Interlude: Too Late For Regrets

Thomas woke to the sound of someone pounding on his door. He started, then got out of bed and staggered to the door. He opened it to find a panicked, wild-eyed McGinnis. The man’s reddish hair was singed and full of soot, and he looked bruised and burned.

“We made a mistake,” McGinnis said before Thomas could ask. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like that!”

Cursing under his breath, Thomas got out of the way so McGinnis could come inside. The mage limped in and collapsed on the couch in the living room. It hadn’t taken much to rent a house for himself, while the three still shared a place. He’d meant for them to never be allowed in, but apparently that wasn’t happening.

“What the hell did you idiots do?” Thomas went to the kitchen and got himself a glass of water. He drank it down, dreading whatever answer came his way.

“We lured McKenzie away so we could destroy their work at the brewery.”

Thomas took a long, slow breath. He flung the empty glass at McGinnis, who only barely raised a shield of malevolent red light. It shattered against it harmlessly and scattered across the wood floor. “I told you bastards that we weren’t doing that anymore!”

“Yeah, but Ferrovani…“ McGinnis trailed off as he saw the other man’s murderous expression.

Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ferrovani told you to do it anyway, and you’re a rabid dog who wants to bite people. What happened at the Stevenson Farm?”

It was a testament to McGinnis’ understanding of the trouble he was in that he didn’t complain or try to pick a fight with him. “While Mark and Gayle lured him away, I brought one of our weapons in. When I fired at the garage with the car in it, it went up way bigger! And then something in the cellar went and the entire place broke!”

“So now Ferrovani’s pathological need to be petty, cruel, and in control has doomed you. You just destroyed not only the work we all did, but the home of the most powerful man in town’s best friend. The mayor treats Bram like a third son, you know. There is no way you walk away from this unscathed.”

“Ferrovani said he’d protect me,” said McGinnis. “What’re these backwater pissants going to do against him and his influence?”

Thomas thought about cursing him right then. He wasn’t the strongest wizard out there, nor was he any good at combat, but McGinnis was battered and tired. Instead, he smiled at the man. “Think he’ll be able to protect you from me? Or Wil’s wrath? How’ve you been sleeping lately, McGinnis? Whatever McKenzie does to you for this, you’ll have deserved it.”

The mage opened his mouth to speak, but Thomas walked away. He came back a couple minutes later fully dressed. If they were going to survive this, it was on him to deal with it. “I’d consider skipping town, if I were you. Because I will not protect you from consequences of your stupidity. Not anymore.”

He drove from Gallard Springs to Harper Valley. Thomas knew he wasn’t likely to get a warm welcome, but he had to make sure Bram was unhurt, and that they knew he had nothing to do with this. Past that, a part of him that had been getting louder by the day crowed that this was his fault.

At any point over the last three months, he could have called it off and made things better. From the first time McGinnis proved to be a loose cannon, he could’ve ended it. The thought rattled around his head the entire hour-long drive.

He arrived as the sun began to peek over the mountains in the east. The ruins of the house weren’t smoking anymore. The property was crawling with people, from the Sheriff and his deputies to some of Bram’s fae employees. Wil and Bram themselves stood in the center of it all, watching with the kind of stubborn vigor of the over-exhausted.

No one stopped him from driving up. Wil and Bram turned around as he got out. Thomas couldn’t read the expression on Wil’s face, but his friend was easy. Murder shone in his eyes. Thomas had just enough time to realize he should defend himself before Bram crossed the distance and slammed a fist like a sledgehammer into his face.

The world went to a white void as Thomas’ body hit the floor, his mind and feelings snapping back a second later. Only then did the pain explode in his jaw. He worked his mouth, wincing with pain. At least it wasn’t broken. “It wasn’t me,” he said stiffly.

“What was that, you duplicitous bastard?” Bram’s fists remained clenched, and if it wasn’t for Wil jumping in front of him, Thomas suspected he might’ve been in genuine danger.

“Hold on, Bram,” Wil said. To Thomas, he scowled and said, “Explain yourself, then.”

Thomas awkwardly stood. No one offered to help him up, and he couldn’t blame them. He cradled his jaw and said, “I had nothing to do with this. Ferrovani snapped, and the others jumped. I would have never done this to you, Bram, I promise.”

Bram snarled like a wild animal and made a move. Thomas flinched, but Wil held him back. Mostly. Bram advanced a couple of feet and dragged Wil with him. It was enough for Sheriff Harrington to disengage with Bob and walk up to them.

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“Is everything alright here?” he asked, eyes flitting between the three of them. “We gonna have to separate you all?”

“No sir,” said Thomas. He eyed Bram, who looked ready to murder him.

“No, Sheriff,” Bram eventually said, dropping his gaze to the ground.

Harrington looked around, then nodded. “I’m gonna wanna have words with you, Master Elliot. Get your statement on the whole thing.”

“I understand, and I will give it,” Thomas said. Sheriff Harrington grunted and then went back to talk to Bob.

When they were alone again, Wil motioned for Thomas to speak.

“Ferrovani is a cruel, petty tyrant,” said Thomas. “He ordered sabotage, and the others knew I wouldn’t go along with it, so they did it without me. I swear on my life, I would never have done this, and if I had known about it I would’ve stopped it.”

Wil laughed bitterly. “You could’ve stopped it months ago and you didn’t. You picked your side, and now that they’ve blown up our friend Bram’s house, you regret it? You may not have chose this, but you chose your friends. And what a choice it was, Tom. Great going.”

Bram shook his head slowly. Some of the murder had gone from his eyes, so now he looked more depressed than angry. “You were one of us, Thomas. I thought you were our friend.”

“I was,” said Thomas. “And I still am, no matter what you may think of me. I will cooperate and hand over McGinnis and provide a statement. I will personally pay for the reconstruction of your house, Bram. You might not be my friend anymore, but I’m still yours. I will do everything I can to make this right.”

Wil stared him down. “And the presentation? Will you back out of that, and defend our lack of evidence?”

“I will defend your lack of evidence and credit you with the work,” he promised.

“And will you destroy the weapons you created?”

Thomas opened his mouth, but faltered.

Wil chuckled. “That’s what I thought.”

“I…” Thomas looked between them, his heart racing. “I’ll do everything I can to rid us all of those men and make it clear that you were successful and the victim of a crime. But my work, I can’t…”

“Yep. C’mon, Bram. Let’s leave Master Elliot to make his statement with Sheriff Harrington while we see if there’s anything we can salvage from your house. But you should take him up on his offer to have it rebuilt.”

Bram looked away from Thomas. He grunted and then they walked off, leaving the wizard on his own. His stomach churned and throat tightened. He wanted to spit or puke, anything to get that terrible feeling out of him.

But he did as they asked. Thomas spoke to the sheriff and the mayor. The rest of his morning was spent answering questions and abandoning himself to duty. It wasn’t until nearly sunset that he managed to tear himself away and go back to his temporary home in Gallard Springs. He stopped for a meal he barely tasted and then walked through the doors. Collapsing into a bed for the night was the only thing he wanted.

But he wasn’t alone. McGinnis had been arrested earlier that day, and they’d picked up Mark and Gayle, but there was one face Thomas wasn’t surprised to see. A half-transparent image of Ferrovani waited in his living room for him.

“There he is, the wayward, foolish student. Are you really ready to throw away everything we’ve worked on because of qualms of conscience?”

Thomas ignored him at first and walked to the kitchen, where he put away the remnants of the meal into the icebox. A Freeze-it would have been so much better. His heart thudded as painfully as his jaw. He had a terrible bruise and speaking hurt.

“I’m already working to have McGinnis and the others freed. I have friends in high places, and they owe me favors. You still have a chance to make this your victory, Thomas. You don’t have to be a failure.”

Thomas sighed and addressed the projection of his master. “I’m not a failure. I’m doing quite nicely, thank you. In spite of all this crap you’ve dumped on me. My name in history is secure, and I have a whole host of prototypes I no longer have to share. You may have friends, but they don’t compare to the stubbornness and tight-knit nature of the community here. It’s honestly fascinating, and some time out here could do you good.”

Ferrovani’s image became still. Thomas knew from experience he was holding back a great deal of anger and a desire to scream. Even the old monster could behave when he put his mind to it.

“As charming as I’m sure that would be, I don’t think I need it. Your progress pleases me, and your discoveries worthwhile. When the others get released, you’ll -- “

“Not allow them back. This is my project now,” said Thomas. He smiled, though it hurt and he didn’t feel it. “I’m not going to let you do anything else to McKenzie and his friends. This was bad enough.”

“So some farmer lost his house,” Ferrovani waved off. “So what? We can pay for that. The important thing is your name. Your legacy, Thomas! You need to take your place and edge the McKenzie boy out of it so that he doesn’t eclipse your own.”

Thomas thought about it. “No, I think the stage is big enough for both me and him. He discovered how to do it, and I made it better. That’s how it’s always been in my life, and I think it’s time to embrace that.”

“You’re a fool.” Ferrovani’s limited patience evaporated. “I should’ve known that you wouldn’t have the drive to do what’s necessary to make it to the top.”

“It’s not necessary,” said Thomas. “Wil and friends are already broken and beaten. I lose nothing by giving them their due credit. They have nothing left thanks to McGinnis. I have things I can show to the President and others that will still elevate my name above theirs.”

He didn’t like that fact, but it was true. Thomas could do everything in his power to try to make it up to those he still considered his friends, but it wouldn’t change things. They had a week to put together something concrete for their presentation, and their workspace was destroyed. Wil had his house and could probably come up with some recreations of their work, but the contest was over. Thomas would win by default.

“That might be so,” said Ferrovani, “but I have still decided --”

“I don’t give a damn what you’ve decided,” Thomas snapped. “You’re no longer a part of this. I’ve got this from here. You can butt out and, if you behave, I’ll wax on poetically about how I couldn’t have done it without your mentorship. Now get the hell out of here. I badly need some sleep.”

Ferrovani’s image glowered at him, then disappeared. Thomas would pay for his insolence, but that was a problem for the future. As of now…Everything hurt, and his friends hated his guts, but he had his work. One week until the presentation. Until his victory.

Maybe by then it would stop tasting like ash.