglewort's speech went on and
on. She wasn't sure what graduation meant in other types of training, having
never attended or taken part in one, but apparently in witchcraft it meant a
time for the trainer to say everything she had ever wanted to in her entire,
extremely long, life. To be fair, the new witches' mind hadn't been all here
for a while anyway. For all she knew, this might have been fascinating, if
it hadn't been for Joxer and his conspicuous absence.
The bard looked down at herself. The new black dress Mother W had made for
her was indeed lovely -- fitted at the bodice and sweeping out in a full
skirt. Fine for doing witch things in, totally impractical for fighting.
Particularly when worn with the tall conical hat that she had on. And
Gabrielle had decided that she needed to get back to fighting -- back to her
old life in Greece. As soon as all this was over, she would talk to Xena,
maybe they could pull Joxer out of the Academy, and they could all go home.
She rarely saw her family when in Greece, and neither Xena nor Joxer spent
much time with theirs, either, but at least the option was available when
they were there. They had been away too long.
"And lastly," Gabrielle sighed in relief at those words, "comes the
broomstick ceremony." The new witch looked at Xena with a questioning
expression, and the Warrior Princess just shrugged.
"Normally," Mother W explained, coming beside Gabrielle, "the new witch is
given her own broomstick and her first flying lesson at this point. However,
since you are a bit different than my usual trainees, I decided that a
broomstick didn't suit you." The bard wasn't sure if she was disappointed at
this news or not. She had gathered that a broomstick was pretty much a witch
requirement, even though many kept it locked away in a closet most of the
time. She supposed it was a bad thing for a witch not to have one, although
she really didn't want one much. It would be hard to pack and carry on the
trail, for one thing. The trainer continued. "Instead, I want to give you a
far more useful tool, and one you are already quite familiar with." The
older witch reached out, taking the Amazon Staff from the new graduate. She
held it up at eye level and spoke some words in the Mysterious Tongue, a
language Gabrielle had thought the exclusive domain of wizards. The staff
shivered a bit, then rose to levitate above the old woman's palms. She
plucked it from the air and handed it back to its owner.
"Now, you may take your first ride." Gabrielle stared at the witch in dumb
amazement. She could ride her staff? Mother W seemed amused by the look on
her face. "It's not exactly alive," she explained, "not like J..." The trainer
caught herself, seeing the hurt look on the younger woman's face at even the
anticipation of hearing his name, "Uh, the other staff. That one's a lot
different. More like a trained hunting dog, able to think for itself. This
one is more like a dumb pack animal, willing to help but unable to do much
without direction. Now, go ahead. Sit on it."
The young witch sat gingerly sidesaddle on the staff as it floated above the
ground at the right level. "Now pick up your feet." Gabrielle did so
obediently, then yelped as the staff rose just a bit higher. "Go on, take a
spin about town, if you like. Just not too high. It takes some getting used
to."
The staff with Gabrielle on board passed through the gate and out onto the
street. Xena could hear her friend mumbling directions to it in an
apprehensive tone. "I thought broomstick riding wasn't going to be one of
her abilities?" the Warrior woman questioned the old witch.
"Oh, all witches are able, if they have the blood. It's just not all are
talented at it."
"Hey," they heard the bard holler from outside the yard, "SLOW DOWN!"
The old woman shrugged. "See?"
Joxer waved the solid matter of the door aside like a curtain and stepped
outside. Hellena was waiting, and he presented the daisies. "Milt says..."
"Oh, Joxer, what beautiful flowers! Thank you!" The dark girl threw her arms
around Joxer's neck and pressed her body against him. His robe, whipped by
the wind, surrounded her, making it momentarily appear they were both
wearing the same thing.
He pushed her gently back. "They're from Milt, Hellena."
"Oh," she got a vacant look in her eyes, "I know." Something reared its ugly
head in those vacant eyes, and she began to pull at Joxer's sleeve. "You
know, I wish I could see him. Maybe you could just make that silly old
retaining spell go away. I bet you could."
Her wheedling tone was lost on Joxer, but her words weren't. He'd been
thinking of that himself for a while now. He knew now that he had powers
even those in charge of the Academy didn't understand. If he hadn't been so
miserable lately, he'd have been pushing the limits every chance he could,
just to see how far he could go. But after his run-in with Gabrielle, he'd
buried himself in his books and become the model student, memorizing every
spell and obeying every Rule. His only nudge at the lines that held the
other novices in was the occasional trip outside the walls to see Hellena.
He did that for Milt.
He looked at the witch, not really seeing her. "Of course, I could." For
Milt -- who wanted to see his ladylove so desperately. He was on the other
side of the wall right now, waiting for Joxer to return with some word, some
token of her affection. Joxer understood love like that all too well. If the
wall just went away...
A familiar scream behind him drew his attention before he could formulate
the thought that would activate the spell. Turning, he looked towards the
sound, finally casting his gaze upwards to see, of all things, Gabby!
Wearing a black dress and riding what looked like her staff, she just barely
cleared the overhanging limb of a huge oak tree. He heard her curse in
Greek, then she turned the staff and headed back in the direction from which
she had come, barely clinging to her strange mount as she hollered
directions to it with all her might.
Joxer started after her, but a strong hand gripped his arm. "Joxer?" Hellena
purred, "The wall?"
He shook himself. He'd never catch up with her on foot, not while she was -
doing whatever it was she was doing. "Sure," he answered absently, flicking
his hand at the structure and telling it to go away. The age-old stones
melted into nothingness like butter on a hot day. "There."
"Good." Hellena's purr had changed into a growl, and she had a death grip on
Joxer's arm. Suddenly her other hand flashed out and a knife blade nicked
Joxer's neck.
He slapped at the sting. "Ouch." Joxer stared at the blood on his hand, and
then at the girl at his side. "Whaja do that for?"
Milt seemed to appear from nowhere. "We can't control your magic, so this
poison will keep you confused long enough for Us to set everything up." The
young wizard's voice sounded like many voices, all talking in unison. Joxer'
s head felt funny -- like someone had wrapped it in thick cloth. He moved his
head to the side, and it felt as if it went a little piece at a time.
All around him, Joxer was aware of people running and shouting and pointing
at where the walls used to be. Magruder approached him. "Joxer, did you do
this? You're the only one who could." The redheaded professor seemed
oblivious to the woman holding the young wizard's arm. "Put it back."
Hellena growled in that one-many voice, "We need the wall gone, wizard. We
have uses for your kind. Look at Us."
They only came once a generation, and a wizard's generation was a long one.
It had been hundreds of years since They had been around last. Still,
Magruder's mother had warned him about Them. He knew not to look in those
eyes. He ran.
Xena had groomed Argo and polished her sword, and still Gabrielle hadn't
returned. Her sword had never been shinier. It had been ages since she'd
last used it. Monitoring the bard as she learned about magic and running
around collecting herbs and hair of this and scales of that for the potions
had kept her occupied as well. Still, Xena had seen precious little action
for quite some time, and she was about ready to. Little did she know...
The tall red headed man almost knocked the Warrior Princess on her tail, and
she didn't appreciate it. She pulled her recently sharpened sword, ready to
finally use it, when he hollered to the cottage, "MUM!"
Mother W scuttled out. "Mac! What are..."
"They're here, Mum. Them."
The witches' eyes grew wide. "Them..."
Xena was getting irritated. She needed more than a pronoun. "Who?"
The redhead ignored her. "They want Joxer."
Now Xena was upset and irritated. One of her best friends was involved
somehow with something that disturbed these two people, and the warrior didn
't have a clue what, or what to do about it. Just then, the sound of
grumbling and stomping came from outside the yard. "... gonna walk from now
on, thank you very much." The bard looked up from the staff she was scolding
to see the three shell-shocked faces before her. Her long blonde hair was
every which way, and there was a ring of dust around the hem of her new
black dress. Her conical hat was no longer tall, but compressed and tucked
under her arm. "What's going on?"
"Joxer's in trouble, Gabrielle." Xena had distilled that much information
out of the earlier exchange.
"How?"
Xena glared at the other two. "I don't KNOW yet."
Mother Wigglewort saw anger on one woman's face and fear on the other. "They
're the reason that magic is a force for good. They were banished from here
many generations ago. They are known by various names in various places --
evil spirits, black magic -- but we've always known Them as just Them."
Magruder picked up the tale. "They arrive once a generation -- a wizard
generation - trying to find a vessel to allow them back into this world.
None they have chosen so far have been strong enough." He saw a lack of
understanding on the two faces. "Their vessels have all died."
"Because of who They are, They can't use those who don't have the mage's
blood. But They can take their souls. Those with the blood, They can use
their souls, and twist 'em to do Their bidding." Mother Wigglewort looked at
the tall man before her, seeming truly aware of him for the first time. "How
on earth did you get here?"
"Joxer, Mum. He took down the walls before they grabbed him."
"Does your father know, boy?"
The nearly century old professor hung his head in shame like a schoolboy
caught stealing candy. "No, Mum. I came right here."
Mother W rolled her eyes. "And you were right there and all. Go tell him. He
may not be much of a father, but he'll listen to you about something like
this, and he might know what to do. Go!"
The tall professor scurried off obediently at the wave of a hand. Mother
Wigglewort smiled proudly. "Always been such a good, cooperative boy."
Gabrielle scrunched her face in thought, mumbling. "Mum? Good boy?" Light
dawned in her eyes, and she stared at her trainer. "He's your son?!"
The old witch smiled sadly. "Best mistake I ever made."
The Warrior Princess appeared to be working the rest of the exchange through
her mind. "'Does your father know. You were right there.' His father must
be --"
"Why do you think I'm concerned about those young girls who hang around
outside the Academy? He didn't have the sense to stay away from me, how can
he figure out how to keep those boys away from them? Some of them are pretty
clever. I sort of made myself guardian over the witches in waiting, and all
the young wizards know they have to come to me to ask permission to court
any of 'em. Just because Mac was a good thing doesn't mean raising him alone
was. Don't want to see it happen again, if I can help it be avoided."
Gabrielle's face had grown blanker the longer Mother W talked. The
conversation had skipped a step she needed in there, and while Xena knew
exactly what was going on, the bard was clueless. She threw her best friend
a questioning look.
"Porticullis, Gabrielle. His father is 'Old Port'."
Gabrielle's blank look failed to go away. She couldn't comprehend the stuffy
old wizard who had seemed almost terrified by her and Xena just due to their
femaleness fathering a child out of wedlock with the well-padded woman
before her. Some things even a bard's imagination couldn't wrap itself
around.
The old woman's anxious tone shook her from her stupor. "The boys are going
to need our help at the Academy. We'd better go." Xena in the lead, the
three women ran from the yard, the oldest one already puffing slightly as
she cleared the gate. Just as quickly, the old witch dashed back in, grabbed
a broom from a niche in the wall, and hopping astride it, flew to catch up
with the other two.
Joxer's head swung incredibly slowly from side to side as he viewed the
battle zone around him. A few of his classmates were in heaps on the ground,
having had too little magic blood or been too resistant to be of use to
Them. Others, along with several professors and a couple of the young
witches, were wearing expressions that hinted of a vacancy within them.
Their eyes swirled oddly. Through intense effort, Joxer had been able to pay
enough attention to notice how Milt or Hellena stared into the eyes of their
victim before they changed, and he struggled to understand what was going
on. He had to clear his mind. He had tried a spell from his texts for
clarity of thought, but it wasn't strong enough to manage poison-induced
confusion. Of course, he wasn't totally sure he'd remembered it correctly
anyway.
He almost gave up. He had little to live for, he supposed, if they wanted
him dead. He knew that if he could just think straight, he'd be able to
figure out why, if they did want him dead, they hadn't already killed him.
Of course, nothing quite made sense in his current state, so the puzzle wasn
't bothering him that much.
Then Xena burst onto the scene, followed by Gabrielle and an old woman on
what appeared to be a broomstick. Had he seen Gabrielle in that black dress
earlier? She looked nice in black. He smiled faintly, before remembering
that Gabby wanted him to marry someone else so she could get rid of him. It
was even more of an effort than before to care, after he recalled that.
Xena threw her chakram, and Joxer's eyes followed, although he couldn't turn
his head fast enough to see where it went after it bounced off the corner of
the Assembly Hall. Movement to his left drew his gaze, and two wizards and
one witch fell. So that's where that thing went. He saw Gabby swinging her
staff at another of his classmates, finally connecting solidly and taking
him down. She was so beautiful when she fought.
Staff? Where was his staff? He went to reach out in front of himself to call
it, and realized his hands were tied to something behind his back. He
remembered them doing that, didn't he? Tying him to -- his staff. Darn.
Gabrielle caught sight of Joxer, trussed up like a Solstice Turkey on the
other side of the yard. He looked more dazed and confused than he usually
did, and she had a feeling they had done something to him to be able to keep
him immobile like that. She saw the redheaded wizard and his father join
Mother W, and the three of them made a small ring, their backs to one
another, obviously planning on combining their magic powers to defend
themselves. She saw Porticullis frown at an encroaching student, and then
the other two touched him as he pronounced a spell, and the attacker
crumpled to the ground as a strange dark sort of light flew from his eyes
and towards Milt.
She had to free Joxer. If they could do that, then his magic should be
strong enough to help, too. She ran to him.
"Gahhbeee," he said, as if he were trying out the word for the first time.
"Druhgged mhee."
She could see how much effort he was putting into forming the words from the
beads of sweat that popped out on his forehead. Despairingly, Gabrielle
wondered if he could possibly be of any help in his condition. But she had
to untie him and see.
The bard moved wordlessly behind the young wizard and began toiling at the
knot that bound him to his staff. Noting an inexplicable difficulty with the
knot, she recognized a small binding spell Mother W had taught her. She
spoke the words to remove it and it fell away, allowing her to make quick
work of the ties. She could swear the staff looked at her in gratitude as it
pulled free.
Stepping back in front of her friend, she grabbed him by the arms and shook
him. "Joxer, we need your help. Snap out of it."
His brow creased and frustration painted his features. Moving his arm
woodenly, he pointed to a wound on his neck. "Poiishun," he slurred by way
of explanation.
She slapped him gently on the cheek, then a bit harder. "You have to shake
it off. We need you!" His staff began to tap his other cheek in a similar
fashion. Gabrielle's staff, which had been tossed aside in her earlier
efforts, rose and bonked the wizard solidly over the head. The bard grabbed
it in fury. "NO!" she screamed, "We're trying to bring him back to his
senses, not knock them out of him!"
Joxer's eyes crossed, but he remained upright. The Amazon staff pulled away
sheepishly. "Stupid piece of wood," Gabrielle muttered as she stroked the
rising bump on Joxer's skull. His staff glared at her, and she glared right
back.
"Gahbee," Joxer tried, "I don' whanna marree sum ol' whi-whi-whitch. Cand I
jus' bee wif yoou and Zhena even if yoou don' wan' meee?" He vaguely
realized that the poison must have been wearing off for him to manage such a
lengthy soliloquy.
She frowned. "I have no idea what you just said, Joxer. Now try again,
focus!" She rubbed his arms, slapped him lightly again, and kept encouraging
him. The hands that pulled her away from him seemed to come from nowhere.
"Leave him alone, he's Ours!" The face belonged to Hellena, but the evil
expression did not, nor did the chorus of voices that issued from her lips.
"Nooooo!" Joxer screamed, and almost without conscious thought, he ordered
the poison out of his system. Immediately, his head was clear. "Gabby, don't
look her in the eyes!" he ordered. A strong spell flew in from behind him,
and in one move he turned and warded it off with his own magic.
"You can't save her unless you give yourself to Us," the many voices hissed
from his roommate's mouth. "It's you We want, and you can rule with Us."
Joxer saw the poisoned dagger in Milt's hand. Pointing at it, he
concentrated and it melted away. "He is good!" the chorale crowed, "We will
rule well with this one!"
"Not -- likely," Joxer grunted as he swung his staff at Miller, who ducked
easily away. The Greek wizard tossed out a spell that held the younger man
still for a moment, then belted him solidly. The body that held Them
stumbled backwards a couple of steps, then cast another spell Joxer's
direction. With some difficulty he shielded himself and swung, missing
again.
All over the courtyard, They were leaving Their temporary hosts and joining
Their companions inside Milt, who grew stronger with each addition. Joxer
could feel himself wearying. Only They that held Hellena finally remained
outside Milt. Joxer realized he could lose, and decided drastic measures
were in order. Grabbing his roommate by the shoulders, Joxer stared into his
eyes.
Once They had left the bodies that had been fighting, Xena and the rest
found themselves facing confused but harmless people who were of no threat.
Not aware of the drama across the courtyard, they comforted and tended to
the people they had just finished fighting. Magruder was the first to notice
what was happening. "No, Joxer," the professor screamed, "They enter through
the eyes!"
The two wizards stood motionless, staring at one another. Joxer's grip on
the younger man tightened. Suddenly, an inexplicable light poured from Joxer
's brown orbs and flooded his roommate's face.
Milt screamed in the voice of the multitude. Something dark and dangerous
flew from his eyes, hovering stunned in the air. The consciousness of
Miller, the eighth son of a wizard, finding itself alone in his body for the
first time in a while, decided it needed a little break to regroup. The
young man's body apparently agreed, and when Joxer released his grip, it
collapsed quietly in a heap on the ground.
Joxer turned in time to see the dark mass heading towards Hellena, who had
Gabrielle by the hair and was trying to pull her head up so her eyes met
Theirs. "We'll take her instead," They threatened, "Although she isn't
nearly strong enough. But before she dies, we'll have you, too." All of Them
were inside Hellena, and They were angry. Gabrielle was fighting hard.
"She's of no use to you," Porticullis protested, as Joxer moved slowly
forward, "She's not a witch."
"Yeah," Joxer agreed, not sure exactly what his headmaster meant, but
willing to go along.
The voices laughed, a sick and evil sound. "She has the blood, she will
serve Our purposes. Her weakness will be Our strength, for she is your
weakness, isn't she? And she will die if you won't come to Us, or else she'
ll die bringing you to Us."
The staff in Joxer's hand moved like lightning, striking Hellena's arm with
tremendous power. A bone cracked, and the dark girl involuntarily released
the blonde hair she held so tightly. Joxer reached out and pulled the bard
to his chest, both of them facing the occupied witch, his arm wrapped
possessively around Gabrielle's shoulders. They glared at the two from
Hellena's eyes, dark and angry and dangerous. Together, the new witch and
the wizard stared back.
This time, there was no scream. The several witnesses couldn't really agree
on a story. Some said the light that had overwhelmed Them when they held
Milt had poured from four eyes, two brown and two green. Others said that
They just poured in a silent dark cloud out of Hellena's eyes and briefly
enveloped the pair before simply disappearing. All Xena saw was her two
friends collapse together, Joxer still holding Gabrielle tightly, while
Hellena slumped, clutching her broken arm and whimpering. Milt regained
consciousness, and seeing her in distress, crawled over to comfort the girl.
Carefully avoiding her fracture, he pulled her onto his lap and stroked her
hair.
A sharp word from Mother Wigglewort sent the uninjured back to tending the
other battle scarred witches and wizards. Xena and the old witch moved to
the unconscious couple, while Porticullis and his son went to Hellena and
Milt.
The older woman touched the fallen pair, and her gasp drew the other's
attention. Xena dropped to her knees beside the witch. "What?" she demanded,
fear in her voice.
Wide-eyed, Mirabelle Wigglewort looked at her son and his father. "They've
bonded!"
The headmaster strode over. "Impossible."
Seeing the mystified and frightened expression the Warrior Princess wore,
Magruder took pity, and spoke to Xena in a comforting tone. "Witches and
wizards only bond after marriage, as far as we know," the professor
explained. "After they, well, uhhh..." He flushed deeply.
His mother blew out her breath. "As told by a ninety-five year old virgin,"
she huffed. Then she narrowed her eyes at Xena. "They haven't have they?"
"Not that I know of," the warrioress protested.
Porticullis stood and dusted off his hands. "Well, they've done it. Bonded,
that is. They can share power now, and there are other signs as well that
you'll be seeing. Can't imagine how it happened, but he's never done
anything else the way it's supposed to be done, why should this be any
different?"
Mother W stroked Gabrielle's hair. "Try to keep them together as much as
possible, especially at first. Too much separation could weaken them both
until the link firms up."
Xena's face began to soften, then she began to snicker, finally plopping
down to a seated position and laughing full out. "What? Magruder asked,
finally.
"Keep the two of them close together. Gabrielle is just gonna love this!"
Xena wiped the tears from her eyes. As she finally calmed, a thoughtful look
took over.
"Then again, maybe she really will."
return...