Interlude: Regrets And Repercussions
Thomas sat on the bench for a while after Wil left, ice cream all but forgotten. It was easier to sit there and feel crappy than to take the next step forward. He didn’t care for any of the available paths, and found himself thinking of how he could have done it differently. For a good fifteen minutes he sat on the bench with people passing by, imagining a world where he hadn’t screwed up so badly.
There was comfort in letting himself pretend. It was the empty comfort of saltwater to a man dying of thirst, but he still drank it down until it hurt and he wanted to throw up. The more he thought about going back and telling McGinnis and the others to leave early, the less he had to reckon with the fact that those idiots were all he had left.
Go work with your other team.
The very idea sickened him, but it wasn’t wrong. What else was left? If Wil rejected him, there was no way Bram and Darlene would accept him. They’d fall in line behind Wil, and that left Thomas with…What? Running back to Cloverton? He’d still get his credit as part of the team, but how could he sit back and let them finish up without him?
There would never be a day in his life that Thomas would have to work. That was true before he’d come to Harper Valley, and knowing how their discoveries would change the world meant riches beyond his wildest dreams. It didn’t matter. His name would be attached to the greatest magical innovation since they’d first learned runes from demons. That was slightly better, but still not enough.
Thomas stood and threw his melted ice cream in the trash and trudged away from City Hall. He didn’t know Harper Valley too well, but he let his feet carry him down the road as reality sunk in and weighed him down.
It was absurd how wrong the day was. The sun shined too brightly, everyone he passed looked happy, and it was hot enough to make Thomas take a moment to cast a minor spell to follow and cool himself with a miniature flurry of frost. Here he was, having thrown it all away, and the world kept on like nothing had happened. Thomas laughed bitterly and continued down the road.
He found himself at a familiar place. Mack’s Shack was busier than ever, and Thomas had to come in and take a look at his handiwork. He immediately regretted it.
“Master Elliot!” Mack called out before he’d made it two steps in. “Here for a free burger?”
Thomas’ cheeks colored. “No, thank you. I just…I wanted to see how the stove and Freeze-it are working for you.”
“Ahh,” said Mack knowledgably. “Your periodic check-in, huh? Everything’s gone real well. I accidentally started a small fire when I forgot one was on, but we handled it. And the Freeze-it.” Mack grunted his supreme satisfaction. “At first I thought I’d leave it on ‘blizzard’, right? But then that actually accumulates snow. So now we use ‘blizzard’ to flash freeze the new stuff, and then snow for keeping things frozen.
“All in all, they’re working like a dream and I’m saving so much money on fuel and spoilage. I owe you and Wil a lot.” Mack leaned over the counter and extended one gnarled, hairy hand.
Thomas took it and welcomed the pain as the cook crushed it. “I’m glad to have helped. I normally work on cars, so this was a fun challenge. Wil and the others have a bunch of other things they’re cooking up as well. They’re going to change the world.”
“They?” Mack cocked his head to the side. “Not you? You worked on this too, right?”
It would’ve been so freeing to confess his sins and accept Mack’s anger, but more customers came in, and Mack’s eyes slid over to them. Thomas smiled. “I did, but I might head home early. Next time I’m in here, I’ll take you up on that burger.”
“Anytime, Master Elliot. Anytime.”
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As he went back to his rented home, Thomas noted all the leylines he passed. It was incredible how many were in this basin, and that had to be worth studying as well. Maybe not by him, but someone could take their research and run away with it. Everything could be improved, and even his own contributions would eventually fall by the wayside of time.
The rented house was like a lot of Harper Valley: small, cozy, charming, and out of time. Between access to Faerie, the railroad, and all the leylines, this town was already blowing up. Another year or two and this house would probably be replaced with something bigger, or maybe apartments. He went inside and packed his belongings. It didn’t take long.
Go work with your other team.
Well hell, what did McKenzie know? Thomas plopped himself down at the kitchen table. Did he really think that they would get a chance to do research without others sticking their finger in the pie? Did he think that he would just invent a new way to harness leylines and then get a trophy for his efforts? The world didn’t work that way.
The more Thomas thought about it, the angrier he got. For over half a year now, he’d gotten close to Wil and had to put up with his saccharine optimism and ideals. It was endearing, until it wasn’t. Now, poised to leave town and have to report on his failure to Ferrovani, he hated everything about it.
Why the hell couldn’t they move past this? It’s not like McGinnis and the other two idiots had managed to do anything special. Weapons were going to be made. Might as well make them the right way, so that no corners were cut. You couldn’t change the way a country was headed, you could only aim and do your best.
Wasn’t that what he’d done? Thomas buried his face in his hands. And then he laughed at an inane thought: would he get in trouble if he took one of the cars? Screw it, he was the one who requisitioned them. They could do without one. Everything he’d taken with him fit in the backseat. He drove off, heading north. He’d drive to Kappala and then take the train east. It would give him time to think about it.
Go work with your other team. Make your weapons and double dip on discovery, like you wanted. Just do it away from me.
No, there was one thing he had left to do. Thomas wasn’t normally an angry person, but some things you didn’t let stand. On the north end of town, off the main road, was the cottage he’d come to once a week for the past two months. Three deputies remained out front, the trio’s babysitters until they left town. They parted for him, giving him inscrutable looks as he went inside.
The three of them were already packed, and sat at the table with the remnants of a bottle of whiskey between them. “What the hell were you idiots thinking?” Thomas demanded
“Oh, hey Master Elliot,” said Mark, lifting a shot glass his way. “This one’s to you.” He still looked shaken and hurt from his encounter with the wampus cat.
McGinnis stood on unsteady feet. His face was redder than usual, and his brutish attitude was somehow worse. “I thought that I’d maybe get something since you skipped last week’s meeting. I thought maybe I’d scare him a little, or take something valuable in exchange for the stupid dreams ending.”
“So, you weren’t thinking at all,” Thomas said.
“Give it a rest,” Gayle groaned. “We’ve lost, and we’re out of town as soon as we finish getting our stuff together. And thank goodness. If I never have to spend another second in Harper Valley, I’ll be happy.”
“We’ve lost? Just like that?” Thomas stormed over to the table and snatched the whiskey. He took a pull from the bottle and regretted it, but it helped his appearance when he slammed it back down. “Now we don’t have to hide. We can do things in the open. Not here, but Harper Valley isn’t the only leyline heavy place in the Le Guin Basin.”
“Are you serious?” Mark gaped at him. “We’re officially being run out of town. And I’m pretty sure everyone in this room hates everyone else.”
“What do you hate more: each other or losing?” Thomas’ heart pounded in his chest.
“Losing,” Gayle admitted.
“Losing,” McGinnis muttered.
“Each other,” Mark said cheerfully. “But I can put that aside if it means a better paycheck and not having Ferrovani pissed at me.”
“Leave the old master to me,” said Thomas. Wil, Bram, Darlene. If they had given him a chance, he would’ve moved the heavens to prove himself. But Wil decided to give him the boot. Well, he’d regret it. They’d all regret it.
“For now, we’re going to move over one town, bribe the mayor, and start full production on weapons and shielding. McGinnis, you’re going to keep your damned head down or you’re out. Am I understood?”
“Perfectly,” McGinnis lied with zero skill. He’d be trouble later, but for now, Thomas needed all the help he could get.
“Then get your stuff and let’s go. Daylight’s burning, and we have just over two weeks to embarrass McKenzie and the other townies. When the president comes, we’ll have all eyes on us instead of them. Understood?”
The trio shared a look. “Agreed.”