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Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapter 84, 85, 86)
🕑 Added 2021-06-10 20:40:18 +0000 UTCArt of Kiyo by Rianne. đŚrianne | COMMISSIONS OPEN (@RianneComms) / Twitter
Chapter 84
I took a moment to admire myself in the uniform shopâs mirror. The new uniform was a touch short in the sleeves, but otherwise perfect.
Too perfect, in fact. âYouâre much too clean for a hostage.â I cut a few gashes on my sleeves and pant legs with my emergency knife, accidentally nicking myself on the left arm. It was tempting to heal myself, but I figured a little blood would only add to the authenticity.
I quickly checked in with Ratte, who reported he and a detachment of Brothers were on their way.
âBuy us some time, Brother Mockingbird. Sister Shrike sent some of her followers down as well.â
âSplendid. Iâll keep them occupied. Tell Shrike to keep the comms silent; you could expose me. Oh, and I wonât be wearing my uniform, so tell your men to not shoot at the handsome young man with the black hair. Theyâre on a bit of a hair trigger.â
âI will pass that along,â replied Brother Ratte in a resigned tone.
I poked my head out of the shop, seeing Yukiko and Kiyo from behind. They were moving slowly, Yukiko taking the lead and Kiyo covering her. The shorter girl had a Svalinnâs Mercy floating near her head. A sensible precaution, when there are enemies about.
I hesitated, wondering if I was walking into a trap. âRubbish, Malthus. As far as they know, youâre still on their side.â
âKiyo, is that you?â
She spun around, training Lucile at me. My stomach churned for a moment, worried that I had been found out somehow.
Her jubilant smile was almost worse. Our Father Below knew I didnât deserve it. âMagpie!â She rushed over, nearly dropping Lucile in her excitement. âWe thought⌠I thought you wereâŚâ
âIâm fine, Angel,â I replied. âJust a little worse for wear.â
Yukiko followed a moment after, keeping a more respectful distance. Still, I could tell the guarded young woman was relieved. âMr. Marlowe! We were starting to think the worst.â
âYou canât be rid of me that easily,â I replied. Certainly not the way my luck was going.
âYukiko was sure theyâd caught you, but I believed in you! I mean, the Horde didnât catch you, what chance did these losers have?â Kiyo pressed up against me, which was as close as she could get to an embrace without dropping her rifle in the process.
âAs touching as this all is, we donât have time,â said Yukiko. âSoren, did you see where that attacker went? Heâs completely vanished.â
âAttacker?â I replied, trying to sound as dumb as I could manage.
Footsteps approached from behind. âYou already found him,â said Rose. âThat was Magpie in disguise.â
I cursed Roseâs timing. âOh, you meant me.â I puffed myself up, trying to look prouder than I felt. âYes, I stole one of their disguise fabricate, after we had a scuffle in my room. These Holy Brothers are sneaky; you can never trust your eyes with them.â
Yukiko rubbed her shoulder, her subtle relief turning to visible annoyance. âWait, what? You threw that shield right at me!â
I sniffed haughtily. âKiyo had just shot a bullet right next to your ear, and you grabbed me with your gravity affinity! You werenât going to hear me surrender. I needed some distance.â It didnât quite fit the timing of events, but fights can be fluid things. If I said it confidently enough, the lie would hold up long enough for Ratteâs men to arrive.
Kiyoâs free hand shot to her mouth, her fair skin flushing with embarrassment. âOh God, I shot at you!â
âNo blood, no foul, my dear. You just took out one of my shields. Thereâs plenty more where that came from.â I had to stop myself from wrapping an arm around her. âWell, I think weâre all caught up.â
Rose cut off Yukiko before she could speak, which was fine by me. She was the most likely to be objective, which is like kryptonite to a charlatan. âWe need to get up to the library! Thatâs where theyâre holding the Headmaster, right?â
âThatâs what they said in the broadcast,â I said, subtly guiding them towards the working elevators. I doubted Ratte was having his men climb a few dozen floors of stairs, after all.
âThen what are we waiting for?â Kiyo nodded towards the elevators. âWe need to ride up there and kick some butt!â
âWe shouldnât charge right in,â said Yukiko. âTheyâll be expecting that. We should ride the elevators a few floors down from the library.â
Kiyo sighed. âUgh. Stairs.â
Rose flashed her a grin. âYou can pretend you hate it all you like, but we whipped you into shape.â
âLook, I can be good at things and still hate them.â
âThen you donât need to complain about it,â replied Yukiko. âIt isnât becoming of a Nagoya wizard.â
âNeither is letting me fall down theâŚâ Kiyo stopped herself from mentioning the first War Game for the thousandth time. âSorry. Youâre right, Yukiko.â
âI usually am,â she replied, with just the ghost of a smile on her face.
âYou donât need to worry about those stairs, Kiyo,â I said. It all seemed painfully normal. Walking through the shopping center, bickering over nothing, Kiyo glued to my side.
Roseâs ear perked up as we neared the functional set of elevators, just before we would leave the large shopping complex. âDid you hear that?â
âHear what?â A touch of Mimic Sight confirmed three wizards were coming our way. I took a step back, acting as casually as I could.
âFootsteps,â said Yukiko, drawing a sword from her side. She usually favored a naginata to compensate for her height, but I supposed she wouldnât want to haul the long weapon through the Tower. They hadnât expected a fight; it was only Kiyoâs attachment to Lucile that had seen her bring it along. It was just one of her adorable little quirks.
âIâm going to save my magic,â said Yukiko, preparing for a defense I was about to spoil. âIâll be the duelist for you two. Rose, youâre the caster. Kiyo, youâre the shooter.â
âIâm glad Iâm on your side this time,â said Rose. âYukiko, if things go badly⌠Itâs, uh, itâs been okay knowing you, Yukiko.â
âLikewise,â she replied. âIâd go so far as to say good.â
âIâm sticking with okay,â said Kiyo.
âI have no idea what you three are talking about,â I said. âI donât hear a thing.â
Kiyo dropped to her knees, bracing the rifle against her slender shoulder. âThen you need to get your hearing checked, Magpie.â
âWait until you see the whites of their eyes,â said Rose, magical runes spinning around her hands.
I could have pointed out the irony in a British woman quoting an American Revolutionary, but there wasnât the time. I could just make out the Holy Brothersâ hushed voices making their plans for the coming fracas. Without any way to signal them, I needed to neutralize Kiyo first. If she fired another Flashbang bullet down the hall, she could disable Ratteâs whole group in one go.
I pulled my punches, naturally. âWater Orb.â Like that time at the firing range, Kiyo was too focused to hear me cast the spell, which I aimed right at her exposed neck.
âWhat the heck?â She whipped around, her face contorted into an angry mask. âNow? Really? Whatâs wrong with you?â
âA slip of the finger, I assure you,â I said.
Rose and Yukiko both looked up from their casting to see what we were fighting over.
Which gave Brothers Frettchen, Ratte and Maus time to round the corner, followed by three of the normal soldiers.
Chapter 85
Looking back on things, we should have had Brother Ratteâs group. It was a tough position to take, on paper. We had them boxed into a narrow hallway, and in theory, we had four wizards to their three. We also had them by surprise, since they seemed startled to see us waiting for them. If Kiyo had been in position, the fight would have been over before it began. However, Iâd bought them precious seconds, and they put it to good use.
âSniper!â Brother Ratte followed up his warning by casting Slow Barrier, drawing a distorted wave through the air in front of his men. From experience, I knew that would stop any projectile dead in its tracks.
So did Brother Ratteâs men. The ordinary soldiers quickly deduced the edges of the shimmering barrier and used it for cover.
Brother Frettchen pointed his hands up, fingers dancing as he cast an elaborate spell. âGlitter Bomb!â A wobbling orb of energy flew towards us in an arc, reminding me of a blinding, green water balloon.
Brother Maus opened his pockets, spilling a pile of sand and dirt onto the carpet to give his affinity something to work with.
In mere moments, they had established a defensive position, had their mundane soldiers ready to lay down supporting fire as needed, had one of their wizards ready to start lobbing attacks with his native magic, and the third had already launched an attack, all in the course of a few seconds. As a former commander, I felt a twinge of jealousy. They had the advantage of not having to corral orcs, I told myself.
Rose and Yukiko were no slouches, though. Rose thrust out her hand, sending a concentrated gust of wind out to drive the Glitter Bomb off course. It flew into a decorative tree behind us, coating it in sticky flecks of energy.
Yukiko rushed towards them. Despite her promise to spare her magic, she adjusted the gravitational pull of one of the soldierâs helmets, smacking it into his partners hard enough to ring like a bell. The right flank cleared of gunmen, she dashed forward, her sword at the ready. Rose followed on the left
âMagpie I⌠never mind!â Kiyo turned, aiming right at the Slow Barrier. She had encountered that spell many times in our War Game, which told me she had an area of effect spell loaded up. The Slow Barrier could stop the bullet, but the impact would activate the magic stored in its fabricata.
âTo Me,â I whispered. I had copied the handy little utility spell from Maggie before. Such a pity it was a Second-Year lesson. Lucile jumped in Kiyoâs hands, sending the bullet through the door of the creperie. The explosion cracked the windows of the storefront, but the light was too distant to do any harm.
Cursing like a sailor, Kiyo vanished with Lucile.
Brother Frettchen locked his eyes on Yukiko as she neared the Slow Barrierâs right side. The placid giantâs face stayed neutral as he stepped from behind his protective wall. He drew his own sword, silently challenging the Sato heiress. There was no way she would challenge a man twice her weight in melee combat, was there?
âYa!â Yukiko Sato never lacked for confidence, I had to give her that. She baited Frettchen into an attack, using well-practiced mahoukenjutsu to anticipate and deflect the attacks. She wouldnât be able to win like that, but I suspected she was feeling out the other wizard before spending her dwindling magic reserves.
The remaining mundane soldier drew his rifle on Rose, using the corner of the Slow Barrier for cover.
Rose was faster on the draw, since she didnât have to aim. The energy blocked most of her gust, but when she was throwing around hurricane-force winds, it was enough to slam him against the wall with an audible thud.
Brother Maus held up his hand, compressing his payload into a dense, football shaped payload.
Brother Ratte put a hand on Mausâ shoulder. âDonât waste time with your dirt. Sheâll just blow it away.â
âDang straight!â crowed Rose, stopping on the opposite size of the barrier. âCome on out! Itâs time to reap the whirlwind!â
Brother Maus nodded once. âWant to give her the old Valhalla?â
Brother Ratteâs only reply was a grunt.
âThorâs Hammer!â The runes around Brother Mausâ hands coalesced into a pulsating; golden structure nearly as tall as him. He struggled to hold onto the wildly shifting energy structure. His face was slick with perspiration, illuminated in the chaotic energies of the spell.
My heart stopped. âWhat? You lunatics, youâll kill her!â
Rose had the sense to back up, but it was too late. With a snap of his fingers, Brother Ratte dismissed the Slow Barrier, while his compatriot swung the hammer with the form of an Olympic hammer toss.
âSvalinnâs Mercy!â The shield I threw up between Rose and Brother Maus turned out to be completely insufficient, shattering in an instant. I had expected as much; among the humans I had fought in England, that was a spell of last resort, since it had to be used at short range, and was liable to break containment and blow up in the casterâs face. And those monsters used it as their opening move!
Which was why I had shaped the Svalinnâs Mercy like a wedge. If I couldnât stop the attack, I could redirect it. The spell dug deep furrows in the ground around the blonde girl, but she was mostly untouched.
Mostly. The shockwave still sent her sprawling. Rose rolled with the impact, but she was shaken. Her eyes were wide open, the whites visible, even from twenty feet off.
Brother Ratte took that as his cue to shoot. âMagic Bolt!â It seemed almost like a letdown to see such a basic spell at work after Brother Mausâ display.
Rose snapped out of it just in time. âMagic Bolt!â Her energy ball slammed straight into Ratteâs, the hardened domes buckling as they collided. They exploded as the magical energy found release. Brother Maus had taken the chance to erect a Svalinnâs Mercy, saving them from the brunt of the blast.
Rose didnât have another wizard backing her up, and she was knocked prone again by the impact. This time, she wasnât so quick to get back up.
A shriek to my right drew my attention back to Yukiko and Brother Frettchen. Frettchenâs Wizard Corps uniform was stained red with blood from a shallow wound Yukikoâs katana had inflicted on his arm. He had her in a firm grip, her tiny body pressed against his chest by arms nearly as wide around as her torso.
âLet me go!â Yukikoâs affinity glowed bright red, the carpeted floor groaning as Brother Frettchenâs substantial weight doubled and redoubled.
âThatâs enough of that,â said Brother Frettchen, his soothing voice more disturbing than if he had been shouting.
Yukiko drove her head against his chin, earning nothing but an annoyed grunt from the Holy Brother. âI wonât let you go! Letâs see how tough you are when you weigh a ton!â
âThat would take you with me,â he said cajolingly.
âSo what?â she asked. âIâll drop us all the way to the ground floor if I have to! Iâve seen how you treat prisoners, but I know youâll save your own sorry butt first! Now I said let⌠meâŚâ
I couldnât help but flinch. The sound of breaking bone never gets any easier to hear. The glow around him faded away as tears of pain welled in Yukikoâs eyes.
âThat was one rib, little one,â he said. âDonât make me do that again. The next one could pierce a lung.â
She looked on at me pleadingly. âS-Soren, pleaseâŚâ
I jogged over. Yukiko almost looked hopeful. âSheâs had enough, Brother Frettchen.â
âIâm not sure she has,â he replied. âI still feel a bit heavier than I should.â
Sure enough, a faint glow surrounded Brother Frettchenâs body. Each breath pained her, but she kept resisting. âSoren, Wh-why are you talking to them like-â
âTimeâs up,â declared Brother Frettchen. The Holy Brother smelled of onions as his affinity went to work. The magic travelled down his arms and into his hand, pooling into his finger before it discharged a bolt of energy into Yukikoâs ribcage. It was like throwing a punch without throwing a punch.
The second rib was too much for the Sato girl, and she passed out. Thank goodness.
The awful moment over, I recovered, jabbing my finger into Brother Frettchenâs face. âNow, see here! My deal with Sister Shrike was that they were to be unharmed! You nearly crushed her to death!â
âI did tell her what would happen,â replied Brother Frettchen. His subtle grin told me the soft-spoken wizard had no regrets about the fightâs outcome. âI had to hit extra hard with my Force Burst, or it wouldnât go through her armor.â
âAnd like I said, your deal was with Sister Shrike,â said Brother Ratte, the unconscious Rose slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. âMy first priority was the lives of my men, and they werenât showing any restraint.â
âTheyâre damn students!â I protested.
âTheyâre breathing,â said Brother Ratte. Yukiko wheezed in Brother Frettchenâs arms, a trail of red leaking from her mouth. âMore or less.â
âHey, Mockingbird, did you see where the other one went?â Brother Maus scanned the rows of shops nervously.
I shrugged, almost hoping she would start running and not stop. âShe can be hard to track; her affinity is turning invisible.â
Maus chuckled to himself. âOh, sheâs that one? Iâm ready for her.â With a wave of his hand, the football shaped clod of dirt and rock turned into so much dust, spreading it in a fine powder that made me sneeze.
I didnât suffer alone. A familiar shape stood in the entrance of a small clothing store, coughing to clear the dust from her unseen mouth. She had Lucile trained right on us.
Brother Ratte cupped his hand around mouth. âCadet Jones! Show yourself!â
âFine! Iâm just wasting magic anyway!â She came back into view, a bit dirty, but no worse for wear.
âLower your weapon, or your friends will suffer more!â
âNo way!â She shouted back. âLet Magpie and the others go, or I swear to God Iâll blow you all to hell! Iâve got a high explosive round loaded and ready to go!â
âPretend to hold me hostage,â I whispered to Brother Maus.
âCome again?â the short wizard asked.
I gulped. âShe⌠sheâs taken with me. Sheâll surrender if she thinks Iâm in danger.â
He nodded, grabbing me by the wrist and jabbing the business end of a combat knife into my throat. âWeâve got your little Mockingbird, girl! Put the weapon away or weâll ventilate him!â
âMagpie!â The horror in her voice pierced me to the core.
âYouâd best do as he says,â I shouted back. âThey say weâll be okay as long as we cooperate!â
Lucileâs barrel shook. âN-nice try, you faker! Youâre in a disguise like Haru. Youâre one of them! My Soren would never give up like that!â
That unearned praise hurt nearly as much as Brother Mausâ overly tight grip. âPlease, be reasonable. Donât you want to see the gaming museum again? Or that hotel with the Pac Man bed?â That last comment earned me an odd look from the Holy Brothers.
âIt is you.â She lowered the rifle, the betrayal in her eyes visible even at that distance.
âIâm afraid itâs the real me,â I replied.
âYes, itâs him,â spat Brother Ratte. âNow that we have established the obvious, drop the gun.â
She complied, winking out of sight right after. Her echoing footsteps grew more distant as she darted away.
Brother Maus released my arm. âWe need to round her up.â
âWhat can one little girl do?â Brother Frettchen had set the lightly moaning Yukiko down, and he was busy tying her arms behind her back.
âItâs not what she can do,â I said. âItâs what will happen to her if we bring down the Tower while sheâs hiding.â
âAcceptable losses,â declared Brother Ratte, placing a hand on my shoulder. âBrother Mockingbird, retrieve her rifle, and help us get the other prisoners upst- ARGH!â
The only thing Iâd won challenging orcs to arm wrestling were bruises and enough grip strength to get the Norwegian wizardâs attention. âYou misunderstand me, Brother Ratte. I am going to go collect Kiyo Jones, and when I do, nothing is going to happen to her. Her safety is your safety. Am I clear?â
âY-yes,â the hardened man said, shaken for the first time since I had met him.
âGood.â I released his wrist and went on my way, my Mimic Vision showing Kiyoâs magical signature rushing for the third level.
As I took the first flight of stairs, I could just make out Brother Frettchenâs voice. âOoh, I like him.â
âYou would,â muttered Ratte.
Chapter 86
I felt sorry for Kiyo just then. Her Death of Light affinity should have been perfect for a game of cat and mouse, but my refined Mimic made her slender outline as plain as day to me. She had ducked into a darkened electronics store, tucking herself away in a dark corner between the smartphone display and the wall.
âKiyo?â She gave no response, but I didnât need my magic to hear her frantic breathing from behind the counter. I took a few steps closer, making as much noise as I could. I didnât want to startle her. âI know youâre there.â
âYeah, I heard you coming a mile away,â she said. She peeked over the countertop, her eyes peering out from under her beret. âWhy did you do it?â
âDo what, my-â
âThrow in with the goddamn Holy Brotherhood! I canât believe you made me say it!â She dropped out of sight. âYou doused me right at the start of the fight, and I know you threw my aim off!â
âYou have me there,â I said, hunkering down on the opposite side of the counter. âIâm here to bring you back. They promise that youâll be fine if you cooperate.â
âTheyâre monsters, Soren! Whatever they promised you, you arenât going to get it!â
âOh, I have my ways of making sure they live up to their deal. Nothingâs going to happen to you.â
âIâm not worried about me, you idiot! All the students, and the Headmaster! I just⌠IâmâŚâ She slammed her fist into the tiled floor. âI donât know what to say to you right now.â
âTake your time, my dear.â
âI donât have the words, and youâre supposed to be there to figure out what Iâm thinking.â
âAnother line of the boyfriend/girlfriend contract?â I asked, chuckling weakly.
After a long silence, she spoke up again. âI didnât think you were a traitor.â
It just went to show she never knew me. âIâm practical.â
âI thought youâd know better, being a cutie⌠being a demonkin, after what the Horde did to you. What, you wanted to hook up with the other evil army?â
âOnce I get three punches, I get a free ice cream sundae,â I replied.
That set her off. Leaping over the counter, she landed in front of me. I flinched away at her fury. âThis isnât funny! None of this is funny! Soren, theyâre awful people, and youâre helping them do heinous shit.â
âThey said theyâd spare you all if I helped,â I said. âThey have the Headmaster, and they can topple the Tower any time they like. I didnât have a choice.â
âYes, you did. Thereâs always a choice!â She choked back a sob. âWhat about what we always said? You and me against the world! There were three of them and four of us!â
âTheyâve got more wizards than you know about,â I replied. âWeâre just students. We need to stand down.â
Kiyoâs slap didnât sting much. Physically, at least. âWhat the heck is wrong with you? You feel like Soren, so why donât you sound or act like him?â
âMaybe you donât know me as well as you thought,â I said. âThereâs nothing to be gained fighting a useless battle. Sometimes you have to know when to give in. Itâs why Iâm here today.â
âFor what? If youâre going to just be a wimp, then whatâs the point of living?â
Because there was a spot in the lake of fire waiting for me, and I wanted to delay that as long as I could. Our Father Below did not approve us rogue devilsâ invasion of the Earth, and we had been told not to expect a heroâs welcome.
âThereâs no point in fighting. The choice has already been made, Kiyo,â I said, rubbing my cheek. âThey caught Rose and Yukiko.â
âAnd Mariko,â she said. âWhat, youâre going to just abandon her God-knows-where?â
I almost wished I had. âIâll make sure sheâs taken care of. Are you going to come quietly? I can make sure youâre comfortable.â
Her expression softened as she reached out, pressing my hand against my reddening face. âSoren, please. Youâre the bravest guy I know. You jumped down a mountain for me. You saved my life when that Haru guy nearly stung us to death.â
âYouâre missing the important part,â I said, my voice quavering more than Iâd have liked. âIt was always for you. Iâm a damn coward, but you make me abandon my sense. Donât throw all of my hard work away playing hero!â
âI donât care,â she said. âIâd rather die than let them rule us, and thatâs what they want! If you donât have a better idea, we can figure something out together. They think youâre on their side, right? We can surprise them.â
Haruâs face flashed through my mind unbidden. âIâve gone to an awful lot of trouble for you. Committed crimes that can never be forgiven. Itâs too late for me here.â
She shook her head forcefully. âNo way. It canât be that bad. And if it is, so what? Iâm not going to love you any less.â
âWhat if Iâm a fugitive the rest of my life?â
âThen Iâll be Mrs. Fugitive. I always wanted to travel more. Câmon Magpie, itâs you and me against the world! Weâll make those Holy Brothers sorry they were ever born.â Kiyo held out her hand to me, her dark, soulful eyes looking at me expectantly.
I reached out for her, but stopped short. âYou really mean that, donât you? Youâd throw your whole life away for me.â
âOf course,â she said.
She was sincere, I had to give her that. Stupidly brave, too. Still, I could never deny my little Angel. I clasped her hand, and she helped me to my feet. At least, as much as she could, with our difference in weight. âLetâs be off.â
She dug in her heels. âWait, we need a plan first.â
âOh, thatâs easy,â I replied. âWe act like you surrendered and play it by ear. Once weâre among them, theyâre bound to let down their guard.â
âYou make it sound so easy,â said Kiyo.
âOh, it is. It worked on you, after all. Lechtar.â
Her body jerked as just the right charge of electricity passed through her body to knock her out. Twitching, she fell into my arms.
âYou nearly convinced me,â I said, catching her as gently as I could, enjoying one last embrace. âItâs a shame I love you too much to let you end up with a wretch like me.â
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