ANTHEA || Hisirdoux Casperan

20 | Hextech

They had run directly to the heart of Arcadia with the Arcane Order hot on their tails.

There is no place safe enough for them to hide, not with their combined magical aura. So instead, they did their best to get as far away from the Order as they could for the moment. Taking to the shadows and tried to place magic-silencing runes on every corner block they could to hide their magical trail.

"There was nothing we could do!" Douxie speaks to Claire as they slow down to catch their breath in an alley, "We will go back for him, I promise."

"We can't," Merlin cuts down the bittersweet reassurances, "We must hide Nari. There's more at stake than you know. The Trollhunter—"

"Don't you talk to me about Jim!" Claire shrieks back with a hoarse voice as she wipes her eyes. Her abrupt outburst makes the elder wizard shut up for the moment and Douxie blinks in surprise. He knows that the young witch has always had a fighting spirit but he is still learning how much of a temper she has as well.

Douxie places an arm over her shoulder and tries his best to hug her as they continue to walk. Everyone is feeling down as Jim's fate has now taken a turn for the worse than worse. And while Douxie senses this heavy sadness from everyone else, all he really feels is how tired his body and soul are.

"Oh, Master Jim!" Blinky wails, interrupting the tense stare between Merlin and Claire. "We must seek refuge to regroup, form a plan to save him."

"Where?" The elder wizard questions hotly, growing impatient with everyone's grief, "There is no place to go. The Order will always find us. The Order has roamed this planet for centuries. They all know my places of power."

Douxie glances up at his Master, mulling over his words. They know about all his places of power or hiding or whatever... but what about his? What about the other wizards and witches all over the world? They can't possibly know about all of those.

"Wait," Douxie cuts in, using his staff to steady himself as he miss-steps on the sidewalk, "They know all your places of power, but they don't know about any other wizards' places of power."

"And you do?" Merlin asks incredulously.

"Yes, actually," Douxie answers a matter-of-factly with a small grin, "There's one right here, in Arcadia. It's just a little bit further."

He wanted to add that he sought out other magical friends since Merlin had been gone for hundreds of years leaving him with no one but Archie. Not that he was complaining, but it was and still is rather nice to have friends who look like humans rather than feline.

As Douxie leads them around the corner, he feels a wave of magic he's never felt before. It's strong and inhuman, more so than Skrael or Bellroc's magic. Despite that, it had a certain meekness about it, as if it were a small animal reaching out and exploring the surrounding area to make sure it is clear of danger.

Then, it seems that the magic recognizes Douxie because it lingers on him for a moment with a growing sense of excitement and joy. Douxie can tell that Merlin and perhaps Nari can sense it too since they look at him questioningly. Though, Douxie and Nari quickly realize that it is of no threat and share a kind smile. Merlin, however, seems less than excited.

"We must hurry," The elder wizard urges, "If Anthea's magic can find us even with all the wards we put up then so can the Order."

"Right," Douxie nods, still feeling the touch of Anthea's magic.

He quickly leads the group across the street to a building with a sign above the door that says 'Hextech' in neon blue. The front of the store is made up of almost all glass with a very slight tint which is only dark enough to keep out the hottest of the Sun's rays on a clear summer day. Douxie can tell that Merlin is less than pleased with the structure based on his body language, but he is grateful that his Master is allowing him to continue leading everyone to safety without question.