Chapter 2. A Cider Press
Andromeda was a proud magician. Though small in stature, the young woman's ambitions were vast. She was a Steward. While it was only somewhat uncommon for a woman to be a Steward, Andromeda was a High Marshal, the highest rank ever held by a woman. She had intense green eyes with red hair fashioned into a pixie cut. Her eyes were complemented by a long emerald green overcoat with a thick warm hood up neatly over her hair.
Her breath could be seen as she walked the cold paved street. It was small-town Kansas, and this particular town was called Smoresborough. The address she was looking for was number eleven Doney Drive. A modest home with a white picket fence was the last house on the right, and it read number seven Doney Drive. The sidewalk in front of the quaint residence ended abruptly at the property line. Where the street should have extended was a field of tall wild grass. A gentle breeze blew lightly through it, creating rustling waves in the moonlight.
As she walked into the sinuously moving grass, the dry autumn foliage met her boots with a crunch. The sound of her overcoat gently rustling against the grass was soothing. To her right was a plumbing pipe jutting out of the earth in the tall grass. That must be the empty lot for number nine Doney drive.
At the end of number nine’s grass filled lot, she felt a cold barrier embrace her, which though invisible, felt like water. The sound of her coat and boots seemed a distant echo as she pressed forward. As soon as the barrier appeared, it vanished. The view on the other side revealed a small wooden cottage, tucked behind a series of apple trees. Having been here in the winter, she knew that the apple trees would be replaced by maples, already set up to deliver their sap for Gulliver’s use.
Gulliver's obsession with self-reliance was what Andromeda feared would be the end of her partner. He was reckless, too much of a lone wolf. While he was one of the best Stewards the guild had to offer, sometimes even he needed help.
The apples were in the process of plucking themselves from the trees and making their way to a cider press. The press’ crank was constantly in motion, the bucket shifting itself forward intermittently. The cider funneled out of the bottom of the press into large glass jugs where they would be mixed with sugar, yeast, and lactose. The cider was delicious, yet potent. A year or two ago, Gulliver had given Andromeda a jar of it as a gift, and it quickly became the talk of the Stewards Guild.
Bringing herself back to the moment at hand, Andromeda pressed forward. She walked to the cider press and dipped her finger in the small stream of freshly squeezed juice. Putting it to her lips, she tasted the sweet flavor of the apples, aroma filling her with a sense of satisfaction and nostalgia.
Growing up, Gulliver and his younger brother Finnigan had been close to Andromeda. Andromeda and Gulliver went through the North American Academy of Magic in the same year, with little Finn following a couple years behind. Official magical training had a storied history, eight years of schooling starting at the age of eight. After the eight years, each student would be eligible for an apprenticeship from a full-fledged magician.
At school, every fall, they’d get a jug of freshly pressed cider from Gulliver and Finnigan’s dad. The three of them would often pretend it was hard cider and make fools of themselves for a good time.
Andromeda’s father was a steward, just like the boys’ dad. In fact, their fathers were partners. The two men worked well together, albeit too much. Andy still remembered the night she got the news, though it seemed so long ago now. Their fathers had been working a particularly dangerous case when the magician they were pursuing had somehow discovered them. A pair of stewards she had never seen before came to their home. They took her mother to another room and told her that her husband didn’t make it. Andromeda could remember hearing her mother's cries through the wall of their apartment at night. Andromeda had been pulled out of school for the rest of the semester.
The Higgenbotham boys weren’t at school when she returned and never came back again. When she asked the headmistress about it, Andromeda was told they were now being taught by their grandfather and were in his custody. He had begun their apprenticeships early.
She hadn’t seen either brother until after she had become a Steward. There had been reports of a rogue magician who had been taking the law into his own hands: A vigilante. Andromeda had been tasked with bringing this man to justice. She traced the vigilante to Hong Kong and found him disguised, having infiltrated a family within a Chinese cult. Andromeda had been given stringent orders and regretted having to blow the vigilante’s cover.
The stewards raided the manor in which the cult resided, and one particular magician had blasted through their ranks to escape. Andromeda herself chased the man down, and after an intense duel, the magician yielded to her. His disguise faded, and standing before her was Gulliver Higgenbotham. He had been so ignorant! He really believed that he was justified in his actions! The arrogance was just like his Grandfather. Nothing about The Stewards Guild held any weight or authority with him. Andromeda could feel her blood boil at the memory of it all.
She felt a chill that seemed to come more from the memories than the cold autumn air as she knocked on the thick, wooden door of the cottage. She had been here many times as a child, but she never knew where it was. Someone else had always opened a portal straight into the yard. It had only been in the last year of their partnership that Gulliver had opened up to her and invited her to his home.
Where was Gulliver anyway? Andromeda knocked again. Nothing, not a sound. “Gulliver?” Andromeda yelled. Still no response. He had told her specifically that he would be here the entire weekend, would he stoop so low as to hide inside and pretend he wasn’t there? She tried the handle, which of course was locked.
She withdrew her wand from a deep pocket inside her overcoat. “Recludo,” she said, pointing the wand at the door. A loud click sounded from the inside and the door slowly creaked open. Stepping inside activated a series of spells Gulliver had put in place to welcome him after a long day. Small orbs of light flickered into existence inside of sconces throughout the home, shedding light on a room with a table and four chairs surrounding it. Beyond that was a small kitchen and a hallway that disappeared around a corner. The wall to her right housed a beautiful pair of oak bookshelves.
A blue orb roughly the size of a head hovered in the center of the room, then emitted a timid voice “Miss Andy, welcome. My master is not presently here, is there something I can do for you? A drink perhaps?”
“Hello Clarence,” responded Andromeda. Clarence was another of Gulliver’s many creations. Andy called it his blue butler. If she didn’t stop Gulliver, she was quite sure he’d tinker his life away. That or end it chasing down some crazy lead by himself. “Where is he?” she asked the ball.
“It is regrettable that the master left specific instructions to ask you to vacate the premises upon your inevitable arrival,” Clarence said.
“What’s regrettable,” Andromeda said absently, “Is Gulliver thinking he can still hide things from me.” She walked towards the back of the house, wand outstretched. “Show me your secrets,” she mumbled. Dust gently flowed from the end of her wand, barely visible in the dimly lit cottage. Some of the dust caught on a current of air and disappeared between two bookshelves.
“Revelare,” she said, pointing her wand at the tiny crack between the bookshelves. A faint glow emanated from the wand's tip and the two bookshelves slid slowly apart revealing a hallway into a portion of the house Andromeda had never before seen. She walked down the hall which lead into a room, the walls of which were plastered with newspaper clippings.
Various known criminals were posted on the walls, with information leading them all to the same place, at the same time. Tonight. In the center of the wall opposite the door was a map of Europe, and circled was a vast wooded area. Above that was a portrait of a man labeled as “The Shadow.”
“Madame I am afraid I must insist that you leave at once. This portion of the residence is unequivocally off limits to all but the master himself,” Clarence said frantically.
“Don’t worry Clarence,” Andromeda said. “I’m leaving.” With a quick incantation, a portal appeared, which the magician promptly stepped through.
Gulliver Higgenbotham! This is the last time! Andromeda had put together a squad of stewards, comprised of trainees whom she was in charge of. The rookies were used to being pulled from their beds at odd hours for training and assignments, but Gulliver had forced her hand. She had confidence in this batch of trainees, albeit inexperienced, they were some of the most promising people she had worked with. Could they be trusted with the criminals Gulliver was following? Let alone The Shadow? He was supposed to be capable of destructive magic, a force of nature all his own.
“High Marshal.” a tall, sartorial man said to her. “If our triangulations of Gulliver's position are correct, then we have the facility surrounded.”
“Thank you, Krell,” Andromeda responded curtly. “When I give the word we move in.” Stepping forward Andromeda peered over the moonlight facility. She could see patrols within the fence line, and her trainees had already apprehended over a dozen magicians who had been patrolling the forest. Gulliver was in there. Her foolhardy and completely reckless partner, that idiotic son of...no, she couldn’t let anger rule her going into a mission. He knew they were coming; he froze his wings so she couldn’t track him anymore. It was too late though; they were here, and she would make him regret trying to keep her out.
She held the tip of her wand to the set of silver wings on her breast and said “Scintillam.” She felt a small jolt of electricity and was satisfied knowing that the vast majority of the shock hit her partner. “Be careful Gulliver,” she mumbled to herself.
“Miss?” Krell asked.
“It’s nothing. Send the signal.” Andromeda snapped. She could feel her face flush and was suddenly grateful it was dark out. If she didn’t know better though, she could have sworn that she saw the corner of Krell's mouth turn slightly upward.
Krell paused only a moment before pressing his wand tip to a tiny pair of bronze wings on his chest. All around the compound, little bronze trainee wings were ruffling under dark brown cloaks; standard issue for a steward. In unison, the stewards crept forward, closer to the fence. Andromeda positioned herself slightly to the front of the line of stewards. All around the perimeter her trainees were closing in on the facility.
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Using hand signals, Andromeda ordered Krell to instruct the company of trainees to take position and wait. Signals were exchanged down the line as far as Andromeda could see before disappearing down the corner. Each steward was made visible by a faint golden glow, wrought by their wings. It was only a few short moments before they received the ‘ready’ signal in return. Krell stared at Andromeda, resolute and trusting. She had trained her fledgling stewards well.
“Proceed,” she said.
Krell tapped his bronze wings with his wand tip. He then pointied it, holding it firmly with two hands. Every fifth Steward did the same, while the residue crouched low, ready to spring into action. Andromeda moved slightly ahead of her trainees, taking point.
“Impellio!” roared the voices of several stewards all at once. Jets of red light shot from outstretched wands into the fence, crumpling it in several places. In the case of Krell, it shattered the metal into tiny pieces which scattered like glass. The guards inside the facility were temporarily stunned, crouching low for cover in light of the sudden barrage. Andromeda made a mad dash past the now ruined fence line towards the front door of the more massive building. She could feel Gulliver's location through her silver wings, that’s where he was.
On the balcony above, a patrol of two magicians had regained their bearings and began firing curses down at the stewards. Casting a quick spell, Andromeda summoned a barrier of light. It flashed as the curses batted against it. Krell took a knee and carefully aimed his wand, then gave her a quick nod.
Andromeda dropped the barrier, and Krell shot two spells from the tip of his wand in rapid succession. Each spell made contact to the chest of their intended target, and the magicians on the railing collapsed where they were.
“Keep the perimeter secure, I don’t want anyone getting away,” Andromeda barked. Magicians were rushing out of the guard outposts to Andromeda’s sides. “Krell?” Andromeda asked.
“Arrow’s point!” Krell bellowed, pulling beside Andromeda’s right flank. Not looking back to see it, Andromeda could feel the magic of this battle position flowing through her. As the head of the formation, a sudden awareness opened inside her. There were four men on either side, forming the wings of a narrow chevron, of which she was the point. The sensation expanded her awareness to what the men could see and feel, though each man still acted independently.
Deflecting oncoming spells in maximum efficiency, the formation moved forward. They returned any unwelcome spells with a volley of their own. The doors to the building in front of them rushed open as a flood of panicked magicians came running out. Too shocked to respond to the stewards, the first wave fell to a series of blackout spells. Andromeda held her wand and bellowed “Obnubilo!” firing a spell of her own at one of the escaping magicians. He collapsed, unable to deflect the spell.
The next wave of fleeing magicians had their wands ready and came out fighting. The nine in the formation were outnumbered by their assailants, constantly deflecting or blocking unwanted spells. Being on the defensive like this wasn’t going to help Gulliver at all, they had to get in!
“Thors Hammer!” bellowed Krell to their small formation. Andromeda stayed where she was, but instead of deflecting spells cast a shield charm. She felt the formation change, the eight men rearranging themselves into small diamonds, tight beside her. Four of the men began adding to her shield charm, engulfing the entire group. The other four were casting stunning spells back into the crowd, slowing their progression.
A loud explosion from inside the building sent the fleeing magicians into a frenzy. Andromeda caught glimpses of a torrent of darkness focusing on someone in flowing robes. Someone who was hunched over, attempting to push back the storm of shadow. Gulliver! The view was blocked by more magicians scattering.
“Arrow’s point!” she yelled. The men fell back into the formation, moving forward quickly through the magicians fleeing the battle behind them. An almost nonstop deluge of blackout spells poured from the formation, stunning magicians as quickly as they could flee. Another explosion from inside the building sounded.
“Forward!” Andromeda bellowed.
“Miss, is that wise?” Krell snapped. “Perhaps we should...”
“Forward!” Andromeda interrupted. In full stride, the formation of stewards entered the building. The deafening sound of raging wind engulfed them. Gulliver was holding a shield spell, sweat dripping down his brow. Andromeda raised her wand and yelled “Obnubilo!” sending a jet of neon green light directly at The Shadow. A branch of dark energy streamed off his assault of Gulliver to block the attack. In the same motion, the dark energy launched itself at Andromeda, which she was barely able to deflect on time.
“Thor’s Hammer on me!” yelled Krell. Andromeda moved behind Krell, taking a gunner position instead of point. “Focus all fire on The Shadow!” he ordered. Unleashing a nonstop stream of spells the four gunners in the formation attempted to break down The Shadow’s defense. Each time a spell was launched, a portion of darkness tore away, intercepting the almost imperceptibly fast bouts of magic. The darkness would then flail itself against the shield, cracking loudly as it exploded.
“It’s working!” Andromeda cried. The orb of energy The Shadow was using to assail Gulliver had appreciably shrunk. “Fire faster!” More darkness shot at the tight-knit formation of stewards, hitting their shield with so much power that it made it vibrate, shaking the stewards who formed it.
“Hang in there Gully!” Andromeda muttered under the roar of magic. In moments that felt like an eternity, the ball of darkness shrunk more and more. A violent explosion blasted its way out of the middle of The Shadow’s attack. Was that one of Gulliver’s wards? The shockwave sent The Shadow to his back and wiped the blackout spells used by the stewards from existence. In almost slow motion, their shield vanished as well. A shockwave blasted Andromeda backward.
The formation was broken, severing her awareness of her eight trainee’s. “Krell?” she mumbled, ears ringing. She could feel people on her right and left, a tangled mess of dazed stewards. She sat up to see Gulliver dashing out of a door that had been hidden from view by the battle.
Regaining her feet Andromeda chased after him. The Shadow was nowhere in sight. “Gulliver, don’t chase him alone,” she mumbled. Ears still ringing, Andromeda charged outside. She could see a faint golden glow around a man sprinting away from the facility.
She pushed herself to try to keep up, but he was faster than she was. He stopped in a clearing and bellowed “Rebus!” and shot into the nights' sky. He launched so high that he was nothing more than a golden glimmer amongst the stars.
“Dammit Gulliver!” she cursed, running harder. A young steward named Jasper saw her running and joined her. “Watch the idiot in the sky,” Andromeda ordered.
“Yes ma’am,” said Jasper.
“Are we to assume that is Gulliver miss?” said a familiar voice from behind her.
“Yes Krell,” she said quietly. She breathed a sigh of relief, Krell was alive. As they ran into the forest, they could only catch glimpses of Gulliver through the trees above.
“What’s he doing ma’am?” asked Jasper.
“Following The Shadow,” said Andromeda. “And don’t call me ma’am.” In a blur, they saw Gulliver streak down. He went out of sight, then far ahead a loud crack sounded. “Go!” yelled Andromeda, running even faster. He had to be here somewhere; there had to be a golden g lly, after minutes of searching, they saw a faint glimmer ahead. A golden light, motionless on the forest floor.
“Don’t touch him!” Andromeda barked harshly. “Egritudo,” she said, pointing her wand at Gulliver's lifeless form. The spell made her acutely aware of his injuries. She explored them one by one, checking for severity. She only had so much vitality to use, and had to heal the more threatening injuries first.
She knelt and began working in hushed incantations. She could feel her vitality draining quickly as she healed his wounds. They were grievous, but she should be able to stop enough of his injuries by herself.
The more she healed, the fainter she felt. Distantly, she could hear Krell and Jasper talking in quick, worried voices. Could those blasted trainee’s keep it down and let a woman work? Andromeda couldn’t care. She was exhausting her healing ability, and she knew it.
His dislocated shoulder would have to wait, but there was another, bleeding from the subclavian artery. His shoulder hadn’t dislocated, it had crushed, snapping his collar bone down into the major blood vessel. It was a slow bleed all things considered, but would kill him in just a few more precious minutes. She reached inside herself, grasping for the life-giving healing energy called vitality, but it was like grabbing for air. She was completely depleted.
A stream of curses slipped autonomously from Andromeda’s mouth. “I can’t…” she said, heart pounding, face burning. “Krell, have you ever healed anyone?”
“No High Marshal,” he responded, eyes widening. “I’ve tried to learn, but I’m part of the vast majority who have no ability in the power.”
“Dammit!” she cursed. “Jasper?”
“No miss,” he responded, voice cracking. “Would using my wand help at all?”
“It’s not the wand!” Andromeda snapped. “I’ve run out of vitality.” She attempted to open a portal, but the enchantments on the forest surrounding the facility turned the spell into a series of loud bangs. Adrenaline rushed through Andromeda’s body, there was no time, his bleeding would take his life before she could even get back to the healers' sanctum. This was the end of her foolhardy partner. He was going to die. Her eyes burnt as she held him in her arms, failing to stop the tears.
“Damn you Gulliver Higginbotham!” she cursed. “Damn you!”
“Miss Andromeda,” Jasper said timidly. “We don’t have the ability like you do in the healing arts, but maybe if we created a formation? A three man power-stance gives the point access to our magic to make more powerful spells, maybe it’ll let you use our vitality being as we can’t and all.”
Maybe, just maybe it would work. After all, every magician had vitality within them, but not all could use it. She had to try! She laid Gulliver onto the forest floor then turned her back to the two men. She felt them each place a hand on one of her shoulders, then felt a flood of power rush through her, like a warm, life-giving wind. She was aware of the other two, spare hands locking arms, forming a triangle between the three of them.
“Egritudo,” Andromeda said. A surge of power rushed through her, down her arm and out the tip of her wand. The spell hit the fading Gulliver directly in the chest, recreating the healing link. His remaining injuries flooded into Andromeda, but the pain didn’t accompany them. She felt for her well of vitality, but instead found two distinctly different sources. They were stiff and somewhat rigid, as her own had been when she first began the art of healing. She seized them, manipulating them to her will. As she worked, the initiates behind her tensed up. She didn’t care though, Gulliver was fading too quickly.
She pulled, drawing the vitality into herself. With it came a wave of emotion from the two men. Not just what they were feeling now, but it seemed to be everything they’d ever felt. She gave it a moment to pass, then continued drawing on their power.
Once she had drawn as much as she could hold, she focused her attention on Gulliver. The power of the formation pushed her mind to a higher capacity, and she worked faster than she ever had before. The subclavian artery mended in a moment, the bleeding stopped like a faucet that was shut off. She scanned him for other injuries, she would only heal what needed healing now: a small crack on his skull she hadn’t been able to detect on her own, the bones of his shoulder, a cracked orbital socket, a punctured lung. All of it was mended in a matter of moments.
“It’s done,” she said finally, breaking away from the formation. She hadn’t returned the vitality to the other two men, assuming it would return on its own. It didn’t, but instead created an extra sense of awareness of the two.
“High Marshal,” said Krell panting. “I think he apprehended The Shadow.” He pointed down at another fallen man near his feet.
“Is he alive?” Andromeda asked.
“Yes, but bound by cords and air. Completely unresponsive.” Krell said.
“Let’s get them both back to headquarters,” Andromeda said. “We can get them both taken care of there. And men, until we discover more about what happened here, we discuss it with no one else.”