The Magician's Vow: A Retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Part I - Chapter XI: Deception & Dishonour

I am so close to giving Lorelle her life back. So close to making things go back to the way they were. No more obstacles stand in my way. No more boulders of opposition or ravines of impossibilities. From now until the moment I pour the recipe's potion into Lorelle's mouth, all I have to do is follow the clear bath laid out for me. It is so simple; I can finally let myself breathe. No more will we be a man watching over his wife's frail body. We will revert back to how we were: partners in life, me loving her with my entire being and her simply being the wonderful woman she is: kind, caring, smart, loving... the woman I have loved for so many years and the wife I will love for so many more.

The stones beneath my feet, the buildings that loom beside me... the material presence of the hardships in our past.

I have seen far too much of this bleak city. I hope I shall never have need to walk its streets again. I pray I shall never have need to relive the dark memories that have been forged within the boundaries of London's grey. If I have any say in the matter, London will simply become a city on the horizon that is merely a faint imprint in my memory.

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Eugene walked down the western street of London. Unlike the other times he had been forced to do so, his head was held high and there was a lively spring in his step. He internally bid adieu to all the landmarks that had come to symbolize the plague... Farewell to the well down the north bound alley. Farewell to the inn that stood at the of the sharpest turn of the street. Farewell to the harsh stones down below and to the cold stones on either side. No more would they come into his sight. 

The moment he bag of gold fell into his hands, Phantom would be summoned and they would fly out of the city towards Loch-Eyerin like they had before. But their flight would be one of joyous impatience and not one of hopeless panic. Instead of racing down the roads like a maddened wind, intent on reach its goal no matter the damage it cause, they would float upon the currents of the wind, letting their high spirits propel them forwards. 

Eugene broke out into the square. It was strangely quiet. In fact, nothing had changed since he had last been here. The podium was still erected, the careless wind still blew, and the grave-like silence that buried itself into the very bones of Eugene still weighed heavily in the air. The only difference was that the sky was bluer and the was sharper. Or so had his mind led him believe. 

The men are most likely awaiting my arrival in the council’s meeting chamber, preparing to pay me for my services to the city, Eugene surmised. 

He quickened his steps. It would not do to keep the men --and the sac of gold with his name written on it-- waiting any longer. He strode across the square, passed the desolate podium and right up to the tall wooden doors. He grasped both brass handles and leaned his whole weight back. The doors pulled open easily enough, but the sound they made echoed out throughout the empty courtyard. Eugene glanced around, almost expecting someone to appear and inquire after the noise. But not one single living this appeared. 

He entered the dark building. No torches lined the hallways, but Eugene was too impatient to summon an orb of light. He drew upon his memory of his last few visits down the hall, pressed a hand against a wall and began to walk. His footsteps bounced off the walls and seemed to only grow louder as time had passed. Eugene let his eyes dart back and forth, as if waiting for someone to meet him, either handing him his payment straight away, or summoning him faster to the meeting chamber. But the building was as quiet as the square outside.

Something was not quite right. Eugene kept his eyes alert and steadied his hand, while still preparing a few protective spells in the back of his mind. There was no way to know what to expect either walking down the hall or once he had arrived at the council's meeting room. He had better be ready for anything.