Dawn and Devilry

by S. Usher Evans

  "Daddy?" Nicole and Marie stood at the top of the stairwell, rubbing their eyes. "Daddy?"

  I shared a look with Mora as I pushed myself upright. "I'm home. Why aren't you two asleep?"

  Marie let out a mournful sigh. "Daddy sad."

  "She's been saying that for hours," Nicole said, dragging her blanket down the stairs. "She woke me up."

  "Daddy sad."

  "Come on, girls," Mora said. "Let's all cuddle."

  They barreled down the stairs (guided by a charm to keep them from slipping) and crawled under the blanket with Mora and myself. Marie pressed her cheek to my chest, watching me with big, blue eyes. I covered her little hand with mine, kissing her forehead.

  "Why is Daddy sad?" Nicole asked.

  "Daddy…" Mora looked at me. "Daddy's mom just died."

  Nicole calculated that in her mind. "Gram?"

  "No, Daddy's mom. You never met her," Mora said. "But she would've loved you. Her name was Alexandra, and she was a very powerful woman. Daddy's sad because he misses her."

  I wrapped my arm around Mora, grateful for her. "But we have good news. We picked a name for your sister."

  Nicole, who was now very interested in anything related to the baby, squealed with excitement.

  "Alexis," Mora said with a laugh. "Alexis Reneé McKinnon. What do you think?"

  "Wexie!" Marie chirped.

  "Ah-lex-is," I said.

  "Wexie!"

  "Close enough, Gav," Mora said with a smile.

  "It's all perfect," I said, sitting back. "Who wants to watch cartoons until we fall asleep?"

  And so we did, the four of us nestled into the couch under a blanket. My two little girls fighting sleep on either side of me, and my wife, nearly nine months pregnant, resting her head on my shoulders. And even though my heart was broken, it was filled with love.

  Perhaps Alexandra had wanted the best for me, and that was why she'd sent me to live with Jones. Or perhaps it was just the last breath of a dying woman, too weak to get up and berate me for having abominations. I chose to believe the former, and keep that one final memory of my mother alive in my mind.

  I returned to the village early—before Mora and the girls were even awake. There was a noticeable unease in the air, as if everyone wasn't quite sure what the day would bring. Mary waved in relief when she saw me out and about, but I wasn't eager to talk. I had an unpleasant conversation ahead of me.

  I arrived at my former home—the one I'd shared with Cyrus for the last three years of my apprenticeship. The one Alexandra had lived in. The one that Cyrus now called home.

  I found him in bed, weak and groggy. "Here to kill me?"

  "Why would I do that?" I said, softly closing the door.

  "I've taken your precious Alexandra away from you," he replied, staring at the ceiling. His voice lacked any of its usual swagger. Instead, there was a noticeable sadness there. Perhaps killing Alexandra—the woman who'd raised him—had been much harder on him than it was on me.

  "You did what you needed to," I replied, summoning and then sitting in a chair next to his bedside. "And now you're the Guildmaster."

  He smiled. "Does it burn you up inside, Gav? Knowing I finally bested you and that traitorous mother of yours."

  "Not particularly. You've always been more preoccupied with status than I have."

  He grunted and pushed himself upright. "Well, now I have the status, and you will bow to me. It is as it should be."

  "I'm a Councilman," I said.

  "Not for long," he replied. "I'll replace you with someone more amenable. And then you'll take me to the new world."

  My mother's words echoed in my mind. "I think you'll find things don't exactly work as easily when you're Guildmaster."

  He chuckled. "And how would you know?"

  "A guess," I replied, looking out the window. "You will be good to the villagers, won't you?"

  "They're no longer my concern. When I triumphantly make my reappearance into the new world, they can rot in here for all I care."

  I pulled out the letter in my pocket. "I had spoken with Alexandra about this prior to your match. There's much you don't know about the new world—"

  "She told us everything," Cyrus said. "About the restrictions on magic, about how weak and vulnerable they are."

  "I'm sure she didn't use those terms."

  "It shall be so easy to return triumphantly to our rightful place," Cyrus said with a smile on his face.

  "Unless I close the tear."

  His eyes flew open. "What?"

  "It was part of the deal I made with Alexandra. I would agree to leave the tear open as long as she agreed to become a signatory to the Danvers Accord. If you decide against signing it, I'll have no choice but to close the tear and leave you and the rest of New Salem in here."

  "You wouldn't dare."

  "Sign this, then." I handed him the sheet of paper.

  Cyrus scanned the paper then sat back on his pillows. "No. I don't believe you'd close the tear. Not you, Gavon. You wouldn't leave us to that fate."

  I exhaled through my nose.

  "If you did, you would leave poor Mary and her children to suffer at my hand." He smirked, settling deeper into the pillow. "And I know you wouldn't ever leave an innocent to suffer. You're too soft."

  "You…wouldn't." But he would. Cyrus would have no qualms about destroying an entire village just to get his way. And based on the self-satisfied smirk on his face, he had me pegged.

  "There it is, Gav," he said softly. "Either you take me to this new world, unfettered by your silly restrictions and accords, or I will slowly torture every villager here."

  I rose from my chair. "They won't let you. There are more of them than you."

  "Oh, but I'm sure I'll take more than a few of them out with me. Maybe I'll start with your precious Mary. Perhaps she has another Potion-maker I can slaughter."

  "Or…" I exhaled, trying not to second-guess myself and this decision I was making. "I can challenge you."

  "For what?" He snorted. "Guildmaster?"

  "Yes." This was a very bold decision, and even as I spoke, the magic danced along my tongue. If I spoke the words together, it would be official. No backing down.

  "Gavon, my good man. Think about what you're saying. I slaughtered your mother without a second thought, and I would have no problem destroying you. And before you die, I'll still compel you to tell me the location of the tear." He smiled. "And I'll have so much fun training your daughter to be just like me."

  That was enough for me. "Cyrus, I challenge you for the Guildmastership."

  Magic burned my tongue, cementing my intention to the match. Cyrus exhaled, bewildered and shocked, and knowing that he would have to set the date. But would he be smart enough to push it out, or cocky, and make it soon? Based on his current health, and his blatant disregard for healing potions, I placed him back at full strength in a month.

  I would have to push him a little. "You are, of course, welcome to heal first. You seem to have taken a beating—"

  "Three weeks from today," he snarled. "I hope you get your fill of the new world before your death."

  Thirty-Six

  "You look tense, baby."

  I smiled, but I couldn't force the worry off my face. I'd gone from sure I was making a colossal mistake to confidence that I could beat him, back and forth every few seconds since the challenge had been uttered. The date on the calendar was a bright spot—the fifteenth of October.

  "You keep looking at that thing," Mora said, wrapping her arms around me. "Baby's not going to come any sooner if you burn a hole in the calendar."

  I kissed her hand. "I'm just excited. That's all."

  "Me too. I'm tired of being pregnant." She waddled to the fridge and stretched her back while she looked. "I still think she'll be early."

  "That would be nice." Prior to the fifteenth would be even better. That way I could see my daughter before—

  No, I wasn't going to think about that.

/>   "Hey." I stood and walked over to her. "I love you."

  "I love you, too. What—" I kissed her soundly. "What's wrong with you? Is everything okay? You've been acting weird lately."

  "Just feeling paternal," I said.

  "Well, go feel paternal while you get your kids for dinner," she said with a smile.

  I walked upstairs, listening for the sounds of playing. Nicole was ordering Marie around, as she did, and Marie was happily not listening. By the time I reached the room, Nicole was stomping her foot with a red face, and Marie was rocking one of Nicole's stuffed animals and singing to herself. I stood in the doorway, taking in the sight of them in the little pink room, the stuffed animals, the pink rug. The sound of Nicole's little voice, as angry as it was. The way Marie's blonde curls bounced as she moved.

  I shook myself out of my stupor. "C'mon, girls, dinner's ready."

  It was hard not to fall into the self-defeating thoughts, harder still to consider what might happen if I lost. Cyrus still wouldn't know the location of the tear, but for how long? It wasn't exactly unobvious, even though it was on the extreme end of our small world. Would he come for my girls, or would he be content with merely killing me?

  More than once, I considered telling my wife. I'd mentioned that Cyrus was Guildmaster, but I wasn't sure she fully understood what that meant. Or how cruel Cyrus really was, and why it was important that I prevent him from causing any further damage.

  But I didn't want her to worry. She was already fretting enough about the nursery and how we were going to handle the girls at the hospital. Adding to her stress so close to her due date wouldn't be good.

  "I suppose Jeanie could come up," she said, placing a pink blanket on the crib, then replacing it with a white one covered in ducks then the pink one. "Do you think?"

  "If that makes you feel better."

  "Just in case something goes wrong, you know."

  "I don't think anything's going to go wrong, Mora. You've had an easy pregnancy."

  "Yeah, but…" She held up a ball of magic. "What's gonna happen when all this magic disappears?"

  "You'll just go back to the way you were."

  She spun around and faced me. "Are you sure you're all right, Gav? You've been distracted lately. Everything okay?"

  I nodded and held out my arms for her to sit in my lap. What could I even tell her? If things went well, she would have no cause for concern. If they didn't…well… She might wonder where her husband had run off to. I couldn't do that to her.

  On the eve of the fifteenth, I sat down at my desk and penned a letter. I would charm it to appear only if I didn't arrive at a certain time.

  Mora,

  If you're reading this letter, then I've failed. When Alexandra died three weeks ago, Cyrus ascended to Guildmaster. I'd hoped to extract the same agreements from him, but he, unsurprisingly, was uninterested. He would've compelled me to bring him to this world, unfettered by the Danvers Accord, and do what he wanted. I couldn't let that happen,

  So, to protect my girls and you, I challenged him for Guildmaster. If I'm successful, I will become Guildmaster and can continue to push for the full update of the Danvers Accord, so my people can be freed. If I'm unsuccessful, there's a vial of potion attached to this letter. Take it to the tear and use it. It's the potion Johanna used to create New Salem.

  I hope that this letter never reaches you, but if it does, I want you to know I've loved every moment of our twelve years together. I tried my hardest to be a good father to our girls and I love them more than life itself.

  I love you,

  Gavon

  I sat back, wiping tears from my eyes. The charm would wear off at six in the morning—plenty of time for me to return. The vial of potion I rested on top of the envelope. I heard footsteps behind me, and looked down to see Marie.

  "Daddy sad."

  I pulled her into my lap and held her. "Yeah, baby. Daddy's very sad."

  Marie placed her head against my chest along with her hand. A warmth spread from my fingers to my toes—healing magic. Her magic was growing quite strong, even for such a little girl.

  "Daddy not sad."

  "Thanks," I said, hugging her. "Daddy has to go to work for a bit. Can you be a good girl for Mommy? Go play with Nicole?"

  She giggled, as if she completely understood. But she was only two, so I wasn't sure how much she got. She disappeared to her toy box and returned with a small figurine.

  "Is this for me?" I asked. I slipped it into my pocket. "Thank you Marie."

  I picked up the enchanted envelope and carried it downstairs, a sense of dread and foreboding descending on me. I laid it on the counter and cast the charm with a small prayer.

  "Mora," I called, staring at the space where the envelope had been. "I've got to run over to New Salem for a bit."

  "What?" She appeared in the doorway. "What if I go into labor while you're gone?"

  "Har har," I said, kissing her. "I won't be long. Do you want me to pick up dinner on the way home?"

  "Mm. Thai food would be great," Mora said. "Super spicy. Induce labor. Don't be long, okay?"

  I smiled, hoping I'd become a better liar. "I won't, I promise."

  The streets of New Salem were empty. Curtains drawn, doors shut. Everyone seemed to be hunkering down for the impending storm. But as I passed their houses, the coverings fluttered. Eyes peered out from the darkness within. Each one sending me a message of hope—and fear.

  As I passed by Mary's house, the door opened and the woman herself walked out. She was still pale and haunted, her eyes bloodshot. But she greeted me warmly, taking my hand and kissing it.

  "Master Gavon, we were afraid you might not show," she said.

  "Of course I would," I replied, not mentioning that I was magically bound to this match. "How are you doing?"

  "As well as can be expected," she said quietly. "I'm scared for my children. He cannot be our Guildmaster."

  "Has he threatened you?" I asked. "Or anyone?"

  "No one's seen him these past three weeks," she said, glancing toward the house that used to be Alexandra's. "He's been resting for this challenge. Only Rogers and Humbert have been to him."

  I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

  "People have been talking. Is it true that you've found a way into the other world?"

  I nodded. "There's much we'll have to do before I can bring us there, but…yes. I have."

  "That explains where that bread came from," she said with a small laugh that faded as soon as it left her lips. "Were you going to take Abigail with you? To this new world?"

  I nodded. "I would've found her a good home…until I figured a way to bring you to her."

  She smiled, her eyes filled with tears. "I hope in this new world, things will be different. Little girls like Abigail will be allowed to live."

  I thought of my wife, and the potion I'd given her to close the tear. Then I summoned an entire roomful of fresh bread from the nearby grocery store—and anywhere else I could find it. I left it all inside Mary's house.

  "It will be."

  I continued toward the arena, feeling the eyes of every soul in New Salem on me. If I failed to defeat Cyrus, they would suffer. My daughters and wife would suffer. Humanity would suffer.

  "You have raw power and the mental discipline. What you lack is the training and the will."

  My mother's voice floated toward me from some long-ago memory. I had been able to win once, when I was a boy. And not by sheer power alone—by using my strengths. Cyrus was proud, cocky, and hadn't really been in the sparring ring much. He was also still recovering from his match with my mother. Whereas I'd been training with my wife, albeit on a limited basis.

  And besides that, I wanted it more than he did.

  I ascended the stone staircase, searching my mind for any other memories of my mother's training. But there was nothing except the sound of my footsteps. The dark hallway was familiar and yet not, and the spot of light at the end was ominous. Y
et I continued walking, not because I had to, but because it was what needed to be done. I came to the end of the tunnel and stopped. Cyrus was already there.

  "Gavon, my good man," he said, betraying nothing of how he felt. "So good of you to join me today."

  "Are we not waiting for them?" I said, gesturing to the empty stands.

  "I've ordered them to stay in their houses," he said with a sneer. "This isn't something to be witnessed by the vermin."

  "I'm sure they appreciated being called that," I said, slowly walking out to the middle of the arena. "We should at least wait for the Council."

  "I've dissolved the Council," he said. "The only one in charge of this place is me. And once you tell me where your portal to the other land is, I will subjugate those magicals as well."

  I gauged his magic at maybe eighty percent. That boded well for me at one hundred percent. My goal was simple: tire him out before I lost too much of my own magic. Cyrus was easy to play, just stroke his ego, then needle it. Just as I had as a boy.

  "The duel today will be to the death or to the surrender," I said.

  "I don't plan on letting you surrender," Cyrus replied. "So to the death will suffice."

  I shrugged. "So confident that I haven't been growing stronger in the new world?"

  He hesitated, and I knew I'd won this round. "Fine. To the death or to the surrender. There will be no additional tricks outside of attack magic."

  "Deal." I didn't have any worth bringing to the fight anyway.

  I stuck out my hand, and he shook it, our magic exploding into a dome extending above our heads. It seemed superfluous; there was no audience that needed protection from our magic. But this was an old art, and the rules had been laid in stone for thousands of years.

  "I'll give you the first move," Cyrus said.

  I smiled. "No, please…after you."

  "I insist."

  So he'd learned that much from our first bout twelve years ago. I would have to be less obvious, I supposed.

  I moved quickly, and he moved with me, deflecting my three spells with four of his own, the last one missing me by mere inches.