Elric's Story Prelude to Prophecy

Elric's Story, Prelude to Prophecy

Mediwizard Debra Xavier arrived at the Order of Merlin Hospice nearly three hours early on this Friday morning. She was hoping to finish the masses of paperwork the administration found so important before starting her rounds. Debra disagreed with the administration about paperwork. She had after all, never seen paperwork heal a patient. Getting here this early insured she would have a couple of uninterrupted hours of work.

She made tea and checked her appearance in the small mirror on the wall while the water warmed. Her hair was black, and long enough to fall halfway down her back, in a silky mass. After last night's games with her husband, she had been half-afraid she would still have kiss marks. Her dark brown, nearly black eyes danced as she remembered. Then she shook the memory off and started working.

When her apprentice arrived at nine, she was finished with the paperwork and was going over the day's schedule. "Good Morning Jannic," she said, smiling at him. Jannic Mongo stopped in the doorway of her office, raising an eyebrow as he surveyed her empty desk--there were an amazing number of things to be filed, sent on, or otherwise disposed of--and her smile.

"Here it is, a beautiful Friday, and I bring my boss some of my best pastries, fresh from my oven, and what do I find? My slave driver has finished all the paperwork, leaving me no choice but to file it all today, thereby insuring I miss my date tonight." Jannic's voice was wryly humourous.

Debra tried to look penitent, but the laughter in her eyes gave her away. "Fresh pastries and a date tonight? Those pastries aren't a bribe to leave early are they?"

Jannic shook blond hair from his face and grinned wryly at Debra. "No, although leaving on time for once would be a novel experience." He watched her devour the first pastry with a speed that would do credit to a starving dragon, and start the second at a more sedate pace before dropping the bad news on her. "You have a new patient today."

Debra paused with a mouth full of pastry, considering the look on his face. She finished the suddenly dry bite, and set the pastry down. "If I had an arrival, why wasn't I notified?"

Jannic grimaced. "He came in last night, as an emergency, but the Head Administrator downgraded him to routine, and assigned him to you because you have the best chance of saving him. At least, that's the story according to a little bird I know."

Debra's eyes flashed. "Jacob Malfoy means, if he continues to drop impossible cases in my lap, sooner or later, I will lose one, and he can fire me." Jacob Malfoy and Debra had a long-running feud. Debra believed they were here to heal people, and Jacob merely wanted to make money. Debra sighed. "Tell me about our patient. How bad is it?"

Jannic referred to a scroll. "His name is Elric Evans, and he's half of a soul bonded couple. Cassandra Clearwater, the other half, died yesterday." Debra took a minute to absorb that, and then jerked upright. Her mind raced, trying to recall the very limited information she had on Soulbonds. Looking at her bookcase, she found the scroll she wanted. A quick Fetching Spell, and she was reading the scroll she wanted. When she looked up, her face was a mixture of anger, worry and puzzlement.

"In all of recorded history, there have only been nineteen Soulbonds. Seven couples went insane, apparently unable to deal with the dual input, six couples went berserk, and killed each other for reasons unknown, and of the last six, who made it to full bonding, the previous five couples died simultaneously. What's different this time?" Jannic shrugged. "When did his other half die?"

Jannic consulted the scroll again. "Around noon yesterday. They had been bonded for eleven years."

Debra stood up, and started out of the office for Elric's room. "Bring the whole kit--I don't know what we may need."

Jannic grabbed the Medikit with the various things they used on patients, and started down the hall after her. When he caught up, she was muttering to herself. "What am I supposed to do with him? He's half a person, and I can't replace the other half."

"Jacob left one of his notes in the file; you should read it," Jannic said, as he handed it to her. Debra read the note, written on one of the small scraps of parchment Jacob used for notes to himself.

As she read it, she came to a stop in the hall, and the look in her eyes made Jannic very glad he had not written that note. "That brainless, heartless, money-grubbing git has gone too far this time." She read Elric's file as she walked, until they reached her husband's office. She ducked inside without a word.

William Xavier was not one of the extended Xavier Clan, as his startling red hair and heavy Scots accent made plain. He and Debra had met in school, where "Xavier, Debra," and "Xavier, William" were forever being paired in lists. He sometimes joked that Debra had married him simply to keep the Xavier name. Jannic thought about what Debra's agenda today and grinned at William's apprentice, David Guranik. They had an ongoing bet about how much time the two lovebirds would spend closeted in the office, and Jannic saw a chance to win big today. "Less than five minutes, two to one odds, up to ten silver," he challenged.

David Guranik smiled back. "Five minutes? No way. You're covered." They watched the hourglass, counting off the minutes, and David jerked in surprise when the door opened at just four minutes. "May I wait until payday to pay you?" he suggested hopefully. Jannic nodded as he followed Debra out.

Debra shot him a look as they walked. "How much this time?"

"Just five silvers--I gave him odds."

"Now that William is covering my patients, we can concentrate on Elric today. Tell me what you know about Elric."

Jannic recited what they knew from memory. "Elric Evans, age twenty-nine--although he looks about sixty, a side effect of the Soulbond. Catatonic, and completely non-responsive since arrival."

At Elric's room, they went though the familiar routine and Jannic set out an Accucopy Quill and parchment, ready to take notes so Debra could devote herself to the patient. Elric's room was a simple long-term care room, with a bed, a desk, and a dresser. It was painted in muted colors, relaxing without being bland. Debra pulled the chair from the desk to the side of the bed as she visually checked her patient. Elric was a handsome man, even with the accelerated aging of the bond. The characteristic vivid green eyes that were the mark of almost all Evans were open, but there was no awareness in them.

Debra cast the Perlego Anima Viscus spell--the spell told a Mediwizard a patient's vital signs--on Elric and got a shock. All of his signs were nearly double normal. She told them to Jannic as she regarded her patient. "Elric, can you hear me?" She waited, but there was no answer. She placed one hand on his forehead, and as she touched his skin, he began speaking. His words ran together, as if he were trying to say everything at once.

"PatientchildEightFightLightningmarkDeathFate." Elric kept that up until she removed her hand, as if physical contact were required for speech. Debra considered what she knew, and what she thought. Acting on a hunch, she cast the spell that allowed her to see his aura. Her eyes widened as she saw not one, but two auras, one with a feminine feel to it.

Following the logic of her hunch, she cast Perlego Cerebrum over Elric. This spell allowed a wizard to monitor the brainwaves and brain activity of a patient. As she had suspected after seeing his auras, there were two patterns there working in tandem, and tied together in ways she could not even follow.

She released the spells and regarded Elric as she dictated notes to Jannic, concluding with, "Preliminary conclusions lead me to believe Cassandra Clearwater is not as dead as we were led to think."

Jannic looked at her. "Why? I mean, why are they still alive? I thought you said that Soulbonded always died together."

"They always have before. This is something totally new." She considered Elric again. "Whatever they are trying to say must be very important to them. Somehow, they are using the Soulbond to keep her alive in Elric's body. The problem is, one body was never meant to hold two people, and the Soulbond burnout is increased. They can't connect to anything we can see or hear." Debra turned to Elric again. "I'll be right back."

Debra and Jannic left, heading for the Potions room. Along the way, Debra outlined her plan to Jannic. "Bearers of a Soulbond have always aged at accelerated paces. Something about the bond causes them to age three times faster than normal. Unfortunately, when Cassandra and Elric did whatever they did to keep her spirit and his body alive, it only accelerated the process. I don't know how they did it, but they're not connecting to anything we can relate to. I'm hoping that a dose of Snape's Slowing Potion will allow them to communicate with us."

She continued thinking while Jannic ran through her logic. "It might work." Debra smiled wryly. "I hope so, because the only other things I can think of to do--" She stopped as they turned a corner and saw Jacob Malfoy walking towards them. Jannic was ready to restrain Debra, but when he looked at her, she was smiling at Malfoy.

"Administrator Malfoy, I simply have to thank you for the chance to work on this case. It's going to be absolutely unique." Jacob was still standing in the hall, staring after them when they turned the next corner. Jannic stared at Debra as they walked, and she smirked at him. "Always keep them guessing."

Jannic shook a finger at her. "You are an evil woman."

"I know. He'll spend the next week thinking I'm going to write something historical about this." She smiled at the thought, and then sobered. "But as I was saying, the only other things I can think of would be trying to merge with them both, or removing Cassandra from Elric, and while I am not sure what merging with them would do, I'm almost positive removing her would kill him."

"Not to mention killing her." Jannic said.

"That too, but she's already mostly dead, and I have to try and save at least one of them." They reached the Potions room, which was empty except for the Mediwizard Lauryl Snape. She was a vibrant young woman with pretty features and warm blue eyes. Her only flaw was the slightly oily look to her brown hair. "Hello Lauryl, we need..." Debra trailed off as Lauryl held up a hand for silence. She finished counting drops of a blue fluid into the cauldron and dropped an item into the potion. Turning an hourglass, she made a couple of notations, and turned to them smiling.

"Sorry about that, but that one has to be very precise, and done in a limited time. Now, what can I do for you?" Suddenly, she raised her head slightly and sniffed the air. "Jannic, is that your pastries I smell? I just love them fresh from the oven--did you bring me one?"

Debra watched as a blushing Jannic apologized. "That's all right," Lauryl said, smiling impishly. "You can make it up to me tonight."

Debra raised an eyebrow as she filed all this away for later. "Lauryl, we need some of the Slowing Potion." Lauryl and Debra had a quick discussion about doses, body weights, and other relevant factors.

When they were done, Lauryl measured out three small vials and gave them to Debra. "Each dose is good for about two hours. Come see me if you need some more."

Debra grinned at a very quiet Jannic. "If I do, shall I send Jannic down with a pastry bribe?"

Lauryl lit up. "That would be great." Jannic blushed again, and Debra started back while Lauryl whispered something in a very red-faced Jannic's ear.

As Debra waited outside Elric's room, she went over her idea, searching for flaws. Jannic came down the hall, speaking before Debra could say anything. "One word and Jacob Malfoy gets a love letter from you."

Debra regarded her friend innocently. "May I ask you just one question?"

Jannic hesitated, looking at her suspiciously. "Yes?"

"Well, it's just that your pastries are homemade, and you told me once that you only bake early in the morning, because of the heat."

"Yes, what's your point?" Jannic asked cautiously.

Debra stood before Elric's door, flashing a wicked grin over her shoulder at Jannic. "So... how does Lauryl know what they taste like fresh from the oven?" She went through the door while a blushing Jannic was still trying to answer.

Inside the room, Debra pulled the chair up next to the bed and explained to Elric what she was going to try. She didn't know if he heard her, but speaking it out let her go over it one more time. She carefully poured a dose into Elric's mouth, and massaged his throat until he swallowed. She waited the three minutes Lauryl had said the potion would need to take affect and spoke to Elric. "Elric, can you hear me?" She felt a surge of elation as he blinked, and tried to focus on her. "How do you feel?"

Elric blinked several times, and finally focused on her. "We feel like something the dragons were playing with, but we've got to say something." Elric's voice was odd, as if two people were using his vocal cords. "Get us a parchment and an Accucopy Quill, please." Jannic passed her the requested items, and she prepped them. She told Elric that they were ready, and he opened his eyes. The vivid green eyes were looking far away, as he began speaking in that strange voice.

"Wizard's darkest days coming, foreshadowed by the one who seems to prevail.

Four times nine are the years he shall try, His only Fate to fail.

His defeat at the hands of the one marked by lightning,

Shall bring Peace's Joy, where most find nothing frightening.

Enjoy this era, for the Patient Child is born.

With the Doomed One's knowledge, the peace is torn.

Pity the Patient Child, unfit for the fire, not suited for the Path given.

Fear the Patient Child, Healing Heart and Iron Hands riven.

Three time seven years shall the peace hold,

Then time returns for the people bold.

Patient Child using means that few can know,

Strikes wizard's world a devastating blow.

In this Darkest Hour, shall rise a new Force,

Eight who are One, setting their own course.

Two born a world apart, yet Blood the least of bonds tight.

The Seer, looking within for knowledge with other Sight.

One only half Human, saving where it will count.

The Fireheart, bravery that danger cannot mount.

The Observer, a Warrior's Soul with an Artist's Eye.

Mental Wizard, Even over Kin, no coin this Honour can buy.

The Rebel, Healing Hands with a heart that will not Lie.

On these Eight rests the Whole world's Fate.

Trust their Compassion, Teach them not to Hate;

With Honour, Trust, and Love, they must be True.

Without them, the Patient Child wins past anything anyone can do.

Travails, Sorrow, and Loss shall be their Fate,

Unless within each other they find Heart's Mate.

In all the ways of the world, train them well,

For with their Victory shall ring Peace's Bell.

This warning we give, for those who will be,

However, most will ignore, and few will see.

Trust in yourselves, and aid the Eight,

Else, the Whole World rues its Fate.

Of this last Verse, take serious note.

Should Death or Despair one of the Eight Smote,

Victory will be hard to Do,

Never will it be, if the Eight lose two."

Elric finished speaking and looked at Debra. "Read it back to us." Debra did, caught in a feeling she was part of something important. When she was done, Elric closed his eyes. "Make copies, one for your family and one for the Evans family; at some point, it's going to be needed."

Elric's face changed, softening, becoming more feminine somehow. "Greeneyes, we're done. It's time to sleep now." Only one voice spoke now, and it was purely female.

The next voice was purely Elric. "Why should we, My Heart? My body is failing fast enough; we can stay 'till it does."

Cassandra's reply was soft, and filled with love. "Already we are losing connections. Would you risk being separated from me forever?"

Elric's voice was equally soft and filled with fear at that idea. "Never that."

The female voice spoke again, this time to Debra. "Would you open the curtains? I would look at the sky one more time." Debra did so, and Elric/Cassandra turned their face towards the blue sky showing. "Now hold me tight, Greeneyes, and we will go together. Surely a compassionate universe will not separate us."

One last time, the combined voices of Elric and Cassandra spoke, even as the light faded from their eyes. "I love you."

Debra sat staring at the sky, unaware of the tears streaming down her face. She looked at Elric's body, and the unseeing eyes staring out at the sky. She reached over and slowly closed the eyes. Gathering the writings up, she gave it to Jannic. "Go to the office, and make a dozen copies of this. Don't let anyone see them, then bring me the original." Debra began making the body presentable for the family as Jannic left, both of them still thinking about what had just happened.

Epilogue

Debra was arguing with Jacob again. "Listen to me, you poor, ignorant, misbegotten son of a weasel." She took a deep breath and launched into her diatribe. "You downgrade him to routine when he was clearly an emergency, didn't inform me he was here so I could do something for him, even if I could have. Half of him was gone, and I couldn't replace it, nor could anyone else in this facility, or any other. Elric died because his Soulbonded other half did, and that always happens. Every procedure was properly carried out, there was a witness, and so what are you calling a board for?"

Jacob Malfoy smirked at her. "The fact is, a patient died under your care, with you in the room, after you gave him an extremely strong potion. To make it worse, the witness is a man you've ... shared pastries with." Jacob's oily tone made it clear he was not talking about eating cakes.

Debra was reaching for her wand, intent on hexing Jacob into next week, when the door to Malfoy's office opened, and three men came in. "Jacob Malfoy, you will come with us. The Evans family has some questions about a note, implying you wanted Elric Evans kept alive for monetary gain," said the man in the front, who was wearing the robes of an Auror.

Jacob paled. "But--" He looked at Debra, who was smiling smugly.

She took on an angelic expression as she spoke. "Jacob, you write too much down to be a good crook. Next time, don't write it down, or at least keep track of your notes."