Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapter 64, 65 & 66)

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Chapter 64

Whatever else one could say about him, Paul Wilson was solidly built. I must have been going to a good clip to knock him to the ground.

I cursed internally. It seemed like an eternity since I had spoken to him directly, but he had certainly been talking behind my back! He was on Maggie’s radar for recruitment, but that didn’t mean I was eager to see him again. I had imagined the feeling would be mutual.

I had imagined incorrectly. He rubbed his head as he levered himself off the ground. “Geeze, Mags, you gotta watch where you’re going,” he said, flashing me a smile. “You alright? That was a hard fall.”

“I’m fine, thank you.” I raised an eyebrow at his concern, even as I regained my feet. “You seem to be in fine spirits tonight.”

As he brushed him off, he seemed to notice Rei for the first time. “Oh, hey, you’re… ah… Have we met, ma’am?”

“I don’t think so.” Rei bowed shallowly at Paul. “Rei Yamaguchi, class 3-B.”

He returned the bow. “Paul Wilson, Class 2-B.” He gave her a once over, and he seemed fairly indifferent to what he saw. “Another Japanese girl? Guess my boy Mags has a type.”

Rei cocked her head at him. “A type of what?”

“I don’t think I like what you’re implying!” If he was going to rush in and spread rumors, then the gloves were off. “And I would appreciate it if you kept your thoughts to yourself, especially around Kiyo!”

“I just say what I see,” he said. “I mean, you seem to think it’s a guy’s job to warn a girl if her boyfriend isn’t as pure as the driven snow. So, I’ve been returning the favor.” The friendly tone never left his voice, which was even more infuriating.

“What are you two talking about?” asked Rei.

I met Paul’s languid gaze. “Ms. Yamaguchi, thank you for your help before. I need to have a word with Mr. Wilson. And there’s no reason to tell anybody else about what we were up to.” I didn’t think he was after a fight, exactly, but perhaps I was. He had stoked Kiyo’s jealousy ever since I had exposed his intentions to Mariko. It was time to air things out, especially if Maggie meant to recruit him.

Paul nodded to Rei. “Nice meeting you, ma’am.”

“Later, Magpie, Mr. Wilson,” she said with a wave.

“Magpie? Are we that close now?” I asked.

“I suppose we are? We are teammates,” she replied.

Once she had gone up the elevator I turned to Paul. “What has you so cheerful? You’ve been giving me the stink eye for a month.”

“Do you really want to do this here?” He gestured around the main hall. We were by ourselves for the time being, but his voice echoed off the immaculately clean tiled floor, and I knew Rose would have to pass through there once she was done relieving herself.

I took a step into his personal space. “That depends on what ‘this’ is. Are we going to have a civil chat, or should I start prepping spells?”

He jerked his thumb backwards. “Yeah, let’s take this outside.”

I decided we could hide out best in the woods. It would give me some room to operate if I needed to. Not that I was eager to fight him; I had seen him use his affinity to throw a Holy Sister twenty feet once by manipulating the water in her body. However, it was time to end this nonsense.

I took some precautions, though. We walked in silence, with me bringing up the rear, and I was able to whisper a few Svalinn’s Mercy shields into existence. They came out a little misshapen, since the words were slurred by the need to say them quietly, but they still floated, and they were still thick enough to stop a bullet.

“This is pretty close to that clearing where you cockblocked me,” said Paul, his hands in his black uniform’s pockets.

“Yes, well…” I didn’t have a response. His attempts to sweet talk his way into Mariko’s skirt with a few lies wouldn’t have been out of line back home. Hell, it was safer to assume your paramour was lying to you in Pandemonium. It wasn’t even completely beyond the pale for human society. Yet, in that moment, something in me had demanded that I put a stop to it.

I hated that little piece of myself. The piece that insisted on protecting instead of taking. It had always been damned inconvenient.

“Yo, Earth to Mags,” said Paul, a jovial grin crossing his face. “You’re drifting off again.”

“The difference is that I think any woman would do for you, and Mariko would have been miserable when she figured you out on her own. She’s a romantic.”

“Yeah, don’t I know it! Still, you got in the way of my game, after I spent months putting up with her demonkin talk,” said Paul. “If I said a few things to Kiyo, then I think fair’s fair. Especially since you’re always hanging around with some of the best-looking women in school, like they’re your dang harem.”

“It’s called friendship. Maybe you ought to try it sometime.”

He shook his head. “I’ve seen the way you’re sizing up Rose and Mariko when you think they aren’t looking. Guess Yukiko scared you at the War Games, she’s the only one you don’t ogle.”

“I… looking isn’t the issue, I’m not leading them on!”

“I wouldn’t say that. I watched you and Rose at that ice cream parlor. She’s into you; you drop Ms. Jones and I think you’re in with her in a hot minute.”

I couldn’t help but laugh myself. “And here I thought you had some deep insight! I assure you, that ship sailed ages ago.”

He shrugged. “If you say so. I just know what I saw. I’m not even mad anymore, I’m just wondering where you get off getting in my way. I thought you were my kind of guy. You carry yourself around like you’re a lady-killer.”

“I am,” I said.

“Bullshit!” His tone was half playful, half accusatory. “That little nerd’s got you wrapped around her finger.”

“And so what if she does? I love her!” Paul’s eyes widened in surprise, and my own hand flew to my mouth. I felt oddly nauseous, realizing I had given words to what I’d thought hidden for months. “Wait, it’s not…”

I didn’t care for the inquisitive way he looked me over. “Are you… embarrassed by that?”

“No, of course not,” I said, my face burning. Bloody Hell, why did I have to go and say that? “I’m not some shrinking violet! I’ve had more women than you’ve had hot dinners! The madams in the red-light district knew me by name back in Pan… back home! I got discounts!”

“Sure, Mags, sure.” He looked at me almost pityingly. “Dang, you mean that, don’t you?” His whole demeanor shifted. The jokey, confrontational edge had vanished, and he took his hands out of his pockets. “I thought you were being a hypocrite, but you’re soft. No wonder you and Mariko get along so well.”

“I’m not… I…” My little Freudian slip had affected me more than I thought. My stomach churned, and I felt like I might vomit. I had known it for some time, but saying the Enemy’s word out loud felt like I had opened a door inside myself, and I didn’t like what else might rush out.

I realized that for Soren Marlowe, that wouldn’t be a damning admission, and it would draw more attention to treat it as such. I straightened my shoulders. “Meeting the right woman can do that to you. So, you’ll understand that I want you to stop doing your level best to poison her against me! You have no idea how troublesome that’s been.”

He nodded slowly. “Now you make a lot more sense.” His gaze hardened again. “If you’re a softie like Takehara, you don’t have to pretend you aren’t a square. In fact, cut that crap out. Don’t be a poser.”

I grit my teeth. Another slight to my demonic pride. Why did these human girls have to make me give a damn about them? “Regardless, I’m willing to forg…” Blast it all, talking about love was one thing, but I’d be damned before I forgave anyone! “I’m willing to move past all of this if you are.”

He burst out laughing. “You’re blushing so hard right now, you pussy! Almost makes up for all that time I blew on Mariko. Sure, Mags, we’ll bury the hatchet.”

I coughed into my hand, trying to will my face to cool. Was there a spell for that? I’d have to look into it.

With that out of the way, I recalled that Paul was on Maggie’s list of recruits. If I had to be humiliated, I might as well see how far she had taken things. “I’ve heard some rumors of my own,” I said. “It sounds like you’ve been getting close to Ms. Edwards yourself. It sounds like you’ve been doing some extra tutoring sessions with her.”

“So what?” he asked. “Exams are coming up.”

“It’s something we have in common,” I said. “I feel a certain connection with you. A… brotherhood, if you catch my drift. One you might want to keep hidden.” An overwhelming scent of citrus filled the air, and I knew I had said the wrong thing.

It had been months since I had seen Paul’s Water Jet affinity in action, but I had always seen it as an underdeveloped affinity. He had put his months of practice to good use. My eyes stung from the dryness as all of the moisture in the clearing gathered in his hands, a moment before it shot out at me with the strength of a firehose.

With the heads up from my Mimic Scent, I had already willed one of the shields in front of me to intercept to torrent. The floating, misshapen kite shield went undamaged, but it took a strong burst of energy from me to keep it from smacking me in the face.

“Who told you about that?” Panic was written across Paul’s face as hastily formed runes orbited his hands. I didn’t know what he was about to cast. Hell, I don’t think he knew.

I wasn’t eager to find out, though. A wave of my hand brought the other shield crashing into his back with a meaty thwack. He stumbled forward, the runes vanishing as he lost focus.

“Spectral Web.” The stream of sticky energy shot forward, wrapping around his hand.

He pulled at his bound hand, but to no avail. The residual moisture around his hands shot out straight up in a concentrated burst ripped a ragged hole through the thin, blue tendrils, and the spell fell to pieces. “Never thought you were a fed!”

I smelled citrus again, and I sensed the energy concentrating in his hands again. “Wait, you have me all wrong! I know all about Maggie recruiting you into our little club!”

That brought him up short. “Our little club? What do you mean, ‘our?’”

“Yes,” I said, unable to keep the exasperation from my tone. “Who do you think recommended you for the Holy Brotherhood?”

Paul’s jaw went slack for just a moment. “Hold up, you? You fought ‘em tooth and nail at the Serving Wizard’s House! No way in heck you’ve one of us.”

“You did too,” I said. “Maggie is rather persuasive, isn’t she?”

I’m not sure how long Paul stood there sizing me up. He broke the silence first. “How long have you been in on it?”

“Since not long after the attack,” I said. “You and I both lost our homes, and it seems to me that throwing in with Brotherhood is the best way to see it again. It would appear you made the same decision.”

“And you told Maggie I’d be a good recruit?”

“Was I wrong?” I asked.

He gave me a sly grin and clapped me on the shoulder. “No, just wasn’t expecting you to be my wingman again.”

I winked at him. “Maggie’s more fun than Mariko, isn’t she?”

“Dang straight. Don’t you go spoiling things with her, too, or I’ll leave you dry as a mummy.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said. It explained why she was more flirting verbally, than sending racy photos or stealing kisses. I was glad Paul was there to distract Maggie. I was a taken man, after all. Even more taken than I had realized.

Love?

Damn it all.

Chapter 65

Nagoya, Japan

Friday, August 19th, 2050

I felt like I was in the grip of something awful. My slip of the tongue with Paul had constantly weighed on me in my free moments. I had danced around the l-word in my mind many times, but then I’d had to go and say it. That gave it more power, somehow.

Being worried for Kiyo was a terrible feeling. I could tell myself to stay away from Rose and the rest, but Kiyo had begun calling me on the phone every night, and I hadn’t the heart to tell her no. We didn’t have much to discuss, besides goings-on in class and her newest game. Sometimes I’d even join her. It seemed to do wonders for her mood.

It just rubbed my wounds raw. I didn’t want to leave her, but it was inevitable. I also knew I’d gut her emotionally no matter what happened. Was the kinder thing to break things off with her? I couldn’t stand the idea. I could face danger, but the image of her eyes brimming with tears filled me with a dread I couldn’t begin to describe.

I told myself that an abrupt break at the last possible moment was for the best. After all, if Kiyo were so distraught, she was bound to sneak around while invisible, and she might give away the whole game then and there. It was the only reasonable course of action.

I knew I was only being a coward, but that’s the benefit of demonic philosophy. We don’t demand obedience to the truth; a comfortable lie will do the job.

Mariko waved her hand before my eyes, snapping me out of my musing. “Earth to Magpie, are you in there?”

“Oh, dreadfully sorry, ma’am,” I said, scratching the back of my head awkwardly. “I suppose I got caught up memorizing that formula.”

“You really must have!” She giggled musically. “Come on, you need to take this seriously!”

“I am, my dear, I am,” I said.

“Then why haven’t you been studying with us? You’ve been worrying us all, especially Kiyo.” She let out a sigh. “She’s been working so hard. The poor girl seems to have gotten it into her head that you’re going to be in the same class together. I can’t imagine them doing that in a million years.”

“Yes, I can’t imagine where she got that idea,” I replied. I reread the raw spell for Persephone’s Thumb for what felt like the millionth time. I could cast the damn thing just fine with the True Spell, but they’d want us to be able to write it and a small mountain other spells from memory. “I don’t know why they are even testing us on a spell that stimulates plant growth! When would that ever be helpful in a fight?”

“It’s related to healing magic, since it’s all about growing tissue,” she replied. “Besides, there’s more to magic than fighting, as much as the school pretends that’s the end all and be all. Utility spells can have alternate uses.”

I forced my eyes back on the page. An impromptu study session in the lunchroom hadn’t been my first choice, but Mariko had insisted. It was hard going, with so much else on my mind. There was a level where my performance on the tests wouldn’t matter one whit. But, there were appearances to keep up, after all.

Speaking of, if Paul thought I was a poser, maybe a little verbal sparring with Mariko was in order? Just to feel like my old self. As much as she tried to be dowdy with her thick rimmed glasses and single braid carelessly tossed over the shoulder, she was easy on the eyes, even ignoring her impressive endowments.

Which gave me my angle of attack. “Growing tissue? Oh, that explains it all.”

She blinked twice. “Hm?”

I leaned in, whispering. “Your secret is safe with me, my dear. Though, perhaps you should share your special technique with Kiyo? She’s so self-conscious about her looks, and you’re hogging enough for the both of you.”

She pursed her lips for a moment. She glanced down at her chest before covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh my! Did you just… No, of course not!”

I waved her off. “Of course, of course. Naturally.” I gave her an exaggerated wink.

Her nose curled as she looked at me crossly. “That isn’t funny at all.”

I frowned. My little bon mot had gone over like a lead balloon. “It’s a little funny.”

“No, it isn’t.” She looked down at herself and sighed. “Sometimes I wish I could be slim and adorable like Kiyo. I’ve always gotten the wrong sort of attention. My breasts are always the first thing everybody notices when they meet me! Even you can’t keep your eyes away!”

“I… yes, I suppose that’s true,” I said, leaning back in the chair. I had joked with her about her figure before without that sort of blowup. What had changed?

An image flashed through my mind. When I had stumbled across her and Paul in the clearing, Paul had told her something along the lines of, ‘the only reason anybody puts up with you is because you’re stacked.’

I winced. That was certainly enough. “I am sorry, my… I’m sorry, Mariko. That was insensitive.”

“Oh my.” Her expression softened an instant before she started giggling.

“What, my jokes aren’t funny, but my apologies are?” I asked, indignantly.

She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t the apology. I was just thinking how much you’ve changed.” She reached out and squeezed my hand.

That tremble in her hand was still there. It always would be.

“I haven’t, though,” I said, almost desperate. “I’m the same as I always was.” I wanted to pull back, so I wouldn’t have to think about her plight, but it seemed wrong, somehow. I found I couldn’t even enjoy the softness of her skin, since her calluses from long hours with an artist’s pen only reminded me of what she had lost.

“If you say so,” she said. “Magpie… no, Soren. I know how much it irks you when we call you that. Why irritate you when our time together is so short?”

My heart raced. “How do you know that?” For a brief moment, my guilty conscience told me she had found me out, somehow.

She smiled at me sweetly. “The War Games and the exam are both worth the same. I’m going to sit out the games, of course, so the most I could earn is a fifty percent, if I knew the combat spells.”

“Do you know what’s to become of you if you can’t advance?” Not that I was overly concerned, but it satisfied my intellectual curiosity. Naturally.

Naturally.

She let out a forlorn sigh. “No, it’s new territory for everybody involved. I’m the first conscientious objector they have ever had. Mr. Maki has asked me a few times if I might reconsider, just to get by. You aren’t the only one who’s become kinder. Now, stop interrupting me. I have a lot to get off my chest.”

I didn’t take her blatantly obvious bait. “I don’t see where I’m so special. Surely you could find another study partner.”

She pressed her fingers against my lips. “I said no interruptions. You changed things for us all, Soren. Before you showed up, Yukiko, Kiyo and I were chasing Hiro and recovering from Taiwan. We had our fun, and they were good times, but we were stuck in our patterns. I was wallowing, worried that Hiro and the others would learn about my secret, trying not to stand out. And then you showed up, stared at my chest, and got so flustered when I called you out on it. It was almost cute.”

Cute? Cute? What nonsense.

“I thought I took you under my wing, since you had just lost your home, but that isn’t how things worked out. You always were there to look out for me,” she continued. “You saved me from giving myself to Paul, you helped me work up my courage with Hiro, and you listened and kept my secret. You’ve become one of my dearest friends. We don’t have many days left together, and I’d hate to have you go off to the second year without telling you that.”

By the Dark Lord, I wanted to storm out of there after so many insults in such quick succession.

Instead, I found myself saying, “I’ll miss you, too. I’ll miss you all.”

She cocked her head, looking at me quizzically. “Pardon? Miss us all?”

Blast it all, another slip of the tongue! “My first year, I mean. Who’s to say I’ll be in the same class as Hiro, Rose, and the rest?”

“I’m to say,” she said. “That’s why we’re studying, silly. They won’t keep you with Kiyo, but I think we can get you out of remedial classes.”

“I’m not worried about ending up there,” I replied. And with that, I went back to memorizing the spell. It seemed like the safest thing I could do.

“And you’ll join us on Sunday,” she added. It was a command, not a question. “We both know there’s nothing you could be doing then, and you’ll make Kiyo happy.”

“I can’t see what else could come up,” I replied. After that sustained assault on my demonic pride, I didn’t have it in me to object. I prayed that something would come up, so I could keep some emotional distance.

Chapter 66

Nagoya, Japan

Sunday, August 21st, 2050

For once, Our Father Below answered his unworthy son’s prayers! Mariko hadn’t been happy when I had cancelled, but Maggie and Mrs. Perera had made an offer I couldn’t refuse.

“And the final question,” intoned Brother Ratte. I could make him out in the twilight, but I knew that wouldn’t last; the sun was setting quickly. “Do you swear to put your loyalty to your Holy Brothers and Sisters above all other concerns?”

“Of course,” said Rei. I didn’t know the girl to smile often, but she was positively beaming. You’d think she had just won a beauty pageant, instead of being inducted into a band of terrorists.

Paul stood to her right, shifting awkwardly. I couldn’t blame him; Brothers Ratte and Maus kept giving him the stink eye. Maggie had only told her fellow Holy Brothers about Rei. It had been my recommendation that had pushed Paul over the edge, which was good, since I would need him if I were going to accelerate Maggie’s plans. Brother Maus expanded the platform of raised earth at the last minute with his affinity.

The two were a study in contrasts. Paul positively dwarfed Rei, but he lacked her sense of absolute surety. I think Maggie caught him off guard too.

“Uh, yeah,” said Paul. The Band of Truth on his wrist didn’t so much as twitch.

“Does any brother doubt the loyalty of our new initiates?” intoned Brother Ratte as he scanned the clearing with his single eye.

Maggie and Brother Maus were silent. I had taken Mrs. Perera’s space in the east platform of the initiation circle. Instead she sat underneath a nearby pine tree. She was supposedly keeping watch, but she was clearly snoring.

I raised my hand. “Mr. Wilson doesn’t sound entirely sure! He fought us in Tokyo, after all!”

“So did you,” said Brother Ratte.

“What’re you doing, Mags?” growled Paul.

“The difference is, I know why I’m here,” I replied, pointedly ignoring Paul. “And I’ve proven myself more than once. He hasn’t.” Besides, I was due for a little payback, after he had whispered poison in Kiyo’s ear for weeks, and for cajoling that confession out of me. I’m not sure which part offended me more.

“Sister Shrike said that recruiting him was your idea,” said Brother Ratte, his tone dripping with suspicion.

“I heard him make some encouraging comments,” I said, crossing my arms across my chest. “I didn’t exactly give him a job interview.”

“I vouch for him,” said Maggie.

“Either way, I think that’s a fair question for both of our initiates,” said Brother Maus. The diminutive lothario nodded towards Rei. “Ms. Yamaguchi, you go first.”

“It’s just logic,” she said, adjusting her glasses. “If you look at the reserves of key natural resources, we’ll run out of petroleum by 2073, coal by 2067 and uranium by 2081. We need to start retaking territory, and the Anti-Demonic League is only managing our decline with their defensive strategy.”

“Where did you get those numbers?” I asked. “You rattled those off pretty fast.”

“The Tokyo Star,” she replied. “There was an article a few months back.”

More useful factoids for my reports to Fera. I might have to get a subscription to that website.

“That’s our little Rei,” said Maggie. “You have a memory like a steel trap.”

“Yes, that is true,” she said, her tone a bit flat, though she indulged in another satisfied grin. Such a little know-it-all. Then again, it seemed that she could back that up.

“Moving on to Mr. Wilson,” said Brother Maus. “It’s strange enough that Brother Mockingbird went from our enemy to a brother so quickly after the attack, much less the both of you. Mr. Wilson, what convinced you to join up?”

Paul’s eyes widened, and he stole a glance at Maggie, who had the good graces not to meet it. “Well…”

The Band of Truth around his wrist began to spark and he hissed in pain.

“I remind you, we will accept nothing less than the full truth,” said Brother Ratte.

“Ms. Edwards is real convincing,” he said. The sparks stopped and he let out a sigh of relief. Who knew the fabricata could be defeated by a simple double entendre? I’d have to remember that trick for later.

“We will need more to go on than that,” said Brother Ratte, frowning deeply.

I snapped my fingers, as though I had just recalled. “Paul, you were telling me all about it when we went bowling, right?”

He raised his eyebrow. “Now you’re on my side?”

“I’m not on anyone’s side,” I said in my most austere tone. “I am on the side of truth, and of the strength of the Holy Brotherhood. Humanity first!” I’d had my fill of watching him squirm. Fun was fun, but I think we all knew that Maggie had found a new student to let off some steam with, and there was no need to embarrass her in front of Ratte and Maus. I needed to stay on her good side so she wouldn’t be too enraged when I launched my own side-scheme.

“Yeah, humanity first,” replied Paul, his tone unsure. “Humanity first!” He straightened up and locked eyes with Brother Ratte. Well, locked eye with him, given the blonde man’s old injury. “What Mags said. I want to see the land of my fathers and drive those stinking demons into the ocean. Seems to me you guys are the only ones who are serious about it.”

“I think we have heard enough,” said Brother Maus. “Does any Brother doubt the loyalty of these initiates?”

Maggie glared daggers at me. She needn’t have bothered; I had already played my game.

“So be it,” said Brother Ratte. “By what name shall they be known?”

“I asked them to select their own names,” said Maggie. “Step forward and introduce yourselves to your new family.”

Paul thumped his chest with his fist. “You’re looking at Holy Brother Bald Eagle.”

“I am Holy Sister Shoebill,” said Rei, bowing deeply to Ratte, Maus, Maggie, and I in turn. I came last, which had me a little miffed. I was the one who had vetted the walking electromagnetic pulse, after all.

“So be it,” said Brother Ratte with the solemnity of a preacher. Such a stuffed shirt.

Rei went over to speak with Maggie and Brother Ratte, while Brother Maus spread more of his magically enhanced seeds around the clearing.

Paul strode on over and put me in a playful headlock. At least, his broad grin was playful.

“Don’t mess with me like that again, Brother Magpie,” hissed Paul.

“Now we’re even, Brother Bald Eagle.” I slipped out of his grip and hopped back. “If we are to work together, we need to let bygones be bygones. And it’s Brother Mockingbird.”

His eyes narrowed. “For real? That’s just confusing.”

“It’s meant to be a secret codename. It can’t very well be what every bloody person calls me!”

Maggie glanced up, shifting from foot to foot. “Let’s get back under cover. You never know who could be watching and from where.”

“At this time of night?” I asked.

“Night vision cameras are a thing,” replied Rei.

“Yes, it would be a shame to lose another batch of recruits due to carelessness,” said Brother Ratte.

“Hey!” barked Maggie.

“Speaking of which,” said Ratte, brushing off her protest. “Brother Maus, are you ready to cover our tracks?”

“On it,” said Brother Maus. With a wave of his hand, the trench he had dug into the bare dirt filled in. “I’m worried this batch of plants won’t grow in time. It’s been really dry this year.”

I inhaled deeply, trying to get the scent of his magic. More experimentation had shown that magical affinities carried more of the essence of a wizard than cast spells, and since my new skill could be a good early warning system, I wanted to be able to identify as many wizards as I could. Unfortunately, I only got the overwhelming odor of pine. Either my Mimic Scent could be overwhelmed by my normal senses, or Maus’ affinity was pine fresh on its own. I had never met the man outside of the woods before, so I couldn’t be sure.

“Leave that to me,” said Paul. He held out his hand, and I caught just a whiff of citrus over the background smells of a thriving forest. I could more clearly see what he was doing, though. His affinity cast out like a net, before coalescing over the bare earth and bringing a light rain with it. It was an eerie sight to see a rain shower simply appear from 5 five feet off the ground with no obvious source.

Maggie crossed her arms over her chest and fumed at Brother Ratte. “Ratte, stop lording what happened in Tokyo over me! What I did was for the cause.”

“Your operation was a complete failure,” said Brother Ratte. “We are still dealing with the repercussions of your awful judgement!”

“Can’t we have this tiff under cover?” asked Brother Maus. “Sister Shrike was right about that.”

We beat a hasty retreat for the tree line. I decided to cut off the tiresome argument. Brother Ratte was right, an annoyed Maggie would be annoying to deal with.

“There’s no reason to be so hard on her. I think it will all work out in the end,” I said. “She brought us into the fold, after all. Brothers Red Tail, Garuda and the rest weren’t on the inside of the Nagoya Academy. We can do some wonderful damage here.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” said Maggie. “For now, we wait until we have the chance to strike. I won’t lose another brother on my watch, you can be sure of that, Ratte.”

And then something clicked. I had never known her to be deliberate. She had taken risks the entire time I had known her, particularly when she could satisfy her petty grudges or lust. Then, when I approached her trying to propose a viable plan of action, she suddenly wanted to take her time? Maggie could claim all she wanted that she was delaying because of an abundance of caution, but the loss of Haru still weighed on her. It all suddenly made sense. She had cold feet.

It also meant that she wasn’t who I had to convince to try the scheme I formulated behind her back. No, their names were Maus and Ratte. If I couldn’t trick her into thinking she had chosen the time of the attack, I could take advantage of Maus and Ratte’s poor opinion of her leadership.

I threw an arm around her shoulder. “Especially not with the plan we’ve been hatching! Using the Peace Bond to paralyze every student during the War Games, thus holding the entire student body hostage at once? It’s a work of genius!”

Ratte raised the eyebrow over his bad eye. “Do you care to explain?”

Maggie stiffened in my grip, fuming at me. “Yes, it’s something we discussed, but for-”

I turned my attention to Ratte. “I’m happy to report that we’re nearly ready to go. We can use the same method the school used to shut down all outgoing communication before to keep them from calling for outside help, and we’ll have hundreds of future wizards as leverage to make them behave. We also have access to dozens of magical batteries, filled to the brim with Rose’s magic, enough to power an army’s worth of fabricata! We can bring Tachibana’s Tower of Babel down around his ears without any unnecessary loss of life. We’ll show them that the Holy Brotherhood still has fangs!”

Maus whistled appreciatively. “Geeze, Shrike, you don’t mess around.”

“She’s always been good at thinking big,” said Mrs. Perera, having woken up and ambled on over. “We might even be able to pull it off this time, too.”

Ratte’s single blue eye drilled into me. “We do have two of the wizards who stopped the last group on hand, too, so we know they’re good fighters. It’s well thought out, though I don’t like relying on the hostage situation to keep the Wizard Corps away.”

Maggie slipped out of my grip. “That’s why I’m working on a new fabricata, a variant of the Peace Bond that could cut off the whole tower. Like Brother Mockingbird pointed out, we certainly have the reserves to pull it off. At my current rate, I think I can have it ready in time for the first quarter’s War Games.”

Rei went silent, seemingly shy about talking when so many were part of the conversation. Paul eyed me coolly. I suppose that was a Hell of a thing to hear on your first day on the job, even if that job was terrorism.

Ratte nodded, his expression softening ever so slightly. “That sounds reasonable. When you’re ready, you have our full support.”

Maggie switched into her ‘happy teacher’ mode. “Well, I owe a lot of it to my little Mockingbird.” She reached out and pinched my cheek. “I wouldn’t be able to pull it off without him. He’s been so eager to help me!” A dangerous glint shone in her eyes. “Almost too eager. He forgets you have to walk before you can run.”

“It’s easy to get too enthusiastic. Humanity first, after all.” I pasted a smile on my face. No sense showing my despair. I’d been outmaneuvered; so much for my hope that Maggie’s damaged standing with the Brotherhood would let me exert some external pressure.

We bade out goodbyes, Brother Maus being sure to give Maggie’s hand a kiss first. That time, Paul was stuck with piggy-back duty for Mrs. Perera. Seniority does have its privileges, after all. Maus and Ratte lifted their brown, woolen hoods and made their exit into the deep woods.

We had gone a short way into the woods when I stopped, making a show of patting down my pockets. “Oh, blast, I lost it!”

“Lost what, Mocks?” asked Paul.

That didn’t have the ring of Mags, now did it? I didn’t answer him. “Go on without me, Ms. Edwards, I’ll be right along!” Don’t ask permission, ask for forgiveness.

I cast Kiyo’s floating Fireball variant, leaving it to float just inside the treeline, so it would look like I had lit a light to search for something in the thickets. I dashed through the woods, being sure to make as much noise as possible. “Brothers, wait!” I was just able to make out the dim shapes of the two men beneath a copse of trees.

A glowing blade pressed itself to my throat, courtesy of Brother Ratte. “It is you.”

I held up my hands. “The last I checked, yes.”

He sheathed his knife. “What do you want, Brother Mockingbird?”

“I need a way to contact you, since I’m this cell’s second in command.”

Maus looked at me quizzically. “No, Sister Macaw is.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, let’s rely on the ancient woman who has to be carried to-and-fro. If anything happens to Sister Shrike, she can hop on her scooter and ride in to battle. I need to be in the loop.”

“Did Maggie ask you to do that?” asked Maus, looking at me skeptically.

I turned to Brother Ratte. Maggie’s former lover was a wildcard, but I thought I understood the humorless man’s thinking. “She would if she wasn’t so darned prideful. I think we all know that she can be a little self-centered. Her whole attack on Mr. Maki was probably just professional jealousy.”

“Possibly,” Brother Ratte replied.

“It’s not just possible, it’s probable. Who do you think devised our whole plan?” I jabbed my thumb into my chest. “I want to be able to call in backup if she does anything foolish.”

The stagnant summer air felt even more oppressive as Brother Ratte contemplated my request. I was in deep trouble if either of them reported to what I said, to either Maggie or Mrs. Perera. However, everything I had seen and heard told me that Maggie was on the outs with the Holy Brotherhood’s council. They were bound to want another source of information.

Brother Ratte reached into his robes and threw a fabricata gemstone at me. “Run magic through this and speak, and I’ll hear it. We are stationed at a base in Yokaichi, so we should not be more than two hours away.”

I gave him a typical Wizard Corps salute. I had very nearly flashed him the demonic version; these backroom deals were making me feel positively devilish. “Thank you, Brother Ratte. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

Maus let out an annoyed huff. “He doesn’t believe in you. He just doesn’t believe in poor Maggie.”

“Am I wrong?” asked Ratte. “She used to be much more reliable, and then you had to date her, Maus! She’s been a basket case ever since you dumped her.

“She dumped me,” said Maus.

“Either way, never mix business and pleasure. We’re still paying for it.”

I wanted to ask him when he mixed pleasure into his life at all. Regardless, I had a way of calling for backup. I had my deadline to launch the attack, and I’d need every tool at my disposal if I was to force Maggie’s hand.

**************

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