Chapter 6 – Magpie’s Influence, Realised

Alice moved through the crowded streets with no issue.

The journey into town had been a peaceful one, but the closer she became to the large red brick building, the source of the music, the busier and busier it had become. Though something had been wrong. Every person’s face being dull and droopy. No one responded to her smiles, or questioned the tufts of fabric sticking out of her ears.

Now that Alice stood before the building she could see what was happening, clear as day. Over heads and shoulders she saw a tall girl, not much older than Alice, a violin in hand, playing on the stone stage. Roughly dressed people, armed with weapons, stood on either side of a man who’s generous waistline, crimson coloured suit and pompous attire gave him away as the owner of the building.
The violin’s voice was high pitched and commanding, carrying an unconscious message. This was something Alice was all too familiar with, a trick that she had witnessed Melissa perform a hundred times. The violin’s tune was being tainted by magic, in order to command the people in the crowd, who stood there in zombie-like states. Something was slightly off about it, but Alice could not quite put her finger on it.
At that moment, however, it did not matter. What mattered was that someone was abusing their power to control people, and that made Alice furious.

She neared the front of the crowd, she clenched her fist, feeling her power’s influence reaching the stage. With a single lift of her fist she sent a spike of stone shooting up from the stage and straight through the violin. The girl cried out in shock, dropping her broken instrument and looking around frantically. The people surrounding her on the stage took steps back, looking between one another and removing their own ear plugs. The man in crimson shouted an order and the two bulkiest men on either side of him stepped forwards, taking the girl by each hand and led her back towards the building. The people in the crowd suddenly dropped to the floor, knocked unconscious.

Alice took out her ear plugs and hurriedly stepped over the people in front of her. She followed the steps up onto the stage, greeted by a woman brandishing a scimitar.

“Get back down there with the rest of ’em- ugh!”

Alice had already closed the gap between them and sent her to the floor with a punch to the stomach. The woman collapsed with a whimper.
Alice moved on, her eyes fixed on the girl who was being dragged towards the open door of the building.

“Oh no you don’t!” She barked, clenching her fist and bringing it up again, a grey wall blocking off the musician’s path. She strode forwards, before something hot sent her hurtling across the stage. She landed with a thud on her side, scrambling to her feet to meet her attacker. A large man with smoking hands stood before Alice, towering over her. A hand came down to grab her, which she deflected, grimacing through the pain. She took a few steps back,
“Get lost, my fight isn’t with you.”

“You want a go at Violet over there? I don’t think so Miss…?”

“Alice. And you are?”

“Hello Alice. Another relic user, aye? As of now you’ve got an appointment with Magpie, and it will be me, Markus Carison, who takes you to see him.”

Out of the corner of her eye Alice saw Violet being taken around the wall and into the building. She did not have time to waste on this idiot. She steeled herself and narrowed her eyes. Her fists clenched and stones rose to coat her arms.
“Markus I’m not going with you, and I am not going anywhere near Magpie. If you don’t get out of my way in the next three seconds then I will hurt you.”

“Come right ahead and try sweetheart.”

Alice growled and darted towards him, a swift strike to his chest sending him back a step. She followed up with two more, before blocking a swing from him with her arm. The stones kept out the heat, the force of the blow rocking her back, which she used to swing back into him with punch to his face. He grimaced and took a few steps back, closing his eyes for a second before his hands lit up with a red, burning light. A smoking, vicious, liquid dripped from his arms and onto the stone stage, hissing as it did so.
Markus lifted his now lava coated hands and beckoned her forwards,
“It’s been a while before I have been able to let loose.” He sneered, “Come on then darling, let’s see what you got!”

~

Oriana woke slowly, groaning in discomfort as she sat up. Her head screamed with dizziness and nausea forced her back onto her back. She glanced around the room, avoiding moving her head suddenly. It was a dark, small thing, made out of grey brick. A barred window let light in just above her bed, and a heavy metal door blocked her exit in the other direction. The rusty frame creaked underneath her as she took another attempt at sitting up, slower this time. She felt the burns bite at her beneath a fresh white tunic. Her trousers from yesterday remained unmoved, but she could tell the pockets were empty. Oriana reached to feel the back of her head, wincing as she felt the small lump that had formed, and likely bruised. Her chest did not feel great either, but she did not dare check.

‘Great…’

She gave herself a few more seconds of sitting before easing herself to her feet, having to lean on the wall at first. She took a deep breath before putting her weight back onto her feet, finding her balance. Oriana steadily trudged towards the door, pushing on it and feeling it budge ever so slightly. She would be able to knock it down with no issue; is what she would liked to have said if she did not feel like she had been trampled by a horse. A very big horse, that had been set on fire.

She extended her hand, willing her sword and shield to appear. Her brow furrowed when they did not arrive. She inhaled and tried again.

Nothing.

And again.

Nothing.

“What is hap-“

“Oh! Are you awake?” Chirped a girl’s voice from the other side of the door.

Oriana met the pair of eyes that were peeking in through the shutter.

“Where am I?” She asked.

“In jail… duh…”

Oriana scowled back,
“I know that, but where am I, exactly? Am I still at Porte Town?”

“Uhh yeah. Where else would you be?”

‘That is something, at least.’ Oriana thought, remaining silent.

“Soooo, what did you do?” The faceless voice asked.

“What did I do?! Nothing. I was attacked because I am an Angelica.”

“What is an Angelica?”

“An Angelica is…” She hesitated, “I do not need waste time telling you.”

“Aw come on.” The voice sulked.

Oriana rolled her eyes, “Who are you?”

“Nuh-uh. You first. What is an Angelica? Tell me and I will tell you who I am!”

“You know what? I do not care enough.” Oriana replied, sitting back down on the bed. She held her hand out and tried to summon her broadsword at the very least, but to no avail.

“Dammit…” Oriana muttered.

“What’s dammit?”

“You’re still here? Leave me alone.”

“C’mon…” the voice whined, “Can’t help someone thwart away their curiosity?”

“Curiosity killed the cat. Go away.”

“And satisfaction brought it back.” Oriana could hear the smirk on her lips.
“I am only going to sit here and pester you until you tell me.”

Oriana sighed, “Angelica are tribes of people who worship Angels. Good enough for you?”

“You are in prison because you worship angels? Like the ladies with wings? Those Angels? With halos and stuff?”

“Those are just the descriptions that are told to children so they don’t get scared. Real Angels, who are neither male nor female mind you, are terrifying warriors, who use their powers and mastery of weapons to cut down their opponents. Most reside in the heavens, their own personal realm, and rarely come down here…” Oriana had not realised that she had stood as she spoke. She now looked down at herself and sat back down, shaking her head.

“They sound cool! Is worshipping them forbidden or something?”

Oriana debated remaining silent, but she respected this girl’s enthusiasm.
“I am unsure of the ins and outs. But what I do know is that a man named Crow, and his forces, hunts us Angelica; and so that is why I was captured. They want to take me to him.”

“I have heard of him. He works with my father’s boss, Magpie.”

“Mag-who?”

“I’m not too sure. My father hasn’t ever told me anything about him. I just know that he works alongside two men named Crow and Raven.”

This puzzled Oriana. It was the first time that she had heard these names. They seemed to hold influence over the Archipelago, and yet her elders had never once mentioned them to her.
“I shall have to investigate that further… as soon as I get out of here and sail as far away from this island as I can…” She thought aloud.

“Can I come?”

Oriana frowned,
“I’m sorry?”

“You said you wanted to sail away. I want to come.”

“Do you not live here, with your father?”

“Adoptive father, technically. And he is a rotter anyway. Always doing something shady with my sister, Violet. She is super cool but she keeps using her magic to help him, even though he is taking away people’s freedom…” The girl trailed off, her eyes looking down to the floor.

“Who is your father exactly?”

“He is the mayor of this island… at least that is what he calls himself. More of a poser in a suit if you ask me… always pushing me and other people around…”

There was a sniff from the other side of the door.

Oriana kept her eyes on the small window in the door,
“Are you alright?”

“Yeah… yeah… ” A pause, “Yeah I’m fine. Moving back, can I come with you?”

Oriana’s chest ached; No parent should make their child feel that way,
“Well I have to get out of this cell first. I am guessing you are not going to be able to help me with that?”

“Oh sure, I can get you out.” The girl’s footsteps started to move away from the door,
“So… I can come with you, yeah?”

“Umm… sure.” Oriana said after a moment’s thought.

“Woo!” She shouted with an audible grin and skipped off down the hall, her footsteps growing more distant.

Oriana doubted she was actually going to be able to follow through, and so she attempted to summon a sword one final time. Upon failing she cursed aloud, standing up and rolling up her sleeves,
“What is wrong with-!”

She stopped. Across the tattoo on her arm was a single blank line, as if drawn over with ink. Her eyes narrowed and she moved her hand up to feel it. It was imprinted on there, its texture now one with her skin. She took the sleeve of her shirt and desperately tried to wipe it away, but it did not budge.

“What is this…?”

She manically checked the rest of her body. Each of her tattoos was covered by a black line.
Oriana looked back up as footsteps neared. The eyes were back at the shutter. Oriana heard the jangling of keys.

“Guess what I got!”

“You took the keys just like that?!”

“Yeah. Why not?”

“Were they lying on the floor?”

“Huh? Oh, no I just took them from the guard. I have a knack for borrowing things.” The girl chuckled to herself as she went through the keys and tried them in the door.

“I think you mean stealing.”

“Its only stealing if I don’t give them back. Which I will.”

Oriana shrugged,
“Aren’t you worried that I might kill you as soon as you let me out?”

The girl’s fumbling stopped,
“Are you going to?”

“Well, no, but-“

“Then that is good enough for me!” She exclaimed as the door clicked and creaked open.

The girl was short, coming up to Oriana’s shoulders. Wavy, slate hair fell down to just below her own shoulders, falling on the black top that she wore. Matching black shorts sat loosely on skinny legs. Her pale blue eyes stared up at Oriana, who now stood before her.
“I am Stella, by the way.”

“I am Oriana. Thank you for… well, getting me out. How old are you again?”

“Not at all. And I am seventeen.” Stella proclaimed, grinning,
“So, can we go now?”

“Please lead the way out of here.”

Oriana’s heart sank as she realised that she could not fulfil her end of the deal. She would not take a teenager with her on her journey.

~

The unconscious bodies of Markus’ allies who had tried to intervene lay strewn across the stage. Alice stood opposite her opponent, feeling exhausted. Had this been a one-on-one she could have ended it by now, but in this battle of attrition Markus had the upper hand, with his men taking over from him when he needed a break. Alice did not have this luxury.

Markus grinned back at her. He was beaten and bruised, but still had energy to fight; something Alice was rapidly running out of.

“You’re a stubborn bastard, aren’t you?” Alice growled.

“You’re one to talk. It isn’t everyday I meet someone who can keep up with me.”

Alice let out a small laugh, the rocks around her fists closing up as she raised them. She dashed in, delivering blow after blow to his chest. He blocked what he could, before jabbing at her, which she ducked, coming back up with an uppercut to the chin.
He grunted and attempted to retreat, which Alice did not allow. She took advantage of his sloppy footwork by stamping the ground and forcing the stone to shift into a trip behind him, causing him to stumble.

She dove forwards, shoving him to the ground. Markus desperately sent a spray of lava careering towards her, which she raised a stone wall to block. She then sent the wall sliding towards him, slamming into him. It sent him flying backwards, his face planting in the red bricks of the building.

Alice took deep breaths, letting the stones drop from around her hands and huffing. She dropped onto her knees to help her catch her breath, sure that he could not get up after that onslaught.
Sure enough, even when the pompous man started to shout at his unconscious body, Markus did not get back up.
Relief flooded over her. She took a moment, before standing back up. She stormed over to the man and took him by the collar, lifting him up above her.

“Where did that magician go?!” She roared at him.

“Put me down this instant! You filthy pirate! Do you know who I am! I am the mayor of this town! I was appointed here by Magpie himself, so you are going to put me down right now, or it will be your head!”

“If you really work for Magpie, then why do you have a magicians serving under you? We both know that magicians aren’t Magpie’s territory; that is Raven’s business. So how do you explain that?” Alice asked with narrowed eyes.

“She is my daughter, of course she works for me! I assure you that Magpie will let hell rain down on you if you do not let go of me and promptly hand yourself in!”

“You pompous jackass… you’re responsible… not her…” Alice muttered, letting him drop, but holding onto him with one hand. She dragged him across the stage and to the crowd, most of whom were now standing up, gathering their bearings.
“This is the man responsible for your suffering! You’ve all been under the influence of magic, because of him, forcing you to do his bidding!”

The conscious members of the crowd looked between each other, a mumble rising through the crowd.

“I have taken out his men. And, as you can see, he is no threat by himself.” She called, dropping him on the front of the stage. Before he could get up, stone wrapped around his wrists, holding him in place.

“You peasants! Take care of this girl at once! She is a disgusting pirate! Attack me and Magpie will hunt each and every one of you down!” He shouted into the crowd, his bloated face going red.

There was silence in the crowd. The seconds ticked by, before a man spoke up,
“Is it true? Magpie is protecting you?”

“Yes! Yes! Now, capture this girl immediately!” The mayor called.

A few words of agreement spread through the crowd, many of them laying their eyes on Alice. She frowned. Did they not want revenge? A chance to get back at this man for the freedom he had stolen. Were they really that scared of Magpie?

“Do you see now girl?! You cannot outweigh the Three Lords’ influences. I would start running if I were you. Get out with your life whilst you still can.”

The mayor sniggered at the sight of Alice’s increasingly worried expression.

Shouts of aggression now spread through the crowd, demanding that they catch ‘the horrible pirate.’ It was too late, they were too far gone, even without the influence of magic. Fear worked just as well, it would seem.

Alice began to step away from the mayor. She was far too tired to fight off this many people, if they really did turn on her. She had to get out of there. She scanned either side of the stage, noting a parting in the crowd. Without a second thought she began sprinting, pushing aside a stocky man who stepped into her path.

~

Stella led Oriana out of the back gate of the house. The prison she had been held in, as it would turn out, was right beneath the brick building, which Stella had called her home.

As they moved out onto the streets, Oriana heard shouts coming from the front of the building, followed by a blonde blur whizzing past her.
Looked around in shock, Oriana realised it was Alice, running away from the stage and towards the dock. This was her chance to escape.

“Hey wait for me!” She shouted, bolting after the pirate, barely noticing the crowd that was chasing after them.

Oriana came racing out of the town and down the gravel path, back to the jetty. Alice was already aboard the boat, its mooring line untied. The sails were lowered and the anchor was in the process of being lifted.

There was a satisfying clunk and the boat jerked forwards as the wind caught its sails, which were now being adjusted by Alice.
Oriana picked up the pace and hopped on just as it pulled away from the jetty and moved out towards open waters.

“Oriana?! What are you doing here?” Alice shouted. From here Oriana could see the freshly forming bruises that painted her body.

“That town was not for me.” The Angelica exclaimed with a grin.

Alice smiled weakly back, shaking her head and looking back to the island. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME!” Shouted a voice, a sudden thud shaking the boat.

Stella’s head popped up from the side of the boat, her arms trembling as she attempted to heave herself up onto the deck. Her legs gave a final kick in the air as she pushed herself aboard. She lay there panting for a moment, before sitting up suddenly and jabbing a finger at Oriana.
“You tried to leave me behind!”

“ORIANA, WHO THE HELL IS THIS KID?!”

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