“How did it look?” he said tersely. “Her neck. Was it just skin and muscle damage? Or did she tear any arteries?”

            “I...I don’t…” Alice tried to think back, but the image made her feel physically ill.

            “No arteries.” Altair came to her rescue. “There would have been a lot more blood.”

            “Good,” Ambrose said grimly. “If Allira did not touch the carotid artery, then the child may not be gone forever.”

            “She was dead,” Alice said.

            “Take me to her.”

            “Why?”

            “Perhaps I can help.”

            “I don’t see how.” Or why. But she was already turning to leave. If he really was a Titan, god of Afterthought or not, maybe he could bring people back from the dead.

            Gabriel was there when they arrived, pacing back and forth, obviously wracked with guilt. He looked as though he’d just woke up, his eyes glassy and his blonde hair in tangles. He started to stammer an apology as they came in, and then saw Ambrose following closely on Altair’s heels. He sputtered angrily.

“You brought him here? How do we know he didn’t send that horrible woman to do this?”

            “We don’t,” she snapped, “But we have no other choice.” All three of them - Azura, Gabriel and Shakra - looked at her incredulously (as much as a Tiger could look incredulous) and she said, “He seems to think he can do something.”

            Ambrose appeared to be all business as he walked into the bedroom, surveying Maya with arms crossed.

“It looks bad, but we may be able to do this.”

            “Do what?” Alice asked cautiously. “What can we do?” Ambrose murmured something she couldn’t quite hear, placing his hands over Maya’s face, his palms hovering in the air just above.

“Her spirit hasn’t moved onwards. I can save her for you.” Ambrose looked at her sideways, his voice suddenly sly. “But there’s a price.”

            She should have known. How could she have been so naïve? He certainly wasn’t going to help her because he had any kind of feelings for her. She had known there was something he wanted from her, and at last he was going to tell her what it was. But it was her fault Maya was dead.  Allira was herenemy, not Maya’s.  Not to mention Gabriel was obvious being eaten by guilt. Clearly he thought he was responsible, since he’d let Allira in. She glanced at the girl’s prone form, tears blurring her vision.

“What do you want?” She knew he would answer her honestly, at last.

Ambrose drew closer, and Altair made a small, outraged noise as he reached out and stroked the side of her face. “You.”

            “Enough!” Alice snapped. “I was blind enough to think that when I first met you. What do you want from me?”

            “I want you to train under me, be my apprentice - swear you’ll be by my side forever.”

            She glared at him in angry confusion. “That doesn’t make sense. Why do you want that? I’ve never even seen you use magic.”

            “Everything will become clear shortly. Do you agree to my terms?”

            “Alice,” Azura said sharply, “a Witch’s word is forever binding. If you promise him this you will have to follow through with it.”

            “You can have everything else…” Ambrose’s voice was silky. “You can still live here and run your shop. I’ll just come see you, or you can make the trip to the mansion. Your life doesn’t have to change much at all.” He paused, looking at her intently. “Just think about the girl.” 

Alice glared at him angrily. She glanced at Maya again and swallowed tears back.  Then she nodded recklessly.

“Fine! If you can save her I’ll do it. I’ll be your apprentice.”

            “Alice!” Azura cried in horror.

            “You promise you will be my apprentice? I must hear you say it,” Ambrose insisted.

            “Yes, alright...But you have to swear that you’ll heal Maya and then leave her alone for the rest of her life. Let her be happy - promise never to hurt her again.”

Ambrose’s expression darkened momentarily. “Fine, I swear it on my mother’s grave.”

            “Your mother must be a goddess, so she has no grave. Make it binding; swear it on the river Styx.”

Both Altair and Ambrose looked shocked, and then Ambrose smiled coolly. “Someone’s done her research. Very well, I swear on the river Styx that I will let Maya go free and never hurt her again.”

            “Good. And I swear I’ll be your apprentice if you heal her.”

            “She had no pulse,” Gabriel choked. Unshed tears made his eyes glisten as he glared at them. “He’s just jerking you around, Alice.”

            “Then I won’t go with him.” She glowered at Ambrose. “Get on with it, Titan.”

             “I can’t touch the magic in this form, so you’ll have to do it for me.”

            “What does that mean?” Alice glanced nervously at Azura, who shrugged unhelpfully.

             “You’re going to have to take the magic into yourself,” Ambrose said. “That’s the only way to transfer it.”

            She felt the beginnings of panic. “How am I supposed to do that? I don’t know how. What if I can’t?”

            “I’ll show you how,” Ambrose said firmly. “And I know you can. Why do you think I’ve pursued you so hard?”

            Alice blinked at him. “I don’t get it.”

            “You have more than enough potential. I’m almost positive you can take the magic into you. If you’re able to do that, I can take that magic from you and use it.”

            Alice stared at him incredulously. So this was what it had been about all along. She was a vessel for him, something he could suck magic out of - that was why he wanted her for an “apprentice”, so he could leech off of her and take her magic for himself. That was why the last time he’d done magic had been years ago. He hadn’t found someone else who could take the magic in…until now. Until he found me.  Ambrose didn’t notice the dark look she gave him.

            “Now,” he instructed, “Begin by taking hold of as much magic as you can. Good. Just hold it. Shut your eyes.”

            Alice did so. Still fuming, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Ambrose continued, the velvety sound of his voice would have been soothing if she wasn’t so angry and afraid. Even though they were here in the moment trying to save Maya, she couldn’t help thinking about the promise she had just made. A Witch’s word is binding.

            “Now try to release your tension, relax your muscles starting at your feet, all the way up to the top of your head. Become aware of your physical being, your space in time. Stretch out your subconscious like you do to reach the threads - but reach into yourself instead.”

            Alice struggled to do as he instructed, feeling like she was groping around in the dark.

            “In every one of us there is a barrier separating the physical from the magical - it’s what makes some mortal and some magician. You have far less of that barrier then anyone I’ve seen in centuries. Find that crumbling barrier and pull it down completely, Alice. Let the magic in. Good.”

            She didn’t have any idea why he kept saying “good” like that. As far as she was concerned nothing was good.  It was like searching for a needle in a coal pit.  There had to be a glimmer in the darkness somewhere, but she wasn’t having any luck finding it.  Alice searched inwardly for the barrier, for some kind of mental block and came up with nothing.

“It’s not working,” she said, frustrated

            “Relax,” Ambrose purred. “It will come.”

            She tried again. Her mind was like a bright corridor, all the doors open to her, everything was normal. Where was this block supposed to be?  She paused in her inward exploring…perhaps there was something there, a dark, still little spot in her sub-consciousness. Alice turned her full focus on that spot and found that there was indeed an unexplored place there.  She pushed against it gently, experimenting.  It wasn’t strong - the barrier resisted her briefly and then it was abruptly gone without warning. Alice gasped as an electric flood ran up her fingers and stopped in the palms of her hands, tingling furiously. Her hands felt warm, like she held them before an open flame. It was the same tingling warmth that occurred when she touched the threads, but this time it was on the other side of her skin.

            Her eyes snapped open; the skin on the palms of her hands was glowing.

“What the…”

            “Don’t worry,” Ambrose said, watching her hungrily. “It’s a normal side effect. Magnificent. I haven’t seen an in-taking in years.”

            “What happens now?” Alice stared at her hands suspiciously, sure that a person’s body parts were not meant to glow regardless of the circumstance.

            “Take my hands and I’ll do the rest. Whatever happens, just relax and don’t fight me.”

            That’s reassuring.  Alice shut her eyes tightly as Ambrose took her hands.  His fingers were cold, and she suppressed a shiver.  Soon the warm tingles began to retreat, slowly draining from her palms to the ends of her fingers, until they were gone completely, leaving her hands chilly. She felt Ambrose’s hands grow warmer, and opened her eyes to see that the glow had transferred to him.He released her, breathing deeply in ecstasy.

“At last! It’s been years since my last Sorceress was drained. How long I’ve waited!”  He regarded his hands with a fierce happiness. “These hands,” he said softly. “They have woven spells beyond your wildest dreams, patterns that encompass the whole earth. These hands have created life, they have moved mountains, they have drained seas dry.  They have raised the dead and healed the dying.”

            Alice stared at him, horrified. When she glanced at Azura the older woman’s face had gone ashen. Ambrose continued speaking, his eyes gazing at something far away, and Alice thought he must be in another time, maybe even another world. His face was set in a mask of savage joy.

“How long has it been since I have wielded true power? I could scarce remember this feeling.  This glorious feeling! It’s as if I and the world were new again. I am creating life with my brother. Ah…if only he’d not stolen Zeus’ fire! Zeus!”  Ambrose lowered his hands and glared around the room in angry confusion.  “How could he do it? Cast me down to this place; strip away all that I am.”

            Alice stepped forward cautiously, daring to touch his shoulder, flinching back when he spun around.

“Ambrose please…Maya…you promised.” She gestured to the still form on the bed.

Ambrose stared at Alice blankly, and she wondered, with a sinking in her stomach, if she’d made a terrible mistake.  Then his face fell and he bowed his head, turning away from her to the bed where Maya lay. With a sigh he placed his hands over her neck, his palms glowing brighter still.

            Alice would always remember it like this: it was as if someone had videotaped the damage done to Maya’s neck and then played it back in slow motion, in reverse. They watched in astonishment as the flesh seemed to knit itself back together, moving in slow, rippling motions. Alice nearly had to turn away, it was so unnatural looking, but she forced herself to look. She should watch how he did it. What if she had to do it someday?

Finally, Ambrose raised his hands, fingers splayed, and looked at his work.  Her neck was whole again, stained with dried blood. Alice spotted a sparkle of magic as it made its way up Ambrose’s arm. It traveled over his shoulder and up his throat, making the skin just below his chin glow eerily. He leaned over Maya, parting her lips with gentle fingers. Then Alice watched in astonishment as he opened his lips and blew steadily into the girl’s mouth. There was a subtle glow in his breath, a sparkle, and Alice shrieked as Maya’s still form suddenly jumped. The girl’s entire body twitched.

            “This isn’t sleeping beauty,” Ambrose said grimly as he stood back, “So ready yourself. It won’t be pleasant.”

Tired of waiting? Threads is available for $2.99 (link is on my profile).