Chapter Twenty-seven: Unsealing the Devil

By the third morning of our library stay, the news reports outside had started to shift.

“What happened at Crelussa? This is a question burning every feed this morning. The Department has firmly denied all evidence and witness accounts in favor of the Origin Mage, and against the Department, claiming the Origin Mage responsible for all negative events. But there have been enough conflicting reports now to render questions that even the staunchest Department acolyte can’t ignore.”

I could see Bellacia’s delicate touch and devious mind in many of the different news reports. Seeding in bits and pieces about people being unnerved. Not dripping in the evidence, dripping the emotional components attached to them.

I flipped to watch the recording of the news conference that Bellacia had sent. Shelle Fanning looked tired. Morven Jance was visibly riled.

“We aren’t returning the magic to Crelussa,” Jance said. “Absurd. Not while the Origin Mage is still active and ensuring that we, the safety and security of this layer, can not enter. It is for the safety and security of the entirety of the Second Layer that we capture her before returning the magic to its former place. I entreat each of you to do your part. Furthermore, fifteen thousand troops from a cross-section of patriotic countries have formed a barrier of magic around the sanitarium. Nothing is getting inside.”

“And nothing gets out. Neat and tidy,” Baxter Roberts, Bellacia's favorite reporter said.

“I dislike your tone, Mr. Roberts.”

“But what about the strengthening rumors that the Origin Mage is the one who saved the site. That the Department triggered the destabilization. That the Department set the terrorists upon the site in order to take charge of the containers.”

“Absurd.”

“There is, in fact, some evidence that this is not entirely conspiracist in nature. There were recordings—”

“Manufactured by a mage capable of such dangerous things.”

“Vincent Godfrey Junior—”

“Is a terrorist.”

“This administration has a record of—”

“Keeping this layer safe? Agreed.”

“You can’t keep the magic away,” a man in the crowd said. He was wearing medals and seals of state. “Our country stands with the others in wanting the Origin Mage leashed, but we do not accept the Department’s hiding of five tons of Awakening magic.”

“It is not hidden, it is secured.”

“You have provided no coordinates for the individual security councils to ascertain—”

“Why would we do that? Why not just give them to the Origin Mage?”

“With all due respect, Secretary Jance, we—”

“This is a matter of layer security and you will respect that.”

A reporter touched their throat. “Secretary Jance, Secretary Jance, we've just received news that Priority Five has been halted. Senator Leandred—”

“No more questions.”

Olivia muted the hologram.

“The media is turning,” she said. “Public opinion will be next. And Priority Five has been halted indefinitely. Senator Leandred is a force, make no mistake.”

“Bellacia has a full interview with Godfrey Jr. where he says that agents of Enton Stavros gave them the information on Crelussa and the go ahead. That the terrorists were set up. The Baileys are pushing for a full audit of the Department. And people are coming on board.” There was something in Olivia's eyes that had been missing for weeks too—that same insidious emotion, hope. “We might get a political solution.”

Patrick muttered something in the corner.

She whirled on him. “We need a political solution. At least partially.”

Patrick closed his eyes. “I know. But you aren't going to get everyone on board.”

“We don't need everyone.”

A few of the more vocal supporters of Stavros had been working the media feeds, too.

“It isn’t a surprise to find Bremia, Tu, and Koghslov working with Stavros,” Olivia said. “The heads of those countries have always had their own plans. And whatever Stavros is planning to do—working with him as a head of state ensures that your country stays as limited in the cull as you want. Get rid of your enemies inside, but keep the rest of your people safe? A huge win for leaders who don’t mind making ‘hard’ choices when it comes to lives.”

It's what Stavros had offered me—a choice dripping with blood.

“Such choices only work when people who agree with them are in power, though,” Mike said. “No one making these types of choices is thinking of how they would feel if it were their enemy's finger on the button.”

“Let's go destroy the button.”

~*~

Four hours in the real world since we'd hidden ourselves, we let loose a series of eight dolls wearing my face and magic in the middle of the Great Forest in the Second Layer.

Showing up in the Second Layer set off every buzzer, tracker, charm, and ward that had been set against us. Kaine showed up, as expected, as well as just about every enforcer in the Second Layer—all converging on “my” position.

Having no objective other than to keep them busy, Asafa, Patrick, Loudon, Kita, Will, Neph, Lifen, and I did just that—remotely, like Raphael had done posing as Emrys. To no one's real surprise, the dolls driven by the gamers did a ton of damage, even with each successive doll being made to look and act weaker as it ported to the place where the next, weaker doll was waiting and turned into flower seed as the new doll took over.

Though Patrick slipped when Kaine, wearing Stavros's face said, “Come to me now, and I'll give your friends the cure that will rid their loved ones of their ailments. Do not, and I will ensure they all die.”

There had been a lot of...mayhem after that.

The last doll was taken by Kaine in blood, shadow, and decay. I hoped that Mussolgranz liked his present.

In coordinated strikes under the cover of our fanfare, Axer and Constantine took out Darpin Sloughs, Marsgrove and Julian Dare crippled Keating Glen, Camille and Ramirez infiltrated Fels Hollow, Lox and Greene hit Picquant Moors, and three other combat mages that included plucky Johnson—who it had never occurred to me was the son of the Provost—confirmed and took out Shayvale Castle's stamped Kinsky with a piece of Axer's magic and a storage paper.

Wearing a pair of my glasses to verify the stamp, three were confirmed seals. Those three were now confetti.

Fels Hollow, unfortunately, had not been a seal. But Camille and Ramirez found the Awakening containers hidden deep in the catacombs. Within minutes of the discovery, Stuart Leandred had the containers tagged, moved and under a magical decree that needed five days of negotiations to unseal.

He was also on the feeds as if he'd planted himself magically within. “We know it's been a public concern, and we thank the Department for agreeing to put the containers under the Council's watch. They responded quickly to the request for release. We still have questions about the move in the first place, however. And we will work with every country to determine our next plan of action.”

The celebration after that was fierce.

Axer and Constantine's signatures had stayed successfully hidden during Darpin Sloughs. We were close. So close.

One seal was left.

Stuart Leandred was a force of nature, and he was determined. Political things that we could have never accomplished, even with all our power, were being set into motion.

“Your dad is pretty awesome,” someone said, clapping Constantine on the shoulder as we watched Stuart leave Council Hall. “I'm glad he's on our side.”

Constantine said nothing, just raised a brow, but I could feel his conflicting emotions. I could feel the way they were starting to settle just the slightest bit when reference was made to his father.

Stuart Leandred never made it home.