Revolution, Chapter 5 by patricia51
(Confrontation)
Alex studied the three new arrivals. "I suppose I have about a million questions to ask about all this but the one that really springs to mind is; why is it fortunate that I was 'Indeed used and used terribly'."
"I may have misspoke just a bit there," the young woman said. "I should have said that it was fortunate for YOU."
"Okay," Alex said agreeably. "Correction noted and my original question still stands. Why is it fortunate that I was used, although I have to say looking back on what happened I agree completely?"
"Because," Jeremy interjected, "Becky is aware, even more so than am I, that there are certain people of our acquaintance who would gladly have agreed on your meeting the same fate as Stevie."
"You mean kill me." The words were flat and a statement rather than a question.
"Yes. Stevie was not only a friend but a leader to many and much more than that to some people and one in particular. I hope that he will accept the evidence that we present showing you were an unwitting tool. He is very powerful, much more than you are Alex. I hope he will, that he is not so consumed by anger that he follows what I'm sure will be his first instinct when he sees you and attacks with deadly force."
"Sounds like someone I really could avoid meeting with my feelings being hurt very much," Alex dryly observed. "Rather like when someone asked a man what it was like to be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail and he replied that if it wasn't for the honor of it he would have just as soon skipped the whole thing."
A faint smile crossed the other young woman's face. She seemed to have an air of authority about her. "Understandable. But I ask that you do meet him, meet the rest of us who carry on Stevie's dream of every wizard retaining his powers."
"Is that what this is all about?" exclaimed Jerry. Shock was all over his face. "That's wrong."
"I understand that you feel that way Mister Russo," said Jeremy. "But let me ask you. Why is it wrong?"
"Because the competition chooses the best wizard from among a group of siblings," argued Jerry. "Without it there would be no incentive to study, no reason to learn. Each wizard knows that they will one day be put to the test and they must prepare for it."
"That's a perfectly rational argument and the one that has been used for heaven knows how long," replied the young woman. "But that doesn't make it right. How many promising wizards have been stripped of their powers because something untoward happens during the competition? Why should a lazy, incompetent wizard hold their powers because they are an only child while other more powerful wizards lose due to the fact that the level of ability in their family is astronomical?" She pointed to Alex and Justin.
"Take your two older children for example, Mister Russo. Justin will almost certainly win the competition. And in a way that's good. He's a dedicated wizard and will accomplish much that will make you proud I bet. Then there's Alex. She's lazy, undisciplined and careless. But the genius she sometimes shows in spell casting, especially in impromptu situations is incredible. From people like her come the huge leaps in any art or science, including wizardry."
Jerry looked at the young woman with respect in his eyes. "Well spoken. May I ask who you are?"
"I'm sorry, Mister Russo. My name is Kat and this is Becky. Becky is Jeremy's cell leader."
"And your position is?"
"I have the honor to be one of the four members Stevie chose to form the guiding council, now known as the Inner Circle." Kat smiled. "We are quite organized. After all, we're not anarchists, we're revolutionaries." She turned serious. "All of what happened to Stevie and to all of your family points to something very deep and disturbing. A great deal of power went into this and whoever did it is not going to be pleased at what has occurred now. They may have thought all this was buried but I wouldn't be surprised to find that an alarm has been triggered by now notifying them at least that SOMETHING is going on. So I suggest again that we adjourn this discussion to our headquarters where I think you will be safer."
"Agreed."
"I suggest that only the three of you go with us," said Kat with an apologetic glance at the older Russo s. "Not that I object to your presence but only the magically capable can hold their own in what I think is to come." She took a deep breath. "I would like to make a promise of safety but things have started that are beyond my control."
"I'm going," replied Alex instantly.
"Not without me," added Justin. Max only nodded his agreement. Before Jerry could even open his mouth to protest Kat drew a wand and with a single gesture swept the three siblings and the visitors away.
They all emerged in a nearly featureless room. A small table and chairs had been pushed to the side and candles in the four corners were all the light provided. But it was enough for the Russo's to see a large number of young people around the walls as well as another young woman and two young men who stood in the center of the room. The sullen expression on one man's face changed, running the gamut from shock to outrage.
"HER! You bring HER here?" He fixed a murderous look on Alex, so frightening that she took a step backwards. "I'll kill you!"
"Over my dead body," came a quiet reply as Justin stepped in front of his little sister.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Justin Vincenzo Pepe Russo at your service. With ten years of studying battle spells by the way." Justin calmly studied the angry young man, braced himself and raised his hands to begin spell casting if needed. "You may fire when ready Gridley."
Just as Alex wondered how Justin knew the young man's name was Gridley the other young man stepped between them. "Stop it Dennis. We already know from Kat's telepathic message telling us she was bringing the Russo's here that what we thought might be true is indeed fact; that the Russo's and especially Alex were as much victims in this as was Stevie. No matter how much you loved her you have to get control of yourself."
"Yes, please do," said Alex, as sincerely as she had ever suggested anything in her life. Not that she didn't think Justin couldn't handle the guy she reassured herself.
"Indeed young man, that would be the best thing to do," a new, much older voice interjected.
The entire crowd swung to the doorway. Eyes opened wide and mouths dropped open. The entire day having possibly overloaded any possibility of her being shocked again Alex recovered before anyone else.
"Professor Crumbs?"
The aged master of Wiz Tech and the head of the Wizard Council nodded. Today there was no hint of the absent minded buffoon he occasionally appeared to be. His eyes were keen and missed nothing. His demeanor was that of watchful care and his stance proclaimed he was ready for anything.
"Yes Alex."
"What are you doing here?"
"Two purposes. First I, and the other senior members of the Wizard Council, have come to express our sorrow and offer our apologies to you and to others at the death of Stevie and the steps we were forced to take to keep her plan from happening. I am truly sorry. The idea was for you to freeze her and then we would take her into custody." He suddenly looked every bit of his eight hundred plus years. "But unfortunately there was the accident and it WAS an accident that was completely unforeseen. Even our powers cannot bring someone back from the dead."
"Once it happened though we knew it would horrify you. We had already been manipulating you. Alex by having you go along with Stevie until the last minute, Justin by making you react emotionally much more than normal to the idea of Stevie's revolution."
"I wondered," the oldest Russo sibling said thoughtfully. "I did feel outrage that seemed stronger than the situation really called for."
"Yes. It of course strengthened Alexandra's following of Stevie." He looked at Alex. "You have always tended to act in opposition to your brother."
"But why didn't you just stop Stevie?"
"Because we hoped up to the last moment that she would abandon her plan. Sadly she did not. Then she was dead and we knew you would be horrified. Since you were open to us already at first we used a spell that made you not care what had happened. You simply acted as though none of what happened meant anything to you. But something like that won't last when it is so diametrically opposed to your normal natures. After all, none of the three of you really can ignore killing someone even as an accident. So we covered up your memories. But we left a magic alarm to tell us if you recovered them. You did."
"And the second reason?"
"We came here to stop this plan; stop this revolution."
"We?"
Professor Crumbs nodded towards the doorway. A file of older wizards, male and female, entered. They formed a line on either side of him, facing the Russo s and the young conspirators. There was a stir among the junior wizards. One by one another girl and two boys joined Kat and stood shoulder to shoulder facing the Council. One was Dennis, his face still filled with anger.
"Sean Rogers," Professor Crumbs spoke. "I'm surprised to find you here. Surely you know better than this."
"Surely I don't," retorted the good looking young wizard.
"But you won your competition."
"So? My sisters were just as talented, just as capable as I am. Both of them knew thousands of spells. They deserved better than to be stripped of their powers."
"That is the way of things," spoke Professor Crumbs sternly.
"But not necessarily the way things will always be," Sean said softly. Behind him the crowd of younger wizards continued to grow as more and more of Stevie's followers joined the ranks facing the Council.
"That's enough! The whole lot of you needs to disperse and give up this crazy idea. Don't make us take further action when we regret what we have had to do already."
Sean looked at the assembled Council without quailing. He glanced at the other young wizards crowding the room, many of them with their wands at the ready or their hands poised for spell-casting.
"All I can think of to say are the words spoken at the beginning of another revolution."
"Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here."
The tenseness in the air grew to a near unbearable level. Older eyes locked with younger. Everyone present knew it would take only a single tiny spark to start a battle that would change the Wizard world forever. Then a voice that had up till now only been heard in haunting dreams spoke.
"STOP!"
(To Be Continued)