“Whatever makes you think we weren’t talking about you two?” Mavis winked at the two wolves. Declan pressed his hands to his heart as if he were mortally wounded.
“Where’s the love, Mavis?”
“Probably died a heroic death, just like Corum.” Sammy grinned. “Notice my subtle attempt at changing the topic?”
“I thought we were having fun!” Amber grabbed a blueberry muffin from the tray on the Smaug and Drogon table and sniffed it with a dreamy smile. Sammy rolled his eyes.
“You were arguing aboutStar Trekand making my boyfriend uncomfortable. How is that fun?”
“As if you’ve never argued about geek trivia. ThatAvengersincident was because of your insistence that the Scarlet Witch could have wiped the floor with Thanos.” Amber crossed her arms, causing the countless amulets to jingle.
A hard glint entered Sammy’s eyes. “I stand by that. If Mantis with her glowing feelers was able to enter Thanos’ mind, the Scarlet Witch should have had a field day with him.”
“He’s right about that one, Amber. I think all the Avengers and their powers were downplayed in that film.” Troy snatched a chocolate chip muffin off the tray and polished it off with two bites.
“I still hate that so many of them had to die. That’s just not how a superhero movie is supposed to end.” Jon looked at his lap while speaking.
“Which brings us back to our initial topic.” Mavis smiled softly. “Heroes die all the time. We’ve seen that with Corum, Hercules, Beowulf, Siegfried and many others. Perhaps it would be interesting to look up at which point exactly mankind stopped killing their heroes and gave them sequels instead.”
The others nodded. Dre thought about it for a moment. “You’re kind of right, Mavis. Though I do want to point out that the old heroes, like Hercules or Siegfried, have their sequels as well. They’re just packed into one huge tale. Or, in the case of Ulysses, two tales. We see them growing up and eventually dying in battle or by treason. I don’t think that’s too different from how humans treat modern heroes. They just have better CGI now.”
“Well said, man!” Declan chuckled. “The question is, why do we expect our heroes to be a certain way? Is this something ingrained in the human psyche? Troy and I have found an article about how the need to paint things in black and white played a huge role when heroes were invented.”
“I imagine things were definitely easier back then in terms of what your mind had to process. The world was a significantly smaller place, where often the village over the next hill seemed outlandish. I can see how people wanted their heroes to be clear-cut. Modern technology has robbed people of that narrow-mindedness, which is probably the reason why so many wish it to come back. It can be scary out there.” Sammy snuggled closer to Dre while saying this, and Dre pressed a kiss on his forehead.
“I agree,mo grah thu. My father always says life was less complicated when he was young. More violent as well, though, which is the reason he’s glad those times are over. The way humans portray their heroes reflects how they’re coping with reality. I have to admit that I wasn’t overly impressed byInfinity War, but I had a feeling it was some kind of allegory. Humanity is now at a point where heroes are no longer enough to save the people. They have to be active themselves and that frightens them.”
“You’re right, Dre, though I think it’s not just humans who have to take on a more active role. Change is never easy, and the way some people, namely my father, cling to the old just because it’s familiar is sad and infuriating at the same time.” Emilia took a sip from her coffee.
“Preserving the old is not always a bad thing, dear, provided it’s only the good parts.” Maribell smiled at Mavis. “Without all those wonderful old spells, my wife and I would just be two helpless grandmas at the mercy of society.”
Amber snorted. “As if. Nothing about you two is helpless. And I always thought witch magic doesn’t need any spells?”
“It doesn’t. They just make it easier to focus. And I always liked babbling mysteriously in a foreign language. It’s all about setting the right mood.” Mavis winked and they all started to laugh. Dre found he liked Sammy’s friends a lot. After their initial wariness, they seemed to be accepting him just fine now, a show of trust he was determined not to disappoint.
The discussion kept meandering around the general concept of the hero and the reasons for the changes for another hour until Amber announced she had to go because of another appointment. At this hour, it was probably one tied to her being a banshee, so nobody asked any questions. Since it was already past ten, the others left with her, after they had decided what book to read next. SinceThe Chronicles of Corumhad sent them in the direction of strange creatures, they agreed to read H. P. Lovecraft’sCthulu Cycle,along withThe Witcher of Salemby Wolfgang Hohlbein. Dre found the idea great, because he knew H. P. Lovecraft had been friends with a demon and gotten many of his ideas for theCthulu Cyclefrom her, though he would wait with divulging that piece of information until their next meeting. No need to spoil the fun.
After Jon was back in his cellar and the others out of the door, Dre lifted Sammy into his arms and carried him upstairs. It was time for bed.
Chapter Eleven
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Sammy saw Dre raising his brows at his declaration.
“I think you’re stealing my line here.” His huge demon boyfriend leaned over the table to press a kiss on Sammy’s forehead. It was Friday, the middle of their two-week dream, and Dre had finally declared Sammy to be ready to meet Barion, Dre’s younger brother. With the time for their visit drawing closer, Sammy got more and more nervous, while his respect for Dre grew exponentially. He was a wreck from the prospect of just meeting one member of Dre’s family. How Dre had managed to face all of Sammy’s friends at once without biting his claws down to little stumps remained a mystery to Sammy.
“Mo grah thu, see it like this. You’re going to be in a mansion dating back to 1163 in the very area where Vlad Dracul lived and fought the Turks.” Dre pulled Sammy into his lap, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “And I happen to know that Barion has this huge library with hundreds of old books, even though I doubt he has read many of them.”
Sammy’s eyes lit up at these words. “Hundreds you say?” He bit his lip. “But isn’t it terribly impolite to visit him for his books?”
“Mo grah thu, you’re a delight.” Dre kissed him deeply, which gave Sammy all kinds of ideas, none of which were feasible since they would be leaving—now, as a quick glance toward the clock told him.
“I think we have to go now, Dre.” Sammy swallowed hard.
Dre got up, not bothering to let go of Sammy, which Sammy appreciated greatly. He loved being held by Dre, his strength and warmth giving Sammy a feeling of belonging that he hadn’t felt since he’d lost his parents. His demon boyfriend sliced time and space with one of his lethal claws, and before Sammy could blink twice, they were standing in a stone hall with an impressive vaulted ceiling and a floor obviously made from antique wood. Still snuggled in Dre’s arms, Sammy looked around with huge eyes, drinking in the wonder of the mansion he was now in.
A polite cough behind Dre had them both turning around. Sammy knew immediately he was looking at a sibling of Dre’s. Apart from the fact that they were supposed to visit his brother, the family resemblance was striking. Barion was blue where Dre was red, but his tattoos were of the same silver hue, he was as tall as Dre and he had similar facial features.
“Hello, Barion. May I introduce you to Sammy?” Dre put Sammy on his feet while his brother approached them with a broad smile, showing all his gleaming teeth.
