“Recruit her?” Chronos asked indignantly. “I’m not interested in corrupting innocents.”
“Shoulda thoughta that before you recruited me.”
“You weren’t innocent, and you know it! And you were the one who recruited me!”
“Semantics.”
“You know, um, for a dungeon cell, this is awfully . . . furnished,” Courtney said hesitantly, looking around her surroundings. There was a comfy bed, a stack of stuffed animals, and dozens of posters of cute baby animals sticky-tacked up all over the walls.
“Oh, that’s because I used to live down here!” the little girl said carelessly. “I was a prisoner for aaaaaaaaaaaaages.”
“You . . . you were a prisoner here?” Courtney asked, horrified. “Then why are you working for your captors now?”
“I’m not!” the little girl said cheerfully. “This lair’s previous owner was the one that caught me, silly! When Chronos and Kendra moved in, I just sort of came with the castle.”
Courtney was starting to feel panicked again. “Then why didn’t you leave? Escapewhen you got the chance?”
The little girl villain gave her a flat look. “Where would I go? My team got destroyed years ago. I was always an orphan. No one would be waiting for me.”
Courtney swallowed.
The little girl beamed and waved her hands excitedly. “Besides, I get access to super-great technology here, and no bedtimes! It rules!”
“I don’t think it would rule!” Courtney exploded. “I have a family back home! And what about my team? We may have been defeated, but we’re still best friends forever!”
The little girl’s eyes narrowed. She pulled a wand out from behind her back. “You should have thought of that before you broke Freddie.”
Courtney scrambled backwards, terrified. What was the villain going to do to her?
There was a sound of footsteps from above. “Tiffany . . .”
The little girl immediately became cute and perky again. “Oh, hi, Chronos!”
“I thought I said no tickle-torture.”
“But it worked really, really well on that minion!” Tiffany pleaded. “He hasn’t tried to sell us Villain Weekly or Better Lairs and Dungeons since!”
“That’s because I bought the magazine subscriptions because I felt sorry for him. May I speak with the prisoner? Now?”
Tiffany pouted, but then brightened. She hopped to her feet. “Bye, Amber Starlight! Have fun with Chronos’s interrogation!”
INTERROGATION?! Courtney thought in panic.
“Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
As Kendra was preparing a sandwich to warm up in the microwave, Tiffany raced past her. “Where are you rushing off to?”
“I’m getting Larry and George, in case Chronos needs them!”
Kendra didn’t ask which of Tiffany’s toys those two were. “I see.”
“Have you seen where Georgie’s ammo went?”
Courtney sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.
The villain sat with her arms folded, looking tired. “Would you wrap up the crying, Courtney?”
She was shocked out of her sobbing. “How . . . How do you know my name?”
“I can see the future. I’ve been able to since birth.”
A born mage! Courtney gulped. All born mages were villains.
“And now,” the woman said, holding her arms horizontally with over a foot of space between them, “it’s time for you to decide your own. So . . . what do you think of this?”
Between the woman’s arms appeared the image of a ruined city. Magical girls flew overhead. Dead innocents lay below. A shattered moon strewed across the sky.
“I . . . I don’t understand,” Courtney faltered. “What is that wasteland?”
“It’s our future, without villains,” the woman said, pulling her arms apart. The scene disappeared. “Villains, who keep the overpowered magical girls in check.”
“That makes no sense!” Courtney exclaimed. “Magical girls are emissaries of peace and love and harmony!”
“In theory. But what happens when all of the villains are gone? Do you think those trained warriors will want to give up their powers?”
On each of her outstretched hands flew a frenzy of scenes of magical girl attacking magical girl. Wings and heart-shaped batons versus rainbows and pigtails.
“You . . . you’re crazy,” Courtney stuttered, scooting backwards. “No one in my team would ever do that. No magical girl would —”
“Kamikaze and tienlong,” the woman said in a clipped voice. “Do you know what those are?”
“The Japanese and Chinese magical girl armies.”
“Right. Armies. Which are currently at war with each other.”
“Well, but . . .” Courtney faltered.
“But nothing. Those are magical girls currently fighting magical girls.”
“But those are nations doing that! Not people!”
The villain woman looked exasperated. “Sure. And without villains such as born mages to keep the magical girls busy, the rest of the world’s nations are going to start thinking it’s a great idea to use their magical girls the same way.”
“I don’t believe you!” Courtney burst out.
“Courtney . . . your leader and her third-in-command already have personality conflicts,” the woman said wearily. “Need I show you how those disagreements would have escalated?”
Courtney swallowed. No. She had no trouble believing those two would cause trouble. She’d only just met them, but already she had seen them play some really nasty practical jokes on each other. And the things they said to each other were even worse.
“So . . . is that why you killed their magical girl forms?” she asked in a small voice.
“Nobody killed them,” the woman said, shrugging. “We just broke their talismans. If they make new ones, they’ll be able to transform again. But the chances are high that one or both will wind up quitting. Kend— Seraph went out of her way to make it sound like she was hired by one of them. That should solve the problem by making sure they don’t want to stay on the same team.”
Courtney’s mouth fell open. Don’t you think that’ll make things worse?!
“And if the likelihood of problems flare up again, we can just send Seraph back.”
That WOULD make things worse!!
“And I told her to make sure to mention to each of them that the other one wants her to quit. I’m sure that’ll encourage both to do so.”
Courtney took a deep breath. Okay. Okay, she was Amber Starlight. An emissary of peace and love and justice. She could fix this problem with her teammates, just as long as she could get away from this villain who was doing exactly all the wrong things to help her teammates get along.
“I can show you their potential dark forms after their next power-up,” the woman offered.
“No th—”
Too late. The villain was already showing them to her. Both girls seemed deadly serious as they were locked in combat with each other. It looked like a battle to the death.
“And that’s a future that’s prevented?” Courtney asked trepidatiously.
“No, I can only show futures that are still possible . . . oh. Hmm.” The woman stared at her hands. “That’s odd. That got more likely. So did the futures with the other girls gaining dark magical girl forms when they take sides in the conflict.”
Well, of course! Courtney wanted to scream.
The woman flicked through three more dark forms of her other teammates, and a giant battle of two-on-three.
“That’s so odd,” the woman murmured. “It should have worked. How . . .”
“Well, what about me?” Courtney demanded, panicking as she grabbed the bars of the cage. “I’m not going to turn evil, am I?”
“Hmm . . .” the woman said, putting her hands on her head. “You . . .”
Courtney waited, with her heart pounding.
“Huh,” the woman said at last. “Most of the futures with you in them seem
to have your teammates settling down. And I see a power-up a few years from now. Maybe I should let you go back to them.”
“YES!” Courtney cried in relief.
“But, see, you found our lair,” the woman said, frowning. “We can’t just let you go.”
“W-wait,” Courtney said quickly. “What if I promise not to tell anyone where it is? Or show them, or anything?”
“That’s not enough.”
“But I can’t tell them or show them! It’s literally impossible! Look at my powers! You can figure out my powers by watching my future, can’t you? I can only follow people. I can’t find my way back magically later. And I don’t know where I am. I think we teleported, so I could be anywhere in the world!”
The woman frowned. She closed her eyes and put her hands on her head.
Courtney waited, her heart pounding. It was true, all of it. Hopefully this villain would see that. Hopefully this villain would let her go.
“Mmmm . . . all right,” the woman said at last, with reticence. “I’ll have Kendra teleport you back home.”
Courtney wanted with weep with relief. She could have been trapped here for her whole life. She’d never thought she’d think this, but thank goodness her powers were still so weak.
As soon as she got home, she was going to make sure her teammates shaped up as soon as possible. She didn’t want those awful futures. She’d make that her priority.
And if these villains ever showed up again, despite her fixing the problem they said they’d come to prevent? Well, then, Scions of Light would be ready.
Tiffany was filled with excitement. A prisoner! A prisoner to interrogate! Her very own prisoner to play with! She hadn’t had one since that minion selling magazine subscriptions, and Chronos had let him escape while her back was turned!
She rushed past Kendra, who for some reason was only just now putting her food in the microwave, and raced down to the dungeon with a toy under each arm.
“Chronos! Chronos! Guess what! I brought Larry the Laser Blaster and George the Grenade Launcher!” She paused. “And Bobby the Blow Darts, just in case. Which one do you want me to use?!”
Chronos held up a key and pointed behind her at the empty cell. “I let the prisoner go. Kendra’s already teleported her home.”
“AGAIN?!” Tiffany yelped. “But you did that with the minion!”
“Yes, I did.”
“But I wanted to play with my toys!”
Chronos eyed those toys. “And now you’re going to put them back.”
Tiffany pouted. “But . . .!”
Before she could finish that sentence, an explosion rocked the lair.
“Tiffany!” Kendra hollered, storming to the top of the stairs with a busted microwave in her hand. “You overclocked the microwave again!”
Tiffany immediately looked as innocent as possible.
“It’s not my fault! Manny volunteered!”
About the Author
Emily Martha Sorensen writes clean fantasy, and she doesn’t exactly follow the crowd. She has hair long enough to sit on, she laughs loudly in public, she strikes up conversations with complete strangers, and she licks her plate at mealtimes — why wouldn’t you, when the food is good?
To get some free exclusive short stories and to hear about new book releases, you can join Emily’s mailing list here:
http://emilymarthasorensen.com/mailinglist.html
“To Prevent Pure Heroes” is a short story connected to the Magical Mayhem series. You can find the first book in the Angels and Magic box set, or on all retailers here.
* * *
The Great Escape
The Magician and The Angels Series: A Short Story
R.M. Gauthier
1
Aaron stands staring in the mirror at his reflection. Ironic, considering he’s reflecting on his life and the actions that have lead him to this moment and this place right now. Gaping at the image he doesn’t recognize himself or the person glaring back. He’s not sure why he’s doing this or what will happen, but he knows there’s no backing down. There’s an overwhelming need to do it, but still, he’s scared—downright terrified.
The reflection displays Aaron, looking exactly the same as he always appears, but at the same time the person staring back at him is unrecognizable. His eyes, the same chocolate brown color they’ve always been. His hair, the exact short style he’s had for the past five years. His skin, excessively pale an obvious sign of his time spent in the basement perfecting his show.
Aaron’s a magician.
He’s been a magician for as long as he can remember. Practicing for hours as a wee lad in his mother’s basement. He prepared for years doing shows anywhere that would accept him. Magic has been his life and passion since—well, birth—according to his mother. Aaron comes from a longline of magician’s. His father headlined a show in Las Vegas, his grandfather a traveling show in great demand and there have been plenty more in the family line. So, it was a no brainer that Aaron follow in their footsteps, even after the tragedy of his father’s untimely death.
Aaron’s father was performing one of his riskier illusions which he’d performed several hundred times before, but the act quickly took a turn for the worst and became completely out of control. When it reached the point of no return, Aaron’s father perished, leaving his mother a widow and Aaron fatherless.
It was too late for Aaron, his fascination with magic had already become a passion at the tender age of eight. Aaron wanted to honor his father with his performances and skill, so he spent every spare moment honing his craft and perfecting his tricks. He began appearing in talents shows, which quickly turned into headlining venues, much to his mother’s dismay. She wanted him to be a normal boy, sans magic.
Aaron stares in the mirror, his face contorting when his thoughts turn to his mother. How could he do this to her? How could he not think of her before doing something irreversible, something so final? That’s the problem right there, he isn’t thinking. It’s as if something has control over him, or someone. But, that’s just crazy.
Aaron shakes his head from those errant thoughts.
His focus returns to the image in the mirror staring into his eyes, which are turning glassy and unfocused. He struggles to regain his composure but his mind swirls with a thousand thoughts all at once. The most prominent one being how he ended up here, standing in front of his mirror wondering how his life had spiraled so out of control.
His life has been amazing so far, with a soaring career and just about everything he’s ever dreamed of. That includes the ability to perform the most amazing illusions that evaded some of the greatest magicians to ever grace the planet.
Aaron glances back at the glass spotting the many posters that decorate his walls. All of the best in the field are represented as a reminder of where he wants to be and how to accomplish his goals. Harry Houdini, Chris Angel, David Blane and many more are represented from past to modern day, all at the top of their game and all well respected in the community. Aaron strived to imitate them in the beginning before coming into his own style—or so he thought.
But, if he did accomplish his dreams and his life is where he thought it should be, why, oh why is he standing in front of the mirror, eyes losing focus, brain scrambling trying to figure out where it all went wrong. There’s nothing he can think of that led to this moment, standing here with a half empty bottle in front of him on top of the dresser. However, there has to be a reason for his latest actions. He wishes he could remember.
Aaron picks up the bottle, inspecting it closer but has trouble reading the label. Where did this even come from? It’s not something that he’s had lying around waiting for this occasion, but somehow it’s come into his possession. He pours the rest of the contents into his palm and places the empty bottle back.
He stares at the pills in his hand for a moment before scooping up the glass of wine that’s been waiting patiently for it’s time to be useful. The time has come as Aaron pops his h
and to his mouth depositing the hand full of pills, then swallows a large gulp of wine. Red liquid drips down his chin and his shaky hand slowly makes its way up to wipe it clean.
He glances in the mirror again and watches as his eyes open and close, his mind finding it more difficult to concentrate as his body sways back and forth. A few tears leak out of the corners of his eyes and roll down his cheeks. It takes a few swipes of hand to make contact and wipe them away.
You’re doing the right thing.
That’s the mantra running through Aaron’s mind constantly. It’s been on repeat over and over again all night long. Where the thought is coming from, Aaron doesn’t know. Are these his true feelings? He doubts it, he’s usually a happy go lucky guy, only serious when it comes to his craft. So why he’s standing here while errant thoughts run through his mind is the big unknown.
He places his hands down on the dresser to hold himself up, it’s becoming hard to stand on his own. He hears a door slam in the distance and it vibrates through his mind. He should be concerned with what he hears, but he can’t seem to remember why until he hears a familiar voice call out.
“Aaron?” his mother’s voice carries throughout the house.
Aaron glances in the mirror spotting a door across the room.
“Aaron, honey. You home?” his mother calls out again.
Aaron immediately begins to panic.
How could he do this to her?
What should he do now?
Aaron hears soft footsteps making their way up the staircase heading in the direction of his room. He spins around to face the door, but loses his balance. The last thing he feels is a huge bang on his head. The last thing he hears a horrendous thud as his head hits the floor. His eyes close and he struggles to open them.
Angels & Magic: A Bonus Collection Page 2
