The Magician Games

by PatientG2573

Jane Chatwin, desperate to stop the coming of The Beast, has set her silver clock back farther than ever before. What Quentin and his gang needs is an old fashioned education at a respectable institute. Perhaps with a little training under their belts, before they start their adventure at Brakebills, the gang will be ready to face what is to come.

Introduction:

The stressed silence between Jane Chatwin and Dean Fogg was beginning to reach an unbearable weight. Both of them intentionally avoided eye contact as the suffocating tension that was now filling the Dean's office pressed them heavily into the expensive chairs. It was Dean Fogg who finally broke.

"And you're absolutely sure this time?" He demanded. His tone was attempting to be authoritarian but had long ago lost the majority of its bite. It was clear by now that Jane was in charge.

"Positively sure," Jane responded, still managing to avoid eye contact. "Just as I was each time previously. How many times have we done this now?"

"Honestly, we need to stop fooling ourselves and admit we've both lost count."

"Fair enough."

"But, Jane, even you must admit that this plan seems particularly ludicrous," Dean Fogg sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "An unconventional school across the ocean…"

"It's no Brakebills," Jane interrupted, crossing her arms, "but it's a respected enough institution."

"One that is very, very outside our jurisdiction."

Momentarily Jane's handsome face lost some of its composure and her eyes flashed with frustration. "The Beast is coming, whether we like it or not!" Her hands gripped the arms of her seat, her knuckles white. She took a small breath through her nose and placed her hands calmly into her lap. "With all due respect, I have already set the plan into motion. Quentin and his little gang will start their education at a younger age and at a different establishment and will then complete their studies here at Brakebills once they're old enough, where the timeline will continue in the way that we are far too familiar with."

Dean Fogg could only sigh at the prospects of reliving the worn-out timeline he was growing to despise, despite Jane's subtle—and sometimes not so subtle—changes. Jane reached into her bag and pulled out an oversized silver watch. "This time we go back farther than ever before, just a few twists and hijacking a couple of owls. How hard could it be?"

Dean Fogg opened his mouth to reply—likely laden in sarcasm—but before any words could escape his parted lips it was if the room was dipped in honey. The air itself seemed to thicken and for a moment the two of them could feel time itself stop. Complete stillness, a clam before the reversal. Jane and Dean Fogg's eyes met. Had they always looked this tired?

Then suddenly the world went dark.