Fantastic Beasts and the One that Got Away

15. Fantastic Beasts and the Cliffs of Fate

"Alarte Ascendare"

Alex's scream escaped her as her body was dragged off the ground and held in the air by a magical force.

Great, she thought. So much for the easy defeat.

Newt and his friends clambered over the rubble and stood in the moonlight. They came face to face with the freed Credence.

He was no longer Jacob's clone. It seemed he transformed back to his own form and it broke the enchantment holding him. He now stood tall with his arm outstretched towards a struggling Alex several feet in the air.

As they looked on, Credence slowly moved his arm until Alex was past safety and held over the steep cliff.

Newt's stomach dropped. The cliff was a too high to see the bottom, but there was no way a drop form the height would be survivable. He reached for his wand but his hand came away empty. His wand. He dropped it to hug Jacob. It was sitting uselessly on the cell floor a few feet away from him, but too far out of reach. His mind raced for a solution.

With a false sense of calm, Newt said, "Credence. Think about what you're doing. You can be free of Grindelwald-"

Credence's eyes darkened as he cut him off. "You think he's forcing me to follow him? You think I want to be anywhere else? Well you're wrong. He's the only one who ever cared what happened to me. He spent months tracking me down to protect me while the Wizarding World did what? They hunted me like an animal." Credence spat the last word at the ground.

"He wasn't protecting you Credence. He was using you."

Anger dripped through every word of his response. "But he cared for me. He taught me to live. He gave me a place to call home. If you think I'm going to let you ruin that, think again."

Credence suddenly released his magical grasp on Alex and she plummeted several feet towards the abyss below.

Newt screamed.

Credence raised his arm again and caught Alex by the waist, her head and legs dangling below her midsection.

Newt took in a shaky breath. "Credence, you don't have to do this. Please. Just let her go."

The anger melted from as a mischievous smile curled Credence's features. "Now, now," he said in a playful tone. "You should choose your words more carefully. If I were listening to you, I might have just let her go so she could fall to her death. Not a smart way to phrase it."

The last thing Newt wanted to do was play games, but he wasn't sure what else to do. No case, no wand, no leverage. He was out of options. It looked like he was talking his way out of this one.

"I see your point. But what I don't see is why. You don't have to be a killer like Grindelwald. You can live your own life, free of his command."

Credence laughed. "And that is where you and I are different. You see it as a command. I see it as a lesson on how to survive in a world full of people trying to kill us."

Newt took a chance and stepped forward.

"Ah, ah, ah. One more step and I let her go." Credence twisted his wand upward and Alex's body followed suit. Newt stopped.

"Credence, please," came a new voice from behind Newt.

Tina approached the scene cautiously and Newt saw Credence falter. Encouraged, Tina continued walking slowly towards Credence before stopping just in front of Newt.

"Credence. You remember me, right? From the orphanage? I came back to help you. I'm sorry I didn't do better. I'm so sorry that she hurt you the way she did." She took another step forward and met no resistance. "If I could go back, I would. Before you find yourself with no chance to go back, please think about what you're about to do . You can choose a better life. One where I can help you learn your magic and you can have the family you've always wanted."

Credence lowered his head. "Those words mean nothing. You never cared about me."

"But I did. You were like a brother to me. You're my family Credence."

"You left me behind," he said, voice breaking with emotion.

"And I regret that every single day."

As quietly as a shadow, Queenie appeared behind Tina and whispered, "It's working. He's thinking about the life he would have with us. Keep going Teenie."

"What do you say, Credence? You can live with Queenie and I. We can teach you to make that pastry you love with magic. The one with strawberries? It was your favorite."

He shifted his gaze to look at her, eyes glittering in the moonlight. As he turned, his arm drifted so that Alex was floating just over the rocky gravel of the cliff. "Y-you remembered?"

She smiled softly. "Of course. You're family. We never forget family. Now, come with us. You never have to see Grindelwald again."

Hatred spread across Credence's face just as fast as it had left.

"Oh no," Queenie whispered. "We've lost him."

Startling them, Credence yelled, "No. I will not go with you. Not now. Not ever."

With a yell, Credence raised his fisted hand and slammed it back towards the ground with Alex in tow.

The moment Credence's mood shifted, Newt was moving. He rushed for the rubble and swooped up his discarded wand from the ground. As he turned and dove, he yelled the spell blindly in the direction of his friend.

"Arresto momentum"

At the last moment, Alex's speed slowed before she slammed into the ground. It wasn't a fatal fall but Newt knew she wasn't unscathed.

He rushed toward his fallen friend as the rest of his group dealt with Credence - he hoped.

Alex was face down as he slid in next to her. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand and turned her over. She let out a groan that matched his sigh of relief as he saw her eyes open.

Laying her head in his lap, he surveyed the damage. She had a nasty cut on her forehead that was matting her already dark hair. It looked bad. but most head wounds did. His eyes flicked downward and he inhaled sharply.

Her wrist was bent unnaturally. Newt placed a hand on her arm and Alex let out a cry.

"I-I'm sorry, I know it hurts. I can mend it but it will still hurt like hell." Her only response was a pained groan through gritted teeth. He took that as, please help me.

"Alright then, hold still." He took his shaking wand and spoke the spell he'd had used on his many broken bones growing up.

"Brackium emendo." Her wrist straightened back to normal.It wouldn't be perfect but it would do for now.

Newt looked over the other cuts and bruises and decided the rest could wait for someone who actually knew what they were doing. Alex's breathing had calmed and her face relaxed to a slightly less pained expression. She was going to survive and that's all he needed.

Wincing at the cut on her lip as she spoke, Alex asked, "Where is Credence?"

Newt sat up quickly. "Oh. He's, um-"

Alex knew her friend well. When he focused on something, the rest of the world faded away.

This time, she had been the focus. She smiled at the thought. He was the closest thing she had to family. Her chosen family. She would've done the same.

Carefully, Newt helped Alex to her feet as he put an arm around her to support her weight.

They joined the rest of the group just a few feet away. Newt couldn't help but laugh at the sight before him.

Both Tina and Queenie were standing over Credence, who was forced to the ground by the overwhelming amount of bindings surrounding him. Both Wizards had cast the binding spell on him as he dropped Alex. It was almost impossible to see his face through the bindings.

"I take it you've got everything covered?"

Tina smirked, "Was there ever a doubt?"

Newt returned the smile. "Not a chance."