Cloverfield Magic

Chapter 4 - Wonderland

Alice sighs disappointedly as the sun sets on the horizon, spilling crimson blood across the darkening sky. Calla, a cat familiar who was always slinking about on Alice's rooftop, always waxed poetic about how beautiful sunsets were, but Alice hated them. To her, sunsets were just an ugly precursor to the night. If she had the power to arrange the sky as she saw fit, Alice would pin the sun in a perpetual early afternoon and clear the sky of any clouds that might obstruct the endless swath of blue. Now that was a good idea! She should go hunting soon. Surely, there was some spellcaster out there with the power to control the sky.

Alice enjoys the last rays of sun on her porcelain pale skin. Calls had called her "albino" and ways tells her to disguise herself to avoid standing out too much, but Alice likes how she looks. She would rather be herself and eliminate any threat that dares to come after her instead. With her heightened sense of smell and hearing, there wasn't much that could sneak up on her when she was awake or asleep.

A man in a funny top hat and ostentatious rings passes by her, and the large aquamarine centerpiece decorating the one on his middle finger catches her attention. Not one to deny herself, Alice walks right into the man's path and Persuades. "I like your rings. You should give them to me." Surprisingly, the man is able to resist her, so Alice knocks him out with a quick kick to the head instead. Collecting the loot off the man's unconscious body, she notices that one of the rings has protection magic etched into it. So annoying. The Circle of Sacred Fire must be drowning in coins by now. It seems like everyone has one of their stupid trinkets, casters and non-casters alike. Alice kicks the door to her hideout open and lets the metal door swing shut behind her with a bang in her foul mood.

The smell of sour sweat and iron catches her off guard, and her ears catch the sound of Lenny bitching and whimpering pathetically.

"Alice! Thank the Fates you're finally back!" Lana cries from her spot against the now blood-stained couch. "Can you put Lenny back together? Some Doves shot him in the back while we were debt collecting! I think the Circle is giving the Doves anti-magic bullets now, so the usual healing charms aren't working. I got the bullet out, but I think it might have hit Lenny's spine. He says he can't feel his legs!"

Alice kneels down beside Lenny to examine the wound. Lana's fear was correct, unfortunately. The bullet had indeed shattered his spine. Alice took a deep breath and focused her mind on the task at hand. Reshaping the bodies of other people was much harder than reshaping her own form.

The air around her crackled with energy, and Alice's usual cloudy red eyes begin to glow brightly as magic flows through her veins and out her fingers, knitting the damaged tissue and broken bones back together on her command. Lenny's breathing steadies as his moans become less pained. Alice doesn't know how much time had passed, but she is eventually forced to stop when the strain of the spell on her body becomes too painful. She collapses over the couch, sweating and shaking.

"He's stable," Alice announces, gritting her teeth through the exhaustion. "But he's going to need bedrest to fully heal. Tell everyone to lay low until I get the chance to talk with August. The Bureau has crossed the line. This is a complete violation of our agreement."

Lana nods in acknowledgment, but Alice can read that her energy is angry and agitated. Lana probably wouldn't listen to her. In fact, now that she thought about it, most of her Coven didn't listen to her. It was fine at first, but it was starting to get more annoying the bigger their organization became. Alice wonders if she was too soft on everyone as the de facto leader, or if they were just reckless because the entire Coven seemed to be under the assumption that she could just cobble their broken parts back together like moldable clay, no matter how severe the wound. Maybe she should just let one of them die for once, she thinks sarcastically. That would teach the rest of them to be more careful.

One of Lenny's underlings pulled in a new member last week, and Alice had the pleasure of learning the color of the new recruit's guts before even learning her name. Rowena Bris, Alice recalls. At least the new recruit wasn't a whiner. Alice hated whiny people. Rowena barely made a peep when Alice patched her up, opting only to bite down on the willow bark Lenny gave her and studying Alice with an intensity that Alice could have sworn was burning hatred if she hadn't been in the process of say, saving her life.

She reluctantly turns her attention to her mess of a couch, a little miffed. She liked that couch. Since Lenny made the mess, he could find a way to replace it after he healed up. Retreating to her room, Alice turns her attention back to the protection magic she had found on the stolen ring. The Circle of Sacred Fire was becoming a thorn in her side lately, and she knew she needed to find a way to counter their magic if she wanted to keep her Coven safe.

Was there even a way to counter magic that nullifies spells?

Utterly drained, Alice flops onto her bed for a quick nap herself. The flickering lights in her room is the only warning she gets before Alice is plunged into sudden darkness. Alice jolts awake and expertly reaches for the dagger underneath her pillow when a familiar scent hits her nose. Blood. But not just any blood. Bitter, poisoned blood. Her sensitive ears catch the sound of rustling fabric. He's here. 

"What do you want?" Alice asks, her voice low and menacing.

The intruder chuckles with a voice as smooth as silk. "Why so hostile? I just wanted to check up on my favorite project. Not to mention, it's almost time that I'm owed my next payment."

Alice grits her teeth, hyper-conscious of the leather collar around her neck that seems to constrict tighter at the intruder's words. "Well, you're early. It's not done."

Quicker than she can react, the intruder has moved into Alice's personal space, not quite touching, but close enough that Alice can feel his unnaturally cold breath on her face as the other's body towers over her. Grabbing at the charm affixed to her collar the intruder hums melodically, "The new Blank I gave you is still empty. Why you insist on waiting until the last possible moment to fulfill your contract is beyond me. Do I need to remind you of the consequences should you fail to uphold your end of the agreement? Negligence will not be tolerated as an excuse."

Alice chooses not to respond in hopes of being able to avoid sequestering any more information that her unspoken actions have already betrayed. She's finally learning how to play the game.

"Your distrust in me is hurtful, 101. You're in quite a predicament, aren't you? As fun as it might be to see, the Doves might take down you and your little gang before then. I'm just here to give you a few... suggestions. It would be a shame if you died too soon."

Alice knew better than to trust the man standing before her, but nevertheless, Regardless of his motives, if he had information that could help her, she was willing to hear him out.

"Fine," she finally concedes, her voice cold. "Tell me then what you think I should do."

Alice tries not to show weakness when she hears him close the distance between them once again in the dark. "Have you heard of the saying, 'the best defense is a good offense'? The Doves at the Bureau are getting bolder because of their new allegiance with the Circle. Your power is waning, so why would they respect you? Eliminate their weapons, and all will return to equilibrium." 

Every fiber of Alice's being is screaming at her to get away. Clamping down on her instincts, she holds her ground. "I know that! I agree that the Circle needs to go. But you're not telling me how."

Where spells fail, a blade to the heart serves just as well." The intruder advises.

"You're telling me to bring a knife to a magic fight." Alice deadpans.

"No. You misunderstood my instruction."

Alice gasps when she feels a blade pierce her lung from behind. She didn't even hear him move. Ugh. Her contract holder was such a dick.

"I'm saying that even the most powerful of casters can be caught unaware. When their guard is down, you strike. Just make sure not to miss, little rabbit."

With that, Hemlock disappeared once again into the shadows, leaving Alice alone in the darkness.