Liam ran along the road toward Nathanial's home at his normal pace, one which Geoff may have found comfortable, but his other two friends would be unlikely to. He enjoyed the brisk early morning air; the sun still contained some warmth, but it was too low on the horizon to be much help as yet. The shallow morning mist danced about his hindpaws, leaving traceries of frost upon the ends of some longer strands of fur, even as it added a slight slickness to the sidewalk. There was some pleasant birdsong yet gracing the city despite the lateness of the season, but it did not cover the sound of the vehicle that followed him, even if said vehicle was not supposed to be there...for a glance back earlier revealed no visible signs of a car -- a rather dangerous state of affairs, unless the spell only affected him. He had noticed the car two blocks away from his house, and he was unsure of when it first appeared. He knew who it was, so he was not overly concerned. Annoyed, however, most certainly.
'Annoyed. Hmm, I was rather testy on Monday when speaking to that reporter, Jhansi. I should seek him out and apologize. I do not wish to antagonize people unnecessarily. Does that mean I should also apologize to this Doull fellow? He is, however, spying on me, so I do not think an apology on my part is in order. Perhaps I should play with him, instead.'
Liam suddenly broke into a full run as he neared the corner and skidded around it, then hid behind the fence. He heard Doull's vehicle accelerate and give chase. He wanted to jump onto the roof of it, but there were still too many people about, including other students making their way to school. 'Such reckless behaviour on his part. If others cannot see this vehicle, then he is placing many lives in jeopardy.' Liam guessed it may have the same set of charms on it that helped ward the hidden room in the bookstore, ones that would steer people around it and keep them from noticing that there might be anything there. That, or the vehicle was only hidden to Liam's sight. So, rather than jumping on it, he waited until it got close before darting out into the road in front of it -- ensuring he was not so close that he would be unable to leap away safely. There was a tremendous screech of tires, and Liam sprang backwards onto the sidewalk. His hindpaws slipped on the frosty concrete, and he found himself landing on his rump.
'Blast.' He stood up and dusted himself off, noting that Doull's car was stopped in front of him, though it was still invisible. He slid his paw along the side of the vehicle until he found the door handle and then opened the passenger side door to look into the now-visible interior. Doull sat there with wide eyes, his flippers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, panting heavily. Liam scowled at the Walrus, hiding his amusement. "Bugger off." He slammed the door and resumed his quick walk to Nathanial's.
He arrived at the front gate of the Markses in a timely fashion to see his three friends, Nicholas, and the four adult Spirits. It would appear that Micah had already caught his bus to school. He greeted those present. "Good day, Alpha, everyone. I trust this morning finds all of you in good health?" He grabbed the back of Faelen's neck and pulled his head down for a quick kiss before anyone could respond. "And a very good morning to you, my love." He kissed Faelen again without lingering despite the temptation before releasing him.
Alpha McDougal harrumphed. "Don't go doing that mushy poofter stuff in front of me, all right?" Liam noted the giant Wolf still held that cautious look in his eyes he had when speaking to 'the Ancient One.' "Keep it to yourselves."
Conor snorted. "Fuck off, Da. How many times did you bring up Geoff's dick or him having sex with Nathanial during tea last afternoon?" His two friends' mannerisms betrayed their furious embarrassment, though Geoff's tail wagged behind him. "You started out by nattering on about it." He glanced over at Liam. "Good morning, Sensei."
Den looked uncomfortable. "Hi, Poppy."
Liam chuckled. "Ah, Den, my lad. You'll have to get used to your poppy kissing his boyfriend at times. 'Tisn't something I plan on missing out on just because you feel awkward. I'm betting you've kissed Tuathla in front of Faelen before."
Den ducked his head and smiled. "Yes, Poppy Lowell, but, well..."
"We're your poppy and grandson, and we're gay."
Den nodded sheepishly.
Nathanial cut in before anyone else said anything. "Nick, your school bus is going to be here in a minute. It's picking up Annabelle right now. You have your lunch and your homework?" Nathanial straightened out Nicholas's collar before smoothing out the fur on his brother's face.
The younger Akita squirmed before exclaiming, "Nathanial!" He stepped back and scowled at his older brother.
Dirk hid his smile while turning to Faelen. "What about you, Son?" He pulled Faelen into a hug, and then held him out at arm's length. "You have everything you need for school?" He straightened out the Mist Spirit's tie. Liam could tell Faelen was greatly amused and embarrassed by this.
Geoff laughed and pulled Nicholas into a sideways hug. "Don't fuss, Nick. That's Nathanial; we know what he's like."
Nathanial's eyes narrowed. "Oh? 'What I'm like,' eh?" He began picking over Geoff's clothes, making the white Wolf laugh. "And what would that be?"
Nicholas saw the bus turning around the corner and cringed. "Nats! Stop, please!"
Nathanial stepped away from Geoff and shook his head. "I would've stopped, Nick. I know you don't like me fussing over you around other people. I'll see you after school. I love you."
Nicholas's tail began wagging even as he took on an aloof appearance. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. After school." His eyes met his older brother's for a second and silently returned the words of affection.
Alpha McDougal scowled at Nathanial. "Stop mothering the boy, Nathanial. You'll make him soft."
Nathanial's eyes flashed angrily. "Soft? You think showing someone you care makes them soft?" He growled and then showed his teeth as he snapped, "Or perhaps you mean that I should treat him with contempt and indifference to toughen him up? Maybe beat him?" Nicholas perked up hopefully at that, but no one seemed to notice. "If it means following your example, then not a fucking chance. You mind your own business and leave my brothers to me, got it!?"
The Earth Elemental seemed torn between placating Nathanial and responding to the assault on his parenting skills, but Conor literally stepped between them. He held his paws up in a calming gesture. "There's no need to get upset. Da, I think Nathanial is doing a fine job with his brothers; they're becoming very capable fighters. They've fought Demons and Hunters before, and Micah even fought a Demon Mage and a Succubus." Nick looked a little guilty and jealous at the mention of his younger brother's valour. Conor turned his head to face the older Akita brother. "Nathanial, Da is just reciting the parenting rules of his generation; he's said the same thing to me about Geoff." Alpha McDougal began to say something, but Conor's head snapped around to glare at his father, which shut him up surprisingly quickly. Satisfied, he turned back to the pups. "Now, boys, get to school. We'll see you later." Even as the bus pulled up, he hugged Geoff and Nathanial, then clapped Faelen and Nicholas on the backs. Everyone else made their farewells before leaving, too.
Liam waited until they were a block away before breaking the silence. "Can you sense the merchant, John Doull, Nathanial?"
Nathanial paused. "No. Why?"
"He was attempting to follow me invisibly this morning, perhaps to find where I live or to gain information about me. I did not notice when he first appeared, so he may know my address, and thus my name. I do not trust him."
The Mage smiled wanly; from the expression Liam expected some form of lecture on extending trust to others or seeking to put the best possible light on Doull's motives. He was not disappointed. Nathanial's voice was kind, too kind for the topic, but it warmed Liam's heart. "Mr. Doull is a very curious guy, Liam. He's like Jay and you...or Lowell, anyway, that way. You have to admit, we are a little puzzling, and not in a bad way, but...um, we just don't make sense at first blush." Nathanial fidgeted with the strap on his bookbag. "Can... Can you tell me about Dad's blood? When you studied it to make the cleansing stuff, was it really odd? What did you find?"
Liam looked at Nathanial askance, knowing that Fellwedyr's comments must be bothering the pup, yet he should not be asking in front of others. Liam sighed. "Ask later, Nathanial. I do not wish to discuss this where we may be overheard." He also did not know what to say. Garret's blood had shown massive amounts of demonic influence, but was that due to the extensive period of Taint corrupting it, the effects of what the Nosferatu had done to him, or part of the Markses' heritage? There were most certainly some effects from the Nosferatu; there were even some 'markers' he found that were reminiscent of Vampires, but Liam could not even hazard a rough guess as to what percentage of the overall abnormalities were due to this.
Liam returned his gaze to the path before them. "There is much we should converse about when we have time to dedicate to working out complex and personal issues." He noticed that Geoff's eyes flicked from Nathanial to Faelen and back. "Today, as usual, is not a good day for such lengthy discussions. I do not wish to put things off indefinitely, so perhaps we should schedule it. This month leaves me very little free time, what with the auction to set up and Mrs. Davis's health...not to mention the teleporter and assisting others in becoming pregnant." Geoff whimpered quietly, and Liam smiled with malicious humour.
Faelen's nose twitched. "Someone is heading this way, very quickly, but I can't hear him or see him. I think it's a Seal or something."
Nathanial's stride faltered for a moment. "I...sense a bit of magic. It's really faint... Wow..." He stopped altogether and stared off into space, so his friends stopped, too.
Liam glanced behind them at the faint scuff of a flipper on the pavement and saw Doull standing a dozen metres back, looking amused. Liam dearly wished to punch that whiskered face and remove the smile adorning it. Something about the man's grin seemed distastefully smug, contrived, and condescending. What a most irksome fellow. He was pleased to see the smile turn sickly and guilt-ridden whenever the Walrus glanced at him.
The Walrus walked forward holding out a package. It looked to be a small box the size of a paperback novel, and it appeared to have been sent through the post. "I picked up your spell tags from the depot, Nathanial. When I logged into the central server this morning I had a message asking me to deliver them as soon as possible, along with some books I ordered for you."
Liam stated, "That does not explain your behaviour. Skulking about invisibly can be hazardous; you almost struck me with your vehicle."
Doull shivered in obvious distress and lingering reaction. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I was driving over to meet Nathanial at his house and I was going to go by the McDougals' to see if I could talk to them in person if they were up and about, when I saw you. I wanted to watch you for a bit without you knowing I was there, since people act differently when they know they are being watched. I didn't expect you to jump in front of my car like that! I'm sorry!" He sounded genuinely distraught and apologetic, but his subsequent behaviour after the incident did not indicate true remorse...though he did leave the car behind this time. At least he was being more careful.
Liam shook his head. "I could see no car anywhere in the vicinity; thus there was nothing to deny me from crossing the street. However, we are on the way to school; we should not tarry."
Geoff's ears remained pointed at the box; it appeared he was most curious as to its contents. "What's a spell tag? Why are you ordering books for Nathanial? Don't you sell them?"
Nathanial stepped forward and took the box. He looked over his shoulder at Geoff. "Spell tags are devices that let me access the Society's, um, website or server. I already have one, though. I certainly wouldn't need three more; I'm guessing these are for Nick and Micah, but what's the third? You said there were some books?"
Doull appeared a little surprised, though his eyes kept flicking toward Liam guiltily. "I have no idea. The e-mail just said for me to pick up the package with the spell tags and deliver it to you. It was plural, so I assumed it was for the three of you. The books are digital, so one of those is likely a flash drive with the books on them. They're the official Society primers on magic; how to read and write using the Society's cypher, the standard theories on magic that form the basis of our spells and the code I mentioned, exercises to teach you how to maintain better control of your magic, and so on. Things every Mage is expected to know by your age."
Nathanial winced and curled up submissively; the sight made Liam angrier, though Geoff gazed at the pup hungrily. Liam could not dispute Doull's assessment, however. Nathanial's voice was small and timid as he apologized. "S-Sorry. I-I tried to learn as much as I could; there just wasn't much in Dad's library, a-and after..." He trailed off, looking terrified. "I couldn't go up there anymore! I'm sorry!"
'After' would almost certainly regard some trauma delivered by Lily's paws.
Geoff pulled Nathanial into a hug and glared over his boyfriend's head at the aghast Walrus. Doull reached for the Akita but stopped when Geoff silently snarled. The Mage sounded as shocked as he looked. "Why are you apologizing? I'm sure you did the best you could; I never accused you of failing at anything! I could only hide so many books in Garret's library without him finding out; the enchantment hid them from him but no one else. I couldn't place a generic enchantment on them so only you could find them, to let me hide them in the basement. I was also afraid Nicholas would wreck them accidentally; he was a lot rowdier than you. I should have tried harder and hid more books for you to find."
Faelen frowned, confused, an emotion shared by the other three Canids. "Why? I understand, on one level, wanting to help a member of your clan or type, but you Mages don't look at this the way we Spirits do. Why do you care whether Nathanial could learn about magic or not? His father was responsible for ensuring he was trained; if you thought his father was neglecting him, shouldn't you have gone through the Society to make sure he was taken care of? That's if I understand the Mage way of doing things."
The Walrus shook his head and his chi began roiling; he was lying, or at least intending to mislead. "I saw a lot of potential in Nathanial. He was very curious about magic and obviously intelligent. I thought he'd have very little magical strength, but there are many avenues someone can take in arcane research that don't rely on magical skill or power."
Liam was uncertain as to whether there was any purpose in calling the merchant on his dishonesty, but Faelen had no such compunctions. "That's not the truth. You may have believed that, but that isn't the reason behind your actions."
Doull looked at him curiously. "Really? You sound awfully sure of yourself. How do you know?"
Liam saw Nathanial looking up something on his phone while the conversation continued. Faelen frowned. "I can tell. Spirits have different senses than Mages, and my senses tell me you're either lying or you're trying to deceive us. You don't seem to wish him ill, but why should we trust you? He's my friend, I can't risk you hurting him or using him for your own purposes."
Geoff stepped away from Nathanial...a very small distance away, but enough to not appear 'close.' "It's not just Nathanial; why are you getting involved in my business, too? Or is that because of Nathanial? Are you worried that this teleporter could hurt my family and he'd get dragged into trouble with the guy who made the teleporter? Otherwise, why would you go out of your way to ensure it gets fixed soon and not by Nathanial?"
Nathanial surprised them all by exclaiming, "Hecate!" Everyone stared at him, but Doull looked worried and his chi spiked in deep concern and fear. "You have a shrine to Hecate in your store, and even Mages don't have a shrine dedicated to her exclusively. If we have a shrine it's for all the gods or for Z--"
Doull's expression turned to one of open fear, and he cut Nathanial off with frantic gestures and a hushed, "Shh!! Quiet! Don't say his name!" The four teens stared at him in shock; even Liam could scarcely believe the sudden reaction. "Fine! All right. Just don't mention the gods' names."
Liam understood that all too well. Saying their names drew their attention, and there were many times it was ill-advised to have the attention of certain gods, particularly if you were a priest dedicated to an individual god and your actions would displease another deity. Liam suddenly understood some of Doull's behaviour.
"I was 'asked' to make sure you were exposed to magic and had a chance to learn more than Garret was likely to teach you. I knew Lily hated Mages and magic, so I had to hide who I was and what I was doing. You were a charming pup and obviously loved everything about magic, so I was willing to put up with Garret and Lily to get a chance to read to you for a bit. I did all I could to ensure you maintained a fascination with magic and would seek out information on it. I don't know the reason behind the request, and it wasn't my place to enquire."
Nathanial completely froze with an expression of confusion and fear on his face. He had gone into a state of shock. Geoff held his boyfriend steady while Liam hastened over to ensure the poor pup was unharmed. He could not blame Nathanial; attracting the attention of any god was, more often than not, a very bad state of affairs.
That did raise the question: why would Hecate care about Nathanial? Or was Nathanial a means of reaching Micah or Nicholas? Hecate was revered by many Fey, possibly even Fellwedyr Tharkolys, so she may have wished to protect Micah, a Changeling. Nicholas showed himself to be a true heir to the Marks legacy, so perhaps Hecate wanted Nathanial able to protect Nicholas from becoming like his grandparents -- or being captured by Gordon or Beriatana. Something must have happened involving Zeus to force her priest to withdraw, as it appeared that Doull genuinely sought to help Nathanial. However, on one paw, Doull was a merchant; he was likely good at selling anything, even a tall tale. On the other, Hecate and Lord Hades were as close to being allies as was possible amongst the gods; if Hecate sought to have her priest (which Doull likely was) train Nathanial, then Lord Hades was almost guaranteed to approve as well. Only Persephone was closer to the Lord of the Underworld than the Goddess of Magic, and only Hermes worked with him more.
Liam was forced to re-evaluate his opinion of the Pinniped. He bowed his head to the merchant. "I apologize for any perceived hostility prior to today, Mr. Doull. Should you have identified yourself properly and told us this earlier, it would have saved much trouble."
Doull grimaced. "I don't know if I should have said anything now. I suspect that there are reasons I was told to stay away that I don't know about; I needed a valid excuse to talk to anyone in your family at all. But since Micah approached me first, followed by you, Nathanial, I hope it'll prevent any trouble."
Liam frowned. "Be that as it may, you should also take more care not to run down those you spy on invisibly." The Walrus's expression crumbled again.
Nathanial seemed torn, but he said, "Um, we're going to be late. We really need to be running." He smiled at the Walrus. "Th-Thanks for bringing these for me, and for, uh, leaving those books for me. I really enjoyed reading them."
The merchant perked up a little at that. "No problem. I enjoyed reading to you, too." He waved and said goodbye to everyone. The students hurried off to the school and arrived just as the warning bell rang to signal everyone to get to homeroom.
It was early Wednesday morning when Liam left his house to run over to Nathanial's, where all of his friends waited. It appeared that Alpha McDougal found Gwendolyn's bed too small for a comfortable sleep, so he opted to sleep at Nathanial's house. Liam did hope the alpha knew how to exercise the manners required for a good house guest, but there were other things that weighed more heavily on Liam's mind this morning...
this story just gets better and better know I have to know if nats blood ha some kind of magic enhancing properties and why the gods have theyre eyes on him
this story just gets better and better know I have to know if nats blood ha some kind of magic enhan
I gave a few options about why Hecate may have interest in him, though they may all be correct, or none of them. It's a dangerous place to be, under the eyes of the gods... or even just one.
If Nats's blood is like his family's then, yes, it is potent. Garret's blood was powerful enough that a Nosferatu risked everything to keep him alive just so he could keep using it, and Micah's blood would help the evil Gordon open a Hellgate. Then there was the cryptic warning from Fellwedyr (Micah's grandfather) about Nathanial, personally.
I gave a few options about why Hecate may have interest in him, though they may all be correct, or
Lycanthromancer**
