The Brotherhood of The Black Rats

4.36 Apologies

Through the fading haze and heavy rain he could just barely make out The Fairy’s glowing silhouette as The Dragonflies fell upon her. A burst of her green flame went sailing overhead awry of its intended targets illuminating the stone cold gaze of Misty standing next to him.

“No,” said Kai through a fit of coughs that almost brought him to his knees.

As the first chains wrapped around Isabelle, she fell to the ground with a soft thud. Smoke from her searing flesh rose to mix with the drops of rain pouring down on them as she struggled against the enchanted chain.

It snaked over her like a bandage of crude rusty iron. With each despite shake it grew over her tiny weakened form, wrapping around her neck with near choking force.

Kai stepped toward her only to trip over a binding of his own. His left leg now caught in the grip of a thick black tentacle pinning him in place. Kai looked up to see a grinning Brittney now standing where he’d arrived next to Misty, her tattoos fully recovered from their underground ordeal.

“Misty,” he pleaded at her feet “You’re killing her.”                       

  “Oh I wouldn’t worry about that,” said the leader of the Dragonflies looking down on him “She’s worth so much more alive.”

“Misty…please don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sorry Kai,” said Misty with sympathy in her voice that quickly turned cold.               

Kai fought against his bindings all the while keeping Isabelle in sight. Misty walked over to where the others were lifting the captured fairy to her feet as he inched towards them under Brittney’s restraints.

With his feet immobile the Gutter Mage made a move for his wand. Holding it tightly in his hand he motioned swift and sharp toward Brittney. Yet the concussive spell went wide of its mark on account of the crooked shaft. In another instant, the girl retaliated with a spell of her own, knocking the stolen wand from his white-knuckled grip, sending it tumbling over the side of the flatiron building and down to the world below.   

“I can’t hold him forever,” called the girl struggling against the pulling Gutter Mage trapped in her web of tentacles. “Now would be a really good time, to do that trick of yours again.”

“Oh don’t worry,” said Misty reassuringly as she completed a simple loop around Isabelle. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”

Kai watched helplessly from his position on the roof as Misty went through the motions of the time spell that had saved them moments ago. Their spell; the one they had spent a summer perfecting so long ago. Another of the Dragonflies came to her side taking his place in the ritual. Kai called out for them to stop, yet the two girls continued without pause.

He heard Brittney’s wild laughter flood over him as she tightened her grip around his foot. It was enough to knock him off balance. Slamming his chin down hard on the unforgiving rooftop. The other Dragonflies stood at the ready in the rain, as dark as The Shadows they had fled from, and just as menacing. 

The world went pure with brilliant white light, and a second later Kai was alone. Free of his bonds, The Fortune Teller shot up from where he had fallen, searching for any sign of Isabelle, Misty, or The Dragonflies. He felt a panic rise in his chest when they were nowhere to be seen.

He frantically brought out the deck of cards from his pocket. Then manically shuffled until the first King to crossed his palm. The King of Hearts appeared smiling after the Ten of spades. Kai focused his thoughts on communicating with Gabriel.

The Magician was slow to answer, and when he did his thoughts were a mess of slurred words and lured jokes. He was drunk again, and Kai had no time to decipher his unfocused mutterings.

“At The Flatiron. Isabelle has been taken.” Was all he had the patience to say before returning the card to the deck and frantically beginning searching once more.

 “Did I miss the party?” a voice called behind him.

Kai turned from where he’d been at the building’s pointed edge to find a triumphant Mallory Malloy arriving in the steam. She looked in surprisingly good sprits for having just been left for dead.

“You tricked us.” Stated Kai.

“I didn’t do shit,” defended Mallory “That ex of yours is as crazy as they come,”

“So what?” said Kai confused “You’ve just been waiting for the right time to make a clean getaway?”

“The key to any good escape is playing the long game Kid, now let me guess… Simon’s had you guy’s locked up at The Crimson Breech since things went to shit at The Crane.”

“You know about The Crimson Breech?” asked Kai surprised by the revelation.

“Who do you think told Simon about it?” replied Mallory producing a pair of wands from her tattered robes.

“What do we do?” asked Kai more subdued.

“Well I can’t stick around.” Said Mallory passing one of the wands to the fortune teller. “So I’m thinking I head back to The Breech and you go after the fairy.”

“Do you know where they’re taking her?”

“No,” admitted Mallory letting her gaze fall over the roofs ledge to the street below, where a group of young witches could just be made out exiting the front of the Flatiron building carrying a body shaped bundle between them. “But I suppose you could try asking.”

Kai followed her gaze. His heart skipped a beat as he saw them cross the street and head for the entrance to Madison Square Park. Mallory hatched out more of her witty plan but Kai was too busy searching through his deck of for five very specific cards.

The Ace of Diamonds, The Three of Hearts, and the Four of Diamonds were gripped tightly in his hand. With a running start Kai sped passed Mallory and the Steam Port to leap from the top of the Flatiron building, activating the levitation spell as he jumped. The rain pressed on as he flew through the air.

The cross streets below were empty save for a trio of cabs waiting for the light to change at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Twenty-third street. The park was all but vacant on account of the storm. Misty and her witches rushed spryly across its rain-slicked pathways as Kai fell toward them from above.

The Ace of Diamonds glowed to life in his hand. He struck with the force of a lightning bolt, knocking the group of girls into disarray as he landed in the middle of their fleeing pack. Bound and chained, Isabelle fell to the ground like a broken rag doll. Kai set to freeing her with the Four of Diamonds and Mallory’s wand. Working away at the chain with the same careful precision he would have used in opening a fragile package.

He had her back on her feet before any of the Dragonflies knew what had happened. Her skin was charred in some places, hurt much worse than what The Grey Guard had done to her. Kai carefully placed an arm around her shoulder as Misty struggled to her feet in front of them.

The rest of the Dragonflies milled about more concerned for each other than for Kai and Misty. Energy from the elemental charge still pulsed through the park. Only Misty made her way toward her former captives.

Kai said nothing. With Isabelle slowly coming to her senses at his side, he activated the teleportation spell within the Three of Hearts just as Misty mustered enough strength to meet his line of sight.            

“I’m sorry, I’m not sorry Misty,” he said seconds before disappearing.