Chapter 12
Kira no longer danced over their heads, and the expressions on their faces reflected this. Where had there been bloodthirstiness and blind determination, there was now confusion, fear, a sense of things not being right.
Derek lowered his gun... had he been ready to shoot children? He noticed that he had grabbed Roxanne roughly and let her go, ashamed.
Patterson felt himself blush. He had acted like a damn fool, getting caught in someone else's drama...
Howard's eyes still held the mad light in them but that was not that they held. He saw Roxanne and knew that she could be caught in the crossfire, and that was the last thing he wanted. He would settle with George and Derek later, if it had to be, but not with Roxanne in the middle.
George knew that Kira was gone. Felt the relief that her absence brought, and knew that the worst was over.
They were not out of danger yet. The passions stirred where already in them before Kira arrived, and they would have to be resolved.
But not today, and not with guns.
"We have all been tricked." Roxanne said "that man there is not Doctor Blair. He is Nicholas Blair, the warlock.:"
Nicholas looked at her and wanted to deny it. but the thoughts came to him like knives. The Petofis had lost, and thought it had not been his fault, who knows if his master decided to blame him? And if that was so, who could protect him? Angelique might, but he would have to do something in exchange for that protection...
He had to confess and throw himself at their mercy. It was the only chance he had.
"She is right." he said. "I don't know how it failed or why, but we could not kill you. I will tell you all I know, if you protect me."
'Nicholas Blair?" Howard asked " You did this?
"What about Frances?" George asked.
"He goaded me into trying to kill her." Roxanne said. "He goaded all of us into trying to kill each other. But I did not kill Frances. The other Roxanne intervened. She took Frances with her, warned me that we were being set up, and commanded me to say nothing of it. So I said nothing."
"You said that you were Dr. Blair." George said. "What about the real Dr. Blair? Does he exist?"
"Yes. He does. I have him here." Nicholas pulled him out of his pocket, showing the crystal to Roxanne.
"Release him!" Roxanne commanded.
Nicholas knew that the time to dictate terms was long past. He let the crystal rest on the ground and made passes in front of it.
Nothing happened.
"My power! It is gone!"
Roxanne put her hand on his throat "You find that power, Nicholas Blair or you won't need any protection from anyone. Release him now!"
"I can't!"
"Try!"
"The power is not there anymore!"
"If you cannot restore Dr. Blair, they you are no good to us. So if you want to keep on living, do your best to bring him back."
"So it ends for you here. The Petofis will not help you. They can't even help themselves. And you see how little use Nicholas will be to you.."
Still, Nicholas had asked for protection, and he had been promised it. She gestured over the Tower card, returning some of his power to Nicholas, enough to release Dr. Blair from his prison.
Then, quickly, she slipped the Magician card under the Moon card. "And he is under my protection now, even if he little deserves it. You can't hurt him either. You can't hurt anyone here, except me, and it will not help you any if you do.. You have lost everything."
"Try again" Roxanne said "And it'd better work this time"
Nicholas cringed and tried. And this time the crystal, which seemed to be a single, seamless piece, opened a door, and Doctor Blair walked out. unsteadily.
"Make him grow to normal size" Roxanne said "Put him back the way you found him."
Nicholas did. Doctor Blair seemed pulled in all directions, then he expanded, stretched, and then was at eye level with his former tormentor.
"So you are what I might have been if I had had not better sense:" he said, with scorn. "You could have made something better of yourself than this."
Nicholas did not answer. he was now too terrified to do anything but cringe and wait for the worst.
"We promised you protection, Nicholas" George said. "And you shall have it. We'll contact Angelique and let her decide how it is to be done. In the meantime, you'll have to stay in jail."
Nicholas let himself be led without a protest. It was his only chance, and he knew it.
"I wonder how I could have thought that he was you." Roxanne said to Dr.. Blair.
"He tapped my mind to know how to act and move around you. He became me... but that was his downfall, because I could use his link to me to drain off his power...and then to plant the ideas in his mind about betrayal... well, that's enough. I have not seen you for a long time, and there is much to talk about.
"So it ends." Amy said "The last loose end. Nicholas is under my protection, and Doctor Blair is free. Vassily Petofi will never reclaim his kingdom. Don't you understand, Burke? I have defeated you."
"It cost you Edmund, Frances and Barnabas."
"It cost me no more than I am willing to pay."
At that moment Edmund and Frances came in, dragging Barnabas between them.
"You did not kill them, Burke. And it is not in your power to harm them."
"What is the matter with him?" Burke pointed to Barnabas
"I was injured earlier." Barnabas said, "and your blow exacerbated it."
"So you did pay after all. I hurt you. I did win."
"Against me, yes. Against all of us, you did not. If crippling me was all you could accomplish, then your power is not that great."
"But I did defeat you! "
"Yes, if it pleases you."
"There is nothing for you here, Burke Devlin." Amy said. You will not get Elsa back. All you can do is lose her forever."
"So?"
"So leave the labyrinth. There is no place for you here. I rule here and do wish you gone." she took a card from the deck. "if you do not leave, the cards will expel you."
Burke scowled but said nothing. He had lost. Once Elsa was out of his reach, Amy could unleash all the power of he deck against him, and he could not prevail against it.
But he would come back...
"You won. For now. But I will claim Elsa yet."
He vanished and Amy sighed. There would be another battle. She better make ready for it.
Amy pushed the needle back into Barnabas' neck. He stood up on his own.
"Are we safe now?" Edmund asked.
"Can we go home?' Frances asked.
"Yes. You can go home" Amy said to Frances "They are waiting for you. Roxanne, you go with her. There will be a lot of explaining to do. Vassily is gone, and Nicholas no longer holds power over anyone there. But the conflicts that Nicholas exploited are still there and need to be resolved. You all must deal with them."
A doorway opened and Frances stepped into it.
"You can tell Nicholas that he is under my protection now, and that he will be contacted as to how he might earn it."
"I will tell him that."
"Good luck, Frances."
Frances and Roxanne disappeared.
"The battle is ended for her." Amy said. "Now it is Edmund's turn. He has to return his power."
