Chapter Text
Caleb and Essek had been living together for four years now. They had confessed their feelings for one another shortly before the Nein stopped officially adventuring and things had progressed from there. Now, they owned a small cottage on the outskirts of Rexxentrum, since they had both worked to set up a new wizards' academy after the fall of the Cerberus Assembly. The Soltryce Academy had undergone a complete overhaul. Caleb and Essek had taken over the campus, renaming it to Widogast's Academy For Gifted Arcanists. He and Essek both taught classes, Essek's focusing on Dunamancy, of course, and Caleb's own focusing on Transmutation and the manipulation of fire magic. The students were happy and both Caleb and Essek were beloved by their students. This Academy was a happy place- a place for learning without all the torture.
It was around five in the morning and Caleb was on his way to his office to begin going over a few assignments he had yet to grade. He was a little early, as per usual. Essek always left the house a little later than Caleb did, as his first class wasn't until eight in the morning. Plus, Caleb enjoyed the quiet peacefulness of the quiet campus before the students arrived. Every so often, a student or two would pop in to bid him good morning, to which he would respond with a wave and a smile. Caleb sat and graded papers until exactly six-thirty, as his first class of the day started at seven. His students greeted him warmly as he entered the lecture hall.
At eight-thirty, he exited the room, his mind already going over potential ideas for lunch with Essek. It was at this time, that a group of Essek's students entered his office, all of them wearing the same face of concern. "Hallo. Can I help you?" Caleb asked, wondering what all of these students were doing out of class.
"Professor Widogast- have you seen Professor Thelyss this morning? He hasn't come to class." Caleb barely registered which of the students had spoken. He was too busy panicking. Essek was never late. Not just to class, but to anything. Essek had never been late to anything in his whole life, which was saying something, as the man was well over one hundred years old. Caleb thanked the students for telling him and wasted no time in leaving the Academy, telling one of the other teachers that he had a family emergency and that he likely wouldn't be in for the rest of the day. He raced home, running faster than he had since he had stopped regularly adventuring with the Nein.
As he came around the bend in the road just before their shared abode, he froze. Instead of their adorable, cozy cottage, stood a pile of rubble.
"Essek!" Caleb shouted, full-on sprinting now. He reached the remains of their home in record time, frantically using every bit of gravity magic Essek had taught him to dig through the rubble, all the while screaming out for Essek. Finally, he saw a bit of tattered purple cloth. He continued to move the rubble until finally, he found his husband. The drow was unconscious and frighteningly still. Caleb knelt down as close to his husband as he possibly could. "Essek, baby, can you hear me? Wake up, Schatz." Caleb pleaded, softly patting Essek's cheek. "Come on, Liebling.. Please." Tears were rolling down his cheeks quickly, unashamedly.
Essek groaned weakly, coughing roughly as he returned to consciousness. "Cay..?"
Caleb sighed in relief. "Hey, baby, it's okay. I'm here. I'm gonna get you out."
"Hurts.." Essek murmured, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to remain conscious.
"Essie, baby... Hey, Ess, snowflake, stay with me. Please, Essek." Caleb begged, cradling Essek's head delicately in his hands. "Baby, please. Please don't leave me, baby.."
Caleb could tell that Essek was really trying. He was fighting hard to keep his eyes opened and focused on Caleb, but he was obviously in an immense amount of pain. "I know it hurts, sweetie, I'm so sorry, but I need you to stay with me." They needed a cleric. Caleb cast Sending, not for the first time immensely thankful that Essek had taught it to him. He messaged Jester. She was the only one he could think of that had a chance of arriving in time. If she could get Yussa to teleport her to their home, they might have a chance.
"Jester, I need you to get to our home. Essek's hurt. It's bad. I don't know what to do. Please hurry- I can't lose him." Caleb was sure his terror and emotional distress came through the spell clearly. He knew Jester would be as fast as possible, but what if she wasn't fast enough?
Jester's response came quickly. "Shit! Okay, Caleb. I'll go see Yussa and then I'll be right over. Tell Essek that if he dies, I'll kill him. Tell him that-" In typical Jester fashion, her message cut off before she could finish whatever she had wanted to say.
"C-Caleb.. Cay.." Essek murmured, reaching a trembling hand out toward Caleb, his eyes full of terror.
"I'm here, Essek. I'm right here, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere." Caleb reassured, softly brushing his fingers through Essek's hair.
"Love you..."
"Essek, perle, please don't do that. Jester's on her way, you'll be fine." Caleb couldn't lose Essek. Not now. Not when they were both, finally, happy.
Essek turned away from Caleb, coughing violently. Caleb's heart felt like it stopped as he spotted the speckles of red spread across the rubble. "J..J-Just..in c-case..."
"Shh, Essek. Shh... I love you too, ja? That's why I need you to hang on, okay? Stay with me, Ess." Caleb pleaded, wishing that he could hold Essek properly. Unfortunately, he had only been able to uncover Essek's head and upper torso. He'd been too afraid to lift too much of the rubble, in case he accidentally made it worse. "Don't try to talk any more, okay? Just look at me, okay sweetheart?"
Essek nodded slowly, trying his best to get his eyes to stay focused on Caleb's face.
"There you go, handsome. Good job.. You're doing so well, Ess. Just keep hanging in there for me, okay?" Caleb couldn't imagine how much pain Essek must be in right now. He wished he could trade places with his beloved husband. Anything to not have Essek go through this.
His Essek was beautiful. So beautiful, in fact that it was almost hard to look at him. Looking at Essek was almost like looking at an eclipse- Caleb knew that he shouldn't stare, but he simply couldn't stop himself. Caleb found himself, once again, struggling to look at Essek now, in fact. Though this time, Essek's incredible elegance had nothing at all do to with why Caleb couldn't bear to cast his gaze towards the other wizard. No, this time, he couldn't look at Essek because seeing him like this- seeing him like this was painful. So terribly, terribly painful. Which again, reminded him of an eclipse. He imagined looking at one of those would hurt too.
Though he couldn't imagine that anything could be more painful than this. As the minutes ticked by, Essek's condition worsened. He was barely conscious now, just the faintest sliver of his beautiful violet eyes visible between his fluttering eyelids. His skin too was terrifyingly pale, his breathing growing weaker and more uneven with each passing moment. Caleb was doing his best to at least try and comfort him a little, speaking softly to him, his hands petting Essek's hair and stroking his cheek. Essek was fighting so very hard to stay with Caleb, but he was in a terrible state.
"You're doing great, Essek. Just stay with me. I'm right here, I promise." Caleb murmured, squeezing Essek's hand tightly. Essek's returning grip was faint and his hand was trembling terribly, but it was something. "Good job, baby. That's it, katzen."
Essek's grip on Caleb's hand began to weaken just a few moments later. Caleb immediately began to panic. "Baby, hey, can you squeeze my hand? Can you do that for me, sweetheart?" Caleb pleaded, afraid that Essek's strength was beginning to fade at last. "Come on, Essie.. Baby, please."
Essek's fingers twitched weakly, clearly trying to respond to Caleb's request, though he was simply too weak. "Yes! Hey, you're doing so well, sweetie.." Essek smiled weakly in response to that, his eyes finally slipping closed fully.
"Essek, hey, stay awake. Stay with me, Ess. Essek? Essek!" Caleb shook Essek as roughly as he dared, praying silently to gods that he wasn't sure he really believed in that Essek would respond. Nothing. Essek remained horribly still. Caleb hesitantly checked for any signs of life, afraid of what he would find. Or more accurately, what he wouldn't. He was relieved to find that, yes, Essek was still alive. But only just. "Come on, sweetheart.. perle.. Mein Liebling.." Caleb leaned his head down until his forehead was pressed against Essek's. It was at this point that he broke, sobbing openly, his shoulders heaving with each heavy sob. Caleb almost felt as if he was the one who had been crushed. Every inch of him hurt and he had never in his life felt so entirely, cold. Essek was the one person he had ever allowed himself to love fully with his entire heart. His entire being. It felt like he had lost his sun. With Essek, he felt warm. Happy. Safe.
"Caleb!" Jester. Thank the gods..
Caleb looked up only as Jester knelt down beside him and Essek. "Please help him.."
Jester's face fell as she made eye contact with Caleb. Caleb could only imagine what a sight he must be. Jester smiled softly, cupping Caleb's face in both of her hands, gently wiping away his tears with her thumbs. "I will, I promise." She said, waiting until Caleb nodded before removing her hands, laying them instead on Essek's chest. As soon as she cast the first healing spell, Essek's breathing improved. With a groan of pain, the drow opened his eyes. "Cay?"
Caleb sighed loudly in relief, immediately leaning down to kiss Essek deeply.
Essek kissed Caleb back without a second of hesitation, eliciting a giggle of joy from Jester. Even after so long, she still found it cute whenever Essek and Caleb kissed. Caleb wasn't sure if that would ever change though. Now that Essek was somewhat stable, however, they had another problem to deal with. They needed to get the rubble of their collapsed house off of him. Caleb was reluctant to do it immediately, wanting to give Essek at least a little bit of a break from the pain. He also knew that time was of the essence in a situation like this. If they didn't remove the rubble, Essek's condition would continue to deteriorate.
"Jester, do you think you can manage to keep him stable while I work on getting this off of him?" Caleb asked, softly stroking Essek's cheek as he spoke to the cleric.
Jester nodded. "Of course, Caleb. I'll take good care of him. I promise."
Caleb nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to Essek's forehead this time. "Okay, liebling.. This is going to hurt, but I'll be as quick as I possibly can, I promise."
"I trust you, Cay.." Essek murmured, seemingly steeling himself for the pain he knew was about to come.
Caleb began to carefully cast the necessary spells, trying his very hardest to not cause Essek any unnecessary pain as he removed the remaining rubble. The more he removed, however, the more his heart sank. Essek was in bad shape. Caleb had known that it likely wouldn't be pretty, but this.. this was terrible. There was so much blood..
Essek began to tremble, likely from a combination of pain and shock, his eyes struggling to remain opened. Jester was holding him gently now, softly combing her fingers through the drow's hair, murmuring a healing spell every few minutes or so. Caleb was so very, very proud of how brave Essek was being. He was keeping himself from crying out as much as possible, trying to remain calm, so that he didn't startle Caleb. He couldn't afford to risk distracting Caleb, as if Caleb's concentration was drawn away from the spells he was casting, the results could be disastrous.
After about twenty minutes of continuous work, the rubble was finally cleared away from the majority of Essek's body. Caleb immediately knelt beside his husband again, replacing Jester in holding him gently.
"We're done, Ess. You did so well, my snowflake. I'm so proud of you.." Caleb murmured, cradling Essek close. "What happened, baby?"
Essek shook his head. "I have no idea.. One minute, I was preparing breakfast and packing our lunches for later, and the next- the house was coming down on top of me."
"Do you think someone did this on purpose?" After all, they both had enemies. There were still a lot of members of the old Academy and of the Assembly that would likely have it out for them. There were also several Scourgers that would have loved to get their hands on the two mages that had been directly responsible for Ikithon's downfall. Most of the Scourgers had lost their privileged positions in the government, as well as their homes. Many were imprisoned for their crimes. Caleb would have to check in with Astrid and Eodwulf to see if they'd heard anything about an attack being planned on their home.
"Maybe..? It's definitely possible. But was it my side or yours?" Essek asked, groaning a bit as he relaxed into Caleb's hold.
"I'm not sure. We'll have to talk to my old friends and maybe your brother as well. See if they know anything about what happened today."
Essek nodded, his eyes slipping closed. "Tired.."
"I know, love.. Jes, can you heal him any more? He still doesn't look good.." Essek was still extremely pale, trembling slightly still. He was alive though, which was the most important thing. Caleb was just glad that Essek's students cared enough about him to seek out the reason behind his tardiness. After all, Essek had never been late before. In fact, Essek was usually at least half an hour early to his classes. He was a dedicated teacher.
When they had first taken over the Academy, Essek wasn't sure if he'd wanted to teach, but had ended up coming around. Now, he loved it just as much as Caleb did. And oh, did Caleb love teaching. He had always pictured himself teaching students at the Academy, but after Ikithon, that dream had been put on the back burner. Now, he finally had the chance to live out his childhood dream. Though, having Essek there by his side was definitely an added bonus. He loved living with Essek. Being married to Essek was wonderful as well, though. As was working alongside him full time. Honestly- Caleb just loved getting to be around Essek nearly 24/7. Essek felt more like home than any building ever could. Which was why Caleb wasn't too concerned with the loss of their physical home. That could be rebuilt easily. He had his home still.
"Where are we going to stay?" Essek asked, groggily looking up at Caleb.
"We could go to Zadash. Visit Beau and Yasha. Maybe alert the Soul to what happened, see if they can find any leads."
Essek nodded. "That sounds like a good idea.."
"Essek, I'm so glad that you're okay. Losing our house is one thing, but if I had lost you.. I don't know what I would have done." Caleb leaned down until his forehead rested on Essek's again. "Jester, thank you for helping him."
"Of course! I'm just glad I made it in time to help."
"We should probably alert the rest of the Nein as well. Make sure they're on guard. If this was someone from our past, they'll likely be targeting all of us." Caleb said, taking a moment to look Essek over. He still wasn't fully alright, but at least all of the obvious signs of bleeding had stopped. He was still pale and trembling, but at least the worst of it was over now.
Or so they thought. Just as the three of them were beginning to relax, there was a large burst of fire overhead. A Fire Ball. Caleb immediately shielded Essek as much as he could with his own body. Essek was still far too weak to take the full brunt of a Fire Ball and Caleb was worried that he would lose him if he didn't protect him from the worst of the damage. Jester put up her Spiritual Weapon, a serrated lollipop materializing between them and where the assailant likely was. Caleb prepared Gravity Sinkhole, holding it until he saw their attacker.
A man crested over the hill, dressed in the familiar robes of a Scourger. Of course. Caleb didn't recognize the man, especially not from this distance, but that didn't really matter anyway. He wouldn't have hesitated if it had been Astrid who had crested the hill. This was Essek. The love of his life. The one man he had ever allowed himself to love with his entire heart- his entire being. He loved Essek more than life itself. He snarled angrily as he hurled the spell in the direction of the man, still cradling Essek protectively. Essek tossed Dark Star at the man as well. Ironic considering Caleb's eclipse metaphor earlier. It was almost as it Essek could read his mind. They knew each other pretty well, after all. They spent just about every waking moment together these days.
The three of them made quick work of the man, but to no one's real surprise, he wasn't alone. There were five in total. Most seemed to be Scourgers, but one, one seemed to be far more powerful than the rest. This, Caleb reasoned, was likely a former Assembly member. Caleb kissed Essek rather passionately before standing, polymorphing himself into a T-Rex. He fully intended to rip these people to shreds for endangering the life of his beloved Essek. His beautiful snowflake. He noticed a loving grin spreading across Essek's face as he rushed forward to take on the other wizards.
By the end of the battle, Caleb was battered and bloody, back in his human form. It was just him and Jester against the Assembly member now. Caleb used mainly Dunamancy spells, as this was for Essek. It only seemed fitting that he use spells that his husband had taught him to take down the people who had wounded the drow in question. Caleb was very worried about Essek at this point though, as he had yet to get up. Caleb was also fairly certain that Essek had taken some damage in the battle himself as well, but they would deal with that once the danger had passed. Caleb also threw a Dark Star at the mage he currently was engaged with, following Essek's lead. It seemed to be rather effective, though the other man was somehow still standing.
Jester laid into him with her menacing looking lollipop, being much more ferocious in her attacks than Caleb had seen in a very long time. Jester seemed to be just as pissed off as he himself was. Jester loved Essek too, after all. She had always really liked him, but she loved him even more now, as he was now officially a part of the family. Caleb fought as hard as he possibly could, throwing every powerful spell he could think of at the other man, not holding back at all. In a way, it reminded him of their heist to the sanitorium before they had headed to Aeor all those years ago. He hadn't held anything back then either because he had been trying his best to protect his family. Now was very much the same. Instead, it was Essek and Jester rather than Veth and Jester that he was protecting. And this time, Ikithon wouldn't be able to invade their battle, as he had been imprisoned for his crimes six years earlier. Caleb wished that they could have had more assistance, as he wasn't sure how much longer he could continue to fight. He wouldn't give up yet, though, as he still needed to make sure that Essek and Jester were safe from harm.
Eventually, though, Caleb's body had been through enough. The other man had jammed a blade between two of Caleb's ribs, twisting it violently. Just moments later, Caleb felt the familiar sting of poison enter his system. He collapsed, trying desperately to drag himself over to Essek's prone form. He managed to see Jester fell the other man just before his eyes slipped closed.
Caleb regained consciousness slowly, groaning softly at the pain that hit him as soon as he began to wake up. He was still on ground. In fact, he was laying exactly where he had collapsed. This was definitely bad. Surely Jester or Essek would have come over had they been able to. Where were they? Were they alright?
He sat up, glancing around at his surroundings, spotting Jester crouching over Essek. Right. Essek. His Essek. Caleb tried to stand, but found that he was unable to manage it. Instead, he began to drag himself across the rough ground, making his way ever so slowly over to Essek and Jester. Jester was sobbing loudly, shaking Essek rather roughly.
"Jes? What's wrong?" Caleb asked, a cold chill spreading throughout his entire being.
"He won't wake up. He's alive, but I can't get him to wake up. He's hurt really bad, Caleb.."
"Do you have any healing spells?"
Jester shook her head. Shit. Fuck.
"Okay.. We need to get him somewhere safe, somewhere he can recover. I can message someone at the Academy, tell them to prepare the infirmary. It's not much, but it's something. At least there, maybe we can get him some help." Caleb said, trying his best to think through every possible option. Essek and he were both in bad shape, but Essek's condition was much more dire.
"Or maybe you could go? Bring someone back here?" Caleb offered, pulling Essek into his arms. Just as Jester had said, he didn't stir at all. Caleb could barely tell that Essek was still breathing, even with him held so close.
Jester nodded, already standing up and running in the direction of the school, leaving Essek and Caleb alone once again. It was a risk, but at least Jester would be back with help. Sending would have cost Caleb another spell slot and he wasn't sure he could risk that. What if someone else attacked? He wanted to be able to at least try to protect Essek if someone else was to arrive. Caleb kept his hand firmly pressed against the side of Essek's throat while he waited for Jester to return, keeping a close eye on his pulse. There were a few terrifying moments where Essek's already weak pulse would stutter a bit, causing Caleb to freeze until it steadied again.
This home had been their second chance at a happy life and once again, the Assembly had ruined it. They'd been happy for a while though, at least.
After what felt like several hours, though Caleb knew was exactly forty-two minutes, Jester arrived with a couple of healers from the Academy's infirmary. Spell-work was rather dangerous, so the Academy made sure to always have several healers on hand for any mishaps. For this, Caleb was extremely thankful, as there was no one closer that could help right now. Caleb carefully helped the other load Essek into the cart they had brought. Caleb, of course, rode with him, cradling Essek gently in his arms. Caleb didn't know what he would do if he lost Essek now. He truly felt like Essek was his second chance at true happiness and he, in return, was Essek's. Essek had been his guiding light these past few years, providing a sense of safety and home even in the most stressful of times. Caleb had always known where North was, but since meeting him, Essek had firmly become Caleb's knew True North. He was Caleb's north star, beautiful and entrancing. He was his way home. And losing him would entirely shift Caleb's inner compass, as without Essek, he would lose his anchor.
Caleb had a long list of people he needed to contact. First up would be Beau, to see if the Cobalt Soul could look into the attack. He would also love to have her here, if possible. Seeing Essek like this was agonizing and he really wanted her here with him, though he knew, realistically, that likely wouldn't be possible. He would need to contact Astrid and Eodwulf as well and have them get in contact with anyone they might know who still sympathized with Ikithon. Lastly, he would need to contact Verin, Essek's little brother. He wasn't sure if he would actually be able to come to the Empire, but Caleb needed to at least tell him what had happened. He didn't need to contact Essek's mother, as he already knew she wouldn't really care. He and Essek both considered Verin to be the only real family that Essek had.
Once they arrived back at the school's infirmary, Caleb helped to get Essek settled as comfortably as possible on one of the beds. He was, thankfully, allowed to stay with him while the healers worked to stabilize his condition, though Jester had to wait outside. All of the staff knew of their relationship, as did most of the students, so there was no need for Caleb to even request that he stay with Essek. Besides, if Essek woke up before they were finished, Caleb wanted to be there to comfort him. He didn't want Essek to awaken scared and alone, surrounded only by strangers. Thankfully, after about half an hour, Essek's condition began to stabilize a bit. He wasn't out of the woods just yet, but he was improving, and that was enough for Caleb.
He and Jester both decided they would sleep in Essek's room in the infirmary for the night. After all, Caleb no longer had a house to go back to and Jester was far too worried to go and find an inn. Caleb dozed off before too long, still seated in a chair at Essek's bedside, the front half of his body draped across the bed beside his unconscious husband, his hand clutching Essek's tightly even in sleep. Jester draped her dark green cloak over Caleb before falling asleep in one of the other chairs in the room. They weren't comfortable by any means, but that didn't matter.
After sleeping for exactly nine hours and thirteen minutes, Caleb awoke to a hand weakly squeezing his own. He sat up quickly, his eyes immediately finding Essek's face. His eyes were opened slightly, though he still seemed to be rather out of it.
"Hey, dear heart." Caleb whispered, bringing his free hand up to stroke Essek's hair softly.
"Hey, firefly.." Essek murmured, smiling weakly up at Caleb.
"How are you feeling, my shining star?" Caleb asked, hoping that his beloved wasn't in too much pain.
"It hurts, but it's manageable. Are you and Jester okay?"
Caleb nodded. "Ja, we're alright. It was you we were most worried about."
"I'll be alright, sunshine. I'm just sorry that our home is gone."
"Our house may be gone, moonlight, but I still have a home. You're the only home I need, Essek. The house can be rebuilt- but as long as I have you, I have a home." Caleb said, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Essek's forehead.
Essek smiled a little wider at Caleb's words, his eyes beginning to flutter closed again.
"Get some more rest, schatz. I'll be here."
Throughout the rest of the day, all manner of gifts flooded into Essek's room. Most from Essek's students, though some were from faculty, and some came from Caleb's own students. Among the gifts were imported Xhorhasian wines, all manner of flowers, and notes wishing Essek a quick recovery. Caleb was touched to see just how much the students cared for his husband, though it wasn't too surprising, as Essek was a wonderful teacher. He was strict and rather hard on his students, sure, but he was only so tough on them because he wanted them to rise to their full potential. Those that stuck with his teachings respected him greatly and had actually grown to like him.
Several students even stopped by in person, most of which Caleb recognized from the group that had initially told him of Essek's absence in class. They were the students responsible for helping him to reach Essek in time. They wished Essek the best, telling Caleb how much his teaching had helped them to achieve in the time they had been learning from him. In fact, a lot of students had come forward to thank him and Essek for their help in turning the Academy around. Their taking over had given many students a second chance at a life of studying magic that they truly enjoyed. They spoke of friends, of brothers and sisters, who had studied under the old regime, who had disappeared or had suffered by the hands of their professors. Some spoke of Ikithon, causing Caleb's blood to momentarily run cold, telling Caleb things that he already knew. They thanked him for helping to remove the evil man from power and instructed him to pass their thanks on to Essek as well. It warmed Caleb's heart to hear just how much of an impact he and Essek had on the lives of these students. He would definitely pass their messages on to Essek the next time he awoke.
Surprisingly, many of Essek's students volunteered to help in the search for finding just who had orchestrated the attack. Some of Caleb's students volunteered as well. Caleb contacted Beauregard later that first day while Essek was still resting, filling her in on what had happened. She responded to say that she would speak to Dairon to see if they could help her to come up with some leads. He also contacted Astrid and Eodwulf, who said they would begin looking into it immediately. Lastly, he messaged Verin. Verin replied saying that he couldn't get away at the moment, but urged Caleb to keep him updated on Essek's condition.
A few hours after messaging Astrid, she and Wulf arrived in the infirmary, bringing with them a beautiful potted lavender plant. When asked the reason behind it, Astrid explained that it was supposed to symbolize healing. Essek was still unconscious when they arrived, though he seemed to be doing better, thankfully. Especially since, after resting, Jester had been able to heal him a bit more.
"Caleb, I'm so sorry. If we'd had any idea-"
Caleb stopped Astrid before she could speak any further. "This wasn't your fault. You've both been beyond helpful in dismantling the old Assembly, Essek and I both know you wouldn't have any part in something like this. We know you would have said something if you'd known something like this was going to happen."
It was true. Astrid and Eodwulf had both testified against Ikithon. Caleb knew without a doubt that they would have come forth to warn him if they'd known anything about what was going to happen. They were part of the New Assembly and were doing a wonderful job. They often had dinner with Caleb and Essek as well, which was always lovely. It was a little surreal though- having his old life and his new one now so thoroughly intertwined. But Caleb loved it. He was thankful to be able to call Astrid and Wulf friends again, truly, as he hadn't really been sure where they stood with one another while they had both still worked for Trent. They both seemed much happier now as well. They would never be the same as they had been before they'd been taken under Ikithon's wing, and neither would Caleb, but they were at least living a much calmer life these days. They still lived in Rexxentrum, both having taken up positions in the new Assembly, and now teaching at the Academy as well. Astrid had taken over Trent's position and Eodwulf had taken the Martinet's. Caleb himself now held the position of Archmage of Conscription, thus also making him the Headmaster of the Soltryce Academy.
Of all of his new duties though, Caleb preferred his job as a professor above all else. Well, aside from his title as husband to one Essek Thelyss. He loved teaching and working with the students the Academy, seeing their young minds grow and develop with his aid. Essek seemed to love his work here as well. He often spoke of his students and how they never failed to surprise him. According to Essek though, his easiest student by far, would always be Caleb. He had yet to meet anyone quite so talented and with such a need to learn as much about everything as possible.
Over the next several days, Beau, Astrid, Wulf, and Verin did their best to do their respective digging. Dairon even sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers over to Essek's room in the infirmary, along with a letter stating that they intended to get to the bottom of who had orchestrated this and that they wished Essek a speedy recovery. Caleb was immensely glad to be able to call them all friends.
Jester had yet to leave, deciding to stay until Essek was fully recovered. In truth, Essek could probably have left the infirmary after just a day, but Caleb was worried about moving him too soon. Not just due to Essek's injuries, but because he wasn't sure if whoever was behind the attack was still within the city. Caleb also hadn't quite figured out where they would go. Nicodranas was an option. They could stay with Veth and Yeza, or Jester and Fjord, the Chateau was also a possibility. There was also Zadash, where they could stay with Beau and Yasha. They could go to The Blooming Grove or to Bazzoxan as well. They had lots of choices.
On the third day, Essek had recovered enough to walk without assistance. This was when Caleb proposed the idea of teleporting somewhere safe to wait until things had died down a bit. They ended up deciding on The Blooming Grove, as it would be the most relaxing of all the choices. Nicodranas would have also been nice, but the Grove was harder to access for most people. It would be a lovely place for both of them to rest and continue to recover. Caleb sent for all of the gifts they had received to be sent to his office until they returned, as he had no idea when they would be back.
Caleb messaged Caduceus beforehand to make sure it was alright that they were coming. Once Caduceus had replied in the affirmative, Caleb cast teleport, bringing himself, Jester, and Essek to the Grove. Jester immediately went to find Cad while Essek and Caleb went to find the hot springs. They both wanted some time alone. They hadn't had any real time for themselves since the night before the attack and Caleb really wanted to spend some time with just Essek.
Once they were in the warm water of the hot spring, Caleb pulled Essek close, holding him rather tightly. "How are you feeling, snowflake?" Caleb asked, gently cupping the side of Essek's face with his hand.
"Better. I'm still sore, but I expect within the next couple of days our cleric friends will have me feeling fine again. How are you doing, firefly?" Essek leaned his head forward until his forehead was pressed against Caleb's.
"I'm okay. I'm still rather worried, but I'm very thankful that you're alright. I don't know what I would do without you, my shining star."
Essek smiled softly, pressing a soft kiss to Caleb's lips before pressing their foreheads together again. "I'm not going anywhere, Cay. Not any time soon."
They spent the next several hours leaning against the edge of the hot spring, resting comfortably in each other arms, gazing up at the stars.