Chaos and Order - A Multiverse Fanfic

C9: Traitor (1)

It's been over half an hour since Sonia's return.

Desmond and Sonia were having a late-evening tea with a few biscuits. Shae was sitting close to them, noting down something from dozens of books around her on a torn piece of parchment.

Simon was having tea too, but he was far in a corner, lost in his thoughts.

Others had soon found out that Simon wasn't much for a talk, and the way he looked at you with that one eye of his, it almost as if he was saying he knows what mischief you are up to.

"I am worried about the kid," Desmond admitted to Sonia, taking a light sip. "I can't wait anymore."

Desmond put the cup down abruptly. And he would have stood up if not for Sonia's hand on his. It was a light tap, but it could have been more than that.

Desmond looked troubled, but ultimately gave up and slumped back in the chair, letting out a sigh.

"2 minutes, and no more," he said. "If they won't show up, we both are going in."

Right then, the trapdoor opened and Arlen and Kai climbed up one after another.

Desmond and Sonia shared a meaningful glance.

Arlen was quick to deliver the good news to everyone the moment they had come back.

An obvious ecstasy had lingered on his face when Arlen presented Kai to the others, proclaiming he might never use magic.

Desmond walked to Kai. "Cheer up, Red," he said, putting a hand over his shoulder. "There are more magical worlds. This isn't the end."

After an hour, they had a sumptuous dinner.

Roast pork, bacon, roast potatoes and onions, bread, bowls of both thick and runny gravies, and soups. They topped it with puddings and three fresh cakes.

Even when he was little, Kai had a man's appetite. No amount of anger and disappointment was enough to prevent him from eating a bellyful meal.

When it was just two hours to midnight, Arlen, for the first time, called all the Thunder Faction for a meeting.

The round table was surrounded by the six Contestants.

"We will take two four-horse carriages to London's northern outskirts," Arlen said, pointing at the map. "If it weren't for the incident related to the three dead bodies, then we could have used brooms from right here."

Arlen glared at Desmond and Kai as if he had pinned the unfortunate event on their luck.

Even with no incident, London was heavily monitored by the wizards of the Wizard's Council. There were eyes on London's skies all the time. But the incident had doubled that force.

"It will cost us an hour," Sonia observed. "No matter how vacant the pathways will be, carriages are still only carriages."

Desmond nodded in agreement.

"From there, we will make a beeline towards Peterborough," Arlen said, his wand drawing a line on the map. A clear yellow trail. "Then sidelining Lincoln city, we will not stop until we reach York."

The wand had outlined a third of the distance between London and Dufftown by then.

"Shae, tell them," Arlen said. There was a big smile on his face.

Shae was on Arlen's right. As Arlen called out to her, her face flushed. It took her a moment to step forward, trying not to look into others' eyes.

"There..." Shae stuttered. But then she took a deep breath. "There is a hidden mountainous region between York and Middlesbrough. If we avoid the region, then it will cost us another hour."