Chapter 10: The Beast is Dead

I ran through the country side and stayed out of sight. The blood had become stuck to my skin were you could peal it off like a bad sunburn. I was afraid to bathe in case they traced the blood. By now the Mages Association would have discovered the carnage. I had to hold my left arm and focused my efforts to heal it. The wound had sealed but it still stung when I moved it. Augustus had come quite close to ruining on of my circuits, and so it was easier to leave the wound be than risk losing my magic abilities. The blood stopped running, I just didn't want to move my arm.

Once I came a river after a few days of walking, I jumped in to bathe. I was at the border in the north and I wanted to wash it away, but knew it was impossible. The smell was imprinted in my mind and anywhere I went it seemed to come back. Animal carcasses in the woods reminded me of those I slaughtered. No one would care what happened to me now.

Before I submerged myself, I remembered I had something in my back pocket. It was the postcard Waver gave me. I had forgotten he invited me to his place, one person who gave me an out before the attack.

It had a picture of Cornwall on it, and the back had directions. All it said was 'Go to Mevagissey, walk straight down the gravel path past the blue gift shop, then after an hour take a right at the old willow tree. Walk through the forest until you cross the barrier. There you will find my workshop.'

Despite the fact that he wrote it like I'd be going to the witch's cottage, he made it clear enough. As long as he wasn't going to fatten me up and bake me alive, the location sounded safe. I was weak, and fighting was the last thing I wanted to do. My hope was that when I arrived, he wouldn't be there so I could rest.

It was about a week before I reached England. I didn't want to swim over so I caught a ride on a ferry. I collected change from near dumpsters. I tried to scrape up enough euros to get me a cheap boat to the port. I ran into some travelers and asked for assistance. When they saw my arm, which still bleed slightly, they wanted to help. They actually let me on and offered to pay for my ticket. I should have gotten injured more often.

When I got to the port after a short ride. They offered to take me where I needed to go but I said that it was only a short distance away. I thanked them for letting me on and walked away still clutching my arm. They were sure to call someone about me and I had to get out of sight.

I found the blue gift shop and walked past. This was my home, England, but I hadn't been back in quite a long time. I guess it was a fear that I would be recognized and that they would suspect me to return to my home. My only hope was that Waver would be understanding, he seemed calm and excited to have me help with the artifacts. Maybe he could look beyond my past.

When I got to the willow tree I scanned the area to make sure I wasn't being followed. I had to be vigilant in case the word had spread. There was no one in the area so I ducted into the forest. It only took about three miles before I ran into the barrier. I was able to break through it easily with my shield. Once inside I saw it. It was an old bomb shelter.

First I knocked but there was no one home so I sliced the lock on the door through the crack and walked inside. It was underground and set up like a small bachelor pad. There was a television and couch with a coffee table on the left side, and a small stove and mini fridge on the right next to a small table. I walked further down the shelter and noticed a bookshelf. They were full of papers, some in boxes. I had nothing better to do, so I sat on the concrete floor and read some.

They were thesis papers and I began to read into them. The title read the 'Encyclopedia of Arcane Secrets'. Mage research which I was curious about. However, I decided not to read the author's name first. I thought I would try and decipher on my own. Most mages had a specific focus. The documents were interesting, but when looked at the author's name, I realized this was a mistake.

Kayneth El Melloi Archibald was the author. I knew of the Archibald family, they had a good report with the Clock Tower. On the bottom it read property on Lord El Melloi II. This had to be Waver. But that would mean his intentions were to trap me. I had been fooled. This well-mannered con man was in fact a member of a studious mage family. I had to leave. Even with nowhere to go, this wouldn't be good.

The door opened. I stood up and made a blade with my right arm and hid behind the bookshelf. It was Waver, or whatever his name was. I waited for a few minutes, it sounded like he started the stove. I remained still until he checked the door. It didn't occur right away which was odd. He stood in the hallway.

"Come out." He said. This was a different tone than before. It was stern, almost like Gilgamesh. I stepped out. Pointing my blade in his direction.

"We need to talk." I said. His face was stunned. I wanted to attack but this was my only option of somewhere to stay. Even if his explanation wasn't good, I would at least hear it out. He set his briefcase on the table leaving one hand up as though I had a gun.

"How are you alive?" I wasn't going to answer that yet. I wanted to know about him.

"Why did you lie to me about your identity?" I asked. "Lord El Melloi?"

"The Second." I kept my blade up, I couldn't believe this.

"Really?" I was baffled. If someone is pointing a blade at you, it's generally not wise to correct them.

"It's part of the title." He said calmly. My blade still pointed at him. He remained standing by the table.

"You are just…why would you lie to me? Just to turn me in?" I needed to know his reason. I was impatient to say the least.

"I didn't murder hundreds of mages." Of course he had to bring that up. "But the papers said you died in the fire." I was curious. In disbelief that I got away with it.

"Show me." He pulled out the paper from his inside coat pocket. He set it on the table and I walked towards him. I looked at the head line, 'The Beast is Dead'. They wrote the article to gloat, pinning Augustus as the man who was valiant. The pictures of the bodies were littered throughout the text. I sat down in the chair at the table as that water on kettle whistled. I read the article, as he poured his cup of tea. By the time he sat down, I was looking at the last picture. I saw what they claimed to be my body. They had been fooled. To the Mages Association, the dagger was the weapon and Augustus had stabbed me in a noble effort before he died. I sighed.

"The death was easy to fake." I said, staring that the images on the paper. "The Mages Association wasn't going to quit until I bit back. I spent five years on the run. And having my sister fight me, though I kept asking her to stop, she wouldn't. She died hating me, thinking I didn't care about her. And I couldn't live if I had to keep being chased."

"So you went on a rampage?" He wasn't going to get past that. I had to explain myself first before I got answers from him. This was his place after all, he had the advantage. I had to respect that, which meant I'd be honest.

"I had no choice. The only way out was to kill myself, and I wasn't going to do that. That's the coward's way. I just want to live. But I made families like my own. Broken, parentless." I paused and shifted my position. "I'll go to Hell for what I did, there's no doubt. But I just wanted the chase to stop." I looked at his face. He had his arms crossed and looked away. "Well, are you going to turn me in?" There was a silence. His eyes looked dead, I couldn't tell his expression like before.

"No." I was surprised with his answer, I just provided him with everything. "Though I don't agree with what you did, I am glad you didn't kill yourself."

"But now I put your career in jeopardy." It was idiotic for him to extend the offer if he cared about his reputation. He hopefully had an answer.

"Why do you think I asked you to meet me here? It's a World War II bunker in the middle of the woods. For a dozen miles it's only forest, with an outside able to withstand bombs. There is absolutely no way to break through though you managed."

"I'll fix it." I smiled and he sighed as he sipped his tea.

"I don't believe in judging someone by their status. When I saw you in the tunnel I knew who you were, but I was curious why someone called a traitor and a monster would be crying over the death of her sister."

"You knew that night?" I was surprised.

"I tested the blood from your shirt. But I don't think you want to be that person now. At least from what I'm seeing." He was smart. I was pleased that he would be able to listen to my side of the story.

"No. My circuits are pretty worn down from the fight. My left arm won't be able to move without pain for a while. So judging artifacts will be a nice break. Maybe I'll read some spell books, I need to work on my mage craft." He looked away. I laid my left arm on the table.

"That makes two." Waver said, twirling his fingers around his cup. I think I had given him all the information I could. Now I wanted to dig into his past.

"All right, now it's your turn. How did you get your title?" I asked politely.

"I helped preserve records for the Archibald's after Kayneth's death. Then they kept me around and I was given the name, and told me to serve them until the end of my life." He sounded trapped too, but I wanted to know more.

"So, you lecture at the Clock Tower as well?" It was a guess from the archives he possessed. He had to have some ties to the Mages Association.

"Yes. I'm new there." I thought he would understand why I asked that, but he was blank. I had to paint it clearly.

"Then why would you even invite me? If the Mages Association or the Clock Tower find out I'm still alive, everything you worked for will be gone." He seemed cautious, at least from the side I was seeing. So it was out of character for him to be unprepared for something like this.

"In all honesty if you were who the Association claimed you to be, you would have killed me when we met." That was true, but flattering me wouldn't give the answer. I wanted to know how he came to the conclusion to ask me here.

"You're still harboring a fugitive." I said.

"But I thought you would come directly here, not slaughter people…"

"Can you stop saying that!?" I slammed my hands on the table and his briefcase fell off and papers flew on the floor. My wound opened again and I grabbed my arm as it laid on the table bleeding out. I rested my head down on the table. "You know, no matter how much I bathe I can't erase the smell of blood? I didn't know I was capable of that, and it's knowing that makes me never want to fight again. I just wanted to protect myself, and now I'm a monster living by that principle. But, I was furious that they would send my sister after me. They let me think she was dead for five years. If I had known I would have gone back. But Augustus wanted her to watch me become hostile."

I felt his hands cover my wound in something soft. I raised my head and saw that he was wrapping it in bandages. I don't know what kind of professor keeps bandages in his briefcase, but I guess that was in his supplies.

"I just want some peace." I said, as tears were running down my face. "Great, now you get to see me cry twice." I wiped my tears with my right hand.

"Hazel, that's not a bad thing." He said as he finished wrapping the wound.

"It shows weakness." I said.

"No, it shows you're human. You have guilt." He paused. "If you didn't have that then yes I would be concerned and probably turn you in." I got my answer. He saw someone else not just a monster. He saw a person.

"At least you're honest. And blunt too." I looked at my left arm. He wrapped it pretty well. But I remembered the real reason I came here. "So, I'll take you up on your offer if it's still valid."

"You have the job." He said and got up to hang his coat. "I'll come by once or twice a month with artifacts and we can talk. Then split the profits."

"Sounds fair. But you have to be careful about hiding this traitor from your superiors." The Clock Tower had a watchful eye. Very few could hide secrets from them. I would hate to see him loose his job over it.

"I generally keep to myself so it won't be out of character." I smiled. He was blunt which was the type of conversation I enjoyed.

"Good. You know, you're too nice. I like this professor side of you that's more straight forward." He gave a soft chuckle.

"I'm generally like this, but you caught me off guard." He said as he straightened the papers that fell out of his briefcase.

"Right, maybe you were running from your life too." I had the sense that this was a path he ended up in because it was convenient. He was thrown into his current life. He probably wouldn't talk much about his past, but maybe I could learn what his goals were. I began to make my way to the couch. "I'm going to sleep."

"There is a bed." He said as he pulled out a pen from his coat pocket correct.

"The couch looks more comfortable." I laid down, but one more thought came to mind. "Just so you know I'm calling you Waver. I refuse to address you by that pretentious name." He seemed annoyed by that, but I wasn't going to entice his ego. That's what he called himself when we met.

"It's my title." He said.

"Then why didn't you introduce yourself that way?" I asked, being snarky.

"Because you wouldn't have trusted me otherwise." He had a good point, then grasped his tea. "I may not be the best mage but I am clever." He took a victory sip from his cup.

"Okay, tone down the ego." I said as a crossed my arms over my chest and laid down.

"Just being honest." Waver set down his tea and looked at me. "You're fine to call me that here, just not in public."

"Good, I won't be out there for a while." I waited a moment before I said it, mostly because they weren't words that normally came out of my mouth.

"Oh, Waver." I said, he looked at me, and I figured I needed to tell him before I fell asleep. "If I don't say this again, thank you." I shut my eyes.

"Get some sleep, Hazel." He said. Even if this was only temporary, I knew I could start again. It was a new beginning into something else. Waver, though stubborn, seemed to understand when others needed help, even if he hated that part about his personality. It was strange to actually not be afraid of someone because they were aware of my actions. Hopefully, in this place I could feel more like myself, who I was before the experiments. My eyes closed feeling safe, something that I had long forgotten.