The Hunters and the Prey - Chapter Thirty-One
Author: Milady Dragon
Ianto glanced over at Stephen, and saw what had to have been a matching expression of awe and respect on the Great Wizard's face.
What Phil had just said…those words had come from the Void Wizard who, according to stories, had been ranked up there with Harold Saxon for sheer evil. Harold Saxon…who'd had an entire island of people convinced he was some sort of god; who'd encouraged cannibalistic behavior in his followers – and what they'd done when they'd discovered that Jack was the Deathless still gave his husband nightmares – and who had actually managed to change time itself in order to gain enough power and knowledge to release the Silver Devastation from their eternal prison.
Ianto was aware of so many of the things attributed to the Dark One, but he was beginning to wonder if he wasn't missing some very important context to those stories. He'd already been wrong about Buda-Pest; how many more actions had the Dark One taken that rumor had twisted into something vile?
Phil Coulson had been a product of his upbringing, and what had happened to him had been truly horrible; being told by your very parents, the people who were supposed to love you no matter what, that he was wrong and evil until he'd been convinced they were correct. Ianto really wanted to track down that mother and father and give them a piece of his mind, and to show them just what a good man their son had become despite their twisting the truth. Ignorance like that needed to be fought, and the Cardinal Wizard was certain that this man, who'd been so damaged for no reason at all, would be the one to lead that charge.
And he was determined to be right beside him when he did.
"Mister von Stucker," Stephen spoke softly, "I think I can say that you hadn't expected to hear what you just did."
"No," the young man admitted. "All my life, I've always thought of the Dark One as a murderer and destroyer. I didn't even consider that there might have been a reason; yes, I heard the rumors about my father, but I didn't believe them. He only ever loved me."
Oh, and the irony of the situation. A young man, believing so much in a father who'd been one of the worst people ever to have lived and yet who'd acted behind a mask of goodness, attempting to get vengeance on the Wizard who was a good man buried under years of emotional abuse by parents who'd been convinced that he was bad. It had a twisted sort of beauty to its parallels.
"You do understand that you were used and betrayed?" Ianto had to ask. The Cardinal Wizard needed to know that their prisoner did indeed comprehend his position, now that it had been pointed out to him.
Von Strucker swallowed, hard, then nodded. "I'm beginning to realize that, yes."
"We have the power to commute the punishment for what you've done," Ianto added. "You aren't the villain of the piece. That's who we want. We don't want to keep someone who was used by Hydra in a cell. It's not fair to you."
"We also don't want to use any sort of magic on you to get you to speak," Stephen added. "That would make us as bad as you think we are."
"Not you," von Strucker corrected swiftly. "It's just him."
This child would most likely feel the need to follow up on his revenge for the rest of his life, despite what Hydra had done to him. The only thing they could do was try to mitigate things, and help Werner find a new home and to get his life back together. He was young; he had the rest of his years for this need to hurt the man who'd hurt him to fade, although it would never completely go away. Phil would outlive Werner von Strucker, but Ianto had the feeling his new friend would never forget until the centuries conspired to make that memory fade.
Ianto nodded in acknowledgement of von Strucker's comment. "Who was it who let you into the Quorum?"
"You don't owe them any sort of loyalty," Stephen added. "You don't owe us that as well, I know that, but this would allow you to get a little revenge on the people who did betray you into that cell. Because, we would never have let you out of the Quorum even if the charges you laid had been excepted. Hydra would have known you were walking yourself into custody the moment they set you on this path."
"They're Wizards, and you're not." From what Phil had said, Hydra was out to get power for their own cabal of Voids. "They wouldn't have given a damn about you, since you're not one of them. It was all planned out, that you'd be out of the way at the end of their plot." Ianto took a step forward. "You have the power to get back at them for what they did to you. I believe that's something you'd like to do." He'd come after Phil, after all, the man responsible for the death of his father. Revenge would be something von Strucker would have been very interested in, no matter the wrong done to him.
That seemed to make up von Strucker's mind, because he crossed his arms over his chest and said, "His name is Mordo. I was told he'd want to take down the Dark One because he didn't like either the Voids or the Cardinals. I'm not sure why."
Ianto's eyebrows rose in shock.
He was aware of just who Master Mordo was.
He was a Great Wizard.
And his shock at hearing that name wasn't anything on Stephen's, because Mordo had been his friend before they'd had a massive falling-out over something that Ianto never learned about, although he'd always wanted to ask. He hadn't wanted to drag up any unpleasant memories.
To save his friend from having to say anything, Ianto got his own surprise under control and said, "Thank you for that. We'll have someone take you from the cell and get you a room in one of the inns in town. You can decide where you want to go from there. We just need you to swear not to go after Grand Master Phil."
"I can't promise that, even knowing what my father was responsible for."
That was the answer Ianto had expected. He wasn't about to let von Strucker out without that vow, even though there wasn't a lot he could do to Phil that would have any lasting effects, now with his connection to the Void the way it was. Still, he didn't want to put temptation in the way of the young man's eventual rehabilitation.
"Then we'll have to leave you in here until we can arrange for you to leave the country." The Cardinal Wizard didn't really want to put any sort of geas on him, but he would if he had to. A simple one, that would make him want to stay away from anywhere Phil would be likely to go. A suggestion to stay at home, wherever von Strucker ended up settling down. He'd have to speak to Stephen about it; he had the feeling that Phil would object to the very idea of it. Hells, Ianto didn't like it, either, and it wasn't as if the boy could do any lasting damage to his Wizard friend, but that wasn't the point. Any act of revenge that von Strucker may take would just make things worse for everyone.
He could see it now. Von Strucker would go after Phil, and that would set off both Daisy and Clint. Of the two, Ianto was more concerned about the Elf's reaction; the Hawk was an assassin and mercenary, and von Strucker could very well end up with an arrow in him if he hurt Phil…well, a second arrow, actually, only this one a lot more deadly than the one in his shoulder he'd gotten in the Quorum Hall. There would be no stopping it, because Clint just got Phil back, after thinking him dead…and for a second time, because of Hydra and that Vibranium chain they'd forced around Phil's neck. It wouldn't matter that the Void would bring him back, Clint would show no mercy to anyone who attempted to take his lover away from him again.
Not that Ianto wasn't the same way, with Jack's well-being; he could still vividly recall the first time Jack had died and Ianto hadn't known he was Deathless. He could certainly understand the need to avenge that sort of pain very easily. Knowing he'd just come back didn't make that any better, because death still caused his husband pain, and Ianto would do anything to prevent that from happening.
"If you need anything," he went on, "just speak and someone will come. These cells are all charmed so that anything said in here can be heard upstairs, and now that you and our other guest are here, that spell is monitored constantly in case of trouble."
"We'll make certain you're as comfortable as possible," Stephen added. "For now, we'll bid you good day."
With the information they'd needed, both Wizards left the cells, passing by Grant Ward who stared at them balefully as they walked by. Ianto had had hopes that Ward would want to chat with von Strucker, perhaps spill some of his own secrets, and to keep Daisy from having to face the man once more. He'd hated that Ward had tried to manipulate her like that, but it was a testament to the young Wizard's love for her adopted father that Daisy hadn't accepted Ward's word about her natural parents.
Stephen's face was grim, and Ianto could understand why. Yes, Phil had posited that there might be someone from another order involved in this mess, but both of them had hoped that wasn't the case. And yet, von Strucker had mentioned Master Mordo as the one who'd given him access to the Quorum for the express purpose of denouncing Phil and his Dark One past.
Ianto needed more information on Master Mordo. All he knew was that the man had been Stephen's friend, but that there had been a row that had broken that friendship.
First, though, they needed to find Phil.
Fortunately for them, Agamotto seemed to know exactly where their wayward third was. That dragon was unusual, and not just because he didn't have wings, but Ianto knew that it was the height of impoliteness to ask after another Wizard's dragon in that way.
Phil was in the main Quorum chamber, which was empty at this time of the day. He was seated on one of the Master of Order benches, Lola curled up beside him with her head on his thigh, exuding contentment from every single scale. Her Wizard sat there, his eyes closed, and Ianto couldn't help but notice the expression of utter calm on his face. Some form of meditation, he assumed.
"It's not polite to stare," Phil murmured without opening his eyes.
Stephen snorted, plopping himself down on the bench next to Lola, who'd scooted over a little to make room without losing her own aura of calm, tucking her tail around her rear legs to avoid having it sat on. Agamotto actually climbing down from his Wizard's shoulders and plopped himself on top of the red and black dragon. "Nice technique. Where did you learn it?" he asked about the meditating.
"Didn't learn anywhere." He opened his eyes; Ianto couldn't help but see the flecks of Void in them, before they faded away. "It's just something I do when I have a lot to think about." He glanced at each of them. "Did he say anything after I left?"
The Cardinal Wizard was a little surprised that Phil hadn't listened in; but then, perhaps he shouldn't have been all that surprised after all. "He did." Ianto took his own seat, this one on the step close by. Myfanwy draped herself on the step above, the better to rest her head on his shoulder and watch proceedings. "He gave us the name: Master Mordo."
Phil frowned. "I don't think I know him."
"You wouldn't," Stephen said. "He's a member of my own order."
The Void Wizard sighed. "I was hoping I was wrong about that."
"You weren't, but I don't think Mordo's in this for the same reason as Hydra is."
Both Phil and Ianto regarded the Great Wizard. "What do you mean?" Ianto inquired.
"Mordo and I used to be friends. We went through training together; had the same teaching Master. However, he holds to the same hidebound ideas that a lot of the other Greats do: that Cardinals and Voids are wrong in using the Deep Ways and the Void in their magic. Only, he's a lot more…well, proactive, than someone like Mistress Maria. Mordo believes in action, and while I can't tell you how Hydra got him onside, they must have appealed to him some way. Perhaps it was just the story they told him, about Phil being the Dark One… we won't know until we ask him. But you can bet the testimony at the Quorum over what Hydra has been doing didn't sit well with him."
"Then," Ianto stood, "perhaps we should go and speak to Master Mordo."