The Binding (#BattleTheBeast)

The Binding

Kady sits on the edge of the couch and says, "That's the craziest idea-"

"Why?" Quentin asks.

"It'll never work." Penny crosses his arms and puffs out his chest.

"Let's not be too hasty," Julia says and rubs her hand across Quentin's back.

Eliot stands abruptly and says, "If we're going into another round of debate, I need a refill."

"It could work." Alice drums her fingers nervously across her lips.

"Yes, alcohol always does the trick for me too," Eliot chants in his high pitch tone as he crosses the room.

"Not that." Alice rolls her eyes. "Quentin's idea, it could work. We could use a Binding Spell-"

"Last time I checked you need a personal article from the person you want to bind," Kady says in her usual dry tone.

"True..." Alice drags out her words as her eyes find Quentin. "But if we had something, it would work. That's all I was saying."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," Penny says. "Now I need a drink."

"Hold that thought." Quentin's eyebrows raise into his forehead and he takes off running upstairs.

When he returns, he's holding something in his hand.

"What's that?" Kady asks.

"It's a paperweight." Quentin's lips curl into a smile.

Alice steps closer to Quentin and reaches for the paperweight. Her fingertips brush against the cool, yet smooth glass. "It's beautiful," she says.

Julia's eyes narrow, "Is that-"

"Yes." Quentin's voice rises and his eyes sparkle like he's a kid on Christmas morning.

"Oh, please do share," Eliot says between sips of his cocktail.

"This was one of Plover's paperweights he used while he wrote the Fillory and Further series."

"That was Plover's?" Penny asks and Quentin nods.

Eliot swirls his glass and asks, "Where did you ever find that?"

"I bought it off eBay-"

Penny rolls his eyes and says, "Of course you did."

"How do you know it's legit?" Kady asks.

Quentin shrugs and says, "It came with papers when I bought it."

Alice takes the glass paperweight from Quentin and says, "We can at least try. If it wasn't his, then it doesn't work and we try something else."

***

"You're forgetting one thing," Eliot says as he pours another drink.

Alice's head snaps to him and her eyes narrow. "I didn't forget, I just haven't gotten that far yet."

"What?" Quentin asks.

"We need someone to bind him to."

"I thought that's what the paperweight is for?"

"No. Since Plover isn't here, the paperweight takes his place. So we need someone to bind his fate to."

Kady stands from her position on the couch and says, "You've lost me. Explain this plan again?"

"The Binding Spell binds two people together. Their fate runs the same course. If one were to die, the other would die."