Frozen Regrets -- A Mini Adventure of The Magicians

Frozen Regrets

"Q!"
A muffled voice was calling from outside. The soft pink of day's dying light filtered past Quentin's lashes as he woke from an unintentional nap. His head was resting on a book and there was an embarrassing pool of drool soaking the page. Oh, he had fallen asleep studying again.

"Hey, Q! Are you around?"

"Here," Quentin cleared his throat. "I'm in here." The door to his room opened and in popped Julia's head, her long brown hair cascading over her shoulder as she made a funny face at him.

"Studying hard? Or hardly studying, Q?"

Quentin flushed, really embarrassed now, and pushed back his hair behind his ear. "Come on out to the common area, will you? I've got some news to share!" Her face lit up with excitement and a special sort of secrecy that made Quentin feel both curious and dazed.

Downstairs the young magician found his best friend sitting on one of the many couches, excitedly talking to another brunette beside her. As he stepped into the sitting room with his hands nervously in his jeans pockets, the two girls turned and smiled at him. A warm, loving smile from Julia and a seductive, coy cat's smile from none other than Margo.

"Um, what's this all about?" Quentin looked between the two. It was always worrisome when those two got their scheming minds together. "You should sit down for this, Q. It's really big news." Julia stood and proceeded to push Quentin into her seat. Margo placed a hand delicately on his thigh and gave a little squeeze.
Quentin's eyebrow went up, "Look, I really don't want to be in a threesome with you guys."

"Again." Corrected Margo.

"And I'm really busy with finals," he continued, notably irritated.

Julia rolled her eyes, "Oh hush, Quentin. This is better. Better than sex.  Better than magic, even. Margo and I have been working on a super secret mission. For you, Q."

She sat in front of them on the coffee table, grabbing Margo's hand as she did. He had finally gotten used to seeing the two of them together but only just barely.

"With the help of a hedge witch, we figured out a DNA activated locating spell and--"

"A hedge witch?! Are you crazy?!"

"Quentin! We found your mother!"

The young man paled at this news and immediately felt ill. How long had he wished for a mother and now Julia found her? The girls looked at him curiously.
"Quentin?"

"I'm going to be sick."

Julia hopped out of the drivers side of the car and looked around the empty, run down main road of the small town. What a dump.  Nothing like the big city. She sighed heavily when Quentin made no attempt at getting out of the car.  "Come on, boy wonder," Margo called as she pulled open his door. "This is it? An old town ice cream shop?" Quentin managed to mutter, his nerves getting the better of him. "Yep, quaint," Julia reached for the door of the shop but Quentin stopped her, looking between the two girls. "Maybe... maybe I should go alone." She shrugged and stepped aside, slipping her arm through Margo's to cozy up together. Quentin took a deep breath before entering the shop.

It was quiet inside, the chime of the doors bells echoed throughout the place. There wasn't anyone inside, not even behind the counter. Quentin's hands were sweaty despite the chill inside. He was just about to turn tail and flee when someone's voice called him from the back. His heart beat loudly as out stepped a woman, in her early 50's, wiping her hands on her apron. But when she saw Quentin, she froze. A look of pure shock on her face.

"Um. I'm--I'm-- I am--" Quentin could not even speak.

"I know who you are. You're my son. Quentin Coldwater," she was breathless.

Quentin and his mom had sat down to talk after the initial surprise wore off. They had talked about how they were doing in life, but it was strained conversation. He looked down at his hands resting on the table and worked up the courage to finally ask what he always wanted to know. "Why did you leave us? Why did you leave me?"
The woman before him sighed, "You wouldn't understand. I hope that you never will." He stared intently at her. That was a funny thing to say.

"I left because it was a better life for you."

"A better life? Without a mother?"

Quentin felt devastated and angry. The mood shifted drastically, like a draft had blown by and his mother seemed panicked, nervous even. "You shouldn't be here," she stood up abruptly. "You should not have come. There's someone watching me. Always watching. Waiting for a day like this." Quentin stared up at her, confused. "Who's watching? Hey, maybe we can help. My friends and I, this might sound crazy but, we're magicians. We can do--"

"Magic? Oh no. I thought if I left you would be spared this kind of life. Quentin, look. There's this evil being, an entity, he goes by The--"

"The Beast?" He finished in surprise.

"Yes! You have to go!" She was stressed now.

"But mom! How do you know about The--"

"Did someone call for me?" A cool, gentlemanly voice called. Quentin and his mom looked to the back of the ice cream shop to witness the devil himself, clad in a suit, climbing out of the frozen cakes glass refrigerator door. He dusted off some frost from his shoulder.  Quentin's hand tightened as he mentally prepared to start a spell, his knuckles turning white. "Quentin Coldwater. I knew you would find dear, ole mum eventually. After all, what is a boy without his mummy?" Quentin couldn't hear anything as his blood began to boil with anger. He was going to wipe that smug look he assumed was hiding under the moths covering The Beast's face.  His fingers were starting to burn as he quickly worked up the formation to cast his battle spell. The Beast saw it coming however and deflected the spell with ease.  "Uh-uh," he teased, wagging a finger. "Try this on for size."
"No!" Quentin's mother screamed as she dove in front of The Beast's attack, catching it directly in the chest.

"Mom!"

The Beast let out a heartless laughter. Quentin caught his mom as she started to slump down. Just then the jingle of the door bells sounded and Margo was now standing protectively over them.  Julia was right behind her, kneeling down to check on the two now on the floor. The Beast continued his laughter. "Get them out of here! I've got this bad guy," Margo called back to Julia as she worked on her spell. Once she heard the door bells chime, the woman was now ready to unleash her attack. "Freeze in hell, asshole." All of the air in the shop chilled and the density thickened around them.  Margo felt her ears pop and knew it was ready. With a rebellious yell, she finished the last curve of fingers and set the whole store ablaze with an icy, white light.  The Beast looked concerned for just a moment when finally the pressure from the cold air was so intense that all the glass at once exploded. Shards flew everywhere.  Margo lifted her arms around her head to shield her face, ducking down as she did.  Frosted pieces of glass thumped against her coat and caught in her hair, other pieces clanking on the ground. 

It was calm, eerily quiet for a brief moment.  The loud clatter of someone trying to get back into the shop brought Margo back to reality. She shook the glass from herself and stood up quickly, looking for The Beast. Julia's hand gripped her shoulder, turning Margo to face her, and she planted an eager kiss on her lips. "He's gone. You did it! What the hell kind of spell was that?" Margo pulled away from her lover and looked around at the glass, she kicked some with her foot. "It was a speciality spell I've been working on. Frozen compression, sort of. It's meant to blow anyone in the room up, except for the spell caster, but... it failed, I guess," she sighed.  Julia shook her head in awe, and sympathy, as she pulled her girlfriend outside from the wreckage. A lone moth flew off a piece of half frozen glass, a glowing blue eye twinkling on its surface before disappearing.  The Beast had gotten away.

Outside Quentin was holding tight to his mother, sitting on the pavement, leaning against the car door. She was fading quickly and it was almost too much for Quentin to keep his emotions in check. "Mom, you can't. You can't leave me," he croaked. Her soft smile as she looked up at him and these words were all she left with him; "I never wanted to leave you, Quentin."