The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 5: The Last Pendant

Chapter 25: Mr. Devereaux

Chapter 25

As the group left Derby Wharf aboard the Fwooper's Folly, Dev stood next to Jinx, Mawl, and the ghost of Spirit hovering nearby, waving them farewell on their journey south. After the boat sailed out of Salem Harbor and out of sight, Dev turned and headed back to the apartment with the others behind him.
"So?" Jinx asked. "What now?"
"There are a few things that I need to do," Dev answered. "I have a meeting with Castor Gray in half an hour."
"Whoa," Jinx gasped. She paused in her stride. "You're meeting the Minister of Magic? What the heck for?"
"To finish what was started a long time ago," Dev said enigmatically. "I have an idea or two; I hope they work. I need your help, Jinx. Do you know Raine Watterson?"
"Yeah, I know her," Jinx replied, "Why?"
"I need you to deliver a message to her," Dev said. The group walked back towards the apartment (with Spirit hovering next to them) but stopped when they saw a cloaked figure, a wizard, standing outside of the Morning Glory, looking up in the direction of where the window of the apartment was supposed to be (it was hidden from sight thanks to a Concealing Charm). Dev drew his wand as Jinx did the same. "Who is that?" he asked.
Jinx strained her eyes to examine the cloaked wizard from afar. "No clue. I ain't one to ask questions, though. I say we take him out."
"You don't know who that is!" Spirit whispered. "What if it is just some random person?"
"A random person who happens to be looking for our apartment?" Jinx asked. "That's no coincidence, guys. That guy's looking for the apartment or I'm a toad. Spirit: Find out who that guy is. Do the 'ghost' thing and sneak up on him."
"Oh!" Spirit applauded, "Good idea! Give me just a second!" She fell below the ground and disappeared below their feet.
"You think it's an Ember?" Jinx asked.
"He's not wearing any crimson that I can see," Dev answered, "They seem to favor that color."
"He appears to be waiting, sir," Mawl spoke. "He's not pacing and he's not anxious, from what I can ascertain."
"He could be a vampire," Jinx suggested.
"Could be," Dev repeated.
They watched as, just behind the cloaked wizard, a bluish-white object emerged slowly from the ground. Spirit's head emerged slowly from below, looking up at the cloaked wizard. As she floated closer to him to get a better look, the wizard turned around. He aimed two wands at the direction of her head.
"Can I help you, darlin'?" the cloaked man asked with an accent that dripped of Dixie.
"Hey!" Jinx shouted. She ran over towards the cloaked wizard, putting her wand away. Dev and Mawl followed her. "Of all the crazy wizards in the whole world, I'm so dang glad you're here!"
The cloaked wizard looked over at Dev and Mawl and smirked. He winked at them and laughed. "Let me take a wild guess," Rider Devine said, "Y'all were thinkin' I was some kind of Ember spook or someone else of a less endearing nature. Am I right?"
"Had us curious, for reals," Jinx answered. "Where did you come from? Where have you been?"
"I've been here and there, darlin'," Rider answered, "Was hopin' to find y'all at the school but the place was on lockdown. Those Embers have gone and turned the school into their own domain, I take it. A new development?"
"Yesterday, actually," Dev answered, "We will fill you in."
Dev brought the group up to the apartment and filled Rider in on the latest news. After he finished, Rider informed the others about his own adventure.
"Once I took Miguel the smuggler away from the scene at Tierra Varitas I intended to get him somewhere far away," Rider told, "But I still had Fallborn's man to worry about: the Fetcher named Proctor. I needed to lose him. We came here to Salem and were about to go underground to the Ministry offices when I drew my wands to take him out. He must have detected my intentions of mutiny because he was ready for it. I'll tell you, Mr. Dev, I am not a slouch when it comes to the fine art of Dueling. There are few people that can best me in a one-on-one duel. I like to pride myself in my abilities; I like to think that I'm the best Duelist south of the Mason-Dixon Line. But if I can make a case for being the best o' the south, Mr. Proctor can say the same for himself in the north. He was quick and, damn, he was efficient, enough to make me tremble at the work of his wand. We dueled to a stalemate. I've fought tougher men but I don't recall when. We stood there with our wands drawn on each other and he won my respect, and I, his. I decided to be honest and told him of my intentions to take Miguel out of Fallborn's clutches and go on the run. I figured he was on Fallborn's take but by then I didn't care one lick whether he knew or not. I was surprised to hear Proctor announce that he was a spy."
"A spy?" Jinx asked.
"That's right, darlin'," Rider continued, "Turns out he's part of some group called the Sons of Atlas: A bunch of radicals who've been fighting against Easter and his kind for a long while. I told him our goals were mutual and that we should work together. I told him about Echo and the Cloudstorm girls and what really happened in England and here in Salem. He was rather delighted in hearing where we've been and such. He helped me take Miguel to the pirates that Rain Fox and Teller had been with. We delivered him to the pirates and made acquaintance with them. They had suffered some losses of their own at the hands of the Embers in New Mexico, turns out. Long story short: The Sons of Atlas have pledged their loyalty to our cause, which is good. Proctor didn't know whose side Fallborn was on, hence the spying, but judging by your little experiment with Echo, he wasn't the traitor we thought he was."
"No," Dev said, "he wasn't."
"Well, now what?" Rider asked. "I came here because I figured this is where Echo might go if the school was off-limits."
"She did," Jinx said, "But now she's gone, too."
"That's a dyin' shame, darlin'," Rider said, "Sounds like we're in a bind an' got no recourse."
"Yes, we do," Dev said. "But in order for this to work, we all have a role to play; including you, Rider, now that you have the pirates in your pocket. Jinx, I need you to find Raine, deliver a message to her, then get her to distribute the message to the Six Nations and to the higher-ups in the Ministry using every owl that they have at their disposal."
"Whew," Jinx commented, "Sounds like that is one important message you're sending."
"It is," Dev said, "Very crucial to my plan. Rider: Contact your pirate friends and the Sons of Atlas that aren't in the clutches of the Embers. We will need their wands and their expertise. Ask if they're willing to help us fight."
"Consider it done, darlin'," Rider said. "I make no guarantees about the possibility of their participation, but I will attempt to persuade them to lean sympathetically to our cause."
"That's all I ask," Dev said. "Meet me back here when you return."
Rider nodded with a grin and left in a flash.
"Spirit," Dev continued, "I need you to contact your mother."
"My mom?" Spirit asked. "What for?"
"I'll tell you on the way to the Ministry," Dev said. "Mawl, are you up for helping us?"
"My Mistresses put me under your employ, Mr. Devereaux," Mawl squawked, "I am at your disposal, sir."
"I need you to take these three phials with you to Misery Island. I need the memories of three people: Master Blessed, Ignatia Jones, and Griffin Thornback," Dev said, handing Mawl three crystal phials. "Then I need you to come back with Iggy and Griffin."
"Where will I be taking them?" Mawl asked.
"Bring them here," Dev answered. "I will meet them here after I get done with Castor Gray."
"What am I supposed to do again?" Spirit asked.
"You'll see," Dev answered with a charming grin.