Arthur slept like the dead for six hours. It would take a lot more than that, as well as solid meals, to recover the life energy he had lost, but it was a start. He had told Brixaby to wake him up when Cressida was finally released from the hospital, and as soon as she was, he dragged himself out of bed to get a start on things.
"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Cressida asked.
"Why, you're saying he needs to actually sleep good for once?" Horatio asked. He was clearly joking, but by the poisonous glance Cressida sent his way, his joke had hit too close to the mark.
"I'm fine," Arthur said.
He had been playing catch-up on the hive’s news for the past twenty minutes. Finally, word had come that the first eruption was under control. Once the all clear had been called, anyone still willing to fight had been portaled to the second eruption. That meant an easy collection of shards from the few remaining scourglings. People had been enthusiastic.
Curiously, Arthur hadn't yet received any blowback from the other Legendary leaders. He wondered if the Trusted Few were covering for him, but just in case trouble was coming, he needed to take care of one very important thing on his list.
All the top members of his retinue were with him deep within the bowels of the hive. It had once been a room used for storage and had now been cleared out. It was also too small of a space for the dragons.
Brixaby had only put up a half-hearted argument about being excluded. It probably had something to do with him immediately curling up to fall asleep once he was assured Arthur was feeling better.
"Cressida, are you up for this?" Arthur asked. She looked exceptionally pretty in the card anchor light with her red hair brushed, washed, and pinned up. Though he worried that she seemed a little paler than usual. He wished he were daring enough to pull her aside for a chat… or maybe more kissing.
"Are you?" she replied, one eyebrow raised.
She had returned his Moderate Healing card to him, and he had given back her Shield card. Already, he could feel the healing working on his time psychosis.
"I'm ready," he said, then tore his gaze from her to glance at the others. "Penn might be unstable."
Horatio scoffed. "I could blind him with a short flash of light if he gets rude with you, oh wise hive leader."
"Hopefully, he'll be in a better mood once his heart deck is repaired," Arthur said.
Cressida muttered, "Doubtful.”
Soledad gave her a look. "Why do you say that?"
"Because I know him," she said with a laugh, then noticed the confused gazes others sent her way. "We were both noble brats together and were vying for high-ranking dragons. That put us in contact a few times."
"So, what kind of guy is he?" Kenzie asked. She was starting to look more comfortable around the higher ranked members of Arthur’s retinue. "All I know is that Arthur screwed him out of his inheritance—"
"I did not," Arthur interjected. "Technically, his father took my father's inheritance."
He was ignored as Kenzie continued speaking. "That would put anyone in a bad mood."
"Penn… Well, he's not that different from a lot of others of his station," Cressida said with a shrug. "What can I say? A lot of noble guys are cast from the same mold. They're arrogant and domineering, or they try to be. Everybody knows that their power is tissue-thin and actually rests on their parents' whims—especially if they have other siblings who might inherit in their place. So there's a lot of puffery and one-upmanship." She sighed. "I really don't miss those times."
Arthur wondered if he had been allowed to grow up as he ought, as the heir of Rowantree estate, if he would have ended up as that kind of person. He would have liked to think that he wouldn't, but he'd done some things for power, and if that had been expected of him from birth... maybe he would have.
It didn’t happen, though. The way I grew up shaped me, so that will never be my fate, he told himself, then mentally turned away before he could fall too deeply into that rabbit hole.
Marion raised his hand as if he were in class, trying to catch the attention of a teacher. "Arthur, I know you gave me a card to repair heart decks for this reason, but if Penn doesn't want it, I won't use it on him. I would never heal someone against their will."
"What if they're unconscious?" Horatio asked, deliberately provocative. "They can't exactly say yes or no then, right?"
"That's different," Marion said with a sigh. "And it's actually an ethical question that is hotly debated. But I figure that if someone’s life is in clear danger—and unconsciousness is not to be taken lightly—then they've already given their consent. I must side with healing them."
Horatio darted a sly glance toward Soledad. "You heard the man.”
She nodded sharply. "If Penn doesn't approve, then we knock him out."
Cressida and Arthur exchanged a look. Those two were good for each other… and also made an annoying team.
"Okay," Arthur said, then looked to the rest of his friends. "Are you ready?"
All amusement drained from the room. He received nods in return, and he saw micro-expressions shift as they each activated different cards, just in case.
Arthur reached for his cousin in his Personal Space.
And just like that, Penn stood in front of him. He blinked, saw Arthur, and lunged for his neck.
Bright light suddenly flashed straight through his eyeballs. Arthur staggered back, blinking away an afterimage. However Penn howled, staggering to the side with his hands pressed over his eyes.
Arthur must have just gotten a bit of whatever light-based attack Horatio had just used. But Penn had taken the full brunt of it.
"Penn, what do you think you're doing?" Cressida demanded.
Arthur felt a wave of heat where he stood beside her. Wicker, her flame bear soon, stood on Cressida’s other side, ready to defend or attack.
"I can't help it!" Penn yelled, still turned away, his hand over his eyes. He cursed. "I saw him and it took me by surprise."
"Why? Arthur's face isn't that punchable!" Horatio demanded.
Arthur gave him a look.
Penn slowly slowly lowered his hands, though he was still blinking rapidly. "She sang to me to attack him. It's like a song—always stuck in my head. That and the runes." He looked down at his wet arm and the remains of the runes that had covered his skin.
"It's fine," Arthur said. "I should have expected something like this."
"You did. That's why you have us around," Cressida said. She folded her arms over her chest and did not seem impressed with Penn’s actions.
"For what it's worth, I think he's sorry. He's still mostly angry, though," Kenzie said.
That also checked out. Arthur held up his hand, and everyone went silent, waiting out the moment. He wanted to see if Penn would enforce some self control or if they’d have to subdue him by force.
Penn took the opportunity to breathe. He stopped blinking so much and started taking stock of the room. "Oh. I thought I was actually blind." He looked around, still a little wide-eyed and likely trying to see past a doozy of an afterimage. "You really brought me to the hive? I thought you were going to kill me."
"No,” Arthur said. “Welcome to Blood Moon."
Penn gave Arthur a surprised look. "You actually brought me to the hive of assassins?"
"That was a rumor," Arthur said.
"I don't think it was," Horatio replied, "but we're actively making it less bad than it used to be."
Penn swung around to look at them all. Arthur couldn't remember if he had ever officially met Horatio, so he quickly made introductions.
Arthur was pretty sure Penn had met most of his retinue at some point, but he went ahead and made introductions all the same.
"So, you're a healer now," was Penn's only comment, directed to Marion.
"I am, and I would like to understand what I'm dealing with so I can best heal you. Arthur mentioned you have trap cards?"
"Yeah, but the trap's for me, too," Penn muttered. He let out a long breath and to Arthur's surprise he said, "Well, why not?"
Then he displayed the current set in his heart deck for all to see.
It was, in a word, horrific.
Thief's Snap-Trap
Common
Trap
The wielder of this card will instantly have protection against card thieves. The moment an outside force even attempts to remove any card from the wielder's heart deck or card anchor this card will snap out a one time use decapitating mana blade. Cooldown: 30 minutes. This card does not unlock mana.
Jaws of Pain
Uncommon
Trap
The wielder of this card will not only have their mana unlocked, but have it recover at X2 the rate of an average Uncommon card. In exchange, the process of removing a card from the heart deck is made extraordinarily, some even say cruelly painful. But with double the mana recovery, why would anyone want to remove this card? Or any other?
Heart Deck Webbing
Uncommon
Trap
The wielder of this card will be granted Uncommon levels of deterrent against card theft. All existing and newly added cards will be held into place with sticky strings of mana. Card removal is still possible, but will take considerable time and force. Warning: The wielder of this card is not exempt from this card's effects. This card does not unlock mana.
A Touch of Death
Rare
Luck
The wielder of this card has the hand of death itself hovering over them. Any living being who comes within the wielder's aura will be 1.7% more likely to suffer a catastrophic or fatal incident. This chance compounds every full hour the person spends in the wielder's aura, and reduces by half every hour they spend out of the aura. This result will reduce down to normal levels after 12 hours out of the aura. The wielder of this card is exempt from the Touch of Death's aura effects.
"What kind of a card is that?" Soledad sounded shaken and she stepped closer to Horatio as if for comfort. "I've never heard of anything like it—it's... evil."
There was no doubt whatsoever she was speaking about the death aura card.
Arthur opened his mouth to refute that. No card was pure evil, though some could certainly have nasty effects. Then he remembered how the dark rower had said Arthur carried one of his brother's cards.
His... brother?
Suddenly, he wondered if he had let himself become too friendly with the rower.
“One point seven percent per hour isn’t that bad,” Kenzie said.
Horatio turned to her, horrified. “That’s compounded per hour. After a day that’s, like…” he paused for a second then blanched. “Just under fifty percent. That’s a coin flip!”
“Did you just do that in your head?” Kenzie asked.
Horatio shrugged. “Hey, I’m not just Sams’ pretty saddle ornament.”
Marion adjusted his glasses. "Well, their effects aside, I don't have the power to remove any of those cards," he said with a sidelong glance at Arthur, who did. "But as a healer, I cannot recommend Penn keep any of those in his heart. Or be around Penn for a length of time. Even five percent is a one in twenty chance of a fatal incident and it would come to that within a few hours.”
"I'd remove them if I could," Penn said gruffly. "Even if it leaves me with nothing. You think I haven't? I… I just can’t."
“Well, yes, judging from the cards, that is quite the point.”
Cressida spoke up. "Wait, Arthur, how long have you had Penn in your Personal Space? That would count as your aura, right?" Her voice went tight with stress. "And you fought a scourge eruption with that?"
Arthur blanched. She might have a point, but… "My Personal Space freezes time, so it might freeze effects, too."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
No, he wasn't. If he had put Brixaby in danger...
He looked at Penn. "Let me check something. Try not to kill me."
He reached a hand to his cousin, but Penn stepped back. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm just checking something about your card. I'm not removing it," Arthur said.
Penn stared at him for a moment, considering. He was still covered in paint thinner and smelled like it. However, being doused didn't cover the fact he didn't look like he had bathed or shaved in a long while. His sour expression didn't help.
Finally, though, he nodded jerkily. "Of course, you have a card that can, what, scan other cards?" He rolled his eyes.
"Something like that." Arthur didn't explain further, busy concentrating on the cards in Penn's heart. It was a lot like sticking a mental hand in a thorn bush... and those thorns were covered in poison. He had to move very carefully.
Locating the card with a soft mental touch, he checked on the overall feeling of it. The description was the letter of the law, but there was always the intent and spirit of the law to consider.
Arthur withdrew. "I'm pretty sure it didn't activate in my Personal Space because of the time freeze, but the timer is certainly running now." He glanced at the others. "Try not to do anything too risky for the next few hours."
He got scoffs in reply.
"Speak for yourself, oh leader," Kenzie said, and exchanged a quick grin with Cressida.
With dignity, Arthur ignored her. He didn't plan to do anything too dangerous... and even if he was forced into action, he knew where the line was.
He shoved away the memory of the last demi-scourgling he and Brixaby faced alone.
"We can't afford to wait any longer." He looked to Marion. "Heal him the best you can."
"You can’t fix a heart deck," Penn said with derision. Then he must have caught the look on Marion's face. "Wait, can you?"
"I can, thanks to your cousin," Marion said. "Do I have your permission?"
Penn looked at him as if he were out of his mind. One hand drifted to touch over his heart. "As if I would tell you no! But... you're certain you won't, uh, decapitate yourself?”
Marion shook his head. "This is merely repairing the damage done by removing your Legendary cards."
"You can do that?" Penn repeated, shocked.
"To be fair, this is the first time I've tried this card, but yes."
Penn made a half-choked sound. It looked like he didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. "Then do it."
Marion glanced at Arthur. "This will be extremely mana-intensive. I'm not going to be good for much afterward." But that was only a warning, not a request for permission.
Marion didn't make a gesture to Penn or even seem to need to step closer to him. He simply closed his eyes.
A glow started from a point within Penn's chest. It was only as large as the head of a pin but then slowly expanded outward until his entire torso glowed with a light so bright that it lit the entire room.
Penn stayed so still it looked like he was afraid to move.
And in that bright light, Arthur saw something crawling on his skin. Had he picked up a bad case of lice, too? As soon as this was done, he'd have to tell Penn to go make use of the bathroom facilities to bathe.
No, wait. Those weren't lice.
Arthur stepped forward, squinting against the bright light.
Those were the broken runes on Penn's skin. They were starting to shift around, and some of the ends were linking with the others.
They were reforming.
Great, he was going to have to get more paint thinner.
The light abruptly flashed brighter before it vanished completely.
Marion sagged so alarmingly that Kenzie swept in to support him.
Arthur was concerned for his friend but kept his attention on Penn. He still stood there, one hand now bunched in his shirt, his gaze focused inward.
"Well?" Horatio demanded, impatiently.
"I feel... like me again," Penn murmured. Then he caught sight of his arm, the slowly reforming runes, and winced. "Mostly. The pain is gone, though." He turned to Marion. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me," Marion said. "Arthur is the one who... who got ahold of that card."
Arthur appreciated he didn't spill the secret of his card creation. That didn't make it less awkward when Penn turned to regard him. His lips were pinched, and he nodded once. Apparently, that was all the thanks Arthur was going to get.
That was fine. He wasn't doing this for thanks.
Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "Now that you're feeling better, I have a few questions for you."
Penn straightened. "Yes?"
"Tell me what happened with the Rowantree estate. The whole story."
Next chapter, Tuesday Jan 20th 9:00 PM PST