The Reckoning

He snorted “Who cares about sugar or spice? As long as people listen to me whether it’s out of fear or respect or because they like me, the outcome is the same. They listen and if I tell them to do something for me, they will do it which means you are you little dose of magic is not needed. What are you going to do to Amon, hm? Lock him in a room?” He motioned around them “Throw him against a wall? Magically throw things at him? None of that will work, Tristian, it’ll be like throwing a fleck of dust at a lion. He sees you he’ll see Tatia and who knows what he’ll do” He didn’t see any magic that she possessed that would be strong enough or of any use. And either Amon would be happy to see Tatia…or extremely and insanely pissed. He didn’t want to have them find out. What he did need to find out however was how Tatia had gotten rid of Amon before…it’s not like he had written down the magical instructions of her spell.

He rolled his eyes “Please, you can’t raise spirits yet?” He sighed and shook his head “See? Useless” He went into his bedroom and started going through his closet “All we need is her spirit, not like we need the damned body. Won’t be difficult, we just need a few household things…” After a few moments he returned with a couple of items in hand. First he put down a good ole’ fashioned Ouija board on the table, then put a crystal at each corner and surrounded all of it with candles “Since you won’t let us leave, will have to do the quickie modern version, but it should work” He then put a old, gold necklace in the middle of the board “That was Tatia’s. She loved this necklace, so I’m sure it won’t be hard to stir her up”

He shrugged when she scoffed at the Ouija board “What? They are very useful” No one seemed to understand their power and others that didn’t trust them…well they also didn’t really understand Ouija boards. And he had a real one, made by a witch, not those stupid toys manufactured in china by dumb toy companies. His was old, thick and heavy, the kind that even if someone tried to break it against the floor or over a table it wouldn’t even crack…he knew by experience. The questioning of the necklace just made him shrug as he put it in the middle of the board, looking down at it “I just kept it. Not a big deal…” He grumbled and he lit the candles and stepped back from the table.

He laughed when she tried to touch the board and it didn’t work “Tatia never liked to be told what to do. I’m sure she’s taking her sweet time to get here” He crossed his arms and waited, having all the patience in the world if it meant helping further convince Tristian to leave and find out what to do with Amon. He smirked when Tatia appeared, though it was a bit creepy now to see her looking exactly like Tristian…or Tristian looked exactly like her…whatever. “Well, I didn’t have much of a choice. It was this or nothing. I’m being held captive” He glanced at Tristian to glare at her then back to Tatia “It’s been a long time, last time I saw you…well...you died so…”

He chuckled at Tristian’s fascination and surprise to see Tatia looked exactly like her “Don’t worry, your far more attractive than she is…” He snorted “Was” Said the man who had flirted with Tatia many times, even when she had been with his brother, but well Tristian didn’t know what so who cared. He then rolled his eyes and gaze Tatia a harsh look “She may have the capacity to be stronger but she isn’t right now. She’s useless right now, as I have already told her. She can’t do anything to be of help” He was surprised to hear Tatia say Tristian was stronger. He knew Tristian had power but, more than Tatia’s? He wondered if Tatia was just lying to be a bitch and give him a hard time. He wouldn’t put it past her.

He shrugged at her question then growled when Tristian answered and gave her a look to shut the hell up, nothing she said would make the situation better. “Yes, I am” And just as Tristian was proud of Tatia saying she was stronger, he was proud of being rough around the edges. He then groaned and leaned his hands on the table, staring Tatia in the face angrily “So you knew my brother was coming after me so you just gave powers to Tristian just like that? Put her in danger?” Oh...he was pissed. Pissed didn’t even begin to explain. He shook his head and slammed his fist on the table “No! I’m not giving her shit! I’m not putting her in danger!!”

“Of course I won’t allow her too! She’ll be killed!” Both these woman were out of there god damned minds! What was wrong with them?! “I’ll find another person to be the second, because she’s not helping” The world was going made…for once he felt like the only sane person in the damned room, and he was never the sane person but what they both wanted was insane! He listened to her speak and he swore that if she hadn’t been a spirit he would have punched her from his absolute rage. He stared at Tatia, shaking his head slowly. “Last time it was your rules…this time it’s absolutely my way. I wanted to kill him Tatia and you didn’t want too. You thought of something else so this time it’s my way and no one else’s.”

He glanced to Tristian “Get out. Go wait in the hall. Now” He growled, looking back to Tatia. He wanted to speak to her…alone so he could properly scream and yell at her without Tristian jumping in. “I don’t want to make the same mistake again…that’s why I don’t want her involved”

He growled when she not only mentioned D’artagnan, but Michelle and her being a unicorn “Well…you’ve e been doing your homework. Or stalking at least” He crossed his arms, his face set in a very stubborn expression. He didn’t want her to be right about anything and would make damned sure to argue and be right “Amon won’t find out about the unicorn. I’ll send her away with Tristian, problem solved” D’artagnan could take care of himself, he could kick Amon’s ass….as long as Amon didn’t get his powers back, then it would be trickier. But Michelle? Yeah, Amon would eat her and he feared that Amon would do the same to Tristian as well. After he barked at Tristian to leave, he wanted till she was tucked away in his room before unleashing his true anger on Tatia.

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” He shouted “Persisting that Tristian be involved! What? Is this your version of revenge? I made you kill off your lover and let you die, and now you let Tristian get killed by him?! Is that it?! You know, I’m sorry you got killed, but there was nothing I could do! You knew what you were getting into when you agreed! Tristian doesn’t understand! I didn’t want you to die but you did! Don’t make Tristian pay for it!” He had thought self-righteous Tatia would have told him to stay the hell away from her descendent and keep her out of the mess, this was not how he was planning it to go at all. Now he was so furious he was assuming she wanted to get revenge on him through Tristian. Make him suffer since she suffered.

He stiffened when she mentioned him being in love with Tristian “It is not” He was denying it was plain as day…he said nothing about it not being true of course. He grit his teeth when her hand touched his cheek and he felt the coldness ice over his skin. He stared at her, shaking some in anger but he was trying to take in deep breaths to calm down “You died” He whispered “If she gets involved, she will too. I can’t have her die, Tatia…all my life, I searched for a damned purpose to it all. She's the purpose. I can't loose her”

He snorted “Not quite a few…just a couple. Most would be too afraid to go against me, even with Amon” Though he wasn’t exactly certain of that, he was just assuming. And most of the people who truly hated him weren’t even around…he felt he was safe. Kind of safe. Majorly safe. But now not only did he have Tristian to worry about, but Michelle. If Michelle got hurt or killed because of Amon…he would be the least of Khalid’s worries. D’artagnan would fry him. Great, more complications to an already complicated situation. Fabulous. When he blew up on Tatia, he was used to getting ina arguments with Tristian, where she yelled and fought back. In a crazy way he liked that, so when Tatia just blinked and stayed cool and collected that just made him even angrier. She was always too calm, the damned woman. But Amon had been the same, far more even tempered then his younger dream eating brother…but get him angry? Oh boy.

She didn’t blame him? He blamed himself. Back then he hadn’t cared, but over the years when his pesky human side gave him more of a soul, he had felt guilty for letting her sacrifice herself as she did. He did love Tristian, more than anything, but he was surprised to hear Tatia say Tristian loved him as well. Normally he would have asked and pried but now was not the time, especially when he saw the necklace flicker. He saw a future of them together? Or she was just lying to give him hope. He glanced away for a moment with his teeth gritted then looked back to her “….what do we need to do to stop him?” Fine, he would let Tristian help since no one seemed to be on his side about letting her leave. But he swore, she even got a scratch on her and she was gone in another country.

He listened intently, ready now to take what she had to say and run with it…until she mentioned Egypt. He hadn’t ever returned to his homelands since he left thousands of years ago. He balked “You….what?! You want me to go to Egypt? Tatia, your temple might not even bloody be around anymore!” How in the hell did she expect him to go to Eygpt while his brother was so close? He would have to use magic, but even then, it could take him a while to find the temple again and enter it, since everything now in Egypt was a bloody tourist trap. He didn’t want to leave Tristian and his friends behind, but if he couldn’t get the ingredients anywhere else…damn it. He wished it was a lot easier to fight his brother so he could just chop his head off and be done with it.

But she was leaving, he didn’t have time to ask anything more, he and Tristian would have to figure out the rest and try to keep D’artagnan and Misha as uninvolved as they could. He watched Tatia quietly “Thank you” Was all he said before she disappeared. He sighed and picked up her necklace to hide it again in his room, turning away from the table and going to his bedroom where he hoped Tristian still was and behaving. He opened the door and looked at her, walking over he saw what she was looking at and he sat down beside her “They were very much in love, the two of them” He sighed, making a slight face at the picture before looking up to Tristian “Too bad he turned into an evil, soul thirsty bastard who wanted to be a God and take over the world”

He nodded with a deep sigh, making another face when she mentioned Tatia “Yeah…she told me” He grumbled, not happy he had to go back home to get the ingredients…he knew Egypt was not even a .5 percent of how it was when he had lived there, it would be odd to go home. He’d have to get D’artagnan or someone to send him over there and back, so he could get the job done as quickly as possible. He just hoped Tatia’s temple was still around or they were royally and epically screwed. He watched her get up but stayed sitting, just suddenly feeling very tired. Too much had happened in too little time. Damned demon at the school, saving D’artagnan’s ass and now having to deal with his brother…he was too old for this.

He growled and cursed under his breath “Yes…I’m going to let you help. Apparently Tatia thinks you valuable” He shook his head, still pissed for Tristian to be involved but for now he was going to listen to her advice and that everything was going to be ok for them. “I have to go to Egypt and get some stupid ingredients from Tatia’s temple. For that you are going to stay here and don’t freaking argue with me because I swear to God I am not in the mood for it” He glared at her firmly before slowly getting off the floor. “It’ll create a poison and kill Amon instantly. You need to read Tatia’s scrolls and figure out everything you can about Amon. You’re a couple centuries behind about him”

He rolled his eyes and did not look amused when she explained Tatia thought she was badass. “Tatia says a lot of crazy things, doesn’t mean it’s true…” Like how he was in love with her and she was in love with him. Did he love Tristian? He wasn’t like D’artagnan, he didn’t call Tristian pet names and gaze at her all adoringly or go out of his way to do romantic things. So it couldn’t be love…unless maybe love didn’t have to be like D’artagnan’s and Misha’s, maybe he and Tristian had a whole different version of it. He didn’t have a clue for he had never felt anything like he did for Tristian. All he knew was she was important, and the only reason he felt he functioned anymore. He would do everything to keep her safe. So maybe he really did love her after all.

When her arms slid around him he looked down at her, his face still rough and ticked off but her looking up at him with those big beautiful blue eyes….well, how could he stay pissed damn it? He slowly relaxed and smiled, shaking his head “God your such a pain in the ass” he grumbled, putting his arms around her then leaning down to kiss her. She could make him so angry sometimes, then just as quickly she melted him. ”You just better not get hurt. You need to not do anything stupid and stay out of the way and keep to behind the scenes.” He shook his head when she stepped back and grabbed her bag “No time for rest. I can’t let the professor be around when Amon is. I need to get to Egypt”

As she kissed him, her hands in his hair, he thought…maybe Tatia was right. He did love his little witch, in the same way anybody else loved another…they were just weirder then most people. That combination of sweet yet rough that she always showed him always drove him wild. He just hoped after all this mess they would continue to have their wacky moments like Tatia said. They just had to be careful and tactful and strategic, and they’d win against Amon. He had beat his brother once, he could do it again. He had too. “Just…stay with D’artagnan and Misha or…just, anyone with supernatural powers that can actually be of use and help keep you safe if needed” He then remembered the new “tiny” detail about the couple and made a face “Ah, well…maybe not Misha and D’artagnan actually. They’ll probably be…busy”

He grinned “I’ll come home just fine. I just need to pop in, get some ingredients, and pop back. Not difficult at all. I can manage” He looked curiously at the talisman she handed him and he took it, looking it over closely before giving her a strange look “Well aren’t you handy” This would be far more convenient than going to D’artagnan and asking him to schlep him off to Egypt and back. He nodded and looked up at her, snorting “Psh, belly dancers. There just a bunch of teases anyway” He muttered under his breath. He then grinned, knowing she’d probably hit him for that comment “It’s strictly a business trip”