Magpie

Ch 4: The Tavern

And when the clouds do clear away, get a momentary chance to see

The thing I've been trying to beat to death, the soft creature that I used to be

The better animal I used to be

~ Unicorn Tolerance by The Mountain Goats ~


"So, she mentioned the rabbit before me." He chuckled lightly to himself, neither surprised nor offended, simply making an observation as he slid the heavy leather-bound tome onto the empty expanse of bench between himself and his travelling companion.

"Did you say something?" the young man — practically a boy, as far as Cedric was concerned — asked, not bothering to turn away from the window as he spoke. Cedric waved his hand through the air, as much to dismiss the exchange as to clear the tension that gripped the coach in an almost unbearable stranglehold. The man's anxiety was as unremarkable as Sofia writing about Clover ahead of him. Cedric's own stomach had twisted into tight knots that showed no signs of releasing any time in the near future.

"Nothing important", he explained when the gesture went unnoticed. When the man failed to reply, Cedric scooted closer to his own window, producing a crushed yellow package from his robe pocket and shaking it vigorously until the saffron-coloured tip of a cigarette peeked out far enough for him to grasp between his fingers. Without missing a beat, the man held his palm out, and though his face was mostly obscured by the hood of his robe, Cedric could almost swear he saw the lightest hint of a smile. Cedric passed the cigarette to him before taking another out and bringing it to his lips, only to pull it away an instant later. "I don't suppose you'd tell me where we're headed if I asked?"

While he waited for an answer he doubted would follow, Cedric used the tip of his wand to light their cigarettes, a handy little trick he'd learnt from his new 'friend' in the brief time they'd known each other. 'You have to conduct just enough heat to ignite paper, without creating enough to catch your face on fire.' Cedric recalled. There was a large spectrum between those two extremes, but it hadn't taken him too long to get the hang of it, even without any sort of demonstration.

He hung his head out the window to avoid filling the confined space with smoke while the man shrugged off his heavy cloak, shaking out long, black hair that was greasy with sweat from the intense heat of the day, which had dissipated only a little with the setting of the sun.

"You know better than that. You go where they say, when they say. As long as you play your part, that's all that really matters", he reminded Cedric after inhaling and exhaling a long drag. "You got off easy back home. Thanks, I'm sure, to a certain young princess," at this he tapped at the cover of the book with his free hand for emphasis. "but out here your sins won't be forgiven so easily." He glanced up from the bench, and Cedric could swear that his narrowed grey eyes actually flashed, like sunlight reflected off of an iron sword, before he trained his attention outside again.

"Let's change the subject, then", Cedric suggested, trying to rein in his growing frustration. It dawned on him that he had no reason to believe the other man knew their destination, either. After all, he wasn't the only one in this coach expected to 'play his part'. The silence that followed proved that neither of them had any better ideas about what to discuss.

"Why Magpie?" The question disturbed the stillness, catching Cedric off-guard, and he nearly choked as he swivelled his head to see the other man absently tracing the birds on the cover of the journal, a perfect match for the one in Sofia's possession.

"Sofia befriended me when everyone else said I was worthless. She believed in me, not just my abilities, but me. Even when I showed her the worst sides of myself, her faith in me never faltered." Cedric let out a deep breath, slumping back on the bench. "Sofia sees the best in everyone, and if there's no good buried within, she takes it upon herself to plant it there. She truly thought that I could be a better person, that she could show me how. Honestly, I think she might have, given more time…" Cedric cleared his throat, realising he was getting off track. "Anyway, should the need ever arise, I expect Magpie to do the same for her. She deserves that much, at the very least."

"Why not just do that yourself? I mean, she already sees you as a friend. Shouldn't you be the one to lend her that support?" Cedric shook his head, and this time, the laugh that escaped his lips, accompanied by a thick, grey cloud, was dark and bitter. "Could it be… that you have no intention of keeping your promise?" It sounded like a question, but carried the sharp sting of accusation, and Cedric knew why. Even if he hadn't yet fully admitted the permanence of this arrangement to himself, he knew that the answer was already obvious to anyone but the princess.

"When this is finished, I might not be the sort of man who can keep that promise." Cedric tried to shrug it off, tried to hide any trace of emotion from his voice, reluctant to show this man how much the idea truly disturbed him. He had his own problems to deal with, the weight of his own sin to carry, and Cedric saw no good reason to add to his burden. "Besides, I'm sure at least some news of what's to come will find its way back to Enchancia. There may come a time when she's forced to face reality, and she sees me for who I really am. When that happens, at least I know she'll still have Magpie to look after her."

The other man opened his mouth to say something, but his response was lost when the coach slowed to a halt. "We're here", he announced instead. He threw his robe back on, shoved the book into his rucksack, and gestured for Cedric to exit the coach ahead of him.

Cedric stepped down and waited, taking several moments to admire the cloudless evening sky above while collecting his thoughts. If he was going to get through this, it would take a complete mastery of his emotions, so — much to the chagrin of his escort — he stared up at the moon, forcing any feelings stirred up by their conversation as far down within himself as possible. He smoked the rest of his cigarette as slowly as possible, buying time until he was positive he could keep his composure under pressure, then gathered all of his courage to follow the younger man down the worn, dusty path to the ramshackle tavern that waited beyond. With each step, that his feet became heavier, but he pressed on, nodding his appreciation as the man held the door open, though he wasn't foolish enough to believe the act was born of goodwill and not an attempt at hurrying him along.

The inside of the tavern was even worse for wear than the exterior, and abandoned save for a burly barkeeper who looked long enough to sneer at the two newcomers, and a lone woman, seated at a table in the far back corner, who stared silently at Cedric as he approached. His guide, for lack of a more accurate word, remained behind, posting himself by the door and keeping a vigilant watch through the small window to make sure that the meeting wouldn't be interrupted by any civilians that might appear, as though anyone would come to a place like this without the seediest of intentions.

"I was under the impression", Cedric slipped into a seat at the occupied table, purposely ignoring how little his presence seemed to be appreciated there. "that Grimtrix would be here."

"Just a precaution. You did betray him last time, did you not?" The woman was older than Cedric, though not by enough to make her unattractive. He might even admit that she was pretty, if he wasn't still harbouring a deep-seated grudge against her from the first time he'd had the misfortune to cross her path. She polished off her drink in one quick, fluid motion and snapped her fingers towards the bar for a refill.

"I've already explained that", he insisted hastily, accepting a glass that was offered to him and resisting the urge to enquire about its contents. If he expected to earn her trust, he would have to show some of his own, first. Taking a swig, he easily identified the liquid as whiskey, the old familiar burn of it travelling across his tongue and cutting a molten, but oddly pleasant, trail down his throat. His entire body warmed, melting away some of the tension trapped between his shoulder blades. "Besides, it's common knowledge that I've officially renounced Enchancia."

The sorceress leaned across the table, clearly intrigued by his bold declaration. "And the little princess? What was her name again… Serena?" It was clear she was doing it on purpose, trying to get his back up, so Cedric did his best to mask his irritation that she'd got Sofia's name wrong.

"I think you have the wrong idea, Morgana. That child means nothing to me." How Cedric managed to speak such vile, traitorous words so calmly was beyond him. Perhaps it was the alcohol coursing through his veins. Assuming it wasn't the last abhorrent lie he'd have to tell before the night was out, he brought the glass up and tilted his head back, nearly emptying the glass in one go. His eyes dipped closed as he drank, and he regretted it immediately, images of Sofia's sorrowful, shattered expressions on that day swimming behind his eyelids no matter how desperately he tried to fend them off. Don't think about Sofia, he scolded himself, but it was of little use. Don't picture what it would do to her if she could hear you right now. "I was using her to get closer to a magical artefact. Nothing more. When Grimtrix pitted us against each other, he compromised my personal goals, and I couldn't allow that."

Though Morgana's face remained impossible to read, Cedric had the distinct impression that this answer satisfied her. He hazarded a discreet peek towards the entrance, where the man stood — pretending that he wasn't eavesdropping on them. The tiny sliver of his face that was visible from this angle betrayed him, the smirk he wore obvious enough to eyes already familiar with it. No surprises there. He'd caught Cedric in this lie before.

"Why not just take what you were after once the whelp was frozen?" It was a good question, but one Cedric already had a well-rehearsed response for. If her goal was to discredit his claims, she'd have to try harder than that.

"You think I never tried to steal it?" he questioned with all the feigned incredulity he could summon, shaking his head as he recalled his many failed efforts to get his hands on the Amulet of Avalor. Channelling all of the anger and resentment he once felt into his tone, he continued his charade with, "The Amulet grants curses. The only way to obtain it without suffering any sort of retribution is to convince the princess to hand it over willingly. To do that, I first had to earn her trust." Not only was it the perfect excuse for his behaviour, but the fact — one that only two people and a back-stabbing old Raven knew was no longer relevant — would deter anyone who might contemplate making a move on the jewel in his absence from Sofia's side. Morgana cleared her throat, then downed her drink again while she considered this information.

"We're setting up a new chapter in Tangu. The sorcerer who was overseeing things has proved… unreliable. He's being dealt with as we speak." This was it. Cedric remained motionless, giving no indication as to the mess of raw nerves and adrenaline that hid beneath the surface of his self-assured demeanour. He wanted to press her further, to ask if Grimtrix would be there, but didn't for fear of appearing too eager. "Prove yourself there, and we'll discuss your future with the Order of the Wand."

"I will not disappoint the Order again", Cedric stated as he stood, giving a polite bow to Morgana before dropping a handful of coins on the table to cover the cost of his drink.

With the meeting over, there was nothing left for him to do at the tavern except to lose himself in a bottle and, while the thought proved tempting, he couldn't risk getting sloppy in a place like this.

Cedric and the man said nothing as they departed, both aware that even the slightest misstep at this point could put them in grave danger. Only once they were back in the coach, speeding away from the tavern, did they speak.

"That was well done." His chaperon sighed with relief as he removed the cloak again, tossing it carelessly onto the bench. Cedric grimaced, finding it hard to share in his enthusiasm.

"The things I said in there–" He groaned, raking his fingers through his silver fringe. A hand patted him on the shoulder just as another presented him with a bottle of single-malt scotch, no doubt pilfered from the bar, though Cedric hadn't the faintest clue when he'd found the time to nab it.

"I get it. If anyone knew you cared for the girl, she'd become a target." Cedric nodded as he dug out his pocket knife and used it to uncork the bottle, cursing his hands for trembling so violently while he worked. "Your secret's safe with me."

For a long time, they wordlessly passed the bottle back and forth. Cedric was the first to break the silence, deciding it was about time he reminded the man, again, of their arrangement. "If something happens to me, I expect you to uphold your end of the bargain." He took out two more cigarettes, holding one out for his companion.

"You don't trust us?" The question was accompanied by the worst example of mock offence Cedric had seen in his life, and he rolled his eyes at the display.

"I'm not talking about them", Cedric bit. He lit his cigarette, then took another gulp of the bitter alcohol. "I'm referring to you, specifically."

"You have my word, old man. Sofia will always have Magpie to take care of her. No matter what."


Super long author's note: Sorry this didn't get posted earlier. I was at a Solstice celebration, and this is the first chance I got to publish it. This was originally the 5th chapter, but I've read over everything and decided it fits better here. The story progressed too plainly with just Sofia doing normal school stuff for three chapters in a row. Luckily it took very little tweaking to switch 4 & 5.

Also, I know I said this before, but this is the last chapter I plan to post on a daily schedule, and future ones will be more spaced out. I'll aim for weekly, but really I just don't know. I think maybe trying to stick to a strict schedule contribute to my writer's block before, so I'm honestly afraid to do that again.

P.S. It's really a pain to write an entire chapter with a character that I'm not ready to fully introduce, because I have to keep finding ways to refer to them without using a name. So annoying. You'd think I'd be used to it after writing most of Feral without saying 'Sofia', but no. XP