The Hunters and the Prey - Chapter Five
Author: Milady Dragon
"Well," Trip said, "that actually went better than I thought it would."
Daisy shot him a look as the group headed down the cobbled lane toward Gateway, and the school. Grand Master Ianto's house was just outside of the city, in an area that was still fairly rural, although at the rate Gateway was growing she didn't think it would stay that way. It was quite a walk, since none of her friends had any access to a Teleport spell – as it was a high-level magic – or any sort of artifact attuned to the Grand Master's house. They could have seen about getting a carriage or something, but they were students, and none of their allowances was really enough for that sort of thing, even combined. Daisy knew her friends, and they were all pretty much broke.
So, they were walking. It was a nice day, at least.
Overhead, she heard a chirruping call; glancing upward, the young Wizard could see the sunlight glinting off the seven dragons that were taking the opportunity to fly. There were times when Daisy wished she could do the same, but as far as she knew the closest she would ever get to flight was the Levitation spell her Dad used at times to get to the upper levels of the Keep.
She didn't know what one, either. But she really wanted to learn it.
Trip caught her side-eye, because he added, "He could have refused outright."
He did have a point. Ianto had promised to let them know how they could help, as soon as he knew anything, and that had to be enough for now.
"It wasn't like he really would have let us question Werner von Strucker," Jemma pointed out.
"He's younger than most of us," Leo replied, "and I'm pretty certain there are laws about interrogating kids."
"Even if we're kids as well," Jemma finished.
"Grand Master Ianto is a man of his word," Lincoln said. He was walking beside Daisy, and his hand clasped hers. "If he says he'll find something for us to do, he will."
Daisy was really glad that her Dad gave his permission for Lincoln to date her, because he was calm and cautious while Daisy herself could be a bit reactionary and had a tendency to jump in with both feet. He balanced her impetuous nature, which would only be a good thing.
She really should have introduced Lincoln to her Dad right away. However, the young Wizard had been a little skittish after her near-miss with Grant Ward. Lincoln got that, and he'd been fine with it.
Another reason she really liked him. Although she could tell that Lincoln was very glad that it was all out in the open, now.
Daisy suspected it had been Mistress Pepper who'd tattled to Dad about the whole boyfriend thing. She would have to have a talk with her teaching Master about it, but she knew it wouldn't have done a bit of good. After all, she was still technically a minor, and she was under Mistress Pepper's protection and oversight. This would most likely continue until Daisy earned her Mastership.
"I would have enjoyed talking to von Strucker," Wanda piped up, sounding really bloodthirsty.
Daisy couldn't fault her. After all, it had been Werner's father who'd kidnapped them and then put them through hellish tests, just because she and her brother were magical and twins to boot. Wanda and Pietro both deserved justice for what had been done to them and, although Dad had taken down the guy's corrupt regime, Werner was still out there and apparently following Hydra's lead. He'd outed her Dad as the Dark One, after all.
"I getcha," Trip commented. "If it was me, I'd want to punch von Strucker's smug face in."
Wanda gave him a gratified smile. Trip shrugged self-deprecatingly.
"I'd like to do that myself," Lincoln added.
"Looks like we have a queue forming," Leo said.
"I wouldn't mind standing in it," Jemma replied.
Gods, Daisy loved her friends.
She would have been concerned about Wanda and Pietro's wanting to do bodily harm if they hadn't been through so much. Yes, they'd just turned fourteen, which was the age that they'd begin applying for a formal teaching Master, but they were far more adult than some of the seventeen-year-olds that Daisy shared primary classes with. She was hoping that, whoever took them on, would have the patience to deal with that sort of thing.
She also knew that Mistress Pepper was angling toward her Dad asking to teach Wanda. Daisy really hoped he'd agree. He'd be awesome at it, and he had all that experience with being angry and wanting to destroy the world. If anyone could sympathize with a traumatized teenager who could have very easily gone the same way, it was her Dad.
The lane where Ianto and Jack's house was led directly into the center of the city, where the Wizard School was. The Wizard's Tower, the main school building, was obvious in the near distance, standing tall against the brilliant blue of the sky. If Daisy squinted, she could just make out the indistinct dots of what had to be dragons circling the Tower, enjoying a midday flight.
Daisy loved Gateway. It was her second favorite place in the world, next to Shield Keep. The Deep Ways were evident in every breath she took while she was in the city, since the place had been such a hotspot for magical activity back in the past. It even had an Avatar, and one day Daisy hoped she'd get to meet her; from what Ianto had said, he'd consulted the Avatar just after Ward had kidnapped Daisy a couple of days ago. Apparently, the Avatar didn't appear very often anymore, because of the now abundance of Cardinal Wizards in the world, and the presence of those Wizards was stretching her a little thin. That was fine; Daisy understood. That still didn't stop Daisy from hoping, though.
Gateway made her feel powerful in ways Daisy couldn't quite understand, even after attending school there since she'd turned eleven. She'd once asked Mistress Pepper about it, and her teaching Master had claimed it was because of Daisy's own connection to the Deep Ways. All Cardinal Wizards felt the same.
"Hey, Pietro?" she called out to her newest friend.
"Yes?" He eyed her, as if he wasn't quite happy with her bringing attention to him.
"You can feel it, can't you? Gateway, I mean."
He nodded somberly. "Gateway is special." His Middle Kingdoms accent was a little thicker than usual. "It's like being wrapped up in a favorite blanket. I feel safe here."
That was it, exactly. Safety. Even though she'd been kidnapped from the school – and that wasn't Gateway's fault, that was all on Ward and Garrett – the place did make her feel safe.
"There are some Great Wizards who want to move to another location to teach their own students," Jemma mused. "Grand Master Stephen won't hear of it."
"I don't understand it," Leo continued, "because this is a special place. I certainly wouldn't want to go anywhere else."
"They're right," Lincoln added. "Gateway may be a really strange Cardinal Point, but it's special to all magicks. It wouldn't make any sense to leave."
"I can feel it," Trip mused. "Cause me being a Void, and all. But there's nothing bad about Gateway, even if there are times it sets my teeth on edge a little. It's not a bad thing, and Master Jasper's been good about teaching me how to deal with it."
"When I was in that Void Point," Daisy said, "it was like walking through mud, and my magic was really suppressed. I know I would have died if I'd stayed there for very long."
"I think there is a fundamental difference though," her Void friend said, "between the Deep Ways and the Void…well, besides the obvious ones. The Deep Ways is…energizing, in a way. Sure, it grates on me at times…but I'd think it was easier to be around for me than the Void would be for you, even though your Dad is awesome."
Daisy laughed at that. All of her friends thought her Dad was awesome.
"But it's because the Void is heavier," Trip continued. "It's Deathforce, you know? Although I think that's oversimplifying things, and death is supposed to be heavier and darker and all-consuming. The Deep Ways is the Lifeforce, which means it's lighter and brighter, and the opposite of the Void. It's just what you're used to carrying around with you." He shook his head. "Not sure if that makes any sense, really."
"Yeah, I think I understand what you're saying," Daisy pondered Trip's words. "And it does make sense. It was an actual Void Point I was practically on top of, and it's always going to be stronger around a Void Point."
"Plus," Wanda pointed out, "wasn't that Hydra Void Point tainted in some way? You certainly don't feel stifled around your father, do you?"
"No, I don't. Dad's…calm, and steady, like he's the cornerstone of my life."
The younger Void Wizard gave her a dazzling smile. "Yes, I get that impression about him as well. Master Phil is quite the steadying influence."
Daisy turned to her. "You met him, back then. What was he like?" She found herself quite curious about her Dad, before she'd met him. Yes, there was a part of her that was afraid of hearing what a bad person he was, but this was Buda-Pest, and he'd done real good there.
Wanda chewed her lip thoughtfully, eyes darting toward her twin, who gave her a nod of encouragement. One of the things Daisy had noticed about the pair was that Pietro was more willing to let Wanda take the lead whenever conversation was involved.
"Please, realize…we were quite young at the time," she began, "but our memories are quite clear on the subject. However, we saw things through children's eyes, as it were, and that may color our perception a bit…"
"That is quite understandable." Jemma was nodding in agreement.
Leo's head was practically bobbing in time with hers. "And those sorts of memories are always going to be romanticized, as it were."
"Yes, that is it exactly," Wanda agreed. "Romanticized. I remember the care he took with us, as he released us from the cages we were in. Back then, we didn't know how to do any sorts of spells, and base metal would hold us, no matter how badly we wanted to escape. His arms were strong, and they carried me, and then Pietro, out of the laboratory we were in. There was another man…we know now he was called the Hawk, but you know him as Clint Barton…who was kind to us, taking care of our injuries and doing little tricks to make us laugh. And the woman with the red hair…we didn't see much of her, but from what we discovered later she was like a whirlwind of death in that castle. The last man was tall, and I was afraid of him at first, but he was also gentle, even if he was a bit gruff."
"Baron Triskelia," Pietro confirmed. "I remember the eyepatch. I wanted to see what was under it."
Daisy laughed. "It's really gross."
Pietro gave her a wicked smile. "You have made me really want to see now."
That wasn't going to happen, knowing her Uncle Nick the way she did, but she didn't say anything. She simply winked at the younger boy, who smirked in reply.
"We didn't know it was the Dark One until we were back home," Wanda went on. "That was when the rumors began to spread. Neither of us believed that the strong, caring man who released us from our cages was so very evil. I recall putting my arms around his neck as he carried me, and he kept whispering that everything was going to be alright. He smelled…well, now I know it was the Void I was smelling, but back then it was like something had shifted within my soul, because I knew this man was just like me." Her pale faced blushed slightly. "I do hope your father decides he would teach me, Daisy. I trust him."
Daisy reached out, putting her arm around the smaller girl. "Let me work on him, because I think he'd be good for you. And it's not like you're not part of the family already. Us that he's saved have to stick together."