Master of Magic

by Bebe Lightsmith

“Look how handsome he is,” Raven-haired said.

  “Oh, he’s just so cute,” Red-head commented, pinching his cheek. Owen scowled then and stepped back. That was when I had felt it. It was minute in comparison, but I felt the universe more, flowing through me.

  “And to whom do I owe the pleasure of meeting?” Owen then asked, giving them a grin. I recognized that look, he was being charming for the sake of collection.

  “Why, we’re your aunties, dear nephew!” Blondie commented. She had one of those high-pitched airy voices. Owen let his mouth hang agape as his eyes evaluated their appearances.

  “From which generation?” He then asked. The three twittered, taking a moment to all exchange a glance.

  “Oh, how astute you are. He’s just like him, sisters.” Blondie tittered. They giggled together again.

  “We are the Three Witches, the Weird Sisters, the Wayward Soreceri, the Moirai, the Parcae, and the Fates.” Raven-Haired then said in a weird distant voice, her eyes staring wide and unfocused, as her body swayed.

  “What?” Owen asked. He was so shocked that he couldn’t mask the expression on his face like he usually would.

  “They’re The Wielders,” Ivy whispered. I didn’t know what she was referring to, but she grabbed my hand. That was only something she did when she needed assurance. Was she afraid?

  The sisters giggled, and then they turned to me.

  “He looks like him, doesn’t he, sisters?” Raven-haired then said.

  “It’s uncanny,” Redhead agreed. The blonde one looked away as her expression fell into disparity. I wondered why she looked at me that way.

  “Oh, look there at his side.” The redhead pointed to Excalibur.

  “We haven’t seen her since . . .” Raven and Redhead looked at Blondie.

  “Since when?” Ivy asked them.

  “Come here, pretty.” Blondie made a motion with her finger. Ivy started to step forward, but then Excalibur left my hand, floating towards her.

  “Tell me everything.” She then said to Excalibur, resting her head against the top of the pommel as if she was listening to the hilt. I couldn’t hear what Excalibur was saying, but by the changes in expression on Blondie’s face, I could tell she was speaking. Either that or this woman was completely mad.

  “Hey, I asked you a question.” Ivy then snapped. I tapped her hand, a signal we made for when she needed to stop whatever it was she was doing. It was something she had made up for when one of us caught on to the situation before the other.

  “Tell me, King of Knights, are you with us?” Raven asked. I had no idea what that even meant.

  “First, are you going to answer her question?” I asked gesturing to Ivy.

  “Whose question, dear?” Redhead asked. I stared at her for a long moment.

  “My question, asshole!” Ivy snapped. The sisters didn’t even flinch, but instead just waited for me to answer.

  The realization of the truth hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t breathe for a moment it was so stunning. Owen once told me that Ivy was never meant to be born, that Morgana had forced her into this universe, into existence. If these women indeed were The Fates, the literal Wielders of the universes’ will, then they wouldn’t be able to see her. She doesn’t exist to them. A primordial instinct told me that it needed to stay that way.

  “What did you mean when you asked me if I was with you?” I asked Raven, ignoring everything that just happened in the last ten seconds. Luckily, Ivy knew I would never snub her in this way unless it was of dire importance. She gave me a long look, pursed her lips, but then took a step back to stand beside me, grabbing my hand.

  “Are you for us, or against us?” Raven asked. I still didn’t know what she was asking.

  “I am for the Code, I am for honor and justice, and for protecting individual freedoms and inalienable rights. I am for the defense of the weak, and only wielding my sword for those morals. If you align with that, then yes, I am with you.” I answered as honestly as I could. The three of them gazed at me in wonderment.

  “Oh, sister, he is perfect,” Redhead said to Blondie.

  “A true masterpiece.” Raven nodded, folding her arms over her chest.

  “Thanks?” Was all I could think to reply.

  “Let’s go back to the part where you guys said you were my aunts,” Owen said, grabbing their attention back to him. They turned to him. Ivy gave me a questioning look. I set my finger over my lips, signifying that I couldn’t speak.

  “What’s going on?” Ivy demanded. I turned to look at The Fates. I wouldn’t acknowledge her in front of them. They could erase her existence with a snap of their fingers, and I wasn’t about to risk her life to save her feelings.

  “Well, I guess we’re Merlin’s sisters, is that right?” Raven asked Blondie.

  “Yes, he should know him as Merlin.” Blondie nodded and then glanced back at me. She looked . . . Familiar for some reason, though I could have never seen her before.

  “So, if you’re The Fates, then Merlin is?” Owen then asked. The three all exchanged a glance, pursing their lips.

  “Not important right now,” Redhead said in a commanding voice. Owen flexed his jaw but nodded his head.

  “Well, thank you for taking care of the Dark Knight,” I said after a moment.

  “That little rogue.” Raven snapped. “I wish I could punish him again.”

  “See, that wasn’t supposed to happen. In fact, we’re not really sure why that did happen.” Blondie explained. I fought not to glance at Ivy.

  “What do you mean?” Owen asked, looking up to give me a glance. He must be thinking the same thing that I was.

  “Well, Bartholomew was sworn to serve on our side,” Redhead answered.

  “Whose the other side?” Owen asked.

  “What do you know of the Cult of Uasal?” Raven then asked.

  “What do you know?” I interrupted. The three of them stopped to stare at me.

  There was a long silence, and then the blonde one took a step towards me.

  “What in all of the hell planes in the universe are you three bitches doing here?” A sharp voice rang out behind me. Morgana stood there, her eyes shimmering with magic. We hadn’t seen her in almost a year and just there she was.

  “Morgana, how we wish we could kill you.” Raven snapped.

  “Well, you can’t. Thank your brother for that, won’t you?” Morgana sneered. The three of them all exchanged glances. Morgana rolled her eyes as she stepped closer to me.

  “Get Ivy out of here, right now.” She then whispered to me as the Fates gossiped amongst themselves and to a stunned-looking Owen. By the harshness of her voice, I could tell she was scared.

  “They have Excalibur,” I whispered back.

  “Which is more important?” She asked, looking up at me.

  Turning, I grabbed Ivy’s hand and started to walk away.

  “King of Knights, where are you going?” One of the Fates called after me.

  “He’s doing something for me.” Morgana snapped. “Because he’s under my care. Not yours.”

  “Is that why we’re getting spotty coverage?” One of them snapped as Ivy and I made it to the front gates.

  “Spotty coverage? Are the all-knowing Morai having a little performance issue?” Morgana taunted. “Perhaps you three bitches need a reminder of why you can’t kill me.” She then threatened. I felt her magic charge the air around me. I started to jog, pulling Ivy along with me, rounding the wall and heading towards the forest.

  “Ryker,” Ivy said.

  I raised my finger. I wanted to be far away from them. I had no idea what they could see or hear. Which also made me wonder what the hell they thought I was doing when I was with her. Is that what the question about the spotty coverage was about? I knew all of this was going to hit me in the next few days and dreaded it. I wished my shock would just stay for a while. The more I learned, the more I wanted to remain in blissful ignorance.

  Once we were about a mile awa
y, I turned to face her.

  “What was that?” Ivy asked me.

  She was so pretty. The moonlight had just streamed through the canopy making her hair shine in the light. I pulled her into my arms, hugging her close to me. My panic was already catching up to me. I could keep it together for as long as it was necessary, but it wasn’t exactly necessary anymore. Releasing a shaky breath, I held her closer to me, inhaling the sweet scent of coconut and the feel of her body against mine.

  She was safe, Owen was safe, I was safe; the rest of it didn’t really matter in comparison. That was a coping mechanism Ivy taught me when I felt like the weight of the world was too much. She had recognized what she called panic attacks in me. I disagreed. I just got silent, distant, and snappy. It wasn’t like I was clutching my chest and hyperventilating.

  I would take on the Wielders of the Universe to protect her.

  After a moment I pulled away, taking in calming and deep breaths. She looked up at me, a small comforting smile on her face.

  “You all right? “ she asked. I nodded, knowing I would be. She held my hands between us, looking up at me with wide, trusting eyes.

  “Take a deep breath, we’re all safe.” She assured me. I nodded, working on controlling my breathing.

  “So, why didn’t those witches or whatever acknowledge me?” Ivy asked after a moment. I knew the question had to be driving her crazy. And for her to not be able to ask it must have been torture.

  “Ivy, you know who they are.” I nodded.

  “The Wielders of the Universe, the Fates,” Ivy replied. She looked up at me like she didn’t understand and I really didn’t want to tell her.

  “I’m thinking it’s because your Grams hid you or something.” I lied. She took a step back, her eyes widening.

  “Wow, you really have never lied to me.” She said. The look of disappointment on her pretty face was like a stab through me.

  “I’m sorry.” Was all I could think to say.

  “You obviously can’t tell me, or you would, right?” She then rationalized. I nodded, wanting so much to tell her.

  I should have told her, but also, would that not change her own fate? If she knew she wasn’t bound to the universe like the rest of us, would she make different decisions? Her perception would be altered and therefore, so would all of our fates. Not to mention, I was worried about the psychological effects that would cast on her. All she ever wanted was to belong, and the truth was, she didn’t.

  “Ryker, Ivy?” Agent Rogers’ voice rang through the forest. Turning, I spotted him and a team of other knights in full tactical gear heading towards us.

  “I see you escaped.” Agent Rogers said, stepping towards me and patting me on the shoulder. The team was composed of the older generation of the Knights of the Round Table. They greeted me as their king.

  “It’s been quite a day,” I said to him.

  “I bet.” He let out a laugh. “What’s happening over there?” He nodded his head towards the direction of the fort.

  “It’s done.” I shook my head.

  “With us then.” Agent Rogers waved us forward back towards the base. I wasn’t sure what to do with Ivy. Surely Morgana had scared off the Fates by now, right?

  As we entered through the main gates, I truly realized how destructive my fight with Lupev had been. Half of the base was in complete disarray. Debris consisting of pieces of buildings, vehicles, and supplies littered every surface. The ground on the eastern side was so torn it looked like a trench.

  “What the hell happened here?” Agent Rogers gasped.

  “Me,” I replied, giving him a long look. His eyes widened as he looked around the base anew. Owen emerged in front of us, alone.

  “Hello, all.” He waved, “Ryker told me he was going to find you.” He then turned and gave me a long look. That meant that I was to follow everything he said for the next few minutes. I looked up at Rogers and nodded.

  “What happened?” Agent Rogers asked again.

  “Well, Ivy kicked some dimensional creature ass, and Ryker took care of the Dark Knight,” Owen replied.

  “A Dark Knight! You took on a Dark Knight?” Agent Rogers yelled at me. I took a step back, giving him a weird look.

  “He escaped.” I nodded.

  “Where is everyone else?” Agent Rogers then asked, glancing around the base.

  “There’s a few in the cells in the back.” Owen nodded his head.

  “And the rest are in my dimension. I’ll open it wherever you want.” Ivy shrugged.

  Agent Rogers released a long breath. Setting his hands on his hips, he gazed around the fort again. He seemed to be contemplating something. The furrow of his brows and the downward set of his lips as he glared out at the scene made me wonder if he was disappointed with me. His eyes stopped on the gigantic spider creature resting on top of a cluster of buildings.

  “Colonel Gawain, will you please take care of that monster?” He then said, pointing towards the spider.

  “No!” Ivy gasped, stepping around to stand in front of Agent Rogers.

  “I’ll keep her in my dimension, please don’t hurt her.” Ivy pleaded. Colonel Gawain stopped in his tracks.

  “She is my Queen.” He then said to Agent Rogers. As Queen of Sorcery, Ivy suddenly had every knight at her disposal.

  “Fine. Now.” Agent Rogers then snapped. Ivy gave him a little grin and then ran off to go put that creature in a portal, somehow.

  “Owen, go help her.” Agent Rogers then said. Owen shrugged and lopped after her. He then ordered the team to search the base. Once we were alone, he turned to me.

  “I never thought I’d see the day when three second-year cadets took on an entire base by themselves,” Rogers said after a moment. I shrugged. He gazed at me, a contemplative look on his face. “A Dark Knight, huh? I hear they wear impenetrable armor, how did you get around that?” He asked.

  “I didn’t. Like I said, he escaped.” I shrugged. It wasn’t far enough from the truth to be a lie. He gave me a long look.

  “Ryker, do you trust me?” Agent Rogers asked.

  “With my life,” I said, giving him a long look. This was not my life I was protecting, but Ivy’s. I would lie to anyone to protect her.

  “I see.” Agent Rogers then nodded. He looked away, towards the direction Ivy and Owen were headed. The big spider was moving into the gigantic portal Ivy made against the fort wall.

  “I may not be of the round table, and I may be a knight of Greek descent, but I swore fealty to you.” He pointed out.

  “Which is why you need to trust me,” I replied, giving him a long look. He nodded his head. “I’ll tell you when I need you.” That seemed to make him feel better. He gave me a sharp nod and then looked around the base again.

  “So, tell me about the fight that made that.” He then said, pointing towards the huge gorge in the middle of the field.

  It took over an hour for an investigation team to fly in. From there, we were questioned, over and over and over again. Passed off from one commanding officer to another, until finally the next in line in authority was me. Ivy fell asleep in the helicopter, which I thought was impossible. After staying up the night before, she must be exhausted. The helicopter landed on top of one of the buildings in the heart of D.C. We must be at HQ. From there, we were put into three separate rooms and asked the same questions over and over again. Once they had enough for their reports, a groggy Ivy opened the portal and allowed them to enter. She had saved all the files; everything she could get her hands on. One team started to move that as another escorted the three hundred or so prisoners she had captured. I was so proud of her at that moment I felt like I would burst. She truly was amazing.

  That is until Agent Rogers came storming up to us while we were waiting in a lounge area. Ivy was taking naps when she could, between questioning and other protocols.

  “Wake up,” Rogers ordered her, shaking her awake. Ivy glared up at him.

  “Why are the letters IRHLF scratche
d into the left buttock of every prisoner?” He demanded. Ivy let out a little giggle.

  “Oh, you think that’s funny,” Rogers yelled, pulling her up to stand in front of him. “That’s cruel and unusual punishment. You just broke international law.” He snapped. Ivy stopped laughing, staring up at him in shock.

  “I did it painlessly.” She argued.

  “What possessed you to carve your initials on the assess of three hundred men?” He then snapped. Ivy shrugged.

  “I thought it was funny.” She replied innocently. Agent Rogers let out a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. He muttered, “Kids with powers, kids with powers.” As if trying to remind himself that we were still incredibly young, especially Ivy, who was two years younger than Owen and me.

  “Go fix them, now.” He snapped. Ivy gave me a little grin and then ran away.

  “It is kind of funny,” Owen commented from the couch.

  “Shut up.” Rogers snapped. “After she’s done with that the three of you are dismissed.” Rogers stormed out of the room.

  “Sweet, I sure do love spending my vacations at HQ. We need to stop making this a habit.” Owen grumbled.

  “This wasn’t a vacation,” I argued.

  “For you.” Owen snorted.

  “We need to talk about Ivy,” I said after a moment.

  “Yep.” He nodded, “Two seconds.” I felt his magic flash around the room as he temporarily powered down the surveillance cameras.

  “Why are we keeping this a secret?” I demanded.

  “Because the less who know, the better,” Owen replied.

  “We lied on government documents.” I didn’t like the dark feeling of guilt that consumed me. Owen and I silently agreed before we were separated to keep Morgana and the Fates out of our report. Too many questions would be asked that could ultimately lead them to find Ivy as too much of a threat.

  “Yes, Captain America, we did that. But it was all in the greater good.” Owen replied, rolling his eyes.

  “What happened with Morgana and the Fates?” I then asked.

  “Well, they argued for a bit. Catty, those females who rule the universe. And then they split.” Owen shrugged. I gave him a long look. He rolled his eyes.