Marriage is Murder

Kate took the cauldron over and lit a flame in the fireplace and hung the cauldron over the hearth and poured the "white water" into the cauldron. She took the book from Brian so he could get up. She laid it on a chair near the fireplace. She clipped a lock of her own hair and handed the scissors to Brian. He cut a lock of his hair and then cut not just a lock of her hair but also cut a large wound in Khaat's finger--her ring finger on her left hand, right above her wedding rings so that it bled freely into a clean cup. He sealed the wound and handed the cup for Kate to hang onto.

"Jack, move her please, very gently. I don't think she'll wake. She's passed out from the pain," Brian said. "But, lets just be good to her, shall we, Mate? And keep your hands well out of reach of that damned snake." When Jack had moved her, Brian used his crutches and got up.

He read the first part of the spell from the book and poured the blood into the cauldron as the symbol of the person affected by the hex. The blood swirled into the water at first and then began to gather together in large solid droplets that looked like transparent, ruby red pearls that just bobbed around in the cauldron. The white water itself was clear again except for the red pearls now.

"Good," Kate said softly. "Thats what you should see. Well done. Now, one at a time, drop your donation into the cauldron," she told them all. "And as you do, do it like this." She took her own hair and held it over the cauldron. "I, Katherine Lupin, am a white lighter and I stand with my daughter. I revoke your power over her and those I love." She dropped her lock of hair into the cauldron and the snake on Khaat's chest began to hiss fiecely and fight, as if it were struggling with some unseen enemy. "Who's next?" Kate asked. "Brian, you need to be last." He merely nodded.

Jess was first she moved and held her hair and those of the children over the cauldron as she spoke "I, Jessica Dark heart, am a healer and I stand with my friend. I revoke your power over her and those I love." she said dropping it in and stepped back. Jack took his turn and cut his finger letting the blood drop into the water.

"I, Jack Black Heart, am an Auror and I stand with my Friend. I revoke your power over her and those I love" he said Steven and cassidy were next both saying it and dropping their children's and their own hair and repeating the words before stepping back and looking at Kate as to what should happen next.

Brian moved to the cauldron, listening to the screeching of the snake on his bride's heart now. he was silently pleased that it was in pain. He pulled himself up to his full height, and pulled up every ounce of commanding energy he had ever had in his life and with each name he called out, he dropped the hair into the cauldron. "I, Brian Quinn, speak for my children. We revoke your authorization to operate in our world and in the mother of my children, and in my wife. Through my energies and my power, my daughter Abbey Lupin revokes you. My daughter Dakota Lupin revokes you...." the screaming got louder and louder. Brian's voice became loud and fiercely strong. "My daughter Julia Lupin revokes you. My son Robert revokes you. My son Michael revokes you...." Kate handed him a pinch of white hair that she had taken from Robert's hairbrush in his room. "My father in law Robert revokes you." He dropped Khaat's hair into the cauldron. "My wife herself revokes you in your entirety." He dropped his own hair into the cauldron. "And her husband, Brian James Quinn, with the power of all who love her standing with me in unity, calls upon the power of Love to revoke any and all authorization over all those I love. I dissolve your hold on anyone and everyone that I love and I cast you OUT!" He put the silver stir stick into the cauldron and stirred the potion in the cauldron. Billows of white smoke rose from the cauldron. He knew what he had to do and he feared that he would burn her, but the spell was clear. He used the stir stick to remove the cauldron from the flames and took the cauldron and poured the solution in it over the bruise over Khaat's heart.

The instant the solution contacted the snake, loud male screaming filled the room; The snake raised up and became a translucent grey cobra that formed, looming over Brian to challenge him, raising up and poised to strike him, hissiing with some odd combination of a snake hiss and a man's voice. Kate sprang forward, standing next to Brian, and they both raised their wands.

"You have no right!" Kate shouted. "Go back from whence you came!"

"Be gone! We cast you out!" Brian bellowed. Khaat began to wake on the bed. She saw the terrible serpent that was large enough to nearly fill the bedroom and that had to coil up to fit because it was taller than the ceiling. She drew her wand and closed her eyes, and Kate could feel that she was listening to someone or soething else. She began to chant some sort of a spell in an ancient language, one Kate was positive Khaat did not know herself. She was merely repeating what she was hearing. Kate motioned the others to join in ordering the serpent out. When they all had joined in ordering the cobra out, the thing began to glow a terrible foul color and began to fracture apart.

"Shields!" Brian ordered, casting a contego to shield everyone who was close enough to be covered by his shield. He figured that if Steven adn Jack cast contegos that it might be enough. The snake began to scream a deafening screech of pain and then blew apart in a shower of sparks. The screeching took a few seconds to fade off into the distances as the sparks fell to the carpet on the floor and all died out one at a time. Brian flew, stumbling on his broken knee, without his crutches, back to the bed, diving onto the bed to keep from fallling and pulled the chemise away from Khaat's chest. The bruise was fading slowly and steadily. The white line Robert had created had become a circle around the snake and was tightening in around it, becoming steadily smaller and smaller as it forced the snake off.

"You did it," Kate said to them all. "You cast it out. I think you did more than you know. I think you helped Robert rid the hex from Angus as well. I think you helped him break a very difficult curse. He's going to be so very proud of you all. Excellent work." Brian gathered Khaat up into his arms and laid her against his chest and held her close. The clock was just striking 5 am. Another day was beginning. He was realizing how exhausted he was. And he knew Khaat just didn't have much more to give. Khaat wrapped her arms around him and wept, whispering into his chest that she was so very sorry. He soothed her and kept telling her that it was not her fault.

Jack heard Brian and threw up a shield along with Steven both did as they were asked till it was all over and they all breathed out in relief " will she be ok?" Jack asked as Jess moved to stand with Kate smiling to her.

" we#;; leave them alone now " she said and took Jacks hand to lead him out of the room. Cassidy took Stevens and moved with him out and down to the kitchen where she made a fresh pot of coffee sending cups up to Brian, Khaat and Kate before making some scones to have for breakfast for every one. she also quickly made sure eggs , bacon toast beans and tomatoes were all cooking for every one as she knew Angus might not be in any state to cook and she wanted to make sure he didn't have to worry.

Brian thanked everyone and watched them leave. He merely pulled the covers out from underneath Khaat and put her in bed. He snapped his fingers to turn out the lights, and in the predawn hours, he soothed her into an exhausted sleep. Once she was in a deep, dead sleep, he got up, refreshed himself and found his crutches and left her rest, closing the door. He was heading down the hallway when someone apparated in so close to him that it made him fall backwards on the floor.

It was Robert, but he had Angus with him, and Robert was holding him up. Angus didn't look at all good. He'd been in some sort of a battle. His clothes were torn, and his left shoulder was massively bandaged. Angus was pale, not fully conscious, and he just couldn't hold himself up by himself.

"Jack!" Brian summoned him to come help with Angus.

"I'd help you up," Robert told Brian, "but my hands are full. I'll be back. I have to get him to his room."

"Hold on. Jack is coming," Brian said. "It was Angus. He carried the hex, didn't he?"

"He lost a duel when he was hexed," Robert said. "I know what you did. Nice work. We knew it in Tuscany. You saved his life. How's Khaat?"

"Exhausted, but the mark of the serpent is fading."

"Good. I'll finish getting rid of that in a moment. Make sure you lot take care of the kids and the animals and I'll take care of Khaat and Angus," Robert said. "Maybe Steven will come with Jack and get you up off the floor. You really do need to practice better balance on those crutches."

"I was balancing fine until you came in on top of me," he scowled.

Jack heard Brian's voice and so did Steven both running to the corridor Steven went right to Brian and helped him off the floor and together they walked him into the bed room sitting him down on the bed next to Khaat " what happened ?" Jack asked and looked at Angus as Steven made sure Brian had his crutches from the hallway. Jess cam up behind them and saw Angus.

" will he be ok?" she asked " need my help?" she moved to Robert and placed her hand lightly on Angus and sighed. " Cassidys got breakfast on the go down stairs " she said as the smell of bacon rose threw the house.

"I'll explain later," Robert told them. He was glad for the help to get Angus to bed and to get Brian off the floor. Angus was so limp that to anyone less knowledgeable he looked more dead than alive. The conversation Robert had had with Angus's alarmed family still rang in his ears. Some of them were so terrified of losing Angus that they were openly tearful, and they protested Edward's insistance that Robert take him. Robert heard all too clearly the bellowing that Edward had resorted to, telling the family that Robert was the Master Healer that drove St. Mungos right now to maintain its impeccable reputation as the top wizard healing facility on the planet. Edward bellowed that his grandson would be in the best medical hands in the world, and right now that was with Robert. It made no difference whether it was Italy or England. That was unimportant. Robert was all important. And it had been over much hysterics of his family that Edward had ordered Angus's brothers to get Angus up to his feet and to drape him over Robert's shoulder to portkey back to England. Robert didnt' feel Angus was nearly as close to death as they had believed he was.

Robert tucked him into bed, in a pair of blue flannel pajama pants and no shirt. Angus's muscled chest was nearly entirely covered in bandages anyway, so it made precious little difference. His left arm was immobilized in a sling. Robert checked Angus carefully and gave him more of a heavy sedative, and he felt Angus slipping quickly into a deep, deep sleep. Robert covered him securely.

"Let's let him rest awhile," he told Jess quietly. "That hex was supposed to have been quite deadly. Between what we did and what you all did through Khaat, he survived, but Edward was right. He might well have died within minutes. He'll be alright. In reality, I think the potential might well have been reduced because Khaat was seer enough to pick up on his danger. I think she shared his hex and that meant he didn't have to absorb it all himself. And in sharing it with him, it saved his life. They are both going to live, but he might take a couple days. Jess I am going to be depending on you all to help to pick up his duties, some of Khaat and Brian's duties, and to keep the kitchen and the barn going and my grandkids taken care of. I will try not to overtask you all by asking you to help with our three patients unless I truly have no other choice.

"Now, go get some breakfast and please help to feed my grandchildren. I will go check on Khaat. If I know Brian, he intends to be up and at the table this morning."

Steven helped carry Angus threw to his room and onto the bed he looked down at the heavily bandaged man in front of him and sighed as Jess nodded add looked at him " we all ready are on it " Steven said to him " I checked on the barn this morning there ok and security's tight still " he said crossing his arms across his chest as he stood watching. Jack walked in and took Jess's hand in his own " I smell bacon " he said and smiled " come on you can fuss after you eat " he said " do you want cassidy to send up food for you Robert?" he asked and looked at him.

"No thank you," Robert said. "I hope to just make sure Khaat's alright and then come downstairs and let them both sleep. Go ahead and sleep." He went to Khaat's room and went in and found she was in such a deep sleep that he didn't expect her to wake for several hours. She and Angus, neither one, were going to hear a thing for quite awhile. That was a good thing. He moved the pink silk and looked and saw a much smaller and faded cobra over her heart. And the thing was really angry. It sprang into a striking pose and hissed and spit at him.

"Oh no you don't, you evil thing," Robert scowled. "Off my daughter. Away with you. I've had enough of you now. You were cast out by her whole family, and now I cast you out. Every trace of you and the hex you carry. Be gone. Back to hell with you!" He drew his wand and fired a powerful blast at it. He looked back and saw that only a burn mark remained. He touched it. The hex and its carrier were gone. He got the burn ointment out and dressed the wound with a soft gauze patch and adhesive tape. Khaat hadn't moved. Now he re-checked her and covered her and then went downstairs to join the rest for breakfast.

"Welcome home," Kate kissed him. "Tea?"

"No," he said. "French roast. Strong."

"Coming right up, Dear." She brought him a cup of powerfully brewed French Roast. She knew he was tired. "How are Khaat and Angus?"

"Sleeping. Very comfortable, I believe," he said, sipping on the coffee and sighing with relief at the taste of the coffee. "I would not be surprised if they slept most or all of the day today."

"You'll keep an eye on them?"

"Well, I do have Jess and Brian to help me, but yes," he said, as his stomach growled very loudly. "Oh. I almost forgot. In my bag, Kate please." She went to his bag and drew out a shrunken bag made out of fine mesh. She resized it. It was almost ten pounds of the gourmet, sweet Italian lemons they all loved so very much. She looked back in the bag and found a second bag. She resized it and found a mammoth cloth bag of fresh Italian breads. The third thing she drew out of the bag was a box. When she resized it, she found it was the biggest bakery box she had ever seen. When she opened it, she found not only breakfast pastries, but cookies, and a spectacular looking Italian cake.

"There is enough sugar here to keep everyone in this house happy for a week," she laughed.

"Edward is sending more Italian favorites to us," Robert said. "He only asks that we keep him updated regularly on Angus."

"And I'm sure we will," Kate said.

"Robert," Brian said, breaking a fresh croissant into pieces for Abbey and Dakota and handing the pieces to him. "Do you know anything about my mission?"

"It was a success," Robert said. "I'll brief you later. Enjoy your breakfast for now, Son."

Steven and Jack moved down stairs Jess following with Jack she glanced back to see Robert checking on Khaat in her bed she smiled and headed down to eat.Cassidy had put quite a spread on whit fresh fruit salads and cereals and a cooked breakfast for those who wanted it along with fresh made toasted bread and butter. Jess took her food and sat down , all she wanted was some toast and coffee witch she now had Jack took a cooked breakfast and sat next to her. Steven grabbed some cereal and sat eating he thought of his next move knowing one horse would need reshoding one of its shoes had come loose.