Ravish Me, Oh Great Wizard King!!!

Night had just firmly ensconced its great haunches up and down the western coastline of the great state of California.  It was one of those September nights that were starting to get a little bit chilly even though the heat of the afternoon was still radiating from the stone pavers in the garden.   

The group stepping through the portal from a warm muggy bog found the difference quite dramatic. 

They had left early Thursday morning right at pre-dawn twilight and had landed in California Thursday night, right before dusk.  The time difference was always discombobulating, to say the least.

Mira led them through the back garden past the paved patio. 

"Nellie.  Turn on the lights."  Mira called out to the house computer. 

Instantly, the lights flooded the kitchen area. 

Theo's eyes popped.  He knew the Queen was a powerful Glockomancer, but this was the first time he had seen her magik in action. 

Daran and Erick were not as impressed.  They had been here for about ten days and knew about the house demon named Nelly that did what Mira told her to do.

"Please lay Zander on the couch."  She indicated towards the leather covered bed.  "Erick and Daran, you guys know where your rooms are.  Can you please show Theo to his room?  It would be the green room at the top of the stairs.  You guys can change into California wear now that you're back in the USA."

As the men trooped up the stairs, she ran to the storage area where her parents kept all the medical supplies. 

It didn't take long to drag all the equipment she needed out to the living room.  Until Zander got better, the couch would be his bed and the entire living room would be his bedroom. 

She began setting up an IV for him, and while the saline solution was dripping into his body, she extracted a vial of his blood. 

"Nellie, analyze this blood for me please."  She placed the tube into the kitchen analyzer and waited for Nellie to do her work.  Meanwhile, she ran back to check on Zander's condition. 

His heart seemed to be beating steadily.  His blood pressure was stable.  His lungs sounded clear. 

He was not sleeping normally though. 

It seemed as if he was still unconscious, but at the moment, Mira was content to just let him lie there.  Sleep was good for his body, as it seemed as if he had not been allowed much sleep during captivity.

She touched his fingers and toes. They were cold to the touch so she piled a quilt over him. 

His lips were starting to turn blueish.  Not a good sign. 

He needed more oxygen. 

As Mira rushed around getting the necessary equipment set up for the nasal cannula, the men came down from their bedrooms. 

They had changed out of their Ashryan robes into jeans and Hard Rock Cafe tee-shirts.  Strange features and hair color not withstanding, they looked almost normal.  Even Theo got in on the act and was wearing one of Erick's outfits although the jeans were far too short. 

Mira shook her head.  They didn't have enough clothing.  As soon as things calmed down a bit, she needed to take them shopping for new clothes.

Just then, Nellie announced the blood results in her sterile voice. 

"Blood analysis completed." 

Mira took a deep breath.  She was almost afraid of what she would find.

The tablet's notification alert sounded as the report for the blood analysis hit the screen.  Mira began scrolling through and reading the values. 

The more she read, the paler she got.

"Nellie.  Save this blood analysis under Baby and create drug treatment."

"Saving blood analysis under Baby.  Drug treatment being processed."

"Zander is hooked up to all these tiny tubes."  Erick scrutinized the set up Mira had done for Zander.  "I don't remember ever having this many tubes stuck on me.  Is he badly hurt?"

"He's not doing great.  His kidneys are damaged.  His liver is damaged.  His pancreas is damaged.  He has elevated blood proteins and he's not getting enough oxygen."  Mira shook her head.  "His body's a mess."

"Can he be helped?"  Erick looked over at his cousin with anxious eyes.

"Of course.  It will take awhile, but I am going to do all that I can."

Nellie chose this moment to announce.  "Drug treatment has been created for Baby.  Would you like the drugs to be delivered today?"

"Yes.  As soon as possible please."

"Drug treatment sent to pharmacy.  Medication will be available for pick-up within one hour, or you can have it drone-delivered in approximately two hours."

"I can't wait that long.  I have to go pick up his medicine.  Have the pharmacy get my package ready for pick-up."

"Baby? Is that what you're calling Zander?" Erick asked.

"Yes, 'cause he's my Babe."

Erick rubbed his jaw.  "Would he eventually turn into your Toddler?"

Mira shook her head.  "No.  He will always be my Baby."

"But he's big."

"Yep.  He's my big baby."

Erick grimaced.  He wanted to be her baby too…

"I have to go to the pharmacy to pick up Zander's medicine.  Want to come along with me?  I'll get you some gummy bears."  Mira asked with a knowing smile. 

Since they were mind-bonded, she knew he had been rather disappointed that she had not given him any cute nick names.  Perhaps a small trip out to see the sights and to buy his favorite candy would distract him from his tiny petulance.

Erick grinned with excitement.  Well that certainly worked to cheer him up.

She threw a lazy look at the other men.  "One of you have to stay home and keep an eye on Zander.  Who wants to stay home?"

Nobody wanted to stay home.

"Fine.  Daran, since you've been out and about this city the last time you were here, you get to stay home so Theo can look around a bit." 

She took a close look at the guys.  "But before we go…you…" she pointed at Erick.  "Sit down here." 

She pulled a dining chair out and made him sit. 

Before he realized what was happening, Mira had grabbed a brush and began brushing his waist-length peacock blue hair.  Erick's aquamarine eyes shimmered as he sat, enjoying the attention she was giving him.

With deft movements, Mira tied his hair back into a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck.  Then she shoved a black baseball cap on his head. 

"There we go.  You need to hide your looks a bit.  You attract too much attention Erick."

"Ugh.  That's what Raphael Summer always tells me." Erick wrinkled up his nose.

"I can put an ugly aura on him for ya."  Daran guffawed.

"Nah.  It's ok Daran.  Erick's a super fine guy, but it's not his face that's the problem.  It's his blue hair.  It really sticks out too much."

"Does 'super fine' mean I'm better than just 'regular fine'?"

Mira laughed. "Super fine means super handsome."

"Oh so you think I'm super handsome."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

Erick looked thrilled to hear her say that, but Theo was still stuck on the blue hair comment.

"No one has blue hair on Azure?"  Theo's jaw dropped.  "Then who rules here?"

Mira laughed.  "Hair color is not the criteria for leading a kingdom.  You can have any color hair as long as you are competent.  You can even be bald as long as you know what you're doing." 

To that, Daran's eyes shined as he rubbed his bald head.

"Daran, didn't I tell you to stop putting a spell on your head to keep it bald?"

"But My Queen…I like bald.  I hate to shave my head every few days."

"Daran.  If you let it grow out, will you have a full head of hair like…" she looked over at Erick, "like him?"

Daran glanced at Erick and nodded.  "Yes, but it wouldn't be blue."

"What color would it be?"

"Orange."

"Orange???  Does Carol know you are a ginger?"

Daran stared at her blankly.  "What's a ginger?"

"Never mind." 

She looked over at Theo.  "You, my good man, have a different problem.  Although you've done a good job trimming all your facial hair, your biggest problem is your nose."

"What's wrong with my nose?" 

"It's kinda dog-nose looking."

Theo gave her a dry look.

"No, I'm serious.  No one is going to understand that you're a warg.  They are just going to scream and yell and go crazy because they've never seen a real life werewolf before."

"A what?"

"A werewolf…like…hmmm.  Nellie, show me a picture of a werewolf."

"Searching for image of werewolf."  Nellie obliged.

Within two seconds, a picture of an old movie titled Werewolf flashed onto the large television screen against one wall of the living room.

Theo stared at it with macabre interest.  "I don't look that bad, do I?  That man looks positively rabid!"

"No Theo," Mira laughed.  "You're actually one of the best looking men I've ever met. It's just your nose can't be shown in public, so you will have to wear a glamour spell and hide it.

Theo grimaced.  "I like my nose."

"So do I but to go and mingle in public, you need a human nose."

"Rangtahnhaokan." 

Theo spoke the Glamour Command with some reluctance. 

Immediately, a very human-looking Theo with a very human nose appeared before Mira.

"Wow.  You look great!"

"Thanks." He said with great reluctance.

Mira returned to Zander's side and touched his face.  His fever had dropped considerably and he was sleeping again.  His body was responding to even the basic treatments she was giving him.  It was a good sign.

She kissed his brow.  "Hang in there, Baby.  I'm going to get some medicine for you.  I'll be right back." 

On the way to the pharmacy, Mira had to drive really slowly so that Theo could take in the neighborhood.  His eyes popped every time he saw something strange…like a bicyclist or a drive-thru fast-food diner. 

The pharmacy that dispensed the drugs she needed was also a drive-thru so they actually got a chance to see what drive-thru pickup was. 

Then, just to give them a bit more drive-thru experience, she picked up dinner at the local hamburger joint. 

By the time they got home, Theo was completely blown away.  He was so culture-shocked that he said nothing until they walked in through the door.

"Did you see that woman inside the dining hall?  She had no clothes on!"

Mira turned to him with a puzzled expression on her face until she suddenly remembered that the hamburger drive-thru was right next to a local pool and there was a woman wearing a string bikini who had walked into the diner.

To someone who had never seen a string bikini before, it would look as if the woman had nothing on.

As soon as the food was placed on the table, Theo ooh'd and ahh'd over the shape of the long sticks of fried potatoes that were called French fries for some reason. 

He sucked the large soda with gusto and pulled out all the lettuce and tomatoes from the hamburger before wolfing down the rest of the mega-sized burger. 

Daran and Erick ate their meals in silence.  They had gotten used to eating plenty of fast food during their previous stay here.  It tasted better than Mira's cooking at least.

Mira was by Zander's side, measuring out dosages of medicines into little Dixie cups.  She had written the time and dates on each cup with a little sharpie and lined them up in nice neat rows on a tray.   

There were half a dozen pills in various colors he needed to take a couple of times a day, not to mention two injections each day to slow-release certain medicines into his body and to help reduce his inflammation to ease his pain. 

It was going to be a rough week for Zander.