Ways of Light and Darkness
Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: Not mine, because if it was I would have treated it much better.
Author's note: Here we go, another chapter. Everyone gets a big thank you for your support, I really appreciate all of you. I'm hoping to get this done before the first of the year, and then start on some other projects. I do hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The stretch of road just beyond Canary's Wharf was deserted, except for the bodies of several men.
Lord Ianto stood back and watched Jack's team work, and he was impressed. Dr. Harper immediately went to check on the bodies, examining first one then the other, making certain that they were, indeed, dead.
Lady Toshiko disappeared off the road, and Ianto was concerned for her, but no one else seemed to be worried and so he relaxed a bit. The young soldier, Tommy, set up a watch on the road, and Martha matched him on the opposite end, both vigilantly keeping their eyes on both approaches.
And then there was Jack.
Ianto realized that this was Captain Jack Harkness, and not Jack who was the friend of these people. He exuded an aura of command as he also looked over the bodies, and Ianto could see his mind working as he began to put whatever he was seeing together. He looked strange in his mismatched armor; Ianto had asked Martha about it, since she was the only one Ianto truly knew of the group, and the Swear-Sword had explained that Jack's original armor had been left on Utopia when they'd escaped from this timeline's version of Harold Saxon. From the way she spoke, the Wizard wondered if there was more to it than that, but didn't pry.
Ianto looked around himself; the place where the ambush had taken place was just beyond a rise in the countryside, and hidden from the town itself. There was a stand of trees on one side of the road, and he guessed that was where the ambush had come from. It was in that direction Lady Toshiko had gone, and he realized she was most likely off looking for evidence of the attacker's strength and resources.
He shivered slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable being out on that road with just the Captain's team for company…no matter how efficient they were. They'd left the Brigadier and his troops behind in Canary's Wharf, the better to prepare for the upcoming fight. The mercenary team had been sent out to check over the scene of the ambush, and to try to get some sort of intelligence on either Baron. Ianto had chosen to accompany the Captain and his people, feeling the need to hold up his counterpart's place within the group.
Another part of him wanted to see this Jack in action, to compare and contrast his lost lover to this man.
Already Ianto could see differences. This Jack was very hands' on, but at the same time he trusted his people to do their jobs. His own Jack had been nothing more than a sworn bodyguard, and had only relied on himself to do his duty. Captain Jack seemed to be more open around people, flirting casually with everyone…including with the Brigadier, who'd accepted it with a good-natured eye rolling and a comment that he was going tell Master Ianto that Jack had propositioned him. That had simply earned the old warrior a saucy wink, and then Jack had called his people together and had gotten to business. His Jack flirted, but it was more subtle and only with people he knew.
There were similarities, as well. The way this Jack seemed to keep his eye on everything, even when he was going about other tasks. He took his duty very seriously…only, instead of being to a single family, that duty was to his team and to the people who'd hired him to help.
"My beautiful Toshiko," the Captain's voice broke through the Wizard's reverie, "what did you find out?"
The Elven woman had somehow managed to appear at the mercenary's side without Ianto noticing. "There were twenty men in the trees, but there wasn't any sign that they'd actually been lying in wait. In fact, I'd go as far to say that they hung around there just long enough to leave enough of a mess for someone to find."
Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "There was something off about the bodies, too…"
"Oh yeah," Owen joined them. "From my examination I'd say this entire thing is a set-up."
Everyone tensed up. "You mean someone killed these men to make it look like an ambush?" Ianto asked.
"That's exactly what I'm saying, Your Lordship."
Ianto heard the sarcasm in the tone, but ignored it. If he'd learned one thing about Owen Harper in the short period he'd been in this timeline, it was that the man was irreverent in the extreme. "If you don't mind me asking, but how do you know?"
"Don't mind, I like educating people." Owen actually grinned at that. "The wounds are too perfect. In a melee, the wounds would be all over the place: chests, abdomen, back…you name it. All of these wounds are from the front, and too neat to have been made in the heat of battle."
"These men stood by and let their fellows kill them." Toshiko looked and sounded horrified.
"That's about the gist of it, yeah."
"But why?"
"It's a trap," Jack answered sharply. "They wanted to get Sir Alistair to commit some of his troops to come out to investigate, and then whoever set this up could take them out."
That strategy made sense to Ianto, although it also made him somewhat ill. That these men had gladly gone to their death in order to lure others in was incomprehensible to him.
"Okay," the Captain went on, "we need to pretend we don't suspect anything, and get back to Canary's Wharf. I'm not sure whoever set this up, but I don't know if they'll spring their trap just for us. We can't take the risk though. I want you all on your toes. Lord Ianto, you'll go with Toshiko; she'll watch your back, as I'm sure you'll watch hers. Plus, you two have distance attacks and I want them prepared as we move out. You two are our first line of defense."
Ianto was touched at the confidence this Jack was showing him, and he nodded his acquiescence. He calmly slid his wand from its sheath, sliding the length of metal and wood up his sleeve to keep it out of sight. He also silently put up his personal shield, and made sure to have one ready for Toshiko if she needed it.
His heart was pounding so loudly he was certain the others could hear it. He'd been in duels before, but not in out-and-out battle, and his nerves were jangling in response to the adrenaline shooting through his system. He managed to keep up a calm façade, and followed Toshiko toward where Martha was posted, in the direction of Canary's Wharf. He could hear Jack calling Tommy back with them, and together the group headed back toward town.
They didn't get very far.
Tommy shouted from his position behind the team. They all spun in his direction, and Lord Ianto saw soldiers coming across from the opposite side of the road, their tabards of black and gold flashing in the watery sunlight. He counted fifteen even as several aimed arrows at them.
A singing note rose from his left; it was Toshiko, and she was firing her own bow, the string making that sound as it propelled its arrow toward its target. Her aim was true, and it slammed into the neck of one of their attackers.
Ianto didn't hesitate. He let his wand fall into his hand and, in one fluid movement, he cast a Stunning spell, and had the satisfaction of seeing yet another soldier go down.
Two more fell to Toshiko's deadly aim, as Ianto cast another spell, this one Petrification. It hit its intended target, which meant he and the Elf had managed to take out five before they'd had a chance to get close enough for hand-to-hand.
Jack, Tommy, Owen, and Martha met the oncoming swordsmen, and the harsh ringing of metal on metal rang out along the quiet road. Toshiko sent another arrow into their ranks, taking down yet another enemy.
Ianto pulled his dagger from his belt. He needed to get closer in order to perform his next bit of magic. "Cover me," he called to Toshiko, and she called back her acknowledgement.
To be honest, he'd never tried this before. There'd never been a need; Ianto wasn't one who got into battles. But it was a spell his father had shown him, and he hoped he was up to the challenge.
The soldiers had surrounded Jack and his team; there was no way Ianto could break through to get to them. But that wasn't his goal. He only needed to get close enough…
Ianto muttered the words of the spell under his breath when he was within ten paces of his newest opponent, as he sliced his knife across and downward.
A corresponding slash appeared in one of the attacker's tabards, and a screech sounded as the spell also penetrated armor to get to soft flesh. The man barely had time to turn before he was dead.
The fight was over quickly.
"Let's get back to the town," Jack ordered, not even giving them a chance to check for injuries. "That wasn't all their men, and I'm willing to bet there are more somewhere, just waiting to see the outcome of this fight."
His words spurred them on. They weren't all that far away, and the team broke into a run, racing down the road toward Canary's Wharf. Ianto ran with them, the adrenaline making his feet fly as he easily kept up with his colleagues. They fairly flew around the rise, and started down toward the town.
An arrow flew past them, and Ianto almost swore he could hear it whizz past his ear.
Almost as one, he and Toshiko stopped and spun on their heels, the Elf woman's bow up and arrow already loosed, as Ianto pointed his wand and cast another Stunning spell. A Word of Power was on his lips, but he didn't use it; he didn't want to give the Barons the wrong impression as to just how strong his counterpart was. It suddenly struck him that they'd believe he was the Master Ianto of his continuity, and he couldn't decide if that was good or bad.
Suddenly, arrows began arching in from behind them, and he let loose a breath he hadn't even been aware that he'd been holding.
"We've got your back, Captain," shouted a familiar voice, but Ianto couldn't place it at the moment.
The black and gold liveried troops began to retreat, as the reinforcements from town peppered them with covering fire. Ianto backed up, until he felt safe enough to turn around.
The voice he'd heard was of Sir Alistair's Second, Captain Yates. He had ten mounted men with him, each one with either a bow or crossbow. Ianto dodged between the horses, joining the rest of the team in a more ordered retreat toward Canary's Wharf.
Captain Yates soon joined them, dismounting to better converse with Captain Jack. "I'm glad you showed up when you did," Jack said. "The whole scene was a trap to get some of your troops out of town."
"Thinning the herd, as it were," Yates agreed. "Instead, they got you and your people."
"I'm convinced they wouldn't have shown themselves for us, except that we had Lord Ianto with us."
Ianto shivered. He'd put the Captain's people in danger, just by his very presence…
He felt a hand on his arm; it was Martha, and she smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it," she said. "You couldn't have known."
"Are you a mind reader, Martha?" he tried to joke.
She rolled her eyes. "Nope. Just been around that particular expression on your face before. You were amazing out there, and everyone in the team would agree with me."
"She's right," Toshiko added. "It was good to have you on our side."
Ianto felt a little warmth penetrate the coldness that had taken root within him since he'd lost his Jack. He was grateful for these people; they'd accepted him easily, and he was welcome among them. It wasn't what he'd expected when he'd decided to come forward in order to help their Ianto learn about his heritage. "That was actually my first battle like that," he admitted. "I'm more used to one-on-one duels with other Wizards…"
"And yet you stepped up and did what you had to do," came the Captain's voice. "You have a place on my team, Lord Ianto…if you want it."
He glanced toward the other Jack, meeting the blue eyes that were the same, yet so very different, from his lost lover's. The man was sincere, and for a moment Ianto yearned for that place, wanted it more than almost anything else he'd ever been offered.
But he knew he couldn't accept. Being around Captain Jack Harkness was just a bit too difficult. "I'd be happy to accept," he said, "but I think I'm going to be busy doing other things."
The Captain nodded. "I understand, but keep it in mind. After all, I'd love to have two gorgeous Wizards on my team." The dazzling smile he was given made him snort.
Which was echoed by Owen. "Gods, Harkness…don't you have any shame?"
"You should know the answer to that by now, Owen," the other Jack answered, winking.
The battle surgeon groaned, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "No offence, Lord Ianto, but I'm not sure I can handle Harkness being around more than one Wizard Boy. It's bad enough with one!"
"That's fine, Dr. Harper," Ianto answered, perfectly deadpan, "although I'm certain it's more because you can't handle the competition than anything else."
The rest of the team snickered, as Owen gaped. "Shit, he's even got the same sense of humor as Wizard Boy does. Why isn't the world ending?"
That caused outright laughter among his comrades. Ianto didn't join in, but he did grin at the fact that he seemed to have been firmly accepted amongst them.
Ianto actually belonged.
Not at all what he'd been expecting.
He felt Martha's arm slide around his waist. He looked down, and she was smiling at him. He realized he was returning it a split second after the expression appeared on his face.
And then, his good mood ended.
Ianto suddenly felt dizzy, and he clutched onto Martha for support. He bit back a groan, but his swaying was noticed not only by the woman at his side, but the others in the group. He sensed rather than saw them gather around him, as his vision was too busy swimming for him to see much of anything.
It took him a few moments to realize what he was feeling.
It was the Void Point.
It was in an uproar.
Ianto looked toward Canary's Wharf. While it might have appeared normal to anyone else, to him he could see thick tendrils of Void being extruded from the main Point, weaving through the town like black snakes, writhing and pulsing with power. He'd usually have been able to block it out, but this was something new.
"It's the Void Point," he managed to grind out. "It's gone active."
"I thought you could block out it?" There was no reproof in the Captain's voice, only concern.
"I can, but not like this." Once more, he found himself looking into familiar yet unfamiliar eyes. "Something's wrong."
"There was only one person who could affect it like that," Toshiko said.
"Suzie." Owen didn't frame it as a question.
"But we left her onboard the Valiant," Tommy protested.
"Lord Ianto," the Captain said, "could she affect it from the ship?"
Ianto frowned. "I would say yes, if she was sufficiently motivated."
This Jack began to jog forward. "Come on!" he shouted.
"Captain?" Yates called out.
"I think the Valiant is under some sort of attack!" came the sharp reply.
That spurred them all on to more speed.