Archie was settled on Douxie's shoulders as he followed Breha to the back door. While the front of the apothecary was full of herbs and ingredients that mortals would be willing to use, the back had ingredients that looked like they came from magical creatures.

This should be reassuring, as it was a sign that Breha was truly magical, but it just made Archie feel more uneasy. These weren't just stray bits of unicorn hair or lycan fur that Merlin had lying around, things that could be gathered without harming the creature. Instead, Archie saw satyr horns and centaur hooves, dragon scales and manticore fangs.

It wasn't unheard of for wizards to use such rare ingredients, but for such a simple and unassuming woman to have the majority of her goods to be along these lines was a little odd. What was most concerning though was that all of these ingredients looked too fresh. Archie was used to seeing these goods in withered, worn down states, because they had either been harvested a long time ago, or the creature they had been taken from had been old.

These kinds of ingredients were at their magical prime when the creature was as well. However, most wizards that harvested these ingredients did so when the creature had already died of natural causes, whether it be old age or sickness. The ingredients may not be as strong and beautiful as they used to be, but it was the only humane way of gathering these ingredients, and even that was questionable.

Archie didn't like to see all of Breha's ingredients, because he didn't like to think about where she had gotten them from. Douxie, whose only experience with potions was what little assistance he had given to Merlin, was oblivious to the implications behind Breha's collection. Archie was inclined not to tell him. Douxie was so hopeful about learning magic, and he didn't want to take that from him just because they may disagree with Breha on the morality of using other creatures to further your magic.

Douxie had a hand resting against his bracer. He didn't activate a spell, but he was prepared, just as Archie had asked him to be. "How do you communicate with your master?" Douxie asked.

"It's quite simple." Breha said as she grabbed some sulfur and two satyr horns. She put them in a large bowl and began to frind them together into a powder. Archie hissed and his ears drew back. The sound was grating, to say the very least. If she wanted to grind up the satyr horns in the first place, why wouldn't she work with older, more fragile ones? Brittle horns and bones were a lot easier to grind up than fresh ones.

"My master is always listening." Breha said. "It's just a matter of reaching out to him." Breha took the ground up sulfur and horns and handed the bowl to Douxie. She took a fistful of powder in her hand and began to sprinkle it on the floor. She made a circle around Douxie, and then another broader circle around that.

Archie had a bad feeling about this, and he could tell by Douxie's nervous expression that he was feeling similarly.

"What are you doing?" Douxie asked as Breha sprinkled the last of the powder over his head.

"I'm summoning my master." Breha said simply. She sounded calm and casual, but her words were enough to send shivers down Archie's spine.

"A summoning circle." Archie said in a terror ridden voice. Douxie gave him an alarmed look. They both knew that there were many creatures that could be summoned through such a circle, but none of them were good. There were likely still more steps for Breha to take to finish the summoning circle, and Archie didn't want to be anywhere near her when she finished.

"It's time to go." Archie muttered.

"I-I can't." Douxie's voice shook. Archie glared at the boy. He was not going to let the boy's pride be responsible for their death.

"We can find you a different teacher." Archie hissed. Douxie gave him an alarmed look.

"No, Arch, I can't move." Douxie said. His voice shook. "At all."

"What?" Archie took a closer look at his young wizard. The boy's arms and legs were trembling as he tried in vain to move them. Archie realized with a jolt that he had misjudged what Breha was doing. She may be summoning her master, but that wasn't what the circle and powder had been for. This wasn't a summoning circle, this was a holding circle.

Archie had mistaken it. He'd seen summoning circles before, and often they were combined with holding circles, to keep the dangerous creature summoned confined. Archie had gotten so used to seeing the two circles together that he had mistaken one for another. Now Douxie was stuck, and he wouldn't be if Archie had recognized just what the woman was doing before she'd closed the circle.

"Don't worry." Breha said. She took the bowl from Douxie and set it aside. She grabbed a dark cloak and put it on, lifting the hood over her head. "This was merely to make sure you didn't run off before we're finished." Breha grabbed a dark knife from a table and used it to make a deep cut in her hand. Using the blade she smeared the blood all across her palm, making it bright red.

Douxie looked pale. He wasn't normally one to get squemish about blood, but his fear was more about what was about to happen. Archie needed to help him.

He jumped off of Douxie's shoulders, landing just outside the outer circle. Archie was about to swipe at the dust to break the circle, but he was suddenly lifted up. Archie yelped in alarm and fury. He tried to dig his claws into Breha's arms, but she held out her bloody hand and all of a sudden he found himself unable to move at all. She had a magical hold on him, though Archie couldn't sense the power of a spell.

He was starting to wonder if Breha was a wizard at all.

"Leave him alone!" Douxie shouted. His legs were shaking so much that he looked like he would have collapsed t othe ground if it weren't for the holding circle keeping him upright.

"My master's power is strong," Breha said. "He grants power to those that serve him. However, he doesn't have many naturally magical servants. You, young wizard, have a gift, and I'm sure my master would find a way to make good use of you."

"I'm not serving anyone." Douxie scowled.

"Oh, I think you will." Breha started to bring her blade, which was still red with her own blood, closer to Archie. "I may have never met a familiar, but I've heard of them. You two have a connection. If your familiar is bound to my master, then you will be too." Archie was terrified. Their bond was supposed to be a good thing, to enhance their natural connection. This mock wizard was about to use it to enslave Douxie to a master that was likely somebody that they didn't want anything to do with.

"Don't be frightened." Breha said almost comfortingly. "My master can be frightening at first, but I assure you, he will be able to grant you with all the power you could ever hope for. All he asks in return is your undying loyalty. And soon, he shall have just that." Breha put the blade against Archie's throat.

He tried to resist the magic, but his own power wasn't strong enough. Whoever her master and source of her power was, it was somebody who was stronger than a dragon, and not many creatures could claim that much. Archie couldn't do anything but cringe and squeeze his eyes shut tight as Breha increased the pressure of the knife, poking at him and just moments away from piercing the skin and probably sealing the deal. Blood was powerful. Archie imagined that as soon as his blood mixed with Breha's on the blade, the bond would be made.

"No!" Douxie screamed in raw pain and desperation. Archie could feel his fear resonate across their bond. Archie had just started to feel the bond that Breha had been trying to force on him form, but in an instant Douxie's power seemed to push it away as though it had never been there.

Archie looked towards his wizard familiar just as a pulse of blue magic came off of him. The wave knocked into Breha, pushing her back so harshly that when she hit the wall she crumbled, unconscious. Archie felt the magical hold on him release. He barely spared a glance towards Breha. Archie's full concern was on Douxie, who was still radiating with magical energy.

It was an awe inspiring sight. Douxie's eyes were glowing with the bright color of his magic. His hair and clothes rustled and flowed as though from the wind, though the source was Douxie's own magic. Archie had never seen the boy use his power like this. What made it all the more impressive was that Archie couldn't see what Douxie was harnessing his magic through.

Wizards needed a way to tap into their powers, something to act as a conduct to bring out the power within. Even Master Wizards as powerful as Merlin and Morgana needed to use their staffs to harness the full extent of their powers. As for Douxie, Archie had only ever seen him use magic with the help of his bracer. This time though, when Archie was using magic stronger than Archie thought he had ever seen from him, he was still bound and couldn't use his bracers. This magic was coming purely from him, without assistance.

Archie ran to the holding circle and swiped at it, breaking the circle. Douxie immediately crumbled to the ground, too exhausted from this sudden use of powerful magic to keep himself up.

The blue waves of magic dimmed as Douxie fell unconscious, but Archie could still feel raw power flowing from the boy. His magic may not be visible anymore, but it was still there, protecting the young wizard in his weakened state.

Archie slowly approached Douxie, careful to not do anything to make his magic act up again. He knew that Douxie didn't see him as a threat, but the boy's magic was out of his control right now. His power may lash out at anything if it moved too quickly.

Archie froze suddenly when he felt the magic around him. He felt like he was being examined carefully. Eventually the magic settled. It had recognized Archie as a familiar force. Relieved, Archie curled up next to Douxie and nudged him.

"Get up," Archie muttered. "Douxie, we need to go."

The young wizard moaned weakly, but other than that he didn't stir. Archie continued to nudge Douxie, but suddenly stopped when he felt a presence behind him. Archie rapidly turned, only to see nothing there but shadows. He was sure they were being watched, and he didn't want to stick around to find out just who, or what, was there, observing them.

Archie forced his attention away from the shadows and looked to Douxie. He curled up close to his wizard familiar. Archie could feel the boy's magic around him, and after just a moment's hesitation he started to gather it around them through their connection. He didn't like to use Douxie's power like this, but he needed to get the boy out, and he didn't have the strength to do it on his own. He just hoped that Douxie's raw power was strong enough to do this.

Archie closed his eyes and let Douxie's magic overtake his own. Hoping that he didn't do something that ultimately ended up hurting the boy, Archie put his knowledge about wizards to use as he used Douxie's magic to teleport them out of there.

It was rough, and for a few terrifying moments Archie was afraid that they would get trapped in the shadowy dimension that was hidden just beneath their reality. Dragons were not made to teleport, and what little Archie knew about it he had picked up from watching Morgana. After a long moment where it felt like the shadows were clinging to them, wanting to drag them down, Archie and Douxie found themselves shoved back into the mortal plane.

Archie groaned and felt somehow both exhausted and full of far too much energy for him to handle. He'd never used Douxie's magic like that before. He hadn't realized how draining it would be, but it had been worth it. They were away from the apothecary and out of the shadows. Archie knew that things needed to be addressed later. He needed to talk to Douxie about just what had happened and what it meant.

That could wait until a little later. They were safe. Douxie was still unconscious, and Archie knew that he wouldn't be far behind. They needed to rest, and it was something they could afford to do.

Archie sighed and curled up close to Douxie. They would need to get cleaned up, as Archie had blood all over his fur and Douxie still had that sulfur and horn powder in his hair. He didn't know if there was a lingering danger from those elements, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Archie was tired and meant to sleep, but he couldn't relax enough to doze off. He doubted that Douxie was in any immediate danger, but it didn't feel right to leave him completely defenseless. Archie wasn't completely alert, he was just passively keeping an ear out for trouble, but it was better than nothing.

An hour passed before Douxie moaned in discomfort and shifted in his sleep. Archie immediately became alert. He sat up and watched as his boy started to slowly start to wake up. It took several minutes, but eventually Douxie rolled over and looked at him with tired eyes.

"A-Arch?" Douxie muttered. "You alrigh', mate?"

"I'm fine," Archie nuzzled close to Douxie. "What about you? That was some powerful magic you did back there."

"Wha'?" Douxie looked around tiredly. He looked only half aware. "Wh-where are we?"

Archie stiffened. It had been some time since Douxie had a bad memory relapse. There was already a lot that Archie needed to talk to Douxie about. He didn't want to try to explain why they weren't in Camelot again.

"What do you remember?" Archie asked tensely.

"Breha." Douxie blinked rapidly. "Shadows. I-I couldn't move."

Archie sighed in relief. Douxie just didn't remember what he had done with his magic, and Archie wasn't surprised. When magic took over it could overwhelm absolutely everything else.

"How'd we get out?" Douxie asked as he tried to sit up, only to groan and collapse to the ground again. "And why am I so sore?"

"Your magic flared." Archie said in quiet respect. "You knocked out Breha and broke the binding magic she had on me. And then I was able to use your magic to teleport us out of there."

"Teleport?" Douxie stared at him in shock. "You can teleport?"

"No," Archie said honestly. "Your magic did it. I just guided it in the right direction."

Douxie frowned. He didn't look like he completely believed him. "But teleportation is shadowmancy. I couldn't have done it."

Archie tilted his head. "Of the two of us, who do you think is more likely to actually have the magical capabilities to teleport?" Dragons were powerful creatures, and they had strong magic of their own right, but they didn't cast spells. Wizards were some of the few creatures who were capable of such a feat.

Despite this, Douxie still looked unconvinced. "Master Wizards have the power to do that kind of magic, but that's not me. I couldn't even sense that Breha wasn't a normal wizard."

"You're just lacking experience." Archie said. "But that doesn't say anything about your magical potential, and I'm telling you, you have a lot of that. Possibly more than I've seen from any wizard, even Merlin or Morgana."

Douxie almost looked alarmed at his words. "But I don't-"

"You do." Archie insisted. "You were able to use your magic while you were bound in a holding circle. Those circles are built to repress the magic of very powerful creatures. And yet you were able to not only get your magic past it, but you were able to do it without your bracer or a staff."

Douxie's eyes widened. "Th-that can't be true. Wizards need a conduit."

"It can help." Archie said. "But you know that it's possible to do magic without it." Most young wizards, when they still relied completely on their instincts, did most of their magic without even trying.

"But not me." Douxie said. "I-I don't do magic like that. Not even when I was a kid."

"But you did today." Archie said quietly. "Do you think I would lie about this?"

"Well, no." Douxie admitted. "You hate lying." Archie could exagerate the truth, and he wasn't afraid of playing a con, but direct lying always made him uncomfortable. He could do it when he thought it was necessary, but stroking Douxie's ego wasn't exactly what he considered an emergency.

"And do you think I'm exaggerating? Archie asked. "When have I ever given you false reassurances and promises when it comes to your magic?"

"Never." Douxie chuckled slightly. "You don't hold back."

"So if I say that you did some incredible magic, then you know that you did incredible magic." Archie said. "Can't you feel it? You said you were sore. You know what it feels like when you use too much magic at once."

Douxie stared at his hands. He looked surprised, but the doubt was no longer in his eyes.

"I-I got us out?" Douxie grinned to himself. "I saved you?"

"You did." Archie nuzzled against him. He was so proud of his wizard. He didn't think he'd ever been so proud and pleased with his power, not even when he'd seen the Douxie from the future become a Master Wizard. Future Douxie was a powerful sorcerer, but Archie hadn't seen him do magic quite like what he'd seen from his Douxie.

It made sense why Douxie had such a hard time learning control. He had a lot of power in his reach, but it was too much for one young wizard to handle. If he tried to control it all at once, it would overwhelm him and take control, similar to what it had done just earlier that day. Because Douxie had more he needed to learn how to rein in, he needed more time to do it.

Well, Archie knew that Douxie had at least nine hundred years to do just that, and he fully intended to see him every step of the way. Archie frequently saw glimpses of just what kind of Master Wizard Douxie would end up being, and he didn't want to miss out on seeing it all come together.

Douxie looked rather pleased with himself for a long moment before his smile fell. A look of fear and uncertainty came to his eyes. "What was Breha? She wasn't a wizard, but she had magic."

"Magic that was borrowed from this supposed master of hers." Archie said. "Without his power, she would have nothing." At least, as far as magic went.

"Who's her master?" Douxie asked, his curiosity winning over the instinct to let things in the shadows remain hidden. "She said we probably knew of him."

Archie grimaced. "I don't know for sure who her master truly is, but I have an idea of who she thought she was dealing with." Archie would rather not talk about it, but Douxie was still curious. Archie sighed. "I don't want you to be alarmed, but I think that Breha believed that her master was the lord of darkness and shadows himself."

Douxie paled. "What? You're not saying that he's the devil, are you?"

"I don't know for sure," Archie admitted. "There are a lot of dark creatures that mortals mistake for the devil or his servants. I don't know if demons really exist, or if they're just crude names that humans give to dark creatures that they don't understand."

Douxie didn't look comforted from his words. "So even if her master wasn't the actual devil, it was probably a dangerous creature that we would want nothing to do with anyway." The boy let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through his hair. "The bond wasn't made, right? We're not connected to whatever that creature is?"

"There's no bond." Archie said. He was sure that he would feel it if Breha was successful. Douxie let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank the gods." Douxie said quietly. "I...I'm sorry. You didn't trust Breha from the start. You sensed her master's magic. I should have listened to you."

Archie nuzzled against Douxie, giving his hand a small lick. "It's not your fault." Archie said. "I should have realized what was going on sooner."

Douxie gave Archie an odd look. "But you sensed the magic from the start. How could you have done more?"

"I should have known why it felt so odd." Archie said. "It felt unnatural because I was sensing a powerful creature's magic being harnessed by somebody that doesn't have any natural magic of her own. Mortals weren't made to use magic."

"What about hedge wizards?" Douxie asked.

"They're different." Archie said. "The world is full of magic, and hedge wizards merely find a way to harness the natural power that surrounds them. Breha wanted power, but she was too impatient and greedy to grab it the way that mortals should. She messed with what should have been left alone, and that was what makes her, and many mortals, some of the most dangerous creatures that walk this earth.

Archie turned towards the sunset. Night was falling, and darkness was coming. "Before I left home to find myself, I was warned of the darkness of the world. I was told that though there were many dark magical creatures around, they weren't where I would find the most evil. For dragons the monsters under our beds weren't demons or devils. Worse than that, they were people."

Archie looked back to Douxie, who was still sitting in what little sunlight was still shining around them. "That's why I'm always putting your safety above that of any other human. From the moment I first met you, I saw a light. Part of it is from your magic, but most of it was just you. Your optimism, your selflessness, your enthusiasm for life. You shine, Hisirdoux, and I don't ever want to see that light burn out."

Douxie looked stunned for a moment before he gave Archie a small smile. "I can't say I agree with you, but I think I understand." Douxie held his arms out and Archie burrowed against him.

"I don't want anything to happen to you either, Arch," Douxie said. His words were simple, but he didn't need to say another word. Douxie's magic had flared out because he had felt the need to protect Archie. The dragon knew what that meant.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence after that. Archie knew it wouldn't last though. Douxie was not a fan of the quiet. Within just a few minutes he started to hum to himself. Archie vaguely recognized the tune. It was the song that Douxie had been working on since they had left France. It sounded much better.

"What song is that?" Archie asked. He hadn't heard Douxie sing this particular tune, though he knew it was one that the boy had cared a lot about. "Can I hear it?"

A very slight blush came to Douxie's cheeks. "It's not finished yet."

"Since when have you been shy about sharing your music with me?" Archie tilted his head at the boy. He nudged against Douxie's hand. "Go on. You know I love all your music."

Douxie gave him a small smile and took out his lute. Archie adjusted his position to make room for the lute without leaving the boy's lap. Douxie cleared his throat and played a few notes, tuning his note.

"Keep in mind, it's still a work in progress." Douxie said. "But, well, here it is." Douxie began to strum out a melody that, while beautiful, moved all over the place. It wasn't the boy's usual style. It sounded sad and almost haunting.

Douxie played for a bit before he took a deep breath and began to sing along. The words were just as haunting as the melody was. Douxie spun a story with his lyrics. He sang about a young boy, scared, vulnerable, and seemingly insignificant, who didn't have a hope in the world. Then one day the boy found an injured creature, a terrifying beast that the rest of the world feared. Despite his fear of the creature, the boy saved the beast, and everyday since then the beast had become his guardian, best friend, and family. Even though the boy had been the one to help the monster, he believed that he had been the one who had been saved that day.

Douxie's song was vague enough to be a nice story that most listeners could hear and think nothing of, but Archie was not Douxie's normal audience. He recognized this story as their own. Douxie had written a song about them. It was the young wizard's way of expressing his gratitude and feelings about Archie.

What made it mean even more was that Douxie had started this song when they had left France, when their relationship was a little strained. Archie, in his concern about Douxie, had hurt his boy and questioned his magical capabilities, and Douxie's response was to write a song.

Archie had always known that he didn't deserve a boy like Douxie.

Douxie's song was longer than his tavern tunes, and Archie loved every second of it. He didn't care at all that Douxie stumbled over some of his words and made an odd face as he found he wasn't completely satisfied with a part, or when the boy went over a part again to make sure the notes were just right. Imperfect as the song was, Archie knew that it was the best song he had ever heard.

When Douxie finished the song Archie curled up against him, nudging the lute out of the way so he could curl against Douxie's chest "It was amazing." Archie said. "You're amazing."

"So are you." Douxie said. "I know I don't say it enough, but you really are the best part of my life."

"The feeling is mutual." Archie said.

Douxie gave him a small smile. "You came all the way out here just because I wanted to find a magic teacher. After what happened with Breha, I think I want a break from that goal, at least for a bit. I know we can't stay here though, so where do you want to go? I think it's only fair that you choose this time."

Archie gave Douxie a slightly concerned look. "Are you sure?" He knew how much Archie had cared about this magic thing.

"I'm sure." Douxie assured him. "I'm feeling a little drained of my magic right now. I think I want to focus on my music, at least for a little bit, and I can do that anywhere."

Archie nodded. Just so long as the boy didn't completely reject his magic, Archie would support him in whatever he wanted to do. "Well, I've always wanted to go to Greece." There were many myths and legends there. There were some stories of wizards and magicians, but most of the Greek tales were about magical creatures that Archie had never seen before, and he would love to learn just how true those legends were.

Douxie smiled. "Greece it is." He started to try to push himself to his feet again, only to grimace and fall back again. "Just, maybe not yet." The boy was still tired. He'd used far too much magic for someone with his experience.

"Take your time." Douxie said. "We're not in a hurry." They had all the time in the world, and nothing to do with that time but try to figure out just what the world had to offer them. Archie had always wanted to see the world, but he'd put that dream on hold because he'd met Douxie. The boy had needed him, and Archie had been more than happy to stay with him.

Now that Douxie was older and more capable and confident, he was ready to branch out past what he had known. Archie would finally have the chance to see the world, and the most important part about it was that he had the chance to see it with his wizard familiar. He and Douxie were partners, and nothing was ever going to change that. Whatever trouble they faced along the way, Archie didn't doubt that they'd be able to manage it just as long as they were together.