Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton for the Outsiders and Pirates of the Caribbean for a bit of dialogue.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Theories of Magic

Russell, who had been struggling with Two-Bit, stopped at Mordred's words. Find another apprentice?

It's just to throw him off, Russell tried to convince himself. But he couldn't lie to himself. Mordred thought of him as a possession, a golem that would do his every bidding. But he had never imagined that his master would dismiss his very life so willingly.

I don't know why I'm so surprised, he thought bitterly. He's never cared for anyone or anything but himself. Just look at what he's doing to his own daughter.

Rage overcame him. Master or not, how dare Mordred do this to him? After everything he had been through for the wizard…

But that was just it. It was he who had overcome every obstacle, with Mordred following behind to reap the rewards.

Magic is unlike man in that it knows unprejudiced justice. Rightfully, then, the power that Mordred had benefited from all this time was really his.

It was one-to-a-million chance that Russell was right, but the way he looked at it, what did he have to lose? Once Mordred had his daughter's power, he would no longer have use for Russell anyway.

Russell knew, from watching Mordred take other magical creatures' powers, that this was a long and tricky spell. It would take at least five minutes, so he would have to work fast.

"Hey, mortal," he muttered in the switchblade-armed guy's ear. "I'll make you a bargain."

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Two-Bit ignored Russell until he whispered it again: "I mean it. Not to help you, mind you. Once he's done with her, he won't have any use for me anymore."

"So why don't I slit your throat now?" Two-Bit snarled, pushing slightly against Russell's throat, enough to scare him but not enough to draw blood.

"Because then you can't save Carmen."

Two-Bit closed and pocketed his switchblade, releasing Russell, who massaged his throat, looking reproachful. "I'm listening," Two-Bit muttered.

Russell told him the plan. Two-Bit didn't like it, but it seemed to be the only way to save Carmen.

"Just one more thing," Russell said out of the corner of his mouth to Two-Bit. "How far are you willing to go for her?"

"I'd die for her," Two-Bit said without hesitation.

"Oh, good. No worries then," Russell said. "C'mon, let's go."

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Carmen struggled to keep her breathing even. She had wondered, since her mother's death, what it was like to die. Well, now she was finding out.

Mordred chanted endlessly, but suddenly faltered at crashing noises behind her. Carmen opened her eyes. Mordred was livid, screaming curses and hurling them. Carmen stood still as a statue, but the curses flew right by her. Surely even Mordred couldn't have that bad aim?

She turned. Her jaw dropped. Two-Bit…and Russell?

Maybe this was just part of the spell. Maybe losing your head was a sign that you were dying.

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"You sure about this?" Two-Bit hollered to Russell over the smashes of glass against stone as they overturned shelves and knocked over endless rows of jars of things Two-Bit didn't want to think about.

"No! But I know that it's in here somewhere!"

According to Russell, Mordred couldn't control all the magic he had gathered all at one time. So he stored it, somewhere in his dungeon. Russell knew it was in a glass jar. But which one, it was hard to say.

"Found it!" Russell yelled. Two-Bit looked over in time to see Russell overturn a shelf, hidden behind one they had just brought down.

"What are you idiots doing?" Mordred screeched. "Russell, don't you dare!"

But it was too late. It landed with a tremendous crash that made everyone present except Mordred cover their ears. It was the loudest thing Two-Bit had ever heard, louder than a rodeo, a drag race, or Buck's parties.

From the wreckage swirled mist of what Two-Bit supposed was magic.

"Yes," Russell crowed. "I knew it! My theory was right!"

What theory? Two-Bit wondered, but no sooner than Russell had said it than did the magic disintegrate, leaving nothing.

"No!" Russell groaned. "I knew it! My theory was wrong!"

"You fool!" Mordred raged, storming over and grabbing Russell by the collar. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"He's returned all the magic in the world to those it rightfully belongs with," Carmen said. It was the first she'd spoken this whole time, and she looked thoroughly shaken. "Magic knows justice without bias, and—"

"We all know it, you stupid girl!" Mordred fumed. He seemed to be going over the edge.

Everyone except me, Two-Bit thought. No one tells me useful stuff like that.

Mordred rounded on Russell. "You've cost me the magic it took years to acquire!" he shouted, his eyes wild. "And you shall pay!"

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