Chapter 10: The Fall of Magnus the Great
A haze filled Misto's mind; the last things he remembered were trying to force his arm down to stop himself from killing Demeter and Jemima, an explosion, a clap of thunder then…darkness. His eyes were still closed and he felt as if he were floating; a peaceful, serene feeling. There were sounds around him but he couldn't figure out exactly what they were. It sounded like voices; yelling, barking, cries of pain and what sounded like electricity or something in the background. Right now all he wanted to do was stay in the darkness; it was so much more peaceful here; except for a slight chill underneath him and whatever that hard thing was against his head. Unfortunately, a dull ache was starting in his back and slowly creeping through his entire body which was also making the voices louder.
As the noise continued to grow, the haze finally started to disappear and the pain began to grow quickly. Wait a second, Misto thought, the box...it's gone. I don't feel trapped anymore! Testing his theory he tried to move his arm and felt like shouting for joy when it responded albeit a bit stiffly. Stiff or not it didn't matter; Magnus's hypnosis was broken; he had total control of his body again! A sense of vindication ran through him as the noise became louder still and he felt his eyes finally open.
He was lying on his back a few feet behind Demeter, Jemima and Munkustrap; the latter were both hurt badly and Misto felt a twinge of regret when he saw Jemima. The rest of the tribe was fighting with the dogs again; there weren't as many now and they seemed to be lost and disorganized. The tribe was winning. Slowly he looked around and found Magnus standing near the entrance to Munk and Demeter's den alone. He slowly picked himself up and saw Demeter's head turn toward him, a look of apprehension on her face. She didn't realize he had control again. He locked eyes with her and felt his characteristic smile come to his face. He saw the relief in her eyes as she recognized it then he focused back on the Pollicle leader. Time for a little payback.
This can't be happening, Magnus thought desperately as he watched Wisp take out one dog after another, Mistoffelees buried him alive! He couldn't possibly survive! The rest of his army was gradually losing ground; the sight of the Demon Cat rising from whatever level of hell he was from had unnerved them. Oso and Rohl were busy with a few Jellicles; they had managed to gang up on his bodyguards and no matter how many times the Mastiffs knocked them off, they kept coming back. He needed to rally them; give them something to hold on to so they could turn the tide. He looked around quickly and spied Demeter and her family nearby. This would do perfectly; he would not be denied his victory. He hurried toward them forcing his way through a couple of separate fights until he came upon the three of them.
Demeter hissed defiantly and moved to protect her family; the Wolfhound simply smirked. This was going to be easier than he thought. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a movement. Mistoffelees! He was alive; he still had his advantage. The black tux slowly came toward them, his face neutral as always. He could deal with this queen while Magnus killed Munkustrap and rally his troops behind him. His distraction however allowed Demeter to strike, pouncing on him and actually knocking him off his feet. The black and gold queen clawed at him viciously aiming mostly for his face and eyes.
Why isn't Mistoffelees using his magic, Magnus wondered, he should've killed her by now.
Growling he shoved her off and she stumbled right into Misto's arms. Magnus sat up relieved as he saw Misto holding Demeter and turned his attention to Munkustrap. He rose to his feet and reached out for him only to jerk back as a lightning bolt streaked past barely missing his face. Shocked, he turned to Misto; the black tux's paws were covered in sparks and his face was a mask of hatred. Fear washed over the Wolfhound; the hypnosis spell…it was broken!
"Oso! Rohl! Kill him!" Magnus shouted as Misto came toward him. Thankfully the two Mastiffs heard their leader and raced toward the tux snarling. They came to within three steps of the tux, leaped at him and…stopped. Something had a hold of them; suspending them in mid air and though they struggled and snapped, they weren't going anywhere. Debris from the piles around them and pieces from the collapsed pile suddenly whipped through the air, bouncing off the two Mastiffs and Magnus himself, to encircle Demeter, Munk and Jemima; like a shield of some kind. Looking to his left, Magnus again found himself looking into Wisp's smirking face.
"I got these two Misto," Wisp said casting a sidelong glance at the Conjuring Cat, "He's all yours."
With a slight nod of his head, the Mastiffs suddenly flew backward tumbling head over tail with the Ghost Cat right behind them. Magnus turned to the black tux steeling himself.
"I don't know how you broke the spell Mistoffelees," Magnus said drawing himself up to his full height, "And it doesn't matter. No cat can stand against me!"
"Demeter could," Misto said with a light shrug.
Enraged, Magnus rushed at Misto; he could easily overpower the small cat but as he swung his huge paw at him, the tux vanished. Magnus stumbled as he caught nothing but air and Misto reappeared in front of him hitting him in the face knocking him back. Wisp's shield responded also to the Wolfhound getting too close; pieces of it flung themselves at him forcing him away and were immediately replaced by new ones.
The Mastiffs were having an equally tough time with the Demon Cat; though they took him down a couple of times, they were pelted relentlessly by pieces of debris. They tried staying close to Wisp thinking the silver cat would get hit also but the pieces of junk avoided Wisp completely; arcing around him to strike the dogs. In the midst of the fight, Alonzo was knocked inadvertently to the path of Wisp's lightning bolt. It suddenly split; arcing around the black and white tom then split again to strike both dogs. Alonzo looked dumbfounded for a moment then snapped back to reality as another dog came at him. The Mastiffs were at a loss; they looked at each other for a moment then back to the Demon Cat. Suddenly, Oso grabbed Rohl and shoved him toward the silver cat. Wisp tripped the dog as he stumbled toward him then grabbed hold of his head before he could get up, pulling him into a sitting position. A cruel smile on his face, Wisp twisted the dog's head to the left then yanked it back to the right. A loud crack sounded and Oso looked in horror at the silver cat as his friend's limp form collapsed. The Mastiff turned and fled racing out of the junkyard as fast as he could.
"No!" Magnus shouted as he saw Oso fleeing, "Get back here you coward!"
The Pollicles were losing heart now; most of them were trying simply to escape with their lives. Some still fought on but they were no match for the Jellicles. Mistoffelees lunged at Magnus again taking the huge dog off his feet. Magnus was really angry now and kicked the black tux off him then kicked him again before he could get up. Misto tumbled away but the Wolfhound was relentless, kicking him again, this time in the face when he stopped tumbling to send him sprawling on his back. He grabbed the tux around the neck and started to squeeze; he knew Misto couldn't use his magic if he couldn't breathe and he was determined to crush the life of the conjurer. Suddenly, the shield surrounding Demeter, Jemima and Munk burst outward peppering the huge dog and driving him back then the same force that caught the Mastiffs took hold of him and tossed him into the center of the clearing.
It was over; the remaining dogs had at last fled leaving their leader alone against the tribe. Magnus stood up as the cats surrounded him. Still he held himself with pride.
"If I must fall," he declared, "I will take one of you with me!"
He surged forward, forcing his way through the tribe and seized the injured Jemima, knocking Demeter and Munkustrap aside. The kitten struggled weakly and Magnus opened his jaws to clamp them down on her neck. His teeth barely touched her when Misto threw a lightning bolt at him, striking his arm and forcing him to drop his prey. The kitten didn't hit the ground as Wisp's mind stopped her fall then guided her back to her mother. With Jemima safe, Mistoffelees threw one final lightning bolt at the Wolfhound hitting him full in the chest as he had made Misto do to her. The blast punched the Pollicle from his feet and he slammed into a junk pile behind him dead before he even realized what was happening.