Cora’s hair fluttered in the salty ocean breeze, and the setting sun began to dip below the horizon. “Tell me, Fritz. Other than a photo, what makes you think that man loves anyone but himself?”
“Perrin’s death is directly tied to The Order,” Fritz said with urgency. “Boroda has spent the last decade planning a war against a group of powerful wizards as well as the leader of the most powerful kingdom in the world. He has given up everything he loves to devote himself to this cause.” Fritz stared into the setting sun. “The only people I would do that for are the ones I love very, very much.”
Cora remained stone-faced.
“When Boroda gave me my wizard name,” Fritz continued, “he could have chosen any name in the world, but he picked a name that he would have to say day after day for a long time. A name that would live on, long after he was gone.”
Fritz turned to face Cora. “He named me Drosselmeyer.”
Cora stared blankly at the water. After several minutes, she straightened and faced Fritz. “Take me to him.”
Fritz didn’t wait another moment. He grabbed her wrist and in seconds, they were in Boroda’s room.
Cora was unfazed by the trip. She saw Boroda and ran to his bed. “Wake up, my love. Someone needs your help.”
Boroda stirred. His skin was clammy and gray. He slowly opened his eyes and tried to sit up. His voice was weak. “Cora?”
“Yes, Boroda. It’s me.” She leaned in and kissed him gently on the forehead.
“How did you get here?”
“It was your new Drosselmeyer. He found me.”
Boroda looked at Fritz and pain creased his eyes. He reached out his hand, and Fritz took it.
Fritz kneeled next to Cora. “Boroda, the Czar has Franz. I think the other members of The Order are helping Borya. They attacked General Andoyavich—I don’t know if he made it. The Black Wizard is guarding the Czar now and …” His emotions bubbled. “And I need your help. I don’t think I can fight them on my own.”
Boroda breathed short, heavy breaths. He struggled to a seated position. “You will need more than just me.”
Fritz traveled in a mug of tea and gave the rancid smelling liquid to Boroda. The simple act of magic made his head spin as the energy seeped from him.
Boroda sipped it and grimaced. He began to set the mug down, but Fritz lifted it toward his lips, forcing him to gulp more of the acrid brew. Slowly, his skin turned from ashen white to his normal pallor.
Boroda reached for a hand mirror and searched for Andoyavich.
The General appeared after a few seconds. His background was nondescript, and he spoke cautiously into the mirror. When he saw that it was Boroda, he berated him for being absent, then updated him on the events.
“It wasn’t the Black Wizard. These new wizards weren’t in masks. One had flowers in her hair, and the other was larger than any man I’ve ever seen.”
“Eric and Sylvia,” Boroda spat.
“They killed my men, and they took my Alexei,” Andoyavich choked. “I’m in hiding, but I can’t stay here forever. Glasinov is the only other one that answered my call. He was attacked by a woman wizard. He said she was ruthless and bore the sign of a dragon.”
“Hanja,” Fritz whispered.
“I’m sorry for my absence,” Boroda apologized. “Stay where you are. Perhaps all is not lost.”
The General saluted, and the mirror blinked off.
Boroda looked at Fritz and swung his legs out to the floor.
“It’s time to destroy The Order,” Boroda said.
Fritz squared his shoulders and set his jaw like his master’s. “Tell me what to do.”
Chapter 23
Fritz jogged up the steps to St. Michael’s, past the school office, and down the hall. It was lunchtime, and the noises and smells of the cafeteria wafted through the air.
Fritz rounded the corner and ran into Nicholaus.
Both boys yelped in surprise. Oleg and Evgeny stood close by, bandages still wrapped around healing limbs from their encounter with Andor. Just behind them were two men Fritz had never seen. They were expressionless, muscular, and wore tight-fitting clothes with no insignia.
Fritz moved around Nicholaus, but the young prince stopped him with an arm.
“You hit me,” he grunted.
“Not on purpose,” Fritz retorted. “Excuse me.”
“No!” Nicholaus pushed Fritz back with both hands. “Apologize.”
Fritz slowly hissed, “I don’t have time for this, Nicholaus.”
Nicholaus nodded, and the two men behind Oleg and Evgeny bolted forward, grabbed Fritz by both arms, and dragged him backward into a classroom opposite the hallway. It happened so fast that Fritz didn’t even struggle.
The two bodyguards threw Fritz to the floor and stepped aside to let Nicholaus walk between them.
Oleg and Evgeny followed. Oleg turned to shut the door.
“You don’t want to shut the door,” Fritz called to Oleg as he stood up and brushed himself off. He glanced up at the clock. Still a half hour before lunch would end.
Oleg paused, and Nicholaus raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“The doors are very thick and soundproof,” Fritz said. “No one will hear the screams.”
The prince smiled, his teeth on full display. “That is what I am counting on. It will be silent—like the library—or like Andor’s head.” He nodded to Oleg, and the boy shut the door. The solid wood thudded as it closed.
Nicholaus didn’t say anything, but his smile stayed plastered across his face. He moved to the side, and his two bodyguards walked forward, the unspoken command crystal clear.
Fritz watched the leader. He was shorter but had larger muscles. His fist was already clenched. The second guard circled around behind Fritz, keeping a row of desks between them. Fritz took a slow, deliberate step toward the main guard.
The longer a fist has to travel, the more power it has, Boroda had told Fritz. Everyone expects you to run away. Do the unexpected.
The first guard punched, and Fritz leapt in close to the smaller man. The punch only had inches of travel time, so it felt like a tap on his stomach. He followed through with a head butt, and the guard launched back.
Fritz rolled backward onto the floor as the second guard’s fist swung over his head. He completed the roll and jumped into the air, driving his knee into the guard’s ribcage. He heard a pop, and the guard yelled out and retreated, tripping over a row of desks in the process.
The first guard struck at Fritz’s head.
The head is a very small target, Boroda had told him, but, nine times out of ten, people aim to punch there. A small fist has only a few inches in which to inflict maximum damage. Move your head a few inches, and the punch becomes impotent.
Fritz cocked his head a little to the left and felt the air stir his hair as the guard’s fist whizzed by his ear. He countered with a spear held to the guard’s throat. The short man coughed. Then his eyes grew wide as he tried to breathe through a paralyzed larynx.
Fritz spun and elbowed the man’s jaw. The man crumpled to the floor.
The second guard had regained his footing and charged. Fritz lowered his body and used the taller man’s forward momentum to throw him over his back and onto the floor, keeping a tight grip on the guard’s wrist. Fritz ignored the screams from the guard and kicked his face as he dragged him by his wrist onto his stomach. In a swift movement, Fritz spun in a circle around the man’s prone body, keeping his hand clamped firmly, until he heard the snap of bones.
The guard screamed so loudly, Fritz wondered if anyone outside the doors could hear it. He dropped to the floor and slammed his fist into the back of the guard’s neck, and the screaming stopped as the man lost consciousness.
Fritz rose from the floor to look for Nicholaus, who had moved behind Oleg and Evgeny. He found them cowering by the wall. Evgeny grabbed for the door handle, but Fritz locked it with the twitch of an eyebrow. He walked toward the boys with resolute steps unt
il he was a foot away from them.
Without warning, Fritz punched Oleg and Evgeny in such rapid succession that neither had a chance to flinch. They fell to the floor and only Nicholaus remained upright.
“If you touch me, my father will …”
But the threat was never completed.
Fritz jumped, spun, and kicked Nicholaus in the chest. The prince flew back into the wall. The thunk of his cranium hitting the stone wall was hollow but decisive, and Nicholaus lay motionless on the floor.
Fritz exited the room, closed the door behind him, walked up to the apprentice’s lunch table, and stood behind the chair he usually occupied.
The group looked up at him with gasps of amazement mixed with horror.
“What are you doing here?” Vivienne blurted.
“I need your help,” he said.
“We could get in a lot of trouble for even talking to you,” Gelé whispered. “You got removed!”
“Please! It’s extremely important. Just come to the library,” Fritz begged.
The small group looked at each other, silently searching for consensus.
“I’ll come,” Marzi said and stood up.
“Count me in, Drossie,” Faruk added and stood.
Andor stood and raised his two thumbs.
Gelé and Vivienne acquiesced.
They all left the lunchroom, walked to the library, and ascended the stairs to the small turret on the third floor for the second time in a week.
Everyone sat, except Fritz. He faced them all.
“First off, I know that one of you reported me for using magic on school property last month, and I want you to know I don’t care about that. I’m not trying to get back in The Order.”
“We didn’t tell,” Vivienne said. “The Celestine alerts Borya.”
Fritz shook his head. He held up his hand, and a ball of light appeared.
The apprentices gasped and, in a jumbled mix of exclamations, warned him to stop and asked what he was doing.
Fritz extinguished the light, and the group hushed. “The enchantments here at school haven’t worked in a long time. I don’t know how long, but it’s been a while since anyone’s been alerted.”
The apprentices exchanged confused looks.
“The Order is fighting each other right now, and we’re the ones getting caught in the middle of their war.”
“What are you talking about?” Marzi asked.
“I don’t know all the details, but there are some power grabs going on, and my brother is caught in the middle of it. The Czar has him and could try to use him as a bargaining chip to tip the scales in his favor.”
“Your brother?” Faruk asked.
“My real name is Fritz. I’m an orphan from the Central Kingdom. I have a younger brother named Franz.”
The entire group, except Marzi, sat slack-jawed.
“My younger brother was sent to live with a wealthy family when I was chosen by Boroda.
“Because of this squabble our masters are involved in, his life has been put in jeopardy. I need to rescue him, but it’s too much for me to do alone.”
“I am sorry, Drossie … or Fritz,” Vivienne said sincerely. “I really am. But if we help you, we could get removed, too.”
“I know,” Fritz said, “and it’s wrong of me to ask you … but—” His voice cracked. “My brother is all I have left.”
“Where is he?” Marzi asked with trepidation.
“At the Czar’s palace.”
“The Czar’s … for the love of Watcher, Drossie. You can’t go there!” Vivienne shrieked.
“You’ll be killed,” Gelé cut in.
“The wizards are sanctioned to kill you on sight as it is,” Faruk said. “Walking in there would be suicide.”
“Maybe not,” Fritz replied. “I’ve been there before. I think I can sneak in there, find Franz, and get out.”
“Then what do you need us for?” Gelé asked.
“There’s a new wizard that’s protecting the Czar,” Fritz said. “He’s known as the Black Wizard. He’s an assassin and, I think, the one responsible for sending the enchanted animals to kill us.”
Fritz looked at his friends eagerly. “If he shows up, I don’t think I can fight him and all the guards. He’s good but not better than all of us together. I need your help to distract him long enough for me to escape with my brother.”
Vivienne raised her hand. “Are you absolutely positive this Black Wizard is responsible for the animal attacks?”
“As positive as I can be,” said Fritz. “He fought me recently and used some of the same magic techniques as our animal attackers. It links him with a lot of the underhanded activity toward us.”
“Toward us … and The Order, right?” Vivienne pressed.
Fritz stammered. “Y–yes. I guess so.”
“So if we attack him, it’s revenge, right?” she asked.
“You could say that, yes,” said Fritz.
Vivienne stood up and announced. “Technically, I’m not helping you. I’m seeking revenge on the Watcher-forsaken mole rat that hurt my sister.”
Gelé shot up. “You mess with my friends, you mess with me. I’m in.”
“I’m in.” Marzi stood.
Andor waved his hand, signaling his intent to join.
Faruk stood up. “Let’s do this.”
“This is dangerous,” Fritz warned. “I can’t promise that any of you will make it out alive.”
Marzi chortled. “Probably a better chance than training with our wizards.”
The group chuckled.
Fritz held his hand out, and they all joined in the huddle. “Thank you all for helping me. Meet me here after school, and let’s go fight some bad guys.”
The apprentices dissolved the huddle and left the library for their next class.
Marzi stayed behind. “Drossie … Fritz.” She blushed and looked away. “I hope you can get your brother. I’m sorry you had to go through all of this just because some adults couldn’t behave.”
Fritz took her hands in his. “If I hadn’t gone through this, I’d have never met you.”
She blushed.
“I don’t know if I will ever see you again after today,” he confessed. “If this goes well, my brother and I will have to hide from The Order for the rest of our lives.”
Marzi bit her lower lip and glanced up at him.
“No matter how today ends up, I want you to know that I love you with all my heart.” Fritz leaned in, placed his hand against the back of her neck, and kissed her hard.
Marzi yielded to his embrace. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer.
The two began to float in the air on a spell neither one cast. They stayed in each other’s arms until the next bell rang.
After she left, Fritz walked over to the small mirror in the room and spoke into it. “Boroda!”
The mirror blinked and Boroda’s face hovered. His hair appeared disheveled.
“Yes?” he asked. He sounded distracted.
“They’re all in. We’re going to the Czar’s palace after school. I didn’t tell them about The Order’s involvement, like you said, so I guess the apprentices are clueless,” Fritz told the floating image.
“Good,” Boroda mumbled, obviously disinterested. “That’s … really good.”
A slender hand snaked around his chin and pulled him out of the frame. There were some muttered voices, and then Boroda appeared again in the mirror.
“I will get you all the defense spells and enchantments …” The hand appeared again. “Very soon,” he said, his speech rushed. Then, the mirror blinked off.
Fritz snickered and lay down on the library couch to focus on storing energy in his charm.
Once satisfied with his charm’s reserves, he traveled to the mansion and called to Boroda from the large foyer mirror. Boroda met him in the lobby, shirt still untucked.
Boroda filled the remaining space in Fritz’s charm with the collection of defense spells he
had been working on for General Andoyavich, plus a few extras—for good measure. Fritz double-checked a duplication spell under Boroda’s guidance, and, once assured of its accuracy, traveled back to the library.
Chapter 24
Fritz spent the remainder of the afternoon examining the complex symbols in the defense spell Boroda had given him. He made a copy of the spell. To the duplicate, he added an almost imperceptible change to the swirling runes. In less than an hour, this particular bundle of spells would be useless, leaving the wearer void of any protection.
This one was for the traitor.
The apprentices trickled into the room one after another. The air buzzed with energy.
“What’s the plan, Drossie?” Faruk asked.
“I’m taking us to the Czar’s office,” he explained. “Unfortunately, it’s the only place in his castle I’ve been. He should be at dinner soon. Hopefully, we can sneak in and out without being noticed.”
“Before we go, though,” he said and lifted his charm. “I have something for you.”
Fritz drew out a collection of protective spells and held it in the palm of his hand. He tossed the glowing bundle to Faruk and pulled another from his medallion. Faruk studied the spells, whistled low, and packed the collection into his own charm.
Fritz pulled another bundle of spells out and cloned it. He floated a copy of the original spell to each of the apprentices. “Woah, Drossie. Where’d you learn that trick?” Vivian asked, packing it neatly into her charm.
Fritz addressed the group, leaving Vivian’s question hanging. “I don’t expect The Order to be there, but if they show up, this bundle of spells should hold off any attack long enough to escape. They’ll probably figure out a work-around pretty fast. If it comes to a fight, counterattack as quickly as possible before they have a chance to adjust.”
Marzi grimaced and shook her head as she tried stuffing the spells into her charm.
“It’s too full,” she announced. She pulled several spells from her charm, and the glowing lines dissolved into the air. She attached the spell bundle, and it dissolved into the metal.
The others followed suit, except for Andor, who tried using brute force to shove the bundle into his charm.
Drosselmeyer: Curse of the Rat King Page 24