"What the Hell happened to you two? And where have you been? We've been worried sick about you both.." Ebony tended to Jesse's swollen and bloody tongue.
He tried to speak but the pain was immeasurable and just spat out more blood instead.
Tobias was holding his broken hand in a bucket of ice. "Long story short, that High Sage Atlas kidnapped me and wanted me to talk, Jesse came to get me and bit his tongue."
"That was very stupid of you." Ebony rolled her eyes whilst rinsing his mouth gently.
"He also broke my hand."
Jesse could only glare at Tobias, he was too exhausted to move, he just wanted to punch him.
Anthony stood in the doorway watching them. "Look, guys, I'm really sorry. This is all my fault. This is exactly what you all tried to warn me about."
Ebony shook her head. "You didn't do this to them, this is what a corrupt system looks like. When powerful people are scared they get desperate, then people get hurt, even more so when magic is involved."
"Magic?" Dan asked behind Anthony.
Anthony's eyes widened, he turned around. Dan was standing behind him. "How long have you been standing there?"
"About as long as you have. Did I hear that right?"
The Medical bay went quiet.
Anthony took a step back and pulled Dan into the room and closed the door behind.
"What's going on?"
Everything was silent, nobody knew what to say until Ebony gave Tobias and Anthony a look, she finished with Jesse, handing him a small white pill. "Let it dissolve on your tongue and the swelling will go down in about five minutes."
She moved over to Tobias, snapping on a fresh pair of gloves and taking his hand out of the ice bucket.
Anthony seemed nervous, he took a deep breath.
"Dan, you're my best friend, right?"
"Always have been."
"You trust me, right?"
"With my life." Dan smiled.
"Look, magic...Exists."
Dan chuckled "You're all in on this, huh?"
"We're not lying, Dan." Anthony sighed.
"I don't quite believe you."
Anthony snapped his fingers on both hands and produced two flames, he twisted and twirled the flames that danced into the palm of his hands, they withered into Lotus flowers. It was extraordinary to watch.
Dan's eyes were fixated on the flames that turned into flowers. "So… That's how you pull off all those little stunts of yours."
Anthony looked uneasy "So…?"
"So?" Dan raised a brow.
"So, what's your reaction? You don't look mad or scared."
"Why would I? This doesn't change anything about you, you're still the same guy...Just magic… Same guy you always have been."
"That wasn't the reaction I was expecting…" Jesse said mumbled in pain.
"I said from the very beginning that this would happen. The High Sages made everyone fear nothing for Centuries." Anthony couldn't help but smile to himself.
Ebony raised a brow as she felt the bones around Tobias' hand. "You...Really aren't bothered?"
"I don't see why I should have any problem with something that doesn't affect me or you guys have no control over."
Tobias made a yelping noise which attracted everybody's attention. Ebony rolled her eyes and applied a cast around his hand. "I told you not to move, this is delicate."
Tobias sulked and snatched his arm away once she was done.
"Geez, remind me not to get treated by you again. I think that was more painful than breaking it in the first place."
"You're Welcome, Tobias."
Jesse sat up on the bed, though he was still very weak and frail. "Anthony, I don't think you understand what this means. You were right."
"But this is Dan. We've been best friends for years."
"Honestly, I'm more offended that you kept that a secret from me for this long." Dan leaned against the wall.
"I wanted to tell you but I didn't want to lose any of you guys here."
"Friends come and go. Moral's are something that you can change for the better."
Anthony smiled, a weight was just lifted from his shoulders and he was happy to breathe. "Thank you."
"So," Dan ran his hand through his hair. "Just you guys that are magic?"
"Clarabelle and Ashe are too."
"The new guy and the new girl?"
Anthony nodded. "Ashe is an Elemental, Clarabelle is a Siren so be careful around her."
"Rich coming from you."
"I have a type and she ain't it."
Tobias smirked as he watched them like he knew something he shouldn't.
"We should probably bring them in here to talk, let them know what happened." Anthony gestured for Dan to follow him out the door.
Ebony put her Medical equipment in the sink and began to sterilize them carefully. "What put that smile on your face?"
"Me?" Jesse raised a brow.
"No." She nodded to Tobias. "Him."
Tobias gently rested his hand on his lap. "Nothing gets past me… Well, some things do."
"That didn't answer Ebony's question."
"Well, it isn't the Siren that caught Ant's attention."
Ebony stopped cleaning and turned to look at Tobias. "What do you mean?"
"He's got a thing for someone else."
"... Dan?"
"Nah." Tobias grinned. "Ant thinks Dan's too muscular."
"Ashe?" Ebony asked.
"Bullseye."
Jesse was taken by surprise. "Anthony doesn't strike me as the sort of person to swing both ways."
Ebony gave a toothy grin. "Oh, you don't know Ant too well then."
"What about this... Ashe?"
"Gay. That's why he ran away from home. His parents didn't accept him." Tobias shrugged.
"Poor thing." Ebony's smile faded.
"I think a helpful hand from Cupid might speed up the process."
"No." Ebony spoke sternly. "No meddling. You let them figure it out for themselves."
"What if they don't?"
"Then that's for them to deal with. Not us."
Tobias mumbled something under his breath.
Ebony raised a brow. "I mean it, no meddling. Got it?"
Jesse and Tobias spoke in a chorus. "Yes, Ebony."
A few minutes later Anthony walked back in with Dan, Ashe and Clarabelle in tow.
Dan's curiosity had gotten the better of him, he had been asking questions the entire duration of the walk and still asking questions as they walked in. "So what about Jedi powers, are they a thing too?"
Anthony raised a brow "As in Star Wars?"
"Yeah!"
"Wouldn't know, haven't seen the movies."
Dan stared at him and whispered. "Oh my god, you lied to me."
Clarabelle rolled her eyes. "What did you drag us here for?"
"I don't know how to explain this delicately…" Jesse pondered for a few moments.
Anthony, however, did. "It's all gone to shi-"
Ebony growled. "Anthony!"
Jesse sighed, "He's technically not wrong." he looked at Clarabelle and Ashe. "The High Sages are planning something, what exactly we're not too sure, but we're probably not safe and they're more than likely going to try and have us killed."
Anthony nodded. "As a precaution we're moving to France so that Atlas has no jurisdiction over us and we can get a clean getaway from here."
Ashe tilted his head and spoke with hesitation. "How are we going to do that? Do you have a Teleporter?"
Anthony snorted. "I wish, that'd make life a lot easier. No, we're going to pull an all nighter."
"We?" Jesse raised a brow.
"Yes. We work as a team to save each other's skin. Usually the rest of my performers here would help but I'm not risking them. Dan is going to go and let everyone know so they can prepare, but tonight we go outside, bring the tents down and gear up, then we go. Everyone on board?"
"Wait." Clarabelle nervously scratched at the back of her hand. "The High Sages are planning to out Mages. What are we going to do about that?"
"They asked you to break the story, right?" Jesse asked.
"Yes."
"Then that probably means they're all in on it."
Tobias raised a brow. "What are you getting at?"
"Oh no." Anthony shook his head. "Please tell me you aren't thinking what I think you are."
Jesse nodded. "If you can't beat them, join them."
"Join the people who thought they killed me and are trying to kill you guys?"
"No." Jesse rubbed at his jaw, the swelling of his tongue had gone but the pain was still there. "Anthony, you are a Showman by trade, you're naturally gifted in the spotlight. I have an idea that might stop the High Sages from letting loose lips sink ships."
Ebony rejoined them and sat back in her seat. "How do you plan on doing that?"
"I've worked for the High Sages personally for the past ten years. I know their routines, I know their personalities and I know their habits. So I know that because myself and Tobias escaped them, that a search will be put out for us at any cost. Not only that but Clarabelle will be on their radar too."
"So will he." Tobias gestured to Ashe.
"What?"
Ashe paled and became shy. He just wanted to curl up into his hoodie and become invisible.
"I um… Haven't been completely honest with you all." He spoke softly.
"Well?" Ebony's tone soured. "What is it?"
"The High Sages are looking for me too. You see, I'm… Classed as a missing person."
They stared at him, not knowing what to do, what to say or what to think.
Tobias nodded. "He's the son of the High Sage of Australia."
Jesse immediately jumped from the bed. "That's you?!"
Ashe flinched at his reaction and held his hands tightly against his chest as a way to somehow to defend himself.
"I don't believe it." Jesse shook his head. "I've been told about you for weeks but I never imagined it would be you. The High Sages think the Mortal's killed you."
"They… They do?"
"They're just speculations, since you vanished and haven't been seen since."
"I promise you that I'm still alive."
Anthony grew a smile, a cunning and mischievous smile that could only mean trouble. "Does that mean you know about the in's and out's of how the High Sages work and what they're going to do?"
Ashe calmed down and shrugged. "I suppose, but I don't talk to my family anymore."
"Ashe, if you can talk to your family again and get inside knowledge where Jesse can't, we can be one step ahead of them. They're going to try and reveal Mages to Mortal's regardless, so what we can do is beat them at their own game like Jesse said and do it ourselves."
"No." Clarabelle spoke sharply. "Revealing us to Mortal's isn't going to bring anything good. That's why the High Sages want to do it, they know the outcome will be bad and will more than likely turn out with them trying to overthrow the Mortal's."
"Not if we do it in the right way."
"If you're so sure of that, reveal yourself to your crew."
Anthony was stunned into silence, he watched her for a few moments before speaking, his tone had shifted from uplifting to solemn. "My performers?"
"Yes. If you're that confident that Mortal's will accept you, you take the first step."
All eyes were on Anthony, he didn't want to admit that his hypocrisy wasn't doing him any justice, so he nodded. "Okay. You're right."