Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapter 73 & 74)

Posting early this week since tomorrow night I'll be getting my vaccination. Wish me luck!

Art of Mariko by (1) 🦉rianne | COMMISSIONS OPEN (@RianneComms) / Twitter

Chapter 73

I slipped back to my room to get fully changed for the day’s festivities. I put on the skintight, camo-patterned fabricata suit that the school used to measure hits on the Peace Bond. I made another little modification, though, running a blade through the mass of metallic runes concentrated in the center of the back, turning it into nothing but a piece of snug fabric. I couldn’t do without it, in case somebody caught me running around not ready for the War Games, but I wasn’t about to get caught in my own trap!

Next came the white service uniform of the Wizard Corps. It felt strange to wear it myself, but they had decided we needed more covering for the major war games. Rose had complained about the skintight camo suit being too revealing; I wondered if somebody in a position of authority had listened? More likely, the cautious Headmaster wanted us to wear the reinforced uniforms in case the Peace Bond should fail.

Still, seeing myself in a white and green cadet’s uniform was disconcerting. It made me really look like one of them.

Maybe it was a bit petty to put a Magic Bolt through the mirror, but I didn’t need the confusion when I was so close to freedom.

I was interrupted from cleaning a few shards of glass from my uniform when a text arrived from Kiyo.

“Magpie, where are you? I’m at the arena.”

“Be along shortly,” I tapped out. I gathered the last few odds and ends from the room and made my way downstairs.

I had commanded soldiers in numerous battles, but I’ll admit my battle plans had never been particularly elaborate. Then again, orcs understood their place, and I was permitted to slay those who didn’t. I once again wished that Maggie had been more cooperative. I wouldn’t have needed to set up so many moving pieces.

A message from Hiro went ignored; he could wait. I needed to get Ms. Yamada’s attention. A succinct text asked her to meet me in the club room.

“Why?” asked Mariko

“Don’t tell anybody, it’s a surprise. I have something for you.”

My next message went to Mrs. Perera, telling her to meet me in the batting cages with the you-know-whats.

The cages weren’t just chosen for nostalgia’s sake, though it was one of the first places I had ever gone with Hiro’s group. They were underused at the best of times, and nobody was there to hit a few balls on the morning of a War Game. It was an ideal place for our skullduggery.

Mrs. Perera clearly felt otherwise, looking absolutely incensed as she stumbled her way into the room, hurling a duffel bag at my feet. “There’s your stupid scarves. Why’d I have to come to you? Your knees still work, damnit!”

“I’m not going anywhere near our dear Maggie before we’re ready. She might try to stop us if she catches wind of our scheme,” I replied, pulling out a red and black plaid fabricata. “These were a stroke of genius. It’s not the best sword in the world, but I can wear it without raising an alarm.”

“Besides the fact that it’s going to be a scorcher today,” she said. “They’ll think you’re a nut.”

“Then thank goodness for air conditioning,” I said as I finished securing the scarf around my neck. It was just tight enough not to fall off on its own, but a good yank would pull it free.

My phone rang. I met Mrs. Perera’s gaze. “You know what to do next.”

She nodded. “Yup, I’ll meet you all downstairs. I’ll grab Brother Bald Eagle while I’m at it.”

“You’re the best, Mrs. Perera.”

She shrugged. “This is probably my last chance to be useful. I’m not going to half-ass it.”

I had to admire the decrepit terrorist’s drive. I gave her a friendly salute as she left, answering the phone before it would shift over to my answering machine. “Good morning, Rose!”

“Soren, where are you?” she asked, her tone verging on whining. “They’re going to start the ceremonies soon!”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” I said, checking my watch. “There’s plenty of time.”

“It’s like Mr. Maki is always telling us,” she said, deepening her voice. “Early is on time, and on time is late! Hah hah!”

“You do a good Maki.”

“Thanks, I’ve been practicing. It’s not as good as my Headmaster Tachibana, though. It would be more fun if you were here in person. What’s keeping you?”

“I’m helping Mrs. Perera out with something. I already told Kiyo I’d be along shortly.”

“She isn’t here either. I’m out here all alone.”

That raised alarm bells. “You might try calling out for Kiyo once we’re done. She’s probably just in hiding.”

Rose paused, her blonde tresses brushing against the phone’s microphone as she glanced around. “I’ll try to find her, but we know we’d both rest easier if you were here too.”

“Rose, you have no reason to worry about your performance today.” It was true, in a sense.

“Easy for you to say; I bled off my Stormbringer last night, and I still feel a hurricane coming on! Do hurry up, won’t you? It’s always easier with you around.”

“If you need to kill some time, go use the bathroom; the Da- Good Lord knows when you’ll get another chance.” It was one last kindness; once the Peace Bond had them, she wouldn’t be able to move for a good long while.

“Good idea, Magpie. Now, hurry up! You know Kiyo’s a wreck without you around.”

I winced. “She’ll have to toughen up, then.” I hung up before Rose could ask for an explanation.

I was loaded down with magical fabricata, yet the most useful tool in my disposal was my smartphone. Technology was the new magic. “Good morning, Rei!”

“Soren? Is that you?” Her voice sounded groggy.

“Don’t tell me you’re just waking up now!”

“No, I’m up, I’m up.”

“Good, you very nearly went to voicemail.”

“Sorry about that,” she said, stifling a yawn. “I’ve only had this phone since I got my affinity under control, and they moved everything around since I was a kid.”

“You’re welcome for the training, by the by,” I said, tapping my foot impatiently. “Where are you? There’s no time to waste!”

“Mr. Takehara took me out for some coffee, but it hasn’t kicked in yet. Why are you calling me? He said he couldn’t get ahold of you.”

“That’s because I didn’t want to spoil the surprise. Meet me in the batting cages. I got us some secret weapons for the fight.”

“Hey, is that Magpie?” I could faintly hear Hiro’s voice in the background. “Did he say something about secret weapons?”

“You have good hearing, Takehara! Yes, I’ve been working on something with Mrs. Perera. You’ll find them shocking.”

“Are you sure?” The microphone rustled as Hiro snatched it from Rei’s hand. I could picture her looking cross at him, without him noticing. “Isn’t that cheating?”

“They’ll all perfectly legal, I assure you. Mrs. Perera saw to that. Get up here!”

“Want me to bring you some coffee?”

“Yes, why not? Now seriously, I’m on a tight schedule. I promised a few too many people a few too many favors today.”

“You’re always letting yourself get pulled too many directions,” he said. “You need to learn to say no.”

I couldn’t manage to suppress my sigh. Didn’t I know it. “That’s rich coming from you, Mr. Accidental Harem.”

I could practically hear him cringe. “I see your point. Do what you gotta do, man. I’ll see you soon.”

It has been said that war is long stretches of boredom punctuated by brief moments of terror. I couldn’t agree with that assessment. I could multi-task and be bored and terrified all at once. My heart raced while I waited for Hiro and Rei to arrive. If I was even a bit off, Hiro would clobber me like the baseballs we’d hit on my first day at the school. Still, it was my best bet to guarantee we wouldn’t be going up against his Immortal Form.

I had weighed my approach carefully. If I could have told my damn nerves to stop fraying, I’d have engaged Hiro in a diverting conversation, waiting for the right moment for my ambush.

What would I even say to him? I ran through a dozen scenarios in my mind, each one ending with him asking logical questions, like why I looked so nervous, or where these supposed secret weapons were.

No good. I was too tongue tied, and I needed to save my diction for spellcasting.

From Hiro’s perspective, a few things must have happened in a flash, far too quickly for him to process. First he walked in, chest thrust out and head held high, like he owned the place. Then, he noticed me slink out of the shadows near the entrance to the long, narrow room, before my hand clamped down on his wrist. His eyes widened in dull surprise at the sudden invasion.

“Magpie, what’s-” Reflexively, the aura of his Immortal Form started to swirl around his body.

Too late for him, though. “Lechtar!” Demonic runes collapsed on themselves, and an electrical charge strong enough to stun two orcs raced through his unsuspecting body. He nearly rode it out, but a last jolt of electricity finally overwhelmed his defenses.

Hiro’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as his knees buckled, but not before I was able to pluck the paper coffee cup out of his hand. It was a favor for him, honestly; he hit the tile floor face first, and he didn’t need to add scalding burns to that.

Rei stood dumbfounded. “What was that for?”

I stuck my tongue out. “For putting too much sugar in here.”

The mousy-haired girl furrowed her brow. “Wait, really?”

“Of course not,” I snapped, rolling my eyes nearly as far as Hiro had. “Holy Sister Shoebill, I have word from on high. We strike today. Are you ready to save the world?”

I was worried she’d waste more precious time on useless questions, but she got with the program more quickly than I’d feared. Her predatory grin was worthy of a devilmaid. “Always, Magpie. I mean, Holy Brother Mockingird. What can I do for the cause?”

I jerked a thumb deeper into the row of chain-link fences that protected observers. “Put those muscles to good use and help me hide him. He’s heavier than he looks.”

She frowned. “That’s almost a letdown.”

“Trust me,” I said, placing my hands under Hiro’s armpits. “You’ll know when the fun begins.”

Chapter 74

We left the unconscious Hiro tucked away in the furthest corner of the furthest batting cage with another of Dante’s little gifts went around his wrists and ankles. The fabricata would hold him in place, and grow excruciatingly hot if magic flowed through them. It would either have to be released by one of the matching keys in my back pocket or destroyed outright, and if it had absorbed enough magic in advance, that process might be a tad explosive.

It would have been surer if I had killed him, but I had fallen in with terrorists who wanted to minimize death for “useful” people. It was all rather convenient, since I wasn’t sure I’d have had the stomach.

I dispatched Rei to rendezvous with Paul and Mrs. Perera on the ground floor.

“Don’t go straight there,” I said. “Take off that camo under suit first.”

She glanced down. “Why?”

“Do you love being frozen in place for hours on end with everyone else?”

The color drained from her face. “Oh, that’s what we were doing in the Headmaster’s workshop. I was wondering why you cared so much about the Peace Bond.”

“Clever girl,” I said. “Now, hop to it.”

“Where are you going?”

“Ah, now that would be telling,” I quipped, darting down the hallway.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I checked a few more items off of my mental to do list. I had been lucky so far, but I still had some more pawns to move into position.

I darted over the elevators and punched in the top floor. The Sewing Club room was an annex of the library, one of many set aside for the students to use. The ride up gave me time to pull out Ratte’s magical commlink. He had said he needed two hours to get out to the school, and that would be just enough time for what I had in mind. “Come in, Brother Ratte, come in.”

The joyless cyclops answered promptly. “Brother Mockingbird? This had better be important.”

“We’ve been made,” I said. I didn’t have to work hard to force panic into my voice. “We were right about Sister Shrike, she slipped up and tried to recruit the wrong student! She came to me for help reporting her to the proper authorities, thank goodness, or we’d have had no warning. I managed to subdue the one who found me out, but they’ll notice she’s missing soon enough!” I wasn’t quite lying; it’s more that I hadn’t maneuvered Mariko just yet.

“What?” The rage made the commlink vibrate; they must have heard him in the next prefecture.

“There’s no time to explain! Holy Sister Macaw is already doing her part. We need you up here ASAP! How many wizards can you bring?” I realized that I didn’t know how large their cell was, which I supposed was the point of the cell system for an organization like the Holy Brotherhood. I couldn’t reveal what I didn’t know.

“Brothers Maus and Frettchen are all I have on hand,” he said. “We also have a few mundane soldiers who won’t be missed. The other brothers in my unit are on a cleanup mission in Sumatra.”

“Damn! That isn’t much.”

“You didn’t give us much warning.”

“It will have to be enough,” I replied. “Humanity first!”

“Humanity first,” he replied. The engraved gemstone died as I stopped running magic through it, ending the call.

Just in time, as the elevator opened. I carefully glanced down the hallway. No sign of Mariko, or anybody else for that matter. Good. I needed privacy for this to work. The images I pulled up on my phone were for Mariko’s eyes only.

It was hard not to feel a pang of nostalgia as I entered the club room. How many days had Paul, Kiyo, Hiro, Mariko, and I whiled away there? It seemed like forever ago, but clubs had only been suspended for a few weeks. It had been a turbulent time.

I decided to do Mariko a kindness and got a teakettle heating. I wasn’t sure what she’d like best, so I just picked something green and minty. I was about to use her, so it seemed like the least I could do.

“Good morning, Soren,” came Mariko’s musical voice from behind. She was dressed in the women’s cadet uniform, which featured a skirt and black stockings where the mens’ had pants. I wasn’t sure why the Wizard Corps had opted for the different uniform, but I always appreciated the extra eye candy.

The only part of the ensemble I didn’t care for was the red cross on her beret, which marked her as a medic. I winced at the sight of the Enemy’s symbol, forcing my view down. I didn’t want to look her in the eye, but it was lesser of two damnations. “Thank you for meeting me here on such short notice.”

“Of course,” she said, walking over and peering around my shoulder. “Though, I can’t imagine you only asked me here for a cup of tea. Is something the matter?”

I gulped as I poured her a cup. I realized that this was it. I had committed too many little crimes over the course of the morning, set too many pieces of the plan in motion. Soren Marlowe was a dead man walking; it just hadn’t caught up with me yet. This would be the last time that somebody who wasn’t a Holy Brother would call me Soren.

I almost wanted her to call me Magpie once, for old time’s sake.

A shake of the head cleared away that rubbish. “On the contrary,” I replied, trying to sound chipper. “Today’s a big day for everybody, but I know it’s also the end of our time together.” I handed her the steaming cup.

Mariko grimaced, and not just because I was an inexperienced teamaker. “Well, we won’t be in class anymore, but there’s no reason you can’t continue on with the club.” She threw in a spoonful of sugar, and I wondered if that was a Japanese thing, or if I had surrounded myself with sweet tooths.

“Will you be able to still run it next year?”

“I plan to,” she said. “I don’t have anything else going on.”

“I mean did they decide what was to become of you?”

“Mr. Maki said he was willing to let me redo the year,” she said. “He didn’t say it out loud, but I got the impression he hopes I’ll learn the full lessons this time.”

“It would make things easier,” I said.

“Yes, but the right thing isn’t easy,” she said.

I held up my hand. “We’ve been over this, and it isn’t why I wanted to meet up before the fight. I got you a little something to remember me. Well, we all pitched in for it.”

Her warm smile made me feel like a worm. “Oh? What’s that?”

I held up a finger. “Where’s the fun in that, my dear? You stay here, I’ll go fetch it.” There, it was time to lay the bait. As casually as I could, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, opened to a particular gallery, and set it on the table at the center of the room.

Without another word, I darted out, ran down the hallway, and ducked into the next clubroom over. I very nearly sneezed; how somebody had conned the school into thinking that flower arranging had a military or spellcasting application was beyond me, but months of accumulated pollen had my eyes watering the moment I stepped in.

A surprised shriek echoed down the hallway as Mariko came across the racy photos Maggie had sent me the day of the attack in Sumatra. It was almost a relief; I was worried that for once, the nosy girl would have passed up an opportunity to snoop.

“Soren! Soren! What is this? Soren Marlowe!” Her voice carried the sort of disappointment I associated with an upset mother. I stayed quiet, waiting for her to duck back into her club room. I wanted to have as few witnesses as possible.

I padded down the hallway, treading as quietly as I could. Maggie had done a decent job making sure I didn’t have much that would implicate her of being a Holy Sister, but she had been far more careless with her flirtation, and it was clearly her face in the photo. It wasn’t very creative, to be sure. I wasn’t the first devil to doom a human with an unchecked libido.

All was going according to plan. Once I stepped into the room, Mariko would confront me about it, and I would be “forced” to subdue her. It wouldn’t be much of a challenge to put down somebody who didn’t know offensive magic. I had considered Rose as my messenger, but I wasn’t eager to see if her magical reserves could overwhelm the shackles. Besides, I knew Mariko could keep a secret, and Rose was an inveterate gossip. Mariko would wait to confront me directly. Then I would inform Maggie that the jig was up, and that we needed to enact the plan.

My heart leapt into my chest when I heard a phone ringing. “Kiyo? Kiyo, listen. No, stop. Yes, I know where Magpie is, that’s the problem. He and Ms. Edwards…”

I cursed in High Demonic as I bolted into the room. So much for her forbearance!

“Stop!”

For once, I was glad for her shakes, as her phone slipped right through her fingers. It hit edge first, cracks spreading out in a spiderweb pattern across the screen before it flopped to the ground. I wasn’t sure if that was enough to ruin a smartphone.

“Ice Spear!” An icicle the length of my forearm did the trick, though. I stepped forward, runes circling my fingers. “Should have used a case, my dear.”

Mariko stepped back, gaping at me uselessly. “Soren, what are you doing?”

I ignored the hurt and shock in her voice. I matched her pace, being careful to not trip over the shard of ice embedded in the floor. “Where do you get off?”

“Where do I get off? Why do you have lewd pictures of Ms. Edwards on your phone?” she asked, finally standing her ground.

“I wish you hadn’t seen those. I imagine you won’t keep it to yourself?”

“Of course not! Kiyo deserves to know.”

“Then I can’t let you leave here,” I replied. “Ms. Edwards will decide what becomes of you. The only question is, will you go quietly, or-”

“Spectral Web!”

With my nose plugged, my Mimic Scent gave me no warning, but I still sidestepped the stream of luminous magic. I had expected that maneuver. She had taught me the spell, after all, and it’s the closest she allowed herself to combat magic. “The hard way it is.”

She held up her hands. “Svalinn’s Mer-”

I was already advancing, and a sweep of the leg brought her crashing down. “Spectral Web!” I wrapped her upper body in translucent blue webbing, which gave me time to slap the same manacles on her I’d used to trap Hiro. “Don’t try to use your magic, or else…”

She cried out in agony.

“Yes, or else that,” I said, clapping an identical set to her ankles. Did I smell burnt flesh? I couldn’t heal her arm easily, but perhaps there was a first aid kit about?

No, I put that thought aside. There simply wasn’t time to feel bad for her. It wasn’t my fault if she couldn’t follow simple instructions. I had to get Maggie on the horn and let her know our lives as we knew them were over.

“I don’t understand,” said Mariko, her voice breaking. “How could you do this to Kiyo?”

“Ms. Edwards is hard to refuse,” I replied. “She’s most insistent.”

She redoubled her efforts. If looks could kill, I’d have been saying hello to Our Father Below. “You traitor! I thought you were different.”

“I almost let myself think that, too,” I said as I pulled up Maggie’s phone number.

By the time Maggie stormed into the club room, I had sealed Mariko’s lips with another Spectral Web. It was bad enough she kept looking at me with those doe eyes of hers; I didn’t need to hear her pleading.

“Alright, what the heck is going on here?” demanded the red-headed teacher. “You have Ms. Yamada tied up and it looks like there was a bloody magic duel in here!”

“I’m afraid she’s found out about some of our more illicit activities,” I said, letting Mariko make all the inferences she might care to.

Maggie’s normal demeanor abandoned her. “What? How?”

The mark of a guilty conscience; she didn’t even try to deny it. “This nosy little thing,” I said, nudging the prone Mariko with my boot, “went poking around on my phone and saw some of the more scintillating correspondence between us.”

“What? When did we… Oh no. After Sumatra?”

“Exactly,” I said as solemnly as I could manage. “You did a fine job, considering you took them in an airport restroom’s mirror.”

Maggie’s eyes went unfocussed, as she clutched at the sides of her head. “Why in God’s name didn’t you delete those?”

“Was I supposed to?” I asked. I might have been enjoying my dear Ms. Edward’s anguish a bit more than was proper.

“Were you supposed to? Were you supposed to?” I didn’t see where she had cause to slap me, but she did, too quickly for me to dodge.

“Did that make you feel better?” My cheek stung, but I refused to look away. I was trying on a new persona, after all, and I refused to let Holy Brother Mockingbird become as pliant as Soren Marlowe!

She grabbed me by the lapels of my white uniform. “You little idiot, you’ve ruined everything!”

“Hold on now, I’m not the one making advances at students,” I said, holding up my hands. I added extra emphasis to the last part for Mariko’s sake; she had to be as damning a witness as possible.

She didn’t immediately respond. Her eyes bored into Mariko, reminding me of a falcon’s harsh gaze. Thrusting out her hand, she commanded her magic. “To me.” Her outstretched hand glowed, drawing the nearest drinking glass over. It twisted and turned in upon itself as her glass shaping affinity acted on it, forming an angular dagger.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? She has to die.”

Mariko’s eyes flew wide as she struggled uselessly against the webs.

I’m sure I didn’t look any less shocked. “What? No, you can’t!”

“Never say you can’t,” she said, her chipper teacher persona voice at odds with the words. “Always say you can’t yet. Not that I haven’t thought about doing this before,” she replied. “Sympathy for the Horde.” She spat on the trapped woman. “You’re a coward, and you never have the courtesy to stay out of our way!”

Interposing myself between them, I knocked the glass knife from her grasp. “Think, woman! We’d never cover it up!”

“So?” Maggie’s surprise had since worn off, replaced with a quiet fury that made me miss her hysterics. “If it’s all over, why not go out with a bang?”

“Because there’s still a chance to turn this to our advantage,” I said. “She isn’t going to be in the War Games. We have hours until they notice she’s missing.”

Her lips curled into a thoughtful frown. “Where are you going with this? We have to get out of here while we still can!”

“Au contraire, my dear. We’re on the verge of victory. We have our plan in place, we just need to move up the timetable. We can sabotage the Peace Bond, get our people in position and bring down the Tower. We only await your command, Holy Sister Shrike.”

The redheaded woman glanced from Mariko to me, and back again. “Why does that involve keeping her alive?”

“Because it would be horrible optics if you slew a helpless student. You’re going to be a member of the Anti-Demonic League Council, after all. Wait to have bodies to bury until you’re in office.” I willed her to see reason. I had already used Mariko; I couldn’t stand to see her suffer needlessly.
 After a slow nod, Maggie spun on her heel. “We don’t have much time to waste. We need to get back to my room.”

“As you wish, Sister Shrike.” Maggie was off like a shot. Just as I was about to follow, I heard a plaintive grunt from behind me.

As long as I’ll live, I’ll never forget Mariko’s imploring eyes.

I sighed. “I suppose I can’t leave you like that.”

She made a hopeful sound as I knelt next to her and cut through the vanishing Spectral Web with my backup dagger. She still couldn’t move, with her arms and legs shackled, and she didn’t resist as I lifted her into a bridal carry, though she let out a confused moan.

The shock and anger returned when I dropped her on Kiyo’s oversized bean bag chair. “Get comfortable. You’re going to be here for a while. I’ll make sure somebody comes for you when the time comes.”

Mariko couldn’t respond verbally, of course. However, her downcast eyes, filling with tears, said all she needed to.

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

Thanks for reading!

Previous Update: Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapter 70, 71 & 72) | D. B. Fassbinder on Patreon

Next Update: Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapter 77, 76 & 77) | D. B. Fassbinder on Patreon