Chapter 33 Lesson.

“Alice.” Edward said quietly. He was trying his hardest to not let any of his current emotions out in his voice as the last thing he wanted to do was accidentally take any of his anger out on her. She looked up at him questioningly. “I want two sets of antimagic cuffs, the cost of repairing this hallway, and a scheduled meeting with Duke Arbencroft. I would prefer if that was all done within the hour.”

It took her a moment to commit it all to memory. “Guild Master?” She spoke, trying to get his attention.

“Yes.” He replied and looked down at her. Next to him she looked like a small child even though she was in her twenties.

“He stepped in to help me. Please go easy on him.” She told her boss and then hurried off to complete his orders.

Edward closed his eyes and took another deep calming breath that ended in a long sigh. “Lenna, I want a description of this… event.” He told her and walked a few steps into the hallway so it wouldn’t feel like they were yelling at each other to talk. Right at that moment Alexander appeared. He quickly took in the carnage and his eyes widened to a degree that they looked as though they would fall out of his head.

“Lord Wexler,” Alexander ran over and knelt down next to Isaac. “What could have done this to you?” He questioned.

Isaac took a deep breath and used his shadows to help him stand. Once on his feet he took a few unsteady steps, to get to the wall of the hallway, and then let Lenna help him lower himself to the ground again. He took a few deep breaths and then deigned to answer the Court Mage. “A power word, a concussion, and a disintegrate. I’ll be fine but the room won’t stop spinning.” He assured Alexander.

“And shock.” Lenna added. “You probably shouldn’t be alive, at the very least, not conscious.”

Isaac smirked. “I shouldn’t have been alive two months ago.” He told her with a knowing glint in his eye. Lenna was the only one present that knew his story enough to properly understand his attempt at humor.

“Lenna, a recap please.” Edward repeated.

Lenna nodded and filled him in. Isaac closed his eyes while Lenna was talking in an attempt to keep the world from rotating but it only helped a little. Once Lenna was done Edward looked down at the two mages who had just almost killed each other and sighed. “I swear I have aged ten years in the last month.” He said to no one in particular. “Isaac, what are your plans with those two?” He asked.

Isaac opened his eyes. “Fen needs an antimagic collar. That is the only way to keep him from just ordering people he doesn’t like to die. Again.” The closer Isaac got to the end of his statement the more it devolved into simple grumbling. “He also needs cuffs on his wrists and ankles. If he knew a spell to shoot fire out of his eyes I’m sure he would need a blindfold too.”

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Edward looked at the unconscious sorcerer. “He is really that dangerous?” He asked.

Isaac scowled at Edward. “Yes.” He replied simply. “I have had to rebuild my heart TWICE!” He huffed a deep breath. “And both of my arms! Granted I wasn’t necessarily trying to kill him but if I get told to die one more time I am going to level a city block.” He held up his arms and their missing bracers for emphasis. Half of the reasoning behind the outburst was that Lenna had not explained any of the fight whatsoever as the specifics weren’t important for understanding the situation.

Alexander was in a near constant state of shock. “He ‘Power Word Kill’ed you?!” He exclaimed.

“Twice.” Isaac replied with exhaustion clear in his voice. “Some shockwave spell thrice, and a disintegrate that took my arms. Yes, Alex. I have taken a beating.”

Alexander gulped. He looked at Fen with newfound respect and awe. “What class and level is he?” The wizard asked.

“Twentieth, shadow sorcerer.” Isaac explained.

“What kind of defensive spells does he know?” Alexander asked in wonder.

“Why?” Isaac asked in return.

Alexander looked at Isaac with clear confusion on his face. “What do you mean? Couldn't you have just one-shotted him?”

It took Isaac a moment to understand. “Oh.” He said and shook his head. “I tend to not disclose the specifics of my magic so I can see your confusion.” Isaac sighed. If he was going to get Alexander to help him with magical things in the future then he was going to find out sooner or later. It totally wasn’t the concussion messing with his decision making at all. Nope, not at all. “My magic heals dark creatures while erasing light ones.”

Alexander was confused and then deep in thought for long enough that the rest of the room started to move without him. “Jala isn’t going to be a problem. She hasn’t been so far and as long as we keep Fen alive and at least mostly healthy she could be a great asset.” Isaac told the Guild Master.

Edward nodded. “Why is it that only the drow females seem reasonable?” He asked.

“I’m an outlier.” Lenna told him.

“My husband is a hostage and I owe my Lord his life twice over.” Jala explained.

“So you bullied her.” Edward told Isaac.

Isaac nodded. “Yes.” He agreed.

Edward sighed. “Fine.” He conceded. “We’ll go with your plan.” He told Isaac. “You said that you had an idea for their lodging, after it was proven that the duke wouldn’t lose his mind, that you brought two drow archmages into his city?”

Isaac sat up a little straighter and grinned. “Picture this,” He began and both Lenna and Edward rolled their eyes at him. He pushed on as if he hadn’t noticed and spread his arms like he was about to drop a huge reveal. “A wizard tower, under a wizard tower.”

—

Isaac was confined to bed rest by Lenna for the next few days during which a few things happened. Edward got his chime back, Fen was thoroughly antimagiced, Isaac and Lenna’s payout of forty five thousand gold hit their bank account like a runaway dragon, and Edward pitched Isaac’s wizard tower under a wizard tower to Izen with a very enthusiastic Alexander in the room looking like a puppy begging for table scraps. Izen had asked why Isaac wasn’t there to pitch the idea himself, after hearing about the quantity and power of the spells that he had been hit with, he understood that even Isaac needed to rest sometimes. Eventually Isaac was finally permitted to get back to light duty and Jala's upside down wizard tower was being dug directly under Alexander’s right side up one.

“Finally.” Isaac said while stretching.

“Yes.” Lenna replied. “The horror of having to sit still for three days is over.” She told him dryly.

Isaac chuckled. “It was truly awful.” He agreed as if he hadn’t understood her sarcasm. “Breakfast and then we have errands to run.” He told her. Lenna didn’t think she had ever seen anyone so excited to run errands before in her entire three centuries of life.

“I hope you learned your lesson.” Lenna told him as she opened the door.

Isaac raised an eyebrow in question. “What lesson?”

Lenna sighed exaggeratedly. “To. Be. Care. ful.”

Isaac smiled at her innocently. It was a look that Lenna thought should never be on his face. Innocence simply did not suit him. “Whatever do you mean? I’m always careful.”

Lenna’s eye twitched.