Blood Magic

4: Simple Gifts

.^^ Excalibutter ^^

— James —

I dropped a shoe on Athenos's face, to see his reaction. He stayed entirely asleep, snoring loud enough to literally make his bed vibrate.

"Wow. You sleep like a rock." I yawned, and looked at the clock. "Only 5AM... I guess I'm still Jet Lagged." I walked into the kitchen, and made myself a bowl of oatmeal and some toast, with what was available in his cabinets.

At exactly 5:30, his alarm sounded, and his fist crashed down on it, making the stand wobble.

"Ouch. Does he owe you 50 quid?" I commented sarcastically.

He flinched, a knife appearing in his hand, then relaxed. "Oh... right... guest..." he tossed the knife onto his table, and I realized it had been sitting there, before. He hadn't used magic, he was just that fast, drawing the knife.

"There's oatmeal and toast." I said simply.

He blinked, and sniffed the oatmeal, tearing back. "Good GODS of Olympus, Boy! Do you know what salt is?" He poured a blasphemous amount of garlic salt into the bowl I'd made for him, then devoured the bowl and used the toast to sop up every last bite. "Thanks for cooking. Had a hell of a night... anyway, I need you to shower, while I get mine, and we can get on the road."

"The road? We're going for one of your house calls?" I asked.

"Mm. A cool one, this time. Dumbass turned himself into a dragon. I was asked to fix it." He grinned at the incredulous laugh that came from me against my will.

"Really? Why would they want to reverse it?!? To be a Dragon... and fly..."

"And have no opposable thumbs." He added dryly. "And an unconquerable urge to Hoard Shiny things, plus a temper befitting a 30 Ton beast with fire behind his heart."

"Oh... well, I guess there's always drawbacks." I shrugged.

"Mm. Anyway, shower, and we can get on the road. It's just west of Fort Lauderdale, about an hour north of here, in the top portion of the Everglades. You'll dig it! Dragons, lots of nature, lesser dragons known as Alligators, and even some crystals, if we're lucky!" He sighed, and cracked his neck.

"You're not a morning person, are you?"

He blinked slowly. "No. No I am not."

I shrugged and gathered the four books I had taken from his library, then the empty book I'd gotten from the market on our way out. I figured if we were going to be in a car all day, I'd have something to do, at least.

After my shower, I found a bag in front of the door, and Perceval sitting on top of it. "What's that?" I asked him.

"Your father gave it to me to protect! It is a bag of things he bought for you, from the Troll market. Magic things." He purred, wrapping around the bag protectively.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? I didn't see him buy anything except the medicine."

"That's a magic I'll teach you, once you're mature enough not to abuse it. I bought them while you were talking to the Familiar Vender." He spoke from his room, where he was sharpening a knife.

I hummed. "Very cool. Like a shadow clone?"

He blinked. "A what?"

"A copy of yourself, that you control telepathically." I explained.

"Oh... something similar, I guess. Anyway, the bag is only basic stuff, a Grimoire and some talismans. If you can use them, cool. If not, whatever." He cracked his neck again, and tossed the sharpening stone onto his table, then sheathed the knife.