Book of Venoms - 14. Reawakened

“The Great Scourge: The fifth century was a time of great discoveries and explorations in Escaria and beyond. Unfortunately, it was also a time of terrible tragedies, namely the Great Scourge.

As explorers headed to far west and crossed the Sinking Sea, they discovered what came to be known as the Cursed Isles. Merely a few days after they set foot on the islands, one by one, the crew men started dying. Those reasonable enough quickly packed their belongings and returned to Escaria. However, they did not return alone.

The sailors unwittingly brought back with them Reaper Ants, a tiny venomous species that proved to be the biggest killer of men. After thousands of people died, all with the same symptoms, the scourge was finally traced to these deadly, black insects. Overrun by Reaper Ants, all western port towns were promptly closed and then purged with fire by sorcerers.

To this day, the Cursed Isles remain unpopulated by humans and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future.

--

The night was crystal clear, with not a cloud in the sky. Under the full moon and stars, Sawyer and Castor slowly rode through the desert land. They had taken a nap for a few hours that evening and were now at least somewhat rested.

Slowly moving on their camels, the boys were wrapped up in blankets that Sawyer so kindly conjured for them. Still, the chilly night air had them shivering.

As he looked into the distance, Sawyer suddenly noticed a structure sticking out from the stand. Like a lone obelisk, it was the only thing that broke the barren scenery of the desert. That must be it, he concluded. His heart suddenly began racing.

“Look, we’re here!” the blond boy exclaimed, pointing a finger ahead of them. “This must be it!”

Castor looked in the direction his boyfriend pointed at and immediately remembered those words that he had already heard in the vision he had. They had almost reached their goal!

Out there in the distance stood the Citadel of Bone, where his brother Cyr was imprisoned. It was a menacing fortress made out of large limestone blocks, with white spikes coming out of its edges. In each corner, there was a tower with barred windows.

“I can’t believe it,” Castor whispered. “It’s the Citadel of Bone.”

“I know,” Sawyer nodded.

“I- I don’t know if we’re ready for this. Cyr is somewhere in there. At least I hope so.”

“We’re gonna save him,” the young sorcerer said encouragingly. “Have faith!”

Castor nodded. He wanted to believe, but he was too scared. He had seen what was about to happen and knew he needed to prevent it. He had to change the future somehow.

“Sawyer,” the shifter spoke and his boyfriend turned to him. “Remember what I told you, about what I saw? That moment is coming. We have to be careful.”

“Maybe that was just a dream,” Sawyer countered, but Castor would have none of it. He shook his head.

“No, I know what I saw. It was real, I was in the future.”

“Alright, I believe you, baby,” the sorcerer said. “We’ll just have to be very careful.”

It was nearly half an hour later that the two boys arrived at their final destination. Even in the dead of night, the Citadel of Bone looked magnificent. If it didn’t represent a symbol of evil and fear in their hearts, the boys would probably admire it.

Slowly, they dismounted their camels and proceeded toward the massive wooden door with two heavy iron rings on them. They had barely taken two steps forward when suddenly they heard something - a strange noise coming from above. They immediately looked up, knowing what was coming. Even though they had been expecting the gargoyles, they were horrified to see the two hideous stone creatures flying toward them!

“Sawyer, watch out!” the shifter called out, sticking close to his boyfriend. The gargoyles were coming down at high speed, ready to snatch the boys.

Sawyer swiftly pointed his magic wand up and a green beam shot out from it. Vines wrapped themselves around one of the flying statues, making it unable to move its wings. It dropped to the ground, shattering into pieces.

That was when the second gargoyle decided to seize the opportunity and swoop down on Sawyer in an attempt to grab him. Running backwards, the blond boy fell to the ground and Castor knew it was up to him. This was the moment he had to change.

“Hey, over here!” he yelled and ran forward, trying to attract the creature’s attention.

It worked, as the gargoyle changed directions. Just as it extended its claws, trying to grab the boy, Castor shifted into a snake and quickly burrowed into the sand. This gave Sawyer enough time to recover and aim his wand at the creature, shooting another green beam at it. Just as with the first one, vines quickly sprang out and wrapped themselves around the second gargoyle’s body and wings, leaving him immobile.

Castor slithered over to Sawyer and came out of the sand. He shifted back, breathless and shaky.

“Are you alright?” he hugged Sawyer, still keeping an eye on the statue lying motionless in the sand.

“Yes, my love, thanks to you. And you?” the sorcerer asked, squeezing his boyfriend.

“I’m fine. You saved us, you were amazing!”

“Yeah?” Sawyer beamed. An involuntary grin appeared on his face. “I have a pretty good aim, don’t I?”

“Yes, you do,” Castor had to admit.

They both chuckled, relieved to have made it. They still weren’t out of the woods and they knew it, so they couldn’t afford to relax just yet. Picking themselves up from the ground, the two boys went over to the Citadel door and pulled on the iron rings. Holding their breath in fear, they expected all hell to break loose on them if they managed to enter.

To their surprise, the door opened easily, making a loud creaking noise.

So much for sneaking in unnoticed, Sawyer thought.

As the two uninvited guests entered the Citadel of Bone, the dark that surrounded them quickly vanished, giving way to light. They found themselves in a grand, circular hall, almost as barren as the desert outside. There were three sets of stairs - two leading up and one down. The walls, pillars and floor seemed to be made of limestone, just as the outside of the Citadel. The only decorations were sharp, white spikes on the pillars, as well as torches on the walls, illuminating everything in purple light.

The boys held hands as they stepped forward. They had no idea what was waiting for them in the darkness of the eerie fortress, but they had no choice but to proceed.

However, just as they made a few more steps, they froze with fear. A whirlwind suddenly appeared at the other end of the hall. Seconds later, a tall figure was standing there, dressed in a long, sand-colored robe. Macarius himself.

“Welcome, we’ve been expecting you,” the old sorcerer greeted them. Even though his words were polite, he still sounded threatening, which did nothing to calm Castor’s and Sawyer’s nerves. “I apologize about my pets. I forgot to tell them about you, as I did not know when you would be coming.”

“Y-you knew we-we were coming?” Castor stuttered.

“Of course. You came for your brother,” Macarius replied calmly.

At that moment, another, smaller figure stepped out from behind him and into the light. Castor felt Sawyer’s hand squeeze his harder and his eyes went wide with shock.

It was Cyr.

“Cyr! You’re alive!” Castor whispered, feeling his eyes getting watery. Any second now, tears would come flooding and he wouldn’t be able to stop them.

“Cas!” Cyr spoke, his mouth stretching into a bright smile that lit up his entire face.

The other twin felt as if his heart would burst with happiness. That was the first time in years his brother seemed genuinely happy to see him.

As if pulled by a magnet, two brothers rushed to each other’s arms, crying their eyes out. Sawyer observed the scene misty-eyed. Everything they went through was worth it just for this moment, he thought.

“I can’t believe this,” Castor sobbed, squeezing Cyr. “You’re alright!”

“I’m ok,” the other twin nodded vigorously. His head was still resting on Castor’s shoulder, as he wanted to hide the tears that were falling freely. “Cas, I’m so sorry... for everything,” Cyr wept. He was overjoyed with having his brother back, but he needed Castor’s forgiveness. He wanted them to start over, without the burden of the past.

“Oh, shut it! Do you think I care about any of that after all of this?” Castor pulled back, looking him in the eyes.

“Cas, I’m serious. I am so sorry. Can you please forgive me?” Cyr pleaded, wiping his cheeks. “I need you to say it.”

Unable to speak for a moment, the shifter just nodded and hugged his brother again.

“Of course, brother. It’s all forgiven and forgotten,” Castor cried.

From the distance, Macarius observed the brothers’ reunion with just a hint of a smile on his ever serious face. The cruelty of people had caused him to become cold and closed-off, but at a moment such as that, he found his armor starting to crack, just as it had done back at the Lunaros farm.

The twins hugged some more and then pulled Sawyer in to join them. They all laughed and cried at the same time, relieved and ecstatic to be together again. All the bad blood that existed between Cyr and Castor seemed to have vanished, washed away by their tears of joy.

When Castor finally remembered where he was, he looked up at the old sorcerer observing them. The smile on the boy’s face vanished. He was so happy to have his brother back that he forgot about the main threat. Now that they were all at his mercy, would the sorcerer spare their lives?

“Are you…” the shifter started to speak, but then hesitated. He didn’t know what to ask.

Sensing the boy’s nervousness, Macarius tried to draw his lips into a reassuring smile - not something he often did. He usually had no reason for it.

“You can rest assured I will not hurt you or your brother,” the old sorcerer spoke. “I need your help. I’m sure Cyr will explain everything.”

Castor looked at his brother, who just smiled and nodded, squeezing his hand.

“I shall give you some time to rest, and then you’ll come to my laboratory so I can finish my work. Are you injured in any way?” Macarius asked, looking at the two new arrivals. They both shook their heads.

“Alright then. Follow me to the dining hall. I’m sure you’re starving from your journey,” he said and turned around, taking the stairs up. The three boys followed closely behind him.

~~

By the time Sawyer and the twins washed their hands, the dining table was covered in plates and dishes containing bread, fried fish, meat and baked potatoes. There were also three large bowls with fresh pomegranates, bananas, mangoes, pineapples and oranges.

The boys dug in and stuffed themselves with food, especially Castor and Sawyer. The two were incredibly grateful for being welcomed with a feast after nearly getting eviscerated by the two gargoyles. For a moment, Castor wondered what happened to the two stone creatures, but decided he didn’t actually care. As long as they remained outside.

Everyone seemed to be in a somewhat better mood except Cassandra, who had just come in carrying pitchers with fresh water. The girl was obviously annoyed she had to serve them dinner in the middle of the night, when they should be sleeping. Even though she didn’t dare express her displeasure, she frowned at the new arrivals while serving them food and drinks. She resented the fact that Macarius had suddenly taken up interest in these strangers. They used to live such a peaceful life, and now their Citadel was suddenly full of people. Hopefully they’ll all be gone once the master cures Xaviel, she thought.

Even though they were not hungry, Dymia and Jarin joined them soon after, having heard noise and wondering what was going on. Stepping into the room, they stopped and stared at the twins. Had the two boys not been wearing different clothes, it would have been impossible to tell them apart.

“Gods! You two are truly identical,” the scorpion shifter said, drawing curious looks from the three boys at the table.

“Jarin, this is my brother Castor!” Cyr stated, proudly presenting his twin. “Castor, this is Jarin, and that’s Dymia. They were also brought here by Macarius.”

“And who’s the blond cutie?” Dymia asked, smiling at Sawyer and moving in his direction.

“Um, that’s my boyfriend Sawyer,” Castor was quick to point out, possessively placing a hand on the sorcerer’s shoulder. Dymia frowned and sat at the other side of the table, and Jarin broke into laughter upon seeing her crestfallen face.

The dinner was just what Castor and Sawyer needed to regain their strength and refresh themselves after a long and arduous trek through the desert. Cyr and Castor were inseparable the entire time, though. The twins shared their accounts of everything they’ve been through since Macarius abducted Cyr, each stunned and amazed at the other’s tale. After Cyr told him about Macarius’ ill son being the reason for everything, Castor finally understood why his brother was mistakenly taken.

Meanwhile, Sawyer got to know Jarin and Dymia and learn about their lives. After Sawyer showed him some of his magic, Jarin was happy to shift for him and show off his scorpion form, which was met with admiration and applause from Castor and Sawyer. After plenty of eye-rolling, Dymia finally agreed to do the same, shifting into her Assassin Wasp form. Although not as flashy as a Fireborn Scorpion, the girl didn’t disappoint. She flew around the table in her insect form before returning to her chair and shifting back. Another round of applause followed.

“If you’re finished eating, I’d like to borrow Castor for a moment,” Macarius spoke seriously, standing at the door. Everyone turned their heads toward him. Preoccupied with their conversations and laughter, the five ‘guests’ did not even notice when he arrived.

“Very well,” Castor nodded, feeling as it was his duty to help the man, despite the fact that he had kidnapped Cyr.

“May I come too?” Sawyer asked, not wanting to separate from his boyfriend.

“You may,” Macarius stated, gesturing to them to follow him.

Without asking, Cyr also stood up and followed. He would not let Castor out of his sight whether Macarius liked it or not.

“I’ll see you two later,” the boy said to Jarin and Dymia, leaving them at the table.

Once the group entered the laboratory, Macarius was eager to proceed with his mission. Now that he had all of the necessary elements, he was impatient to finish the antidote so he could finally cure his son. Even though it was only a little more than two months since the tragic event, it felt like years to Macarius. He couldn’t wait to see Xaviel up and about once again. Without his son, Macarius’ Citadel, as well as his life, were empty.

“I will need you to shift, Castor, and deposit some of your venom here,” the old sorcerer instructed, placing a glass vial on the table in front of the boy. “Then, I will also need to extract some of your blood.”

“Alright,” Castor nodded, feeling a little less nervous now that he knew what he had to do.

After getting encouraging looks from Cyr and Sawyer, the young shifter closed his eyes and took up his animal form. A beautiful black snake with a scarlet tail appeared in front of them, raising its body and hissing. Its dark scales glimmered in the light of the many candles that illuminated the chamber.

Carefully, Macarius took the vial and brought it lower so that the snake could reach it. The deadly reptile then opened its mouth, revealing two large, threatening fangs. As if biting the glass container, the snake ejected its venom through holes in its fangs. Everyone observed the process in complete silence, as if scared that any noise would make all their efforts in vain.

Seconds later, the snake retreated and shifted back, becoming Castor once again. Macarius took his eyes away from the precious liquid he held in his hands and turned his attention to the shifter.

“Thank you,” he said with gratitude. “This means so much to me. Once I’ve cured my son, I will fulfill my promise and teleport you back to your families.”

After taking a sample of Castor’s blood in a different vial, Macarius let the three boys leave so that he could finish his antidote in peace. Before leaving the room, Cyr pulled a book from under his robe and handed it to the sorcerer.

“Book of Venoms?” Macarius stated, looking at Cyr questioningly.

“I took it the other day, when you left me here to go find Castor,” the boy replied, peering bravely into the man’s eyes.

“For someone who is not even a shifter, you have continuously been the biggest annoyance,” Macarius said, raising his voice just slightly. “A shame you’re not a sorcerer. You have so much potential.”

“I think I’ve had enough magic for a while,” Cyr replied, unsure whether to be flattered or insulted. “But you can be sure I’ll annoy you even more if you don’t get us home soon.”

It was an hour later, still in the wee hours of the night, that Macarius finally left his alchemy chamber, carrying in his hands a bottle of dark green liquid. The most valuable thing he had ever had. The antidote was complete and if the recipe from the Book of Venoms was correct, it would cure his son.

As he slowly descended down the stairs, his five guests appeared, coming from the terrarium chamber. They stopped to look at him. Seeing that he was carrying something in his hand, they knew what it meant.

Jarin raised an eyebrow, hugging Cyr and Dymia. “He did it!” After everything that happened, the scorpion shifter was excited for Macarius to finish his task so they could finally be free. He had been locked up in that Citadel for too long.

“Calm down, we still don’t know if it’ll work,” Dymia replied, somewhat deflating his enthusiasm.

“Of course it will,” Cyr insisted. “It has to.”

From the other end of the hallway, Cassandra appeared, approaching Macarius and eyeing the tiny bottle in his hand.

“Master, is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not right now,” the sorcerer shook his head. “See if they need anything. That would be all.”

Too tense to say anything else, he crossed the hall and descended the second set of stairs, leading to the room in which Xaviel was located, frozen in time in his magical prison that kept him alive. He went there alone, as the others knew not to follow him. He needed to do this alone.

After passing through the dark hallway, Macarius stopped in front of the door of his son’s room. He unlocked it slowly, as if afraid of waking the boy up. Once he entered, he closed the door behind him and lit up the room using his staff. He could feel tears coming out as he laid his eyes on Xaviel, so peaceful in the glass coffin that shone with a magical blue glow. He was lying just the way Macarius had left him all those weeks ago, unaware that his life was hanging by a thread.

With a wave of his staff, Macarius dispelled the magic surrounding the coffin. The glow subsided and he opened the cover. He held his breath and silently prayed that the antidote would work and that his son would be cured. If not, he would spend the rest of his life collecting every known venom until he produced the right antidote to save his boy.

Removing the cork from the vial, Macarius drew half of its contents out using a syringe. Carefully, he injected the antidote into a vein on Xaviel’s arm. He then sealed the bottle and placed it in his inner pocket.

With another wave of his magic staff, he removed the spell that kept his son frozen, allowing the antidote to start coursing through his system.

“Please, son. Wake up,” Macarius whispered, his gaze fixed at his son’s face.

Merely a moment later, Xaviel’s eyes shot open and Macarius gasped in shock. The boy winced in pain and started coughing, bringing a hand to his throat.

“Xaviel! Son, are you alright? Please, it has to work!” the sorcerer pleaded, caressing his son’s hair.

“Dad, what- what happened?” the boy managed to utter. After the coughing stopped, he lifted himself and sat up, looking around in wonder. He was lying in a glass coffin, levitating in the middle of the room. “Dad?”

“How are you feeling?”

“I- I’m feeling fine. Why?”

Overjoyed, Macarius let his tears flow freely, and for the first time in ages, he could hear himself laugh. He wrapped his arms around his son - his greatest joy in life. He was shaking with laughter, but he didn’t care. He was happy and he wanted everyone to know.

“Let me get you out of there,” the sorcerer finally said, helping Xaviel get out of the coffin.

As his son stood before him, Macarius beamed with joy. There he was, his bright and curious son, looking so much like Macarius when he was that age. The sorcerer eyed him for a moment before pulling him into another hug. After everything that had happened, he could not even imagine he would feel such happiness ever again.

“Son, I’m so-” Macarius started to say, but then took a sharp gasp, dropping his magic staff to the ground. His eyes went wide as he felt a cold, sharp blade entering his abdomen.

Pulling out from the hug, Xaviel looked his father in the eyes, a satisfied smirk on his dark, young face.

“Father, always so predictable,” the boy smiled. “Thank you, though. You did exactly as I thought you would.”

Xaviel twisted the dagger and pulled it out, the blade dripping with blood. With a thud, Macarius fell to the floor.

“Son… But why?”

As always, I'd like to take all of you for your support! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to your reactions.