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Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapter 93, 94, 95)
🕑 Added 2021-07-01 03:57:44 +0000 UTCArt by the wonderful đYoghurtstripperđ (@yoghurtstripper) ⢠Instagram photos and videos
Chapter 93
If you have never been run through before, I canât say I recommend the experience. There is a shocking pressure, followed by an intense burning as every nerve in the path of the blade lights up at once. I stumbled back, my legs threatening to give out. I kept my footing, though; it wasnât my first time. As trite as it might sound, Kiyoâs betrayal hurt more than the piece of steel sticking into me.
Kiyo looked nearly as bad as I felt, her hands flying over her mouth as the enormity of her actions struck her. âM-MagpieâŚâ
At least Maggie was enjoying herself, judging by her gleeful cackling. âI underestimated you, Ms. Jones! I thought youâd run off crying.â
I think she might have, if Maggie hadnât given her a more immediate target for her anger. Kiyo spun around, already casting her next spell. âFireball!â
âWater Orb!â Maggie gathered moisture from the air into a ball large enough to snuff of Kiyoâs efforts. The superheated steam forced her back, but also obscured her form.
I took the chance to gently slide the blade out of my gut. It felt like I was running a burning hot poker through my innards, and stars danced before my eyes. Thank the Dark Lord she hadnât nicked anything too important. The scarf came in handy again, giving me something to bite down on. I needed my tongue intact for when it came time to cast a healing spell, after all.
A commotion on the other side of the theater drew my attention. I felt a faint breeze emanating from the time-stopped Rose, and Mrs. Perera was wreathed in a familiar red aura.
I revised my earlier assessment. They were not truly frozen in time, but were simply moving extremely slowly. Perhaps Mrs. Perera could have stopped them entirely at full strength, but we had been overworking the ancient woman like a rented orc.
Mrs. Perera dropped to her knees, visibly quaking as Yukiko doubled and redoubled her weight. âStop it! Let me go, I canât breathe⌠I canâtâŚâ Her hands still glowed with her own magic as she kept up the death grip on the girls, but I didnât know how much longer she could last under the pressure. âYou wonât break me! I survived the Horde, I can survive you brats! Humanity First!â
Kiyo and Rose gave no response. They probably couldnât even tell she was speaking.
Meanwhile, Kiyo and Maggie continued their wizardâs duel. Kiyo had gone invisible, but Maggie had ways to compensate for that.
Maggie swept her arm in a wide arc. âFireball Barrage!â Miniature burning projectiles flew every which way, one of them briefly reflecting off Kiyoâs glasslike body.
The world began to go double, and the blood-slicked sword in my hand was trembling. I couldnât sit back and observe any longer, as much as I wanted to delay the inevitable.
I bit down harder, bracing myself for what was to come. All Heal was an effective spell, but it was painful even for shallow wounds. âAlheln!â I shouted, my voice muffled by the red and black wool.
I nearly bit clean through the scarf, and I turned the air blue with my muffled cursing, but the hole was plugged. I spat the wool out, ready to avenge myself on a certain redheaded teacher.
âSheâs dead! Yukiko, sheâs really dead!â Roseâs panicked cry drew my attention, though her voice was deeper than it should have been. She moved like she was in slow motion, too, though she sped up as the last magic left Mrs. Pereraâs body. Rose shrieked again as the disguise fabricata failed. âMrs. Perera! You killed a teacher!â
âCheck to make sure sheâs dead,â grunted Yukiko, barely able to stand, even using one of the remaining seats for support.
âHow can you be so calm?â demanded Rose, the wind picking up. âWe see her every day, and now sheâs dead!â
Yukiko shrugged, her wince telling me she regretted the gesture. âIt was her or us, Rose. Focus. The fight isnât done yet.â
Rose looked down at the other girl like she had grown another head. âShe was our teacher! Do you have ice water for blood?â
âYouâve never fought these monsters before,â she said. âThey take people and twist them. The Mrs. Perera we knew was already dead, if she ever existed at all.â
Maggie stopped trying to locate Kiyo, her face falling. âNeci?â
âThanks for the spell! Fireball Barrage!â I wasnât about to give her a chance to talk her way out of things again.
Maggie yelped in surprise, barely throwing up a Svalinnâs Mercy in time to block my attack.
âDiamond Shower!â Kiyoâs wave of icy needles bounced harmlessly off of Maggieâs armor, though minute flashes of yellow across her torso told me she expended a good deal of magic reinforcing the cloth bits. Low-penetration spells were almost more dangerous to armored wizards, since they could bleed off precious combat reserves in an extended fight.
A red aura surrounded Maggie and she stumbled under her increased weight.
âYou seem to be the leader,â said Yukiko. âWhere will you break? Mrs. Perera only took three times Earthâs gravity!â
âTo Me!â I wasnât sure what Maggie was targeting, until Yukikoâs jacket twisted, as though grabbed by an unseen hand. It wasnât enough to tear her clothing, but the Sato heir tipped forward at the unexpected yank. She slammed chest-first into the back of the hard, plastic chair, prompting another pained hiss as her broken ribs were jostled again.
Free from Yukikoâs grasp, Maggie fired off a Magic Bolt right at me, forcing me to roll out of the way. With the way to the door cleared, Maggie darted out, plugging the exit with a Slow Barrier.
Rose gently took Yukiko by the shoulders. âYukiko?â
Yukiko sank to her knees, letting Rose gently guide her down. She couldnât help but chuckle, which caused another hiss. âGlad this happened now; a couple of months back, youâd have let me fall.â
Roseâs eyes flew open. âNo, I⌠well, maybe right after the War Game.â
I sniffed the air, searching for the telltale vanilla scent of Kiyoâs magic. All I got was lavender, either from the mass of Rose-powered batteries on the roof, or from the continuing breeze from Roseâs Stormbringer affinity. I focused for a moment. My Mimic Sight showed me Maggie rushing towards the mall proper, and a familiar, slender form rushing out of the emergency exit at the back of the theater.
I was about to run after Kiyo when Rose stepped in, blocking my path. âStop right there! You had better have a good explanation for this!â
âThere isnât time for this,â I protested. âSheâs getting away!â
âDid I hear you calling her Maggie?â Rose must have thought I meant Maggie, when my instinct was to find Kiyo. âWas that really Ms. Edwards?â
I weighed my words. My carefully constructed escape plan was dashed, but I wasnât sure how much truth to share with Rose or Yukiko. Rose might have flipped out and made a storm in the small theater and Yukiko she had just killed a little old woman without an apparent pang of conscience.
Speaking of Ms. Sato, she had forced herself upright and had walked over, visibly regretting every step. âShe asked you a question, Marlowe.â
âIâŚâ With Yukiko in easy Gravity Shift range, I decided to come clean. âThat was Maggie, yes. Sheâs been manipulating us all for months. The attack on the Serving Wizardâs House was her doing, too. Thatâs why itâs so important that we track her down!â If Yukiko and Rose were going to force me on a Shrike hunt, that would at least give Kiyo a chance to calm down.
âDonât be so modest, Marlowe,â said Yukiko. How a woman who barely broke five feet could look so imposing was beyond me. âShe canât take all the credit. She had your help.â
âYes,â I said, reluctantly. âNot at the Serving Wizardâs House, but I was involved in this attack. I tried to make sure you all would be safe.â
âThe safest thing would have been to report her to the authorities,â said Yukiko.
âIf I could have, Iâd have dealt with her ages ago.â
âWhy didnât you?â demanded Rose, jabbing a finger into her chest. âShe tried to kill you all back in the city! Why would you work for her?â
I let out a slow breath, killing as much time as I could before I was forced to make the deadly confession. âShe had dirt on me that would have seen me in a jail cell, if I were lucky.â
Roseâs expression softened a tad. Just a tad, though. âIt couldnât be so bad, could it?â I noticed Yukikoâs labored breathing. Despite her bluster, it was plain as day all of the jolts had been murder on her ribs. It was time to take a calculated risk. âLet me kill two birds with one stone. Just promise youâll let me explain.â
Yukiko took a step back as my hands got close to her chest. She turned away, modestly covering herself with her hands. âWatch your hands, you lecher!â
I barked a harsh laugh. âIâm not about to repeat that mistake. Donât bite your tongue.â
Yukiko tilted her head. âWhat do you mean-â
âAlheln.â The demonic magic grabbed hold of her magical reserves, sending waves of magic roiling through her body, fixing flaws and defects. I couldnât see her ribs, but bruises the size of Frettchenâs fingers on her cheek also faded away. I was mildly worried about negative aftereffects, but I figured a little bit of healing magic wouldnât be the worst thing.
Yukiko grit her teeth through it all, falling back to her knees.
Rose wasnât there to catch her that time. She looked on me with dawning shock. âDemonkin,â she whispered.
âGuilty,â I said. Bloody Hell, Fera was right, nobody ever considered that I could be a proper demon.
Yukiko stood back up, stretching her arms. âIâm good as new. Demonic magic is even more effective than I had thought.â
âYou donât conquer most of the world with shoddy tools,â I replied, mostly keeping the patriotâs pride from my voice.
âYes, but why do you have them?â demanded Rose. She didnât seem sure how to respond to the revelation. I would have almost rather she lay into me, but the fear and confusion on her face made me want to tell her the full truth.
âSvalinnâs Wrath,â said Yukiko, producing an energy dagger. It floated passively over her shoulder, its business end trained right at me.
âThatâs my spell,â I protested.
âIt wasnât hard to reverse engineer,â she replied. âPlease answer Ms. Cooperâs question.â She was awfully formal for somebody holding me at knifepoint! She was damn lucky I was there to save her, or I might have returned the favor.
âI came by it honestly; my family was no friend of the League or the Wizard Corps. Ms. Edwards always knew, somehow, and held it over me. It didnât used to be so bad. She tortured me constantly at the Merlin school, before the fall. I didnât dare speak up; I had left my parentâs ways behind, but Iâd be tried as a traitor regardless.â Trying the story on, I realized it accounted for a lot of the facts the girls knew. I doubted it would stand up to deep scrutiny, but I could at least keep them from attacking me then and there. âShe left me behind in England when the Horde invaded. Told me to go throw myself on the mercy of my kind. It turns out, demons have none.â
âYour scars,â said Rose, the fear giving way to undeserved sympathy.
I nodded, regretting the deceit as soon as it left my lips. âI barely got out of England. I thought I was free again, but wouldnât you know it, I was dropped right into her clutches again. Worse, being close to you all gave her more ammo. It wasnât just my neck on the line anymore. Her agents were able to kill Haru Obe in a military hospital.â I left out that agent was named Soren. âImagine what she could do to any of you during a tutoring session.â
I felt the breeze pick up. âI spent all of that time alone with her,â said Rose. âShe was tormenting you and I never knew.â
âYou still should have told the authorities,â said Yukiko. âThey could have prevented a lot of this mess.â
âI did what I could,â I said. âI tried to keep you all out of it. I thought you would all be safely outside of the Tower when we struck.â I felt a grin spreading across my face. âThen you had to come looking for me.â
âOf course,â said Rose, gripping my shoulder. âSoren, Yukikoâs right.â
âI usually am,â said Yukiko, with the same surety one would say water is wet.
âThatâs up for debate,â said Rose. âYou could have told somebody! Thereâs always another way.â
âYou make it sound so easy,â I said. âNobody would have accepted me.â
âThey certainly wonât now,â said Yukiko. âNow what are our next steps? We have to go find Mariko, and Kiyoâs gone AWOL.â
âAnd Hiro. Paul too.â I said.
Yukikoâs eyes went wide. âW-wait, Hiroâs in the Tower?â
âYes, he was in a pitched fight with Brother Ratte the last time IâŚâ I trailed off as Yukiko rushed past me. âDonât get yourself caught in that Slow Barrier! We need to go the way Kiyo did.â
âMagic Bludgeon!â Yukikoâs variant of the Magic Bolt smashed a circular hole in the wall. She wasted no time in clambering through it and rushing out of sight.
âThat girlâs got a one-track mind,â I said as Rose and I followed. We had to duck, since Yukiko had sized it for her short stature.
Rose didnât say anything right away as we ran after Yukiko.
She spoke up as we left the theater. âMagpie?â asked Rose.
âYes?â
âWhatever happens, you did the right thing in the end. That has to count for something.â
I didnât have the heart to tell her how wrong she was. She couldnât help it, after all. She didnât know she was running with a devil.
Chapter 94
âHow did she get so far ahead of us on those little legs?â asked Rose.
âSheâs motivated,â I replied, rounding the last set of stairs on the mallâs second floor.
âHiro!â Yukikoâs plaintive cry came from below. Rose and I exchanged a quick glance before increasing our pace.
The way Yukiko had shrieked, I feared Takehara had managed to get himself killed. I wasnât too far off. He was still on his feet, though he used his sword as a makeshift cane. He bore numerous light wounds that turned his uniformâs jacket red from the waist down. None of them were life threatening on their own, but they added up. Hiro could barely keep his eyes open.
Brother Ratte, on the other hand, seemed in good spirits. He bore a few gashes, but he didnât seem overly bothered. He was also wreathed in red, though that came from Yukikoâs Gravity Shift taking hold of him.
âIâve got him,â said Rose, running over and supporting Hiro. She was taken aback by the blood, but she kept her grip.
âI couldnât handle him,â said Hiro in a dejected tone. âIâd get a bead on him, and then he was gone.â
Ratteâs smug grin made me ill at ease. âYou picked a strange time to learn to smile,â I said. âSeems to me youâre outnumbered and trapped.â
âYou would be right, if we had told you everything,â said Ratte.
Paul stumbled from the hallway where he had left Mariko. He was a bit battered, but not enough to account for his apparent exhaustion.
âMaus got away,â said Paul. âSomeone else needs to catch him; Iâm almost to Wizardâs Desolation.â
âWeâll get him next,â said Hiro.
âDo you hear that, Ratte?â I crowed. âYouâve been abandoned by both of your partners in crime. Maggie also fled the scene.â I wished Yukiko hadnât cut the fight short, since I didnât intend to let any of these Holy Brothers escape the Nagoya Tower alive. I didnât think any of them would put up with me executing a helpless prisoner. Iâd have to wait for my chance.
My wish was granted sooner than Iâd have expected. Yukiko bit her lip as she redoubled her efforts. âSomethingâs wrong,â she said. âI canât keep ahold of him.â
I risked a glance through my Mimic Sight, the shock of what I saw snapping me out of it completely. âHe isnât there! Itâs an energy construct!â
âI was wondering when you would figure it out,â said Ratte. âI was worried you would use your Mimic Sight ages ago.â
âThen who was I fighting?â asked Hiro, raising a skeptical eyebrow at me.
âHell if I know,â I said, scanning the area, already readying a Svalinnâs Mercy for the inevitable attack. I didnât use my Mimic Sight again; I couldnât risk getting stuck staring at my navel.
The false Ratte stepped forward, still wreathed in the harmless red of Yukikoâs Gravity Shift.
âYou face Holy Brother Ratte,â he replied. âBrother Maus and I agreed we needed an insurance policy once your little friends were involved. So, I stepped away and used my affinity to create a duplicate while you went to collect the sniper.â
Yukiko gave up the struggle. âThen youâre Torvald Boberg. Your affinity lets you create a solid energy duplicate.â
Hiro nodded. âYeah, whatâs it called, Ghostly Twin?â
âThatâs right.â Ratte frowned. âHow did you hear about me?â
âYou served with Mr. Maki in England,â said Yukiko. âHe said you were the best scout in the Wizard Corps.â
âI suppose thereâs no harm in you knowing my name,â Ratte said, his phantomâs injuries vanishing all at once. âYou have been judged demonkin, and I will carry out judgement upon you.â
Rose let Hiro go, runes dancing around her own hands. âStay sharp; he canât project the duplicate far. Heâs still in the mall.â
Bloody Hell, were Mariko and I the only ones who tuned out during Mr. Makiâs war stories?
Paul sighed. âYou guys get stories? All Mrs. Perera does is bitch about her husband.â
âI donât think you need to worry about that anymore,â I said. âDraw your sword.â
âI will try to make it quick.â Ratte assumed a fighting pose before vanishing completely. An instant later, Rose cried out in shock as his sword raked her back. Her enchanted uniform held, but the unexpected impact sent her sprawling.
âFireball!â Yukikoâs spell was an instant too late, as he twisted around the shot.
âWatch out!â Hiro managed to block the slash from Ratteâs blade, as well as the attack from behind when Ratteâs doppelganger teleported again.
Paul shook my shoulder as he drew his own blade. âWhat are you doing, Mags?â
âNot drawing attention to myself, Wilson,â I replied. âCover me.â
âCover you?â demanded Paul, but I was already in my own little world.
I had missed Mr. Makiâs stories about his friends. Had I been wrong to think he was being self-aggrandizing, when he was really highlighting our future brothers in arms and what to expect from them?
It seemed unlikely; it must have been a side effect of the old blowhard stroking his own ego.
Still, Yukikoâs description of Torvald had been as the best scout in the corps. Even if he couldnât project the double too far, that told me could still see and hear through it. If I were in his position, I would be as hidden as I could be; I doubted he could focus well enough to control two bodies at once. He also hadnât teleported right into the theater and executed the girls, which meant he was likely still on our floor.
The commotion didnât help my focus one bit. Mimic Sight turned the world into inky blackness, lit only by the auras of the battling wizards. Looking at Rose as she cast spell after spell was like looking directly into the sun, and Yukiko wasnât much dimmer. Hiro and Paul were running on fumes as thought fought blade to blade, neither daring to knock themselves out with a spell.
There! With the sheer amount of magic he was putting out to maintain his copy, Ratte was plain as day in his hidey-hole in the back of the creperie. He was more dangerous than I thought. To maintain the form for so long, he must have had magical reserves to rival Rose.
I let out a breath, preparing to gently return to the world of the living to report my findings.
Instead, the real world rushed up at me all at once, knocking the air from my lungs as I slammed sternum-first into the hard tile. âWhat gives?â I snarled, rolling to my feet to face my attacker.
My blood ran cold at the sight of Paul skewered clean through by Ratte. Paulâs fabricata enhanced uniform had been damaged by Tachibanaâs Fireball before, and it had provided almost no resistance to Ratteâs sword.
âT-told you to move, Mags,â chuckled Paul as the false Ratte shoved him off of his blade.
âPaul?â My stomach clenched as he flopped to the ground like a sock puppet with no hand inside of it.
âHe was brave,â said Ratte. âHe put everything into defending your unworthy hide. Shame to see such grit wasted on a demonkin.â
Rose shrieked in horror as Hiro rushed in, sword swinging, while Yukiko used her Gravity Shift to gently pull Paul towards her. Was she going to try to heal him? It seemed like a lost cause; healing magic relies on the reserves of the healed, and Paul was near empty. Unless Yukiko had a miracle in her back pocket, Paul was⌠Paul wasâŚ
âPaul, why⌠why did you have toâŚâ I wasnât crying. No, demons donât cry. No. It was allergies, it was dust, it was raining, it wasâŚ
Fine, I was crying. What of it? Heâd saved me, even after Iâd gotten him caught up in Maggieâs web. The whole attack had been my idea. It should have been me. There was no justice in it. I took it as more proof that Our Father Below rules this world, and not the Enemy.
Hiro fought bravely, but it was a doomed effort against an opponent who could vanish around any attack. It was all he could do to keep from getting hacked to bits.
My sorrow turned to rage. Red. Everything was red. The aura of Gravity Shift around Paul. The lifeblood seeping out of his chest. The gashes in Hiroâs suit.
I saw red, but I forced myself to stay back. I wanted to join Hiro, but I doubted Ratte could be hurt via his ghostly form. Perhaps the feedback of the duplicate would pain him, but it was time to cut the head off of that particular snake.
Ratteâs duplicate must have heard the energy crackling about my body. He spun about, his lone eye wide in shock. âWhat in Godâs name is that?â
âThis has nothing to do with Him,â I spat.
Hiro used the opening to remove the duplicateâs right hand an instant before Roseâs Magic Bolt punched right through his chest. He must have been carefully controlling the doppelganger earlier to give the appearance of wounds, since Ratte didnât bleed a drop. Instead, it looked like somebody had taken an eraser to him.
I went back to my attack. Everything was red, and the magic gathering around my hands was the reddest of all. Bloody Lance was fueled by magical reserves and anger, and I had plenty of the latter. I couldnât check my Mimic Sight to aim precisely, so I decided that the best kill was overkill. I had once launched a Fireball large enough to down Big Ben. Killing a rat hiding in its hole was childâs play.
âBahadour!â
According to firsthand accounts of the Tower Attack, somewhere around one in the afternoon (the digital watches were all shut down, so there isnât complete agreement in the records), a brilliant flash of red lit up the sky moments before all of the windows on the middle floors shattered at once, flinging a hail of glass in all directions. It was no less impressive from the inside, as the creperie was simply gone, along with most of the shop next to it.
The false Ratteâs form had been rebuilding itself, but it abruptly stopped. âNo,â he whispered.
âIs that all you have to say for yourself?â demanded Hiro.
Ratte stumbled, his false body becoming paler. I thought I could just see Yukiko tending to Paul through his legs as he faded away.
âYouâll still lose,â he said. âBrother Maus is on his way to detonate the bomb.â
âBomb?â squeaked Rose.
âThatâs going to be a Hell of a trick, considering I have the detonator!â I said, holding up the fabricata remote in question.
Ratte grit his teeth, his soul fighting the losing battle to keep his revenant together. âWhat do you think will happen when he fires a Magic Bolt into it?â
âHeâd blow himself up I the process!â I said.
âA small price to be paid.â
Iâm sure my cheeks lost some color of their own as the ramifications hit me. âYou lot are a bunch of fanatics!â
Brother Ratteâs mouth twisted into a serene smile. âI will take that as a compliment from you, demonkin. Humanity First.â
Brother Ratte vanished, and with him, our hopes of an easy victory.
Chapter 95
I approached the others hesitantly after my display with the Bloody Lance. None of them seemed interesting in picking a fight, thank Our Father Below. They all had bigger worries, though Rose was giving Hiro a quick rundown of the events in the theater while she patched him up with her own healing magic. I couldnât read Takeharaâs expression as he silently studied me. I think he was disappointed.
âHowâs Paul doing?â I asked Yukiko, my voice nearly breaking. Did his dark skin look a shade paler, or was that just my imagination?
âI was able to plug the hole, but heâs still unconscious,â said Yukiko, runes spinning about her fingers. âHis magic is almost all spent. Iâm trying to keep him going on the remaining fumes, but heâs going to need regular medical attention soon.â The runes wavered for a moment before she closed her eyes to focus. âI wish Mariko were here. Sheâs the medic, not me.â
âMarikoâs down for the count,â said Hiro. âPaul said sheâs safe, but we canât count on her.â
âExcuse me,â said Rose, âAm I the only one who heard Torvald? Theyâre going to bring down the whole Tower!â
âYou have a point,â said Yukiko, her focus slipping again. âCan we even catch Maus? Heâs got a heck of a lead on us.â
âThat isnât a problem,â I said, holding up Danteâs jamming remote. âI can turn the power back on anytime I feel like. Heâs descending something like twenty-five floors on foot, and weâll have an elevator.â
âI will stay behind and tend to Paul,â said Yukiko. âIâm the only one left who can do this job.â
I rolled my eyes. Modest as always. âThen itâs agreed.â
âYeah, he wonât stand a chance three to one!â said Rose.
Hiro shook his head. âI donât like it. Weâll be leaving them exposed. Mariko, too.â
âThe brothers are accounted for,â said Yukiko. âMs. Edwards ran with her tail between her legs. She didnât even try to help Ratte. I bet sheâs fleeing as we speak.â
âWhy bet?â asked Rose. âSoren, use that thing you do with your Mimic.â
âA splendid idea,â I said. I hesitated, though. What if they were only pretending to bury the hatchet? There would be nothing to stop them from dealing with me while I was in my own little world.
What nonsense. I wasnât dealing with rational beings, after all. They still seemed to tolerate me, unlike Kiyo.
KiyoâŚ
The world went dark again. I glanced up, hoping to catch sight of Maggie, or Kiyo for that matter. I was out of luck there; looking straight up at the massive bank of batteries obscured anything more than a few floors up.
Looking down proved more productive, but it raised more questions than answers.
âMaus is definitely making his way down,â I said. âI donât see any sign of Maggie or Kiyo, which means that our dear Ms. Edwards isnât trying to escape the Tower. Sheâs going back upstairs.â
âWhere the Headmaster is,â said Hiro, peering up at the mallâs distant ceiling. âThen we have to go up, too.â
âSaving the Headmaster wonât do us any good if the Tower collapses on us,â said Yukiko. âWe donât have a way to move Paul. Maus is the priority.â
âSo, what, you want to let the Headmaster die?â asked Rose, her hands on her hips.
Yukiko looked up from her work to glare at Rose. âOf course not! Please give me a little credit. Iâm just being practical. Brother Ratte nearly killed Paul and he fought us all to a standstill. Iâm staying here, Hiroâs got almost not magic left, you keep letting emotions get the best of you, and Magpie isâŚâ She considered her words. âMagpie is suspect, to say the least.â
âSuspect? I just obliterated Brother Ratte!â
âYouâve jumped sides at least three times, by my count,â said Yukiko.
âYou ungrateful little witch,â I said, my frustration finally boiling over. âYou realize Iâve doomed myself for you all, donât you? Youâll all get medals and parades for your bravery today, and Iâll be hung if Iâm lucky!â
âThe League doesnât hang criminals,â said Yukiko, utterly unimpressed with my fury. âWe arenât barbarians.â
âThatâs beside the point! I tried to capture you alive and negotiate your safety, and I just vaporized Ratte to save you! Thatâs all the proof you should need!â
âBut you were still willing to bring down the Tower to save yourself,â countered Yukiko. âMs. Edwardsâ blackmail doesnât suddenly make you innocent. You chose to cooperate. No matter how highly you think of us, you betrayed the Wizard Corps and the League.â
âYukiko, you arenât being fair,â said Rose, sounding awfully unsure of herself.
Yukiko shook her head. âNo, Iâm being extremely fair. Tell me what Iâm missing.â
âNow see here!â I readied a stream of ad hominem attacks, a sure sign I had lost the argument.
âEnough!â Hiroâs shout cut me off, echoing through the mall. âWe donât have time for this. We have to split up.â He looked down at Paulâs prone form. âMagpie, you and Rose go upstairs. Iâll deal with Brother Maus.â
Rose nodded in agreement. âLetâs go, Magpie!â
âAre you suicidal? Without your Immortal Form, youâre just some boy with a katana! You take Rose, and Iâll go after Maggie. I have a score to settle with her.â
âYou said Rei was up there,â countered Hiro. âYou canât face them two on one.â
âWe talked Paul down,â I said.
Hiro frowned. âSheâs kinda stubborn.â
âIâm willing to take that risk. Besides, there are three soldiers with guns to account for. No, Hiro, you need Rose.â
âThat sounds sensible to me,â said Yukiko.
âNow you trust me?â
She shrugged. âI said you were suspect, not a bad strategist.â The fact that her precious Hiro would have more protection with my scheme probably didnât hurt my case at all.
âThen itâs decided,â I said, making my way towards the intact elevators. I didnât want to give them a chance to object.
Rose found a way. âYou canât, Soren!â said Rose as she jogged alongside of me.
âThere isnât a choice, my dear,â I said, handing Hiro the schematics Paul and I had used to place the bomb in the first place. I cut off the magic to my remote, and the Tower came back out of the dark ages. âIf we all go together, somebodyâs going to die. You or Hiro alone couldnât fight off Brother Maus.â I tapped the up arrow, while Hiro hit the down.
âDonât let what Yukiko said before shake you,â she said, taking my hand in hers. âIâll tell them everything you did to save us, and what it meant.â
It smashed my retirement plans and ended an engagement, is what it meant. âItâs not enough. I donât think I can make up for what I did.â
Rose surprised me with a tight embrace. âSoren, youâre my little piece of home. I donât want to think about life without you. Promise you wonât throw yourself away being heroic. Thereâs still hope for you.â
Heroic? Me? What awful slander. What a fool, not recognizing one of the devils who had helped destroy her homeland. Her little piece of home? I didnât even have the right accent! What a fool, thinking the League would overlook treason because I got cold feet. I should have told her off. I doubted Iâd ever see her again. Win or lose, Iâd either be in the hands of Wizard Corps Intelligence, or Our Father Below.
That derailed my train of thought. I held her tight, setting aside my offense. âThe same goes for you, Rose.â At least she could survive, and be somebody who still think of me fondly. Thatâs all I had left, really.
The elevator dinged behind me. âThat one seems to be mine,â I said, disengaging from Rose.
âMagpie?â said Hiro.
âYes, Takehara?â
He gave me a thumbs up. âGive âem heck.â
âIâll do better than that,â I said as the door closed. âJust for you, Iâll give âem Hell.â
He blushed slightly at the grievous curse. I took some small comfort in the idea that if it was my last time seeing Hiro Takehara, I could needle him one last time.
*****************
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Comments
D. B. Fassbinder
That comment made my morning. Thank you!
Morgan Swanson
God's this is shaping up to be one of the most satisfying endings ever, fingers crossed lieutenant Malthus makes an appearance
