Chapter Two
After a few hours of shopping, window shopping, and otherwise enjoying the market, the ragtag band of witchlings and a schvine finally decided it was time for lunch. Pacifica worked at Greasy's, so Dipper suggested they eat somewhere else — it had to get old after a while. With that in mind, the group had eventually settled on a stall that sold great hock-burgers. Dipper had volunteered to brave the line and order for everyone and Pacifica had all but hopped at the chance to join him.
As they waited in the rather long line to order, Mabel and Co were watching as intently as they could without being completely obvious. Even as they watched, Dipper's left hand eased toward Pacifica's right before he hesitated and pulled back. Not ten seconds later, Pacifica's right hand fluttered toward Dipper's left before she drew it back toward her chest.
Mabel's eye was twitching unhealthily at the nearly tangible levels of Unresolved Romantic Tension radiating off of the two. For Titan's sake, they'd been crushing on each other for three years! Ever since that little ghost incident at Pacifica's old mansion and the debacle with the face-stealing demon, the spark of attraction had been nurtured by the twigs of crystal ball calls and letters — freaking handwritten letters — until it was the barely-contained fires of attraction that now stood right next to each other so closely they should be burning up!
"WHY DON'T THEY JUST DO SOMETHING ALREADY?!" Mabel glanced with wide eyes at the person who had shouted at the top of her lungs … as did Grenda. Candy, the one who had actually shouted, was crimson with mortification at her out-of-character outburst. She was always the quiet one, though not at all unexpressive. If she was shouting at the top of her lungs, it must be worse than even Mabel thought.
Unbeknownst to them, they were not the only ones watching this tooth-rotting display of repressed sweetness.
"Sir, can we move in already?" Corporal Tusk asked. With his helmet gone, his face was revealed to be as blocky and blunt-featured as the rest of him and his scalp was covered with short-cut, stiff brown hair. As implied by his name, two long tusks curled upward from his lower lip while a few wart-like protrusions peppered his face. All in all, he tended to have a dangerous and threatening air, not helped by his infamous temper. But right now, his large lower lip was trembling and his orange eyes were shining as he watched one of their lesser targets and the petite blonde struggled with themselves.
"As much as it pains me to say, sir," Lieutenant Iris said through gritted teeth, "I must agree with the corporal." Whereas Tusk was watching the pair of witchlings with teary-eyed sympathy, Iris was watching with a twisted frown, her three eyes fastened as if to a particularly botched spell — she just couldn't look away. And having said three eyes didn't make it any easier. Even hiding her gaze behind the curtain of her white hair didn't help.
"Patience, you two," Captain O'Leander said evenly. His long auburn hair had been pulled back in a tail, which combined with his wide jaw and a bit of stubble to be a catching figure only ruined by the dark circles under his eyes. He was spared the sight of textbook teenage angst by keeping an eye on their other minor target and the two girls beside her. He flicked his tongue — one that was long, dark, and forked — to taste the air and memorize their scents for when things went wrong.
Because he knew they would in this hick hamlet.
Rather than strut into this town and announce themselves with their white cloaks, avian helmets, and declarations of Emperor Belos's will — since those tactics had worked so well for their predecessors — all three of them were wearing more subtle grey cloaks and ostensibly having lunch at a nearby table where they could keep an eye on these younger Spines twins without drawing suspicion.
The plan was to wait until the twins were alone, draw closer under an unseeing glamour — an illusion spell of invisibility — and grab the kids to use as leverage against their older counterparts. Emperor Belos had been very clear about not having conflict with the children in the eyes of the masses, as the incident with the Owl Lady and her human apprentice had scattered seeds of discontent that might grow into weeds of rebellion if handled improperly.
And the Emperor, in his wisdom, believed it would be safer for the Isles if these seeds were allowed to dissolve rather than his coven fighting a civil war.
As he was considering their next move, O'Leander idly noticed the wind shift. To him, this was no big deal, but he failed to notice the small schvine demon on the other side of Mabel and Co's table. Waddles's nose twitched and he snorted softly as he woke from a light nap before lifting his head and gently butting it against Mabel's leg.
Mabel glanced down and noted her companion's complete stillness, a warning sign. She smiled and scratched his head, trying to appear as if nothing were wrong. But if Waddles was tense in a public place, there was only one thing that was around.
As if on cue, Dipper and Pacifica returned to the table to hand out food. Dipper scoffed with a good-natured smile as Pacifica cast a quick circle to conjure a cloth napkin to place in her lap. Pacifica glanced at him and then turned away with her nose in the air and a faint smile of her own.
"Hey Dip-Dop," Mabel said between bites of her food, "is it just me, or are more buzzards circling lately?"
Dipper was careful to not flinch at the words. "Buzzards" was Mabel's mocking codeword for members of the Emperor's Coven. While their helmets and white cloaks seemed designed to invoke the theme of a dove, Mabel had refused to associate "pretty, peaceful, sweet birds" in her words with the subordinates of Emperor Belos, the "psycho," "control freak," "tyrant" — as Stan and Ford had independently called him.
Resisting the urge to look around, Dipper kept up the game. "Well, they tend to follow death. And that's not exactly uncommon on the Isles. Especially in Roadkill parish." He thought a little bit. "They're cowards who fly away from predators. Hopefully they'll just leave the town alone."
In other words: The fact that they hadn't come at them openly meant they may be under orders not to. If they could slip away and make it back to the Mystery Shack, they could let Stan and Ford know, barricade the Shack, and then wait them out.
During this conversation, the others had kept up a stream of idle chatter. Well, idle for Candy and Grenda. Pacifica was well aware what the terms "buzzards" meant, Dipper having let it slip during the previous school term during one of their crystal ball times. And given her non-conformist streak that had slowly matured over the last three years — not to mention her friendship with the twins and more-than-friendly feelings for Dipper — she had happily volunteered to tweak the beaks of the Emperor's Coven if necessary. At the moment, that meant providing cover for the twins to plan.
"Y'know, ladies," Mabel finally said after a few rounds of double speak with her brother, something she was surprisingly good at, "why don't we all take a minute to run our bags back to our houses? I mean, we can't expect Grenda to carry everything for the rest of the day." Grenda had graciously offered her prodigious strength to carry all of their purchases, and Mabel knew they could triple her load and she'd never slow down. But they needed cover to return to the Shack.
"That's a great idea," Pacifica replied quickly. "I need to snag some more snails from home, anyway. I really underestimated how much craft supplies costs," she smirked, eyeing Mabel only half-jokingly. She started a bit at a sudden warmth on her hand to find Dipper gently squeezing it.
"Be careful," he said neutrally.
"You're the one going out into the woods to that rundown hovel," Pacifica said loftily. "You should be the one that's careful." She squeezed back in silent support.
The twins departed and Mabel cast a small circle that brought a pink glow to Waddles's eyes. The schvine glanced backward to watch for anyone following them, the spell linking his vision to his owner's. Dipper kept a hand on her elbow to guide her through the crowd as she saw through her companion's eyes.
"Three guys in grey cloaks just stood up and are coming our way," she whispered.
"You'd think covert operatives would know to ditch the cloak schtick entirely," Dipper groused. "They're so obvious, especially if they're all the same kind of cloak." Then again, the Emperor's Coven didn't exactly have a reputation for covert actions; they tended to lean more toward bluntly asserting their authority. But still, it was just common sense.
Mabel blinked as her spell ended, just in time for her to smile at the sight of some familiar faces. "Hey, Mayor Cutehiker!" she called, waving as widely as she could. The three-year mayor of Talus Falls turned at the sound of her call and smiled at the local heroes of "Never Mind All That" and waved in greeting.
"Well if it ain't the Spines kiddos," he greeted cheerfully. "Glad to see y'all settling in again this year."
"It would be a lot better without a couple of birdies on our tails," Mabel said sweetly.
Mayor Tyler's smile wilted before returning with a faint edge. "Ah, dirty birds are flocking on my town again, huh?"
"Seems like it," Dipper said. "Ugly grey plumage, can't miss 'em."
Tyler looked over their shoulders to find a trio of people he had never seen in town before, dressed grey cloaks. And in a small town like Talus Falls where he had lived since birth, he had seen practically everyone at one time or another. "Well, y'all get on home, now," the mayor said jovially. "And do tell your uncles I said hello."
With that, the mayor snapped his fingers and two hulking figures stood up to follow him. While Tyler Cutehiker was beloved by his constituents, the Boiling Isles was not often a safe place. And so after the first year of close calls and other incidents, a few old friends from Skull Fracture, the coven and the bar, had offered to protect him. He'd been touched by the concern and semi-reluctantly agreed.
"Hello there, friends," Tyler greeted the trio of cloaked strangers. "I don't recall ever seeing you three in my town. And as mayor, I feel it is my duty to welcome anyone new that I can to the town of Talus Falls!"
Captain O'Leander was forced to a halt by the short figure and his hulking guards, casting a glance up to keep an eye on their targets. "I'm afraid we don't have time for pleasantries, mayor," he said, shifting his cloak to reveal a badge of the Emperor's Coven. "We are on rather tight business."
"Oh my, business for the Emperor himself," Tyler said, clapping his hands to his cheeks with feigned surprise. "Well, perhaps I could be of some help. What's the business?"
O'Leander grit his teeth, remembering his orders to not cause a scene. "I'm afraid that's classifi-"
"They're getting away!" Tusk roared, smashing aside one of Mayor Cutehiker's guards to rush after the young twins and take up pursuit. He made it only a few feet before he was tripped up to fall on his face. He rolled over aggressively to find the pretty blonde from before holding a lavender Illusory rope that had wrapped around his ankles.
"Now is that any way to act while visiting somewhere new?" she asked with venomous sweetness.
"Release me!" Tusk barked. "In the name of-!" He cut himself off as he remembered his captain's orders to keep their identities secret.
"Name of ...?" Pacifica asked, her words all but dripping with false innocence. She handed the Illusory rope off to Grenda, who hauled him in like a large fish. Tusk bit his lips and tried to kick off the illusory rope, but the spell — not to mention Grenda's grip — was too strong. Mayor Cutehiker's guards took the lead and forced him onto his belly before handcuffing him, feigning ignorance of his rank.
Their cover partly blown, O'Leander and Iris dodged around Mayor Cutehiker and took up the chase. Iris cast a spell circle that she sustained around her wrist to search out the twins' locations, her three eyes flaring with purple Oracle magic. The spell manifested semi-transparent afterimages of the twins where they had been, which she and the captain could follow to their source.
After several short minutes of the chase, Iris blinked as her afterimages dissolved and revealed the distant forms of the real Spines twins. "There they are!" she cried, both of them pouring on the speed.
Waddles squealed in fright as the Emperor's agents drew closer, his fear giving him speed enough to outrun the twins. Dipper growled and considered a half-dozen strategies before settling on one in his school track — using anything else would tip them off that he was studying several disciplines.
"Mabel! Time for a toss up!" Mabel didn't look as she nodded and prepared herself. Dipper cast a spell circle that conjured a massive disembodied Abomination arm and hand from the cobblestones that caught them and tossed them high into the air. Both twins then cast circles to create cushions of air to slow their landing on one of the street's rooftops before continuing to flee.
O'Leander's eyes widened in surprise at the male twin's maneuver, one that showed true aptitude in Abomination magic. Shaking it off, he cast a circle of dark blue magic that conjured and fired an Illusory rope, much like the blonde had snared Tusk with — though this one was tipped with a barbed javelin. The tip pierced the edge of a building and he rapidly shortened the line to swing him up and onto the roof to continue the chase.
Iris, in a bout of inspiration, cast another Oracle spell that traced the young twin's future path. She cursed herself for not realizing their plan sooner: they were headed for the so-called Mystery Shack outside of town. Breath coming more heavily, she removed her Oracle sphere and consulted the wraith within. "Show me the fastest way to the Mystery Shack," she ordered as gently as she could. Oracle wraiths tended to become difficult when ordered about. She smiled grimly as the wraith within the sphere showed her the most direct route.
At the same time, Dipper and Mabel were using every shred of their superior knowledge of the ins and outs of Talus Falls to keep ahead of O'Leander. They may have been awful covert agents, but they clearly knew how to pursue their targets. "Now would be a really good time for a staff!" Mabel panted.
"You're seriously bringing that up now?!" Dipper shouted in equal parts fear and exasperation.
"Of course I am!" she cried with a shallow laugh.
"Halt!" O'Leander shouted from behind them. "Surrender now and you will not be harmed!"
"Heard that one before!" Mabel fired back over her shoulder. "Try another one!" She didn't get a chance to hear his comeback as the twins took a jump off the last roof in the main town. Dipper conjured a running Abomination that caught them before rapidly degrading, cushioning their fall while also preserving their speed to enter the treeline toward the Shack.
O'Leander grimaced and leapt after them, slowing his descent with a conjured cluster of vines. Sweat beginning to pour down his neck — how have these kids been running at full sprint for so long?! — he prepared another circle to bend the trees to his will, ready to fell them in the twins' path. Before he could finish his spell, though, he failed to see Mabel cast a spell of her own. Seagulls came from everywhere and swarmed him, the tiny teeth of the aggressive creatures little more than a nuisance on their own. But in a flock like this, the nuisances piled into a distracting and painful whirlwind.
"Nice one, Mabel," Dipper said between heavy breaths. "We're almost home free!"
Almost as soon as he said that, both of them lost consciousness as a spell circle washed over them. A simple sleep spell that worked to pacify resisting targets. Iris, sweaty and gasping for air as she clutched the stitch in her side, stumbled forward and cast a spell to tie up the Spines twins.
As she moved them along to check on her captain and rendezvous with their third teammate, she cast her triple gaze backward to just barely see the shape of the Mystery Shack through the trees. "So close, children," she admonished spitefully. "And yet so far."
As she gathered the Spines siblings, she failed to notice the amulets hanging from their necks were faintly glowing.
"And you are certain the elder brothers will come for these children?" asked the frostily sweet voice of Kikimora.
O'Leander had appointed Lieutenant Iris to contact the Emperor's attendant to update the coven on their mission, as he refused to report to their superior while covered with Healing patches. She had distinctly heard him snarling under his breath that if it hadn't been an underaged girl who swarmed those seagulls against him, he would have subjected them to his personal "interrogation," something Iris wouldn't wish on her worst enemy.
"Our sources indicate that the elders are fiercely protective of the younglings," Iris confirmed. Granted, it had reportedly been very difficult to find reliable sources in the town. Apparently the townsfolk were nearly as protective of their "heroes" as the Spines family were of each other.
"Very good," Kikimora replied. "I do not have to remind you of why Stanford Spines is so notorious. He must be brought to heel, lest he undermine everything our great Emperor has built."
"Yes, Kikimora," Iris said, bowing her head. "Rest assured, we will not fail."
Stanford kept his breathing as level as possible as he gently shook a precise measurement of ground petals of an Infernus plant into the cauldron in the basement of the Mystery Shack. The fumes were no problem with the leather mask he wore over his lower face; he just had to make sure the dust was spread as evenly as possible before he plunged the butt of his staff into the potion and stirred exactly thirteen times counterclockwise.
As he stirred, the contents of the cauldron turned from a bright sky-blue color to a deep purple, almost black. He smiled behind his mask and removed his staff to place the cover onto the cauldron. He would let that simmer and it would turn a bit of a lighter purple with flashes of blue-white. When vialed and then exposed to exceptional force, such as the smashing of said vials, it would erupt into a stormcloud that would blast any living thing around it with vicious barrages of lightning — unless they bore blood relation to him, such as Stanley and the kids.
A wild card Storm in a Bottle.
As Ford began removing his protective gear used in handling particularly nasty potion ingredients, of which there were more than a few in finishing this particular concoction, a faint blue glow caught his attention. Ford glanced at a mirror he had enchanted two years previous, one linked to … to his niece and nephew's charm necklaces!
"Stanley, get in here!" Ford cried, rushing to the mirror and casting a spell circle to activate its tracking enchantment.
"What in the Isles is happening in here?" Stanley asked. "You didn't melt the cauldron again, did ya? 'Cause eventually Soos is gonna start charging to fix it."
"THE KIDS HAVE BEEN CAPTURED!" Ford shouted. That shut Stan up and had him rushing to Ford's side.
"Was it the damn buzzards?" he asked, the words a fearsome growl.
"According to the enchantment I placed on their amulets, they were hit with a powerful sleep spell at exactly the same time." He pointed at the mirror, which reflected a geographical map of the town. "But their positions are moving, which means they are being transported." He grit his teeth. "It seems the Emperor's Coven is done trying to take us directly."
"Who'd they send?" Stan asked shortly.
"I don't know … yet," Ford admitted. He cast a spell circle and then multiplied it, casting golden-yellow circles across the floor of the basement which each spawned avian-coded Abominations. The constructs' eyes all flashed with golden light that matched Ford's magic before taking to the air and flying through a low window and toward town. "But we'll find out soon enough," he said, his tone as dangerous as Stan's.
The action scene in this was very fun to write. So was the UST between Dipper and Pacifica.
*Dipper being in the Abomination track is a nod to his "raising the dead" fiasco, while Mabel's Beastkeeping track is due mostly to Waddles and some to her general affinity for animals. Pacifica's Illusion track is tied to her being raised with the "appearance is everything" motto, Grenda is in Construction due to her raw strength, and Candy is in the Band track due to "there is no escape from band camp" but dabbles in Healing due to her "improvement of human being" intro.
*Dipper's light-blue magic is the color of Bill's handshake when he makes a deal, whereas Ford's is golden like Eda's - to me this represents raw power.
What will happen to the kids? Find out next time!