Page 197 of Heart of the High King
“It’s a secret. I couldn’t very well spill the beans,” Vadimas barked.
“Mew Mew.”
“Yes, I agree, Emrys.Awkward,” Severin murmured in a whisper, earning him a stern glare from his other half.
“Liam, our group was formed when Idris needed a project to become High Arcanist. He found an old scroll that spoke of a warlock spell called Immortalis. Together we created it and have used it for those we love and believe will keep our secret since the cost of it is too high to recreate it often, if at all. Idris is now the steward of the potion, and he selects candidates for us to vote on,” Dra’Kaedan explained.
“If I had to venture a guess, I would say it must’ve been part of your souls,” Liam astutely ventured. “I can’t begin to imagine how you wove it, but that’s exceptional. I’m sorry I missed it.”
“It wasn’t as exciting as you think. They passed out at the end,” Brogan stated dryly.
“I’m just going to sit here trying to wrap my head around this. You can go ahead, Idris,” Liam invited.
Idris’s expression was pained. “Now you’ve made it weird. My first candidate is Liam Porfyra-Dewitt.”
“Sweetheart, maybe you should’ve asked him to step out first so we could vote without him watching,” Mac told him.
“I didn’t want him to feel left out, and he’d think we were in here talking about him,” Idris complained.
Aleksander bit back a smile at the wonderfully kind wizard who would gnaw off a limb before he’d purposefully hurt anyone else. “Let’s just vote. Hands up if you want Liam to be immortal.”
Rafe’s was the first to go up. “I’m not going to deny the guy eternity with him sitting right there.”
“Congratulations Liam, you’re approved. Idris, is there anyone else on the list, or would you like to give him the potion now?” Aleksander asked.
“I have several people. Next is Devall Porfyra-Dewitt.”
The man who ran the household of the Prism Wizards was quickly approved, and Aleksander gave Idris the floor again.
“Bard Ashby D’Vaire.”
“Thank goodness,” Killian muttered, raising his hand. The druid had become a lifeline for Killian and helped him, not only with Council matters but with Dérive as well.
“Kitchi D’Vaireaehsepan.”
The raccoon shifter was an energetic addition to their home and was happy cutting hair as well as assisting Worth. Aleksander was grateful Kitchi had applied for sanctuary and that they could offer him eternity.
“Jeremiah D’Vairedraconis.”
Once the young dragon was approved, Aleksander ended the meeting so the potion could be administered. Several people ran out to fill the pitcher they used with water, and to grab the lucky recipients.
Brogan made his way over to where Aleksander and Rafe were still sitting and hunkered between their chairs. “We need to talk about Jeremiah.”
“Don’t worry, we’re just giving him a chance to acclimate. He’ll get his title,” Rafe assured him.
“Okay. Good. He’s our dragon trainer, and I don’t want him missing out on what should be his,” Brogan replied, getting to his feet.
It wasn’t long before Renny was mixing the potion with the water and there were five cups lined up. Aleksander explained to the shocked men that they’d just been granted eternal life and wasn’t sure how to respond to the blank stares.
“Usually there’s yelling,” Aleksander saidsotto voiceto Rafe.
“Are they happy? Are they sad?” Rafe demanded.
Liam got out of his chair and walked to where Renny had lined up the glasses. Without a word, he knocked back his drink and let out a curse.
“This happens every time,” Idris lamented. “For everyone else, it’s going to leave a mild aftertaste. I mean, I guess you guys want to drink it.”
Kitchi clapped. “I was stunned speechless. I didn’t even think that was possible.” The raccoon drank his potion, and Aleksander could relate to his look of distaste. Idris vastly understated how disgusting Immortalis was, and he hadn’t even mentioned the other side effects.
