by Halle Dean
"Why must you all be so overprotective?" Sophie grumbled.
"This is not overprotective, Sophie," Warner said. "This is an extremely dangerous situation."
"And you don't think we can help?" Melody asked.
"I think you could, given time and training," he said. "But you two have spent the last five years locked up and Layla is a barmaid. None of you are prepared for combat."
"Besides that," Mason cut in, "it's our duty to protect you."
"Neither of you are Knight Captain anymore," Sophie said, crossing her arms. Ella imitated her and giggled a bit.
"Well, thank you for pointing that out," Warner said sardonically. "But that isn't what he meant." He placed his hands on Sophie's shoulders. "I must protect the ones I love."
"Daddy will save us," Ella said. "Daddy loves us. He said so. So he will keep us safe."
"See?" Warner said with a small grin. "Ella understands."
"Ella understands," the little girl repeated with a grin. "Can we go on an adventure now?"
Warner sighed and picked his daughter up. "It's not as much fun as it sounds," he told her.
"Where are we going to go?" James asked. "What would be an easy place to protect?"
"Some sort of small cave, perhaps?" Mason suggested. "Somewhere with a single entrance."
"There are plenty of caves up on the mountain," Warner said. "We could go there."
"Shouldn't we learn more before we do this?" Melody asked. "Wasn't the point of going to the Magics Society to learn about everything that's going on?"
"We learned some," he said. "But we can't learn any more with Barry still alive and keeping the barrier..." Warner trailed off and looked at Sophie. "You can go through barriers."
"Momma is special," Ella said. "She can go out the windows and I can't."
"What?" Warner asked. "What do you mean?"
Sophie shrugged. "There must have been a barrier spell on the windows of the castle," she said. "I always assumed it was a spell to keep Ella in, though I didn't know why Edric didn't have one for me as well."
"Well, apparently he hadn't realized yet that you could go through barriers," Mason said. "Is that how you escaped?"
Sophie nodded. "I went through the window and then came back in through another so I could unlock the door and get Ella."
"So, if she can go through the barrier, we should go back to the Magics Society," James said. "You can learn everything."
"And Barry could be waiting for us to try just that," Warner sighed.
"Or he could be recovering," James pointed out. "With him injured, now may be the only chance we have."
"I can't put Sophie in that kind of danger," Warner said. "I—"
"I will do it," Sophie interrupted. She looked up at Warner. "I must."
"Well, that settles it," James said. He figured if they moved quickly then Layla would not have the chance to follow them. "We should go before we run out of time." He turned and headed back to where his magic saucer was. "We must hurry."
Twenty Seven
Taking the Bait
Sophie was afraid. What if Warner was right to not want to go back to the Magics Society? What if Barry was waiting there to attack? On the one hand, she knew that the only way to find what they needed was by going back to the Magics Society. On the other hand, she had been through many magical tortures, and she wasn't eager to experience any more.
"Sophie, please reconsider," Warner pleaded. They were already in the air and on their way, but Warner had not stopped voicing his discontentment. "It's not safe."
"I know," Sophie said.
"Wow!" Ella said, lying on her stomach and looking over the edge of the saucer. She'd been saying the word repeatedly since they had left the ground. "Wow!" she said again. "Momma, look how high up we are!"
"Yes, sweetheart," Sophie said. "Be careful." She turned back to Warner. "I don't want to go," she told him. "But I must. There may be very important knowledge that could help you to defeat Barry and learn how to be rid of your other self."
"I know." He sighed and brushed her hair back with his hand. "But none of that will matter if you die."
She pursed her lips and pushed his hand away. "Yes, it will," she said. "Even if I die, you must help everyone else. I'm not the most important thing in the world."
"You are to me," he mumbled.
Sophie couldn't help but smile, but she needed to stand firm. "Well," she said, trying not to sound flustered. "Even so, you mustn't fall apart if I die. As it is, it seems that you're the only one who stands a chance against Barry. So, no matter what happens, you need to make sure you stop him from destroying everything."
"Don't you think that's too much to expect from one person?" James asked, raising an eyebrow as he directed the saucer to ascend further.
"Not from Warner," she said.
"I wouldn't bet against him being our only chance at killing Barry," Mason agreed.
"And I would bet that he can do it," Melody said.
"It still seems like a lot to put on his shoulders," James said.
"No," Warner said. "I must do what I can to make up for the past."
"Warner, that has nothing to do with this," Sophie said. "The reason I'm expecting you to do this because I know you can. And I know that you would hate yourself if you let Barry get away with whatever his plans are. I've had enough of you hating yourself, so fix it."
"So fix it," Ella repeated happily.
"But—"
"No more arguing," Sophie interrupted.
"No, Daddy," Ella said, shaking her finger at him. "Sit down and be good."
Sophie almost laughed out loud as Warner sat down with a bewildered expression.
"Well, that settled that," James said, looking amused.
"Ella," Warner said, "are you trying to do magic?"
"I can do magic, like Daddy and Momma," Ella said with a grin.
"Can she?" Sophie asked, worried. "How?"
"Yes," Warner said. "I sense that she's using it, but I don't understand."
"She was affected strongly by my spell," Melody said. "This must be one of the effects."
"But she's too young to understand what she's doing," Sophie said. "What if she accidentally hurts herself or someone else?"
"You'll have to keep a close eye on her," James said. "But we can't worry about that now. We're nearly there."
The large, castle-like mansion loomed above them, looking as if it were resting atop the clouds. It would have been very pretty if Sophie was not so filled with dread at the sight of it.
Warner will protect me, she reminded herself. He will. No need to worry.
As if sensing her fears, Warner put his arm around her comfortingly. "It will be all right," he murmured into her hair. "I won't let anything happen to you."
She smiled nervously and took a deep breath as they approached the front gates. "It's strange to have gates, is it not?" Melody said. "No one is going to be able to break in through the front door this high up."
"That is exactly what we're doing, Melody," Mason said.
"I suppose," she said. "But this is a bit out of the ordinary. Most people can't fly."
"Only 'most'?" he asked, but no one had a chance to discuss further before a terrifyingly loud scream rent the air.
"What is that?" Ella asked, covering her ears.
James had gone very pale. "Layla."
"What? How?" Warner asked. "Are you certain?" James didn't respond. Instead, he took a little, black sphere out of his pocket and threw it at his feet. "James!" Warner shouted, moving forward.
The sphere burst into a puff of smoke, completely obscuring James. At first, Sophie wasn't sure what Warner was so upset about. Then a figure collapsed out of the smoke as it dissipated. Sophie and Melody both gasped in surprise. It was Layla, and James was nowhere to be seen.
"How?" Mason asked in confusion.
"He's a girl!" Ella said in awe.
Sophie and Warner helped Layla sit up. Her face was covered i
n tears and she was bleeding from several deep cuts in her arms and legs. Melody quickly moved forward to look.
"Slicing magic," she said. "Someone was torturing her."
"Wh-what happened?" Layla sobbed, looking around. "Where am I?"
"Safe, for the moment," Warner said as Sophie began to heal what she could of Layla's wounds. Injuries caused by magic were very difficult to heal. "James replaced you," Warner explained.
"Replaced?" Sophie asked. "What do you mean?"
"N-no," Layla said, new tears beginning to fall as her expression shifted to one of panic. "No. He'll die. He'll kill him!"
"Who?" Warner asked. "Barry? How did he get to you? What did he want from you?"
"We have to go back," she said, trying to stand.
"Wait," Warner said, placing his hand on her shoulder to force her to remain seated. "We will help him, but first you must calm yourself and explain."
She nodded slowly and sniffed a few times before calming down enough to speak clearly. "It wasn't Barry," she said. "At least, he didn't look the same. Though, he did look familiar. I'm not sure where I've seen him before."
"There are many well-known people in the Magics Society," Warner said.
She hugged her knees to her chest. "We must stop him before he hurts James."
"James will be all right," Warner said. "He's a very good magician."
"He said he would suppress his magic!" she said. "And James hasn't carried his sword in a long while! He's defenseless!"
"Calm down," Warner said again.
"Calm down," Ella echoed, patting Layla's shoulder. "It's all right. Daddy will save us."
Layla looked at Ella and smiled weakly. Warner scratched the back of his head. "I'll do my best," he said.
"Momma said he will," Ella insisted. Sophie blushed as Warner looked over at her. She wished Ella would stop talking. "Momma said that Daddy is good and true."
"Ella," Sophie said. "That's enough."
"Did you tell her that?" Warner asked. Sophie just nodded, staring at the ground. Warner grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him. Her heart started beating more quickly as he searched her eyes. "Why?" he asked. "Why would you say those things?"
"This is something to discuss at a later time, is it not?" Sophie said.
Warner sighed, but released her. "Very well," he said. He took a deep breath and turned to Layla. "Where is James?"
"A dark room," Layla said. "There were metal restraints and the walls were stone. Some sort of dungeon, like in a castle."
"I don't know where that would be," he said through gritted teeth. "I haven't seen a place like that here."
"Perhaps I will learn of it when I am past the barrier?" Sophie suggested.
"Be careful!" Layla warned, taking Sophie's hand. "The man said they were waiting for you. It's why he'll kill James. So you won't find a secret library."
"Damn," Warner growled. "I have only one choice then."
"No," Mason said. "Don't be a fool."
"You don't even know what I'm planning," Warner said.
"You're planning to do whatever Paisley just did to bring him back," Mason said matter-of-factly. "Which is an incredibly foolish plan because you are the last person we need dead at the moment."
"What do you expect of me then?" Warner asked, sounding angry. "We don't have the time to search for him."
"No," Mason agreed. "Which is why I shall replace him."
"What?" Melody exclaimed. "No!"
"Enough with that," Mason said. "Someone must go."
"Then send me," Melody said.
"You've been through enough," he snapped. "Besides, I'd only replace you myself if you tried it. Let us bypass that step to save time." Melody stomped her foot and crossed her arms. "Scowl all you want. It will not change my mind." He turned to Warner. "How do I replace him?"
Warner sighed and pulled another of the small, black spheres out of The Void. "If you die—"
"Yes, I know," Mason said, taking the sphere from Warner and examining it. "You'll kill me."
"Am I to assume there's no way to convince you this is a bad idea?"
"It is a bad idea," Melody protested.
"It's the best we have," Mason said. He looked at Warner again. "How does this work?"
"Throw it at the ground, as James did," Warner explained. "And think of who you mean to replace."
"That seems simple enough," Mason said, nodding and pushing Melody back.
"Be very careful to think of only one person," Warner said. "Otherwise you will run into painful difficulties."
Mason gulped nervously. "That is… good to know," he said, holding the sphere at the ready. "Why must magic be so troublesome?"
With that, he threw the sphere at his feet and it burst into a puff of smoke, the same as before.
"—nothing but a hedge-born va—varlet..." James' voice wheezed and then trailed off. "What in the hell?"
"James!" Layla cried as he fell to his knees, dispersing the clouded air. The few remaining wisps of smoke blew away in the wind as she threw her arms around him. "Are you all right?" she asked tearfully.
"Ow," James grunted, gently pushing Layla off of him.
"I'm so sorry," she said, backing away slightly. He was covered in bruises and deep cuts. "These are much worse than mine were!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, yes." James coughed up a bit of blood. "I was… not polite. Those royal types can be so prideful." He looked to Sophie, one of his eyes starting to swell. "Not to offend, Princess."
"Who do you speak of?" Sophie asked. "Who did this to you?"
"The King of Coriander," he said. "Edric Cameron."
Twenty Eight
The Library in the Closet
Warner was certain that James was wrong. Mason had killed Edric. James must have been mistaken.
"Wh-what?" Melody stammered. "Are you certain?"
"Very," James said. "Even if he hadn't introduced himself, I've met him before."
"But… he's dead," Sophie said. Warner thought she sounded like she was forcing herself to be calm. "Mason killed him."
"Well, he did a remarkably poor job of that," James said, wincing as Sophie placed her hands over his wounds. "He's alive and well and, evidently, very good at slicing people to ribbons."
"We must save Lane," Melody said, trembling.
Warner wasn't sure if her shakiness was due to fear for Mason, or fear of Edric.
"Who is Lane?" James asked.
"Mason," Warner answered, glancing at his sister as she sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. "And we shall save him, but we must visit the library first." He looked at James. "Show us where it is."
"They moved it when I took the knowledge from George's section," James said. "It's in the closet now."
"The closet?" Sophie asked. "The knowledge we need is simply in a closet?"
"This is no ordinary cupboard," he explained. "It's a room full of magic items and such."
Warner sighed. "Sophie," he said, turning to her and placing his hands on her shoulders as she stood up from healing James. "You must not touch anything while you're in there."
"How shall I retrieve the books if I can't touch anything?" she asked.
"Books?" James repeated. "What books?"
"The ones that have what we need," she said. "And how will I know which ones are important?"
"There are no books," Warner said. "It's simply knowledge. It doesn't have a physical form. As soon as you approach it, it will enlighten you."
"What? That is all?" she asked.
"Yes," Warner said, nodding. "We don't have time to teach you how to search and absorb certain things, so you'll have to learn all of it."
"That will take some time," James warned.
"I know," Warner said. "I'll need you to cause some sort of distraction so they don't notice us."
"Should be easy enough," James said, getting to his feet. "I'm not called the most vexing magician in the Magics Society for nothing!"
"Only the m
ost vexing magician?" Layla asked, managing a smirk through her tears.
He looked at her in surprise. "Why are you crying?"
"I'm not crying, you sorry excuse for a human being," she said, wiping her eyes and glaring at him.
"I think that's a bit uncalled for," James grumbled.
"No, it isn't!" Layla said. "What if you had died?"
"I wouldn't do that," he shrugged. "That would be foolish."
"You are foolish," she growled.
"Can we please go?" Melody asked. "If Lane dies because—"
"Yes, yes," James said, raising his hands in surrender. "Let's hurry."
* * *
It was surprisingly easy to traverse the house. Nothing and no one got in the way as James led them through.
"This is where we part ways," he said. "Go on ahead to the closet. I'll stand guard to be sure no one follows. I've already set up a barrier around it, so no one should be able to get in without getting through me first."
"I'll help," Layla said, standing close to James.
"No," he said. "Go with the others."
"I'm staying," she insisted.
He grumbled, but reached down and grasped her hand, then shot a look back at Warner.
"Hurry."
Warner nodded and continued down the hall, followed closely by Sophie, Ella, and Melody.
"When we reach the barrier, only Sophie will be able to go in," Warner explained as they walked. "I must focus on making sure no one goes near her." He glanced over his shoulder at Melody. "So, you must keep your eye on Ella."
"Of course," Melody said, taking Ella's hand. "You'll be safe with your Aunt Melody," she said. She was smiling, but Warner could see that her eyes were still full of fear.
"Melody," he said, slowing as they reached the closet. "Everything will be all right. I promise you that I will make everything all right."
"I know," she said, looking down. "You always fix what I destroy."
"This isn't about that," he said. "Even if I did blame you, I won't let you die again and I won't let your life be miserable any longer."
Melody smiled slightly, but didn't look up. "Thank you," she whispered.
"We must continue," Warner said to Sophie, opening the door and walking in. She hesitated, looking nervous, but Warner took hold of her hand and gently pulled her inside. "I know you're afraid," he said, "but we don't have the time to gather courage. Trust me to protect you."