Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapter 90, 91, 92)

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

I'm going to put a bit of a warning here: it's always darkest before the dawn. Things are about to get rough for a while. 

Chapter 90

In the back of my mind, I wondered why I had bothered to make plans in the first place. I had gone to so much trouble to take Hiro off the playing board so as to avoid this exact scenario. Yet, there Paul and I were, readying our blades for his attack. There wasn’t enough time to coordinate, so I made sure to keep my distance. I wasn’t sure how good Paul was with a sword, and an unskilled swordsman could be a danger to friend and foe.

I really didn’t know what Hiro was thinking, charging six enemy wizards head on. Where was his love for flanking maneuvers?

The answer was that he was banking on his speed. Hiro rolled left, then sprang forward from the side. His blade sang through the air, and I was just able to bring up my own to block it. Hiro didn’t have the energy to go full blast with Immortal Form, so he had a bit of a tell. My Mimic Sight gave me a moment to prepare for the attacks, since the magic would flow into whichever limb he empowered.

I was thankful to the school for teaching me mahoukenjutsu. The defensive sword style, combined with my early warning system, let me keep him at arm’s reach. I will fully admit that my heart wasn’t in the fight, and despite his words, I think he was holding back, too.

Paul couldn’t know any of that. Letting out a war cry that echoed in my ears, he rushed in. He wasn’t bad, and Hiro had his work cut out keeping track of both of us. However, Paul quickly fell behind without Mimic Sight to give him that extra warning. Hiro knocked the sword from his hands and kicked him in the gut. Paul went sliding along the tiled floor, doubled up in pain.

“Hiro, that was Paul!” I shouted. “I think I heard a crunch!”

“Huh? Paul Wilson?”

I took the chance to get back to casting distance. Casting is a tricky business with your hand wrapped around a sword’s pommel, but there are a few that are workable. “Spectral Web!”

“You already used that trick, Magpie,” Hiro said, ducking under the blue stream of energy.

“Take the shot!” bellowed Brother Ratte. The three wizards (Mrs. Perera understandably sitting out the proceedings) had advanced to casting distance, but must have held back out of fear of hitting one of us.

“Fireball!”

“Magic Bolt!”

“Ruhspont!” Maggie surprised me by slinging one of the demonic spells out in the open. If the other Holy Brothers noticed, I saw no sign.

Then again, I was a tad occupied right then. The air was full of magic projectiles, and the splatter of Maggie’s Rough Spout nearly caught me. Hiro rushed back into melee range with us. He seemed to think that would make the others less likely to keep up the barrage.

“Keep shooting,” shouted Maggie. “Fireball!”

So much for that. I smelled burnt hair as one of the attacks sailed overhead. “Watch where you’re aiming!”

“Then tell Takehara to stop dodging!” said Maggie.

“I’m on it,” groaned Paul. His mask was loose and he was holding his stomach. Even with the protection of his cadet uniform, I was amazed he could keep his feet. He held out his free hand, and suddenly Hiro stopped in place.

“What’s going on?” Hiro struggled, but to no avail.

“See how tough you are when all the water in your body’s stuck in place,” grunted Paul.

“You put up a good fight, Takehara,” I said. “Now, be sensible and give up.”

“N-never going to surrender to you monsters,” he said.

I leaned in and hissed, “Hiro, if you don’t give up, I can’t protect you! See reason, man.”

Brother Maus stepped forward. “This is for Brother Frettchen! Magic Bolt!”

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It wouldn’t have been my fault; I hadn’t cast the spell. I hadn’t been the one to refuse to surrender. Life would be much easier for me without Hiro there to get in my way.

Yet, my sword fell from my fingers. I began my visualization, ready to throw up a shield.

“Svalinn’s Mercy,” intoned Mariko, beating me to the punch. I hadn’t noticed her there, but I’d had bigger concerns. The enormous energy shield, large enough to block all four of us from Maggie’s group, came out a bit misshapen; I’m sure she was trembling after the day she’d had. It held, though, which was what counted.

“So, you are here,” said Paul, perspiration running down his forehead.

“Paulkins?” said Mariko with a gasp. “I mean, Paul? What are you doing here?”

“How do you recognize me?” He reached up, feeling his loose disguise fabricata. “Crap!”

“What are you doing?” demanded Maggie. “Kill them!”

“You need better recruits.” Brother Maus stepped forward, pointing his hand up. “Glitter Bomb!”

Mariko saw the wobbling, green orb of energy flying at us, and she willed the shield to pivot upwards to catch it. She wasn’t quick enough, and the sharp edge of the shield pierced the bubble. Some of the sticky strands of glittering magical energy pasted themselves to the surface of the shield, but the rest went right for us.

I had already sprung into action. It wasn’t the first time I’d had that spell directed at me; the Wizard Corps loved it for crowd control. I whipped off my uniform’s jacket, covering my upper body. The glitter would lose its stickiness quickly, but it was like cement if it did catch you. I’d been stuck in place for an hour once outside Kent when the opposing Wizard Corpsman got away, and I didn’t care to repeat the experience.

When I lowered my jacket again, the black uniform was almost painfully bright to look at, and there were a few crusty bits on my fingers.

The others hadn’t gotten off so lightly. Mariko had rushed in between Hiro and the cloud, and the light reflected off her like a disco ball. Judging by her hoarse coughing, the poor girl had gotten a lungful.

Paul sparkled too, but he had only gotten a minor coating; enough to feel crusty, but not enough to slow him down. Still, he had dropped his focus on Hiro. “Hey, c’mon, man,” he shouted at the Holy Brothers. “I’m on your side!”

Brother Maus shrugged. “Sorry, man. I’ll dispel them soon enough, once these two demonkin are dealt with.”

“Less talking, more fighting!” said Maggie. “What are you waiting for, Brother Mockingbird?”

“Mariko? Why?” Hiro caught the woman as she tilted over, though it was awkward, since she was a tad taller than him.

Glitter flew out of her mouth as she spoke. “F-figured you didn’t need me. You never do. Go save them, Hiro.” She tried to snap her fingers to dispel the Svalinn’s Mercy, but her hands were too caked with magical gunk.

“Mariko, it isn’t like… I didn’t mean…” Hiro stammered, trying one apology after the other, but he couldn’t make the words stick. It was a perfect opportunity to strike, though I couldn’t find the will to take it.

“Soren, that’s your opening! They’re sitting ducks!” said Maggie, stomping her foot.

“Fine! Spectral Web!”

I threw some extra “oomph” behind the spell, completely wreathing Hiro and Mariko in strands of energy.

“No, no! Kill them!” Maggie shouted, her face contorting into a hateful scowl.

“Just let us capture them, and then we can decide,” I said. “They have value as hostages.”

“Your recruit’s lost his nerve. It’s time to use the stick instead of the carrot,” said Brother Ratte, pulling out a conventional walkie-talkie from his pocket. It was a necessity, since the regular troops wouldn’t be able to power fabricata communicators like the other brothers. “Able squad, check in. What’s the status of the prisoners? Over.”

“Awake and struggling, sir. We have them under control, but I don’t know how long that will last. Over.”

“Understood. Stand by for more instructions, over.” He released the talk button. “This mission is going sideways. Brother Mockingbird, do what you were told, or your deal is off the table.”

“What deal?” asked Hiro, struggling under the spectral webs.

“I told you there was something else going on,” said Mariko, before a coughing fit cut her off.

My heart raced. Hiro and Mariko for Rose, Yukiko and Kiyo? No, it was too awful. I wished one of the stray shots had gotten Takehara, just so the choice wouldn’t weigh on me.

Who to choose? This was it. A or B. There was no more wiggle room, and time was running out.

I met Paul’s gaze. I could tell he was having the same moral quandary as me. Hiro, Paul and I could have a fighting chance, if it came to it…

But Brother Ratte could give the kill order any time he liked. I’d never get to the movie theater in time.

A or B. A or B.

Then I remembered the little package I had left on the roof. My lips curled into a devilish grin.

C it was.

“Alright, Brother Ratte, have it your way.” I reached into my pocket and willed magic through the remote.

Before he could respond, everything went dead silent. I hadn’t heard the like indoors since leaving Pandemonium. It’s easy to ignore all of the little background noises of modern life; the hum of electronics, the whine of air conditioning, even the canned music playing through the mall’s speakers. That all ceased as every piece of technology for kilometers was shut off by Dante’s jamming fabricata.

“Deal’s off.”

Chapter 91

There’s something oddly freeing about being doomed. I’d been worried about being found out for months, and the Tower Attack had occupied so much of my mental energy. But now? There would be no triumphant return home. Hell, my car keys were stuck in Mariko’s pockets. There wouldn’t be a return home at all. Now that it had all gone belly up, I could finally focus on what was in front of me.

Of course, with a clear enemy in front of them, so could the Holy Brothers. The pelted Mariko’s shield with Magic Bolts, and I knew it wouldn’t stay up much longer.

“Wilson, Takehara, are you with me?”

Hiro looked at me like I was speaking Greek, before slowly nodding. “We’re having a long talk when this is over.”

“I can’t say I’ll be looking forward to that,” I said. “Paul?”

Paul didn’t react right away, watching as Hiro set the trapped Mariko down. “We need to get her out of here.”

“That can be your job,” I said. “You’re still working off Hiro’s blow.”

“Sorry about that,” said Hiro, bowing deeply to somebody who had tried to hack him to bits not five minutes before. How I hated his possibly-not-false graciousness.

“I kinda deserved it,” he said, lifting Mariko up in his arms.

“Get her to safety, then come back. We’ll need you.”

Paul nodded, before looking down at the woman in his arms. “Sorry you got caught up in all this, baby.”

“That isn’t your fault,” she said, before a coughing fit interrupted her. “And I’m not your baby.”

“Force of habit, ma’am,” he replied.

She puffed her cheeks out in a classic Mariko pout. If she still had the energy for that, I took it as a good sign.

Turning my attention to our enemies, I saw that the shield was riddled with cracks. “We need to get Brother Maus first,” I said. “He’s maintaining the glitter, and that junk isn’t doing Mariko any good.”

“Who?” asked Hiro.

“Short one,” I said. “I’m the caster, you’re the duelist.”

Hiro shook his head wistfully. “I guess we got to fight together after all.”

I considered telling him there was nobody I’d rather go down with. It was a passing fancy; he didn’t need to get a big head. “Then it’s good we practiced. On three. One-”

“Bahadour!” Maggie had taken my lesson about emotions powering the spell to heart. She had plenty of rage; her face was nearly as red as the burst of energy that finally shattered Mariko’s spell.

“Three,” shouted Hiro as he raced forward through the cascade of magic dust.

Long range magic is a numbers game, and I was at a disadvantage. Two wizards can pump out twice the magic of one.

Fortunately for me, I had a new tool in my toolkit. I leveled my hands, flinging one of the Headmaster’s silent Fireballs at Maus while they were still mid spell. I found it more draining than the normal version. The words help shape the magic, and I was essentially brute forcing it with raw willpower.

Brother Maus let out a shriek as he ducked under my barrage. The remains of the glitter on my knuckles wafted away as he lost focus. Good; Mariko didn’t need a ruined set of lungs to go with her hand.

“I’ll aim lower next time, Maus!” I crowed.

The scent of Maggie’s magic assaulted my nose, and I realized that picking a fight with somebody with control over glass near glass storefronts was a losing proposition. I scrambled for cover, seeing what was coming.

“You bastard! You traitorous little demonkin, how could you do this to me?” She didn’t wait for a response before turning the creperie’s front window into a shower of razor-sharp needles.

I ducked behind one of the decorative trees. It held under the barrage, though I was convinced I felt something poking against my back. “You blackmailed me into doing your dirty work for months! How much loyalty could you expect?”

“You what?” Mrs. Perera’s shrill voice cut over all of the chaos around us. “You said he was reformed!”

“This isn’t the time,” said Maggie.

I hazarded a glance to Hiro and Ratte. The two were a whirl of blades as they struck, parried, and dodged. Hiro wasn’t using his Immortal Form, which didn’t surprise me. He had the magical reserves of a gnat, and he must have been running dangerously low.

I couldn’t dwell on their fight. I was facing three wizards now, in theory. I wasn’t sure if Mrs. Perera had any strength left, though I didn’t like the uncharacteristically serene look on her face. I wondered if the stooped wizard saw the same doom as I? I hoped not; I didn’t need somebody that powerful to think she was backed against a wall.

Maggie planted her boot against Maus’ back, shoving him forward. “Go flush him out!”

I thought Maus would waste more time arguing, but it was a forlorn hope. There wasn’t much earth to work with in the bot that held the decorative tree, but it hurt plenty when it slammed into my chest. I staggered back, but the soil clung to me, writhing like a snake. His fingers moved like a master seamstress at her loom, forming the soil into a band that pinned my arms to my sides.

I stumbled back. Under Maus’ control, the soft dirt stayed together, pressing down with an unbearable pressure. “What’s the matter, my dear,” I wheezed. “You need this manlet to fight your battles for you?”

That earned me an extra squeeze, and I collapsed to the ground, stars dancing before my eyes.

“This isn’t about you and Maggie,” said Maus. “Frettchen was my friend.”

“Then take it up with Takehara,” I grunted. “Let me go, and we’ll fight man to three quarters of a ma-” The breath was forced from my lungs.

“Maggie was right,” he said. “You do talk too much.”

I couldn’t reply, as darkness crept in at the corners of my vision.

My vision cleared as a sudden downpour came from above. It was an odd sight seeing a rain with no cloud, a trick I had only seen once before. I was soaked to the bone, but Maus’ soil ran away in rivulets into a nearby drain.

“Just in the nick of time, Wilson,” I said, taking his offered hand. “How’s the patient?”

“Not coughing up her lungs anymore,” he said, the rainwater swirling around under his command. “Leave Brother Maus to me.” The hard edge in his voice almost made me pity Maus.

A solid ball of dirt the size of a baseball flew out, hitting Paul dead center in the chest. He rocked back on his feet with a hiss of pain. Targeting Paul’s bruise from Hiro’s kick was dirty pool, but it’s what I’d have done.

“I knew Sister Shrike was nuts for recruiting you two,” said Maus. “Once a demonkin, always a demonkin.”

“Yeah, keep egging me on, Maus,” spat Paul. “I thought you guys were the only ones with a plan. Turns out you’re just a bunch of bullies and sadists.”

“Nah, that’s more Brother Frettchen’s bag,” said Maus. “I’ll make it quick.”

“Are you sure you don’t need me?” I asked.

With a grunt of effort, Paul sucked the moisture out of the air, forming it into a basketball-sized sphere. “I took a few of ‘em out last time, Mocks… Mags.” Despite his words, he moved more stiffly than normal. “Four of them, three of us. Hiro can’t handle the others alone.”

“Give them Hell, Wilson.” I caught a flash of red out of the corner of my eye. I darted away from Paul, guessing that Maggie would target me instead.

I hate being right sometimes. I only had a moment to respond, so I whipped off the scarf, my magic hardening it into the scallop-tipped sword. It turned out Mrs. Perera’s lie had some truth to it: the overly wide blade was perfectly fine at blocking small projectiles. I heard Ratte and Maggie shouting about something, but the ring of glass shards bouncing off the scarf was deafening. The barrage ceased and I rushed forward, ready to bring the fight to Maggie.

Only I saw no sign of her or Mrs. Perera. I scanned the area, ready for an ambush that didn’t come. Paul and Maus were locked in an elementally fueled game of cat and mouse as every decorative plant and fountain was weaponized. I couldn’t tell who had the upper hand.

Hiro and Ratte were still at it. Hiro’s white uniform was stained with blood from fresh injuries. Either Ratte’s matching black garb hid the blood stains better, or Hiro was at the losing end of that fight.

I closed my eyes, and my Mimic Sight revealed Maggie sprinting up the paused escalator, Mrs. Perera perched on her shoulders.

“Oh, now you’ll give her the damn piggyback ride!” I was about to go after her, but I stopped when I heard a crash behind me.

“What are you doing?” shouted Hiro, not looking up from where he and Ratte had crossed blades. “Go after her!”

“You’ll never catch her now,” grunted Ratte. “She’s off to deliver the kill order in person! Now you get nothing, Mockingbird.”

I hesitated. I could sense that Hiro was on the dregs of his magical reserves. If he gave Ratte the room to cast a spell, he’d be done.

“Soren!” Hiro’s body glowed with Immortal Form as he forced Ratte onto the defensive. “I said go after her! If you end up avenging someone, make it me and not Yukiko!”

“You’re on your last legs, you idiot!” I said.

“Then I’ll die standing!”

What a fool, throwing away his life in a pointless last stand without a moment’s thought or hesitation. At least I had to be forced into it.

It’s why he was the better man… by human standards, at least.

Chapter 92

Not for the first time, I was grudgingly thankful for my morning runs with Rose. I had arrived at the school after months of debauchery in the aftermath of England’s fall, and she had whipped me into shape.

Still, proving why I needed to be more selfish, my fretting over Hiro had given Maggie an insurmountable lead. There was no sign of her by the time I arrived at the theater on the third floor of the mall. A faint scent of lavender filled the air as I came closer to the mass of magical batteries on the roof. Still, I could make out the forms within, and they were all moving, including one familiar, slender form that was running from something.

I had to restrain myself from charging right in, instead tying my scarf back into place. The memory of the soldiers’ rifles seared into my mind, I knew that I needed options for long and short range. “Svalinn’s Mercy! Svalinn’s Wrath! Svalinn’s Wrath!” A black throwing knife appeared in each hand, while I willed the shield ahead of me. It was a smaller one to conserve energy; I wasn’t running low just yet, but I was closer to my limits than I would have liked.

The space was completely dark, thanks to my jamming fabricata. The only light came from the faint glow of my Svalinn’s Mercy. I decided that was for the best; I knew the layout of the theater well enough, after Kiyo and I had had some amorous adventures there.

The small theater only had two screens, and with the racket they were making, I didn’t need my Mimic Sight to find them.

I burst into the small theater, taken aback by the chaotic scene before me. Something had knocked most of the seats down, and I guessed her name was Hurricane Rose. When the mundane soldiers had reported they were losing control of the prisoners, they hadn’t been exaggerating. One of Kiyo’s stationary Fireballs lit the room, though a powerful wind threatened to snuff it out at any moment. Rose’s arms were still trapped behind her back, but she was able to knock one of the soldiers back with a powerful gust. Her high kick did a worse job of shaping the weather than her hands, though, and she was blown off balance.

A red glow caught her. “Save your energy,” said Yukiko, before turning to hurl back a soldier who had drawn a sidearm on her. “We don’t know how many there are left.”

I expected Rose to say something cutting in return, but she just nodded.

I wondered where his rifle had gone, but I got my answer soon enough. Gunfire from an unseen source hit Maggie’s armor, confirming Kiyo’s location as well. The bullets didn’t penetrate the plate, but a flash of runes across the fabric told me Kiyo had been dead on.

“Angel, I’m here!”

Of all of the reactions, I hadn’t expected a burst of bullets to pound my shield.

Anger flashed across Maggie’s face, before being replaced with a calculating grin. “You’re just in time, Brother Mockingbird! You were right, we should have just killed them before! Help me fix my mistake.”

I scoffed at her obvious ploy. “You can’t seriously think they’d fall for-”

All of my so-called friends attacked me at once, which actually saved me. Rose, ignoring Yukiko’s admonition to conserve magic, launched a full tilt gust that hurled me from my feet. Yukiko grabbed me with her Gravity Shift, slamming me into the ground before more fire from Kiyo’s stolen rifle could perforate me.

“No,” I choked out, struggling to stand against the increased pull of gravity. “I’m on your side this time!”

“Fool me once, Magpie,” said Kiyo, her voice much closer and colder than I had expected.

“If you think we’re going to let you knock us out again, you have something else coming,” said Rose.

“Magic Bolt,” intoned Yukiko, downing the last of the soldiers. She hadn’t put her whole strength behind it, so the impact only threw him into the back wall instead of running him through. “Don’t let your anger get the best of you. We have more enemies than Marlowe.”

Yukiko was right, as she often was, annoyingly. Maggie and Mrs. Perera took full advantage of their distraction. The redheaded wizard was wreathed in a golden aura as she moved far faster than she had any right to. I thought they might have cast Hasten, a demonic spell that we usually only used on the lesser races due to its unpleasantness. After a moment’s study, I realized that Mrs. Perera was adjusting Maggie’s relative flow of time instead.

Maggie landed next to Rose and Yukiko. The shorter girl blocked a slash from Maggie’s sword, shoving Rose back with her magic.

“Hey!” The blonde wizard protested.

“I’m the best suited to deal with…” A bright red line went across Yukiko’s chest as her uniform’s runes struggled to stop Maggie’s blade. They succeeded, but Yukiko still doubled over in pain.

“Yukiko!” shouted Rose. Her eyes locked on Maggie, and a gust of wind blew the Holy Sister back.

“D-didn’t fix my ribs enough,” groaned the Sato heiress. With her focus broken, I was finally released.

Kiyo opened fire, the muzzle flash revealing her position. To my horror, she wasn’t aiming at Maggie. Two of the three bullets bounced harmlessly off my floating shield, but the third ricocheted off the edge, blasting a hole in the carpet next to my hand.

I looked imploringly at the source of the shots. “Kiyo, stop! She’s lying. I’m really here to help this time!”

“You’re lucky I’m empty.” She came back into view, tossing the stolen rifle aside. “I’m not going to let you h-hurt me again, Magpie.” Her eyes were swollen red, and I couldn’t fault her for her tears. Hell, if I hadn’t been high on adrenaline, I would have been misty myself.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Yukiko levitating a knife to cut through Rose’s bonds, as the two of them squared off against Maggie and Mrs. Perera. Good; I needed to get through to Kiyo.

“Kiyo, please,” I said, stepping forward. “You have to listen to me.”

“No, I d-don’t. Last time you talked like this, you knocked me out and tied me up. I woke up looking down the barrel of a gun. Yukiko told me how you just stood there while that m-monster broke her bones.”

I took another step forward. “I can explain it all, my dear.”

“Get away! Diamond Shower!” Kiyo’s magic froze the water into the air into a hail of needle-sharp icicles. I shifted my daggers up, keeping them from hitting anything important. I hissed as some of the barrage dug into my arms. I missed my Brotherhood armor. I would have even taken the black wool of the jacket I’d left downstairs covered in glitter.

The look of utter hatred in my Angel’s eyes cut deeper than any icicle. I grit my teeth. My combat instincts told me to gut her with my energy knives, but they could go hang themselves. This would be solved by words, not swords.

I dismissed the energy weapons and shield and held my hands wide open. “Kiyo, I’ve done a great many foolish things tonight, but I swear, it was all for you.”

“Yeah, right,” she said with a derisive snort. “Joining the Brotherhood was for me? Attacking the Tower was for me? Knocking me out was for me?”

“In a roundabout way, yes,” I said. “I’ve had to keep a lot hidden from you, but you have no idea how much danger you were in.”

“Yeah, I was in danger from you! You’ve been acting shady for months, but I just let it slide. This wasn’t even the first time, was it? Did you shock me at the restaurant too? I know I didn’t drink as much champagne as you said. Is Dante another Holy Brother?”

“You have no idea how far off you are,” I replied, trying to skirt the issue of Fera’s servant. “Kiyo, you don’t have to forgive me right now, but I promise, nobody wants to stop the Holy Brotherhood more than me. If the four of us work together, Maggie won’t stand a chance!”

“You d-don’t get it,” Kiyo said. She unsheathed a short sword from her scabbard. “I said g-get back! I l-love you and y-you’ve never done anything but lie to me. I should run you through where you stand.”

I spread my arms out wide. “We both know you would never do that to me.”

A choked off screech from the other side of the room drew our attention back to the fight. Yukiko doubled over and collapsed, her arms wrapped around her chest, a moment before a yellow aura surrounded her, freezing her in a moment of agony. Rose was in better shape, but just as stuck in place.

Maggie returned to the normal flow of time. “Sister Macaw, hold them for a moment. It’s time to deal with Jones.”

“Don’t take forever,” grunted Mrs. Perera. “I don’t have much left in the tank.”

“I’ll be right with you,” said Maggie. She crossed an arm over her chest, place the other on her cheek in a coquettish pose. “Brother Mockingbird, is there a problem?”

“You’re damn straight there is, you murderous witch!” I shouted.

“Tsk tsk. Are you still in character? You can drop it now. We’ve won.”

I looked at Kiyo, willing her to believe me. “Kiyo, you can’t possibly think-”

“No more lies! Spectral Web!” Kiyo took me by surprise; I hadn’t expected her to try casting with her hands full. My mouth was covered, and the blue strands resisted my efforts to claw them away. “Wh-what do you mean i-in character?” said Kiyo, taking a step back so she could keep her eyes on both of us.

Maggie lowered her mask, and Kiyo gasped. “Ms. Edwards?”

“Please, students can call me Maggie,” she said with a chuckle. “Soren’s been on my side since he went to the Merlin Academy. I used him to divide Hiro Takehara’s little clique so you wouldn’t get in our way again.”

Kiyo nearly dropped the blade. “Is that true?”

I couldn’t respond, but Maggie was kind enough to do it for me. “Think about all the little lies he told you. All the time he and I spent alone over the last few months. Did you really think we were practicing magic?”

I desperately struggled with the strands around my face, succeeding only in scratching my cheeks with my fingernails. I realized I could use my silent Fireball, but as I made the gestures, Maggie seemed to anticipate the movement and shifted to put Kiyo between us.

Kiyo advanced on Maggie. “Now I know y-you’re lying. Whatever else Soren did, he doesn’t like you.”

Maggie’s girlish giggle conflicted with her smug expression. “Oh? Soren, why don’t you show her those photos on your phone? You were happy to use them as bait for Ms. Yamada earlier, after all.”

Kiyo reacted like she had been struck. “What photos?”

Maggie batted her eyelashes bashfully. “Just some bedroom pictures.”

Kiyo stomped over to me. “Magpie, is that true?”

Not strictly speaking, I tried to stay. My mouth was still shut, naturally, but my expression must have spoken volumes, as Kiyo’s tear-filled eyes hardened.

“How could you?” she demanded, holding up the blade at me.

“Those pictures are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Maggie. “Oh, the things we’ve done together…” She shuddered in ecstasy at a pretended memory.

I finally felt the strands starting to give way. “Kiyo, she’s obviously-” My half-mumbled explanation was cut off as Kiyo buried her sword up to the hilt in my gut.

“No more lies,” Kiyo choked out. “The boyfriend/girlfriend contract is cancelled.”

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

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