![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
In the Morning of the Magicians: Chapters 75 to 76
SUMMARY: Giles and Ethan, the electric Kool-Aid funky Satan groove year, in the early seventies. Rated M. Spoilers to Band Candy. Acknowledgements and disclaimers.
75.
Ethan looked into the Lion House, wishing he hadn't come. He'd had a headache all morning, the weather was oppressively hot, and there seemed to be an endless succession of screaming small children being dragged around the zoo. Then there was the Victorian horror of the big cat exhibit, cage after cage of apathetic animals lying half-asleep on raised floors. None of the lions stirred more than an eyelid. He wasn't going to be able to improve the way his gryphon walked if none of them moved.
Rupert checked his watch. "It'll be feeding time in half an hour," he said. "Let's come back then."
They bought ice cream at a kiosk and found a bench to sit on. "Have you ever seen a real one?" Ethan asked him.
"Real what?"
"Gryphon. Do Watchers get to see that sort of thing?"
"Not really," said Rupert. "Not often. I think I saw a faun once. We were out camping in Epping and there was supposed to be one around. I went out at dawn and I saw this shape in the distance, a sort of silhouette, and then it ran. Someone tried to tell me later that I'd seen a deer, but it was definitely a faun." He bit thoughtfully into his cone. "I think they caught it later."
"But not a gryphon?"
"No. You know, I'm not supposed to talk about it at all."
"They must have loved you, though."
"What makes you say that?"
"Just that you seem to be good at all the sorts of thing I'd expect a Watcher to be good at. You must have been a real star."
"I did all right," said Rupert. "It was a lot of work."
"It must have taken a lot of courage to walk away from it all."
"No," said Rupert. "None at all." He looked uncomfortable, but Ethan couldn't work out why. Rupert said, "I think it's time to go back to the lions now."
There were two parties of school children lined up outside the lion cage when they got back. Ethan elbowed his way through, ignoring the angry looks of the schoolmarms. The lions were up and pacing already, in anticipation of their lunch. Ethan realised his folly almost straight away. He fought his way back out of the crowd and toward Rupert.
"A gryphon's not going to walk like a lion," he said. "It's got bird claws at the front for self-defence and to cling to perches. The motion's got to be entirely different. I'm going to have to make it up entirely. I've sorry I've wasted your time -- you rang in sick and everything."
"It's all right," said Rupert. "I hate my job anyway. It's the only honest thing I do all week and I still hate it."
76.
There weren't many cars out on the motorway at this hour, a little before dawn. Outside the illumination of the motorway lights, shapes were starting to become visible but were still indistinct. Rupert was following the signs towards the ferry terminal. Ethan was in the seat next to him, looking out of the passenger window. There was a bag of magical gear in the boot.
"Adrienne?" Rupert asked.
"Of course," Ethan said. "Like bunnies for a couple of weeks."
"What about Diedre?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I've never fancied her and she's never fancied me."
"Randall?"
"Not really."
Rupert decided to let that pass, because it was Randall after all. "Anyone else in our happy household?"
"No, just you and Adrienne. What does it matter?"
"I just think you should have said something."
Ethan shrugged, then said, "Are you going to be able to concentrate on the spell?"
"I think so."
"Fantastic."
The terminal was opening when they got there. Cleaners were still mopping the floors. The only other people there were security staff and backpackers. There was no sign of Adrienne, which was part of the plan. She was somewhere behind the scenes and they weren't to meet up with her until they all got back to the house. It was probably just as well.
They took seats in one of the waiting areas. They had packed bags and bought foot passenger tickets to Amsterdam, in case anyone wanted to know why they were there. He supposed that if things went horribly wrong, they'd have to use them.
"Do you speak Dutch?" he asked Ethan.
"No, but I don't think you have to in Amsterdam. Why, do you want to go? We could, after the job's done."
"We'd be sleeping on park benches."
"Adrienne gave me a hundred pounds up front." Ethan considered his ticket. "We'd be back in a week. We wouldn't have to hostel it, we could be in a proper hotel or rent a flat."
The idea seemed absurd but it was undeniably possible -- nothing about it violated Adrienne's plan, as far as he knew. He might lose his job, but only if he failed to convince the hotel manager that he'd had a bad flu. He supposed that by this evening they could be staring down at their reflections in Dutch canals and buying postcards of windmills. Or, more likely, he'd be following Ethan around to every magic shop in Amsterdam.
But he could see that it would change things. It would make it impossible for him not to admit to himself that he was running off for an overseas holiday with a boyfriend. That would not lead to the sort of future he wanted, in which he repaired his relationship with his parents, got a sensible job, and started a family. He could not and should not pretend otherwise.
"No," he said.
"Suit yourself," said Ethan, who appeared unconcerned. "I'll get more work done that way. I've done bugger-all this week." He put the ticket away. "The Badescu's getting dusty."
They still had ten minutes to wait before they needed to start the spell. Rupert spent it all looking at the hall clock. He had an uncomfortable knot in his stomach as if, against all common sense and reason, he'd just made a bad mistake.
Five minutes before the arrival of the first ferry, they walked up to the deserted counter of a hire car company that wouldn't open until nine a.m. Ethan sat behind it and started to pull out his magic gear while Rupert took a nonchalant slouching position to keep watch. Glancing over, he could just about see Ethan chalking up the circle and setting up his stones and candles.
"Ready?" Ethan asked.
"One more minute," Rupert said. He had started to hear the voices of a crowd from the ferry, coming up to the hall.
"Ten," he said, then, "five, four..."
The gryphon took shape. And oddly, for almost a minute and a half, nobody noticed.
Then Rupert ran forward, shouting and waving his arms in the air wildly. "Aaaah!" he shouted. "Lion!" and the gryphon followed him forward as he ran in the direction of the arriving crowd.
Of the ensuing chaos, he would remember only glimpses of things, plus a few sounds and two smells. There was the scent of the gryphon itself, its lion-sweat and the dust it swept up every time it spread its wings wide. There were tableaux of people running, and of parents snatching up children. People shouted, but there weren't many screams. Then there was a soldier, in army fatigues, his arm extended, about to fire a gun in his direction.
Rupert dropped to the floor. He was pretty sure afterwards that he heard the shot fired through the incorporeal gryphon and the scream of the woman who was hit on the far side. He saw the grubby vinyl tiles of the floor and smelt his own vomit as he threw up.
When he was able to look up, the gryphon had gone and the woman was surrounded by people, including one in a uniform. He staggered forward, meaning to offer help, but the WPC seemed to be doing a good enough job with first aid. The woman had been shot in the thigh; she had lost a lot of blood. He looked around but could not see the soldier anywhere.
He willed himself to breathe more normally and walked back to the car hire counter, towards his luggage. Ethan was just standing there, chalk-dust on his knees as usual. He looked so calm and unperturbed that Ripper punched him, very hard. And then he punched him again.
Ethan retreated, holding his jaw and side. "What the hell was that for?"
"Someone was almost killed!" Rupert shouted. "She might still die."
"We have to go," Ethan said.
There wasn't anything else to do. They walked out into the carpark. There were knots of shocked people standing everywhere. One of the knots was Adrienne, who was standing next to two tall, dark-haired men. Rupert knew they should pretend not to recognise her and walk on, but then she ran up.
"Ripper," she said, grabbing him by his shoulders. "Do you have your car?"
75.
Ethan looked into the Lion House, wishing he hadn't come. He'd had a headache all morning, the weather was oppressively hot, and there seemed to be an endless succession of screaming small children being dragged around the zoo. Then there was the Victorian horror of the big cat exhibit, cage after cage of apathetic animals lying half-asleep on raised floors. None of the lions stirred more than an eyelid. He wasn't going to be able to improve the way his gryphon walked if none of them moved.
Rupert checked his watch. "It'll be feeding time in half an hour," he said. "Let's come back then."
They bought ice cream at a kiosk and found a bench to sit on. "Have you ever seen a real one?" Ethan asked him.
"Real what?"
"Gryphon. Do Watchers get to see that sort of thing?"
"Not really," said Rupert. "Not often. I think I saw a faun once. We were out camping in Epping and there was supposed to be one around. I went out at dawn and I saw this shape in the distance, a sort of silhouette, and then it ran. Someone tried to tell me later that I'd seen a deer, but it was definitely a faun." He bit thoughtfully into his cone. "I think they caught it later."
"But not a gryphon?"
"No. You know, I'm not supposed to talk about it at all."
"They must have loved you, though."
"What makes you say that?"
"Just that you seem to be good at all the sorts of thing I'd expect a Watcher to be good at. You must have been a real star."
"I did all right," said Rupert. "It was a lot of work."
"It must have taken a lot of courage to walk away from it all."
"No," said Rupert. "None at all." He looked uncomfortable, but Ethan couldn't work out why. Rupert said, "I think it's time to go back to the lions now."
There were two parties of school children lined up outside the lion cage when they got back. Ethan elbowed his way through, ignoring the angry looks of the schoolmarms. The lions were up and pacing already, in anticipation of their lunch. Ethan realised his folly almost straight away. He fought his way back out of the crowd and toward Rupert.
"A gryphon's not going to walk like a lion," he said. "It's got bird claws at the front for self-defence and to cling to perches. The motion's got to be entirely different. I'm going to have to make it up entirely. I've sorry I've wasted your time -- you rang in sick and everything."
"It's all right," said Rupert. "I hate my job anyway. It's the only honest thing I do all week and I still hate it."
76.
There weren't many cars out on the motorway at this hour, a little before dawn. Outside the illumination of the motorway lights, shapes were starting to become visible but were still indistinct. Rupert was following the signs towards the ferry terminal. Ethan was in the seat next to him, looking out of the passenger window. There was a bag of magical gear in the boot.
"Adrienne?" Rupert asked.
"Of course," Ethan said. "Like bunnies for a couple of weeks."
"What about Diedre?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I've never fancied her and she's never fancied me."
"Randall?"
"Not really."
Rupert decided to let that pass, because it was Randall after all. "Anyone else in our happy household?"
"No, just you and Adrienne. What does it matter?"
"I just think you should have said something."
Ethan shrugged, then said, "Are you going to be able to concentrate on the spell?"
"I think so."
"Fantastic."
The terminal was opening when they got there. Cleaners were still mopping the floors. The only other people there were security staff and backpackers. There was no sign of Adrienne, which was part of the plan. She was somewhere behind the scenes and they weren't to meet up with her until they all got back to the house. It was probably just as well.
They took seats in one of the waiting areas. They had packed bags and bought foot passenger tickets to Amsterdam, in case anyone wanted to know why they were there. He supposed that if things went horribly wrong, they'd have to use them.
"Do you speak Dutch?" he asked Ethan.
"No, but I don't think you have to in Amsterdam. Why, do you want to go? We could, after the job's done."
"We'd be sleeping on park benches."
"Adrienne gave me a hundred pounds up front." Ethan considered his ticket. "We'd be back in a week. We wouldn't have to hostel it, we could be in a proper hotel or rent a flat."
The idea seemed absurd but it was undeniably possible -- nothing about it violated Adrienne's plan, as far as he knew. He might lose his job, but only if he failed to convince the hotel manager that he'd had a bad flu. He supposed that by this evening they could be staring down at their reflections in Dutch canals and buying postcards of windmills. Or, more likely, he'd be following Ethan around to every magic shop in Amsterdam.
But he could see that it would change things. It would make it impossible for him not to admit to himself that he was running off for an overseas holiday with a boyfriend. That would not lead to the sort of future he wanted, in which he repaired his relationship with his parents, got a sensible job, and started a family. He could not and should not pretend otherwise.
"No," he said.
"Suit yourself," said Ethan, who appeared unconcerned. "I'll get more work done that way. I've done bugger-all this week." He put the ticket away. "The Badescu's getting dusty."
They still had ten minutes to wait before they needed to start the spell. Rupert spent it all looking at the hall clock. He had an uncomfortable knot in his stomach as if, against all common sense and reason, he'd just made a bad mistake.
Five minutes before the arrival of the first ferry, they walked up to the deserted counter of a hire car company that wouldn't open until nine a.m. Ethan sat behind it and started to pull out his magic gear while Rupert took a nonchalant slouching position to keep watch. Glancing over, he could just about see Ethan chalking up the circle and setting up his stones and candles.
"Ready?" Ethan asked.
"One more minute," Rupert said. He had started to hear the voices of a crowd from the ferry, coming up to the hall.
"Ten," he said, then, "five, four..."
The gryphon took shape. And oddly, for almost a minute and a half, nobody noticed.
Then Rupert ran forward, shouting and waving his arms in the air wildly. "Aaaah!" he shouted. "Lion!" and the gryphon followed him forward as he ran in the direction of the arriving crowd.
Of the ensuing chaos, he would remember only glimpses of things, plus a few sounds and two smells. There was the scent of the gryphon itself, its lion-sweat and the dust it swept up every time it spread its wings wide. There were tableaux of people running, and of parents snatching up children. People shouted, but there weren't many screams. Then there was a soldier, in army fatigues, his arm extended, about to fire a gun in his direction.
Rupert dropped to the floor. He was pretty sure afterwards that he heard the shot fired through the incorporeal gryphon and the scream of the woman who was hit on the far side. He saw the grubby vinyl tiles of the floor and smelt his own vomit as he threw up.
When he was able to look up, the gryphon had gone and the woman was surrounded by people, including one in a uniform. He staggered forward, meaning to offer help, but the WPC seemed to be doing a good enough job with first aid. The woman had been shot in the thigh; she had lost a lot of blood. He looked around but could not see the soldier anywhere.
He willed himself to breathe more normally and walked back to the car hire counter, towards his luggage. Ethan was just standing there, chalk-dust on his knees as usual. He looked so calm and unperturbed that Ripper punched him, very hard. And then he punched him again.
Ethan retreated, holding his jaw and side. "What the hell was that for?"
"Someone was almost killed!" Rupert shouted. "She might still die."
"We have to go," Ethan said.
There wasn't anything else to do. They walked out into the carpark. There were knots of shocked people standing everywhere. One of the knots was Adrienne, who was standing next to two tall, dark-haired men. Rupert knew they should pretend not to recognise her and walk on, but then she ran up.
"Ripper," she said, grabbing him by his shoulders. "Do you have your car?"
no subject
no subject
no subject