Chapter 52

It was some time before I could let Fera in on the scheme, since I couldn’t very well discuss it with everyone else present. I was late to our post at the gate as it was. Thankfully, the mundane troops were used to Gabriella and her wand trick, so they weren’t likely to question my tardiness.

As always, some of the mundanes ran people through the metal detectors in the small booth, while a few patrolled the area around the iron gate with drawn weapons. It didn’t leave any room for us wizards to get in out of the cold, unfortunately, but at least we weren’t suffering alone.

“You missed breakfast, Kasasagi,” said Mariko, her delicate mouth turning downward.

“You didn’t save me any?” I asked.

“Well, of course I did,” she replied, pulling thermos and a muffin from a satchel on her shoulder. “But it seems like ages since we’ve had a real talk.”

That was by design; Our Father Below knew how she’d respond if she got a whiff of Kiyo’s dilemma.

Gabriella looked up from where she was scanning an irritated-looking delivery driver. “Nice mustache.”

“Yeah, it’s almost as nice as yours,” said Fera.

Mariko’s hand flew to her mouth. “Ara!”

Gabriella’s eyes went wide, but I’ll give her this, she stayed focused on her nonsense task. Apparently she still lived by procedure, even when it was one she had written.

“Alright, you’re clear,” she said.

The delivery driver gave a hasty thanks and was out of the security booth before I could blink twice. I couldn’t blame him; Gabby’s voice was professional, but the look of murder in her eyes wasn’t.

As soon as he was out of earshot, though, I had to step between them.

“What’s your problem, shorty?” demanded Gabriella.

“Am I wrong?” asked Fera, clearly enjoying Gabriella’s fury. She was peeking around me, using me as a devil shield.

Now, as I write this section, I do have half a memory of Gabriella perhaps having a little more hair on her face than either of the Japanese women present. How much of that is truth and how much is the power of suggestion warping my memory, I cannot say. If it was true, it was so little as to not be worth comment.

However, as King George kept saying, the truth of the thing is less important than the appearance, and just then, Gabriella appeared like she was about to shove me out of the way and wring Fera’s neck.

“Kiyo Jones!” said Mariko in a motherly-sounding rebuke. “What has gotten into you lately?”

“Oh, nothing really,” said Fera, contorting Kiyo’s face into a self-satisfied smirk. “Just a way to pass the time.”

“I’ll pass your face into next week!” shouted Gabriella, lunging for her.

I caught her by the shoulders, the impact forcing me backwards. “Kiyo, stop stirring the damned pot because you’re bored!” I’d very nearly called her Fera.

Funny the power the d-word had gained in the wake of the Horde’s invasion; it startled Gabriella out of her rage, and Mariko’s hands flew to her mouth again.

Fera took a moment before Kiyo’s memories reminded her of the faux pax I’d just committed. “Jeeze, Magpie, you got a mouth on you.”

“You’re one to talk,” grunted Gabriella, struggling and failing to break my grip.

“Is there a problem out here?” asked one of the mundanes as he led another delivery driver up for his scan.

“I don’t know,” I said, fixing Fera with a glare. “Is there?”

She shrugged. “I guess not. Sorry, Gabby.”

“No, sorry isn’t going to…” Gabriella trailed off, seeing that she had an audience. I released her and she took a step back, taking a moment to unruffle her uniform. “No, nothing important. Say, would you like someone to join your patrols for a bit? I think I need a change of scenery.”

The soldier nodded slowly. “Doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

At least somebody could be civil; once the deliveryman and Gabby were on their ways, Fera chuckled to herself.

“Well, Magpie, looks like you resolved a hairy situation.”

“Do you want to get caught?” I hissed in her ear.

“Maybe,” she said. “It would alleviate the boredom.”

“Nobody’s keeping you here,” I said.

“As if I’m going to let you off that easily,” she said as she stepped away and stretched.

“Kiyo, I’m serious,” said Mariko. “You’ve been so cruel lately! What on earth is the matter with you?”

“Oh, I dunno,” she said. “Maybe I’m pissed ‘cause you stole my man, and I have to orbit you two all the time.”

Mariko gawped like a fish. “Your man?”

So much for not stirring the pot! I quickly ducked into the booth, where the mundanes were processing a visitor.

“I’m afraid a situation has come up,” I said, making a show of charging up Gabriella’s half-finished wand. “Can you handle the magical scanning for a bit?”

“Sure thing, Magpie,” said the one who still hadn’t gotten me that pint.

Dark Lord’s Eyes, I could have used one right then. By the time I got back, Mariko and Kiyo had relocated further down the wall under the cover of some hedges. I might have missed them if they hadn’t cast a golden, glowing Zone of Silence over themselves.

Mariko was defending herself as I walked through the soundproofed barrier.

“Kiyo, I absolutely did not steal Soren from anybody!”

Now, as a matter of historical record, one could argue that Mariko had stolen me from Heida Bryndísardóttir, though I contend that relationship was never anything more than a fling. However, I wasn’t interested in stepping into a catfight with unwelcome truths. Good way to lose an eye, that.

“You dumped him, remember?” continued Mariko.

Fera went through Kiyo’s memories a moment, which produced a light scent of Fera’s sulfurous magic. “Yeah, but you were chasing after him the whole time we were together. You were also always telling me to take it slow, and then I caught you two making out on the train. Sounds to me like you wanted him to yourself.”

“And what would be wrong with that?” said Mariko. “I never made any move while you two were dating. Why can you not do the same for us?”

“Guess you’re just a better person than me, Mariko,” said Fera. “You wanna get off that cross occasionally? I’m sure it’s tiring.”

“Now, I’d have thought that getting a smack from Mariko would have put an end to this. When you can make an avowed pacifist lash out, you know you’re being annoying.” Ignoring my previous wisdom, I stepped in between them.

Ah, well. I’d rather do without an eye than listen to their bickering.

Fera looked taken aback for a moment, and there was that sulfur scent again. I really needed to stop making her use Kiyo’s memories.

“Maybe I’m sick of being ignored,” said Fera.

“You’re here by your own choice,” I said, which elicited a confused look from Mariko. I gestured for her to stay quiet. “Now, I think… what’s the matter?”

“Grah, too much,” said Fera, holding her head. “Fine, I’ll drop it.”

“Kiyo, we can’t just drop it,” said Mariko. “I thought we settled this back in Japan. We were getting along again.”

Despite Fera’s protestations, she recalled Kiyo’s recent past again. “Yeah, we were getting along because I shut up again. That’s the only way any of you like me.” She still cradled her head, and I swore the circles under her eyes had grown since this conversation started.

I took her by the shoulders to steady her. “Who’s speaking right now?” I asked, earning more confusion from Mariko.

Fera frowned deeply. “This ride isn’t fun anymore. I want to get off.”

Mariko stood next to me, kneeling slightly to meet the shorter girl eye to eye. “It isn’t fun for us, either. I know that forgiveness has never been your strong suit, but it really will let you free.”

“My head hurts too much to hear the Enemy’s bull,” she snarled, before stopping, a horrified look in her eyes.

“The Enemy? Who are you talking about?” she demanded, the motherly tone returning.

I paused, realizing that the stench of Fera’s magic had been increasing the whole time. “Which one of you cast this Zone of Silence?”

“I did,” said Fera. “What of it?”

“You know damn well what,” I snapped. “Dispel it right now, before you hurt yourself!”

“What is going on around here?” said Mariko. “Kasasagi, you’re hiding something from me, and Kiyo you’re sounding like… well… a demonkin. Explain yourself!”

Fera rolled her eyes. “Enemy’s bones, this girl is a damned basket case. She keeps bleeding through. I think it’s time to trade up.”

I grabbed her shoulder so roughly that I could feel the fabricata fibers of her uniform stiffen. “No, don’t you dare!”

It was too late, though, as the scent doubled and redoubled. There wasn’t a lightshow this time; it was more like when Fera had vacated Wendy’s body at my knighting. It seemed she could conceal her astral form when she needed to.

That was the furthest thing from my mind at the time, though, as I leapt between the two of them, my arms spread wide. “Take me, not her! I’ll let it happen this time!”

Our Father Below take my heroic instincts!

“Ooh, interesting,” said Fera. “It would keep you from pulling a Maggie Edwards on me… alright, I agree.”

Kiyo collapsed to her knees, her face blank before my eyes scrunched themselves shut. Everything was the stench of sulfur, and my whole body went numb as Fera’s essence poured into me. It wasn’t consistent, though, as the feeling kept coming back into my extremities at random.

“I thought you said you’d let it happen?” The voice was mine, but it pronounced the harsh tones of High Demonic with a feminine lilt.

“Trying…” I grunted, and I meant it. I’d managed to fight her magics before, but surrendering was proving just as difficult. If only I’d taken the time to grab that anti-magic shackle, I might have been able to test the theory that it could drive Fera out.

No, no. I had to banish it from my mind, or else she’d know about that plan, and everything else I’d been cooking up, too. I decided to think back to that night of passion we’d enjoyed in Pandemonium, since we both knew about that. Besides, it was the last time I’d gotten anything but stress from her.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

She didn’t comment, which made me wonder if she could even access my memory. Or, she was just as miserable as me. I felt fit to burst, when I wasn’t numb to the world.

Mariko rushed over, panic in her eyes. “Kasasagi! What are you saying? I-I do not have my translator in.”

“You tell her,” grunted Fera in my voice, before I could feel my lips and tongue again. “I’m busy.”

“It’s that bitch Fera,” I said.

“Who?” said Mariko.

Blast, she hadn’t had a front row seat to me telling the headmaster everything like Kiyo had. “It’s too long to say! She possessed Kiyo, said she’d kill her if I told anyone. B-been trying to figure out…”

“That’s enough of that.” My lips went numb again as my own hand slammed into my side, which only succeeded in activating my uniform’s fabricata protection and bruising my knuckles. “By all the devils in Our Father’s domain, if you don’t stop fighting me, I’ll…”

I was suddenly face to face with Mariko, which quieted us both. She stuck out her tongue a moment, her little tic when she was thinking hard. “You’re what was making Kiyo so unhinged?”

“Trust me, she does that on her own,” said Fera in accented English. Not my own accent, which was distressing.

“Shut up,” I said. “Yes, she’s been in her the last few days; I was hoping somebody would notice.”

“Was it… hurting Kiyo?” she asked.

“Y-yes,” I grunted out, keeping control of my mouth, even as my nails scratched at the side of my own face. I ignored the pain. “It’s what killed Wendy and the Major! It’s why I’m letting her take—”

“Like Hell you are!” snapped Fera. “You’re fighting me like a prize bass!”

“I told you, not on purpose,” I said.

“Bah! If this is you giving in, I’m better off back in Jones!”

“No!” Mariko reached out, caressing us on either cheek, a forced smile on her face. “Take me.”

My stomach sank. “No, you can’t!”

“Soren, you won’t last like this,” she said. “I-I’ll be fine; I know my knight will save me; he always does.”

“No, no…” I trailed off as the sulfur scent ramped back up. My limbs were my own again without warning, and I collapsed onto my side when my arm unexpectedly buckled beneath me.

When I looked up again, ‘Mariko’ rose back up to her full height.

“Much better,” said Fera, her voice carrying a stolen sweetness.

Chapter 53

“There; maybe now you’ll stop dragging your feet about this,” said Fera. “Seeing as you’re still with this one.”

The Enemy damn her, it was like nothing had happened at all. Every little gesture, every little quirk of Mariko’s body language, it was all there. My instincts told me it was the woman I loved standing in front of me, even though I knew better.

“Leave her at once,” I said, trying to project a strength I didn’t feel just then. My limbs were still weakened from Fera’s attempt to seize me, but I forced myself back onto my knees.

“Ooh, you sound so commanding! But, I’ll have to say no.” She looked down at her right hand and frowned. “What’s the matter? Her hand won’t stop moving on its own.”

“Don’t access her memories for it,” I said, a bit too hastily. I didn’t mean to sound desperate, but then, these were desperate times. “She was hit by a ruhspont. Her arm never recovered.”

Fera rolled up her sleeve, blanching at the mass of scars starting just past Mariko’s wrist. “That must have hurt.”

“Be careful, that almost sounded like sympathy.”

She shook her head. “Nothing of the sort; it’s just going to be a bother while I use this body. Hold on, I have just the thing to fix this.”

“No, wait…”

“Alheln!”

The angular demonic runes flew through the air, collapsing into the familiar spell. Mariko’s body jerked, just like back in that hotel room, and she wavered on her feet for a moment.

My legs didn’t want to work quite right, so I clambered over on hands and knees. It seemed that even if Fera couldn’t possess me, my recovery was slow. I needed to make sure she didn’t notice, or she might weaponize it against me. Rising to my knees, I took her free hand, steadying her.

“We tried that,” I said. “It seems demonic magic isn’t infallible.”

She shrugged. “No big deal. I can tolerate this for a week; after all, I’m not the third-rate artist who has to live with it.”

“You obnoxious, arrogant bitch.” My fury got me on my feet again, though pins and needles still ran through my whole body.

“Aw, why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” she said, bending over and blowing a teasing kiss.

“As if I wasn’t spending every moment trying to solve your damn problems,” I continued, jumping to my unsteady feet.

“Words, words, words,” she said.

By Our Father and the Enemy, to think I’d spent all those years pining after this woman. If I’d still been wavering on whether I’d fallen to the softer side of my nature, a week of dealing with this harpy had sealed the deal. Even my remaining demonic pride wanted to humble her, so my instincts were undivided for once.

“Surely you noticed I was late this morning? The King is going to summon us for guard duty down at a shipyard, where he’s christening a new vessel. So, you see? I always deliver.”

A demure smile split her lips, quite different from the demonic grins she’d been wearing all morning. She gave a shallow bow. “Arigatou, Kasasagi. I can always count on my knight in shining armor.”

Anger gave way to a moment of despair. She was wearing Mariko like a suit, pulling from her mind and habits. I’d done this to her, just like I had to Kiyo. If it wasn’t for me…

I had to remind myself that I had a plan, or at least the bones of one. I had resources, after all. Mariko simply had to hold out a little longer, and if she saw me worrying, it would only make her suffering worse. Stiff upper lip and all that.

While I steadied myself, Fera’s mouth turned downwards. “Our Father Below, I’ve gone from one extreme to the other. This woman is so placid, I almost feel like I’m going to nod off.”

“What should it matter what you ride?” I asked, trying to goad a little intel out of her. “Aren’t you the mistress of it?”

“Well of course,” she said, sounding a tad too defensive. “But it’s like how you can play a tune on an oboe or a saxophone. Even if the song has the same notes, it comes out differently. The body and soul are the same way, in my experience. Kiyo is a ball of nerves and insecurities, while Mariko here is… oddly calm, considering she’s trapped in her own body. Humans are usually louder when I take direct control.”

“Louder?”

“Well, with these girls, I’m having to take a firmer hand than normal,” she said. “Kiyo got a good look at me before I seized her, and you just had to tell your girlfriend what was happening. Major Smythe was easy; I hopped in while she slept, and I mostly let her run things until I needed to intervene.”

“What does that have to do with being loud?”

She rolled her eyes. “Kiyo just never stopped fighting it! She was screaming for you, praying to the Enemy, trying to move her limbs, on and on and on. It was so bothersome.”

“It must have been awful for you,” I snarled.

“Oh, it was,” she said, ignoring my sarcasm. “I think Mariko and I are going to get on much better.” She started turning this way and that to admire her new ride. It reminded me of a woman trying out a new dress when there wasn’t a mirror about. “I see you went from one extreme to the other in your taste in women.” Switching to Japanese, she said, “Kasasagi, can I get a shoulder rub? I’m so stiff.”

At least, I was fairly certain that’s what she said. My Japanese was still rather amateur. However, the way she was fondling herself and twisting her shoulders got the message across.

“I’ll have to decline,” I said. “I do keep saying I’m taken.”

“It isn’t cheating if she’ll get to feel it, too,” she said, her face flushing. “My, you certainly can get a rise out of these human girls, Kasasagi! She’s almost hoping you’ll say yes.”

I doubted it. No matter how well Mariko was taking her current mess, this had to be putting a damper on her libido.

“Feel it?” I asked, ignoring her come-on. “When you were in me, I went completely numb.”

“Interesting…” she said, her tongue leaving her mouth a moment as she contemplated the difference. It was so like Mariko that my heart ached again. “Ah, well, it’s not important. We should get back to the gate. We wouldn’t want any riffraff getting into the estate, after all,” she added, punctuating her words with a wink.

“You think you’re so damn clever, don’t you?” I snarled.

“I do, yes,” she replied, snapping her fingers to dispel the Zone of Silence. It didn’t budge. “Interesting, the spell still belongs to Kiyo, so she’s the one maintaining it. I’ve never had a chance to possess two wizards back to back. This has all been rather educational.”

Kiyo! I’d been so worried about Mariko that I had forgotten that she’d been released for the first time in days.

Kiyo was still kneeling in the dirt between the bushes in our hiding spot, eyes glazed over.

“I suppose it’s for the best I couldn’t dispel the zone,” Fera said, turning to walk away. “She’s about to be noisy.”

Before I could say anything, Fera’s prediction came true. Kiyo’s horrified shriek was amplified as it bounced around the soundproof barrier.

Fera winced. “Just like that girl Wendy between rides. You’d have thought she’d be more grateful after I stole her from that Count in Wales. The Dark Lord knows I treated her better.” A shudder passed through her body, likely at some stolen memory. “Kasasagi, be a dear and talk Kiyo down. I’ll go back to our post.”

“You’ll pay for this,” I said, even as I rushed to Kiyo’s side.

“No, I won’t,” said Fera. “That’s the beauty of it. Later!”

By Our Father Below and all His fallen angels, I don’t think I’d ever hated like I did in that moment. Fera had said she could control the impression her hosts had when she left them, which meant she’d meant to leave Kiyo a hysterical mess. The look in Kiyo’s shocked eyes still haunts me to this day.

“Kiyo?”

As soon as I spoke, she latched onto me, as if noticing I was there for the first time. “Magpie! I… she…”

The sobbing started, and she buried her head in my chest. I did what I could to hold and soothe her, but she was inconsolable. It tore at my heart, but I managed to keep my own eyes clear. I didn’t want her to look up and see how badly rattled I was; I needed to project strength, especially with what I was going to ask her to do.

She finally trailed off, leaving my uniform a complete mess.

“She’s gone,” said Kiyo, sounding like she couldn’t believe it.

“She is,” I said, not adding the obvious “for now” to the end of it. It wasn’t what she needed to hear.

“She’s gone.” She gripped me like I was a life preserver. “She’s finally gone.”

“It must have been awful,” I said.

She nodded. “I saw everything she did. Heard everything she said. It was… yeah.”

“Did you learn anything useful?” I asked, regretting it as the question sent a shiver through her body.

“I… I dunno. She sent some letters, probably to that Dante guy. But they were in some sorta code? I can’t say.”

Exactly the right precaution to take when she had a constant witness. “That’s alright, Kiyo,” I said. “You did alright. Dark Lord knows, I’d probably be a gibbering mess right now.”

“I, uh, kinda am?” she said, sniffing loudly.

“No, you did splendidly,” I said. “Hold your head up high; you survived Hell on earth, and you have a chance to return the favor.”

She let out a sardonic little laugh. “You always knew what to say, Magpie. I’m sorry.”

“What do you possibly have to apologize for?” I demanded, my volume making her flinch again. “I’m the one who brought you into this mess!”

“Y-yeah, you were,” she said. “But you don’t get it, I said all of those awful things to you and Mariko and Gabby and—”

“Kiyo Jones!” My commanding voice cut her off. “Kiyo, that was all Fera! Don’t you dare blame yourself.”

“N-no, it wasn’t,” she said. “She was pulling from my thoughts, especially earlier.”

“That’s a devil’s trade, isn’t it?” I said, gently stroking her hair. “To bring out the worst in people. There’s no shame in it; you had no control.”

“You don’t get it,” she said. “Hearing those thoughts out loud in my voice… It wasn’t really different from what I’ve said to you since we met up again.”

“Do you want to talk about this now?” I asked.

“Y-yeah, gotta clear the air,” she said, her face falling. “God, I’ve been a complete bitch, haven’t I?”

“I can hardly blame you,” I said.

“Maybe you should,” she replied, pushing me away. “Y-you’re trying to be nice, and I just keep throwing it in your face, or blowing up at Mariko. No wonder nobody noticed the difference.” She paused. “Gabby kinda deserves it, though.”

Despite the situation, we shared a quick laugh. “Well, I deserve it more, after what I did.”

“You did,” she said, giving me a thoughtful look. “Don’t think you do anymore. You’re actually trying to do the right thing, you half-assed devil, and I kept trying to get you to sleep with me to ruin things with Mariko.”

“I don’t appreciate the half-assed part,” I said.

“That’s the part that bothers you?” she asked. “What about the rest.”

“I admit, it makes sense in retrospect,” I replied. “Especially with what happened at the train station.”

“But you didn’t know?”

“Well, you discarded me back in Japan,” I said. “It didn’t even occur to me you’d want a foolish thing like that.”

“I thought you were… y’know… with Gabby, and those British girls.” She took a deep breath, clearly struggling with her words. “Wh-when Mariko didn’t believe me, my first thought w-was… how can I get… get in on that.”

“What the devil for? You tossed me aside, and rightly so!”

“It’s been hard,” she said. “You were the one who understood me. The one who’d try to pick me up when I was down, make me laugh. It just killed me seeing you happy again when I’m… still me.”

“I’m…”

“Don’t apologize again,” she snapped, cutting me off. “I heard you say it a bunch of times. Now I think I really believe it. And I… yeah. Been a bitch. Sorry, and don’t you dare be nice about it!” she added, heading me off.

“If you insist, my… my dear,” I said. “Mariko made me give that up, you know, but I say it advisedly for you. You are still dear to me, though you didn’t make it easy.”

She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. “Yeah, I get it. I did. Can’t ask for a do over. Right?”

The note of hope in her last question pained me.

“W-won’t even make you be exclusive this time,” she added, peeking up at me.

Oh, it was tempting. My eyes roved over her lithe form, and I remembered some of our escapades. I think I’ve made it abundantly clear that I’m a randy little devil, and the idea of having my cake and eating it too filled my mind with delightful visions. Kiyo had a way with… well, I’ll leave it to your imaginations.

Damn me, though, I knew it could never work.

“Would you want me if I did that to Mariko?”

“Sorta, yeah,” she said. “Something’s better than nothing.”

“Well, I wouldn’t do that to her; she’s the monogamous type.”

“What if you made a clean break? I-I’d take you back.”

I let out sigh. There was such hope in her voice, but I knew deep down what I wanted. “I’m sorry, but that book is closed.”

She sniffed once, slumping over so that her hair obscured her eyes. “C-can I ask what she has that I don’t? ‘Sides the obvious.””

“If you’re expecting me to make a quip about your relative figures, I can assure you, I still find you gorgeous.”

“H-helped that I clean up nice,” she said, brushing back her black hair. “Then what is it?’

“I… I’m a rotten monster, deep down. You rightly drove me away. Mariko forgave me, for reasons that only Our Father Below knows. If she’s so mad as to tolerate me, who am I to say no?”

She let out a sound that was somewhere between a chuckle and a sob. “Well, guess that’s fair. I-I kinda hold grudges. Maybe I shouldn’t.”

“Don’t turn over a new leaf too quickly; you’ll need some wrath soon enough,” I said. “Have you said your peace?”

She nodded once, wiping a few more errant tears from her eyes. “Yeah, we should get going. Oh, God, I’m gonna have to work with her like nothing’s wrong.” She looked up at me expectantly. “What’s the plan?”

“Why are you so sure I have a plan?”

She shot me a half-lidded glare.

“Fair. I may or may not,” I said. “However, on the off chance that Fera gets bored and wants a new ride…”

Her whole body shuddered. “God, I’d rather die first.”

“Don’t you dare,” I said. “I’ve invested quite a bit in you! But, you see why I can’t say anything. Do you trust me?”

Kiyo considered my words for a moment before a slight grin split her face. “Yeah. I really do.” She sniffed once before rising to her feet, snapping her fingers to dispel the Zone of Silence. “It’s gonna be way less exhausting not hating you.”

“Agreed,” I said.

“And if you and Mariko ever don’t work out…”

“You’ll have moved on,” I said. “I told you back in Japan, you can do better than me.”

“Maybe,” she said. “Either way, if you ever do anything dumb again, I’ve, like, literally got a bullet with your name on it.”

“Now, after I’ve been so kind to you!” I said. “Save that for Fera.”

“Oh, as soon as I get a chance, I’m making twenty for her.”