25. Visitors #2
I struggled to act normal as I set down a tray covered in steaming mugs a few minutes later. I returned to my spot on the leather couch, still caught between what I’d seen when I finally got through to Bones, and the two friends I hadn’t exchanged more than a few words with for over four months.
Wraith was standing in Miranda’s lap, looking up at her face, and meowing to her plaintively. She kept meowing over and over, sounding all the world like an annoyed person complaining about how long it had been since they’d seen one another, and exactly what she thought of Miranda’s part in that.
Miranda was speaking to Wraith in a low, soothing voice, apparently agreeing with her, and nodding to every meow.
“I know, I know, darling… I’m so sorry.” She wiped her eyes again, and glanced up at me sheepishly. “I’m here to make amends, don’t worry. I won’t do that to either of you ever again, I promise… I promise, I promise.”
She was still looking at me while she said that part and I swallowed, fighting not to break down all over again. I watched her kiss Wraith on the nose.
Luc ended up being the one to break the impasse.
“Are we all done with the very American and human display?” he asked jokingly. “I’m not sure my very English and somewhat royal upbringing can handle much more of this overt emotionality without shriveling up and dying of embarrassment.”
Miranda elbowed him, but looked at him fondly. Something in the nearly melty expression in her eyes made me do a subtle double-take.
I’d never seen her look at Luc like that before.
I brushed it from my mind when I saw Draken quirk an eyebrow in my direction.
I couldn’t miss the added meaning there, or the faint twitch at his lips.
I knew that expression well enough to know the exact sentiment he was conveying there.
He was dying to talk to me about the Luc and Miranda thing, but the situation was still too fragile for him to be able to tease either of them to their faces unless he wanted to risk blowing things up.
I steeled my own expression neutral so I wouldn’t do the same.
Even so, it struck me, suddenly, that Draken was looking at me differently.
Not just because he no longer looked like he resented me. I don’t think he’d ever smiled at me in that exact way before, like I was a friend, and nothing more. I could tangibly feel the difference. Even as I thought it, his smile widened, and he winked.
I fancied I felt a flicker of relief on him, too.
Luc cleared his throat, and I averted my eyes from Draken’s.
“So,” Luc said, his voice now holding some of that embarrassment he’d been joking about. “I hope you don’t mind, Leda, but I told them a few things.” When I glanced at him, tensing slightly, he seemed to misunderstand my expression.
“I’m sorry,” he said at once, flushing. “I hope you don’t mind…
and I know I should’ve probably asked first. But given your lady in the tower status these days, you might not be fully aware of all the talk going on around the school.
Not just about Dark Cathedral and what Malefic’s been up to, but about… ”
He glanced at Miranda before looking back at me.
“Well, you know.” He cleared his throat, motioning vaguely with a hand as he avoided my eyes.
“Bones’s magic. And your magic. And the marriage.
And just… the oddness of it all. I don’t mean according to the royals with their twisted beliefs about hybrids and whatnot, but more what’s being said and gossiped about by the regular Magicals. ”
I nodded slowly, thinking about that.
I still wasn’t sure exactly what he was trying to tell me.
After another sip of chocolate, I nodded to myself again, and cleared my throat.
“Did you tell them Bones is a caelum ignis?” I asked.
Luc paled, looking between Miranda and Draken.
“No,” he blurted out. “Leda… fuck. No. I didn’t mean that. And I hadn’t told them that much. I only said––”
“It’s fine, Luc,” I assured him, waving off his horrorstruck expression.
I sank deeper into my seat, bringing my mug with me, and sighed.
“Look,” I said. “There’s no point in us not talking about it, Lucifer. It’s not as if Malefic’s hiding it anymore. He wants people to know. He’s probably annoyed it’s not plastered all over the papers to add a bit more terror to having Bones out there razing towns in his name.”
I felt my face heat, but I avoided Miranda’s stare.
“Alaric’s been telling me what the royals are saying,” I added next. “He hasn’t heard the actual term come up yet, but Malefic will leak it himself soon enough… or some enterprising reporter will dig it up from somewhere.”
Luc’s face lost some of its tense, stricken expression. He nodded to my words, and his expression went from looking guilty and horrified to looking worried instead.
“Yeah.” He exhaled, combing a hand through his long red hair.
He gave me an apologetic look. “You’re right.
I hadn’t thought about it like that, but you’re absolutely right.
The King and the Magus Imperius are probably keeping it from the papers.
Maybe even partly due to the laws still on the books.
Admitting it would force them to do something about it––”
“Do something about what?” Miranda asked.
Curiosity lilted her voice.
Even so, her tone remained even, almost polite.
I recognized the expression on her face, though. I knew she was probably biting her tongue the whole time we were talking, waiting for an opening to ask. She was positively dying to know what we were talking about.
I took a deep breath, and for the second time, I tried to explain Bones’s magic.
Miranda listened raptly. Draken sat up, and listened to everything I said, too. Neither interrupted me, even to ask questions, or said anything until I was done.
“So it’s… a magical disorder?” Miranda asked, her voice doubtful.
I nodded. “Yes. Essentially.”
“An illegal magical disorder?” Draken clarified.
I bit my tongue, waiting a beat until I got my face back under control.
“Yes,” I said, exhaling. “It’s not his fault.
His father hid it, basically from Caelum’s birth.
The law is wrong,” I said, my voice harder.
I swallowed, forcing my voice more subdued.
“I understand why it was written, but it’s wrong.
Yes, they lose control over their magic.
It makes them dangerous. But there are exceptions. ”
I glanced at Luc, then back at Miranda, my voice cautious as I clasped my hands.
“Well, there’s one exception,” I amended.
I struggled to get out the rest, but couldn’t seem to find the right words.
“If they’re married,” Luc supplied helpfully, giving me a sympathetic look. “Magically, that is. If they find someone who can handle their magic, and help, I don’t know… siphon some of it off?”
He looked at me, asking me silently if that was right.
I nodded gratefully. “Yes.”
“The way I understand it,” Luc continued, visibly relaxing.
“Once a caelum ignis connects with someone in that way, it sort of… balances them out. If they’re lucky enough to find that, they can live pretty ordinary lives.
The two of them ‘share’ the caelum ignis condition together. It ceases to be unstable.”
“What does she get out of it?” Draken asked, his voice a touch harder.
I glanced at him, but I still didn’t get anything weird off his magic towards me.
He felt concerned, like a friend.
“It’s not always a she,” I said, a little teasingly.
“What do they get out of it, then?” Draken asked, not to be swayed.