by Booth, John
I woke late in the evening to find a new Wizards outfit waiting for me on the dressing table. Considering the state of the old one this was definitely a good thing. Appearing at the ball looking as though I had been dragged through a hedge backwards would hardly inspire confidence. I had a quick wash and changed into my new clothes before examining my reserves.
The good news was I had more magic than Urda. The bad news was that it was far from what I would need to survive Bronwyn. If that was the fastest my magic renewed the kingdom was in deep trouble.
My brides-to-be were good enough to allow me to turn up at the ball when I felt ready. I suspected this suited them both because they wouldn't have to fight over who got to enter the ballroom with me. Strictly speaking it was Esmeralda's turn, but as it was the final party before our wedding I'm sure Jenny wouldn't have agreed.
I walked down to the Ballroom and the inevitable fanfare of trumpets at the door. There were four kings and queens in attendance, each requiring a fanfare by protocol. That meant I had to have one as well.
As I entered the room every single eye locked on me and the buzz of conversations came to a ragged halt. It stayed like that until I reached the stage and bowed before the King and Queen. Everybody stared at me and not in a good way.
“Are my flies undone?” I asked Jenny. A smile almost touched her lips to be replaced by a look of anxiety.
“They know. Word's out your powers are exhausted.”
“How did they find out?”
Esmeralda stepped close and kissed me lightly on the cheek. “You can't keep secrets in a Palace. The damage is done and we must live with it. Regardless of that, we are expected to go and greet all the important people.”
I took Esmeralda's arm and Jenny came to my other side. “Let's meet and greet then, before I get sunburn from all the staring.”
It takes a long time to meet important people. The pecking order must be strictly adhered to and a small amount of meaningless conversation must be had with each of them, just to prove we are all good friends.
Then there were the obligatory dances. The logic of the situation meant I couldn't have one dance; it had to be two so that Jenny and Esmeralda had equal billing. The patent leather pointy shoes that came with my new outfit were killing me and I was reluctant to use magic to help until it was that or limp.
Finally, I was able to sit at a table and relax. It didn't last long. Urda and Anna made their way over. They curtseyed and Anna stepped away leaving Urda to talk privately with me. I motioned her to sit in the empty chair next to mine
“I'd like to give you what power I have, Wizard Morrissey.”
I smiled because it was a kind offer and because Urda still found it difficult to call me Jake.
“Thank you, Urda. However, I must decline because I need you to protect Esmeralda and Jenny should anything happen to me. Hop them far from here if it all goes wrong. Don't take no for an answer.”
Urda started to say something and I hushed her to silence.
“Your power isn't enough to make a significant difference, but it may be enough to save the people I love. Heart and mind, Urda,” I said touching her chest and forehead. “These are just as important as magic and yours are both strong and true.”
Urda nodded and leaned forward to kiss my cheek. She lingered there to whisper in my ear. “I'll always regret that you never had me.”
She got up and walked away leaving me feeling a little breathless. Esmeralda sat in the seat she'd just vacated and put her hand on my knee.
“Jenny and I are going to have to watch that girl like a hawk.”
“She loves this kingdom and would never betray it.”
“It's what else she loves that worries me.”
Esmeralda squeezed my leg hard, which got my attention. “What are our chances, Jake?”
It was far too late for anything but honesty and Esmeralda deserved that. Besides which, she always knew when I lied to her.
“If she attacks in the cathedral we have a chance. Anywhere else and she'll win.”
“Bronwyn will kill you, she has no other choice.”
“And Urda will protect you and Jenny if that happens.”
“I won't run from my people or my kingdom whatever happens, Jake.”
You won't have a choice.
I nodded as though I agreed.
The party started to wind down at about two in the morning. I made a point of going over to my parents and kissing them both, which embarrassed Dad no end. It wasn't clear that I'd see them again before Bronwyn attacked and this might be my last chance.
The King approached me with his wife and I bowed to them.
“The other kings and queens are nervous about tomorrow. They assumed you would be able to deal with Bronwyn and now that isn't clear.”
“You should advise them to leave. I don't think they're in personal danger, but nothing is certain with Bronwyn and I don't have the power to protect them.”
The King shook his head and Queen Janti reached forward and squeezed my shoulder.
“You underestimate yourself, Jake. You always have and it is your most endearing character flaw. I have faith in you, every bit as much as my daughter does. If I was you I would be much more concerned about dealing with your brides after the wedding.”
“I'll try my best on both counts,” I said solemnly.
Queen Janti leaned forward to whisper in my ear.
“I've asked Grimaldi to give you his biggest hairbrush as a wedding present. I used it a lot on Esmeralda when she was a child. She'll recognize it and the threat may be enough.”
My face turned to a deep shade of crimson. I mean, you really don't expect to hear that sort of thing from the bride's mother do you? And from a queen at that.
As I walked out through the ballroom doors a familiar voice called my name. The Valhallan wizards stood in the shadows and Meldar beckoned me over. This was the first time I had the chance to assess how much power they possessed and I wasn't surprised to find their magic capacities were very high. Any one of them could destroy me now.
“Wizard Morrissey, we have a proposition for you. Can we persuade you to come with us and listen to it?”
I nodded and they led me to their quarters. After all, what did I have to lose?
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Arrival
I woke to the sound of someone knocking at my door. When I remembered it was my wedding day and what was likely to happen, butterflies gathered in my stomach. Before I could say anything the door opened and Grimaldi entered flamboyantly waving a white version of the wizard costume at me.
“I, the Great Grimaldi, have prepared your wedding suit despite you never turning up for a fitting.”
“I'm getting married dressed as Elvis?”
“I do not know this Elvis, but everyone who marries in the Church of Light marries in white.”
I supposed that made sense. Nobody mentioned it at the rehearsal, but then I was busy with other things during most of that.
Grimaldi pulled out scissors and a comb and insisted on cutting my hair before I put on the outfit. If the black outfit was Zorro, I suppose the white outfit was the Lone Ranger. I didn't have the weight to carry off an Elvis impersonation. However, I couldn't resist a shot at it when Grimaldi helped me into the jacket.
“Thank-you-very-much.”
It went over Grimaldi's head, naturally. Jenny would have laughed and I made a mental note to use it on her if I got the chance.
There was another knock at the door and Helda walked in. She was dressed for the wedding in a pretty summer dress.
“You look very nice, Helda.” She smiled and curtseyed.
“Esmeralda has sent me to ask if you know where the wizards from Valhalla are. She says they have disappeared.”
I knew all about that. However, it was best if only I knew why until it was too late. It would be pretty good going to keep a secret in this place for even a few hours.
“Tell her they have returned to Valhalla. I'
ll explain why after the wedding.”
There you go. Not a single lie in sight and my secret is safe.
Helda retreated from the room, giving Grimaldi the chance to have one last fuss over me.
“White clothing is very easy to get dirty, Jake. Try not to roll in the dirt before the ceremony.”
I looked at the clock and realized I needed to get a move on. The Cathedral would be full of our guests and it was my turn to make a public spectacle of myself.
“You'd better go if you don't want to be late.”
Grimaldi nodded and gave my jacket one last flick with his clothes brush.
“I can take a short cut. However, I expect your coach driver is getting worried. I will see you down to the carriage.”
The driver looked anxious, though he visibly relaxed as he saw me coming towards him. Two white horses wearing white plumes on their heads stood in front of an open topped carriage. Thankfully, the carriage was black with gold gilding. I would have been practically invisible in a white carriage.
Grimaldi assisted me into the carriage, tutting as I scuffed my white shoes against the black paintwork. Fortunately he didn't make us wait while he cleaned them. He simply sighed in annoyance and waved us goodbye.
I waved and smiled at the people lining the streets. Children threw petals at me as we made our way at walking pace to the cathedral. This would be a bad time for Bronwyn to attack and I felt very vulnerable. On the other hand, she wouldn't have the great and the good as witnesses if she attacked out in the open. I felt I knew her well enough to be certain she would want important witnesses to my humiliation and death.
The Cathedral would be full to overflowing by now. I knew they'd held a lottery for the spare seats and everybody in the kingdom had wanted to come. Judging by the number of people cheering in the streets, Salice was bigger than I thought.
The carriage pulled up before the steps of the cathedral and a footman ran to open the carriage door for me. I stood up and waved back at the people, turning a full circle so everybody could get a good look. I knew they thought I was doomed, but you wouldn't have guessed it from the way they cheered.
I stopped at the top of the steps by the massive cathedral doors and waved to everybody again. The cheer was even bigger than the last time.
The moment I stepped into the church all conversation inside it died. Thousands of eyes stared at me as I made the long walk down the aisle. I stepped up onto the dais and grasped the proffered hand of Bishop Danedi before turning around to await the arrival of my brides.
Twenty minutes later the great doors of the cathedral opened and trumpets sounded. My brides entered the church together with their fathers to the right and left of them. They stopped at the threshold and waited. Esmeralda wore what looked like a monk's robe, except it was made of the finest white silk. She wore the hood up so I couldn't see her face. Jenny wore a traditional wedding dress with matching hat and veil. Her two young cousins held her short train off the ground.
“Let the brides of Jake Morrissey enter the light.” The Bishop's voice carried in the excellent acoustics of the church. He didn't have to shout and he sounded remarkably calm. Certainly a lot calmer than I felt.
As the brides and their fathers moved down the aisle my best man appeared behind them. Fluffy floated in a standing position with his wings outstretched and arched forward as if he was protecting my brides. I still thought the bowtie looked stupid, but it didn't deter the hundreds of guests with cameras taking their chance at getting a photo. The cathedral lit up with their camera flashes. Given the philosophy of the Church of Light I was sure the Bishop would approve.
Bronwyn appeared in the middle of the aisle and shouted, “Die!” at me. Her hands raised in position to direct a killing blast of energy.
I hopped to just in front of her and put my hand on her shoulder, taking us to the desert outside Sparse where I'd previously faced Ida.
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Bronwyn's War
As we arrived, Bronwyn's blast of magic threw me high into the air. I was expecting it and launched a counterattack while flying away from her. A heat blast powerful enough to melt rock sprayed around her shield. She hopped a few hundred feet from the cracking rocks beneath her feet and launched a withering blast of ice at me.
I deflected the ice and it scattered across the desert cutting grooves in the rock where it landed. As I advanced on her, wave after wave of energy coursed from my hands and hit the shield in front of her face. Bronwyn fell to her knees, her shield strong enough to take the blasts, but the massive drain of magic through her body took its toll.
She did something strange and I hurtled up into the air so fast I saw nothing until I cleared the atmosphere and looked down on the world from orbit. My shield protected me from the acceleration, but I was rapidly running out of oxygen. I hopped back to the desert and searched for her.
Rock crackled and spat from the red hot zone my blast had created. A black plume of smoke drifted up from it in the hot air. I didn't think she'd hopped off world. Though the desert was alive with the residual buzz of magic the only signs of recent hops were the ones I could account for.
I must have given Bronwyn quite a shock. She thought I'd be virtually powerless and I was far from that. Last night the wizards from Valhalla gave me their stored magic as their part of the deal we'd made. They returned home for their own safety as they could no longer defend themselves. Everything comes at a price and I don't suppose the girls were going to be too happy with me when they found out what I'd agreed too, but it couldn't be helped. I needed that magic.
A massive rock materialized around me. I blew it into a million pieces, scattering it everywhere.
“You can't be doing this. It isn't fair,” Bronwyn shouted at me from the top of a boulder. I sent every loose rock I could detect at her. She drove them away from her with a series of flicks of her wrists as though they were flies rather than rocks the size of footballs. Then she began to walk towards me, sending wave after wave of magic as she came. Her face was puce with anger.
“Jake the Good, Jake the Great. I'm sick of you. I want you dead!”
The magic I deflected away did strange things whenever it hit something. I watched the side of a hill rot away while another crumbled to dust. Her inventiveness seemed to know no limits as killer bees and snakes attempted to fight their way through to me.
Her mind shield remained like diamond, smooth, glittering and totally impenetrable. I needed to drain her of all her magic and she had at least as much as me.
“You can't win!” she screamed.
She knelt and smashed her fists into the ground. For a moment I thought it was a sign of frustration until a crack appeared between her hands and the desert split in two leaving my feet one on each side. I floated in the air above a hole that widened and deepened with each passing second.
“Why won't you die?”
A water spout shot from the hole and engulfed me. I hopped a long way above the plume as a lake formed across the desert at staggering speed. I didn't have a clue how she'd managed it, but I had to admire the skill.
Bronwyn hopped to the top of a mountain and I joined her there. She was breathing heavily and I noticed her knuckles were skinned and bleeding. I thought I'd try complimenting her.
“Very impressive. All that fresh water should improve this world no end.”
She splayed her hands towards me and I was blasted off the mountain. I hopped back to the other side of her.
“This is a good game isn't…”
Another blast of magic sent me flying towards the water.
“…but eventually boring when you think about it.”
Her reserves of magic were dwindling, but then, so were mine. I wondered which one of us would run out first.
Bronwyn straightened up and composed herself. I let her because I was getting tired too and needed the time to catch my breath.
“I see what you're doing, Jake. But it won't work because I have Plan B.”
&nb
sp; She hopped and I followed.
Bronwyn was good at running and hiding in hop-space, better than Talder Plath had been when he tried it. But hopping a coach through the multiverse teaches you stuff as well. I followed her every zig and zag, ignored her false trails and wasn't the slightest bit put off when we materialized deep in an ocean and over a volcano. I've been there, done that.
She slowly gained a lead of five or six seconds on me. When I arrived in a warehouse in Wales she was doing something to a large crate. She turned and smiled at me.
“I win,” she said and hopped. The crate went with her.
Next stop was the cathedral. Bronwyn arrived in the aisle just about where she'd hopped in the first time.
“Catch me if you can!” She hopped away and I followed.
We arrived back in the warehouse without the crate. She must have left it in the cathedral. She looked at her watch as we caught our breath.
“That was a very large bomb, Jake. I set the fuse for thirty seconds and you have only twenty seconds left. You don't have the magic to stop me and to stop that bomb. When you get back here, I'll be long gone.”
“And spend my life looking over my shoulder wondering when you'll attack? I don't think so.”
I squeezed Bronwyn with all the magical energy I could find. She gasped in shock, but her magic held me back. Our magic drained from us as we struggled silently.
“Five seconds, Jake. They'll all die.”