The Undying Illusionist

by Candy Crum

  Scarlett smiled in response. "Oh, I believe I can help with that."

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The past couple of days had been difficult for Amelia. Not only did she have everything inside the city to worry about, but the outside of the city was proving to be just as terrible.

  Over the course of the past two nights, the remnant had destroyed two farmhouses and a small village. Nearly a hundred people were dead, in total. There had been only a single survivor, a man who had seen his entire family ripped apart by the beasts.

  When he’d arrived at the gate, he'd been covered in blood and was almost hysterical. Nothing he’d said had made sense, and his words were slurred from the post-adrenalin fatigue and the sobbing. The guards had thought he was crazy and arrested him, believing he'd been the one to kill his family.

  But Amelia knew better.

  All the warnings she’d had were coming to fruition. She'd believed that the remnant would never come close to the city, but now she was worried it might happen sooner rather than later.

  Given that they were getting braver and braver and the invasions seemed planned and organized, she was beginning to wonder if maybe there wasn't an outside source causing all this.

  Regardless of what her worries or thoughts might have been, there was a lot of work to be done to keep the Arcadian people calm. They were beginning to fight in the streets over various plans, and Amelia was worried she might lose control of them.

  The people were losing their restraint, something that she absolutely could not allow to happen. She couldn't lose control of the city no matter what.

  A knock on the door startled her, and she reached up to wipe away the tears that she'd suddenly become aware of. Clearing her throat, she called for the person to enter. She almost immediately regretted it.

  "Talia, nice to see you," Amelia said as Talia walked in, all smiles.

  The Dean nodded and took a seat in front of Amelia's desk. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you had time to talk."

  Amelia’s heavy sigh turned into an unamused laugh. "Not really, unfortunately. I'm sure that you’ve heard there was another attack last night. Two, actually. This time, it wasn't just a farmhouse, it was an entire village. Luckily, it was a small one, but many were lost."

  Talia's eyes widened as she sat back in her chair, shaking her head in disbelief. "When is this going to stop? There's so much violence."

  In her grief for the dead, her frustration for the duties surrounding those deaths, and her sensitivity to the fears of her people, she found herself desperately wanting to get into Talia's head, no longer trusting her.

  Unfortunately, Amelia knew that if she even tried, Talia would probably be aware of it. Especially if Arryn was right and Talia had mystical abilities, or had someone working with her who did.

  That was a risk that she just wasn't willing to take.

  "Something has to be done, that's for sure," Amelia agreed. "I haven't quite figured it out, but I'm working on it. With the attacks getting closer and the disappearances increasing, the city is falling apart. The only thing we have going for us right now is that the factory is up and running and the men are back to work. That being said, it also causes concerns for the women left at home. They're worried about break-ins and things of that nature, or an attack by the remnant while the men are away in the factory. At this point, I'm at a loss. So, I don't mean to sound rude, but whatever it is, just spit it out."

  Talia slowly nodded. "Right. Um… Well, I came here to talk to you about Arryn."

  Amelia knew that was why she'd come. Arryn had tried to tell her about something that happened between the two of them, but she hadn't had time to listen to it. With bodies being brought in, Amelia had no time at all. All she'd gotten was a warning that Talia might come to her.

  "Okay, what is it?" Amelia asked as she changed positions, preparing for whatever story might be told.

  Was Talia the evil monster Arryn believed her to be? Amelia had no way of knowing. All this time that Arryn had been coming to her, telling her how obsessed she was with Talia and how worried she was, and she'd blown Arryn off. She now understood just how crazy it could make a person feel.

  With Adrien, everything had been straightforward. There was no requirement to figure it out, especially once he went crazy. It was easy to see that he was a dark man with terrible intentions.

  Both Talia and Arryn had worked so hard to help build the city up. Was it possible that Talia really was the threat Doyle had warned her about?

  "Chancellor?" Talia asked, her voice cutting through Amelia's distraction.

  Amelia shook her head, trying to free herself of those intrusive thoughts. "Sorry about that. It's hard to focus. What about Arryn, now?"

  "Again, I apologize for bringing this to you, but I feel as though it's worrisome, especially given all the other things happening around here. Arryn came to see me the other day, and she threatened me. She came barging into my office without a knock or appointment, sat down, and immediately began trying to intimidate me. I’m not exactly sure what this girl’s problem is, but I feel as though she's a danger to herself and to the city."

  Amelia sighed, doing her best not to roll her eyes. "I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but it's getting out of hand. She doesn’t like you, you don't like her, and there's a conflict between the two of you. Clearly. There are bigger things in the city to worry about. Like the fact that Doyle, Adrien's right-hand man, informed me just before we took him out that Adrien had someone outside the city. Someone who is now inside the city. To me, that’s a bigger worry than some squabble between the two of you."

  Arryn and Amelia had agreed days ago that they would no longer see one another and would no longer stand up for one another. It had been Arryn's idea, but it had seemed like the best thing to do. Being indifferent to Arryn was an excellent tool to use if Talia was in fact the enemy.

  "I completely understand, Chancellor, but I believe this goes deeper. She mentioned something about someone named Elon and getting vengeance on him and anyone who might've helped him. She's obsessed with her father and finding him. I don't know what's going on, but Elon and whoever was connected to her when she was a kid is in danger. I know a lot of people died in the Battle for Arcadia, but if they had anything to do with her father's disappearance, she's either coming for them, or she's coming for their kids. The same kids who go to our Academy. We can't let that happen."

  Amelia narrowed her eyes.

  "What do you want me to do?" Amelia asked.

  Talia had leaned forward, ready to speak, when there was a knock at the door. Amelia groaned and called for the person to come inside.

  It was a young woman, Mikhaila. She was another of the nobles in the Academy, and one who regularly stood up for her Boulevard classmates.

  "Dean, Chancellor, I'm really sorry to bother you, but I thought this shouldn't wait," she started, her voice shaky.

  Amelia nodded. "All right, go ahead."

  The girl took a few steps more into the office and fidgeted with the long sleeve of her dress. "I was several minutes early to class today, and I saw something that I don't think I was supposed to see."

  That was certainly news. "Okay," Amelia prompted, "what did you see?"

  The girl swallowed hard as she looked at the floor. "I went to see Talia, but she wasn't in her office. Someone said she was out for the day, so I just went to class. When I got there, I saw Arryn and Jackson talking, but they weren't just talking. They were standing very close. It was obvious that there was more there than just a teacher and her student. Even still, that wasn't what bothered me most…"

  The girl paused she looked from Amelia to Talia and back again. Amelia took the opportunity to study Talia's face and saw that she looked completely confused. It seemed that Talia was just as shocked by the impromptu visit as she was.

  Mikhaila continued, "I overheard Arryn say something about Amos just before she said someone else was going to die."
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  Talia's eyes widened, her jaw opened slightly as she sat there staring at the girl in shock. Amelia on the other hand, had no idea how she felt personally. Something wasn't right.

  Arryn wasn't the killer, not in the sense that whoever took Amos had been. Arryn had never killed anyone, as far she knew, outside of the fight in which they’d taken Doyle down. And that had been self-defense, and in the defense of others.

  "Are you sure about this?" Talia asked. "This is quite a statement."

  "Mmmhmm," Amelia groaned. "Convenient, even, given our current conversation."

  Talia looked at her in what appeared to be honest confusion, her eyes wide and her lips tight as she shook her head. "I had nothing to do with this. I know that you're confused and conflicted about who to trust right now, but that right there is evidence of everything I've been telling you."

  The girl took another step forward, her hand rising slightly as she dared to speak again. "I don't have any idea what you guys have been talking about, but I know what I came in here to say. And I know it might seem difficult to believe, but if you've sat in her classes, you know she's obsessed with the defense of the city. She has been overly curious about all its weaknesses. She's constantly telling us that we need to push back and take what we want. That we should learn to fight for ourselves, because the city is weak."

  Amelia knew that one was true, though the girl may have misunderstood the context. Arryn had come to her complaining that the city was weak, but why would she point out its weaknesses and even train men to get stronger if she wanted to take down the city? Why would she encourage the students to learn how to take care of themselves if she wanted to rise against it?

  Something was definitely not right.

  Amelia knew that Talia must have had no idea the girl would show up, much less say the things that she did. It was evident by the genuine shock on her face. But she also knew Talia was using it to her advantage.

  Knowing that she needed to say something, Amelia decided to play along and sort it out later. "Thank you both. It seems that I have a lot to take care of. None of this conversation is to leave this room, is that understood?"

  Both women nodded.

  "Good. I'll put the Hunters on this. If there's something to find, they'll find it, trust me. Treason is the one thing I will not stand for in our great city," Amelia told them, her voice firm and final.

  She thought she caught the faintest of smiles on Talia's face before it was replaced by something solemn, more appropriate to the conversation.

  Amelia didn't believe any of this, but she couldn't let Talia know that. Until Amelia had all of the pieces, she couldn’t trust anyone, though her gut was telling her Talia was rotten, and her gut didn't usually lead her astray.

  ***

  Talia had only made it a few blocks away from the Capitol building when, in true Scarlett form, the woman leapt out and walked beside her. Talia almost jumped, but at this point, she was beginning to get used to it.

  "It went really well in there," Scarlett chirped.

  Talia's face was confused as she looked at Scarlett. "Were you spying?"

  Scarlett gave an exaggerated smile. "Who do you think let the girl in? Let me tell you, the setup on that was absolutely brilliant. I would pat myself on the back if I didn't deserve to get it from you instead. Dammit, I'm a genius."

  Talia stopped, unsure if she should be excited or apprehensive. "Why was it genius? Tell me everything."

  Scarlett seemed all too happy to relate her tale of scheming. "First of all, Mikhaila wasn’t the only one in Arryn's class today. Well… Obviously, there were others there, too.” She waved her hands in the air as she shook her head. “I’m getting ahead of myself. Anyway, it was only Arryn and Jackson, and Mikhaila was walking in, so I just used my magic to make myself invisible. Even Arryn bought it." She tapped the side of her temple and winked.

  There was hope blossoming in Talia's chest as she listened. "You created an illusion?"

  The mystic nodded. "Indeed, I did. But here's the thing: it went so beautifully that I couldn't have planned it all myself. I snuck in on Jackson talking to Arryn, hoping to hear or spy on something good. The door was open, so they didn't even hear me come in. I just stood there, listening. Jackson was doing a great job, laying it on thick, though I will say she did seem a little suspicious. But it worked out great. They did mention Amos, but not in the context that I led Mikhaila to believe. And Arryn did mention that someone would die again, but…"

  Talia smiled and nodded. "But not in the context that Mikhaila was led to believe by you. Let me guess, Arryn was discussing something more along the lines of worrying that someone else was going to die."

  With a finger pointing at the Dean, Scarlett exclaimed, "Yes! You are correct. They were discussing the disappearances, and Arryn was worried that someone else might die. Boy, was she right. But here's the best part… While you were chatting it up with the Chancellor, I was hanging out around the Capitol building, listening in. Amelia is doubtful of you both. That might sound bad, but it's actually a good thing. She has no idea who to believe, though she is having a hard time believing it’s Arryn. Still, once Mikhaila came in there, Amelia seemed to shut down. It was hard to get anything out of her after that, but she seemed very convinced that something needed to be done."

  Talia almost sighed in relief, though she didn’t get that Amelia distrusted Arryn from her behavior. She might have doubts, but she seemed more annoyed than distrustful. Talia wondered how accurate the mystic’s words were.

  Instead of dwelling on it, she took the small victory. "That is great news. I don't need Amelia to completely trust me; I just need her to trust Arryn less. As long as I look better than her, things will be okay."

  Scarlett giggled. "Oh, things are about to go a hell of a lot better than just okay. While I was in there, I killed two birds with one stone. I nosed around in Elon’s head, and I found our victim. His name is James, and he is a mutual friend of Arryn and Elon's son, Gregory. James’ father was the one who delivered the orders to the Hunters to take out her parents.

  “Unfortunately for poor James, he's actually a good kid. Seems to do well in school, people like him, supports the Boulevard students, that kind of thing. Turns out he didn't much care for Daddy or his politics. But… That's not going to do much for him when Arryn gets a hold of him."

  "This is fucking fantastic," Talia said, a little more excitement growing. "We're going to kill him in the same way as the others. Drain him dry and leave the knife. Not only do we want to make use of the blood, but we want to make sure that Arryn looks undeniably guilty for this one, putting doubt in their heads about the others. After all, she was the one who told them Amos was killed somewhere else when no one else had figured that out."

  Scarlett nodded. "Exactly. So, here's the plan: we take James, kill him and drain the blood, and then we need to dump the body somewhere. Kind of like usual; hidden, but not too much. I'll use my magic to convince the group that his death was necessary because Arryn is planning to use her magic to do something crazy. It won’t take much. They are already wrapped around your fingers. We just want to make sure they don’t have a moment of doubt."

  Talia continued walking down the street, looking around every so often make sure no one noticed them. "Good. I'll hide the knife in the lockbox that's in her desk. She doesn't use it, but it was there from the last teacher."

  "We can even use the vines that are outside your office to bind him with. If we do that, it will be an obvious sign of nature magic. Once they find the body and start pointing fingers, I'll work my magic on a few of the students. All I have to do is convince them that they saw Arryn put something in her desk before class. Convince a couple others that Arryn's up to no good. Those nobles are pathetic. News like that will spread like wildfire. Soon, Amelia will have no other choice but to arrest her on suspicion. Even if she doesn't believe it, she’ll still do it."

  Talia nodded. "Yes, she will, because she's losing control
. With the remnant attacks and bodies piling up, people are losing their faith in her. She will arrest Arryn for no other reason than to make people happy, to make them feel more comfortable and safe. Then, all we have to do is seal her fate. Do something huge that will prove Arryn is the evil the city has been fighting along."

  Scarlett laughed. "I assume you are referring to Doyle. I heard that bit, and I sensed your shock. I know that he was the one who had brought you the news of your father, so it would be quite disturbing to hear he had been found and had warned Amelia that someone was in town. We just need to make damn sure that person is Arryn."

  There was silence as Talia looked at the sky for a few moments. Finally, she said, "Only a few hours, then we get to work. Oh, and by the way, I think I know the perfect place to hide the body."

  ***

  Scarlett had waited all day for this. It was finally time for her to really put her talents to use, and she couldn't be happier. Not only were her mystical powers strong, but manipulation and planning were also powerful talents of hers, even without using magic.

  As she walked around the living room of Arryn's childhood home, looking at the entire life that had been abandoned in a single night, she smiled to herself as she thought how perfect the plan had been.

  At first, Talia had wanted to hide the body in Arryn's old house, but Scarlett was quick to intervene.

  Had they placed the body there, it would have been too obvious. It would've looked like a setup. So instead, they decided to kill James there, bleeding him out while only spilling a bit that looked accidental before taking his body somewhere else and dumping it.

  The best part had been that anyone who looked out the window that night would have seen Arryn walking toward that side of town.

  Scarlett had used her powers of illusion along with her mental magic to make herself look like Arryn as she'd walked beside James. They had been in the same Academy, but they hadn't actually run into each other recently, so James had been very happy to accompany her.