'It's magic; nothing is meant to be possible...'

Powder Blue Blaze

A few weeks passed by without hurry.

My training with Alexus and Conrad was complete, and a few days ago I'd started my classes with Lady Claudia for Illusionary magic and with Professor Lorne for Ancestry magic.

I'd mastered Earth and Astronomical magic in a matter of months and both Conrad and Alexus were very impressed with my performance. It wasn't always easy, but it helped a great deal that I'd grown to love it. Magic was quickly developing into a passion of mine- I felt my blood surge in the mornings when I woke, knowing that I had to climb my mountain higher each day.

Even Thanatos was amazed and bemused by my quick advancement. He'd brought me flowers, Gardenias, and champagne to celebrate. We ended up getting tipsy and having more than conspicuous hand-action in the library, which I might add was filled with Donata students at the time. Luckily, Thanatos was a master at under-table-fondling. But I knew we were getting more than reckless with our rendezvous.

We needed to be careful. Opis surely knew by now that Thanatos was using his portal to sneak into my room at night. One day the old butler had found a sock on the floor that didn't belong to me and a few days ago it was a pair of boxer briefs. Opis never mentioned anything though- he only pretended like he didn't notice it and carried on with his daily tasks. Thanatos and I were lucky to have him.

Silas on the other hand was far too naive to think anything of the late night dinners we had on his balcony, alone, to study spells.

Right, 'to study spells'... I'm dedicated, but not that dedicated.

Thanatos treated me like his queen- I sought for nothing. I was in total bliss as the days carried on. I was doing very well with my magic, Thanatos was never too far away, holidays were soon, which meant that I could go back home to see my friends and family, and there hadn't been any more assassination attempts on my life since that horrible day in Conrad's study.

Life was good.

I sat in a smaller version of Conrad's study as Lady Claudia took out her familiar note book and pushed up her glasses from the bridge of her nose. We'd been practicing mirage formation.

Lady Claudia was a darling old woman- she was in her late sixties, had a wonderfully posh English accent and could cast spells with her hands tied behind her back- literally. That was one of our first lessons- to teach me how to become self-reliant and unhindered by movement.

Magic wasn't all about hands, your voice and the physical aspect, but it also involved a great deal of mental and emotional projection. She was a specialist in exactly that. Illusionary was much more difficult than Earth and Astronomical, and even Ancestral magic, but don't tell professor Lorne that. He was an old cranky man.

Ancestral magic focused more on magic transferral and siphoning from ancestors and even decedents. It was more of a class in basic magic 'stealing' and involved a ton of research projects that kept me up most nights, working through until dawn.

Fortunately, Thanatos always kept me company. He usually sat in my big armchair, his feet propped up on the table and a big book in his hands as he read. I always wondered what it was that he was reading, until one night I checked the cover- Shakespeare's King Lear.

Who'd have thought...

Death's a fan of Shakespeare...

I couldn't help but find that quite hot.

It was comforting having him so close to me, but I couldn't deny the fact that he was extremely distracting; especially when he got bored with his book and started to massage my shoulders in hope that I'd take a good, long study break with him.

I usually did.

I couldn't say no to him- especially when his hands moved like magic down my back and through my hair. My 'study breaks' usually lasted until dawn the next day, with Thanatos' arms around my waist and our bodies naked and tired. Watching him sleep was a pleasure all its own...

He was stunningly beautiful.

When we woke, we spent another few hours watching the sunrise from the warm comfort of my bed. We spoke and laughed about anything and everything, until the realisation that I hadn't finished my project kicked in- and then I'd usually had to try and wiggle my way out of his grasp and push to get it done before Professor Lorne had the chance to breathe angrily down my neck.

Like I said- life was good.

I focused my mind on the work in front of me and tried to push the bubbling sensation away as I felt heat rise up every time I thought of Thanatos. I'd only fallen for him more and more every day. The things he did, the way he spoke and the way he held me close; like I was his wealth- it was more magical than anything I could conjure up.

"We're almost done for the day, dear. I just want you to rehearse this one once more before you leave." Lady Claudia tapped a spell in my book and the sudden noise shook me from my reverie.

I got lost there for a minute... Focus Aurora.

I looked up at her and nodded. She was an exceptional teacher and part of the mage's council- alongside Conrad. I was always early for her classes and tried my best to make her smile. With Professor Lorne I tried hard just to impress him, even though I knew it was pointless. The man was like stone.

"Of course, which one is this?"

"The duplicate spell. Now just remember that the first few times you nearly got it right, but try and direct your energy where you want the image to form. You don't want another book falling on your head like yesterday."

I laughed and blushed.

The spell was all about creating duplicate images of objects, or even people. Yesterday I'd tried to double a simple book, but instead of appearing on the table, it had fallen from the ceiling and onto my head with a hard smack.

"Noted." I stood up and focused my energy on the table. This time it felt more natural.

Lady Claudia watched as I breathed in and out and then with a glittering brilliance- a book appeared on the table next to her. She squealed. "Oh, good! Good, my dear! This is one of the hardest one's to master. Soon enough you'll be able to duplicate yourself, or even me!"

Or Thanatos... Hmm... Two Thanatos'. Now that's a promising image.

"Can I control the object if its living? How would that work?"

Lady Claudia ran her hand through my illusionary book. It broke apart with white dust and faded into the wind; leaving nothing but empty air.

"These objects will get stronger the more you practice. For now they're weak, but can act as a clever distraction or strategic placement. When you duplicate a person, that illusion will act according to your instructions, but that's next week's assignment. I want you to perfect still objects for now and then we'll move on to living things. And try to meditate before this class- duplication of living things takes quite the toll on your psyche since you're not only thinking for yourself, but for your mirage as well."

I nodded and smiled as she patted my shoulder as she walked towards her desk. I started to gather my things, but just then a familiar voice spoke up, sending a shiver through my body.

"Lady Claudia, would you mind if I stole your student for the rest of the day?"

Thanatos.

I blushed deeply and mentally smacked myself.

He hasn't even touched you yet and you're already burning up. Calm down!

"Not at all, dear!" Lady Claudia was a big fan of Thanatos- she always giggled when he came to visit me during class. His excuse was that he was my guardian and needed to check on me to ensure I was training hard for the gods, but in reality he just missed me too much to wait until I was done. I melted at the thought...

Lady Claudia was like one of those moms who wanted her children to just get up and get married already and give her tons of grandchildren, so naturally she kept trying to nudge me towards Thanatos- sometimes physically too.

"Thank you, Madam. Aurora, leave your books here."

"Why, where are we going?" I asked as he walked over to me as I gathered my books and placed them neatly on the side of the desk. Lady Claudia watched in silent glee as Thanatos tucked a hair behind my ear. I shivered noticeably.

"On an adventure."

I laughed and rolled my eyes; "Thanks for being so descriptive, Bilbo Baggins..."

"Come on, wise-ass. We only have so much daylight left."

I playfully shook my head and shot a smile to the older woman who was watching us with keen eyes; "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Madam. Have a good afternoon!"

"Goodbye, dearies! Have fun!"

Thanatos sent her a charming smile and she blushed slightly. As we left the study, I teasingly smacked him on the arm; "Stop trying to charm my teacher."

Thanatos scoffed and chuckled as we walked down the stairs; "I have no idea what you're talking about." His long cloak was dragging down the top steps behind us and his dark, leather attire looked like an assassin's. His tempting hands were covered in black gloves and the deep crimson gem that tied his cloak together at the front shone brightly in the old, stone hallways. He looked like a god...

"Of course not..." I replied sarcastically.

I lifted the one end of my light blue dress from the floor to prevent myself from tripping on it as we walked. It was tight around the chest and the middle, but flowed down lightly to the ground. The straps were thin and the slit running up the one end was high. Thanatos had come accustomed to choosing my closet for me, but I didn't mind. He had great taste.

We rounded a corner and then suddenly, Thanatos pulled me by my upper arm into a small, dark crevice in the hall. He slammed me against the wall and lunged towards my lips. His kiss was hard and full of hunger and I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him in deeper. He growled into my mouth and I felt his hands clasp around my bum in need.

"I fucking missed you too much today..."

I giggled as he played with my bottom lip; "I missed you too, how was work?"

"Fatal, as usual- although something funny did happen..."

I ran my hands down his back and onto his chest; the feeling of his awe-striking muscles shuddering against my touch. "Do tell."

"Some idiot thought it would be a good idea to attach a rocket engine to his jet ski, needless to say, he hit some interference along the way."

I shook my head; "The man died and you're making jokes."

"Death is funny."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the smile forming on my lips. My reply was dry and sarcastic; "You're hilarious."

"Thank you, angel, I'm glad you finally realise it."

"Psh..." I scoffed and continued to walk down the hall. Thanatos chuckled and ran after me, his red eyes full of mischief and eagerness.

"So, where are we going?"

"I found the location of the tree from your dream."

I paused and turned to him with wide eyes; "What? Where is it?"

Thanatos grinned and took out his scythe. I watched as he sliced through the air, a familiar abyss forming in space. The silver stars flickered and the edges shot out like flames in the wind.

He indicated with his eyes for me to come closer; "Let me show you..."

I took his hand in mine.

"So how was your day?" Thanatos asked as we stepped off the portal and onto solid ground. I patted down my hair and dress. He kept his hand locked into mine as he pulled me forward; a smile upon his handsome face.

"Productive, we continued with mirage formation."

Thanatos lifted a brow; "I'm quite proficient in that, you should let me give you a class in it some time."

I grinned and focused my energy on the ground. Thanatos continued to walk casually, until a loud snap made his shoulders lock and pull up. He shot a look down to the ground and his eyes caught the steel bear trap I'd created with my mind.

It had sprung right in front of him with a loud, sudden clang.

Naturally, my objects were still paper-thin and brittle, so there was no way that it could've possibly hurt him, but the look of surprise on his face was worth the effort.

I laughed as Thanatos rolled his eyes and stepped onto the trap. It blew up in a white dust cloud and flew away in the light breeze.

"Couldn't resist." I said as I shot him a sly smile and walked ahead. His hand quickly found mine again as he jogged up to match my pace.

"I'll get you back for that one..."

"You can try." I grinned at him; "Now where are we exactly?"

I tore my eyes away from his to examine the landscape. It was green and covered with old stone ruins scattered along a narrow pathway. I could make out large mountains lined up along the horizon, but the rest of my view was obstructed by large boulders and stone walls rising up along the trail.

The air was humid and hot; the sun bright and the sky blue. Thanatos led me up further until the pathway expanded slightly and steepened.

"We're in Greece."

I looked up at him in awe; "Really? Wow, I wish I'd brought a camera or something..."

Thanatos chuckled; "We're here on business; I'll bring you again some other time for pleasure..." He winked down at me and I felt my insides twist and turn with glee.

"So this tree is in Greece? Should've known."

"The obvious choice is usually the right one..." He said as we neared the top of the hill. "This-" He pulled me up the last few steps and my breath caught in my throat at the brilliant sight; "-is Dodona."

"Amazing..."

I scanned my eyes across the vast view of the plane- it was filled with green shrubbery, old and tall trees, stone columns and ruins and a large amphitheatre that filled the entire half of a mountain's side.

It was magnificent and clearly very old.

The smell of rain and rust filled my nose with the sun's bright glare rushing down on us. Thanatos covered his head with his hood and started to descend towards the ruins. 

Suddenly, I noticed a large black movement to my right and nearly shot out a raging ball of fire from my fingers as a pair of bright red eyes appeared before mine.

"Shadow!" I scolded the shadowy entity. It titled its head sheepishly and cooed like a pigeon; "You'll give me a heart-attack! You know I hate it when you do that..."

Thanatos' Shadow had developed a fondness towards me- probably because I fed it treats when Thanatos wasn't looking and I've caught myself petting its head more than once. I treated it like a faithful Labrador rather than what it truly was- Thanatos magnified by five-thousand and in the form of a... well- shadow.

Hence my name for it.

"It's just a bit nervous in the bright sunlight." Thanatos said as he looked on with amusement as his shadow curled itself into a ball behind me as I walked.

"Your master is bigger, you know? I'm sure he could provide more shade than me."

The shadow only cooed and continued to follow my every step. I pretended not to find it utterly adorable. Thanatos chuckled and shook his head at us; "It likes you more than it likes me. And he's getting fat- stop feeding him pancakes. You think I don't notice, but I do..."

Of course he'd notice. I laughed; "Deny it pancakes? That's just cruel, Thanatos. Have a heart..."

Thanatos swung an arm around my waist and pulled me in towards him as we walked; "It already gets to spend more time with you during the day than I do."

"Life's unfair, isn't it?" I said sarcastically and pressed my cheek against his shoulder. He smelt like comfort and mint.

His chest vibrated as he laughed; "It's getting better..."

I tried to avoid his piercing eyes as they bore down at me with adoration.

Love. No, I couldn't let my mind wander and think of it as 'love'.

We walked on for a bit until we neared a flat area where a large pile of old ruins were scattered. We'd walked away from the large amphitheatre and towards a cluster of trees. Thanatos' arm left my waist and I felt a cold need rush over me. He walked over to the trees and scanned their tops with keen eyes.

I still couldn't completely comprehend how he saw anything with that hood over his head. His shadow purred softly and rushed towards the dark canopies of the tree line. It hid itself deep in the branches- a few birds got the fright of their life and quickly sped off before it had the chance to grab them. It was naughty- like someone else I knew...

"It should be one of these."

"How did you even make the connection to this place and the tree in my dream?"

Thanatos stilled and slowly took off his gloves from his hands as his eyes kept put on examining the trees; "You mentioned Lavender fields that surrounded the tree. When I was younger, Hecate had helped Zeus establish an oracle at Dodona. People all over Greece flocked to it; it was second only to the oracle at Delphi. They always spoke of the 'Whispering Oak of Dodona'. Priest used it to decipher oracles, questions and mysteries- apparently the tree spoke to them."

I nodded as he spoke; my feet moving automatically towards the trees. They called to me- like a siren.

"The one day, as the story goes, Hecate came to Dodona to test the tree's magic for herself. She wanted to establish a beacon for mages in need, and the tree seemed like a perfect and peaceful place to do just that. She asked the tree to grow her favourite flower- and so lavender grew at its base the following spring."

I listened with interest as he spoke. It was all falling into place now.

"So the tree is one of these here?"

"Yes, over the years the land had been left to its own devices, and many other trees have grown around it. The lavender died a long time ago, so there's no point in looking for that."

I walked up to a tree in the centre and ran my palm over its rough bark. I felt it hum.

"I think I can find it."

"I was hoping you would." Thanatos said with a proud smile and slanted eyes.

I walked around the tree and kept my hand grazing across its surface. I eyed the tree tops, a small smile forming on my lips as a pair of red eyed looked down at me with curiosity. I felt the hum grow.

But it wasn't coming from the tree I was touching.

I walked on into the dense huddle and ran a hand along the others. The soft rustling of leaves followed me as I moved slowly. I kept walking as I felt the hum grow and become louder with each step.

"This one." I said as I turned left and stared up at the tall tree; its leaves green and the bark jagged- clearly old.

Thanatos walked over to the tree and ran his hand over the solid oak. He hummed in agreement.

"What now? How to I reach her hounds from this?"

"I may have something that could help." Thanatos whistled and suddenly his shadow was next to me; it's red eyes bright and cheery as it seemingly floated on the grass.

"My shadow is considered to be the same type of entity as Hecate's hounds- they're designated companions; almost like mirages, but turned real and functional. Perhaps one divinity's creature can call upon the other?"

"Well, I don't have a better idea. Let's give it a go."

Thanatos turned to his shadow and nodded to the tree. The shadow purred and quickly flew circles around the trunk of the tree- I nearly got dizzy just watching it fly up and down. Thanatos eyed it carefully- he was in god of Death mode now; all jokes aside.

Suddenly, the shadow chirped and glided down to me. I titled my head in a questioning manner as it pressed its nose to my hair. With its long black claws it gripped my waist and put a fist in front of my middle. I shot Thanatos a wary look.

Those claws could rip right through my stomach.

Thanatos eyed his shadow cautiously.

I looked down at it; "What are you trying to say?"

It chirped and purred; its red eyes looking back and forth between my confused eyes and its fist on my stomach. It put slight pressure on my middle and pushed in. It chirped again and nodded its head.

I clicked.

Inside.

"They're inside."

"Inside? The tree?" Thanatos asked as he snapped his fingers at the shadow to stop his explaining. His shadow purred and grinned at me with its sabre-teeth. I petted its head and it nuzzled against my shoulder, then it flew up into the canopy of a thick tree to seek shade once more. 

I took a few steps back and watched the leaves fall from the branches in the breeze. Thanatos came to stand next to me; his eyes calculating.

"They're inside? Is that even possible..."

"It's magic; nothing is meant to be possible." I folded my arms; "I have an idea of how to get them out, but you're not going to like it."

Thanatos looked down at me with wary eyes and lifted a thick eyebrow; "Please don't tell me you want to do what I think you do."

I grinned; "I always did like blowing things up..."

Shadow's back! (^.^)

Would you rather have as a teacher; Conrad, Alexus, Lady Claudia or Professor Lorne? I'd probably pick ol' Conrad...

The myth on the 'Whispering Oak of Dodona' is indeed a real one, for those of you who'd like to know. I did, however, adjust it slightly to suit Aurora's dreams better.

Pic- Opis (Rowan Atkinson) and Conrad (Jeremy Irons)