A/N: The beginning of the end, such a bitter sweet thing. I hope you'll stick around for the final ride, and fun fact this chapter was originally split into two but I thought otherwise and made it into one super chapter. I warn you now things are going to get intense, really really intense. What happens in here in no way prepares for the madness and chaos that is to come. Enjoy!
The Spellmaster's Mother
Chapter 10: End Game
Celeste raised her hands and from her place on the the elevated platform watched as the mannequins and masked performers gathered around her. She tapped her staff against the ground and they turned to her in unison.
"Today," began Celeste as she looked at the crowd before her. "Today is the day we bring back our masters. Today is the day we purge the supernatural filth in this city! We have less than twenty-four hours to complete our mission, if we fail, then Project Halcyon's secondary function will be used as the final option."
More mannequins began to appear. She smiled a grand total of six hundred mannequins and three hundred masked performers made up her army. Behind her the three Ringmasters emerged from the shadows.
"All the pieces are in place."
"The awaited time has arrived."
"Our curse will be lifted."
"Not quite yet," said Celeste as she motioned to the large clock floating above the tent. The hands were moving, slowly counting down to dusk. "But the time is nearing. We must ready ourselves for the end game."
She clapped her hands together and the monsters began to move about, they lined up against the gates and awaited the order to attack. Celeste took a seat in her tent and stared at the chessboard in front on her. All she needed now was the Seer.
Ethan looked at friends before leaning forward on the cafeteria table. He cleared his throat and gave them his best smile.
"This is it. Tonight Celeste is going to make her move to not only revive the Ringmasters but to try and kill all the vampires and other supernatural creatures in the city. Everything we've been working on this last week comes to this."
They nodded solemnly.
"Here's the plan," began Ethan as he ignored the nervous twist of his stomach. "Jesse has agreed to help us, and right now he's the only one with the knowledge about the ritual that can seal the Ringmasters."
"I can't believe you guys are trusting Jesse," said Erica as she shook her head in disapproval. "That jerk only helps when he has something to gain from it."
"Yeah," responded Rory with a nod. "What if he's working with the Ringmasters or-"
"We've already been over this," said Ethan. "Eric confirmed his story, we have to trust him." Ignoring their eye rolls he continued: "Jesse will meet with Sarah and the two will make their way over to the dance. Benny's rigged the decorations to amplify the ritual and with this sample of Celeste's magic the spell should be able to work within the barrier."
"What about us?" asked Erica as she raised her eyebrows. "We've been helping set up the dance all week, I don't know about these two but my fangs are dying for some action."
"Good because you and Rory are in charge of guarding Eric. The Ringmasters will try and make a move to capture him, and if they do they'll be able to make themselves invincible to Weir magic. Do I really need to say how much of a game over that would be for us? You can't let those monsters anywhere near him, ok?"
"Got it," said Rory with a thumbs up. "No one gets near Benny's son!"
"I still can't believe Eric is Benny's son," whispered Erica dramatically. "I mean it's just weird. How can he have a seven-year old son, and only be sixteen! And don't say magic because genetics doesn't work that way!"
"What about you Ethan?" asked Sarah as she mentally went over the plan. "Where are you going to be?"
"I'm heading into the circus."
Everyone but Benny looked at him. "What!"
"The only way for the ritual to work is for there to be a receiver inside the dome. That'll be me, the spell should lock onto the magical rings Benny's Grandma made." He noticed Sarah's worried look: "There's no other way."
She made a move to say something and stopped. Ethan frowned, so many unspoken words between them.
"Is it really a good idea to separate?" asked Rory after a few seconds. "I mean when you came to save us you were almost beat. Not only that but these past few days while we've been in detention you've been barely getting by."
"Rory's got a point," said Erica as she looked at them. "I don't think we should separate. It just gives Celeste an advantage over us."
"We don't have a choice," whispered Benny sadly. "Jesse is the only one who knows the ritual, I'm the only one who can activate the spell in the auditorium, we can't risk Eric being used as a sacrifice, and we need a receiver on the inside of the dome."
"You guys can't even get near it without getting sick," added Ethan with a sigh. "This is the only way." He checked his phone. Only an hour left to sundown. "Ok guys this is it, time to head for our positions."
"How do we know this will work?" asked Sarah suddenly as she stood up. "There are so many things that can go wrong."
In response Ethan stood up and looked directly at the poster of Everlasting Circus resting on the wall.
"Because we're Team Whitechapel, and we have more to protect now than ever."
When Rory and Erica arrived at the Weir house they found the front door missing, and the windows shattered. They ran inside as fast as their vampire speed would allow and split up to search the entire house. Erica found Evelyn lying on the sofa, a quick check quelled her worst fears- she was alive, just unconscious. Rory saw no signs of Eric or the attackers. He walked through the kitchen and to his delight found a small note.
Meet us at the underground library. Tell anyone else and the boy dies. We're watching.
"What do we do?" asked Rory as he look to Erica for guidance. "If they have Eric then we need to tell Benny and-"
Erica shook her head. "We can't risk them hurting him. He's Benny's son, and if something happened to him because we didn't listen I-I don't think I could forgive myself."
"Yeah... you're right. We're team V! We can do this!"
"Something's bothering me," whispered Erica as she looked around the living room. The broken windows, the missing door, something was calling out to her and she was missing it. She shuddered. "I don't know why but the air feels... wrong."
"Now that you said something I do kind of feel tired," said Rory. He shook his head, grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. "But that doesn't matter, we can figure it out on the way to saving Eric... Wait, we can't leave Benny's Grandma alone like this... Can we?"
Erica rolled her eyes and placed an anonymous call to the Morgans before motioning towards the front door. Together the two of them raced for the old library, both unaware that the broken glass from the windows rested outside the house and not in.
Sarah waited, and waited, and waited. Where was Jesse? He was the one going on about the dangers of the Ringmasters and Celeste and here she was waiting for him to show up. A few more moments passed before she detected a familiar scent in the air.
"Finally," said Sarah as she walked towards it. "It was about time I was-"
Jesse appeared with several of the council's guards. Each and every one of them wore the same pin depicting the symbol of Everlasting Circus. She took a step back and from the shadows more emerged.
"Lady Anastasia would like a word with you," said Jesse as he approached her his eyes a strange blue color. "If you fight we will be forced to stake you."
Sarah followed obediently, this wasn't good. Without Jesse they had no way of getting the ritual, and without the ritual they had no way of sealing the Ringmasters. This wasn't good at all.
Ethan looked at his phone and frowned, it was time. He approached the front gate and let out a nervous breath. A week ago he had been afraid of the circus, and here he was about to go into for the first time alone. No back up, no one but him and possibly the most dangerous creatures in history. He thought about everything that had led to this moment: Erica and Rory's kidnapping, the attack on his house, the appearance of both Jesse and Eric... He thought about his fears, the faceless creatures, the hurt in Benny's eyes when he said Celeste name, the scars on Eric's body and the way he looked down as if the world had defeated him, the worry in Sarah's eyes about her future and... and when she thought about him.
The large steel gate opened with a loud screech. He clenched his fists, too many people been hurt, so much blood had been spilt, it was time to end this. He entered the threshold and frowned when he saw several rows of faceless mannequins dressed as ringmasters. They were motionless and silent, sentinels awaiting orders from their masters. Ethan walked along the row until he reached the center tent. With a false sense of confidence he entered.
"Welcome once again to my circus," said Celeste from seat on the other side tent. In front of her rested the chessboard, while behind stood the three rotting bodies of the Ringmasters. She motioned for him to sit. "It has been long overdue, a talk between you and I."
"I know what you are," whispered Ethan as he approached her. "I know what happened to you, and you don't have to be like this. You can fight against them, I can help."
"Have you ever played chess Ethan?"
"Yeah."
"Very well then let us play," said Celeste as she moved one of the clear black pieces. "It will not only serve as a battle of wits, but it will help you to understand the forces around you. It is your mind against mine. Which one of us is going to come out on top?"
Ethan took a seat and as he did four faceless mannequins entered blocking the exit. He moved one of his white pieces and felt a strange weariness in his hand. "I know about the Ringmasters."
"I am not surprised," said Celeste with a smile as she moved a piece. "You and my son has always been resourceful children."
"He's not your son." He made his move.
"If he was, he would have joined me in my cause. Unfortunately I reached him far too late and he was lost to the likes you and those beasts you call friends."
"We will win," said Ethan as he took one of her pawns with a knight. His hand was beginning to shake. "We always have."
"Even after everything you've been through you still think you are in control." She took his knight with a bishop. "Allow me to clarify what really happened."
He moved another piece only to lose it. With a concentrated look she said: "I let Jesse tell you about our history because I was tired of facing such an inadequate opponent. I let you and your friends survive all this time to see if you could best me, best us. And since you have not your reward will be to watch as we turn Whitechapel pure."
"You think you've won," said Ethan as he took one of her knights. "But the game isn't over until the last piece remains."
"That is where you are wrong. In chess the game is decided by the final pieces. Unless can have the capabilities of pinning your opponent you would be chasing them around endlessly, and even though you think you can outsmart them you cannot. The winner is the one with the stronger army."
The orbs above them lowered. They showed people all around the city moving about unaware of the evil that lurked within. "This is my army Ethan."
One by one the posters, tickets, anything with Celeste's mark began to glow across the town of Whitechapel. As they did civilians fell to the ground in a deep sleep. He watched his teachers, his family, and fellow classmates all collapse. Before he could say anything else the orbs flashed to the ones who were awake, the ones who hadn't fallen under her spell, the ones who were frantically looking for an explanation. He heard the front gate open.
"The spell only works on normal people, this allows my faceless mannequins to find and target those who do not belong." The images showed the mannequins as they fanned out through city. "The purge has officially begun." She took his second knight.
"I have an army too," said Ethan as he moved his rook with his left hand. It began to shake as well.
"You mean your friends?" The images changed to Erica and Rory as they wandered through the library. "I took the liberty of removing them from the game."
Erica looked down the empty row and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt cold, something wasn't right. To her vampire senses the air felt wrong, heavy with anger and death. Rory waved his flashlight around and stopped when he caught sight of a rat.
"Dinner," said Rory happily before noticing Erica's silence. "You ok? Every time I see a rat you always say I should eat better."
"I don't smell Eric," whispered the blonde as she turned to get a better look of the books around them. "You can't sense it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" asked Rory as he closed his eyes trying to pick up on the sounds. "I don't hear anything."
"Exactly," responded Erica as she grabbed his arms and pulled him towards the end of the aisle. "We need to get out of here there's no sound which means-"
Before they reached the end two mannequins appeared. They turned only to find two more emerging from the shadows. They were trapped.
"The next move was to make sure you had no allies." She took a rook.
"You need to listen," said Sarah as she was thrown into the vampire council room. She looked over the desk at Anastasia. "You're under the control of the Ringmasters! Celeste wants us all gathered in one place so she can-"
"Silence," demanded Anastasia as she stood up her eyes the same blue color as Jesse's. She approached Sarah with an evil grin on her face. "I want to be the to personally stake her."
Jesse smiled. "And here I thought that honor was going to be mine."
Something began to bang against the door. The sound echoed throughout the chamber. The vampires turned towards the entrance and smiled before kneeling. In unison they said:
"Our new masters are here."
The wooden doors exploded inwards, and a dozen mannequins entered the room. Sarah looked at Anastasia and then at Jesse as the horror of the situation finally sank in.
"And now," she took his bishop. "I am going to take your best friend away from you."
Benny felt his whole body flinch when the power suddenly went off in the auditorium. Some students let out screams while others laughed nervously. He felt his heart beat quicken in his chest and let out a sigh when the back up generators kicked in. He scanned the crowd looking for signs of Sarah and Jesse. Where were they? They only had-
Someone screamed and pointed at the doors. Mannequins were entering in through all the entrances. The students shouted and screamed as they backed away from the monsters until they were trapped in the center of the room. The lights began to flicker and silence took hold. Two of the tall creatures detached themselves from the group and began to approach him.
"No," whispered Ethan as he watched as one my one the monsters closed in on his friends. "N-no..."
"But the best part of all," said Celeste with a deranged smile she moved her queen forward. "Is that I have you and your blood."
He look down and saw small amount of blood pooling around his white pieces. He looked up and felt his heart rate increase, this wasn't part of the plan. He made a move to get up when the mannequins behind him approached. He remained seated and watched his blood spread out.
The orbs on Celeste's staff began to glow, as it did the shadows from all around started to pull towards the Ringmasters. "Behold!"
"Celeste you don't have to do this!" yelled Ethan as the darkness cocooned around the bodies before rising into the sky. "You can stop this!"
She raised her arms up high and continued to stare at the pillars of darkness. "The rebirth of the Ringmasters!"
From within the pillars long arms began to appear. Little by little they emerged, now dressed entirely in Victorian clothing with a dark purple mark glowing on their hands. They were no longer faceless, for each one of them had a mouth filled with sharp and pointed teeth. The tallest of three smiled, its fangs shining in the moon light. They took a step forward and as they did Ethan felt anger and malice surge through the air.
He made a move to get up again and Celeste turned to him her eyes wild and unfocused.
"SIT!" She demanded as she looked down at the board. "Our battle isn't finished yet. I want you watch as your friends die knowing you've failed, knowing you were beaten by our superiority. I want you know the pain you monsters bring to this world, and I want you to watch as we cleanse! I've forced your king into check, your move boy."
Ethan felt himself lost for words as he stared at newly revived Ringmasters. He reached to move the white king, and as he did his brown eyes met Celeste's green. This was it, this was the end game
"You have no moves left," said Celeste eagerly as she waited for his move. "All you have left is a bishop, a rook, your king and some worthless pawns."
"That's what we wanted you to think," said Ethan as moved his bishop and smiled when her queen took it. He moved his rook and leaned back as the queen was banished from the board. "We needed you to think you were winning right up until the moment we sprang our trap."
"We're going to die here," said Rory with a depressed sigh. "At least I get to die with a hot girl by my side."
Erica rolled her eyes and looked at Rory. Together they nodded and pulled several moonstones from their pockets. They tossed them to the ground at the monsters' feet and watched as the creatures shuddered before collapsing to the ground unable to move.
Erica smacked Rory. "I hate it when you categorize me as 'hot girl', I am so much more than that. Now come on Eric's not here and the others are going to need our help."
"Benny found a book by one of your ancestors in the underground library detailing how to fuse human emotions to a spell. Not only that but we accidentally discovered how to stop your mannequins when you sent one to attack my house on Monday. All it takes is a few moonstones to interrupt the flow of magic in their bodies."
"I planned for everything," whispered Celeste as she moved a pawn only to have it taken by Ethan. "Those books couldn't be removed, I tried to but they were bound by some magical force. It's not possible."
"But it is, and do you want to know why?"
The creatures in the council room moved forward only to collapse as the symbols on Anastasia's necklace began to glow. The vampires wretched off the pins and Sarah smiled when she saw the both Anastasia and Jesse rubbing their heads.
"You guys back?"
"She took over my mind," said the ancient vampire before standing up and letting out an inhuman scream. "She's going to pay for that!"
"Great," whispered Jesse as he looked from Sarah's calm form to Anastasia who was shaking with anger. "You've gone and gotten all worked up."
"We knew you would try and separate us," said Ethan as he removed one of her pieces. "So we allowed ourselves to spread out among the city hoping you would do exactly what you did. The most logical people you would go after first would obviously be Jesse and Eric."
She looked at him but said nothing. Behind her the three Ringmasters continued to smile it was as if they were bathing in Ethan's victory.
"Jesse knew the ritual, and Eric is not only a fourth generation Weir, but has intimate knowledge of the circus. You would have to remove both if you wanted to stop us and you did. What's the best way to get rid of Jesse? To have the vampire council take him hostage of course. You knew one of us would have to after him, and you knew we'd send a vampire, since no one else can hold their own. Since you had Anastasia under your control you thought it would be simple, get them all in once place and then remove the problem. But thanks to you, you've led us to the army we needed and left yourself open for an attack."
"You couldn't stop my army even if you tried," hissed Celeste. "And you still don't know where Eric is and by the time you find him it'll be far too late."
Benny smiled and turned the record on the table in front of him. The decorations above began to glow, all at once the lights exploded as a large orb of white energy began to surge back and forth. It bounced around the ceiling before zooming right through the first mannequin. It turned to dust as the orb went after the others.
Benny smiled, tossed his headphones to the ground and headed for the exit. It was time for the counter attack.
"Doesn't matter," said Ethan with a smile. "See the only reason Benny agreed to DJ the dance was because he needed the energy of the students to generate the Breath of Life spell. And right now it's surging through the city as we speak destroying every last one of your monsters. Whatever you have guarding Eric will be destroyed and he'll come to us."
"So what?" said Celeste as she took one of his pawns. "That was just the advance team, there will be many more where those came from. The rest are safe within the confines of Everlasting Circus. You may have destroyed the mannequins in the city, and freed and raised the vampires to my presence, but they cannot enter my circus as long as the barrier is standing."
"Remember when Benny and I came into the circus to sample your magic? That wasn't the real reason we were here. Benny discovered you had the tents set up to create a large pentagram, and when we snuck in he had me place little tiny markers all across the circus. Do you know what those markers were for?"
"No..."
"Oh yes," said Ethan unable to keep his excitement in check. "They create a secondary seal over the first one, and thanks to that we were able to hijack your energy! The Breath of Life isn't being generated by a bunch of high-schoolers at a dance, it's being powered by every single one of those trapped emotions and more! Right now each of your symbols is glowing, so every poster, every necklace, anything with that symbol is feeding energy into the Breath of Life. Not only that but since energy isn't going into the barrier anymore-" He held up his hand.
A loud explosion resounded throughout the tent causing both Celeste and the Ringmasters to look up. The mannequins behind Ethan turned to dust as an orb of white light surged passed.
"No," whispered Celeste as she stood. She began to scream. "NO! NO! NO!"
"There's nothing left to guard your army or to stop the vampires from getting in." He moved his pawn and looked up. "Did you a pawn can be the most powerful piece in chess? People ignore it because it looks so weak, but when you move it to the other side of the board it can change into any piece you want, it can become the strongest weapon you have."
He stood up and slammed his hands against the table. "Your mannequins are being destroyed, you've raised an army of vampires against yourself, and to top it off your barrier is gone." He glared at her and yelled: "YOUR MOVE CELESTE!"
She said nothing and Ethan smiled as he looked down at the board. "I believe that's what you call check mate."
A/N: Next chapter was by far the hardest one to write for the story, and I can't wait to update it!