The Burning Flowers

Chapter XVI

All at once, Carmen’s words took every ounce of joy and fun that had been welling in Scott’s chest and crushed it into dust. He wanted to scream, he wanted to throw up, he wanted to sprint up to the third floor as fast as he could and beat the living hell out of Mallicent Malloway without a single care for the danger to his own life. Beside him, he could see that Abigail had gone deathly pale, telling him that whatever she had been sensing in Mallicent’s apartment had been a trick, and that somehow, they were outwitted. He knew they needed to do something—to save Laura before anything could happen to her, but they were already pushed into a corner. If they gave the dagger to Mallicent, he would once again gain the upper hand and be able to flee back to Ijiria, but if they refused, he would kill Laura and perhaps as many people as he could get his hands on.

And to top it all off, we’re not even guaranteed a choice! Ilirianna might refuse to hand the dagger over! After all, if the realm daggers are as rare and powerful as she said they were, then in her eyes, it might be worth more than Laura’s life! If the princess refuses, then what?

In Scott’s own selfish eyes, the only answer was to do as ordered and obey Mallicent. If Laura lost her life to this mess then he would never forgive himself. Ilirianna warned him countless times that getting involved with them would possibly lead to danger and tragedy, but in his desire to learn about the multiverse, he failed to account for the possibility that his friends may be put in danger as well—that his life might not be the only one he was placing at risk.

And my decision to steal back the realm dagger may have directly caused this!

Ryokumo had believed that stealing the dagger would prevent Mallicent from doing anything rash. His reasoning had been that the boy was horribly outmatched, so if Ilirianna had the dagger, it would be impossible to reclaim it. If he tried to steal it, he would die. If he tried to use the Omaruans as collateral, he would die. On top of that, he should know that Ilirianna would never allow him to remain in Omaruo, so he would at least have a chance to return to his home realm alive, even if he was a prisoner. Ryokumo had been confident this would be the case, but Ilirianna hadn’t agreed. Her argument was that, by cornering Mallicent, they would put him in a position where he couldn’t win, and thus he may be more inclined to take his rage out on the people of Wilham to make them pay as much as he could.

She was right! We forced Mallicent’s hand, and now Laura might be the one to pay the price!

“Carmen,” Scott breathed, stepping forward and grabbing her shoulders more forcefully than he intended. “Please, I need you to tell me exactly what happened! How did Mallicent find you and what did he say?”

“I…” His friend stared into his eyes for a moment, and though he could tell that she was suspicious of him and she had already deduced that this was related to everything he had been hiding, their years of friendship overcame that, and she trusted him enough to save her questions for later. “He approached us after we left the bathroom, and Laura seemed to recognize him. He said… Well, he asked if we had a moment to talk and he told us that you had gotten yourself wrapped up in something dangerous. Laura told me he was an old friend of yours, and well…” Carmen swallowed once more, her jaw tightening as she fought back her tears. “We’ve been worried sick about you, Scott. We’re not stupid, you know? We can tell that you’ve been dealing with something, and when Mallicent told us we needed to help you, Laura jumped at the chance to do so.”

Scott’s lips tightened in a self hatred stronger than anything he had ever felt, for in that moment, he realized how foolish he had been for lying to them. As much as Ilirianna had stressed the importance of keeping as many magicless in the dark as possible, Laura and Carmen were very intelligent and observant people. The second they found out about Ilirianna staying at his house, he should have pulled them inside and warned them.

Or at the very least, even if I didn’t do it back then, I should have told them the second Mallicent threatened Laura! We tried to handle it secretly, and because of that, they didn’t know to avoid Mallicent! This is my damn fault…

“What happened then?” he muttered. “You went with him upstairs and he did what exactly?”

Carmen looked down at the ground, still seeming in disbelief as she continued to recount the events. “The second we were in private…he pulled out a pocket knife and placed it against Laura’s throat, threatening to kill her if we didn’t do exactly as he said to. He then gave me that message and said to go tell it either to Abi, Caeli, or Ilirianna. That’s it. I don’t even…know what a realm dagger is! Do you guys actually have this thing he’s after?”

She directed that last, desperate question at Abi, whose shoulders slumped with defeat as she listened. “I don’t, but Ilirianna does. The issue is, well…I don’t know if she’ll give it to him.”

“What?! So she’s gonna let Laura die?!” she exclaimed, but Scott quickly intervened, doing everything in his power to control his rage and frustration as he said,

“No, not if I can help it. I’m sorry, Abi, but I refuse to let Laura suffer for this.” Scott fixed her with a gaze that he hoped would communicate his desperation, for as grateful as he was about everything they had done for him, he simply could not sacrifice Laura for the sake of a realm that would have erased him from existence in a heartbeat the very second they found out about him. “I’m going to find Ilirianna and I’m going to give the dagger to Mallicent. You said your people will eventually find you here, so you’re just gonna have to wait for them. I’m sorry. Watch Carmen for me.”

And as much as it pained him, he refused to give her a chance to argue before he stalked past her and began rushing towards the courtyard. Yet, before he had taken more than a few steps, Abi called after him.

“I’ll wait here, and when you have the dagger, I’m going up with you!”

He stumbled to a stop and turned back to see her features full of determination, silently telling him that she agreed with his course of action, so he forced a weak but thankful smile, then darted on his way.

***

Once again using magic to manipulate the air, Ryokumo Caeli sunk his fifth sandbag into the hole in the board before turning and fixing the young man who was running the game with a smug smile.

“That’s five, my friend,” he declared proudly, tipping his wide-brimmed hat. “One stuffed Jack-O-Lantern, if you please.”

Sticking his hands out, he watched as the man gazed at him with disbelief before his features turned to irritation. He was clearly grumbling under his breath about how Ryokumo must have cheated, for this was the sixth success in a row, but since he was oblivious to magic, and the darkness of the evening concealed the abnormal midair shifts of the bag, there was no way to prove it, so Ryokumo gladly accepted the stuffed pumpkin as his prize. Unfortunately, he couldn’t compete again because he was now out of tickets. Having blown most of them on the food stalls, he was left with only six remaining, and wanting to make use of them, he thought he’d go win them a few souvenirs to take back to Ijiria.

“A gift for the princess,” he stated, turning around and bowing as he held out the pumpkin for Ilirianna to take.

Unfortunately, she was staring at him like she thought he was the biggest scumbag she had ever met, and when she folded her arms across her chest and cocked a disappointed eyebrow, he knew he was in for a tongue lashing.

“Did you think I couldn’t sense any of that?” she muttered, swiping the pumpkin out of his hands before turning and beginning to walk away.

Chuckling, Ryokumo scooped up his large paper bag of Halloween plushies and rushed over to keep up with her, deciding to play dumb. “Whatever do you mean, Princess? I won those prizes fair and square!”

“Give me a break,” she snapped. “Here I thought I could walk away for five minutes to try some of that apple pie I’ve been smelling, so imagine my surprise when I suddenly start sensing a bunch of wind magic nearby and discover you cheating at a damn carnival game. Do you have no shame, Ryokumo Caeli?”

“W-well…I wanted to win my dear and lovely princess a prize!” he insisted. “I may have cheated a little bit, but my intentions were noble! I promise you!”

She snorted. “Yeah? You telling me all five of those toys in the bag were also for me, huh, cause I don’t need more than one.”

“Oh, no,” he stuttered. “These are for all my friends! I have one for Abi, one for Nigreos, one for Album, one for me, of course, and I thought I just had to win that zombie plush for my dear friend Rennigan Glaus! I only had my best friends in mind!”

Ilirianna shook her head, seeming to be trying to find something to say in response to that, but whatever retort she was about to send his way was quickly lost when the two of them saw Scott Reiner frantically rushing past the partygoers, his head snapping in all different directions, as if looking for someone.

“He looks scared,” Ryokumo observed. “Has Mallicent moved?”

Ilirianna narrowed her eyes. “No, he hasn’t.” The princess then raised her hand and called out, “Reiner! Over here!”

Hearing her voice, Scott almost tripped over his feet, and when he spotted them, the boy sprinted their way, coming to an abrupt stop and breathing heavily as he sputtered, “Mallicent’s here! He’s taken Laura captive and is going to kill her if we don’t turn over the dagger! Please, Princess, give it to me!”

Shoving his hand out in front of him before taking even a moment to catch his breath, Scott stared at Ilirianna with insistence, silently begging her to do as he asked without any further consideration. Meanwhile, Ryokumo was swiftly taking the situation into account, praying he could come up with an answer that would minimize tragedy, while also keeping the realm dagger in their possession.

I don’t understand… I’ve been sensing him at the apartment all day, so how could he possibly be here at the school? He’s clearly pulled some sort of trick, but what? Ryokumo gritted his teeth. Though I suppose it doesn’t matter. We got outplayed. The question is, do we refuse and let the poor girl die, or do we lose the dagger? Mallicent isn’t gonna fall for my tricks a second time, so if we lose it, we probably can’t get it back without a confrontation that would undoubtedly endanger the Omaruans.

“Princess!” Scott hissed desperately. “I understand that the dagger is priceless, but I can’t let Laura die! I just can’t! I know this must seem pathetic after I ignored your warnings at every turn, so I understand if you hate me, but I refuse to sacrifice her! She’s one of my best friends! Please, Ilirianna!”

“I…” The princess hesitated, and it was clear that she was being torn between her duty and her morals, so Ryokumo decided to try and make it easier for her.

“He won’t stop at Harrison, you know?” he told her softly. “If we refuse, he’ll kill her, and then he’ll start slaughtering the people at this festival until we give in. You…” He paused, suddenly feeling beyond stupid as a realization suddenly slammed into him. “I suppose you were right. Taking the dagger was a mistake…”

I screwed up. I really thought the little bastard would be more worried about preserving his life! He’s damn outmatched! He can’t beat the three of us, so if we decided to, we could kill him right here and now! He knows this! I thought he was a coward who would prioritize his own worthless life over anything else, but I guess I misjudged him. Unless he has some other trick, he’s willing to kill all of these people at his own expense, if only to make us pay.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” Ryokumo went on when she didn’t speak. “I acted on my own judgment and it failed me. I accept any punishment you may have, but we can figure everything out later. The dagger has another two weeks to charge, so we’ve got time! Letting Harrison die is not an option!”

Ilirianna still stayed quiet, staring first at the panicked Scott then to Ryokumo. He could see the gears spinning in her head, but having come to know what type of person Ilirianna Iiji was, he knew that at the end of the day, she couldn’t let an innocent die. Her morals would always overtake her duties, and this was not an exception.

Wordlessly, she reached into her overcoat and produced the realm dagger before holding it out for Scott to take. He smiled with relief, uttered a quick thanks, and was already taking off for the school before they could even wish him good luck. Ryokumo closed his eyes, preparing himself for what was sure to be an actual tongue lashing, so when Ilirianna finally spoke, he steeled himself for her sharp words.

He was not prepared for what she did say.

“I’ll gloat about being right another time. You’re a clever young man, Ryokumo, so I know you can fix this. I’ll watch your stupid toys, so get moving.”

His eyes went wide at the confident expression on her face, and despite having just taken a sharp blow to his ego, his heart swelled with pride as he swiftly tore off his beard and nodded firmly.

“At once, My Princess!”

***

Mallicent Malloway sat on the surface of what he guessed was the teacher’s desk, the whiteboard to his back and rows of empty desks sitting between him and the door in the opposite right corner. His senses were fully attuned to the movements of Ilirianna, Ryokumo, and Abigail, and at the moment, it was only the latter of the three that was beginning to rise up towards him. A smug smile twisted his lips as he basked in his successful plan. Since they were only sensing his mana signature, they couldn’t actually distinguish between mana he used and mana inside of him, so to make sure they didn’t know he was there, he went out into the forest not far from his apartment building and set a bunch of trees on fire. With the fire formed from his mana, it would feel like he was still in that direction, and even if the local fire department put it out, there would still be some residue for a little while. On top of that, it was on the other side of town, so it was unlikely they would hear about an unexplained forest fire until after the festival.

And with my mana significantly lowered, my own signature is quite overwhelmed by the presence of the two mages and especially Ilirianna. Distort myself for a little while and they won’t even know I’m here until it’s too late.

He was actually quite proud of himself, and having succeeded in capturing Laura Harrison, there were only two steps of his plan left. Naturally, he needed to make sure they didn’t pursue him after this, for once he had a dagger, the chances of them trying to kill him were higher. In order to win, he needed to convince them not to attack him, and that was why he wanted Abigail specifically to bring the dagger. Once or twice, he had pondered reaching out to the nature mage since, back during the week leading into Aeyir’s celebration, Vesh had revealed to him that Abi’s ideals were quite similar to their own. The reason he never bothered was because he didn’t think she could accept the massacre of the nobility, and Ryokumo had said a similar thing when he visited the apartment.

But at this point, it can’t hurt to try. If I can get Abi to at least sympathize with me, perhaps she can talk Ilirianna and Caeli down. It’s not foolproof and has plenty of holes, but I have to work with what I have.

“So…you gonna tell me what you actually have to do with Scott? Clearly you aren’t a friend.”

Mallicent’s eyes shifted to the corner of the room across from the door where Laura Harrison was standing, three bolts of fire suspended in midair around her, ready to release and tear her apart if he was forced to do so. Once he was sure Carmen had reached Abigail, he had created these flaming arrows out of magic since he no longer needed to conceal himself, and they enabled him to keep a distance between himself and the Omaruan girl. To her credit, though, despite her current situation, she was still addressing him with a sharp and disgusted tone, as if she weren’t actually afraid of him. At the very least, he respected her confidence.

“No, I’m not his friend in the slightest,” he growled. “Hell, I hardly know him. If not for his unfortunate decision to help Ilirianna Iiji, I wouldn’t have given him a second thought. But he decided to stand against me and to steal from me, so I had no choice. If Reiner and Abigail do as I say, nobody will be harmed.”

Laura scoffed, her painted-green features making her look a bit more intimidating than she might have been otherwise. “Yeah, that so? Then what are you?” She nudged her head towards the bright orange bolts and raised an eyebrow. “You said you’d explain what Scott’s been up to, so the least you can do is tell me what I want to know.”

Having never cared for Ijirian laws and finding the girl to be rather amusing, Mallicent decided it wouldn’t hurt to answer her question while he waited for Abi. “The simple answer, Miss Harrison, is that myself, as well as Ilirianna, Caeli, and Abi, are from an entirely different realm from this one—a place where magic exists. We hardly ever visit your realm, but circumstances resulted in the four of us getting stuck here and Scott Reiner got himself foolishly involved. Why they picked up his allegiance is beyond me, though.”

“Ha!” Laura narrowed her eyes. “You know, if not for these little arrow things, I’d say you’ve lost your mind, Mr. Malloway. Magic…? Other realms? That’s some fantasy novel bullshit right there.”

Mallicent shrugged. “I know not what you mean by ‘fantasy novel bullshit’ but believe what you want. I couldn’t care less.” Then, having sensed the arrival of somebody on the other side of the classroom door, the boy grinned and leaned forward with anticipation as it began to swing open. “You’re an irrelevant piece to this game anyway.”

As expected, Abigail walked into the room first, and though he had not summoned Scott Reiner, the magicless boy was right behind her as expected, the glittering realm dagger clutched in his right hand. Their eyes instantly shifted to Laura, and he could see their panic, so he decided to move things right along. Ilirianna and Ryokumo were still in the courtyard, so things were unfolding as he planned.

“Seems you made the right choice,” he mused. “You have my thanks.”

Abi’s features remained unemotional, but Scott instantly turned a furious glare his way, his voice trembling with rage. “Yeah, we’re here, you son of a bitch, and we’ve got your damn dagger. But just know you’re gonna regret messing with my friends.”

“Says the thief,” Mallicent retorted coldly. “You think I give a damn what you think, Reiner? All I want is my dagger so I can go back home. Is that really so much to ask?”

Scott bared his teeth, but this time, it was Abi who gave a response. “Your home is gone, Mallicent. You and your allies murdered everybody, leaving nothing left but ruin and death. You say you want your dagger to return home, but you don’t have a home to return to.”

“No, that’s incorrect,” he asserted, jumping off the desk and getting to his feet. “Aquesen was not my home, nor was Hiriech. My home is with the Kosah-Rei, and I will return to them.” He clicked his tongue. “From what I know about you, Abigail, you’re a woman who dedicated herself to bettering the lives of the poor. You wandered the forgotten north, providing aid to those the Citadel determined weren’t worth it. You saved lives that would have been lost under this government, so tell me…why do you oppose me? If the Kosah-Rei were to overthrow the Iijis, the Masters, and the Council…you would not have had to save those people. We would have done so ourselves! We have the same ideals, yet you stare at me like I’m the shit you scraped off of your boot! Why?”

Her answer was instant, and it was not a good omen for convincing her. “Because nothing in this world can justify what happened in that ballroom. Not a thing.”

“Is that so?” he demanded. “Not even if those people we killed were rapists, thugs, liars, and killers? The only difference between the nobles in that room and the bandits in the countryside is money and status! In that sense, they’re worse than bandits because they have the influence to ruin even more lives than just those in their immediate vicinity! The Kosah-Rei intend to save the empire—to give the people the power they deserve! Do you disagree with these ideals?!”

This time, Abi didn’t answer right away, and he wondered if maybe that particular argument had at least swayed her mind a bit, but when she spoke again, her stance had not shifted.

“I do not condone murder,” she told him. “Even for a just cause, I believe that people who have done the wrongs you speak of should be given their fair trials, should serve their time, and if they are to be executed, it should be painlessly and ethically. You burnt them all alive. You burnt your father and your brother alive.”

Mallicent grinned darkly. “I did, yes. Unfortunately, it seems you’ve already fallen prey to the same propaganda that everybody else does. I agree that sinners and criminals should face judgment, but if the justice system is rigged in the favor of the elite, then what are we to do? Do you think the Iijis are going to arrest the lords of the Great Cities for such things? Hell, they’re so scared of upsetting them that they had to assign you to a secret investigation, as well as smuggle Nyx Rana into Hiriech, just to avoid offending my dipshit of a father. Trials and executions are not for the lords! They are for the common people! Do you think I am wrong? Do you think I am misguided?”

“You…” Abigail hesitated, her eyes shifting to the ground as if considering what to say, and though Mallicent knew there wasn’t an argument she could use, she nonetheless still tried. “I do think you are wrong. Justifying murder… I simply cannot do it. Do not think I hold any love for the elite, but if there’s anything that my time in Erika had taught me, it’s that they aren’t all corrupted and evil. Nigreos, Album, Master Edwar Grunly… They are caring, loving people, and I refuse to accept that in that ballroom of over a hundred, every single one of them deserved that fate.” Her eyes turned angry, a glare being sent his way that he had yet to see on the otherwise calm and polite women. “There were children, you know—children who couldn’t possibly yet understand what Vesh was saying in there, yet you killed them, too. I don’t imagine a four-year-old could have done any of the things you’re referencing.”

Mallicent sneered at her naivety, realizing now just what even a handful of weeks among the Erikan elite could do to even a young commoner such as her. “One way or the other, the rich and powerful decay into nothing more than greedy bastards. Perhaps Nigreos and Album are kind and empathetic now, but just wait until they have more power—wait until somebody tries to take the power they currently have. They can talk as pure as they like, but I promise you, they will not always be like that. Aeyir was the same… I spared him my father’s fate, as I did those children.”

“But correct me if I’m wrong,” Scott cut in fiercely. “Are you not one of those very lords?”

Mallicent shook his head. “I am not. When the opportunity to choose between my people and my status was presented to me, I chose the people. I abandoned my birth rights, and now that Hiriech has fallen, I have nothing to go back to. I’ve put actions to my words and my values! I will be branded a traitor, and yet, I regret nothing.” He laughed softly, deciding he would have to abandon this attempt. “But enough about this. I see I’m wasting my breath.”

Mallicent glanced sidelong to where Laura was still cornered, her eyes wide as she listened to their debate, and taking a deep breath to prepare himself for what he was about to do, he looked to Abi once more.

“Here’s the deal. You give me the realm dagger, and I give you the chance to save her life.”

With a flick of a wrist, to the obvious horror and shock of Scott and Abi, one of the three bolts lurched forward and pierced straight through Laura Harrison’s chest.