Work Your Magic
Chapter Twelve
By Pixiedust291
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"Yes Mother, I need to speak to the council right away." Arthur said as he nibbled on a scone. Iggy mewed at his side so he broke off a chunk for him.
"Darling, why do you need to speak to them?"
"I'll tell you when I see you, but it is urgent."
"Darling it is the night after Halloween, many of them will not be available."
Arthur had had just about enough if the council's secrecy "You will spread the word, mother, and get them to meet. Or I will take matters into my own hands." There, that should put the fear of god into her.
"What on earth does that mean?"
"I think you have a perfectly good idea, mother. Someone is manipulating the truth and I hope you are not a part of it."
"I have no idea what you are insinuating and I will not take any of your sass. Call me again when you can be respectful." She clicked off.
Arthur leaned back on the couch. Interesting. The moment he had said anything she couldn't wait to get him off the phone. Regardless, he would give her twenty four hours and not a second more.
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"Arthur, I understand you have been trying to assemble the community."
Arthur shifted his hold on the phone to his shoulder as he checked off another name from the list of people he had compiled "I haven't been trying, Mother; I am calling together the community. I warned you that I would take matters into my own hands."
"May I ask why?"
"You explained how hard it would be to bring the council together. I have important new information that effects some key decisions, and I need to communicate it right away. I have no choice but to go straight to the community."
"That is ridiculous!"
"Be that as it may, that is what I am doing. Now if you excuse me mother I do have some work to do," he paused, and decided to give her a little jolt "My lover is coming over tonight for dinner and I don't want to make him wait."
There was a long pregnant silence on the other end before his mother spoke again. "Do not do this." Was that fear in her voice?
"Then I suggest you call the council together."
"Arthur you do realize what you are doing? It is very dangerous."
"To whom?"
"Myself, you, others."
Arthur thought for a moment then he looked down at his hand and in the blink of an eye he was toying with a small fireball "I find myself increasingly... powerful, as of late."
"I know you're powerful sweetie, but I seriously doubt you could go up against all the highest level wizards by yourself." He was about to retort when there was a knock on his door. Without a word he clicked off the phone and walked over, opening the door. There, standing in his doorway, was Ivan Braginski and Lien. He glanced back and forth between them. Ivan's face as always was set in a chilling smile.
Lien's face was blank as she stepped forward "May we come in Arthur?"
"... Yes, of course." Arthur stepped back and then shut the door once they had entered. "Might I ask what is going on?"
Lien immediately walked over to pick up Iggy, when she turned around she gave Arthur a comforting smile "Do not worry Arthur, we are not here for what you might think."
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Arthur, in less than a day, stood before the council of wizardry. There were five of them, and they stood behind their own distinct podiums in the council room, which resembled a court room. Behind Arthur stood Kiku, Francis, Kasem, and Antonio. Ivan, along with Lien, was standing to Arthur's right.
Arthur stepped forward "Hello, everyone. Thank you very much for agreeing to see us so... graciously."
The frowns on the five council member's faces deepened, showing that the sarcasm of Arthur's statement was not lost on them. "We were asked here by Lord Braginski young man, not you"
"Yes you were, but it is I who wish to speak with you. Lord Ivan was simply kind enough to get you all in the same room."
One of the old men turned toward Ivan "What is he speaking about?"
"I am here to speak about the falsehood of some of our beliefs." Arthur stated plainly. "I am sure you are all aware of the proposed future marriage of Lien and myself. This marriage was arranged under the false assumption that the current decline in magical ability of witches and wizards is due to the dwindling population, which in turn is due to witches and wizards consorting with humans. It is believed that consorting with humans drained a witch or wizard of their powers and that such unions could not produce offspring. Council members recently some information has come to my attention that proves all of this to be false."
The council didn't move. They didn't even blink an eye "What information?"
"I have recently met a young man who was the son of a human man and a witch." He looked behind him and indicated Kasem. "He has inherited his mother's magical prowess, and more. In fact in the last few days Lien and I have been working with him extensively. Kasem, if you would please."
Kasem nodded. He stepped forward and held out his hand. His fingertips began to glow and then the light flowed down his finger and into his hand where it formed a small ball. This ball then levitated above his palm. Kasem's face contorted in concentration as the ball slowly took shape and changed into water, fire, earth, and then air.
One of the council member mumbled "That is not possible. One of you is doing it for him."
"If one of us was then he would not have been able to hold it within his palm." He smirked "Kasem has only recently begun to explore the depths of his power. In just a few days he was able to master the spell you have seen, which is a spell reserved for senior academy students. With more time it is my opinion that Kasem's power will even surpass my own." Arthur turned his full attention back to the council "Gentlemen I feel it is safe to say that obviously humans and those with magic can reproduce and it is my hypothesis that their resulting children are in fact stronger then their parents. The current decline in magical prowess among witches and wizards is more or less due to witches and wizards only having children with other witches and wizards. It is a form of inbreeding, so to speak."
The council was silent until one of the men leaned forward "Of course the resulting children are more powerful. Once the parent loses their magic after copulation the power must go somewhere."
Did they just admit it? "Which brings us to the second falsehood. Witches and wizards do not lose their power after having sex with mortals."
"And what proof do you have of this?"
Antonio stepped forward as Arthur spoke "My acquaintance and I have both been with a human, and we have not lost any of our powers. In fact," Arthur smiled "We feel more powerful from doing it."
The council's faces remained grim and uncaring, which greatly confused Arthur. Why were they not shocked, or at least angry? Why were they not protesting? Why were they... he shook his head "You knew." He glared up at them "You knew all of this already." The council remained silent. Anger surged through Arthur's veins "You bastards knew this was the case all along and yet you chose to let the public remains stupid. In fact, I wonder if you were the ones who thought up those lies in the first place."
"You will hold your tongue." One council member warned.
"Why? Why did you do it?" Arthur balled his hands into fists at his sides "One thing has been confusing me for some time. When I tried to find out more information about any witches and wizards who had been exiled for having sex with humans, I couldn't find anything. It was as if the moment they were found out they just vanished. But now I see that they didn't just vanish," his smile was dark and menacing "You had them killed didn't you. So the truth wouldn't get out."
"And to rid us of any impure offspring they had sired." Spat one of the council members.
"You are very clever, Mr. Kirkland. But you are not the first to come before this council proclaiming that the truth must be made public." The council members stood "Our race is dying. There are very few of us left. So it has been put to the council to save it. Though breeding with the humans does produce fertile and strongly magical children, it also means that we are hybridizing with them. If we continue to do that, then our race will also die out. We will stop being what we are then the future generations will be something else entirely."
"That is why we spread those rumors and made the laws supporting them. There is nothing more powerful then fear."
Arthur looked to the ground "I see. And now I wonder what you plan to do with us." He looked behind him at everyone. They all seemed to know what question needed to be asked. "You can not just let us go. So do you plan to kill us?"
"That is up to you. If you allow us to cast a memory spell on you, to erase all knowledge of this entire thing, then you and Ms. Lian can go on about your lives and marry."
"What about the fact that I had sex with a human?"
"We will erase your entire memory, of everything."
Arthur looked toward Antonio and then Kasem "What about them?"
"They will be killed, humanly of course. I assure you the death spell is quick and painless."
"So not only are you all murderers, but you have also sunk to the depths of black magic." Arthur released a breath in sheer disbelief of the situation.
"Lord Braginski. You are free to leave as well, providing you agree to the same terms that Mr. Kirkland and your daughter do."
Arthur glances over toward Ivan. The man's face was still that utterly terrifying Russian smile, but now there seemed to be an almost palpable purple aura around him. Arthur then looked to the others, seeing the looks on their faces. He turned back to see that all the council member were standing, awaiting their answer. "I think I speak for everyone here council when I say, fuck you."
Faster then Arthur could have even blinked one of the council members took out his wand and attacked them. Fire balls shot through the air like missiles straight for Arthur and then shattered into blades of ice when they ricocheted off a barrier. Arthur turned to see Antonio and Francis had their hands outstretched, there palms glowing red.
"We'll take care of the barrier." Antonio yelled. The next thing Arthur knew Ivan and Kiku were at his side.
"I never thought I would be fighting the council of wizardry." Ivan spoke in an unamused tone. "However I have not been particularly fond of them for as long as I can remember."
Kiku pulled an Asian fan out of his jacket and opened it. Several small marble sized balls of blue foxfire ignited at the tip of each fan blade. "Yes, a fight is not what I would have expected this to become when we first entered here."
Arthur extracted his wand from his vest pocket. He hardly ever used his wand anymore because he had master how to cast simple magic without it, but for wizard duels it was necessary. Arthur nearly fell over as a furry missile jumped into his shoulder. Iggy hissed and growled, showing his white fangs. Arthur smiled and not wasting a second more he swung his wand. The wooden podiums splintered and then crumbled. The council members evaporated into a whirlwind of black smoke and then appeared next to Arthur and the others. Each one attacked a different person, effectively separating them. Arthur dodged a blast and then tried to counter with one of his own. The resulting sparks and combustion left a smearing of black ash on the wall. Arthur turned and ran, trying to get more distance between them. He ran past Kiku who deflected every blow with his fan and then attacked with a form of magic that replicated the exquisite brush strokes of Japanese art. The black ink clouds and wind morphed into a drawing of a dragon. Kiku brought his fan to his lips and blew softly. The dragon roared and let out a breath of blue flames.
Ivan moved and dodged with far more grace and skill then his muscular form would lead one to believe. No matter how many spells or attacks the council member tried to land on him every one missed. This caused the man's anger to grow more and more until finally he screamed and then charged at Ivan, his body morphing into that of a bear. Ivan's raised a brow and then smiled, meeting the bear head on. The bear roared and raised its huge clawed paws. Ivan blocked it with an iron pipe that seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. He then threw the bear off his balance and slashed forward with the pipe. The bear rolled out of the way just as the pipe made contact with the floor and left a six inch wide gash.
Lien moved to protect Kasem, pushing him behind her as another of the council members came toward them. "You would protect such an abomination?" Lien raised her arm, her red wand shinning in the dime light of the court room.
"I would protect him from everything, if that were his wish." Lien spoke in a hushed tone. Her dark brown eyes were almost black as she stared down her opponent. The council member yelled out a command as his body evaporated into black smoke as before. When he reappeared he was only inches in front of Lien as he tackled her to the ground. The two of them tumbled away. Lien cast a spell that separated them from one another. She got to her feet, seeing that the old man was only several yards away. With a deep breath she brought her wand to her lips. The wand curled and then turned a dark red as it elongated. One end extended outward into a sharp blade. Lien grasped the handle and pointed her new weapon at the old man.
"A scythe?" The old man laughed. "You stupid impudent child! Such a common farm tool will not kill me!"
Lien smiled. From the crimson of the scythe stretched out several long black thorned vines. "My weapon is anything but common." Lien smiled as she charged forward.
Arthur somersaulted out of the way of another blast before coming to his knees and aiming his wand. The bright yellow star at the tip glowed with power. The council member unleashed a flock of black ravens. Their red eyes burned as they swooped down to scratch and peck as Arthur. Iggy lept from Arthur's shoulder into the air. His green eyes blazed as wings sprouted from his back in a gush of blood. He attacked the crows and flew around them, distracting them from their purpose. Arthur got to his feet and unleashed a beam of magical toward the council member. The old man countered his attack with one of his own. The two beams met and battled one another in an electrical tug-o-war. Arthur used all his might and concentration as he watched his opponent's every more for any sign of change in tactic. He noticed the old man's eyes flick toward Arthur's right just before Arthur was slammed backward and against the wall.
Arthur coughed and sputtered, spitting the blood than fill his mouth to the floor. He looked up and glared as not only one but two council members advanced toward him. "Two against one. I'm glad to see the rules and ethics of battle are still being upheld." Arthur tried to get to his feet.
One of the men lifted his wand, a dark green light illuminated the end "We are sorry about this dear boy." He raised his arm in preparation to swing it down when an arrow shot right through his chest. Arthur blinked as the man's dead body crumpled to the floor. He looked behind him to see Iggy on Kasem's shoulder. The young man holding onto a glowing crossbow. Arthur smiled.
The council member turned on Kasem with a war cry but Lien was already there in a flash. Slamming her scythe into the ground she then used it as a pole to lift and rotate her body, delivering a devastating kick to the council member's stomach. He was sent flying toward Arthur. Arthur readied his wand. In the next instant Iggy was at his shoulder, licking his cheek. Power like Arthur had never felt before exploded through him. He swung his wand and the council member in mid air exploded. His body eviscerated itself and then disintegrated into tiny, bloody, meaty pieces.
Arthur's breathing was heavy as he wiped the smeared blood from his cheek. He turned to see Kiku had transformed into a huge nine tailed black fox and was incinerating his opponent with his foxfire. He looked to see where Ivan was but all he could see was the decapitated body of a huge bear.
"You blasted brats!"
Arthur turned as another, the last, council member showed himself. He pointed his wand at Arthur and Lien. "Die." He yelled as a wave of black dust began to rain down from the ceiling. Arthur moved toward Lien and Kasem, planning to shield them, but their bodies were enveloped in a yellow light as small sunflowers bloomed on each of their shoulders. The rain hit, but upon making contacts with the yellow shield it turned into fine grained white sand. Arthur turned just in time to see Ivan appeare behind the council member and his pipe stab right through the man's chest. He gasped and gurgled some phrase before Ivan retracted his weapon and he fell to the floor.
It was over, and they had won. He looked around, seeing that Kiku, Antonio, and Francis were making there way over to them. "Is everyone alright?" Antonio asked.
Arthur looked down at himself and saw that any injuries he had obtained were actually healing right before his eyes. Ivan snapped his fingers and more sunflowers appeared on Antonio, Francis, and Kiku's shoulders. Lien smiled as she moved to lean her head against Kasem's shoulder "They are my Father's healing protection flowers." She said, explaining to the rest of them what exactly Ivan was doing.
Arthur smiled and then turned to scratch Iggy's head "You were amazing buddy." He noticed that even Iggy had a flower on his neck. Iggy mewed. Arthur took him from his shoulder and turned the feline over in his arms. The wings were gone but it seemed that the flower was helping. All that remained were the blood stains on Iggy's fur. Arthur turned to nod toward Ivan "Thank you, for everything." Ivan nodded in return.
"If I may say," Francis spoke up "I'm a little bit surprised you helped us in the first place."
Ivan raised a brow in his direction and Lien laughed softly "That actually is a rather interesting story. My father found out about Arthur's boyfriend and confronted me about it, asking if I knew. When I said I did he threatened to kill him for embarrassing me. But in trying to stop him I accidentally admitted my own crush on Kasem. He then demanded I tell him everything. After that I thought he was still going to kill Arthur and possibly even hurt Kasem, but as it turns out even my own father has been in love with a human for several years now. He was more interested in talking to Arthur than killing him."
"But... what about me?" Kasem asked.
Lien glanced toward Arthur, a bit embarrassed "My father never liked Arthur to begin with. But at the time it seemed he was the only possible choice. Now that everything is out in the open," she looked to Arthur "My father would appreciate it if you did not marry me."
Arthur raised his hands in a mock gesture of hurt "The pain will be great, but I'll manage." He smiled "Just invite me to the wedding and I'll be fine." Lien laughed as Kasem blushed, though he did wrap his arms around the girl.
Kiku looked to Ivan "We have just killed the entire council of magic. What are your people going to do?"
Ivan looked around then room "I, along with some contacts of mine, shall form a new council. I believe I know just the men who would be adequate for the job."
