myriad words... (original) (raw)

The truth is that we must all be responsible for our own decisions. We cannot always expect someone else to take it from us and solve it.

-----

Carl appeared back in the house, the papers on the table rustling for a second as the air displaced from his arrival. He went back to the bedroom and finished changing, dressing in the casual clothes that felt like a mockery of what he had just gone through. Looking in the mirror, he rubbed his face wearily for a moment and then covered his eyes. He stood there, still and silent for a while, till Monty's whine near his ankle caused him to return to the present.

Carl forced himself to relax his shoulders and look down at Monty. Though Monty was bearing a doggy grin with the lolling tongue, his eyes showed concern.

"What's up, big guy?" Carl said.

You're sad. Monty replied with a yip, and the words that went through Carl's seemed to be oddly funny for a moment. How could the feelings in him be so eloquently summed up? What happened? Monty asked.

Carl leaned down for a moment and ruffled the dog between the ears. "You remember Nita? Ponch's other best friend?" Monty barked in affirmation, remembering Ponch and his dark haired master, and the girl who had accompanied them on their visits to Tom and Carl's home. "She's... got herself into some trouble, and I don't know how to help her." Nita's face came to his mind, and her words tore at his heart again.

The look only the hopelessly trapped, but desperate for options that maybe someone could come and fish them out.

I can't- I can't just die!

Carl flinched.

Carl stood up abruptly and padded out of the bathroom, past the bedroom and into the kitchen, where he started up the small coffee machine. Monty followed, and Annie came along, probably noticing Monty's confusion. I don't understand. What kind of problems? Monty asked.

Carl responded while waiting for the coffee. "It's hard to explain, big guy. Nita made a promise without understanding the cost. She's --"

Carl heard a muffled bang and the papers on the table rustled, for the second time today, from displaced air. Carl looked up to see Tom, who was dressed casually, in jeans and a button down.

Tom leaned down to absently ruffle the two dogs as they ran over to greet him. "Hey Carl, what're you making?" Tom said, walking over and taking a sniff. He grimaced. "Powers above, Carl. You're going to melt the pot."

Tom stopped though, when he saw that Carl had placed his mug on the table with a sense of carefulness about the edges, and was looking at him with a strange mixture of emotions that Tom couldn't quite understand. "What's wrong?" He said, as the atmosphere sunk in at long last. "Did...?"

"Nita took the Oath to be the Silent Lord." Carl said. He watched as Tom grappled with the sentence, like there was something intrinsically wrong about that statement, and then watched as the shock on Tom's face sunk in a level deeper. "I know. She took the Oath and she didn't know. We didn't know. Peach warned her and we heard her saying Nita needed watch out. And we didn't catch it for her --"

Carl fell silent when Tom stepped forward to hug him fiercely. There was a moment of silence, and then Tom said, "Oh Carl, I'm sorry."

He didn't say anymore, because there was simply nothing else to say. Tom's words were sympathy, nothing more. Both their hands were tied, there was nothing they could do.

Carl shuddered as he drew in a breath, and nodded. The dogs had gone out to the lawn, and Peach was mercifully silent, as she had been for most of the morning. I wonder where she's thinking right now, he thought with a sense of bitterness, knowing that Tom could hear him as clear as a bell, now that they were touching. "I had to tell her she had to die."

Tom maintained the contact of skin on skin. "I'm sorry," he said once more. Carl rested his head on Tom's shoulders, and he felt easily that Tom was in agony as well.

What're we going to do? Carl asked Tom. Tom didn't respond immediately, but after a moment, he disentangled from Carl. In Tom's mind, Carl could feel fear and resolve fitting seamlessly together, and then a shift as Tom made his decision.

Turning, Tom entered the kitchen, and opened the small cupboard above the sink. Carl entered the room as Tom pulled out the tea packets, and proceeded to toss the pot of coffee he had just made in the sink. Tom's Manual flew out of the bedroom as the last dregs of coffee sunk out of sight, and Tom picked it out of the air, opening it up.

Tom spoke as he poured the hot water into the pot. "Open messaging function, new message to Irina Mladed. Please ask her if we can talk now."

-----

"I don't see anything wrong with it, to be honest." Irina spoke, rubbing her pregnancy bulge. Tom could see Irina's expression clearly through the messaging function open on his Manual. "Nita's parents do know of the existence of wizardry," Irina said, "but they are probably still in shock about it. Contacting them is a risk, and you know what might happen if the contact does not go well." Carl nodded.

"We'll keep a psychotropic ready in case. But Irina, can you approve our plan?"

Irina smiled. "No problem. I'll sign the logs right now, and you can leave in an hour. All the best, Tom, Carl. Dai Stiho."

-----

Two men appeared with a muffled bang near the breakers of the beach. Tom, taking charge, walked ahead to the small house near the beach, and knocked on the door. Carl joined him there, standing on the step just below the porch, leaning against the wooden beam. Strength. Carl heard Tom whisper to him quietly. Then, they waited.

The door opened, and a red-haired woman looked out, confused at the strangers. "Good afternoon?" She said, question clear in her voice. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Mrs. Callahan? I'm Tom Swale and this is my wizarding partner, Carl." Tom said, and gestured to Carl. "Could we intrude? We're the people who were mentoring your daughter, Nita Callahan."

The lady stared at them. "You worked with Nita?" At first, she seemed frozen to the spot, but then she seemed to gather herself, and stepped aside. "Please. Come in." She said faintly.

They walked past a small kitchen, through a door, entering into a small living room. A man was there, sitting down on the threadbare couch, staring at a piece of smooth white rock that was on the coffee table in front of him with unusual intensity. He broke his attention away from it when he looked up and saw Tom and Carl. "Betty? Who are these people?" He said.

"Wizards." Betty had appeared from behind them, with a few glasses filled with drinks. "Harry... they worked with Nita."

"Oh thank goodness." Harry Callahan got up from the sofa with unusual swiftness, grasping Carl's hands. "Are you here to save my daughter?"

Carl froze at the desperate tone of Harry's voice. "No." He forced the word out. "I'm sorry, but I am not here to do that." It was agonizing for him to watch the wild hope within Harry's eyes die out, replaced again by the sinking look of hopeless who are left with no choices.

"Then what are you here for?" He whispered. "Why can't you save her?"

Carl was silent, and this time Tom stepped in. "We're not here to tell you we can help Nita, I'm sorry, Mr. Callahan. Nita's made a choice of her own making, and she has to be responsible for that. We're here because we can get constant updates on your daughter's situation, and we feel you would want to know how your daughter is."

-----

Tom and Carl fell into a routine of sorts, for the next few days. Tom often took the mornings, spending time at the Callahans' to update them on what happened through the précis before heading back in the afternoon. Carl, needing to work, stopped by the Callahans' after he was let off, and after the first day where he insisted he best go home for dinner - Betty started cooking extra for him.

Nights of course, were spent at home. Tom and Carl lay in bed together, and were quiet. Terribly quiet. The silence snuck in, through the cracks in their conversations. Though they did their best to place that worry out when they were working - Tom and Carl didn't mentor just Nita and Kit, and they had to be professional after all - in times of quiet, the smothering silence still snuck in.

That sense of silence was something that was felt even stronger in the Callahan household. While Betty tried her best to work, bringing Nita's sister, Dairine, out to distract her, it was clear to Carl and Tom that the Callahans were worrying over Nita. Tom took this silence and bottled it in, channeling it into helping them in the best way he could.

Carl treated the silence differently, trying to defuse it with humour and asides. Laughter after all, was well cherished.

And as the time drew close, Tom and Carl placed the wizards of the New York metropolitan area on alert, just in case.

-----

"They've arrived at the Caryn Peak." Carl said. It was a Saturday night, just after dinner. There was a moment of stillness within the house, even Dairine, dressed in her Yoda nightshirt, looked up from her book.

Betty put down the plates she had been cleaning. Harry turned off the television and got up from the couch. And with one accord, as if scripted, they moved to the dining room, sitting down at the wooden table.

Carl took the seat on the chair that was normally meant for Kit, and then focused on Tom. It's started.

Tom acknowledged him instantly, and soon enough, there was a rap on the door, before Tom let himself in. He took the last seat at the table, and Carl laid his Manual on the table. Carl raised an eye at Peach, who was clinging onto Tom's shirt.

"Sorry, she insisted on coming. Harry, Betty, Dairine, this is Peach. One of our many pets." The Callahans looked at Peach, but their recent experiences led them to accept this new development. They turned back to look at Carl, who looked back at his Manual.

"Nita, Kit, and the other wizards have gathered to re-enact the Song of Twelve." Carl said, reading the précis as it updated itself. "S'ree, their leader is securing the boundary spell to keep out unfriendly influences, and in a few minutes they will begin the Invocation."

Carl looked up at the Callahans. "Harry, Betty, you have to make a choice now. Tom and I are here to tell you what is going on. If you don't want us to, we can just tell you when it's over."

When it's over.

Carl saw Harry and Betty exchange glances. "Dairine, you're coming with me." Betty began, standing up.

"No!" Dairine's face was twisted with irritation, and her shout caused Peach to turn away from the source of the noise, muttering dryly under her breath. Dairine was standing up now. "Neets is my sister!"

"Honey, you don't understand --"

"I understand perfectly what is going on!" Dairine shouted, and the way she said broke Carl's heart. Dairine was silent for a few seconds, and then when she opened her mouth to speak once more, her voice was quieter. "I know what's going to happen."

Harry and Betty looked at each other, communicating in that way that Tom and Carl did effortlessly did. Some things didn't need mindspeak. Dairine, standing, posture tense, didn't move.

Eventually, Harry's shoulders slumped, and Dairine sat down. "Tell us everything." Harry said, eyes turned inwards. "We'd like to hear it all."

Carl nodded, and he turned to look down at his Manual. "We begin here, at the beginning. S'ree, the leader of the Song of Twelve, is has begun the opening verse."

-----

The next two hours were a tense one. Carl read from the Manual, filling in certain details with explanation of what was going on. Tom took over at times when Carl found himself without the right words to speak, filling in Harry and Betty on the Lone Power and His backstory with the Sea, or about the various roles of the Twelve Singers.

And then things took a sharp turn for the worse.

"The Gray Lord's betrayed the circle." Carl read. Dread swept through his body. "She has let in the krakens, and the Song is being disrupted."

"What?" Harry asked. It was really strange, actually Carl absently noted, to talk about life and death matters while sitting in a living room, so far away from the heart of it all. But Tom and Carl knew better. They knew what would happen if the Song was disrupted. Tom pulled out his Manual from his claudication even as Harry looked at them, confused. "What is going on?"

"Something bad." Tom quickly said, letting his Manual open itself. "The Song was disrupted, the entire balance of the wizardry is at stake. Your daughter is fighting for her life, and there is a risk that the entire Song will fail."

"But if the entire spell fails --" Betty said.

"Yes." Carl replied. "This is the worst case scenario that we were hoping would not happen." His eyes continued reading the précis, which was updating itself at a breakneck pace. "All of the Celebrants are being attacked. The Lone One Himself is being freed. Betty, Harry, you may have to come with us. Tom --"

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere." Tom's face snapped, to turn and look at Peach.

"What, Peach?"

"We aren't going anywhere." Peach spoke, raspy. She ruffled her feathers and opened her wings, giving him the eye that told Tom that she thought him to be extremely slow.

"What is going on?" Harry asked once more, anger creeping into his voice. "I don't understand what is going on."

"Harry, meet Peach. Peach can speak. We only keep her around for her predictions. Long story." Carl cut in, before turning back to Peach. "Peach, what are you talking about? This is not the time to get smart."

"Please." Peach said, and the amusement in her voice was dry. "I'm hardly in the mood. Just keep calm and check the Manual."

Carl looked at Tom. We need to notify the other Seniors, and those that are in Manhattan as well. There is no time. If He gets outm we are going to be in trouble.

Something tells me that Peach isn't lying today though. Tom said.

A prophecy?

There are no accidents. Tom replied. Get ready to send the alert out, just in case.

Carl returned to the Manual.

-----

Carl read as the battle raged, and then sacrifices were made, unusual bargains were struck, and the Song was completed.

There was a most incredible sense of relief that the Song had been pulled off. "It's finished. Nita is alive." Carl eventually managed to say, and Betty hugged Harry fiercely. Dairine, who had been drumming her fingers on the table, finally relaxed, and stomped upstairs, saying she needed to get her rest. Tom shot Carl an amused look.

Siblings. Tom noted, amused.

I know the feeling. Carl replied, relief in his voice. He and his own younger brother had the same dynamic. He smiled, and shut his Manual. The two Seniors paused, waiting for Harry to finally relax those shoulders of his that had been tensed up for so long.

"We'll be taking our leave now." Tom said, smiling, when the time finally came. There followed a series of goodbyes and hugs, Carl receiving a particularly strong one from Bett. He joked that he would miss Betty's cooking, and was invited back anytime for a meal.

Eventually, they made it out of the door, telling the Callahans one last time to make sure Kit and Nita would stop in as soon as possible for a debrief, and then finally walked away from the house.

Tom and Carl started the spell as they walked, and soon enough appeared back in their house. Peach, without further ado, flew to her perch. A quick check at the clock told them it was already past midnight.

Tom looked at Carl. "Late night tonight."

"Thank goodness it's Sunday, yes?"

And as if that was the best punchline, the both of them started laughing. Tom went to make a cup of herbal chai, and an hour later, they were asleep, breathing quietly under the sheets.