Basil and the Slumbering Emerald

Traitor

Everyone stares at the door in confusion before Joe gets up to answer the door. He peeks out the little eyehole before turning to Petril. "It's your brother," Joe responds and both Basil and Petril hurry to the door. Joe opens the door and Basil pushes past him grabbing his father in a hug. His father hugs him tightly to him protectively. "Thank god you are alright. I barely got away." Petril looks shocked and blinks in surprise.

"How did you get away. We were certain that the darkened got to you." Petril furrows his brows confused. "No we know the Darkened got to you. Where the hell have you been?" His face gets hard with accusation.

"I was tortured for days. I just barely escaped. Aren't you happy to see me?" Basil's father, Sorrel asks seeming just as confused. Petril's face goes hard with thought.

"What did you tell them Sorrel?!" Petril's rage was beginning to build as he connected dots that Basil couldn't even imagine.

"Petril, what is going on?" Basil asks. Petril grabs Basil and shoves him into the house with the rest before stepping onto the porch with Sorrel before rearing his fist back and letting it slam into Sorrel's face, his body dripping with fury, his magic glimmering across his skin like stars.

"Joe, take the boys and run. We aren't safe here anymore. Go. I'll find you." Petril instructs. Joe nods and uses a spell to put Gram to sleep before teleporting them all away together despite Basil's protests. "HOW. COULD. YOU. You ratted out your own family?! For what?!" Petril could sense the Darkened drawing closer to the porch as Sorel lay prone on the ground. Petril sends out a distress beacon to the unbound community before the Darkened attack. Petril grunts a spell and stars form in the air, Petril sends them flying at the darkened, burning holes in their skin before he illuminates the night with sunlight and starlight, burning away the darkened about to attack him in a display of superior magic. Petril forms a whip out of a constellation and begins whipping Sorrel over and over, his fury leaving lashes across his body. "NEVER! EVER! COME NEAR BASIL OR ME AGAIN!" Petril ties Sorrel up with the lasso of constellation and slams him against the ground. "From this moment, every single breath you take with your pathetic life brother, is a gift from me... I hope you burn for what you have done." Petril growls before standing upright as more Darkened begin to appear from the shadows. Petril's eyes burn like stars as he gathers power from around him. Lashing out in sets of shooting stars and burning comets. The night ignites with starlight on earth as Petril uses all of his strength to fight off the Darkened that swarm him.

Once Joe, Basil and the rest arrive at Gram's they drop Gram off with his mother, apologizing for getting him drunk, which she waves them off for, unbothered by it. They disappear again in a whirl of wind to Kelkian's home only to find it in the process of burning down. Kelkian starts to go into shock before Joe takes everyone again and teleports them to a hotel on the far edge of town, ordering a two bed room for the night before leading everyone silently and dutifully to the room. Kelkian immediately crashes to the floor in a fit of sobs that Basil tries to comfort, but he is too worked up himself to calm down.

"Where is Petril? He said he would be right behind us. Where is he?" Basil is fully panicking and Mattias wraps his arms around Basil from behind holding him tightly.

"Calm down handsome. He hasn't had enough time to figure out where we are. He will be here. Don't worry. You aren't alone. You have Joe and I here to protect you. We won't let anything happen to you. I promise. I think we should work on your elemental magic while we wait. It'll get your mind off it and prepare you better to fight if things get worse." Mattias sighs and Basil reluctantly agrees. He leads Basil over to the bed and they start going over Water and Wind elements which thankfully Basil has read up on. To cast wind and water magic it requires a flexible control, letting the element shift and move without letting it control you. It is more about guiding and fluidity than sheer force. Kelkian stops crying and joins Basil on the bed, clinging to him as Basil works on summoning small tempests and sprays of water in the bathroom.

"Everything will be okay Kelkian. Your family are powerful unbound. I'm sure they got away." Joe reassures and Kelkian nods trying to stay calm. The three of them reluctantly head to bed as it is getting late. Basil snuggles up to Kelkian to comfort him as Mattias holds them both comfortingly.

In the morning Petril is still missing and Joe goes and gets them breakfast for them to talk over, needing their strength. "I think we should go set up protective wards at Mattias's for a bit. Sorrel didn't know anything about Mattias really by the time Basil was kicked out. He likely wouldn't have been able to give that away. I also need to go get Gram because now that I think about it I don't think he is safe at home." Joe explains and everyone nods except Mattias.

"I wouldn't be too sure that my place will be safe. I mean it is at least good for a night or two but we really need to move away for a while and travel by car or something. Darkened can track magic use." Mattias explains and Basil sighs shaking his head.

"Fine let's go grab my car, Gram, and take a road trip for a while, go stay with your family Mattias." Basil suggests and Mattias nods.

"It's probably our safest bet right now. I'll go check out my apartment. Basil and Kelkian should go get Gram and Joe should check for Petril and get the car. Meet me back at my apartment. I'll set up some protections that should last long enough for us to get a move on." Mattias instructs and Joe agrees. The three split up. Joe and Mattias disappearing in gusts of wind. Kelkian and Basil get that lighter than air feeling as they teleport to Gram's. When they arrive the door is broken down and everything is destroyed inside. Basil runs upstairs but Gram isn't There. Maria is laying on the floor with her husband alive but injured. Basil and Kelkian do the flesh knitting spell together to stabilize Maria and her husband before calling the police. They explain that Gram is missing and that they came to get Gram for a date but they are missing. The police let Kelkian and Basil go and they leave to meet up at Mattias's feeling dread gnaw at their guts.