Chapter 59: Victory Lap

As soon as Wil had a chance to escape the handshakes, accolades, and celebrations, he checked on his map of Harper Valley to discover two things. The first was that if the map was correct, one of the runes in the array wasn’t working. The second was that no one else noticed. The northeast corner rune of Embrace was inactive, but the combination of Feed and Unite worked as they’d suggested.

Rather than brilliant, Wil felt incredibly lucky. In the winter, it felt like everything that could go wrong did, but spring into summer had been smooth sailing. Minus Bram’s house being blown up, the worst they’d faced was tiny hiccups and inconveniences. Maybe it had less to do with how hard they had it, and more to do with the good company and doing something they cared about.

A season’s labor later, and everything changed. Wil was a father, an inventor, a pillar of his community, and a friend to a good group of people. Harper Valley was not only no longer in danger, but was poised to be the most important place in the country. Calipan and Faerie were friends now, with a treaty between them and good relations between the president and the fae leadership.

And Wil was no longer in trouble. He didn’t have anything waiting for him other than friends and family. After the most intense year of his life, it was time to enjoy himself and relax. Bob and Sharon were already way ahead of him on that mark.

There had been no guarantee that Wil’s big project would work, but Bob was a betting man, and Sharon good at organizing. After the presentation was over, everyone went to the fairgrounds, which had been set up for celebration. It wasn’t the same sprawling event it was during festivals, but it had food, drink, and music, along with some of their prototypes, tweaked for the event.

Smaller, imperfect versions of the Freeze-it were scattered around. Now with the entire valley powered, it was nothing for people to generate ice for their drinks, or for some of the fae to blow frost around and cool the hot day off.

Half the town showed up, many invited personally. The top shop owners and innkeepers, cooks and farmers alike were invited to come take a look at some of their inventions, now usable without having to destroy the land around them. Clean power would keep people warm in the winter. It would help farmers preserve their crops without spoiling. There’d be less need to burn coal and wood, and their waste would be more easily disposed of. New levels of security and protection, the likes the world had never seen, would keep homes safe and protected from the worst of the elements.

Wil let himself be directed around the fairgrounds. Faces both foreign and familiar came in and out of his focus.

“I knew you were going places,” said Jonjon, vigorously pumping his hand. “Everyone said you were a risky gamble, but I was behind you all the time!”

Mack didn’t bother shaking Wil’s hand. He pulled him into a hug full of backslaps and a couple of sharp squeezes. “Like I said, you eat free forever, Mr. Wizard. Don’t forget us just because you’re famous.”

Again and again they came, until Wil faced the last person in town he wanted to see. Mr. Carrey seized his hand in a vice-like grip. “I guess if you’re gonna make a new kind of omelet, you end up breaking some eggs. And houses. But now you’ll definitely have enough to pay me back, I think.”

A low, blistering snarl made the old man let Wil’s hand go and take a step back. Isom came up beside Wil and rubbed his head against his hand. “I know what you’re thinking, old man,” he purred. “You should try it.”

Mr. Carrey looked between them, wetting his lips nervously. He nodded and shuffled off. Now that Wil had the wampus cat at his side, they gave him a little more breathing room.

“Thank you,” said Wil. “Also you shouldn’t scare old men. Even crotchety bastards like Mr. Carrey. Also, didn’t I tell you to stay home?”

Isom thrust himself against Wil’s leg until he got scratches behind the ears. “You did. All of Harper Valley is my home now, is it not? Wouldn’t you define that as home? Besides, you need me. Three of the wizards want to kill you.”

Wil sighed. “Only three? Is one of them Ferrovani?”

Isom growled in the positive. “And even more want to hurt the beefy one. His skill embarrasses them.”

Bram was in a group involving Rance and Sandoval and a couple of their people. Sandoval looked pleased to speak to him, but Niobe Jameson wasn’t amused. Wil got closer to listen in as his friend spoke about their discovery.

“As far as I know, Marlowe Manor is in a circle, right? But Harper Valley, well, the whole basin, it isn’t a perfect shape. But I figured it didn’t need to be, because the lines at that scale are probably close enough. I figured a simple array would work if we could successfully connect the leylines into one smooth loop, perpetually repeating it.”

Bram paused, clearly proud of himself. He took off his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief. “The trick was finding a series of runes you could fit in as corners that can be drawn in one smooth motion, to help stimulate the direction of the leyline.”

“Son of a bitch,” Rand Sandoval whispered. “Are you serious? You applied Zoola’s Principle to the leylines themselves? How did you figure that out?”

“A lot of luck,” said Wil, stepping forward. With Isom at his side, people got out of the way. He clapped Bram’s shoulder. “Writing those runes into the earth did not happen in one direction or with specific timing, but Bram had an idea.”

“Yeah!” his friend lit up. “Ink magic. Where every stroke and movement matters to power the runes that way. Wil always describes them as rivers of power, so I thought that maybe they would follow the meta-physical weight and direction of the runes the same way. So, honestly, just lucky that guess was right!”

Jim Rance raised his drink. “Real humbling to learn something from someone doing this for only a year. What are your plans for the future, Master Stevenson?”

Every time someone used Bram’s unofficial title, he squirmed. “I am not entirely sure yet. The most important thing right now is rebuilding my home, which was lost in an unfortunate accident involving Ferrovani’s men blowing it up.”

“Ahh.” Rance nodded with understanding. “That sounds like Enrico. Before we leave, I’m going to set up a meeting, us and your company. See how we might help each other as you find your place in the sun.”

The betrayer is being punished. Isom stared off into the distance.

“Hey,” said Wil, tugging on Bram’s arm. “Let’s go check in on Thomas.”

“Ahh,” Sandoval said knowingly. “He’s upset about being upstaged.”

“Something like that.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

They made their way around the edge of the crowd, creeping closer to Thomas. They came in at a bad time.

“How can you stand there and be unaffected by this humiliation? Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me?”

Bram started forward, but Wil held him back. Thomas saw them over Ferrovani’s shoulder and shook his head, smiling. “It’s funny, I’m fine with everything, but this is somehow embarrassing to you. You truly have a gift.”

Ferrovani jabbed a finger in Thomas’ face and shook it. “You represented all of my years of teaching and innovating, and you pissed it all away. Why did you help him?”

“Because he’s my friend, obviously,” said Thomas. His smile grew. “And because it was the right thing to do. But mostly? Because I knew it would hurt you. I’ve got all the credit I want or need, and I’ll be rich beyond my wildest dreams. And if anyone remembers anything about you today, it’ll be you throwing a temper tantrum every ten minutes. Poor old Ferrovani needs a diaper change.”

The old man raised his cane. Before Wil could do anything, Bram reached over and ripped it out of his hands. It was an elegant, expensive, enchanted thing with jewels embedded in the wood. Ferrovani whirled around, head full of steam. He stopped when he saw the giant’s grim rictus of a smile.

“You going to apologize for destroying my house?” asked Bram. When Ferrovani said nothing, he nodded and snapped the cane in half over his knee. The pieces fell to the ground.

Ferrovani took a step back, clutching his chest. “You…you…you all saw that! This big bastard attacked me!”

The president stepped forward with his bodyguards. “Oh hush, Enrico. You’re lucky that boy didn’t break it over your head. If you make a scene here, you’ll be removed. Master McKenzie, may I borrow you for a second?”

Wil nodded. “Go to the clinic and tell Darlene we’ll be coming by soon, and then guard her and Mina. Understand?”

Isom purred.

Bullworth brought him over to the bandstand, where a mixed human and fae group were between sets. As always, his bodyguards flanked them and kept an eye out.

“How can I help you, Mr. President?” Wil asked.

Bullworth set his beer down on the stage. “I’ve got a bit of advice for you, and a request. The advice is to know your worth, and how to leverage it.”

“I’m starting to understand that one, I think,” said Wil, thinking of the rules he’d broken that had been forgiven due to the results. Perhaps not the best lesson to learn, but that was how the world worked.

“No,” Bullworth chuckled. “Not even a little bit. You’ve just made yourself one of the most valuable people in the country. People will improve on what you’ve done, but you’ll get a piece of all of it. You need to understand that you’re not a simple country wizard. Did you know that Rance is suggesting you be made into a Grandmaster for this?”

“That’s…wow.” Wil took a deep breath. “Okay, your meaning is setting in. I’ll think about your advice. What about your request, sir?”

Bullworth grinned. “I want you to work for me. For the military, specifically. With this advancement, we have a chance to turn the war on the southern front. We can finally establish our claim and drive Ilianto away and --”

“I’m sorry sir, but the answer’s no,” said Wil. “I have no interest in military work.”

The president sighed. “You really going to say no to me again after your time stuck in Marlowe Manor? Did you learn nothing, boy?”

“Sure,” said Wil with a smile. “I learned to understand my worth and how to leverage it. You can’t afford to punish me right now. And more than that, you don’t have to. I won’t do it, but Thomas will. Talk to him about it and he’ll sign up. He wants continued employment, and I want a chance to spend time with my family.”

That earned him a thoughtful nod. “Alright, fine. Fine. But that doesn’t really answer the question of your future, does it? You’re too important to be stationed in Harper Valley forever.”

“On the contrary, sir. I need to guide the growth and make sure it happens smoothly, safely, and with proper education and care. More than that, this is my turf. I am going to make what I do for Harper Valley the gold standard for all resident wizards. Give me another ten years of this and my stats will embarrass everyone. I anticipate a golden age.”

The words poured out of him, and his concern for word choice and propriety dropped the longer he went. The exhilaration of victory and exhaustion of the last week of work ruined his ability to care. Everything was a pleasant, dreamlike experience and he had every intention of riding the high.

“I’d be happy to talk with you more about ways I can serve our country that don’t involve the military, but maybe give me a year or three to adjust first, sir.”

Bullworth laughed and retrieved his drink. “I suppose you are entitled to something of a break. Enjoy that time with your kid while you can. Powerful men, we don’t get the chance as often as we’d like.”

Wil took that blessing and went back with his friends. “The president’s going to offer you a job in the military. I figured you’ll probably take it, won’t you?”

Thomas shrugged and nodded. “I’m not the type to stay in one place too terribly long, and I’ve been here for three excellent months. Obviously I’ll come back often, now that I have reason to. What about…what are you looking at?”

Bram smiled at Gallath, who was with Syl. Someone finally remembered to pull him out of the Time-stretcher, which could now theoretically have kept him indefinitely. Wil patted his friend on the side. “Why don’t you take some personal time and see what happens?”

“Yeah…maybe.” Bram drifted in that direction as if pulled along by magic.

Thomas looked back in the direction Wil had come. “Think the president would be willing to talk to me about it today?”

Wil shook his head with a laugh. “Go for it. And remember that this discovery makes defense easier than offense.”

“Noted.”

Although it took a good amount of his available magic power, Wil layered himself with an illusion and a compulsion. People wouldn’t notice him, but they would be aware enough to not bump into him. He slid through the crowd, taking in the sights one last time.

Bob and Sharon stood on a platform apart from the crowd, and people came in and out to pay them respects and chat. Even during a celebration, they stayed working. Well, not Wil. He smiled as he passed by.

Down the path towards town, Arabella stood with her arms crossed over her chest. She rolled her eyes as Jeb took a knee and presented a ring. Sarah stood nearby with a clipboard and a pencil. She laughed openly as the elf princess walked off. Poor Jeb.

Syl and Candy danced, and even Mack looked on with approval. Not that Syl was ever likely to settle down, but Candy deserved something nice for a bit.

Bram and Gallath had found a copse of trees to hide behind. Wil didn’t bother them on his way out. He just headed for his house to pick up the car, and then drove north to the clinic.

Doc Hawkins had stayed behind while most of the town had their celebrations. Someone had to keep Darlene company. The older, white haired man stood with a creaky groan. “There you are. They’re doing great, Mr. Wizard. Mina’s healthy, and Darlene is recovering well.”

“Can I see them?”

The doctor motioned with his head for Wil to go back.

Mina was asleep, but Darlene looked up as soon as she came in. She held a finger to her lips as she gently rocked their daughter, who was wrapped up like a wrinkly, pink parcel. Wil sat by the bed, reaching out with a finger to touch Mina’s tiny hand.

“I take it that things went well?” she whispered.

Wil grinned. “Now you have no more excuses. You have to marry me.”

“Guess I gotta lock that down, now that you’re one of the hottest wizards around. I knew I picked well.” Darlene kissed the top of Mina’s covered head.

Wil laughed. “There has never been a gold digger as cunning or sharp as you.”

“And don’t you forget it.” Darlene gently lifted Mina up and offered her to Wil, who gladly took her and supported her neck with his shoulder. She gurgled a little but was out like a light.

“So, now what?” Darlene asked. “How many job offers have you gotten?”

“Nothing that I’m going to accept,” said Wil. “I plan on taking a few years to enjoy things with you and Mina. I’ll do work orders like normal, and we’ll keep the business going once Bram rebuilds, but other than that? It’s the family life for me.”

“Huh,” said Darlene. She sank into the bed and closed her eyes. “I give it one month before you’re stir crazy.”

“You’re on,” said Wil. He may have always had to be on the move, but now he wanted to stop and smell the flowers. Someone else could deal with the big things. Now, the only thing that mattered was home, whether that meant friends, family, or Harper Valley. It was on him to guide them all into a world they created together. That was more than enough.