Retribution (The Magician – Chapter Twenty-One)

This is the twenty-first chapter of the serialization novel I am working on, The Magician – < click here to read the other chapters if you missed them or have no idea what this story is about.

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Retribution

It was early the next morning when Vanessa woke to a notification on her phone.  Freddy had sent her a text with a link to a news story. Her heart fell as she read the page.  Malatesta’s Traveling Show was canceling the remainder of their dates of their tours in the new country and was pulling out early.  After Godding’s disappearance, the director decided to cut his losses and return to the old country where he had made the most money.

Vanessa was worried about the others who were captured.  If they were to return across the sea, she would not be able to help them.  She knew her time to act was now.  

She called Thora and woke her, getting the ball moving with her cousin.  She then quickly sent a few texts to Freddy telling him her plan and giving him instructions on what she needed.  She then got dressed and gathered her supplies.  She remained as quiet as she could, hoping Ignace was a heavy sleeper.

She didn’t realize he was wide awake the whole time.  Ignace had heard her and noted she was being covert.  He snuck quietly from his room and eavesdropped on her conversation with Thora.  He then slipped back into his room as she was preparing to leave.  He didn’t let on that he had an idea of what her plan was.  But he began to make some plans of his own.  He couldn’t let her put herself in harm’s way, not after what she had done for him.

Thora had used some of her own contacts to figure out where Malatesta was. Her sources had told her that he was spotted at the theater and she relayed the news to Vanessa as the young woman rode the elevated train.  Vanessa just hoped she could get to him and enact her plan before it was too late.  She had thought to contact the authorities, but without any proof and the family magical decree at work against her, she knew that was futile.

There was a giant tractor-trailer being loaded at the bay doors of the theater when she arrived, blocking off one lane of traffic on the busy downtown street. Vanessa covertly snuck around the perimeter of the theater, surprised to find one of the side doors unlocked.  She slipped in quietly, trying to keep her movements stealthy as she wove her way around the people hustling and bustling, packing up the show.

The main theater was nearly empty.  A few men were gathered on the stage around a small man with a scarred face who was directing them in a quiet voice as they packed up odds and ends around the stage.  As she started to walk towards them, the men looked up and took notice of her.

“Can I help you?” the man in charge asked, his accent giving away the old country as his origin.

“Um, hello,” she replied, stopping to pull her phone and a notepad out of her bag.  She held up her identification and stuffed it back into the bag before anyone could get close to her to see it was just her university badge.  “My name is Rhea Lammers and I am with the College Globe.  I was wondering if I could have a few words with Mr. Malatesta about his impending departure from the new country.”

One of the other men stepped forward, the one Vanessa recognized as the man who led her to Ignace the last time she was at the theater.  She was sure he recognized her, for he clenched his hands.  She saw the telltale beads about his neck, just under the collar of his button-down shirt.

“I’m sorry,” he started, “But Mr. Malatesta has already given his interviews.  He has no further comment.”

He stopped as the small man jumped forward and grabbed his arm.

“No, Kaspar, I am sure Lorenzo would love to speak with Miss Lammers,” he replied, smiling creepily at her.

Kaspar merely looked from the small man to Vanessa and blinked.

“Come with me, Miss Lammers,” the small man beckoned. 

Something in his tone of voice caused Vanessa to go on alert.  A concerned look and a shake of the head from the man called Kaspar cinched it.  She stood her ground.

“If it’s all right with Mr. Malatesta, I think I’d rather do the interview here.”  She pulled out her pen.  I didn’t catch your name, Mr….”

“Ancillato,” the small man replied.  “My name is Vittorio Ancillato.”

She proceeded to write that down and started to take notes on the theater and the men, jotting things down as if she was doing a paper.  In reality, she was waiting for Freddy’s text stating he had gotten the attention of her uncles and that they were on their way.  

“Is that spelled with an e or an a?” she asked.  “Double t or single?”

The man called Vittorio sighed and then looked at her again, his eyes narrowing.

“Wait a minute, I remember you.  You’re the young lady that was here the night Ignace left the theater.  You were with him.”

Kaspar looked at her, shaking his head as he stared intently at her.  It was as if he was telling her to deny everything.  

Before she could say or do anything, Vittorio had raised his hand and cast a spell, the same simple parlor trick magic that Mr. Smith had cast at the Piggy Whistle.  It brought down the attention of the guards, who closed in on Vanessa.

“What do we have here?” a voice asked from the wings.  

Vanessa spun on her heels to face the man she knew to be the director of the show.  She stared at the medallion he wore about his neck as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“She was the chit that was with Godding, boss,” Vittorio stammered.  “She says her name is Lammers.  She also says she’s a reporter.”

“Well, well,” Lorenzo replied, stepping forward until he was just a few yards from her.  “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Vanessa Rankin.”

Vanessa blinked in surprise.  

Lorenzo laughed condescendingly.  “You’d be surprised at how much I have learned about you in the past few days, Miss Rankin.  Such as the fact that you are the daughter of the dearly departed Sergeant Benedict Rankin and the beauteous Evelyn Tamberlane.  That connection makes you a cousin to Ignace.  You should tell him I intend to find him.   But I doubt you’ll be telling him anything after I am done with the likes of you.”

She held her hand up.

“I’d like to see you try,” she said defensively.

“Come, come,” he said in a conciliatory way, caressing the pendant about his neck.  “Didn’t your dear daddy ever tell you not to get in over your head?”

“How do you know I am in over my head?” she asked, gathering her courage.  She stared at him as she cast a colorful spell that radiated outwards but did little damage.  “After all, I have already proven I can best your magic.  And my dad taught me to always come with a backup plan.”

Lorenzo scoffed.  

“Ben didn’t have much backup when he went into that apartment to help with that domestic dispute, did he?  He thought his magic could save him, just like you think yours will now.  The only difference is that he’s dead, whereas you eventually will only wish you were.  As to the binding in the contract, you had to have had the help of Godding to have broken my magic, I am sure of it.  I might have lost him for now, but you’ll make a beautiful addition to my collection.”

“Not if I can help it,” Vanessa declared, standing her ground.  She felt the buzz of her phone and the words They are there flashed across her watch.

“Listen here, sweetheart,” Lorenzo stated, snapping his fingers as he did to get his lackeys’ attention.  “I am running this show and what I say goes.”

He cast a dark cloud of a spell as he pressed his medallion again.  The men mutely began to advance.  Vanessa saw the colored beads of the necklaces that graced the collars of their shirts.  She wondered how she could remove them all quickly and without being injured.  Could she conjure enough magic to do so?

The director smiled as he watched his men advance.  

“Now, Miss Rankin, prepare to submit or this will be your final performance.”

“Are you so sure about that, Lorenzo?”

The voice that called was sharp and practiced.  The men and Lorenzo looked up into the seats in the theater.  Ignace stood at one of the side entrances, flexing his fingers as he assessed the situation.  He shot bolts of magic at the men cornering his young cousin, stunning them.  

“Now, Vanessa!” he shouted as he cast another spell, intent on protecting her as he went to lend his aid. Reginald, Alistair, Ophelia, Ezra and Iago entered behind him, their faces equally fierce as they surveyed the scene.  They also lent their magic to the fight, incapacitating some of the men who had come forward.

Vanessa cast a spell, one that washed the lackeys closest to her in colorful magic.  It flowed from her in one swift motion, severing the cords of the enchantments and scattering beads to the floor.  As the sorceries were shattered, the men shook their heads as if coming out of a stupor.

“You are free now!” Vanessa shouted as she moved to cast the spell again on a fresh wave of men.  Those freed looked at each other, confused as to what they were supposed to do.  “You can join or run.  Your choice!”

Lorenzo held out his hands and cast another spell, conjuring a bolt meant to strike the young woman as she cast another wave of magic to free those he had imprisoned.  But it was intercepted by Alistair, who struck the magic away.

“Not today, Malatesta!” he roared as he pulled his hand back, gaining his momentum to launch another spell.  The look of fury in his eyes as he glared at the domoniketes was enunciated by the roar in his voice.  “Try it again and see what happens when you cross the Tamberlane family.”

Ignace turned to glare at his cousin.  

“He is mine, Al!” he roared, holding his hands up to cast another spell at some of the yet enslaved lackeys.  

Alistair stared at him for a brief moment angrily and then nodded in acquiescence.

Ignace continued to advance forward, his eyes locked on his target as he moved.  Lorenzo’s face showed panic for a brief moment before he hid the expression under one of steel.

“I see I don’t have to go looking for you, Godding,” he quipped.  “Are you ready to return to the bindings of the contract?  You still owe me a debt.”

“I should think that after today, the only one owing a debt will be you,” Ignace replied.

As this standoff was going on, Vanessa continued to cast her magic, breaking more and more of the lackeys’ beads.  Others ran to her, eager to be freed of their chains. She heard someone call her name and turned to see her mother running towards her.

“How did you find me?” she asked with a sigh as she moved.  She had told Freddy not to tell her mother.

“You know Reginald would tell me,” Evelyn shouted, following her daughter, casting her own spells to aid in the plot.  “You put yourself in danger again?  You should know better!”

Vanessa had little time to answer because she heard a masculine yell from the seats.  Turning on her heels, she ran to see her uncles helping Ignace up as Lorenzo began running up the aisle towards the front of the theater.

Ignace struggled to stand and brushed himself off.  As others still under Lorenzo’s command swarmed them, Ignace cast a cloud of dark anger that knocked them back and took off after the man who had imprisoned him.

“It’s over!” he shouted.  “You are done, Lorenzo!”

“Never!” Lorenzo bellowed, throwing a bolt at the pathomotus.  He pushed open the door at the end of the hall and ran down the stairs.

Ignace ducked the magic.  Since he had not had the mental clarity to push through his emotions like Vanessa had to cast any spells of damage, he had no choice but to follow.  Vanessa finished with the guards who swarmed her and gave chase, catching up with the men in the lobby.

“Give up, Lorenzo!” Ignace bellowed as he cast a cloud of red that swarmed at his feet, seething with rage.  He sent it outwards, nearly knocking Vanessa off of her feet.  “Face it, you are done!”

Lorenzo moved quickly to dodge the magic.  He ran out the doors, retreating into the mid-morning crowd that wandered outside, oblivious to the magicians’ fight that had taken place in the theater.  Now that he was out in the open, he cast bolts of magic after him as the crowd began to scream and disperse, running every which way, trying to get out of harm’s way. He continued to move towards the corner of the busy intersection.  Traffic whizzed dangerously as the lights changed.  Cars tried to move, their drivers as anxious as the pedestrians to get out of the way.  He turned to see both of the pathomotus magicians closing in on him. Looking behind them he saw the rest of the Rankin and Tamberlane families running down the street.  He heard the sirens and knew the cops were called as well.  He knew magic would not save him now.

He quickly stooped and then raised his hand, revealing the pistol he had pulled from a holster in his boot.

Ignace’s eyes narrowed in surprise as he panted.  “Coward,” he hissed, taking a step forward.  “You know your magic won’t help you, so you resort to this.”

“You will never win, Godding!” Lorenzo shouted back, brandishing the weapon as the pandemonium raged on.  “You may be free of me, but you will live with this folly for the rest of your life.”

He took aim, not at Ignace, but at Vanessa, lowering the weapon to hit her in the heart.  His dark brown eyes glinted with determination as he sighting down the barrel at the young woman.

Everything seemed to happen at the same moment.

Vanessa froze, staring in horror at the weapon pointed at her.  She dropped her hands in surrender, trying to think but too scared to even do that as she contemplated her death.  The rest of the party had caught up with them and she heard the collective gasps from the group.

Ignace raised his hand towards Lorenzo to cast a spell as he also moved to protect his young cousin.  He screamed in rage as he did so, the noise ringing out before dying in the din of the traffic and the screaming from bystanders.

Lorenzo watched with the same grim determination as he pulled the trigger, his face grimacing from the physics of the recoil as the gun released its load.  The resulting shot echoed amidst the glass and steel and concrete of downtown, being heard despite everything else.

Ignace’s movement had worked, for he took the bullet, crumpling to the ground with a groan.  But his spell also worked.  It caused the theater director to scream in surprised pain as the spell struck his hand with such force that the gun was sent flying through the air, landing in the midst of the busy intersection.

Lorenzo took a look around, seeing the advancing enraged entourage of Tamberlanes, Rankins, formerly enslaved guards, and even a few police officers.  He knew he was defeated. His magic of dominion had been vanquished.  He knew he would be exposed as an utter fraud who had preyed on the lives of others for his fortune.  The lush life he was accustomed to was over.  

He yanked the pendant from his neck and threw it to the ground.  The cord broke and the beads scattered as the magic within the medallion caused it to explode.  He glanced about frantically, looking for some sort of an escape.  He watched the lights, noting they were about to change.  He took one final look at the traffic behind him and calculated his next move.

A delivery truck was passing by.  The driver was completely oblivious that a fight was ensuing as he focused on his route for the day. He too saw the light was about to change and pressed his foot to the accelerator, intending on running the red.

As his light changed to green, Lorenzo began to run, inadvertently placing himself directly in the path of the vehicle.  His eyes went wide with fear as he realized he had caused his doom.

Ignace had watched the entire act play out from his position on the concrete.  He had fallen, his lifeblood draining from the wound the bullet had inflicted.  He felt white hot pain and nothingness as the adrenaline from the fight disappeared.  While his emotions seemed to run rampant, the magic of them was seemingly quelled.  His breathing, labored and rough, came in gasps as he lay on the ground, shaking already as he tried to fight to stay alive.

Blessedly, Vanessa did not see the calamity.  She knelt on the ground beside her cousin, pressing her hands into the wound as she tried to get the smokey eyes to focus on her.

“Stay with me,” she commanded as frenzied activity went on around her.  

She felt her mother kneel beside her.  She heard the activity of those who had witnessed Lorenzo’s death and the screams of the truck driver.  She listened to several people call the emergency number on cellular phones.  But she continued to focus on trying to wield some sort of power into Ignace to keep him alive.  Her emotions were trying to get the best of her, but she dared not close her eyes.

“I don’t want to lose you now,” she whispered.  “You’ve fought to gain your freedom.  You fought to come back here.  You now need to fight some more.”

Ignace let out a solitary whimper as he tried to force his body to endure, but the pain and the shock was too much for him to overcome.  In the end, he simply closed his eyes and fell into unconsciousness.

Click here for the next chapter – Disorientated

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Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction written by K. S. Wood, and thus is copyrighted 2024. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.  No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author.  All rights reserved.

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