Four hours in the real world since we'd hidden ourselves, we let loose a series of eight dolls wearing my face and magic in the middle of the Great Forest in the Second Layer.
Showing up in the Second Layer set off every buzzer, tracker, charm, and ward that had been set against us. Kaine showed up, as expected, as well as just about every enforcer in the Second Layer—all converging on “my” position.
Having no objective other than to keep them busy, Asafa, Patrick, Loudon, Kita, Will, Neph, Lifen, and I did just that—remotely, like Raphael had done posing as Emrys. To no one's real surprise, the dolls driven by the gamers did a ton of damage, even with each successive doll being made to look and act weaker as it ported to the place where the next, weaker doll was waiting and turned into flower seed as the new doll took over.
Though Patrick slipped when Kaine, wearing Stavros's face said, “Come to me now, and I'll give your friends the cure that will rid their loved ones of their ailments. Do not, and I will ensure they all die.”
There had been a lot of...mayhem after that.
The last doll was taken by Kaine in blood, shadow, and decay. I hoped that Mussolgranz liked his present.
In coordinated strikes under the cover of our fanfare, Axer and Constantine took out Darpin Sloughs, Marsgrove and Julian Dare crippled Keating Glen, Camille and Ramirez infiltrated Fels Hollow, Lox and Greene hit Picquant Moors, and three other combat mages that included plucky Johnson—who it had never occurred to me was the son of the Provost—confirmed and took out Shayvale Castle's stamped Kinsky with a piece of Axer's magic and a storage paper.
Wearing a pair of my glasses to verify the stamp, three were confirmed seals. Those three were now confetti.
Fels Hollow, unfortunately, had not been a seal. But Camille and Ramirez found the Awakening containers hidden deep in the catacombs. Within minutes of the discovery, Stuart Leandred had the containers tagged, moved and under a magical decree that needed five days of negotiations to unseal.
He was also on the feeds as if he'd planted himself magically within. “We know it's been a public concern, and we thank the Department for agreeing to put the containers under the Council's watch. They responded quickly to the request for release. We still have questions about the move in the first place, however. And we will work with every country to determine our next plan of action.”
The celebration after that was fierce.
Axer and Constantine's signatures had stayed successfully hidden during Darpin Sloughs. We were close. So close.
One seal was left.
Stuart Leandred was a force of nature, and he was determined. Political things that we could have never accomplished, even with all our power, were being set into motion.
“Your dad is pretty awesome,” someone said, clapping Constantine on the shoulder as we watched Stuart leave Council Hall. “I'm glad he's on our side.”
Constantine said nothing, just raised a brow, but I could feel his conflicting emotions. I could feel the way they were starting to settle just the slightest bit when reference was made to his father.
Stuart Leandred never made it home.
Chapter Twenty-eight: Reprisal
The other members of the Council who had started to array themselves against Stavros were missing as well. The public uproar was immediate, fierce, and terrified. But the Department worked above all the countries in the Second Layer. And while the countries were scrambling, emergency appointments to the Council were made—all by the Prestige—and went into immediate effect.
“How can he do this?”
“Can he do this?”
“How have we never realized that was a power the Prestige could wield?” the media pundits said.
Within minutes of their appointments, the new Council was already sending people to find and move the Awakening containers.
We had no time left.
The first domino was flicked.
Stevens and Greyskull fell to coordinated strikes that left all within the blast range in a comatose state. The duplicitous spells took down fifteen teachers, twelve staff, and ninety students. Ramirez was one of the students, Lifen and Asafa, two of the others. Most of the victims were connected to us in some way.
Their bodies were moved to Medical and quarantined. Junior Department members slipped inside and recorded all the bodies, and gleefully spread the news and recordings. I had never seen Camille look grimmer as she watched people she had been friends with celebrate the attack.
Ramirez was laid out next to Stevens and Greyskull. They looked perfectly preserved in their inert states.
Listening to frequencies, Dagfinn reported that multiple students were claiming to the Department that they had been in on the plan. Loudon carefully took down their names. But it was Inessa Norrissing who'd been the one to spring the trap. She had secretly confessed to one of her conspirators over a “secured” frequency that she'd been given the spell by an unnamed source.
We all knew who the source was.
“Inessa always was a bit of dullard,” Olivia said scathingly.
We were all on edge.
Chancellor Barrie closed Medical to all but those with medical needs. No visitors, no guests. And the ward with our friends was put under quarantine.
“So, it begins,” Olivia said, putting a last piece into play.
Marsgrove disappeared from campus a scant ten minutes before the enforcers arrived to carry out the arrest warrant issued by the new Council.
The Council couldn't do anything about Medical—hospital regulations were tied into the fabric of society like Justice Magic. The Medical ward would stay closed until quarantine was lifted.
But they could force Chancellor Barrie to open the school's borders. Anyone could now leave.
It was a victory for all those in league with the Department.
They didn't know it would be their doom.
“Everything is moving fast,” Dagfinn said, fingers and magic flying. “No dithering, no more set up, they won't draw things out and neither can we. Both good and bad for us. We have reached go time.”
“We still need to find Mussolgranz. We were expecting him at Darpin Sloughs. And he hasn't touched the doll.”
“Do we need him?”
“He's an outli—”
“He has the cure,” Patrick argued, coiled and irritable. Alone now, it was apparent how much Patrick relied on Asafa. I had never seen them apart before. Patrick was gripping his pocket where I had seen him put the glasses Asafa had been making.
“We don't know—”
Patrick leaned forward. “If this all goes tits up, I want that cure. Stavros offered it to Crown. He offered it attached with a vow. We are getting that cure.”
Mike watched from the side, also white knuckled.
Olivia looked at Patrick, expression grim. “Yes. But it's secondary. You know that.” It took effort for her to say it.
Patrick's face darkened for a moment, then smoothed out. “Got it, Your Majesty.”
Olivia looked down, and for a moment I thought Patrick was going to drop the facade and comfort her, but he held firm, role chosen.
“What if Mussolgranz is already with Stavros?”