Ellery let out a growl of apology. He certainly hadn’t wanted to vomit on Dra’Kaedan, but it had happened so fast, he didn’t get the chance to aim it anywhere else let alone stop it.
“So, we know the potion is a step in the right direction,” Aleksander stated. “Where do we go from here? I imagine Chrys and Elf are anxious to have the results repeated as soon as possible.”
“Let’s talk about simulations,” Delaney said. “The more we increase the potency, the more dangerous it is for Elf. It’s going to be very important that we move forward carefully.”
“This is essentially where the teamwork begins. We know there are side effects. The way you lurched over to the table, Elf, tells us you aren’t feeling very well. The stronger the potion, the sicker you’ll become. So, it’s going to be imperative that you tell us honestly how you’re doing. We can’t counteract or alter the potion to make it better if you downplay your symptoms,” Vadimas warned.
Ellery wasn’t one to complain, but he understood it was for his benefit to speak openly with the sorcerers. He gave a bob of his head to assure them he understood their concerns. There wasn’t anything he’d do to jeopardize the process.
“We think it’d be best if we gave Elf about an hour or so more to recover. Then we’ll give you the mixture again with a five percent increase in strength. Our group would certainly never do anything to intrude upon a matebond, but we’re going to need to spend whatever time you get discussing your side effects, Elf,” T’Eirick stated.
“How long do you think he’ll have with that increase?” Chrysander asked.
“Honestly, we don’t have a clue. The simulator can show us the consequences of drinking it, but it displayed a very low percentage of this working at all. We’re going to have to proceed as if the simulator doesn’t exist when it comes to figuring out what the right balance is,” Saura explained. “We knew it was a long shot, but we’re essentially working blind with Elf’s unique body chemistry. Your elven tribe is also foreign to the majority of blood samples the Council elves have provided as part of the ongoing Spectra Wizardry DNA database.”
“Not that many of them have been helpful,” Vadimas muttered. “If we had a broader spectrum of elves, we might be further along in this battle.”
“What if we contacted Chieftain Fen-Lynthi again and asked if any of Elf’s former tribe might be willing to donate samples?” Zane asked.
“We’ve all sent him numerous notes. They were ignored but perhaps if Chrys were to send something again, he’d listen,” Saura replied.
“Consider it done. I’ve already tried to bribe him, but I can increase my offer. I hope he’ll be receptive to that,” Chrysander commented.
“It may not make any difference, or it might unlock more time. We simply don’t know. With His Majesty’s elven side no longer being attacked, Grigori is working on isolating those cells and boosting them, so to speak,” Vadimas responded.
“I’m finding it a bit alarming that we got Elf back for a few minutes, but none of you seem happy,” Damian remarked.
Chander let out a sigh. “Here’s the deal. We’ve been busting our asses for six months, and we got a few minutes with Elf. We’ve tried thousands of combinations—both in the simulator and pouring it into His Majesty. Our goal has always been a cure. A single potion or even a couple that would bring him back to normal. The reality is, that may never happen. The best we may be able to do is give him treatments to allow him some time as an elf.”
“When you say ‘some time as an elf,’ are we talking about a few minutes a day or what?” Chrysander asked, his voice rough with emotion.
“I know we can do better than a few minutes a day. We absolutely can. It may take five percent of this potion, or we might find ourselves tweaking it a couple of hundred more times. The one thing we aren’t going to do is give up. While we would’ve liked to hand you a cure, right now we need to focus on getting the most time for the two of you to be together. Once we get there, we can redirect our efforts and see if we can’t inch toward a permanent solution,” Dra’Kaedan said.
Ellery was disheartened to hear that Sorcery D’Vaire wasn’t optimistic about curing him, but a treatment was good enough. If he got time with Chrysander, he would drink potions or have them shot into his veins. He wanted a life, and life as a dragon was much too limited.
“I think we’ll feel better if we can give you guys more than a hug and a kiss before Elf returns to a dragon,” Renny added. “If we can force his dragon back for a couple of hours at this point, we’ll all slap smiles on our faces. Until we do that, we’re still failing at our mission.”
With a growl, Ellery turned to Chrysander to say something. His mate picked up on his distress and stroked his scales.
“You haven’t failed,” Chrysander stated succinctly. “Failure would be taking the approach that Oklin did. His simulator showed it was impossible to reverse the potion. He gave up. Walked away. Instead, the only thing you have tossed aside is your own lives. You’ve worked around the clock for six months now trying to restore Ell. I know I lost my shit there for a few minutes. I never meant to make you feel like you’ve failed. This situation just pushes me over the edge sometimes. I’m more grateful than I can put into words for what you’ve done for us. A cure would’ve been great, but a treatment isn’t that much of a step backward. We certainly aren’t going to complain.”
“I’m the most powerful sorcerer on the planet. I have two different types of magic inside me. I’ve always thought with enough study, anything was possible. Since I met the men and woman around me, we put together a group where it seemed like we could manage the unachievable. It’s rather humbling to stare at a problem for six months and feel like you have taken only baby steps toward fixing something so heinous as two mates forced to essentially live apart. Close enough to touch but not really. No conversation,” Chander managed, his tone low and vibrating with anger. “This can’t be a century-long struggle. It needs to be fixed, and it needs to be yesterday.”
“Beating yourself up doesn’t change a damn thing, and I’m just as unwilling to allow you to continue it,” Chrysander shot back.
“Thank you. I’ve been saying that for months,” Alaric groused.
Chander’s jaw locked, and his pewter eyes were wet. “It’s killing me. I can see your face, Chrys. I know it’s slowly destroying you. Elf, I’m sure it’s the same for you, although it’s harder to see in dragon form. Shit, I feel guilty even being around my own mate knowing the two of you can’t be together.”
“Well, if you think I’m going anywhere, you can think again, Arch Lich,” Alaric growled.
“Maybe you all need to take a step back,” Chrysander said softly. “Take a break. Recharge your batteries. Return to this fresh and calm.”
Saura stood and slapped her hands down on the table as she leaned forward. “We have our moments, Your Majesty, where it becomes overwhelming. Tears are shed for you and your beautiful mate because we understand what love is. To understand love, you must recognize heartbreak. We see it and despite our gifts from Fate, we cannot cure it. It shames us, and it beats us down because we know we can do better. Just out of reach is the weapon we need to arm Elf with to fight his dragon and win. No one is going to step back. There will be no breaks or time to collect ourselves. Do you know why? Because you’ve already been robbed of six months. When we can give you the gift of being able to openly comfort one another…when you can hold, kiss, talk, and enjoy the passion between you, we’ll rest. Then we retreat. We will not walk away from this battle. There is not one man around me who would ever consider giving any ground. Do you understand?”
Chrysander offered her a sheepish smile. “You humble me.”
“We made you a promise. We will not let you down. It may not be the way we thought it would go, but we aren’t ever going to stop trying.”
