Dago stared at his whiteboard in silence as he stood in the library. He had ideas brewing in his head but no idea what to do. All he could think about was what James was doing with Bellatrix.
Bellatrix Lastrade.
She was the one that was supposed to kill him. She looked nothing like the killer he had thought she would be. She seemed like a confused, innocent more innocent then Dago let alone James.
"She's a pretty girl huh?" James said behind him.
Dago tried to frown but he couldn't help smiling. "She's beautiful girl. Top ten." He said.
"I wouldn't say all that bullshit. Mara is a top ten. Bellatrix is more a seven at best in my eyes. Not that much to look at beyond a pretty face and no ass." James said blunt.
Dago rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder at James. "What are you going to do with her? Are you going to kill her?" He said.
James frowned. "I told you what I was going to do when or if she showed her ass up here around you. She's in training right now. She's a wild animal. She's not innocent. She'll never be that. That's her fate." He said.
Dago sighed. "Has she killed anyone yet?" He said.
James shook his head. "Not yet. It doesn't matter though. She's still dangerous. She has to be trained so we can avoid her becoming someone I will burn to dust." He said.
Dago stared at him. "Can you show me what she did to me?" He asked him.
James stared at him folding his arms cross his chest. "Why do you want to see that?" He asked.
"I don't want to see it. I trust you James. I know you love me and have done a lot to protect me. I would do the same for you. But-" He said and paused as mirror appeared behind James back.
Dago watched in silence the battle at last day of Hawks Landing. He stared at the image of at his body parts on the floor of the library while Bellatrix was crying bathed in his blood from her claws and mouth. He nodded. "Alright that's enough."
The mirror disappeared. Dago stared at James. "I'm sorry you've had to live with that for so long. I know how much you hate her now. I can understand your rage at her." He said.
James shook his head. "I don't hate Bellatrix. I just understand well what the hell she is. Bellatrix is an animal. She's got good qualities but she's still hybrid were-creature. I spent a lot of time researching were-creatures and the troubles they have and magical bones of mating they have for their partners. If there is going to be a future with for you two-" He said.
"There isn't going to be a future." Dago said immediately shaking his head and looking at his whiteboard. "I don't want to associate with that kind of creature. Nothing is going to happen between us-"He said.
"It doesn't work that way with magical mating magic." James said bluntly. "If you to hadn't met. If you hadn't seen her then you both would have had a chance to live relatively normal lives but now that you both met finally there is no stopping it. You can't stop the fate that is tied between you two and I didn't show you what happened to change your mind or anything because it won't change shit. I'm just stepping in a little to keep things smooth because you my bro. I got to protect you." He said.
"James. I said what I said. I have no intention on aligning myself with the person that did that to you." He said.
James shook his head holding up a finger. "She didn't anything to me bro and she really didn't have control over herself. She needs to learn control. That's why I'm going to train her to gain control." James said.
Dago shook his head. "I said what I said mate. She is your business not mean. Let her go or save her. I don't care either way." He said.
"Save her?! What the hell is this bullshit image you and Mara have in your damned heads about me? I am not a hero. I'm not putting foot up her ass for any pleasure or sense of honor. I'm doing it to settle her down for you." James said.
Dago sighed tiredly but he shook his head. "Nothing you've done or how many people you've terminated is going to convince me that you are as evil as that asshole Nick Cole and Bellatrix can be. You've never randomly gone after people that didn't first come after you or your people. You are still are a good man. No matter what the hell you've been through you're a man of honor." He said.
"This bullshit again. All I do is put my foot through any husk ass that comes at me or my people. That doesn't mean I'm a honorable or a good man. It's just means I'm reasonable. I have a right to protect myself and my people from any asshole looking to run rough rider on me and mean. I'll stomp them out first." James said.
Dago stared at nothing until a slow smile formed on his lips. "I and many of your people disagree your highness." He said with a bow.
"Ah shit. Don't start with that shit bro. We're just having a conversation." James said.
Dago studied him. "Your Highness The Prince of Enchanters was in full effect today. Mara didn't notice what you were saying to her."
James froze and stared at his friend's back with one raised eyebrow. "Oh. Your on one today I see. You only call me that shit when your in a mood to laugh in my face or tease me. What's the problem or strategy your trying to solve for?" James asked.
Dago looked at him. "I don't know. I've been thinking about what you said and about making something new. I've been staring at the board a bit blank about what to do about next. We need a big idea to push the advance of what we're doing here mate. I just don't have a clue where to begin again. You got any ideas?" He asked
James grimaced shaking his head. "No big ideas. That will only have that asshole Cole up my ass or everybody else in this damned world. Think smaller. Something useful. You've been reading the journals. What was the one thing we didn't do it?" He asked.
Dago shook his head head sighing. "I don't know Mate. We did a damn a lot of stuff from what I read. We could do more but most of that shit was dependent on you starting with an idea or we were bouncing ideas off each other." He said.
James nodded. "Yeah. Let me think. Hmm. It has been quiet. Alright let's-"
"Wait the constructs restraining items you made for Bellatrix. Tell me. Besides restraining her what other purposes can they serve?"
James shook his head. "The purpose of constructs isn't prenatally constraining her it's to train her and put her into a mental space we can deal with. But I guess they can be modified to serve to….holy shit!" He said as images and ideas popped into his head and surfaced to the forefront of his mind started coming to him. He started blinking rapidly.
Dago got out his wand at his whiteboard. "Go ahead. Just tell me the idea as they come to you." He said.
James nodded. "Yeah. Uh. Modified Construct number 3. Spell armor empower body for lifting and carrying objects larger then body mass. Damn I can't think of the right combination of spells for each armor part of the set." He said.
"Don't. I'll get Mara to come up with something. Keep going James." Dago said and encouraged him.
"Construct Number 4. Fencing area expanded with wards, multiplying the length of the area in combination with sword spell clones area is coded. Construct 5 glass house modified mini dimensional forest realm. Holy shit. Why didn't I think of that shit until now of course a glass house forest realm. That's how I could I recreate the forest area. No. Wait I could enchanted forest. Yeah." He said speaking almost to himself.
Mara came into the library quietly as James was lost in thought staring off into nothing while Dago waved her over silently motioning to her to about the figures while James became lost in thought frowning talking to himself as he tried to work out a problem.
Dago took notes of what he was saying while Mara worked quietly to figure out how to spell engineer the right combination of spells for the armor. She was cursing silently to herself as she kept wiping the board because the ideas she was jotting down weren't working.
James was jolted out of his thoughts because of Mara's cursing. He walked over for stalling her hand and then lifted his glowing misty hand to his head. He closed his eyes and then pointed two fingers to the whiteboard and a detailed image of advanced glowing armor appeared.
He opened his eyes frowning at the image folding his arms across his chest. "It's not good enough." He said.
Mara and Dago stared at the image. Dago shook his head. "Seems a good enough visual aid mate. Can you make it?" He asked.
James shook his head. "No. The constructs for Bellatrix training were hard enough for me to make as is. I wanted to add the spell theory formula for it but I can't." He said.
Mara grimaced. "What the hell are you training her for? Are you going to use her as a soldier in your army of soldiers?" She said.
James stared at the board. He started to lift his hand to wipe it away and the image started to disappear. Dago took hold of his hand and the image stop disappearing.
"Mara. His highness has said the matter is settled. You will not mention anything regarding that woman or anything else his Highness is doing regarding his personal business unless he asks your opinion in those matters. Is that understood?" Dago said coldly.
Mara froze and then looked at James face. "I told you. Two words. Court affairs. You don't have to explain anything to me after those words or why you feel the need to avoid saying things." He said.
James said. "I don't like using that card on you. You have a right to question me-" He said.
"Not about Court affairs." Mara said. "It's just hard for me to get used to when you switch from being James to being His Royal Highness. Prince of Enchanters." She said.
"Damn it." James said. "Anyway just like I was saying. I don't know the proper words for it so you'll have to help Dago and me out figuring out the right spell!" He said.
"Can you put it back fully so we can make an analysis of your mental projection?" Mara said.
James put the drawing back and stared at it. "This is going to tricky. We can work on this on the side. But the other constructs can be built first." He said.
Dago nodded. "That's what we'll will do?" He said. "Can you explain how you use your type of magic." He said.
James grimaced. "That is a bit complicated. It's a combination of several methods of known magic and the change that has taken place in me." He said.
Mara nodded. "Better question would be are you using any kind of magic at all?" She said.
James shrugged. "Well to put it simply I am like Merlin. I'm not the strongest magi or wizard right now. I am just different." He said.
Dago nodded. "Well your Highness you have given us a lot to go on here for a couple of damn weeks if not months." He said.
"Would you stop it with all that his Highness bullshit. Alright for the damn reports to Cole keep it simple. Just give him a general summery of this conversation." He said.
Dago frowned at him. "Are you sure we have to-" He said.
"Yes. I've been able to keep Cole off my ass and off my land because I've been transparent enough." He said.
Mara stared at him. "Does he know about the heir to Merlin?" She said.
James nodded. "Yes of course. He's made a show of respecting me but it's all bullshit. Reality is the title doesn't matter much in the modern times and he's only gotten more powerful then me over the years. I still have decades to go before I'll be able to catch up with him." He said.
Dago stared at him. "You are the Prince of Enchanters. The kind of shit you've done sense you've gotten out of school is wicked. It's damn impressive to me." He said.
James smiled. "Power is power. Creating wonders and doing amazing things doesn't amount to shit. I've spent three years kicking shit heads asses and I learned that these assholes. It's the only thing that kept them back from us. Everything we create Cole or someone else will take credit for it as a bribe to keep him as his masters away." He said.
Dago shook his head. "Then why do any of this?" He said.
James laughed. "Because doing it is fun. Your genius Dago. You've come from a long line of genius and brilliant wizards. I appreciate your mind and brilliance." He said.
Dago stared at him. "If the world was different. If they allowed you to create would-" He said.
"I would hang up my peacemaker and make up for every shitty battle I had to endure just keep those assholes back and away from me. But, that isn't the case. Dago. I'm not disappointed with my life. I'm happy I figured out away to keep what little we have of Hawks Landing alive." He said.
An alarm went off in the library. James smiled as he turned as saw magical windows popping up in front of them of images of a large group of giant feline big cats and tall females advancing quickly at high speeds toward the main houses on the ranch.
"Who the hell are they?" Dago asked.
"That's a good bro. That might be another thing we can work on for later." Mara said and took a hold of James shoulder. "Honey what are we going to do?" She said.
"Interesting. You and Dago can work on something here on possible identifying them. I wonder why their here. Well It's time we starting getting into it. Tell dad to meet me out front." He said and disappeared.