The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans (19 page)

“Ask
him about letting me work while I’m supposed to stay safe,” said Julian
hopefully.

“I
promise,” said Alex. He helped Julian settle back against the pillows and
got up to make the call, slipping outside the room.

Julian
finished his tea and handed back the cup with another, bigger yawn.
“Definitely nap,” he said, poking at the buttons on the bed.

“Let
me,” said Geoff. “You’re lucky Alex is so good, that spell might’ve
sucked you dry before anyone noticed anything if it wasn’t for your
amulet,” he said quietly, sounding concerned.

Julian
nodded seriously, then spoiled it by yawning. “I am lucky, for both of
you.”

Geoff
grinned and started clearing up after their meal, moving the bed tray away and
taking all but the charmed tea set out of the room, saying, “Sleep, we’ll
keep you safe.”

“Yessir,”
slurred Julian, already dropping off. He snuggled up under the extra blankets
and dropped off to sleep, not even waking for Alex to take a lock of his hair.
When he did wake, it was to be gently bundled into a clean shirt and sweater,
and then carried, blankets and all, to the familiar warmth of Jones’ car.
“Goin’ t’Temple?” he asked sleepily.

“Yes,
love, you nap on the way,” said Alex. Geoff was beside them with Julian’s
feet over his lap, and Murielle and Thomas were across the way looking rather
grim.

“S’wrong?”
asked Julian, yawning.

“Nothing
you need to worry about until we’re there,” said Alex. “I
promise.”

Julian
sighed and relaxed, because Alex wouldn’t promise if it wasn’t true. Alex took
care of him, but also didn’t try to shelter him or keep information from him.
Instead he was honest about the problem, and then looked for solutions.
“Loff you,” muttered Julian, sliding back into slumber.

When
he woke the second time, the car was parked in an unfamiliar garage, and he and
Alex were alone. “We’re in the Temple garage, Father Stephen brought us
in,” said Alex. “Another of your fellow apprentices was hit with the
same spell that went after you, and she’s in critical condition, so they wanted
us to drive into the wards before you got out.”

“Oh,
no,” said Julian sadly. “Will she be okay?”

“Dr.
Chesterfield took the case, and Geoff’s consulting with information about what
happened to you. I have to consult, too, I’m going to deconstruct your amulet
and charm and report back, so James and Jacques will go through the
purification with you,” said Alex. “We’re still hoping to save
her.”

Julian
nodded. “That’s fine, thank you, they’ll keep me safe,” said Julian.
He yawned again and sighed, because he really didn’t want to leave his blanket
cocoon for the cold pools.

“Just
remember, you get the warm sauna in the middle, and they’ve promised to shorten
the meditations since you’re in for spell damage and not personal
enlightenment,” said Alex. He gave Julian a long, comforting kiss, one
that promised he’d do more later to make them both feel good.
“Ready?”

Julian
smiled and took another kiss just because he could, then he nodded. “I’m
ready,” he said.

They
opened the door and got out to find Murielle and Thomas talking to James and
Jacques in a none-too-casual manner. “What’s going on?”

“The
Temple is going to send James and Jacques to Guard you,” said Murielle,
“but they don’t have Guardians for all the apprentices, so we’re
discussing what resources the Agency and Temples can share to help out.”

“Why
do I rate?” asked Julian.

“Because
you’re our friend,” said James. “Ours, and the Temple’s.”

“You’re
also the most powerful talent,” said Jacques. “What? I heard Elkhort
talking, I know that’s how they ranked them.”

“Well,
that’s stupid,” said Julian, “but I’ll accept the Guardianship of my
friends.”

The
two Guardians beamed. “Let’s get the spell-residue off you,” said
James. “We’ll all have tea with Father Stephen and finish up our talk
before we go.”

Julian
sighed. “Stupid cold bath,” he said, but he let them lead him away.
Alex took both his protection amulet and his keep-safe charm before he went,
which made him feel terribly naked even before he undressed for the hateful
salt bath. “I hope he can save my keep-safe charm, at least,” said
Julian sadly.

“He
won’t want it destroyed any more than you will,” said Jacques.

James
came over with a fluffy white dressing gown. “Here, wear this until it’s
your turn. I’m going first.”

“I’ll
be right behind you,” said Jacques.

“All
right,” said Julian, already shivering a little despite the warm robe.

James
kissed Julian’s forehead, surprising him with a little rush of warm magic.
“The sauna will be lovely.”

Julian
grinned. “Yes, it will,” he said. “Go on.”

James
took a breath, then went into the salt pool with the quiet gratitude that
always reminded Julian how lucky he was to have this in his life. Julian sat
and tried to find some inner peace, but it was elusive. There was too much
foreign energy in him, from Alex and Geoff’s warmth to the rush of the tea,
James’ small blessing to the dull ache of the spell. He was cold and fidgety,
and by the time the gong sounded again he was actually grateful for the pool.

Jacques
took the dressing gown silently, and Julian went and stepped down into and then
under the pool, feeling the different magics reacting to the purifying salts.
Instead of aching more from the cold water, he felt the pain being washed away.
He was forced back to the surface for air, and the aching magic rushed upward,
making him wince against the light. It was like layers now, with his own magic
rooted in his toes, Alex’s warmth layered on top, then Geoff’s and James’, and
the effervescent tea-energy forming a barrier between the ache in his head and
the rest of him.
 

Julian
ducked under again and everything swirled. His own magic moved to the very core
of him, grounding him right behind his breastbone. The rest cocooned around it
in the same layers, Alex closest to his heart and the bright, impersonal power
pushing the spell-magic out toward his skin, trying to purge it from him
completely. Julian came up for air once again, and this time his own magic
stayed at his core and he could feel the warmth Alex had given him starting to
properly become part of him without the spell interfering.

He
took a deep breath, but the gong sounded and Julian gratefully got out. The
warm shower washed away the salt but didn’t undo his progress, and in the sauna
Julian felt the physical heat baking away at the spell, trying to burn through
it to connect with his body’s depleted energy. More of it washed down the drain
in the shower after that, and Julian didn’t even mind being naked when he
stepped out into the meditation garden.

Instead
he just stood there and felt the earth beneath him, breathed in the plants
around him, feeling the green, growing life seeping in through the holes made
in the spell. The rest of his magic was almost entirely whole now, and he
couldn’t tell any longer where Alex or Geoff’s magic began and his own ended.
The tea-energy had bubbled all through him, and only James’ blessing floated
along the outside of him, keeping the spell from re-integrating with the rest.

The
gong sounded, and Julian moved on, getting a robe from the acolyte gratefully
and moving on to the next room. There he was surprised to find Father Stephen
himself waiting to give Julian his potion and kiss of peace, and Julian shyly
accepted. This potion was far more potent than anything Julian had ever had
before, and it flowed through him in a rush, pushing the draining magic down
into the earth and leaving a fully integrated whole behind.

“Oh,”
said Julian softly.

Father
Stephen chuckled. “It’s quite a rush,” he said. “You’re already
doing better, though, Alex was right to bring you to us.” He gestured
Julian on through, and handed him off to his favourite masseur. They were in a
different room this time, surrounded by plants and working on a mat on the
ground instead of a table, but Julian let himself relax into the man’s touch.
His body’s tension and toxins were encouraged to leave just as thoroughly as
the magical contamination had been, and by the time he took the last shower,
Julian was feeling invigorated and nearly purring.

Julian
was given another new drink at the end, this one another cup of tea much like
the charged brew that Geoff had given him, but served ice cold, so the drink
was like a shock of electricity to wake up the parts of his system that had
still been half-asleep.

“Wow,”
said Julian, handing back the little cup. “That was, wow.”

“Better
than any four cups of coffee,” said the priest. He gave Julian’s hands and
feet a final wash with a cloth rinsed in warm, scented water, then dried them
and murmured a last small blessing. “Go on and dress, now, the Father is waiting
for you in his office. You’re free of contamination.”

“Oh,
you can see?” said Julian shyly.

The
priest nodded. “I looked in on you earlier, and I’ve been monitoring to
make sure you were properly cleansed,” he said.

“Thank
you,” said Julian. “I’m glad it didn’t stay, Alex was worried because
of the tie to my hair.”

“Yes,
your young man did a good thing, breaking the tie before bringing you
here,” said the priest. “It made it much easier to purge the
spell.”

Julian
smiled proudly. “I’ll be sure to thank him, sir.”

“It’s
Nathan, Father Nathan,” he said, and they shook hands. “Now go on,
you’ll be happier with trousers, I wager.”

Julian
giggled. “I can’t deny that,” he said, going through the archway and
down a little hall to the locker room. “I have no idea how anyone can ever
find their way around here,” said Julian, finding both his Guardians
already dressed and waiting.

“Trade
secret,” said James with a wink. They were patient while Julian dressed,
then they all took the more familiar route to Father Stephen’s office.

“I’ve
been declared all better,” said Julian, “Father Nathan was very nice,
and he said to assure you that you’re very smart for doing whatever you did
with my hair.”

Alex
laughed and pulled him close for a kiss. “I’m guessing he didn’t phrase it
quite that way,” said Alex. “Which one’s Nathan again?”

“He’s
our potions master,” said Father Stephen. “He made up something
special and wanted to deliver it himself.”

“It
was really special,” said Julian. “It had a kick!”

“You’re
looking much better, love, and you sound like yourself again,” said Alex.
“Want some tea?”

“Is
it more super special restorative herbal tea?” asked Julian, deliberately
plaintive.

Father
Stephen chuckled. “It’s a perfectly ordinary English Breakfast,” he said,
pouring Julian a cup and handing it over.

Julian
took a moment to add milk and sugar, and then he sighed happily at the taste.
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the restoratives, but…”

“But
tea is tea,” said Alex, clinking their cups together before taking a sip
of his own. They all settled into seats or leaning against various furniture
items, crowding Father Stephen’s office.

Stephen
pulled out a tin of biscuits and passed them around, letting everyone relax for
a while. “Now, your Guild has arranged for the Temple’s protection, and
the Guardians are working with Agent Lapointe to be certain the other
apprentices are as protected as we can manage,” said Father Stephen, once
everyone had gotten their share of sugar.

“Yes,
Father, will James and Jacques come stay at the flat with us?” asked
Julian, mostly for form.

“Yes,
my boy, we discussed sending you back to the St. Albans estate, but to be
honest Alex’s wards are far more thorough and sophisticated,” said Father
Stephen.

Alex
shrugged. “What can I say, they’re a bit of a hobby now,” he said,
but he sounded pleased. “James and Jacques have been helping me with the
refinements on their off time, too.”

“With
the understanding that new innovations will be brought back to the Temple, of
course,” said James. “He’s really quite clever at finding ways to
discourage new types of intrusions.”

“While
allowing welcome things to pass,” added Jacques. “We’re looking
forward to seeing the nursery wards.”

“They’re
a lot more porous,” said Alex, “And not very good at screening for
bad intentions, as we’ve seen.”

“What
do you mean?” asked Julian.

“I
think your hair was stolen today by someone you saw at work,” said Alex.
“You haven’t been in a situation where someone could sneak up on you since
before last week.”

“I
guess that’s true, though we did have the mugger,” said Julian, trying to
think. He’d mostly been at home or with Alex, though, and as a mage he wouldn’t
put up with someone snipping off bits of his boyfriend.

“We’re
looking into that as related, now,” said Lapointe.

“Oh,”
said Julian, sinking down in his chair a little. He sighed. “So, what
happens now?”

“We
take you home for one of Alys’ huge meals,” said Alex, “and filling
out Murielle’s map, and then either bed or cards, depending on how you
feel.”

“Also,”
said Stephen, “we’d like you to come work here while you can’t work at the
nursery. Your lucky clover is growing beautifully, and Master Stone has
promised to send more plants over, though she can’t be spared herself.”

“But
you get to draft some acolytes to help,” said Jacques, all amused.
“And Alex, when he’s not at Lapointe’s beck and call.”

Julian
felt a little overwhelmed at that, being thrown into the deep end so soon, and
alone. “Yes, Father,” he said, but he sank even further down in the
chair, curled around his teacup. Then he sat up straight, dismayed. “Do I
have to get purified every day?”