Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapter 49 & 50) (Patreon)

Art of Maggie by 🦉rianne the hoot hoot boi 🦉 (@RianneDraws) / Twitter

Chapter 49

Or, so I thought.

“Magpie, do we have to do it again?”

We were in an isolated corner of the library after a club meeting. I couldn’t see Kiyo, since I was using the black, white, and blue colored scarf she had gifted me as a blindfold. I knew my little Angel well, though, and I knew the pout that went with that petulant tone of voice.

“My, your tone changed! You were overjoyed when I got out your scarf.”

“Yeah, because you haven’t really used it yet, and I worked really hard on it. I even made it magpie colored.”

“It’s been the summer,” I replied. “You know how much it meant to me.”

“Yeah… Look, what you’re talking about doesn’t really make sense. Smelling magic? You sound like a loon or a pervert.” She giggled after a moment. “Could be both, I guess.”

“I’ll let that slide,” I said. “Look, you like me more than Headmaster Tachibana, right?”

Her laugh turned into a snort. “I mean, duh. Especially after the other day.”

“You gave him nineteen tests. You’re complaining after two.”

“Yeah, but here we are having a little alone time and you want to do homework we weren’t even assigned! You were all like, ‘come hither, my princess, let us away and I shall show thee a good time-’”

“Oh, come now, I sound nothing like that! Such rubbish.” I couldn’t help but smirk. I did so love her nonsense, and it was so more pleasant than whining.

She giggled. “If you say so. Anyway, I was ready to have a good time in secret and got all excited and stuff! I think I’m allowed to be a little bummed out.”

“Then make your magic smellier so I can pick it up,” I said.

“How am I supposed to do that? You said you suddenly noticed it in the middle of training; I’ve been invisible for five minutes and you aren’t getting a whiff!”

“I think it’s a matter of intensity. Rose was powering the Peace Bond all by herself and she was everywhere, but when Leo was working with his affinity over a larger area, he overpowered her scent.”

I could practically hear her frown. It was the way her shoulders slumped when she got irritated; I could just make out the way her uniform rustled when she pouted. “I’m already invisible, though. Do you smell anything?”

“Besides musty books? No. I can see your outline visually with Mimic, though.”

“I guess I can try making something else invisible.” She strolled over and took my hand in both of hers. I felt a familiar tingle run through my body, and I knew her Death of Light had hidden me from sight too. “How about now?”

I didn’t respond right away. I had discovered the visual form of my Mimic’s magical senses when I had shut out the rest of the world in meditation, so I tried to focus. Kiyo’s magic wasn’t going to be as overwhelming as a device beaming Rose’s signature everywhere.

Then I detected something just a hint of something. “Harder, Kiyo.”

She grunted, and her grip tightened. The tingling intensified, and I felt it passing over my body. I imagined the chair I sat on had vanished as well.

“There it is! It’s plain as day.”

“Well? Do I smell as pretty as Rose? And remember, per the boyfriend/girlfriend contract, you have to say yes.”

“It’s quite lovely,” I said. “Your magic has a subtle vanilla scent, with maybe a hint of citrus? It’s a subtler scent.”

“I use strawberry shampoo, so we know it isn’t that,” she said. “Wait, why does Rose smell like her perfume?”

“It’s strange enough that my mind keeps representing magic with my other senses anyway,” I said. “Maybe it’s because I already associate her with lavender?”

“Yeah, you’re obsessed with it,” she grumbled. “Okay, I need to rest.” Kiyo let go and breathed heavily.

Since we were done testing, I unwrapped the makeshift blindfold. “Yes, I think that’s a…” I trailed off as I raised my eyebrow. To my shock, I could still see through her.

At least, partway. Kiyo always had a doll-like look to her, with her pale, smooth skin and large, expressive eyes. Just then, though, she looked like an exquisite glass sculpture clad in a black and red school uniform. The fluorescent lights of that little used corner of the library refracted through her exposed head and neck and, if I shifted my head just right, I could see a rainbow.

“What’re you looking at?” She looked down. “Eek!” The color and substance returned to her as she shifted back to normal.

“What was that?” I asked.

“I think I told you once,” she said. “Death of Light has two tricks. It bends light, and I can make my body transparent. I think it’s so I don’t use quite as much energy to make myself invisible.”

I nodded. “Yes, you have. I just haven’t seen you transformed when you weren’t completely hiding yourself.”

“I-it’s creepy, right?” Kiyo shifted from leg to leg, looking flustered. “Sorry man, I slipped up. Mr. Lahlou figured out how my power worked, but I look so dang creepy.”

“No, just opposite.” I took her hands and pulled her close. “Can I see again?”

She bit her lip and flushed. “W-well, I guess it’s okay for you, Magpie.” Just the least waft of vanilla hit my nose, and Kiyo went crystalline again.

“How could this be creepy?” I asked. “It’s fascinating. Your hands still feel like flesh.”

“I don’t know what exactly I’m turning into,” she said. “I still feel the same, and if they cut a little of my hair, it turns black right away.” She fidgeted again. “Wh-why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m seeing the loveliest girl in the school in a new light,” I said. I drew her in for a kiss. “Hm, you’re right, no difference at all.”

“W-well,” she stammered, “do you want to see if I feel different in other places? Maybe get a little intimate?”

“Propositioning me out of the blue? Why, I’m shocked! Where did the shy, innocent Kiyo I used to know go?”

“You kinda ruined that, Soren,” she said.

I grinned rakishly at her, and I could imagine a blush spreading across her crystalline face. “We may not want to push it too far in a library.”

“Yeah, but it’s science, right? We’re just testing things. I helped you test your magic, so you can help me test mine.”

“I think we can work something out,” I said. I broke contact so I could cast effectively. “Zone of Silence.” The air about us shimmered. I didn’t make too large of a spell, since that might itself draw attention. Just enough to cut us off from outside noise in our forgotten little corner.

“There, that ought to make sure we can carry out a proper investigation.” I stood and grabbed her around the waist, looking down into her invisible eyes.

“This is why I love you, Magpie,” she said. “You like all the stuff about me that other people think is creepy.”

“It’s what I signed up for,” I said, letting my hands wander.

“You already checked my lips,” she said, failing to suppress a giggle.

“It’s the scientific method, my dear. Hm, the rest of your face still feels as delightfully smooth as ever.”

“That reminds me. It was scratchy when we kissed before. You need a shave.”

“I’ll take that under advisement. Alright, those are still soft and perky. They certainly pass inspection.” She gasped as I left her chest and went lower. “All that running has done wonders there.”

The color returned to her body and she shoved me back. “W-we need to stop,” she said, her face beet red. “I-I’ve missed you so much, but I d-don’t think I could stand to get found out again. That was humiliating. I just know as soon as I start enjoying myself, Mr. Maki is going to wander around the corner.”

“That has been our luck,” I said. A damn shame, though. Considering all the skulduggery I’d done to keep her safe and out of trouble, I felt like I wasn’t getting the full fruits of my labors.

“I just wish there was somewhere we could go,” she said with a sigh. “It’s just so hard dealing with this stupid school without you there.”

“I feel the same way,” I said.

She shook her head. “No, I know you, man. I think you’d do just fine without me. That’s what worries me.”

“I assure you, my dear, there is nobody else I would rather be with.”

“Sure, but… nah, never mind. You promise, you aren’t seeing anybody else? You have options, man.”

I dispelled the silencing spell before kissing her hand. “Of course not.”

Of course, Ms. Edwards chose that exact moment to call. I hid the caller ID from Kiyo as I answered. “Godmother Harriet! How lovely. How’s the weather down under?”

“What are you talking about, Soren?” asked Maggie.

“Oh, I’m just with my girlfriend right now,” I replied, leaning against a shelf of military history books. “Kiyo Jones, I know I keep going on about her.” I winked at Kiyo and she rolled her eyes, though her grin split her face.

“Well, get rid of her and come to my room. We have something we need to talk about.”

“Oh no, not Richard!” I made sure I sounded as distraught as I could. “A snakebite, you say?”

“You can stop overacting, Shakespeare,” said Maggie. “Tell her something good and get here as soon as possible.”

“I’ll call you back as soon as I’m able,” I said. “Kiyo, Harriet’s son was out in the brush and was bitten by a snake! I need to get back to my room and call her back right away! We aren’t sure if he’s going to make it, and the poor dear needs a sympathetic voice to hear.”

Her face fell. “Ah, crap. Okay Soren, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I said my goodbyes and hustled out of there before my traitorous face could expose me. I felt low, even if it was necessary.

Chapter 50

“This had better be good, Maggie,” I snarled as I entered her classroom.

Ms. Edwards hopped up from her seat. “Good evening to you too, Mr. Marlowe,” she said with manufactured cheer. “Close the door. You and I have much to discuss.”

“I couldn’t possibly be in trouble, could I?” It was eerily similar to conversations I’d had with mother about missing snacks or broken vases. Those had often ended with light caning, and I wasn’t the type to find that appealing, even if Ms. Edwards was the one doing the caning.

The redheaded teacher shook her head. “No, of course not. Though you laid it on a little thick there. A snakebite? Really?”

“You put me on the spot,” I said. “The memes that Rose sends me make Australia sound like a Hellhole, so it’s the first thing that came to mind.”

“Fair enough. Cast a Zone of Silence and we can get started.”

“You don’t think we’re bugged in here, are we?” I glanced around suspiciously.

“It’s going to be the one time we don’t take precautions that we’ll get bit,” she said. “You walking in on me and Haru taught me that.”

I nodded and cast the spell for the second time that night. I set the size a bit larger than before by adjusting the angle of my ring finger; I didn’t feel the need to be pressed up right against Maggie. I sat on one of the students’ desks and kicked my feet in the air.

She seemed to disagree, sauntering over with her arms under her chest. She had left a few buttons undone, and she bent at an exaggerated angle before sitting upright in a rolling chair.

I decided to clear the air right away. “My dear, one might get the impression you’re out to seduce me.”

She chuckled a throaty chuckle. I was still a bit heated from my near miss with Kiyo before, and my heart skipped a beat. “Might get? Might get? Were the photos too subtle? Are you playing hard to get, or just dense?”

“I’m a taken man,” I said.

“Did you delete the pictures?” She asked, leaning back in the chair.

“Well, no,” I admitted.

“Then you aren’t that taken,” she replied. “But that isn’t why I asked you here. Teasing you is just a side benefit.” She pulled out her phone and pulled up a news feed. She tossed me the glass and plastic device. “What do you see on there?”

I scrolled through and it was an ordinary news feed. It had the usual mix of light and soft news that treats a starlet’s breakup with a boyfriend of three weeks and the bankruptcy of a major manufacturing firm as being of equal importance. There were a few stories about the aftermath of the failed invasion of Sumatra, all glowing reports of heroism and suspiciously low casualty reports.

After a minute of tapping at the phone, I lobbed it back. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to see.”

“Do you see the mention that every wizard cadet and schoolchild in the Anti-Demonic League saw a hacked message from the Holy Brotherhood?” she asked.

“No, I can’t say I did,” I confessed.

“Exactly!” She hopped to her feet, grinding her teeth. She put her hands behind her back and began to pace. “Thousands of people saw our broadcast, but there is not a peep on the major news websites. Any post that mentions it on social media is being silenced as well.”

“I’m not sure I see what you’re driving at,” I said. “The message got out.”

She stomped her foot, not a maneuver I would have done in heels. “It did, but it should be going viral! We pointed out the failures of the League, but they’re doing everything they can to paper them over. Damn them, they’re even succeeding!”

I raised my eyebrow. “Slow down a little, my dear. I’m still new to this little club. Why should we care?”

“Because your little friend Hiro and his fan club exposed an operation from the Taiwan branch that got us driven underground months ago. They’ve silenced us at every turn, and I’m damn sick of it!”

There it was again. I couldn’t help but notice she had said the d-word without flinching. Humans had become so touchy about it after we had invaded. “Ah, you’re trying to get back into the conversation?”

She snapped her fingers and pointed emphatically at me. “Exactly! When we were a minority party, we were making gains every year. The League is letting the world fall apart bit by bit and we were exposing that.”

“What of the fact that you were trading refugees for fabricata?”

She flinched. “I don’t like it, of course. I have no idea what the Holy Brothers in Taiwan were thinking, dealing with the Grim Horde on such a large scale, but I didn’t have to make the choices they did. Keeping the terminally ill and the elderly housed, fed, and treated would have been a large strain on their resources.”

I decided to press her on that. I didn’t care, naturally. Hell, I’d been the one to drive them from their homes. Fortunes of war, and all that. I was sitting across from proof that the humans would do the same to me in a heartbeat. But, it was good to know just where she stood on things.

“Oh? You’d hesitate to sacrifice the sick and wounded? Sounds to me like you’re still soft. You said after Haru that you’d do what needed to be done.”

She bit her lip and let out a sigh. “You’re right. I’m deflecting, aren’t I?”

“As long as we understand each other,” I said.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “They were Holy Brothers, and their choices are mine. Yes, if trading invalids to the Grim Horde means we can get the tools we need to win this war and save humanity, it’s worthwhile. Let the devils play with our excess population, if they want to trade perfectly good war material.”

As was often the case when I spoke to Maggie, I felt conflicted. The devil in me enjoyed that I was hardening a human heart. No wonder the tempters had enjoyed it so much; it was so easy! On the other hand, I was making an anti-devil fanatic more fanatical. I supposed I couldn’t make her more dangerous, if she were to learn what I was.

“So then,” I said. “I can’t imagine you brought me here just to gripe.”

“What if I did? You said it yourself, little Magpie, you’re my best friend in the world. I can trust you, because if you turn on me, it’s your neck too.”

“Then I’d ask why you insist on wasting my time when I was with Kiyo,” I said. “You keep interrupting us when things are getting good!”

She leaned forward and winked. “What’s the matter, Soren? Feeling a little backed up?”

I felt my face flush. “You’re going to get us caught if Kiyo gets too miserable.”

“Just be done with her already,” she said. “That would be the safest thing to do.”

It would, but the idea made my guts churn. “Nothing doing. She needs me, and I won’t hurt her like that.” The words came unbidden, and I regretted them. They were true enough, but I worried about giving Maggie ammo.

She rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair with a huff. “Fine, be that way. If you aren’t interested in trading up, then let’s move on to the real business. First off, we need some new recruits.”

“Weren’t you just telling me that a whole new class of recruits was coming in?” I said teasingly.

“Sure, but it’s going to take a while to break them in,” she replied. “What did you think of Ms. Yamaguchi?”

“She’s great with a sword, though I don’t think she’s seen any real fighting. I didn’t get a chance to size up her magical skills.”

“That’s where she’s lacking,” said Maggie. “I have her doing a few exercises to get more control of her affinity, but she has top marks in spellcasting.”

“That’s a shame,” I said. “A good affinity is needed if you’re going to focus on melee. Otherwise, you keep having to choose between spellcasting or using your sword.”

“Too true,” she said. “I want you to get closer to her. Make friends with her, the way you did with Hiro’s little club. Just keep her far away from them; we don’t need her hearing about the Brotherhood from them.”

“They’re certainly not our biggest fans,” I said in a droll tone. “You know that’s only going to make Kiyo more suspicious, right?”

“Not my concern,” she said. “I only promised not to hurt her physically. Her precious feelings are only your problem.”

“It is if she gets suspicious and starts sneaking around while she’s invisible again! She’s damn good at it, too. My Mimic might be able to spot her, but we can’t rely on it. I need to keep her a little happy.”

“What do you want me to do about it?”

“We need somewhere we can be alone,” I said. “I thought the roof was a good choice, until you blundered on us.”

Maggie snickered at that. “Aw, did I ruin your date night?”

Between what had happened with Haru, and then Mariko right after? Absolutely. “Friday night. I need Friday night with no interruptions whatsoever. Are we understood?”

“Are you asking or telling?”

“Telling,” I said, locking eyes with her.

She blinked first, settling back into her chair. “Oh, very well. I’ll let you go have substandard sex with your emotionally stunted little girlfriend.”

“What a wonderful teacher you are,” I said.

She shrugged. “You have to have a realistic assessment of your students to help them. Am I wrong? Could she function without somebody to guide her?”

I set my jaw. She didn’t respond to what I’m sure was a hate filled glare. “Moving on.”

“Which means you concede the point,” she said, triumphantly.

“Moving. On.” I grit my teeth, but forced the anger out of my voice. It wouldn’t be productive. “Do we have any other prospects?”

She shook her head. “You talk with the students one on one more than I do. Do you know anybody?”

I thought back on everybody I knew in Class 3-B. They were mostly useless or too simpleminded for plotting. If I cast my sights afield, though, one candidate came to mind. Somebody who could keep his intent secret for months, and had sounded like a Holy Brotherwhen we had gone bowling. “Paul Wilson, in Holy Sister Macaw’s homeroom. He’d appreciate your advances more than me, and I think he’s sympathetic to our message.” My eyes drifted south to Maggie’s exposed cleavage. “I think you’re his type, too.”

Maggie straightened up and preened proudly. “It’s no fun when they’re too eager. I prefer a little resistance. The real Soren took a while to warm up to the idea that a teacher was attracted to him, but he took the hint much faster. But, if it’s for the cause…”

“I’m sure you’ll lay back and think of England,” I said. “That’s all I can come up with for candidates. What else is there to discuss?”

Maggie’s prideful little smirk vanished. “It’s related. We can’t get more and better recruits because we can’t get the word out! The League is trying to silence us, and they’re doing a good job of it. Do you know why that is?”

“Because they control the means of communication,” I replied.

“That’s part of it,” she said. “It’s because what we’ve done has been too small scale. I think that even if we had killed Asahi, they would have found a way to claim it was an accident. Our hacked broadcast was seen by thousands of people, but if nobody can talk about it, it’s like it never happened!”

“That is the trouble of living through this little glass brick, isn’t it?” I held up my phone for emphasis. “It’s something I’ve noticed with hu…” I coughed into my hand.

“With what?” Maggie cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

My, I’d almost given the whole game away, hadn’t I? Was I actually starting to be… comfortable around Maggie Edwards? What foolishness.

“Something I’ve noticed about news, I meant. You can’t verify most of what you learn through here, so a little selective editing can change your whole world, the facts be damned. The Brotherhood needs to do something that can’t be overlooked or swept under the rug.”

She hopped to her feet and nodded enthusiastically. “That’s exactly where I was going! We need to strike a blow that shows the Anti-Demonic League is a paper tiger. We need to expose their weakness for all the world to see.”

I stood up myself and strode over to her window. The pine trees looked so tiny out there. My knees quivered as my familiar fear of heights took hold, forcing me to look away.

“Is something the matter?”

“This stupid tower is far too tall,” I said.

“Don’t I know it,” she said. “We waste so much electricity heating and cooling a structure that isn’t even half full! And that isn’t even our biggest expense!” She raised her eyebrow again. “What? What’s that smirk?”

A wicked smirk played across my face. “The Headmaster once said to me, ‘If you’re going to dream anyway, you might as well dream big.’ He said that when I mentioned how large the tower is.” I rapped my knuckles on the window. “The media might have a hard time covering it up if we brought the Nagoya Tower down around Tachibana’s ears.”

With a gasp, Maggie’s hands flew to cover her mouth. When she lowered them again, her grin matched my own. “I love it. How would we do it?”

“I’m simply the idea man, my dear,” I said. “However, I know where we can get an absolute boatload of energy. Tell me, are you still tutoring Rose?”

Realization dawned in Maggie’s eyes. “I see where you’re going with it. So it was her! Headmaster Tachibana was coy about where he got that energy for the Peace Bond.”

I felt a pang of guilt as Maggie and I discussed possible applications for Rose’s fantastic magical reserves. Human weakness still lived in me. All the more reason to knock down the tower and get home as soon as I was able.

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

Previous Chapters: Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapter 47 & 48) | D. B. Fassbinder on Patreon

Next Chapters: https://www.patreon.com/posts/confessions-of-3-47188983 

The update was a little lighter this week because I had to do some overtime at my day job. Thanks for your support and have a great week!