Chapter 46

I’ve rarely felt so helpless as I did at that moment. Even when Maggie Edwards or Haru Obe had held Kiyo to use against me, I could still strike at them if I was good or fast enough.

What could I possibly do here, though? The only way I’d seen Fera leave a body was when she willed it, and neither of her victims had survived the experience. She had me, and from the smug smirk on Kiyo’s stolen face, she damn well knew it.

A brief glance through Mimic Sight confirmed that Kiyo’s magical signature had taken on the rough, ragged appearance of Fera’s other victims, though it was subtler.

I considered switching on my earbud communicator to let Mariko overhear what was happening, but I decided against it. It was set to signal the whole squad, and Fera was bound to say something I didn’t want Ms. Hernandez listening in on. Besides, the matching communicator was tucked away in Kiyo’s ear, so Fera would know that something was up.

“It’s pop quiz time,” she said.

“No, just tell me what you want from me,” I said. “There’s no reason to play games.”

“Where’s the fun in that? Besides, I love watching you squirm. First, let’s see how clever you are,” said Fera. She gestured towards the office chair I’d used to trip her before, and Dante took the hint to set it up for her behind the still-unconscious manager’s desk. Without acknowledging the favor, she planted herself in the chair, steepling her hands in front of her. “How many times have we met in the human realms before now?”

I stayed standing before her, careful to keep Dante in my field of view. “You were clearly Wendy,” I said.

It was so strange seeing Kiyo’s adorable face mimicking Fera’s harsh expressions. “Oh, come on! I gave you that one. Try again.”

I was almost tempted to guess Gabriella, the way her unrequited affections had vexed me, but I dismissed the idea. My magically enhanced nose had never detected a whiff of sulfur on her, and even now the room was lousy with the stuff.

That let me narrow it down, though there was no way in Hell I was letting Fera know I could detect her with a simple sniff. Thinking through my strange encounters since my knighting, the answer came easily. “You were Amanda Smythe during that conference call, but not at the King’s residence.”

“Very good,” she said, her adorable, purloined voice sounding strange as she tried to condescend. “Interesting that you knew when it wasn’t me. What gave me away?”

“She seemed rather distant then, as if she didn’t know me,” I said. “Yet, she didn’t disagree when I tried to strike up a conversation using your lies about her being my teacher.”

She turned to Dante. “You see? I knew there was a reason we bothered with this one.”

“Yeah, yeah, Mistress,” he groused.

“My host isn’t totally asleep when I ride them,” she said, turning back towards me. “I can decide what they remember and, more importantly, color how they feel about it. When I made up complete nonsense about Amanda Smythe being a part-time teacher at the Merlin Academy, as far as she was concerned, they were her words. I can make somebody proud of their actions, disgusted, or neutral. That time, I left her wondering what had possessed her, but convinced you were sincere. When I jumped back in after, the discomfort was almost delicious.”

“Why leave her body at all?” I asked.

“The human form wasn’t meant to hold two souls,” she replied. “A clear flaw in the Enemy’s plan that really shortens how much fun I can have in each ride.” She let out an annoyed grunt. “I overdid it with Amanda. A pity, her husband was a good lay, even if he was a bit tubby.”

“I see you mixed some pleasure with your business,” I said. “Still eager to open your legs to anybody who asks, eh?”

“Anybody worthy,” she said.

“Oh, were the stable hands and groundskeepers worthy? Your father really has no idea what a little trollop he raised.”

Kiyo’s pale skin showed a delightful blush as I scored a point. “As if you’re in any position to talk! You were supposed to be a saboteur, and you spent half your days shagging this girl!” She cackled. “Our Father Below, you were such a simpering knight in shining armor for her! She had to put the moves on you because you were afraid she’d be offended! That Sato girl really had you running scared.”

“How the Hell did you know that?” I demanded. “That wasn’t in my report!”

“It didn’t have to be,” she said, tapping her forehead. “This girl’s silly, wasted life is an open book to me.” She concentrated a moment. “Oh, my, Ms. Jones really is obsessed with you. The way you still dote on her, I can see why. I picked the right target to keep you honest, even if you traded up to the cow.”

“Don’t talk about them that way,” I growled.

“What are you going to do about it?” she countered, a wicked grin spreading across her face. She grabbed a letter opener from the desk and put it to her own throat. “If she dies, I’ll just be ejected with a mild headache. Kiyo’s only chance is that I decide to leave her peacefully.”

I bit back another insult; I had no way to know if Fera was telling the truth or not, but I didn’t dare chance it.

“Then stop wasting my time,” I said. “If you’re quite done playing, you clearly aren’t in North Ireland for a social call. Out with it.”

“I suppose we should get on to business,” she said, setting aside the knife. “I’m here on a mission of sabotage.”

“Clearly,” I said. “What, was spoiling my knighting ceremony not enough?”

Fera tapped her cheek thoughtfully. “Hm, were you upset because an innocent died, or because you were inconvenienced? The way you’ve softened up, I bet it’s the first.”

It struck me that she’d meant that as a biting insult. By the Dark Lord, how things had changed.

“What does daddy dearest have you here to do?” I asked. “You’ve been here since before the holidays, so I imagine it’s important.”

“Girdan? Pfft.” She waved dismissively. “Daddy’s a sledgehammer. For somebody who can organize campaigns and supply lines for millions of troops, he’s surprisingly smallminded. You’re his enemy, so you have to die. He has no idea what I’m planning; he thinks I’m on vacation in the old Greece.”

“Oh? Then what’s brought you to my doorstep?” I asked.

“Do I need an excuse to visit my fiancée?” she countered.

“My dear, I thought we’d agreed that you were going to get to the point,” I said.

“Who says I didn’t?” she asked.

“Well, you were extremely clear what the consequences would be if I botched the attack on the Nagoya Tower,” I said. “And it was certainly botched. I imagine my name is mud back home.”

“It is,” she said, looking away and fidgeting. “Enemy’s Son, just how awkward is this girl? Even I’m getting embarrassed with what I’m about to say!”

“Then you’d best say it quickly,” I said, a touch of softness in my voice. “It’ll be easier for all of us.” It was hard to remember that this wasn’t actually Kiyo adorably struggling in front of me, especially when her sneer dissolved.

“Father wants you dead; I w-want you back.” She looked completely disgusted at herself.

“What complete and utter bollocks!” I snapped. “You don’t have a tender bone in your body, except for what you’ve stolen from Kiyo! Why are you really here?”

“Don’t get it twisted,” she said, trying to look nonchalant, though the redness in her pale cheeks ruined the effect. “It isn’t for my sake. It’s for Grand Vizier Malthus.”

“What about Father?” I asked, unable to keep the note of worry from my voice.

“He’s the softest devil I know, for as ruthless as he can be,” she said. “He was torn up by the death of his human wife; you think that finding out that his son had betrayed us wouldn’t do the same?”

“And why do you care?”

“Because he’s Daddy’s most important ally in the court,” she said. “If the Grand Vizier mopes about all the time, he looks weak. If he looks weak, I get to spend all of my time being Daddy’s spymistress to make sure nobody tries to take him out.”

“I think Father can take care of himself,” I said.

“He clearly can’t, or I wouldn’t be working myself to the bone!” she said, slamming her delicate fist into the hardwood desk. She hissed in pain, cradling her wrist. “Daddy isn’t good at making new friends, or I’d do the deed myself and save us all some bother.”

My blood boiled. “You’re fortunate you’re wearing another’s skin right now.”

“Yes, yes I am,” she said, her voice almost sweet. “Now, let’s talk about your ticket home.”

“You haven’t thought this through, my dear,” I said, my voice dripping with condescension. “Your father still wants me dead; you said so yourself. I wouldn’t survive the welcome party, even if it was for Father’s sake.”

“Exactly why you need to redeem yourself first,” she said.

“Never,” I spat. “I know what you’d call redemption! Whatever you’re planning, I’m not going to be used and blackmailed again. Death would be preferable.”

“Oh my,” she said, making a show of fanning yourself. “You almost sound convincing there! Hell, I think you’d be willing to go down fighting.” Her hand lowered again for the pen knife. “If that’s your decision…”

“Stop!” The words came unbidden from my mouth, and a predatory grin spread across Fera’s face.

“I won’t ever understand you humans,” she said, putting an extra dollop of scorn on the last word. “You’re done with this one; what do you care?’

“My dear, you literally couldn’t understand,” I said, even as I felt my shoulders slump. She had me over a barrel. “Fine. What do you want from me?”

“King George’s head,” she said. “For starters.”

“Oh, is that all,” I said, laughing despite the gravity of the situation. “Shall I giftwrap it for you?”

“You’re awfully calm for a knight who was just told to kill his king,” said Dante.

“My good man,” I said, glaring a hole into him, “I’d thought you cleverer than that. Then again,” I said, turning back towards Fera in Kiyo’s stolen body, “Fera was daft enough to make the request. Like mistress, like peon. It’s quite impossible, my dear.”

“Oh, please,” said Fera, once again setting aside the letter opener. She stood and walked around the desk towards me with her hands behind her back. “He’s half-dead as it is. What do you care?”

“If he’s half dead, why do you care?” I countered. “Wait six more months and his organs will do it for you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Surely you can see the artistry in it. The last son of England, the hero of two fights against the traitorous Holy Brotherhood, was honored by his King in front of the whole world. And then, not six months later, the knight slays him on national television, declaring his loyalty to the Dark Lord. And then, poof!” She exploded her hands outwards. “The knight simply vanishes.” The smile on her face was nearly indecent as she ran through her scenario. “Just think of all of that delightful misery and discord! The humans won’t trust each other for years.”

“Careful, Fera,” I said, jerking my finger towards Dante. “You don’t want to get too hot and bothered in front of the help. He might try to have relations with your leg.”

Dante grabbed my shoulder. “Now wait just a—”

“Down, boy,” said Fera, giggling to herself. “I forgot you could be funny sometimes. No wonder I eventually said yes.”

It was damn confusing to decide how I felt about my so-called ex in my actual ex’s body flirting with me. Silence seemed like the best option.

“Aw, no response? You owe me some entertainment, after the mess you made me,” she said. “I’ve been trapped on Stormont Estate since you killed my last ride. You’ve been scanning everybody coming and going, which means Sergeant Lakhdar thinks you can find me. Care to explain why she thinks that?”

I shrugged, picking up and tossing aside the letter opener before she could threaten Kiyo again. “I’m full of surprises.”

Her face screwed up in a pout. “You’re no fun.” She gestured towards Whitman’s unconscious form. “I’ve had to jump around these peons to keep away from you. It’s why I finally relented and invited Dante here.”

My eyes widened. “So, you meant for us to follow him.”

“I meant for you to follow him,” she corrected, running her hands down Kiyo’s hips. “You bringing me a prettier ride than I’ve had all week was an unexpected bonus. And wouldn’t you rather keep it that way?” Angular, demonic runes floated around her hands. “I could always Fleshcraft her up a hideous nose, or Elephant Man’s Disease.”

“You’ve made your point,” I said. “Very well; I’ll go along with you, though we still don’t have a plan.”

She gave me an apprising look. “You know, aside from you getting cold feet, your plan to bring down the Nagoya Tower was decent. I’ll kick back and see what you come up with.”

I managed to not curse out loud. “Very well. How will we stay in communication?”

Her haughty laugh felt like a slap to the face. “You must think I’m a complete idiot. I’m not going to end up in a grave like Maggie Edwards! You’re going on an extremely short leash until this is all done.”

My stomach sank. “You can’t mean…”

“I can,” she declared, taking me by the hand. “Dante, you can cancel the search for a new long-term ride. I’ll be staying here for now.”

Dante sneered up at me. “Sounds like a beaut of a plan, Mistress.” He pointed at the unconscious manager. “What about him?”

“Whitman will awaken in a bit confused about what happened,” said Fera. “Tell him he fainted. If he doesn’t call off the meeting, you had an appointment with him about selling the estate some grass seed.”

“Which I don’t have,” he replied. “Don’t worry, Mistress. I’ll negotiate as badly as I can.”

“Good man,” she said, patting him on the cheek. “Now come along, Magpie.” The color went to her cheeks again. “Why does calling you that… bah, this girl’s a basket case.”

“All the more reason to leave her,” I said. “Before you burn out this, ah, ‘ride’ just as much as Major Smythe.”

She waved me off. “When I’m good and ready. She’ll be alright for a while, as long as I don’t overdo my magic.”

“Can she hear what we’re saying?” I asked.

Fera nodded. Judging by the high-pitched squeak she let out, she wasn’t expecting me to crouch down to eye level and fix her with a concerned look. I caressed her cheek, hoping that Kiyo would feel the comforting touch. “Kiyo… I’m afraid I’ve gotten you in another awful mess. This must be terrifying for you, but don’t worry. We’ll get you out of this. You have my word.”

With that, I abruptly stood up and walked away. “Well? Are you coming?”

Fera’s stolen eyes widened, her pale cheeks going bright red. “W-were you always this manly?”

“Probably not,” I said. “Funny the changes that a year can bring.”

 

 

Chapter 47

I sweated bullets as Fera had to render us invisible again to get out of the maintenance area undetected. The stench of sulfur accompanied her magical effort, though with an undercurrent of Kiyo’s normal vanilla scent. Fera seemed to have a ready command of The Death of Light, which I filed away as useful information.

The stress didn’t come from the question of if she could do it, but just how long Fera would have to do it. Fera had said herself that using her magic was hurting Kiyo, so I forced her along as fast as I could.

Fera, of course, seemed to want to take her time, occasionally stopping to admire her stolen ‘ride’ in reflective objects. I just knew the little bitch was playing with me.

She came to a full stop in front of a decorative mirror in one of the main hallways. “I haven’t been this petite for a while,” she said, spinning around. “It does make it easier to move about. She has a lovely face, though what is with these bags under her eyes?”

“She doesn’t sleep much,” I whispered.

She shot me a lascivious smirk. “Whose fault is that?”

“These days? SatoCorp for making their video games too well,” I responded. “Now come along and stop wasting time!”

We were still in public, so I couldn’t speak too loudly, but I could drag her along behind me. Fera tried to resist, but it seemed that her enhanced strength didn’t transfer to Kiyo. Mind you, it looked strange from the outside, but nobody cared to do more than glance our way. The advantage of wearing a Wizard Corps uniform among mundanes, I supposed: a girl moving in an unnatural way was simply chalked up to more magic.

The knot in my stomach unclenched when we cleared the entrance and got out of sight, since Fera could finally let me reappear. I studied Kiyo for any signs of wasting away, like I’d seen with Major Smythe. There was nothing visible wrong with Kiyo, but then, Fera only been in her about fifteen minutes.

“I shouldn’t need to say this,” said Fera, “but telling anybody about this means Ms. Jones dies.”

“You’re right, you shouldn’t,” I sniped back.

Fera was satisfied to let me lead as we reunited with Gabriella and Mariko. As soon as we were in eyeshot of them, Fera’s whole demeanor changed. She had strode along Stormont Estate like she’d owned the place, but suddenly her narrow shoulders slouched.

I shuddered; she’d been moving like Fera in a Kiyo suit, but now she was indistinguishable from the real thing. No wonder she’d managed to go unnoticed.

“Did you find him?” asked Gabriella, who was watching the poor groundskeepers dealing with the aftermath of Mariko’s sabotage.

“We did,” I said. “Though, what the devil did you two do out here? There’s practically a lake over here!”

Mariko laughed nervously. “I was able to oxidize the fountainhead… but it spread along the whole pipeline that fed it.”

“They don’t suspect you caused it, do they?’ I asked.

She shook her head. “I do not think so. Still, I feel bad for being a burden.”

“Who cares about the pipes?” demanded Gabriella. “We did it to give you cover so you could talk to that Australian about whatever awful thing he did. Did you get what you were after?”

“That and more,” I said, casting a glance towards Fera.

“Y-yeah,” she said, acting every bit the awkward girl I’d loved. Fera had complained about some of Kiyo’s natural emotions stifling her before, so I couldn’t be sure if this was intentional or not. “We don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

Gabriella’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, it was such a big deal that we deserted our posts, but one conversation settled it?”

“It’s private,” said Fera. After a moment, she threw in a deep bow. “Th-thank you, Gabby. You have no idea how much this helped me. I just can’t say how.”

Gabriella looked confused by the whole display, but held up her hands. “Sure. You alright? You’re looking pretty fidgety.”

“I-it wasn’t easy, but it’s settled,” replied Fera as she straightened up. She shivered in the chill morning, but seemed to be trembling more from a case of nerves.

Mariko gave me a confused look, but shook her head and mouthed the word ‘later’ from over Gabriella’s shoulder. I nodded, wondering what the Hell I could tell her.

Of course, Mariko had no earthly idea what was going on, and had no reason to suspect who she was talking to. The kindly woman simply saw one of her friends in distress and went in to give her a hug and a pat on the head.

“It’s alright, Kiyo,” she said.

Fera’s eyes widened as she found her face between Mariko’s endowments. Lucky devil.

When she came up for air, she looked straight at Mariko’s chest. “Nice work.”

Mariko looked down at her with a confused look. “Nice work?”

I could see Fera’s eyes narrow as she accessed Kiyo’s memories. Laughing awkwardly, she met Mariko’s gaze. “Oh, they are… never mind. I mean the trick with the sprinkler system. You’re a lifesaver.”

Mariko released her, a quizzical look on her face. “Any time, Kiyo.”

Gabriella had caught Fera’s meaning, and she seemed split between being amused and confused. For once, Ms. Hernandez decided to keep it to herself.

I willed somebody else to notice that this wasn’t Kiyo, so the burden wouldn’t only rest on my shoulders. Unfortunately, this was perfectly in line with Kiyo’s normal behavior. If Fera could draw on Kiyo’s mannerisms, it seemed like a forlorn hope.

I coughed into my hand. “Now that we’re all caught up, we should go back to the gate. We still have the rest of our shift, after all.”

Gabriella sighed. “Yeah, that wand won’t fool them forever. It was nice getting up and walking around while we could.”

“Be grateful for the chance you had,” I said, my gaze settling on an innocent-looking Fera. “Some have it far worse.”

******************

I wasn’t feeling much better when I returned to scanning duty at the gate. I’ve always been cursed with an overactive imagination, which is why my military career with the Horde had been mostly leading from the rear. I couldn’t help but try to imagine what Kiyo was feeling right then as a passenger in her own body.

At least the duty itself had become less onerous, since I’d already found my target. Taking a page from Gabby’s book, I spent most of the day looking focused, only occasionally making sure that Fera was still controlling Kiyo. She wasn’t leaving my sight again!

Of course, that was different than being able to do anything about it. As much as Fera had leaned on that convenient letter opener back in Whitman’s office, a fully-equipped Wizard Corpswoman had numerous ways to off herself. Kiyo had a rapier similar to mine if Bernadette was too awkward to aim backwards, on top of all of her magic.

I’d managed to rearrange our duties, suggesting that Gabby take over Kiyo’s spotting duties so I could keep an eye on her. Mariko hadn’t said anything when Fera readily gave up Kiyo’s beloved Bernadette, but she had looked surprised.

That was the only crack in Fera’s disguise the whole day. From the outside, she was simply Kiyo Jones. The body language, ever-so-slightly accented English, and even the way she slurped her coffee a little too loudly were all perfect.

Hiro and Yukiko’s squad passed through our checkpoint towards the end of the day. Kowalski and Antoni were chatting with one another in English, and I realized that my man Rafal was trying to help his friend learn a few basics.

“Halt, who goes there?” I said, trying to force some joviality into my voice. “A band of villains and reprobates, from the looks of it!”

“Antoni,” said the Polish man, not recognizing the joke. “From your platoon.”

Kowalski’s response in Polish brought a smirk to the other man’s face.

“Ah, is a joke,” he said, nodding once.

Mariko walked up. “Hiro, Mariko, Rafal, Antoni, hello! I feel like we hardly see each other anymore.”

“They’ve been keeping us all busy,” said Hiro. “I kinda feel sorry for you four; they’re at least switching things up for us.”

“Too bad for Kasasagi that he’s so talented,” said Mariko, giving my back a playful pat.

“It’s a burden at times,” I said. “Tell me, what’s it like outside of the checkpoint?”

“Well—” Hiro started, before Yukiko quieted him with a motion.

Yukiko shook her head. “Private Marlowe, hurry it up. We’re on a schedule here.”

“Oh?” asked Fera, already copying Kiyo’s habit of seeming to pop out of nowhere. “What’s going on?”

“Should we say, Yukikins… er, Private Sato?” said Hiro, his voice jumping from playful to stern when he spotted the mundane military staff on patrol.

Yukiko nodded. “We should coordinate, in case something goes wrong. There’s a shipment coming in, and we’ve been asked to provide some extra security.”

“Shipment of what?” asked Fera, sounding a bit too eager. “Must be important if they’re bringing the squad out.”

“Ours is not to question why,” said Hiro.

“Which means you don’t know,” said Fera, sounding disappointed.

Yukiko arched her eyebrow. “Why do you care?”

I caught just an instant of fury flash across her face before Fera switched back to Kiyo’s default blank expression. “It’s been, like, really boring over here.”

“I can imagine,” said Kowalski. “Magpie, can we get through? I have some computer time later, and I promised Lilja I’d call her tonight. I don’t want to be late.”

“Absolutely,” I said, my stomach falling as I realized that none of them could see the monster in Kiyo. “We all have our duties to do, after all.”

“Right,” said Fera, shooting me an infuriating smirk. “We want to do the homeland proud.”

“Yes,” I murmured to myself. “Wouldn’t want to let the home team down.”

I had plenty of time to ruminate after that as I went through the motions of pretending to scan the traffic on and off the estate. The whole time, as far as any outsider could tell, there was Kiyo Jones in the flesh. She was a damn good actress, not even batting an eye when Dante came back through. For his part, he mostly did a good job of acting blasé.

Mostly. He’d pay for that cocky grin later.

Still, that moment of irritation was only a brief distraction. I missed boredom; it beat the tension of waiting for Fera to plunge a knife in my back, or doing something that might just expose my secret.

We were finally relieved from duty when the checkpoint was shut down for the night. I kept up the illusion that nothing was wrong during dinner, and Fera seemed satisfied to play her role. Nothing much was changed in Kiyo’s behavior; she was alternately distant and clingy, jealous when Mariko or Gabriella showed me too much attention, but mostly happy to sit back and listen.

All of these experiences had hammered in an uncomfortable truth: nobody was going to figure out Kiyo’s misfortune on their own. Why should they? It was like them realizing I was a half-devil in their midst. It was the truth, and there were signs, but nothing a reasonable mind would consider.

On the one hand, it was likely healthier for Kiyo if nobody surprised Fera. On the other, it meant the Japanese girl’s fate rested on my shoulders.

Well, I’d learned my lessons from dealing with Maggie Edwards. Fera would find that I wasn’t without resources of my own.

---

Art by https://twitter.com/YoghurtStripper

(This art depicts an earlier version of the story as I was conceiving it last year, where Fera would be possessing a character who eventually was split to become Sergeant Lakhdar and Gabriella Hernandez. That’s the downside of commissioning art well in advance of the writing; it doesn’t quite match the final version).

If you'd like to see more character art, chapters on Patreon usually post with character art I've commissioned over the years.

Thank you for reading, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays.