The Bootlace Magician

by Cassie Beasley

  Micah was running as fast as he could, and he wasn’t sure what scared him more. Victoria? Or himself?

  * * *

  Micah expected the clouds to break open. He expected to be lifted off his feet and hauled into the air by huge grasping talons. Or the hummingbird—surely the hummingbird would come after him, and a quick jab from its beak would send him crashing to the ground.

  But Micah ran and ran, his feet carrying him toward the place he’d last seen the dire hawk, and though people called out in confusion or annoyance as he dashed by them, nobody tried to stop him.

  And above him was nothing but lifeless sky.

  “Micah!”

  He whirled at the sound of his name, his momentum making him stumble, and he raised his fists, ready to hit and kick and scream if he had to. But then he saw who had shouted.

  “Yuri!”

  The magician was clinging to a lamppost. His T-shirt was soaked in blood, and his face was frighteningly white. Micah had run right past him.

  He hurried back, panicked. “Yuri, what—?”

  “The bird put me down. And then it flew away.” Yuri leaned toward Micah. His eyes seemed to be having trouble focusing. “I don’t know why.”

  “I strangled Victoria with her scarf,” Micah said quickly. He scanned Yuri’s bloody chest and abdomen, trying to find the wound. It had to be bad if the magician wasn’t remembering to talk in questions. “Where are you hurt?”

  “Strangled!”

  “Yuri, where?!”

  “Shoulder,” Yuri grunted. “One of its claws.”

  Micah saw it then. The dire hawk’s talon had torn a hole in Yuri’s shirt and left a deep puncture in his shoulder. Blood was flowing freely from the injury.

  “We have to get to the Door,” said Micah. “Right now. Victoria’s going to attack the circus.”

  Yuri swayed.

  “Yuri?” Micah said frantically. “Do you understand me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, come on.” He reached for the arm on Yuri’s uninjured side and threw it over his shoulder. “We have to hurry.”

  Yuri staggered, and Micah barely managed to catch his weight.

  “Sorry,” said Yuri. “I’m sorry.”

  They made it a few painful steps before a woman in a business suit saw them and gasped, “Oh my g—”

  “Everything’s fine!” Micah panted, half dragging Yuri forward. “Just get out of our way.”

  “Victoria is attacking?” Yuri whispered to Micah as the woman hurried toward them. “You are sure about this?”

  “Yes,” said Micah, adjusting Yuri’s arm over his shoulders. “In minutes.”

  He didn’t know if he’d bought them time with the scarf, but even if he had, it couldn’t have been much.

  Yuri closed his eyes. He was taking fast, shallow breaths. “Okay,” he said, “I’ll try it.”

  The woman had reached them. “Sir, you need to sit down!”

  Yuri pulled his arm free. He swayed but managed to stay on his feet.

  Micah stared at him. “What are you doing?”

  “Take these,” said Yuri, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of pink earplugs.

  Micah didn’t understand, but there wasn’t time to argue. He grabbed the earplugs and stuffed them into his ears.

  Yuri said something to the woman.

  The earplugs didn’t block every bit of sound, but they muffled it enough so that Micah couldn’t make out the magician’s words. The woman, who’d been reaching into her bag, stiffened. She blinked at Yuri a few times, then she nodded and turned, running for the door of a nearby office building.

  Micah started to take out the earplugs, but Yuri shook his head. “Keep them,” he mouthed. And he mimed covering his ears.

  “The Door,” said Micah. He pointed. “I think it’s that way.”

  Yuri nodded and stumbled off in that direction. Micah went with him, chafing at the slow pace but unwilling to run ahead when Yuri looked on the verge of passing out.

  He didn’t understand why he had to keep his earplugs in, since Yuri wasn’t talking to anyone. Then he noticed something strange.

  No one else was trying to stop them, though Yuri was a gory sight, shuffling alongside Micah. And besides that, the sidewalk was clearing. Everywhere Micah looked, people were ducking into shops and restaurants, and nobody was stepping back outside.

  He watched, shocked, as a taxicab stopped right in the middle of the street he and Yuri were waiting to cross. The driver and his passengers all jumped out, ignoring the angry honk from the car behind them. The passengers—a man and a woman—hurried toward a café, and the driver shouted something at the car behind him before doing the same.

  What did he say? Micah wondered.

  It hadn’t been intelligible through the earplugs, but the people in the other car had obviously understood. The engine cut off, and they all climbed out, following the taxi driver inside.

  People believe whatever Yuri says, Micah thought. So maybe he had told that first woman she needed to get in a building and stay safe, in case Victoria’s birds attacked the city. But what about everybody else? Yuri hadn’t spoken to them at all.

  Then Micah remembered the other thing the magician had said: The magic gets away, and it will not stop.

  It had to be like a rumor, he realized as the street emptied around them and even the more distant sounds of traffic in other parts of the city began to grow fainter and fainter. Yuri had told one person to stay inside, and she had told somebody else, and on and on. . . . The magic was spreading like a juicy piece of gossip, only faster because every single person who heard it thought it was true.

  “Yuri, what did you do?”

  He hoped Yuri had said exactly the right thing. What if this didn’t wear off, and everyone thought they had to stay indoors forever? He covered his ears with his hands, just to be extra safe, but excitement flashed inside him alongside a new thought: Maybe Victoria’s caught in it, too!

  Maybe the Bird Woman hadn’t flown away from the restaurant in time, and the magic had spread fast enough. Maybe she was stuck there, convinced she was supposed to stay indoors.

  “Yuri!” he said. “Do you think it got Victoria, too?”

  Yuri looked over at him, mouth open, eyes glassy. And then he crumpled, his knees giving way. Micah made a grab for his shirt, hoping to slow his fall.

  He missed, but Yuri didn’t hit the ground. Instead, the chef’s body floated weirdly in midair, curving over some invisible obstacle so that his head and arms dangled, while his feet dragged limply along the concrete.

  Micah jumped back, alarmed, and then he realized. “Bibi!”

  The tiger appeared, looking pleased with herself. Yuri was slumped across her back, and her fur was turning red under his bloody shirt.

  “Bibi, I’m so glad to see you!” Micah cried. “Victoria was here, and . . . and . . . who else came with you?”

  He looked around, and a moment later he saw Firesleight rounding the corner. She had ripped half the skirt off her long black dress so that she could run faster, and the ferocious expression on her face was only slightly diminished by the fact that she had her hands pressed to her ears.

  She sped toward Micah and Yuri, not seeming at all surprised to see them or the state they were in. “It’s Victoria!” said Micah as she skidded to a stop. “She’s here!”

  “We know!” Firesleight shouted loud enough for him to hear through the earplugs.

  Her eyes skimmed over Yuri, and she plunged one hand into the front of her dress, pulling out two small vials of silvery liquid. She ripped the cork out of one with her teeth and bent over the unconscious cook, prying open his mouth while Bibi watched.

  Since Firesleight had dropped her hands, Micah decided it must be safe enough to take the plugs out of his ears.

/>   “Victoria wants Fish,” he said in a rush. “She said she’s got the dragon in position. She was going to head to the circus right away, so I strangled her with her scarf, but then I couldn’t, and I don’t know if Yuri’s magic got her in time.”

  Firesleight didn’t seem to be paying attention. She spun away from Yuri and grabbed Micah by the arms, her eyes darting over him. “You’re not hurt, right?!” she yelled in his face.

  Micah blinked. “I’m okay. I can hear you.”

  “Sorry,” said Firesleight, letting him go. “And good. Geoffrey said you were fine, but I worried. Take this.” She thrust the other vial of silvery stuff at him. “If you get seriously hurt, or you think you’re about to, drink it.”

  Micah took it and shoved it into his pocket. “What does it—?”

  “From Rosebud. No time to explain,” she said. “Bibi’s got Yuri. You come with me.”

  Firesleight set a breakneck pace, and Micah was gasping a couple of minutes later when they met Geoffrey. The ticket taker was in the middle of a street full of abandoned vehicles. He made a peculiar sight in his tailcoat and boots. He stood right in front of a stopped bus with his eyes closed and his head tilted as if he were listening for something.

  “Did they get her?” Firesleight asked when they reached him. She didn’t even sound breathless.

  Geoffrey kept his eyes shut. “She’s in the air.”

  Firesleight swore.

  “Save it for later,” said Geoffrey. “She’s just flown out of my range. We need to get to the Door.”

  Five minutes by air, thought Micah, ice creeping into his burning lungs.

  “It’s not all bad news,” Geoffrey said. “Yuri’s outdone himself. That suggestion of his will hit the edge of the city soon and keep going. We won’t have to worry about gawkers getting in the way.”

  He opened his eyes. “Sleight, you have to head back. Your talent will be needed before the day’s through. We’ll follow you.”

  Firesleight covered her ears and darted away, leaving Micah to stare up at Geoffrey.

  The city was so quiet now. Micah knew people must be hiding in the surrounding buildings, but he couldn’t see anybody. Not a single face peered through the windows. It felt like it was just the two of them, alone in the middle of what had been a bustling metropolis moments before.

  “Interesting choice,” said Geoffrey.

  “What do you mean?” asked Micah. Not using the bracelets until the last minute? Trying to kill Victoria? Letting her go?

  “I mean you’re doin’ just fine,” said Geoffrey, dropping into the casual, lilting voice Micah was accustomed to. He slapped Micah on the back. “Come on, String Boy. They’ll be needin’ us back at the circus.”

  THE MIGHTY CONFLAGRATION

  The moment Micah stepped through the Door, his feet shot out from under him. His chin smacked into the floor, his teeth cracking together painfully, and a second later, a heavy weight toppled onto him, cursing in Latin.

  Did we trip? Micah thought.

  Geoffrey rolled off him, and Micah scrambled upright only to fall again, onto his hands and knees this time. Somewhere nearby, Porter was shouting, and Geoffrey was shouting back. Micah couldn’t understand either of them, but he suddenly knew why he couldn’t stay on his feet. The ground was shaking.

  Victoria couldn’t cause an earthquake, could she?

  “What’s going on?” he said, clinging to the floor.

  Nobody answered. He heard the purple door to the china shop slam shut behind him.

  “What’s going on!?”

  Big hands grabbed him under the arms and lifted him into the air. Micah yelped, but it was only Bowler, hat askew.

  “The dragon!” said the Strongman. “It’s been hiding underground.” He took off running for Porter’s living quarters, clutching Micah to his chest.

  Over Bowler’s shoulder, Micah saw doors and gates sliding from their stacks, smashing into the floor.

  Porter must have called everyone back to the circus to deal with the emergency, Micah realized. Strongwomen raced around, snatching falling doors out of the air with their bare hands and flinging them away before they could hit other magicians. Micah saw Pennyroyal, her tangerine hair wild around her face, leap over Geoffrey to intercept a barn door just before it landed on the ticket taker’s head.

  Bowler reached the entrance to Porter’s house and tossed Micah through the door. He landed on the sofa.

  “Stay here until it’s over!” Bowler shouted. And then he was gone.

  Micah clung to the sofa cushions while mugs and cups tumbled from the cupboards in Porter’s kitchen, the sound of them shattering against the floor a minor echo of the crashing noises in the warehouse.

  The shaking went on for almost a minute. Then, all at once, it stopped. Micah heard a few more crashes before everything went silent.

  He took several steadying breaths and got to his feet. His chin throbbed, and he tasted blood in his mouth. His lip was busted. For a couple of minutes, he waited, expecting someone to come through Porter’s front door and explain what was going on.

  When that didn’t happen, he crept out into the warehouse himself, crouching low in case the shaking started back up and he needed to grab a convenient patch of floor.

  * * *

  The warehouse was in ruins. The cavernous space, once filled with towering stacks of doors, now looked like a box of spilt dominos. Only a single stack was standing. The others lay in heaps.

  Metal gates had twisted on impact, and heavy wooden doors had split and splintered. The air was full of dust that glittered in the faint sunshine coming through the skylights.

  “Hello?” Micah called.

  Nobody answered. He couldn’t hear anything but the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears.

  Micah realized that when Bowler had said, “Stay here until it’s over,” he had probably meant the whole battle, not just the dragon-induced earthquake. But he started picking his way toward the tent’s entrance. He clambered over the wreckage, wincing as he thought of how many centuries of Porter’s hard work might be ruined.

  He hadn’t gone far when he heard a faint and frightened voice whimpering, “Help. Help. I need help.”

  “Who’s there?” Micah took a step toward the voice, careful not to trip over the brass knob of the door he was standing on top of.

  “Micah?” said the voice. It echoed oddly.

  “Yes.” Micah peered around. “It’s Micah. Where are you?”

  “COME GET ME!” the voice squawked. “IT’S ME! COME GET ME! I’LL NEVER USE YOUR TOOTHBRUSH AGAIN!”

  “Chintzy!” cried Micah. “I can’t see you!”

  “A WHOLE MOUNTAIN OF DOORS FELL ON ME! I’M STUCK!”

  Micah was so horrified by Chintzy’s panicked screeches that he ran around in circles, falling all over himself and bruising his shins against a portcullis. After a minute of frantic searching, he almost stepped on the very parrot he was trying to rescue.

  Chintzy was not buried under a mountain of doors. She’d only been pinned under the lid of an old top-loading washing machine.

  “Thank goodness!” said Micah, reaching down to grab her. “What are you doing in here?!”

  Chintzy was breathing hard. Her chest feathers were aquiver. “The Lightbender told me to get to Porter! Where is he!? I need to get away!”

  “I don’t know,” said Micah. “I guess he’s evacuating people?”

  “He’s supposed to be evacuating me!” Chintzy shrilled. “Victoria will get me!”

  “No she won’t,” said Micah, gripping the parrot’s feet tightly and bringing her closer to his chest. “I won’t let her. Where’s the Lightbender?”

  “He’s using illusions on the dragon so everyone can get away!” Chintzy shouted. “He’s no good at animals! He’ll mess up! We’ll die!”
r />   “That’s not a helpful attitude!” Micah shouted right back. “He won’t mess up, and we won’t die!”

  They stared at each other.

  Chintzy puffed her feathers out stubbornly, and Micah shook his head.

  He looked around, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn’t take Chintzy outside the tent. She would be a danger to herself and others if Victoria’s magic took hold of her.

  His eyes landed on the washing machine lid. The edge of one of his own nets was peeking out from underneath it.

  “I have a plan,” said Micah. “You’re not going to like it.”

  That was an understatement. Chintzy yelled at Micah the whole way back to Porter’s house, and when he stuck her in Porter’s claw-foot bathtub and started securing the net over the top and sides, her volume increased. “You’re trapping me in a cage!”

  “It’s not a cage,” said Micah, yanking the corner of the net tight around one of the tub’s feet, telling it not to come undone no matter what happened. “It’s a bunker. A birdie bunker. Super safe. Even if the whole tent collapses you’ll be fine.”

  “It’s not a birdie bunker! It’s a tub!”

  Micah didn’t have time to argue with her. He shrugged his peacoat off, took the ball of twine and the potion Firesleight had given him out of the pockets, and threw the coat over the tub. He hoped it would help keep any small pieces of debris from falling through the holes in the net.

  “Stay here,” he said.

  “Do I have a choice!?” Chintzy squawked as Micah hurried out the door.

  * * *

  Micah’s second trip through the warehouse was hastier than the first had been.

  He could feel the tug of the locator knot against his ring finger. It might have been his imagination, but the pull felt more urgent, somehow, than it had ever been before. Fish was on the other end of that tug. Victoria would be heading for him.

  And somewhere outside this tent, the Lightbender and the others were fighting a dragon.