The Demon Lord and his Hero

"So does the sage know why I was cursed to become female?"

Syryn told the blond what the sage had told him.

"A blessing?"

There was a knock on their door.

"Dinner better be good," Syryn grumbled as he walked to the door.

He opened the door and received the food from a waitress whose massive cleavage was on display. Unfortunately for her, Syryn was the gayest man alive on the island.

Taking the food from her, the mage slammed the door shut and turned around. The food in his hand nearly slipped down when he saw a third person in their room.

"Artemus," he said in a surprised hush. The window had been opened by Rowan to let in the dark-haired anti mage.

"I'm glad to see you alive and well, Syryn." A small smile graced the anti mage's lips. The bruises on his face were still colourful and painful to look at. Given the pale colour of skin, the bluish-green bruises stood out starkly. Artemus was now dressed completely in black and Syryn couldn't see any more of his injuries.

"How did you survive the sharks?" Syryn asked.

"I had a knife on me," the anti mage replied. "I blinded the sharks when they came for me."

"So it wasn't your blood that-"

"No."

Dark eyes assessed Syryn's body like he was checking for injuries. "Where were you all this time, Syryn?"

"Swimming with the mers. They kidnapped me from the ship I had boarded for passage to Coop Island."

Artemus nodded slowly. "The Captain of the Fool's Noose is languishing in a prison somewhere on Coop. I had intended to find and interrogate him about what had happened on his ship."

"Where is Robin?" Rowan asked from behind Artemus. The blond was seated on the bed; relaxed now that his friend was here alive and well.

The dark-haired anti mage turned to the blond. "Robin is gone. She's missing in action, presumably dead."

"Bella's handiwork?" Syryn asked.

"Maybe. I had to find you first, Syryn."

The mage was touched.

"We must be like family," he said to the anti mage. "For you to care this much about me."

Artemus seemed confused. "You already know how I feel about you. But yes, we are like family."

Rowan, from behind them, dropped a bomb on Artemus. "Syryn has amnesia by the way. He doesn't remember you or anything about your shared past."

"What?" The dark-haired anti mage whipped his head around to Rowan and back to Syryn.

"My memories begin on the day I was kidnapped by the mers."

Rowan had more to say. "He's also the new king of Silisia, Art."

Artemus stared at Syryn with a mixture of disbelief and awe warring for dominance on his normally expressionless face.

"Anything else?" He managed to let out after a pause.

"I... am now a water mage?" Syryn said as he looked at Rowan like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to say it.

"And he has a pet Leviathan which he lovingly calls Levia."

Artemus crossed his arms and quietly continued to stare at Syryn. He needed time to take in all the shocking things he was being told.

"You broke him," Rowan informed Syryn.

"Artemus?" Syryn stepped closer to the anti mage.

"I'm never going on a rescue mission for Syryn," Artemus finally said to the duo. "Only you, Syryn. Only you." He shook his head and turned around to join Rowan on the bed.

"Come here, Syryn," Rowan invited the mage to the bed.

Syryn sat between the anti mages.

"Tell us the story of how you reached Silisia and finally became their king."

[Can I tell them about you?]

If you trust them.

[I trust Rowan. And if he trusts Artemus then I do too.]

Tell them only what is necessary. Say nothing about the hidden memories or my past. 

"Syryn?"

"Yeah. It's a long story. Let's serve dinner and eat while I tell you all about it."

Beginning from the moment he was kidnapped, Syryn narrated the entirety of his ordeal to the anti mages. The two men listened without interrupting Syryn with questions.

"Can he see and hear everything that you can?" Artemus asked about the mage.

I can. 

"Yes, he can."

Rowan was disturbed by knowing that. There would never be any privacy between him and Syryn so long as the sage was around.

Artemus seemed to have the same thoughts. The smirk he sent Rowan was evil. He toasted the blond with a cup of wine.

"Ask him which era he was born in."

Tell your friend he asks too many questions.

"He's asking you to shut up," Syryn smilingly told Artemus.

Ask him how he pulled off the rope trick.

"Sage wants to know how you pulled off the rope trick."

Artemus was tempted to be immature about it but he resisted. "I bribed the executioner and he hung me with a rope that was sabotaged. You could have figured that out without asking about it."

Rowan chuckled. "Not everyone thinks like you, Artemus."

Artemus smiled faintly. Standing up, the anti mage placed his now empty cup of wine on a tray. He briefly glanced at the both of them in turn.

"I have to go now."

"Where?"

Artemus pulled a black cowl over his head.

"Leave the island, Rowan. Take Syryn with you and leave at dawn. There's going to be a war in Coop." Saying so, the dark-haired anti mage turned to leave through the window.

"Artemus, wait. Explain yourself. I'm not letting you leave without an explanation."

Hands on the window sill, Artemus looked back at Rowan.

"I'm starting a war against the Queensmen. I have to see it through before I leave Coop."

"Why?" Rowan asked, calmly. "Revenge?"

"Something like that," came Artemus' evasive reply.

"Have you told HQ about this? You have duties in Sigil. I hope you've thought this through, Artemus."

"I have."

The anti mage didn't elaborate.

"It's getting late. I have to go."

Artemus disappeared through the window and slipped away into the night leaving two worried people behind him.