It's been a while.
—
Chapter 6: Alex Mercer, Hardworking Husband, Part 4
Damien grinned from ear to ear.
This was his chance.
Two unexpected events had occurred, saving him from the most unexpected of all: Edmond Dantes was not some run-of-the-mill magician who relied solely on his noble power to crush any obstacle in his path, but a very dangerous sorcerer.
He had saved the biggest surprise for last.
From the stories he had heard about him, it had almost been his panicked expression upon hearing his wife and daughter's voices. But no.
Unfortunately, it had been the way he transformed his arms, without even reciting a spell. It didn't matter how many surprises he had up his sleeve. As long as he reached the hostages before him, he would win. And he had the advantage.
Damien would never reach them in time.
It was improbable, but not impossible. Not yet, at least.
Damien quickly turned around. Without slowing down. In fact, without even slowing down for a second. Edmond was there, with those horrible black arms. And sharp. Whatever was shining in the darkness must have been bone, but it looked like the steel of a sword. A piece of bone on each arm, sharp enough to tear him apart.
If he caught up to him.
Only if he caught up to him.
He was breathing heavily, he had to admit, because of the fear, that pressure in his chest like a dagger. It was humiliating, but he had to admit it. And running like this didn't help, naturally.
But Damien was strong.
Being strong doesn't mean not being afraid. Someone without fear was nothing more than a living corpse with nothing to lose who would soon end up in a ditch.
Only people with something to lose, with fear, could be strong enough to protect those valuable things.
Damien had proven that countless times.
He had survived countless bad situations thanks to his incredible strength of will, his skill, and his intelligence. This wouldn't be any different. He hadn't bitten off more than he could chew.
He completed the incantation.
Quickly a stone wall rose in the middle of the hallway. Hard and sharp stones like stalactites intertwining to form an unbreakable barrier.
Or it should have been.
But, incredibly, it was destroyed in the blink of an eye.
Edmond Dantes smashed it to pieces with a casual swipe as he passed by, as if he had barely even noticed it.
Damien swallowed hard.
And on top of that, he was fast.
Too fast. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. If those arms had broken tons of stone in the first attack, then his fragile body stood no chance.
Furthermore, the difference between the power of a mage who could at least cast a spell without an incantation and one who needed them, whether they were a Triangle or Square mage, it didn't matter, was obvious. It was a huge, insurmountable gap.
So...
Am I going to die?
So
Do I not have a chance?
No. No. No. She was already there. He could see the woman and the girl. He was no monster, but he would use anything at his disposal to survive. Hewould cut that girl's throat if necessary. He didn't want to do it mainly because if Edmond allowed things to reach that point, then he had made a judgment error and they wouldn't have been effective hostages.
"Close your eyes, sweetheart."
That was the last Damien heard.
He made no move to close his eyes, but suddenly there was only darkness. It was so swift that he didn't even feel pain before the end.
—
Alex Mercer, his body covered in another man's blood from head to toe, something he was intimately familiar with, breathed deeply like a beast. He was not satisfied at all. The prey had come too close, and its end had been swift and painless in its haste.
He had reduced it to pulp against a wall, and that was how it had ended.
In front of his wife and daughter.
Of Edmond. Well, it didn't matter now. There was no difference anymore.
Angélique had had the common sense and quick reaction to hold the girl close to her chest, preventing Dana, that is, Julie, from seeing anything. But still, it was over. That woman's eyes were wide as plates.
He had done something that surely no one else on the planet could do. If he had had enough time to get used to magic before trouble rained down on him, this could have been avoided. Maybe he would have been able to deal with the intruders using only the wand and the combined knowledge of his two noble victims. But that hadn't happened, and now it was irreparable.
He could try to lie.
According to their memories, wandless and chantless magic wasn't impossible. There was the famous Karin the Heavy Wind and the spell that earned her nickname.
In general, there were various examples, even though most were simple accidents or not entirely intentional at least.
But he could try to excuse himself that way.
About his arms, well, like a spell he had just discovered. One of his own creation, perhaps. Edmond had no talent, and it wasn't a particularly convincing explanation, but faced with the unknown, the terrifying, people sought any possible explanation to fit events into the box of their common sense. Even if they had to force it.
The biggest problem of all was not even that Angélique had seen him, but that she must have already suspected something.
That something was wrong with her husband.
That he wasn't the same, even though they had spent very little time together.
Now, what?
Would he have to run?
Would he have to try again?
He could, but he didn't want to. He was tired of running.
"Mom, what's happening?" the girl asked tearfully.
—
The Valliere mansion stood among the trees of the forest. Her tomb.
The carriage moved slowly between the rows of trees. It gave the impression that the journey could stretch to infinity. Of course, that was nothing more than a childish fantasy. Just like her struggle against her own nature.
All nobles were magicians, but not all magicians were noble. Louise was going against even something as simple as that. It was time to accept reality. She couldn't say that her failures were proof of her skill as a magician, as Kirche had tried to argue. Failures were nothing but failures.
Perhaps explosions would be useful on the battlefield, but she would gain neither honor nor glory unlike her mother. She had no skill, just an unexpected side effect. She was a failure.
The carriage stopped. The end had arrived. Louise got off with trembling legs. The whisper of the tree leaves seemed to convey a secret message to her. A dark message, which was nothing she didn't already know.
She bid farewell to the driver as appropriate. Nobles had to be polite, elegant. She might be a failure, but at least she hadn't forgotten that. And then... She crossed the threshold of her prison.
Her sisters were waiting for her. Éléonore to revel in her failure as usual, and Cattleya to support her desperately, although she could barely get out of bed, as usual. Both things were painful for Louise in their own way. But worst of all was, of course, her.
Mother, she thought. Oh, mother.
On her face as cold as steel, she saw what she had expected. I know. I know, at least Cattleya is sick, I'm just a failure. I know. I know.
Mother spoke, but her words didn't reach Louise's ears. They washed over her like the tide.
Not listening to her mother would normally be unforgivable. It still was. Louise was listening, or at least trying her best, but... she heard nothing.
Karin's face changed in the end.
"Louise, you know this is for your own good, right?"
The girl raised her head, straightened her back.
"Of course, mother."
And she smiled. A very wide smile. But the light in her eyes was already dead.
—
The girl's question had been left hanging in the air. Now, what would happen? What should happen?
"Nothing, dear. Papa has saved us."
And Alex, was he safe? Had he escaped? Perhaps yes, but when Angelique returned his gaze, he understood that she knew.
She knew something was walking around wearing her husband's skin...
And she didn't give a damn.
His fears had been unfounded.
Alex Mercer, Hardworking Husband, Part 4: END