Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapters 15 & 16) (Patreon)

Art by the Talented J Munroe. Check them out here: https://twitter.com/jmunroeart?s=20 

Minor edits applied 10/5/20 (typos caught)  

Chapter 15

Our regularly scheduled weapons training was over for the day, and Hiro and I had been assigned cleanup duty. The lessons were held at the center of a doublewide field that could have hosted two simultaneous football games. The enormous, open air stadium surrounding it was one of the only parts of the school where the builders economized, with basic, metal seating. I’d learned this the hard way when they’d brought in some singer I’d never heard of in early July. Tachibana had begun sprinkling in a few “fun” events like that after the school shut down. I suppose they were trying to keep up our morale if we had to be confined to campus. 

Funny, I can’t think of his name now, but I remember the heat and the backache. That’s a damning review if I’ve ever heard one.

Cleanup still struck me as goblin’s work, but it wasn’t the worst job to pull. Most of our scheduled combat practice involved melee techniques with a little bit of magic thrown in, so it wasn’t as destructive as many of our classes. All we had to do was redraw the chalk lines for the combat circles and check for errant junk.

What was irksome was Takehara himself. I knew he had wanted to talk to me since the sudden announcement of Kiyo’s promotion. He was a trusting fool, but even he was suspicious of the official story that they had wanted to, and I quote, “let her acclimate to more rigorous classes before the War Games.”

“Oh, just spit it out, Hiro,” I said. 

“You’re sure you don’t know why they moved Kiyo up?”

“It’s a mystery to me too, Takehara,” I replied as I bent over to retrieve a half-destroyed candy wrapper. “Why do you think I’d know anything?”

“You are dating her,” he said, using a sharpened spike to pick up a discarded water bottle. “I just don’t get why she wouldn’t tell us anything before.”

“You know how Kiyo can be,” I said. “She’s very secretive, and she hates confrontation. Even I didn’t know about it until this morning.” I do so love lying with the truth. I think it’s my demonic heritage at work. 

“Do you know what class she ended up in?”

“Mrs. Perera’s homeroom.”

The worry vanished from his face. “That’s a relief. She’ll have Paul there. I’d hate to send her in with a bunch of strangers. She’s never been good at breaking the ice.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” I said. “You’d know best, since you grew up together.”

“Yeah. Did I ever tell you about the tree incident? It happened when we were really young, not long after we met.”

“She’s mentioned you were her best friend when you were in elementary school, but not much more than that.” 

Hiro smiled at the memory. “Her dad’s in the United States Remnant Navy, so she was transferred in in the middle of the year when his ship was redeployed. I could tell right away she was having trouble. They took her up to the front of class to introduce herself, and she was so nervous that she could barely spit out her name. I kept calling her Kira for a week, but she didn’t object.”

“That does sound like her,” I said.

“We had a pretty nice playground at the school,” he continued. “There was this big cherry tree off to the side. Kiyo didn’t like hanging out with anyone, so she would always climb it and play a video game.”

“She probably wanted to, but didn’t know what to do.” The poor girl. 

“Probably, yeah. One day, she slipped and barely caught herself on one of the branches. If she hadn’t, I don’t want to think about what could have happened to her. It didn’t last long before it snapped, but it was enough time for me to get underneath her.”

“You were how old?”

“Kindergarten,” he replied. 

“By the... Good Lord, you got your hero complex early, didn’t you?”

“It’s not a complex,” he protested. “I just like doing good for people. It was the first time I got to save anyone,” he said. He’d puffed his chest out and put his hands on his hips. “It made me feel like Superman, though Superman wouldn’t have broken his leg catching her. I thought the cast was cool, though my mom didn’t quite see it like that.”

 “If I know my Kiyo, I imagine you were inseparable after that?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I finally found out her name was Kiyo when she signed my cast. If she noticed me calling her the wrong thing, she didn’t say anything. She opened up a bit after that. Still quiet, but not quite as much of a shut in as when you met her.” 

“And you wonder why you used to have a harem,” I said. “You’re just sickeningly noble, has anyone ever told you that?”

“Like you’re any different,” he said. His posture stiffened, and for once, he seemed offended. “I don’t get you sometimes. It’s like you’re embarrassed by all the good deeds you do.”

That was surprisingly perceptive. I’d have to hide my feelings better, especially with the new phase in my mission. Speaking of which, it was time to go to my meeting with Mrs. Perera. 

“I think we’re pretty much done for the day. Let’s get going.”

He cocked his head. “What’s the hurry? Mrs. Perera says club is cancelled. Where do you have to be?”

Thankfully, the old woman and I had come up with a cover story. “I’m helping her out with a project, actually. Her and Ms. Edwards. Frightfully dull stuff, but they want to take advantage of my magical energy reserves.”

“See? That’s what I mean. You’re like a favor machine. Why are you so shy about it? What, are you afraid people will start liking you?” He leaned in, his voice an exaggerated whisper. “I hate to tell you this, but it’s too late for that.” 

He straightened up, chuckling at his own joke. I couldn’t help but join in, as much as I wanted to object. “I got distracted before, though. I brought up that story for a reason. When she found out she was moving a few years later, she ran away from home. It was right after her magic came in, so you know how hard she was to find. I found her in my closet, and I had to talk her out of hiding in my room forever.” 

“At least she’s consistent.”

“Yeah, that’s what worries me.” He clapped my arm twice. “She’s nineteen now and she still hasn’t grown out of it. She’s just taller and following you around instead of me.”

“I… I can’t really find fault with what you’re saying.” 

He nodded grimly. “She’ll need you more than normal. Make sure you meet up with her after you’re done helping the teachers, alright?”

He couldn’t have any idea that I was off to commit dirty deeds, could he? No, perish the thought. Sweet, trusting Hiro? He was just feeling off about Kiyo. 

I told myself I was being too paranoid. Hiro was skilled at strategy games, but it wasn’t due to any great subtlety. “Of course. In fact, I think I’ll call her right now. If you see the others, send my regards.”

We parted ways. Hiro took our supplies back to the storage area beneath the bleachers, and I made my way towards the woods. I’d been told to wait near where we did our affinity training and await further instructions. The scorched grass from Rose’s failed experiment with Merlin’s Lantern marked the spot for me. 

I felt damned exposed out there, but orders were orders. I still had some time before my meeting, so I fulfilled my hasty promise and dialed Kiyo’s number. It was the only one I’d bothered memorizing. 

I wasn’t expecting to hear the theme from Kiyo’s survival game right behind me. Before I could respond, thin arms wrapped around my stomach. 

“Shoot, there goes the surprise. Your timing sucks, Magpie.”

“Kiyo?”

“Nuh uh, you gave me my nickname, you need to use it.”

“Angel, then. Now let me go so I can see you.”

“No can do. I’m in stealth mode right now. Who knows who could be watching? What are you doing all the way out here? I saw you leaving the arena just as I arrived.”

Who could be watching, indeed? My stomach churned. The Holy Brotherhood’s agents could be anywhere. Hell, they could arrive at any moment with more instructions, and they wouldn’t know that Kiyo was there. I’d wheedled a promise to protect her out of Maggie, but I was sure that was moot if she found out about our plans. I needed to get her away as soon as possible, but I couldn’t let her suspect how desperately I wanted to chase her off. 

“Who knows? Ms. Edwards and Mrs. Perera have me helping with some magical experiment or another, and this is where we’re meeting up.” I felt around behind me and found her invisible shoulder. I applied a gentle pressure and forced her to release me. “But that’s going to be boring, like the time I powered the oven for Mariko. Let’s talk about something more interesting instead. Tell me how your day went.”

She flickered into view for just a moment. The brief flash of her sullen expression spoke volumes. “It sucked. The classes were way harder, and I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know what to say, so I had lunch by myself. I’m sure everyone thought I was weird.”

“We both know that’s hogwash,” I replied. “They couldn’t think that about my Angel.”

“You don’t need to patronize me.” Her head rested against my chest. “I missed you so much today.”

The hitch in her voice brought a lump to my throat. “And I you, my dear. You should be going, though. I don’t think the headmaster would approve of our meeting here.”

I could feel her hidden mouth twist into a smug grin. “He said we could associate, and we aren’t in your room. We even have our clothes on. What’s there to object to?”

“I’m afraid your lawyering won’t save us if he sees us together like this. I’m glad to see you, metaphorically speaking, but you should run along.”

“Wait, I’ve got it! I’ll just do recon and sneak along with this boring meeting you’re…”

“No!” She twitched and let out a shocked gasp. Blast it, I’d been too forceful. “We promised a long time ago, no more recon.” It had been her code word for sneaking along after Hiro to study him in the old days.

“Well, that’s different. You’d know I was there, so it’d be fine.”

“You can’t just vanish like that. Not the morning after you were found in my room. You need to put in an appearance somewhere else. Go hang out with Mariko or Rose. Or, see if there are any students from your new class who want to study together.”

“Why don’t you want me around?”

Bloody Hell, she was single-minded. “You know it isn’t like that. I don’t want to find out what the punishment would be if we’re found out again. Give it some time, and we can try to skirt the rules. Now you need to get going.” The pressure on my chest stopped.

“I hate this,” she griped. “I’m not going to see you until the morning, am I?”

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

She cursed under her breath. “When jogging is the best part of my day, what’s the point of living?”

“We’ll make it, Kiyo.” I guessed where she was, but my fingers found nothing. “We just need to be strong, alright?”

“I don’t know how to when you aren’t there.”

“There’s no rule saying we can’t talk, is there? I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.”

“Is that a promise?” Her voice was brighter than it had been a moment before.

“Of course,” I said. “Now get along, before we both get in trouble.”

A hand squeezing my ass had me worried that Mrs. Perera had stumbled upon us, but unseen lips meeting mine dispelled that concern. Kiyo was the best kisser I’d ever met. There was always a craving behind them that made a devil feel needed. A tension I hadn’t noticed left my limbs all at once. I entertained the idea of running off with her, but I remembered my own advice. I hated being sensible.

All too soon, she broke off. “Bye, Magpie. Don’t forget about me.”

I couldn’t resist a grinning at that. “If you keep that up, I won’t be able to think about much else.”

Chapter 16

Thankfully, my teachers were running late. By the time Maggie and Mrs. Perera had arrived, Kiyo was long gone. To keep up with the younger woman, Mrs. Perera rode on a four wheeled scooter I hadn’t seen before. I was glad, since I thought I might have to carry her to our destination.

“It took you both long enough,” I said. “I feel damn silly standing exposed like this.”

“It looks like you found a way to amuse yourself,” replied Mrs. Perera with a knowing grin. 

“How do you mean?”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “Ms. Jones is invisible, but her lipstick isn’t. She isn’t still running around, is she?”

I felt my face flush as I summoned a small Water Orb to clean my face. “No, she’s gone.”

“Do you know that, or do you think it?” Maggie waved her hand around us. “She’s a sneaky one, and she’s smitten with you for some reason.”

“I don’t think she would lie to me. Though…” 

I closed my eyes and focused my affinity. This time, I worked as hard as I could not to slip too deeply into a meditative state, but blocking out the world let me see the traces of magic around me. Maggie and Mrs. Perera were like lanterns set to dim, but still visible. I turned my head, and saw no sign of Kiyo, though there were some larger forms a few hundred meters past the tree line. 

“We’re alone now,” I said. 

“Good, good. I was wondering when you would realize that use for your Mimic. I’m glad I didn’t have to point it out.” Was that pride in Maggie’s blue eyes? I was so used to her disdain that it was almost disconcerting. “Did you see the other brothers waiting for us?”

“Yes, I was about to mention them, but I see they were expected.”

Mrs. Perera nodded. “The membership ritual needs four Holy Brothers on hand to perform.”

“Membership ritual?” I cocked my head at her. “That sounds oddly cultish.”

“It’s a sign of your loyalty to the cause,” replied Maggie in a way that did nothing to dispel my concerns. “Follow me and try not to say anything foolish. Holy Brothers Maus and Ratte don’t have as much patience as me.” She sauntered past me without waiting for my assent. 

“Maus and Ratte? I’d thought you Holy Brothers took your names from birds, like Brothers Magpie and Rail.”

“That’s how we tell the different cells apart,” replied Mrs. Perera as her scooter whined under her light weight.

“They would be a German branch, right? I notice the school’s fabricata didn’t translate their names to Mouse and Rat. It must think of those words as formal names.”

“Not German specifically, but the different cells do have patterns to our names,” replied Maggie. 

“I was about to ask just many cells there were, but then I realized knowing that would defeat the purpose of having cells.”

“Very good,” said Maggie as she cast a satisfied smirk over her shoulder. “It’s nice to know you aren’t just a braindead sword-jockey. You were caught flat footed so often the other day. I was worried you weren’t going to be able to keep up.”

“Excuse me for being caught off guard when you turned me into a bloody woman! I think I did just fine, thank you.” 

“Turned into what now?” Mrs. Perera flipped up her sunglasses and peered at me curiously. 

“It was a disguise fabricata. Now hush. We want to make a good impression. Soren’s life depends on it.” She certainly knew how to get my attention.

The forest around the Nagoya Tower could be divided into two general types. For most of it, Headmaster Tachibana had stimulated the plant growth, but had let nature take the path it desired from there. The other parts had been designed to simulate other terrain, which came in handy during the War Games and other combat training. 

They hadn’t done much to ease the transitions between the climate zones, though. One moment, we were surround by temperate forestland, and the next, we were walking on white sand, weaving our way between sage brushes. 

At least, most of us were. Mrs. Perera’s wheels spun uselessly, spraying sand in all directions. “Soren, be a dear and carry me, would you?”

So much for avoiding that humiliation. “You seem to always be asking for piggyback rides,” I said. I knelt down to her level and put my hands behind me. She clambered up, for once not taking the chance to grope me. I supposed it was a somber occasion. 

“Enjoy your knees while you have them,” she said as she braced an arm around my neck. 

“My, aren’t we a sight,” muttered Maggie. “I was hoping to present a stronger front to our guests.”

I snorted at that. “What do you care? Aren’t cells in a political movement like ours supposed to be independent?”

“We were one party before we were driven underground,” said Maggie. “We still have some ties, and one of our rules is that new members have to be vetted by another cell. I hope you’re sincere about joining us.”

“Just how sincere do I have to be?” My voice caught a little, and not just because Mrs. Perera’s grip tightened. “You did bring me in under duress.”

“We all have our reasons for being here,” replied Maggie. “We aren’t worried about purity. We care about drive and loyalty. We’re almost there, so we need to stop the side chatter.” 

I didn’t dare close my eyes to scan again. The ground was too uneven to close my eyes for long. At least I wasn’t have to run across it like before. It was easier to walk at a leisurely pace than it had been to flee from Haru’s arrows during my War Game, even with the extra burden. We were on a different section of desert than I’d fought in, but it was built along much the same lines.

We came to the foot of a rocky hill, almost exactly like the one the I’d tossed myself down to save Kiyo. “I hope you don’t expect me to carry you over this,” I said. 

“No, you can put me down.” I knelt down and she hopped off. 

I glanced around. Besides swallows chasing insects beneath the setting sun, we were completely alone. “That’s odd. I know I saw them over here.”

“I’m impressed your Mimic could spot them at all,” replied Maggie. She cupped her mouth. “Brother Maus, we’re ready for you!”

The hillside parted like water, and two men around Maggie’s age stepped out. Both were dressed in white uniforms that I’m sure would have been quite striking, if they weren’t covered in dust. The Holy Brothers I had fought had employed the Wizard Corps’ own uniforms, for both their armor, and likely to sew confusion among our ranks. This was a new outfit, resembling the flowing robes of a priest. 

The taller of the two, a lanky, red-headed man with an eyepatch, tried to brush the dirt and sand off himself. “There had to be a better way to hide us, Brother Maus.”

“We suffer what we must for the cause, Brother Ratte.” The shorter Holy Brother wouldn’t have been able to look Kiyo in the eye and, like many smaller men of my acquaintance, had compensated by building muscle. I almost wondered if he’d enhanced them with magic or steroids; it was a bit overdone. He needn’t have worried, in my opinion, with a handsome face like his. Still, some men are dominated by what they can’t be, which is a pity. 

I saw he was the source of the magic, which moved the earth again. If I hadn’t known what to look for, I’d have never noticed that section of hillside didn’t quite match the rest. He was sweating when he finished, which was understandable, after shifting nearly a ton of earth and rock with only his magic. 

He didn’t let the weariness show in his face, though. “Holy Sister Shrike! Holy Sister Macaw. It’s been far too long. I don’t think I’ve seen you since the… recent unpleasantness in Taiwan.”

Unpleasantness? That was an understatement, after they had been caught trading British refugees to the Horde for fabricata and other loot. It’s what had driven their fringe movement fully underground. I certainly as in no position to judge them, though, since I’d helped make those Brits homeless in the first place. 

Maggie giggled as Maus took her hand and kissed it. “Maus, please, we’re here on business.”

“The cause is heavy and our enemies numerous,” he replied. “We ought to enjoy ourselves where we can.”

“You’re a man after my own heart, Holy Brother Maus,” I said.

“That’s enough,” said Ratte. His green eye drilled into me, and a chill ran down my spine. “We aren’t here to earn your approval. You’re here to earn ours. You must be the one they call Magpie.”

“That isn’t my Holy Brother name,” I replied. “They have Holy Brother Magpie under lock and key.”

“But it’s what they call you at this school and in the news. Holy Sister Shrike, the fact that he is that well known worries me. That and if I believe your report, he jumped right from fighting our brothers in arms into being an Adept.”

“He didn’t know better,” said Maggie, sounding a tad defensive. “I can vouch for him.”

“We shall see,” replied Ratte. “We have prepared the Circle. Follow me.”

I resisted the urge to ask what they meant. I’d know soon enough, and it was time to adopt my new role. If Captain Malthus and Soren Marlowe were sarcastic chaps, I was best off making sure that my Holy Brother persona was more serious. So, I did what I could to I keep my expression solemn. 

Well, as solemn as I could, what with Mrs. Perera demanding another ride. 

******

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