Though it was Jill
who had set off running with Sparrow, Mina and the ginger-haired
woman were following close behind. Sparrow found it very easy to cast
her shield spell in a flat disc behind the two, and bring it forward
to scoop up them and Jill altogether, so that they could all fly
forward faster than running, the dark openings of other offices
rushing by them as they hurtled down the passage.
They also nearly
hurtled off the disc as Sparrow desperately tried to halt at a
T-intersection. It was only Jill’s strong grip that kept them on.
"Maybe don’t go that fast," she grumbled, as she hauled
everyone back from the edge.
"All of our
loved ones are heading straight into mortal danger," said
Sparrow. "And you want me to go slow?"
"I wish you
had asked me that question before you gallivanted down to London," muttered Jill.
"A smooth
approach is faster than a rough one," whispered Mina, "even
if it seems slower."
"If it’s
any consolation," said the ginger-haired woman, "it’s not
like we have no idea which way the library is." She pointed to a
sign on the wall that had a left-pointing arrow, above which was
written Central Library.
"It’s only the bureaucracy that’s a maze, not the building
itself."
"See there?" said Jill. "You can go a bit more slowly
and smoothly."
Yet
as Sparrow turned the disc to the left and set off once more, she
barely slowed down, preferring to keep an eye up ahead and come to
more gradual stops. She did breathe a bit easier now that she could
tell the actual way to the library – a bit. Her heart still
hammered in her chest and her thoughts internally beat her over the
head for letting her own family, birth
and acquired alike,
go in the worst possible direction.
And then her heart nearly flew out of her chest as she heard the
distant echoes of a wolf’s howl. The disc flickered, threatening to
dump everyone out onto the tiles at a dangerous speed. In her panic
she sped up again, forcing the disc to fly down the corridors at such
speed that momentum made everyone lurch forward and sideways and back
with one turn and another. Sparrow was moving so quickly that she
missed the sign twice, having to double
back to take the correct way, spurring her to move even faster.
"You know it occurs to me," said Jill, as the wind whipped
her hair about, "that if Jocasta had chosen to go slow and
smooth, she could be leading us to the library, instead of
disappearing on us."
"Ask her where she is then," grumbled Sparrow. "My
head’s kind of busy." The library was coming up close now,
just down a pitch-dark corridor. Sparrow flew straight into it,
counting on the glow of her disc to light the way, counting on the
strength of her shield to charge through all defenses –
Far into the darkness she saw a flicker of light. Suddenly a hand was
twisting her ear,
and in the distraction of her pain Sparrow lost concentration on her
spell, throwing everyone out onto the tiles, at a speed even greater
than she had feared. She was only saved from her own injuries by Jill
wrapping her in a fierce embrace just before they struck the floor,
so that Jill took the brunt of the blows as they rolled. Sparrow was
spared, but Mina was not, and the woman’s cries of pain echoed off
the walls.
From the distance where the light had flickered, there came a gruff
voice. "Who’s that then? Who’s there?"
From right next to Sparrow, there came a sound like someone trying to
speak through a hand over their mouth. Sparrow struggled out of
Jill’s arms and peered into the gloom where she thought Mina might
be. Yes, there was the shape she’d been in just before – and
there was the ginger-haired woman with a hand over Mina’s mouth.
Before Sparrow could say anything, Jill was crouching over her
protectively. In a voice as deadly as it was quiet, she growled,
"Do we
have a traitor in our midst?"
The ginger-haired woman made no reply, but pointed her wand up the
corridor. She took her other hand away from Mina and put a finger to
her lips, before nodding to where she was pointing.
"Whassat?" said the gruff voice. A little light flickered
into existence, showing a wand, held by a gnarled hand, emerging from
the sleeve of a dark robe, worn by a grey-bearded man. The man
squinted right at the spot where Jill crouched over Sparrow. "Someone
here? Something fishy going on around here."
Next to him another little light appeared, at the end of the wand of
a fresh-faced young fellow, also clad in dark robes. "There was
that fly that buzzed right over my head earlier. I told you that
didn’t make sense."
"Better tell the boss then," said the old man, turning back
up the corridor.
"I’m not doing it," said the young fellow. "I’ve
got all my life to live, right? Got that plot of London picked out, I have."
The old man chuckled. "And I’ve got nothing left to lose. I’ll
do it."
So the two of them departed, their little lights bobbing away through
the darkness.
When the lights could no longer be seen, Sparrow whispered, "Were
you the one who twisted my ear?"
The ginger-haired woman nodded.
"So you screw us over one moment and then –"
"Ssh." The woman fished in her pocket and brought out a
golden ring. She held it out to Jill. "Take
this. You’ll find out what it does quickly. I’m going to try to
get the Wireless. Don’t wait for me." With that, she sprang to
her feet and vanished into the darkness.
Sparrow shook her head, crawling out from under Jill and stiffly
rising. "Dammit," she whispered, "who the bloody hell
was that?"
"Ruby," whispered Mina. "Ruby
Lupin. She’s been useful. Even I wasn’t able to get my hands on
Wren’s ring, once Dolph took it. Jill, put that thing on and take
Sparrow’s hand, we’re going to be tricking our way past the outer
defenses."
"Tricking?" whispered Sparrow. "We can’t just skulk
our way around, we have to get to my family as quickly as
possible! I was intending to charge right through before someone
distracted me." She glared at the spot where she had last seen
Ruby. "I am not in a mood to waste time."
"And I told you," growled Mina, "that a smooth
approach is faster than a rough one."
"I don’t know if we can take a smooth approach from this point
forward," whispered Jill. "Unless we smooth-talk our way
past these people. But Sparrow and I are way too visible, we couldn’t
get within a country mile of them before they started blasting. We
might need to start blasting our way forward from here."
"We’re going to be taking advantage of your visibility,"
whispered Mina. "Or Sparrow’s, at least. As for you, just put
the ring on."
"But –"
"Hang on," said Sparrow. "I finally have a moment to
breathe, let me try to contact Jo." She closed her eyes, and
concentrated on her thoughts of Jocasta. In a moment, the image of a
little green dot moving erratically appeared in her mind – then in
the next moment, it was gone, and sight slammed back into Sparrow’s
eyes. She shook her head. "Dammit. Jill, ask Jocasta where she
is."
Jill grumbled and closed her eyes. In a moment she opened them again.
"Still with Miranda and the gang, and the Jones family, making
their way in further. Quietly. I was explicitly instructed not to
loudly barge in and screw this all up."
"Stealth mission after all,"
whispered Sparrow. "Get the ring on."
Jill looked wary, as she rose to her feet. She slipped the ring on
and vanished. "Oh!" she cried, her voice echoing just a
little too loud for Sparrow’s comfort. "Sorry," she
whispered. "How well is this working?"
Sparrow peered at the space where Jill had been. There was yet a
faint outline of a great tall teenage witch there, even more visible
when she moved, thought it be as faint as shifting on her feet. "I
think the ring is low on power."
"Let’s be moving then," said Mina. "Follow my lead
and do as I say, and we’ll get through this."
Sparrow felt a great hand closing over hers, and then she was being
led forward into the darkness.
…
Sadly the plan involved Jill being at a distance from Sparrow, and it
was Mina who was leading Sparrow by the hand. Up the hallway, Sparrow
had been able to reach out to Jill’s outline and brush her arm for
comfort, but as they rounded a bend, Jill suddenly fell back, just
out of Sparrow’s reach.
For in the deep blue hue of the hallway’s bend, in a dimness born
of the reflection of distant light, were silhouetted many figures.
The plan was now in motion. Mina’s form was now that of a large
man, and with a great and rough hand, she dragged Sparrow forward.
With a gravelly voice, she growled, "No worries, lads, I’ve
finally got her. The Wolf will want to see
her. Make a hole, I’ve got to get through double-quick."
Ten little lights flickered into existence, at the end of ten wands,
and ten wizards were revealed, as much as their dark clSmith allowed.
One old jowled fellow looked delighted. "Excellent, good man,
excellent! I shall inform the Wolf of the good news myself."
As the man was turning to go, and everyone else’s eyes were fixated
on the highly-visible prize, the mostly-invisible Jill slipped behind
them.
Sparrow’s shield spell threw a golden light over the hallway as it
sprang into existence, for a wizard had come flying at her, hurled
like the rest of his fellows by a concussive force. He
slammed into the golden barrier and slid to the ground,
as the remaining wizards skidded forward, all of them emitting cries
of pain. Sparrow dismissed the shield and immediately began casting
body-bind and silencing spells, her frantic motions missing the last
one, nearly allowing him to reach his wand, before Mina succeeded in
binding him.
Sparrow rounded on Jill’s outline, intent on scolding her, but when Jill took the ring off
Sparrow could see the shame in her eyes. Mina was stepping forward,
as if to scold Jill in turn, but Sparrow put a hand on the girl’s
shoulder. "It’s fine," she whispered. "We can just
switch places and Jill can be the distraction. She’s a much bigger
prize anyway."
Jill chuckled. "You know it, you love it. Alright." She
handed the ring to Sparrow, and the three of them made their way
forward, further around the bend.
The hallway ended in a staircase, down which a blue light was
spilling. The library was close now. But there was another set of
silhouetted figures standing well before it. As Sparrow slipped on
the ring, Mina ducked behind Jill and whipped out her wand, pointing
it at Jill’s back and saying in a gruff but quite tone, "Right,
prisoner, keep marching. Oi, you lot, make a hole, I’m bringing the
ringleader to the Wolf."
"Smith!" exclaimed one of the figures. "How in the
name of Merlin did you manage to capture Jillian Patil all by
yourself?"
"He ought to be a rump roast right now," said another
figure.
"This is a bit dodgy," said a third figure.
Before Mina could explain herself, Sparrow had already stolen behind
the figures and started casting the body-bind spell. One by one they
started falling – yet not silently, for as their bodies made soft thumps
against the tile, some grunted in pain. The few remaining who were
free whipped around at the sound. Sparrow switched to casting a
silencing charm on them, only to realize that this still left their
hands free, and they were pointing their wands in her general
direction – she ducked, letting jets of light shoot over head and
go pinging off the walls.
In a trice Mina had cast the body-bind spell upon them all, and
switched to silencing charms without missing a beat. But suddenly
from the hallway’s end, there came the steady beat of feet tramping
down the stairs, and the steady clack-clack of high heels among them.
"Shit," muttered Sparrow, before clapping a hand over her
mouth and scampering into the shadows.
"Two groups have just missed their check-ins," said a cold
female voice. "Something is going on here."
Sparrow could now see the voice’s source – a witch not robed in
black, but draped in it. A sleek black dress with a slit up the side,
sleek black hair framing a bone-pale face, a black cape spilling down
her back. About her stood many tens of black-robed figures. "Smith,
what is this?"
"Lady Carrow," said Mina, "I have just
captured –"
But as Lady Carrow’s face scanned the scene further, her expression
changed from bewilderment to horror and betrayal. "Traitor!"
She had her wand out faster than blinking, casting a jet of
light straight at Mina, who only managed to dodge it by shifting her
shape to someone much shorter. Carrow’s next spell came as quick as
the first, directed at Mina’s feet, and the girl was only saved by
Sparrow reflexively casting a shield spell.
The impact of the light upon the glowing barrier was nearly as strong
as Sparrow had experienced from an enraged Jill. She stumbled, and
gasped. Heads swiveled to her location. She tried to shrink back
further into shadow, but the glow from her shield spell was
dispelling all shadows. Jets of light flew in her direction. She
shifted the glowing barrier to herself.
Just in time, for Lady Carrow was throwing curses her way. One and
another they struck, hard enough to force Sparrow a step back. A
quarter of the robed figures were hurling curses alongside Carrow,
keeping up a barrage that prevented Sparrow from dropping the shield
even a moment. This was not even like resisting Jill; Jill’s whirling fire had not been directed. Losing the
shield here would not be like throwing open the door of a blast
furnace, it would be like jumping in front of the Hogwarts Express.
The remainder of the robed figures were directing their fire at Jill
and Mina, and laying down covering fire between them and Sparrow,
effectively cutting them off. Lady Carrow let up her barrage against
Sparrow’s shield, but directed her fire at the ceiling, blasting
chunks out of it to fall onto Sparrow’s head. Sparrow was forced to
extend her barrier to cover her head, and now she was holding up the
weight of a ton of stone as well as resisting enemy fire. Unsettling
memories of a nearly-fatal afternoon flashed into Sparrow’s mind.
Who was here to save her now?
She instinctively looked to Jill, who was busy blocking and returning
fire, as Mina was ducking out from behind her to cast her own spells.
Once more she tried to Send to Jill, a desperate plea for aid – yet
she could not hear her own thoughts echoing. Jill was not even
looking her way.
Except – wait – there was Jill, glancing at her, eyes flashing
red, just a moment, before she had to turn her gaze back to the
fight. And what answered Sparrow’s vain hope was not words, but an
image that flashed
before her eyes. Great boulders rolling down upon a gaggle of
screaming people. Sparrow mentally kicked herself for not thinking of
it sooner. She altered her shield spell to tilt the stones forward,
rolling them right onto her attackers. Some of them screamed, some of
them managed to deflect a few stones, some of them were struck down.
The majority were forced to jump back, into the obscurity of a great
cloud of dust. For a moment, the pressure on Sparrow’s shield was
released. She had a chance. She let the spell go, dashing over to
Jill –
A jet of purple light shot out of the dust cloud. Sparrow’s back
erupted in pain. Then in her knees, when she hit the
stones. She was saved from tumbling further forward by brawny arms –
not Jill’s, as she looked up, but those of Mina’s current form.
And Jill – Sparrow could see a red glow filling the room. Jill
stood before her, her aura glowing bright. A great rumbling growl
echoed off the walls.
Out of the swirl of dust stepped Lady Carrow. Behind her stood many
dark-robed figures, more than Sparrow had seen Lady Carrow enter the
hallway with. Sparrow pointed her wand at them, casting her shield
spell in a wall of golden light that filled the hallway from floor to
ceiling – but it flickered. Between concentration and pain, the
pain was winning out.
†††† SPARROW. IT'S ALRIGHT. YOU CAN DROP YOUR SHIELD. ††††
The warm relief of hearing Jill’s voice within her head again
warred with the chilling dread of what the girl meant. Frantically
Sparrow tried to Send back. Oh God, Jill, no, not again –
A high, cold laugh erupted from Lady Carrow. "This is your
vaunted power? This is the threat against us? Absolutely pathetic. A
few choice memory charms, and we’ll have you two working ever so
willingly for me."
Perhaps there would have been nothing, after all, to stop the vast
blast of fire that roared from Jill’s mouth. Nothing to save the
dark-robed figures from being driven backward or engulfed in flame.
Or both, for as the last bits of flame flickered out, Sparrow could
just see some of them that had stumbled backward over each other, and
flames were still licking at their robes where they lay.
Sparrow tried to start forward, desperate to at least put the flames
out. A spasm of pain shot through her back. She found herself
collapsing into Mina’s arms again.
Only Lady Carrow stood firm, her wand raised. She spared a brief and
disdainful glance at the fallen. "Slightly useful to me,"
she sniffed, "for cannon fodder if nothing
else. But something tells me, given all I’ve heard of your exploits
this evening, Miss Patil, that you have reached the end of your
energy. And now it is my turn." She grinned, pointing her wand
directly at Jill.
Only to stiffen in shock, for out of the air behind her had just
appeared a raven-haired girl, casting a spell directly
at her neck. As Lady Carrow dropped, Jocasta disappeared with a
small thump of air.
And then there was another thump, and there was a hand on the
small of Sparrow’s back. Sparrow found herself breathing deeply for
the first time in minutes as her muscles unclenched and the fire
faded. "Goddamn," she breathed, "you really don’t
hate me."
"I will say I am extremely annoyed," whispered Jocasta. "I
explicitly told you to be quiet so you didn’t cock it all up. And
now – " There was the howl of a wolf, unsettlingly close, as
well as the sound of many tramping feet. "Now we will have to be
very stealthy, to get you the bloody hell out of this hallway.
I will not permit you to object to the method."
"What do you – "
Sparrow felt a cold splash on the back of her neck, a chill that
caused her to arch with pain. The next moment was a confusing blur,
for Sparrow could swear she was continuing to arch back and back and
back, as if twisting around herself, tighter and tighter – yet it
was all of a moment, and in the next moment, her vision exploded into
thousands of bold fragments, and she could feel the slightest brush
of air over every single bit of herself, stirring as two vast
conglomerations of color fragments shifted in her sight. One of them
was quite a bit redder than the other. Potential food? Yet it did not
smell quite like food, it smelled like smoke.
And there was the greatest group of color fragments, bright blue.
Light. Light meant exit. Exit meant open air. Air.
Sparrow needed air. And there was a rich musky scent coming from that
same direction – wolf scent. Wolf kill meant lots of food.
Sparrow shot towards the light.