SG: Innocent Bystander #12 A Few Explanations (3/3)

[Whitney Taylor]

Continued from Part 2...


*****


Savannah, July 1994


Somewhere in the end of all this hate

There's a light ahead

That shines into this grave that's in the end of all this pain

In the night ahead

there's a light upon this

House on a hill

The living, living still

Their intention is to kill

And they will, they will

But the children are doing fine

I think about them all the time

Until they drink the wine

And they will, they will

They will


---The Pretty Reckless, House on a Hill


Dead heat flattened the atmosphere outside the house, oppressive as knowledge of the future. The bright, merciless light of the sun was enough to boil a soup out of the moist air, but remained unable as ever to penetrate the tangled mess of the surrounding woods. Only the driveway preserved a range of vision for any distance. Max watched the car approach with nervous excitement.


"Go and deal with Lightborne," his master had told him. "But don't take too long. Remember that we flee this coil for one more hospitable in a fortnight's time, and the ceremony for redirecting the power from the latest sacrifice will take many hours. Don't forget to check under your bed for anything important you may have dropped."


Muttering a brief charm against the sweltering heat, they opened the front door and stepped through onto the tiny, uninviting front porch. Another small spell, and an illusory canvas spread itself over the area, providing shade. A smile came unbidden to their lips, despite the knowledge that this was goodbye.


Goodbye, unless...?


The car pulled around close to the house, and Stefan Lightbourn stepped out, looking up into Max's face. Suddenly shy, the mage stopped halfway down the stairs, one hand slightly raised as the two gazed at each other.


The passenger door opened, and out came little Estella Lightbourn, Stefan's daughter. She tottered up the steps with a gray, box-shaped object.


"I made this for you!" she told them proudly. "In art class!"


Max took the object in their hands, bemused. There were square perforations, and the lid was a peaked dark gray cap. Upon closer examination, the perforations became windows and an open door. And the colors... Suddenly, Max was looking at a fairly accurate (amateurish style aside) replica of their own residence.


"The roof comes off so you can put a candle inside and make it light up!" Estella informed him.


She'd gotten the number of windows right and everything. Doctor Kelley would be less than thrilled. If he were to see it. Max bowed. "Thank you. I shall keep it safe..." At the last word, their hands tightened in an almost involuntary movement around the sculpture. They looked up, and met Stefan's eyes again. The latter smiled, with more kindness and less warmth than Max might have wished for, but a smile was a smile.


"I was told your studies were done--successfully, too. I was told you wouldn't be coming back."


"I had to visit one last time. Stelly insisted. I have something for you, too." Stefan produced the orb Max had lent him, back when he had first started to shape the small candle flame of his magic into a tool to cast a single spell.


Max reached out with their other hand and took the orb, avoiding Stefan's eyes in order to concentrate on scrupulously avoiding any contact with Stefan's fingers. As they did so, inspiration struck. They muttered a word, causing the roof of the clay house to lift enough to fit the orb inside. Another breath, and the orb lit up, illuminating the little windows. The resulting glow was faint in comparison to the brilliant sun, but shone bright enough in the magical shade to make Estella cry out in delight, reaching for her sculpture again. Max relinquished it readily, and turned nervously back to Stefan.


"Y'all about ready to head out?" The man asked, carefully casual.


"Come with us!" Max said, urgently forcing the words out past all feelings of awkwardness.


Stefan took a step back. "Max, I told you--"


"This isn't about--about us. It's going to get bad here.... very bad. All of our prophets, all the prophecies agree. Doctor Kelley is an extraordinary scryer--he's shown me in the orb what's going to happen. You won't be safe. *She* won't be safe. No, listen! The Industrial Revolution will sweep every speck of magic from the Earth. There's no way to stop it, no way to hide."


"So *all* of the mages are leaving? Or..."


Max dropped their gaze, face burning. Suddenly they felt their own cowardice in their belly like hot lead--how could that man do that with just a few words? "No. It's... just us. But we aren't just running away--there are reasons--we can't allow ourselves to fall. So we have to leave, and not in a rout. It has to be carefully done, so we can transport... certain items." They made themself look up, meeting Stefan's eyes, begging him to listen. "But there is power enough to take a few passengers."


"Are we going to a magical realm? With unicorns? Can mom and Mina come?"


"We haven't agreed to go anywhere, Estella..."


Max looked down into Estella's eager eyes--she had been listening for a while, and was all for it, bless her. "I don't know." No. "It depends on how many others there are. But even if they have to stay," They turned back to Stefan, "they will be far, far safer on their own. Please believe me."


Stefan held their gaze as he said, "Leave your present here, Stelly." When she had placed it carefully on the step(the light going out as she did so), he reached out his hand, and she took it. "Come on, now."


He doesn't believe me, Max realized, despairing. He thinks these are the words of a lovesick fool. He's not wrong, but... "Two weeks! We leave in two weeks!"


Just as Max was scraping their brain for something to convince Stefan to turn back, the front door slammed open.


"So, young Damon!" boomed the voice of Theodore Kelley, "Show us where these legions of invading Revolutionaries are. Oh, wait! It is but our friend Lightborne and his delightful daughter! As it seems you are once more wasting your potential playing with worthless toys." The mage strode forth onto the porch, where he frowned down at the trio. With a wave of the hand he dismissed Max's shade, bathing them in the brutal sunlight.


Max stepped forward, incidentally positioning themself in front of Estella's homemade gift, and commenced in a croaking voice, "Master," They cleared their throat, determined to make the best of this opportunity. "It may be best, considering the--the political situation, if Stef--Mr. Lightborne..." They trailed off as a tall, awkward black teenager stepped through the door and pushed a rectangular, bricklike object in front of Theodore Kelley's eyes mid-glower.


"We need to get inside, Mr. Kelley. This is the house, see, and this line represents the treeline and here's the lake but if you scroll right--that's west--these dots are--"


"Is that a video game?" interrupted Estella, craning to see around her father, who stood in front of her. "Can you play Last Fairytale Ever VI?"


Damon blinked at her. "No. Uh, I mean yes, it can play games, but right now I made it show a real time map of--"


"Silence, brats!" Kelley roared. He glared all around him before fixing his eyes on Stefan. "Enough flirting. My acolyte has tasks to do and you have received all the benefit you are capable of gaining from my tutelage. Also, I suspect you have been encouraging my *prize* apprentice to waste his time with electric frivolity. Begone."


"You really should, Mr. Lightborne." Damon was staring at his handheld game with wide eyes. "Right now."


"Oh, throw that trash away." Kelley slapped the device from the teenager's hand, and it flew off into the grass. "We have real magical artifacts to pack."


"It isn't safe for Stefan and Estella!" Max blurted. "Um... I mean Mr. Lightborne and his daughter... if they are discovered."


"I have to agree, Teddy. These revolutionaries are a nasty business." A melodious voice broke in. Max trembled, torn between relief and suspicion as Laylah stepped onto the porch and took Doctor Kelley's arm. "We decided we could take a few magic refugees if they swore fealty to us. Why not Stefan? His daughter would be safe, and he might even try to develop his magical powers further."


"Now wait a minute. I haven't agreed to go anywhere, much less swear fealty to anybody! In fact, we just came to say goodbye!" Stefan began to retreat to the car again, pulling Estella, who kept looking back.


"You just stay right where you are. That goes for the rest of you freaks, too." From around the side of the house stepped a man dressed in camouflage, the butt of a rifle on his shoulder. He jerked his head, and fifteen or so others followed, spreading out to cover the six people.


"Shit, Vince, they got a kid!" One of them squawked.


"I see they do." said the man called Vince. He pointed his rifle at Kelley, having pinpointed him as the leader of the coven. The mage merely gazed back, unmoved. Laylah let out a gasp and clung to his arm, cowering in a theatrical way that Max found to be in rather bad taste.


"They came by water. I told you, master..." Damon groaned, hands up, on his knees in the grass where he had been groping for his lost device.


"'Master'? Too bad the po-litical co-rrectness gang ain't here, we could get 'em on the right side for once!" This crack provoked a chuckle among the gang, and Damon lowered his head in confusion and shame.


"There's no call for that kind of--" Stefan began, but was interrupted by Vince.


"Yew just shut your mouth, child-killer! We'll get to you soon enough."


Stefan did so, shock and confusion on his face.


"Gentlemen," Theodore Kelley boomed. "As enriched as we all are by this learned conversation, I have tasks I must attend to. Therefore, I will simply require the means by which you managed to bypass the numerous privacy measures which surround this place, and then you will be allowed to leave in peace."


"Hear that, fellas? He's gonna let us leave in peace!" This was a clear cue for laughter, which the posse supplied in plenty, although there was a nervous edge to it. Max examined each of the group in turn. They noticed a red haired man at the periphery, holding his shotgun loosely, pointed at the ground. There was a sickly grin on this man's face. Interesting... but out of the corner of their eye, they noticed Stefan edge his way towards the car, Estella in tow.


"Now you just stay put, Mister." As Vince spoke, half a dozen gun barrels turned towards Stefan.


"We were just leaving. We don't want any trouble." Stefan tried to put his body between his daughter and the guns. The girl merely stared around with huge eyes, more excited than afraid.


"Are you Industrial Revolutionaries?" She inquired brightly. "You don't stand a chance! I hope Radian ki--" Stefan, horrified, put his hand over her mouth before she could finish what sounded like a truly ill advised statement. Unfortunately, the Revolutionaries took this the wrong way, and there was a cascade of loud clicks as guns were cocked.


Max swore silently, and began moving fingers within the sleeves of their robe.


"You just let that little girl go, nice and easy." Vince's voice was low with menace.


"Now hold on--"


"We know what you mages like to do with little girls, don't we boys?" The gunman bared his teeth, and there was a chorus of ominous agreement.


The nearest Revolutionary reached a hand out to Estella. "You just come with us, baby girl, you'll be safe with mommy and daddy in no time."


"Mmm mmm!" Estella said indignantly.


"Come with--She's *my* daughter!"


Vince recoiled. "Yer daughter? You'd bring yer own daughter to be sacrificed in some unholy ritual?" He spat. "You people make me fuckin' sick!"


"Mm mmmm m mmph!" Estella announced, punctuating her statement with a gesture she must have learned on some unsupervised playground.


"Enough." Kelley's voice cut through the ugly murmurs. He held a small silver knife aloft. "I have been more than patient with you fools. Those who do not drop their weapons--"


"Shut up, demon!" Vince snarled. "Ed!"


The red haired man on the fringes dropped his shotgun entirely and stepped forward, mouth open... and then things started happening fast.


Laylah instantly dropped Kelley's arm and flung herself at the man, her own mouth wide to release an earsplitting howl. The red haired man, clearly no seasoned battle mage, clapped his hands over his ears as he received the full impact of her hellish shriek. She was upon him with a single leap, her designer clothes shredding to rags as wings and horns burst forth, sending him flying with a single slap. Then she turned to the nearest gunman, seizing him as he gaped at her, and drew his head against her breast in a parody of an embrace, one horn impaling him through his open mouth. She threw her own head back and laughed with joy.


Many guns went off at once, and continued firing.


Theodore Kelley gave a single snort of contempt, then hurled his knife at Vince. It flew true, hitting the would-be Revolutionary in the throat with a sickening smack. Blood began to spurt. As the dying man watched, the red droplets coalesced into crimson daggers, which sped off in search of fresh throats to cut. More men began dying, and as their blood left their bodies, it assumed a life of its own and joined the fray...


Max hurled their spell of protection at Stefan and Estella, then staggered forward onto their knees as a shotgun blast hit them in the back. They huddled over, arms curved over their head, grateful that they had taken the precaution of enchanting their robes against gunfire.


Another impact, and the sting of broken skin. How could that... *Enchanted bullets?* Max became a great deal more worried.


They heard Stefan cry out sharply, accompanied by an enraged screech from Estella. The man had curled his body over the girl, but one of the goons had been using his shotgun as a club. The protection spell--Max had only thought to protect against projectiles--it had been useless against a direct blow and now there was blood in Stefan's beautiful black hair. The goon had Estella by the hand and was trying to tug her away as she fought, shouting something about her own good. Suddenly she reversed course, hurling herself against him and biting his hand, and he let go. She reached back towards Stefan as he regained his feet, dazed, and stepped towards her.


Max released their second protection spell, and Stefan glowed briefly. The goon cursed, grabbing Estella by her hair as he opened fire. The mage saw Stefan flinch as buckshot pattered off his chest, and then reeled to the ground as the butt of a gun slammed into their own head.


More gunfire. Screams. Estella, and she really did sound frightened this time.


Max felt the gun barrel on their head. Then a "What the--" and then a hideous gurgle. They forced themself back up, despite the ringing noise and the vision that wouldn't clear. Stefan, where was Stefan--


"YOU FUCKEN FREAK, WHY WON'T YOU DIE!"


Many of the gunmen were down. Some of them were running, chased by Laylah, or by inhuman monsters made of blood. Damon was a huddled form next to the steps, unmoving.


Gunshots, who was firing? Max turned. And there was Stefan, blood covered. "Nonononono--" the bullets, the thrice cursed blessed bullets had shredded their protection spell but he was still standing, he was moving towards the child sprawled on the ground where someone had thrown her--


KABLAMMM


"DIE!"


--and now he was on his knees and now he was on the ground just feet away from the girl who was moving and getting up on her knees and now screaming and screaming and he wasn't moving not at all.


There were some voices.


"I I didn't mean nothin mister you said you'd let us leave"


"Indeed I did say so if you would only tell me how you charming fellows managed to get here"


"Ed it was Ed he's the one the one with the red hair he sang us a song and gkksssggggggglh"


"Thank you Laylah"


Max focused. "Ed. Red hair Ed." a voice said and Max realized it was theirs.


Estella sobbed. Someone should do something, Max thought. Someone should... comfort her?


*Ed.*


Ed was here now. Unconscious, held up in arms made of blood. It soaked into his idiotic camouflage gear. And now here was Laylah, back in human form, perfectly clean and clothed, touching him on the forehead.


Ed's eyes opened.


"What," asked Doctor Theodore Kelley, "have you got to say for yourself?"


Ed rolled his eyes, taking in the scene. He focused on Estella. "Girl... run..."


Estella did. She hurled herself at the man, screaming.


"I'm tryin to save you... innocent child in danger..."


"Stupid!" Estella screamed, kicking him. "Stupid stupid! You don't know anything about me! You killed my daddy!"


Ed looked again. "Oh, Elvis..."


"You killed my daddy! You killed my daddy! You killed my--"


"Quiet, child!"


She stared at Theodore Kelley with huge dark eyes. "He killed--"


"We know." Kelley turned to Ed, dismissing her. "Do you know who else you have killed, besides your entire cohort of ruffians? You have killed a man with barely enough magic to fill a thimble. You have killed a non-mage who was seeking a magical cure for his sick daughter, and having obtained it, was leaving. In other words, you have killed an innocent bystander. Two, if you count the girl, who is now sure to die."


There was a soft thump as the girl's rump hit the ground. It was clear that this angle had not occurred to her, for now she was staring at Kelley in shock and dawning terror. Max began to crawl towards her, hesitantly.


"Oh, God, oh, Elvis, I didn't know..."


"Well," said the mage pleasantly, "Now you do. He was also a guest of mine and under my protection. As you can imagine, this result does not exactly endear you to me or my household."


"This is no ordinary redneck." Laylah watched Ed, hungrily. "What shall we do with him?"


"Ah, the question of the hour. What *shall* we do with this... traitor?" Kelley strode back to the steps of the house, where Estella's handcrafted model of his own house lay shattered. He plucked the magic orb from the wreckage and returned, holding it up.


"Let's see what the future has in store for you, shall we?" The archmage lifted the orb until it was between his eyes and Ed's, and gave it a sharp twirl.


"Ponder!" he said.


Both men stared into the orb, fascinated.


Then, horribly, Kelley began to laugh. A chuckle at first, then a chortle, a guffaw and finally a deep belly laugh.


Laylah frowned. "Would you care to let the rest of us in on the joke?"


The archmage tucked the orb into a pocket, wiping his eyes. He dismissed his construct with a wave of his hand and it dissolved, soaking the half-mage Ed with even more blood. "Get out," he told Ed. "Run. Into the woods. You get to live another day! Aren't you lucky?"


Ed stared blankly, swaying.


"Run, I say! You may live the day out, but you may also experience a great deal of pain if you try my patience any further. Run!" As Ed began moving, Kelley began chuckling again. He held a hand up, silencing Laylah as she began to speak.


Estella would obey no such injunction. "You let him go! You let him goooooo!" she howled. She almost attacked the archmage, but Max had gotten a hand on her shoulder, and held her back. "Why?!?"


The mage gave her an indulgent look. "You'd like to know, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you like to know what I saw in my orb?" He strode up, standing over her and Max. "When the Industrial Revolution sweeps over this world in an even greater tide of blood than I can manage, they will spare no one with a hint of magic. Even..." his smile widened unnervingly, "A wretched, deluded, untrained creature such as that. They will ferret him out for what he is, and then they, his former allies, his compatriots in genocide, will burn him, and then they will burn his family. Now," he patted the girl's head indulgently, "Isn't that better than anything I might do to punish him?"


"Will it... will it be painful?"


"Oh, yes. It's a very painful death. And they will probably torture him first, to see if he knows any more 'witches'."


"Oh..." Estella seemed to accept this, turning back to her father's body. Max followed her, sitting beside the pair. She was quiet now, probably going into shock... what do you do for shock... Laylah was beside them too, she probably knew, but...


"His soul has already departed." the succubus murmured bitterly. "What a disaster."


Estella leaped back to her feet, staring all around at the field of slaughter. "You should have hurt them more!" she accused.


"What?" Kelley turned around again, and Max could tell by the expression on his face that his brief post-battle good mood had dissipated.


"They didn't suffer enough! They didn't burn! They weren't tortured! You should have made them hurt *more*!"


"Oh..." Laylah breathed. Her hands clasped over her heart, and she gazed in rapture at the child. "The little *darling*!"


Max did not much care for the uncharacteristic sincerity in the devil-woman's voice, and was about to say so, but the growing scowl on Kelley's face was a more immediate problem.


"MORE you should have hurt them *hic* MORE you should have *hic* burned them *hic* and skinned them and *hic* THROWN THEM *hic* in HOT LAVA *hic* and POOP *hic* and *hic* and *hic* and *hic*"


"Shut that brat up!"


"MADE *hic* them *hic* eat *hic* SPAM *hic* until *hic* they *hic*"


Kelley was striding forward, a thundercloud on his face and, increasingly, in the sky. Laylah had broken out of her disturbing reverie and was making calming shush noises, which Max did their best to imitate. However, it was Damon, who had apparently survived the skirmish uninjured, who came to the rescue, planting his magic game console squarely in front of Estella's wide open eyes.


"Look at this!" he commanded, unnecessarily, as Estella fixed her eyes on the screen as if enchanted... which of course was what she was.


"*hic*" said Estella. She repeated this a few more times, but made no other comment.


"Ah. Damon. Good." Kelley slowed to a halt in front of the group of them. He was staring down at Stefan's body. The thundercloud was still on his face as it was in the sky, but it was no longer directed at them.


"Mr. Lightborne is..." Damon trailed off, following the archmages gaze.


"Yes, Damon. He is murdered." Kelley clenched a fist. "No mage he... but my apprentice nonetheless. And feet from my own door!" Lightning struck, somewhere out over the water. "The child, ill-mannered as she is, was right. This insult demands further retribution."


"Teddy, dear," Laylah ventured, alarm in her voice, "We have--"


"Two weeks before our departure. Time enough for a little bloodshed. Relax, my love." He smiled down at her. "I have scryed that event extensively. All of us make the transfer to our new home seamlessly. Our escape is as certain at this moment as is the Revolution's triumph."


Laylah shot to her feet. "Theodore! This is a mistake--there are forces in the world which even your power--"


"No more of this harping, woman! I go where I please! Unless you all would band together to restrain me? No? Then I will go to join this battle, and I will make this Bulletproof and the rest remember the power of magic before I am done!"


"Estella!" Max cried out, "What about the girl?"


"Send her home to her mother. She's no business of ours anymore."


"But she'll die!"


"That's no concern of ours! I swore to train Stefan as far as his powers allowed, and I fulfilled that oath. I made no promises regarding the child, and I have no time for such distractions anymore. Let the technologists heal her if they have such confidence in their righteousness." He fixed Max with blazing eyes. "I require only an hour to prepare for battle. I expect that car and that child to be gone by the time I leave." As he stalked away, he shouted behind him, "And do something about the rest of this mess!"


Three magical beings and one little girl sat in the mud and the blood as rain began to fall.




OH


WELL UM


WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO ESTELLA?


HOW MANY INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONARIES IS DOCTOR KELLEY GOING TO KILL WITH WEIRD BLOOD MONSTERS?


AND WHY IS HE ABSENT IN THE PRESENT?


WAS HE KICKED OUT OF THE COVEN FOR BEING AN ARROGANT ASSHOLE?


WHO SENT THAT INCRIMINATING LETTER TO THE CATGIRLS?


WILL MINA EVER GUESS ELEMENTAL'S TRUE NAME?


HAS ANY READER *NOT* GUESSED ELEMENTAL'S TRUE NAME BY THIS POINT?


I GUESS WE'LL FIND OUT!


ON!


SUPERGUY!




https://archiveofourown.org/works/40854900/chapters/132967231


Copyright (c) 2023 by Whitney Taylor. All Rights Reserved.

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