Walking Dead Wizard
Chapter 95
"Harry?" Luna knelt down beside him, she couldn't tell them where the others were. The spell had been cast by Harry, on their items, only Harry could pinpoint where they were. Worry squirming like a living thing in her belly, for both Harry and those they had lost and those under attack. Fearing that at any moment, the spells would inform Harry that others had died too. "Harry…come on, look at me." She demanded, trying to get Harry's green eyes to focus on her, to focus at all, on anything.
Harry just groaned, not at all coherent, his magic going haywire with the abrupt cutting off the spells he'd had on his people.
"Talk to him, get him to focus," Luna suggested to Daryl, he would be more likely to respond to Daryl she thought, but she wasn't sure…either way, until Harry recovered they couldn't go anywhere…couldn't save anyone.
"Harry?" Daryl spoke, voice soft, cupping Harry's face, "Close your eyes, focus on my voice, and come back, easy does it." crouched down beside him, holding his head in his hands, trusting the others to keep everyone back.
Surprisingly, everyone was keeping back, watching in concern the scene playing out in front of them. They didn't quite know what was happening, having not heard what Harry mumbled before he fell unconscious, but judging by everyone that had been with him, and their reactions informed them that it was bad.
Harry's eyes soon fluttered open, squinting blearily around.
"How are you feeling now?" Daryl asked, he wasn't one for small talk, but he was hoping that his voice was doing something.
"Blood hell," Harry rasped out, a shudder wracking his frame, "I never want to feel anything like that again." the warmth of the spells just going cold, it had been horrible. He was tempted to dismantle all the spells he had on everyone for his own sanity, yet he knew e would never do that, he'd made a promise when they all begun to look to him for aid in this world. It hadn't always been welcoming, but they'd trusted him.
"Are they still on the move?" Merle asked, frowning, "To have gotten the better of Andrea…they must have been ambushed." To begin with he'd hated the uppity little bitch she'd portrayed to the world, but that was a long time ago. She as strong, stable, secure, and he'd trust her at his back, which spoke volumes when it came from him. She would have done well in the military, been an asset they could use if the world hadn't gone to hell.
"Yeah," Harry grunted out, as he grasped Daryl's hand and was hoisted to his feet. Which were thankfully, stable beneath him, the shock of it beginning to fade. Turning to face the others, his face a mask of impatience and worry. "Ezekiel, you and your people have a decision to make, one that will determine your future. It's something you must all come to an agreement together…stay here with the wards or find a different place." He spoke quickly and urgently, "I must go to my people, they need me, you have my contact information, get in touch when a decision has been reached. Don't worry if we don't answer right away…we'll call back once our situation has been resolved. Understood?"
Ezekiel nodded grimly, "Go," not at all insulted that Harry was putting his people first, for he would do the exact same thing.
Harry gave a serious nod back in turn, "Hold on," he informed his people, they all did so very quickly, holding their breaths as they were often told to do, and with that, the Kingdom people got to observe their first piece of magic, as Harry and the others Apparated on the spot.
Leaving them with only the sound of what was often described as a backfiring car.
Harry apparated them straight to the point where two of the spells had been cut dead cold. To a scene of carnage, but these sorts of scenes were the norm these days, just not when it involved their own.
"T!" Axel called out, rushing towards his friend, Big Tiny's body was riddled with bullet holes. "Fuck!" he snarled, frothing at the mouth, utterly furious with what he was seeing. Behind him was Patrick, the bullets had torn through Big Tiny and into Patrick.
"Back up," Merle snapped, grasping the back of Axel's clothes and yanking him away, just in the nick of time, as Big Tiny's hand was literally inches from his bare neck. Daryl working in sync thrust the blade through his head, "Sorry brother," he murmured as he did so, and then repeated the process with Patrick. The kid had never gotten used to the world, no matter how much the others tried to make it so. Now he was gone.
"Shot up," Merle stated the obvious staring at the what they knew was one of their cars, Andrea used it quite often to go out. "No sign of blood…girls ain't been injured by the look of it."
"Why take them and shoot Big Tiny and Patrick?" Carl's voice wavered on their names, tears in his eyes, but they didn't fall.
Merle, Daryl, Luna, Harry and Axel glanced at each other, all of them very well aware of why someone would take the girls and shoot Big Tiny and Patrick. Despite a massive wake up call so young…Carl still didn't understand the depravity of the world they now lived in. He knew people couldn't be trusted, knew about sex, but the brutality of rape…? Well, no, his parents would have protected him from that. It wasn't really their place to say anything…and quite frankly…the thought of talking about it turned their stomach's.
"Are they still on the move?" Luna asked, an ugly look of fury on her face, she absolutely refused to allow anything to happen to Sophia. They had to get them back as quickly as possible…and those bastard who had taken them…would pay with it with their lives. Changing the subject, so that none of them had to answer Carl.
"Yes," Harry stated, "Ambush?"
"We have no idea how many there are…might be a whole convoy…with you down it leaves only Luna using magic…" Merle pointed out, he refused to allow that to happen, yes he was fond of Sophia, liked Andrea and Amy…but fucked if he was going to allow Luna to risk her life for them. Luna would always come first…before anyone else, except his brother. He hoped never to be put into a position where he had to choose…it would test his mettle in a way nothing had done in the past.
"My magic isn't affected yet," Harry shook his head, he hoped, because he was not going to stand down, no way. Sophia was like a daughter to him, he loved her fiercely, and he'd rather die than see anything happen to her. They'd killed two of his own, the men, and taken the women, he wasn't stupid…he knew the fate that awaited them if he didn't stop it.
Daryl gave him an inscrutable look, he knew Harry well, probably as well as Luna did these days. He would lie through his teeth if someone he loved was in danger. The question was…was he lying now in order to rescues Sophia, Andrea and Amy? He knew one person who would know, and he glanced directly at Luna.
"It can take months before magic can start being affected, but the stronger the wizard or witch…the earlier it starts." Luna answered Daryl's unasked question, while looking at Harry pensively. "Harry…you know what will happen if you do this and your magic acts up…" she warned him, "We have others I can call upon to get them to safety…"
"And us," Carl piped in, "I want to help find and save Sophia,"
The fact he only said Sophia was interesting and very telling.
"And the others," he added hastily, cheeks a bit red.
Oh, it looked like someone had a bit of a crush on Sophia.
"They've got their portkey's why aren't they using them?" Axel asked, a look of utter devastation still on his face kneeling on his feet. Big Tiny rarely went outside, but he could fight like the best of them, his strength and stature made him quite an intimidating figure…if they didn't know his kind nature.
"That's a good question, that," Daryl admitted, pacing back and forth, why weren't they using their portkey's?
"They've had their hands bound," Harry stated darkly, "Which means they can't get to their weapons either." And they all had extra weapons concealed upon their person that no Muggle would see or feel for that matter…if they checked. They were vulnerable in a way they'd never been before. If the urge hadn't been overwhelming before…it was now.
"Portkey them back to mine…" Harry said staring sadly at the bodies of those he'd cared very deeply for. They were gone now, they held no fear or pain, they were at peace. Those left behind however, would grieve for them. "Everyone deserves a chance to say goodbye," then the bodies would be burnt, only their enemies would fill the belly of the dragons. These sons of bitches when he caught up with them. Nobody would go into his place and find them accidentally. Flinging his own personal portkey to Luna, which did land him back home, while the other configured Portkey's brought them into the street next to the doctor surgery specifically. Between Mira, Bob, Hershel and the apprentice of the day, they were there for anyone who needed it.
"It ain't your fault," Daryl glared at Harry, daring him to refute his statement.
"No, it's not…" Harry said darkly, "However, whoever did it has just secured their last day on this earth."
"Then let's go get em," Merle grumbled, his own rage simmering to boiling point. Big Tiny had been a friend, which would have surprised anyone that knew Merle before this all started. Someone who hadn't grown used to the change like Daryl, Merle had been one prejudice son of a bitch. He'd been raised that way, but away from his fathers influence and through need, he'd learned to more than tolerate them.
"An ambush while they're on the move isn't a good idea," Luna commented lightly, as she transported their dead back home. They had been dealt with appropriately, so they would not reanimate, or Patrick wouldn't, since Big Tiny already had. "We need to wait until we have an opening, especially if they're heavily armed and Andrea, Amy and Sophia are out of commission, either through being unconscious or bound." Acting rashly would just get more people killed, and she did not want to return to PA and inform Carol her daughter was dead because they were quick to act and too slow to think it through.
"They're definitely heavily armed," Merle commented, looking at the shot up car, "Coulda exploded it, they don't care much about fatalities."
Harry left out a breath, "Alright, the second they stop, I'll Apparate us nearby…then decide what to do." Luna was right, they couldn't act irrationally. He'd learned the hard way that it was…inadvisable. "No heroics? No attempts to go in early, regardless of what you see…is that understood?" here he was talking to Carl, green eyes boring into brown, the boy had come a long way from the impulsive child he'd been…but Harry had to lay down the law, he was a teenager…hormonal driven, Harry remembered those years well.
Carl nodded sombrely, he didn't want to disappoint Harry again…that disappointment had been awful.
"I swear to Merlin, Carl, if you screw this up…" Harry warned him, "Just let us handle it, you can help, but let us make the decisions, I'm not about to let anything happen to Sophia or the others."
"I promise I'll do as you say," Carl swore.
"Alright," Harry calmed marginally, sensing the truth in the youngster, although he wasn't a youngster anymore now was he? Closing his eyes, he immersed himself in the spell, gauging where Sophia and the others were, they were in the same place, likely the same vehicle and they were still on the move. "They're still travelling." The urge to do something was so strong, but he was smarter than that, to give into the impulse.
"It's been at least thirty minutes since the attack, if they're still on the move they live quite a distance away…" Axel commented, climbing to his feet, having remained there despite Big Tiny being gone now. "It couldn't be…Negan could it?" they were ten minutes from PA if he estimated correctly, car drive, longer on a walk…his reach couldn't extend this far?
"Nah," Merle muttered, doubt clear in his troubled gaze, his callused hand rasping against his beard as he rubbed at his chin. "Whatcha think?" his gaze meeting Daryl's own troubled eyes.
"From what we've heard, big reach, might be," Daryl ground out through gritted teeth, he'd killed a kid without a seconds thought. He did not want that to be Sophia's fate, or Andrea and Amy, they'd came this far, fucked if he wanted them to die at Negan's hands after doing everything they could to protect the others.
"Right, they've stopped," Harry commented, eyes still closed.
"Good timing, incoming," Luna stated, watching the lumbering walkers approach impassively.
"Must have been hell of a noise they made," Merle said, eyeing the small horde of walkers approach. To think they used to be utterly terrifying to most of them in the beginning, but as they learned to fight against them…it was humanity that became the threat. You'd think they'd learn…but then again, why would they care about noise here? They had no intentions of sticking around.
"Grab your weapons and hold on…I'm going in blind here…" Harry told them, cautioning them, "Keep a hold and don't let go right away in case I need to Apparate us all again." he prayed he wasn't about to regret this, fearing that they might end up dead. Harry clutched Daryl's hand tightly, breathing deeply, once everyone was touching he Apparated them blindly.
Right into an enclosed space with dozens upon dozens of walkers.
It was like accidentally Apparating into the roman colosseum and encountering the starved lions.
Axel and Carl let go instinctively ready to shoot to survive.
A/N – Well, this was all I managed to get done today, as I promised to update every day regardless of how much was written…I won't post if it's something like 1k but anything more than 2k I'll update 😊 I hope you guys don't mind…feels like cheating a little, I mean I'm used to writing 6K chapters at least! Instead of that you're only getting about half of what I'd normally write sometimes less so today. If you'd all prefer the longer chapters then I don't mind doing them (every two days) but if you're happy to read what I write every day even if its only 2 and half K then fair enough! And that's two down how many more will be gone before the end of this day? Will Harry succeed in rescuing them? Or will they be utterly massacred? R&R please