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"Master! Watch out!"
No. Nononono-
***
It was so quiet, for a moment. Everything seemed to stand still, as the sharp crackle and burst of light nearly blinded him, and-
-his apprentice's limp form crumpled to the ground.
Thump.
* * *
Thump.
Qifrey blinked, whipping his head around. "Coco? Are you-" His voice trailed off as he took in the sight before him. It was completely silent except for her slow, deep inhales as she dozed on the worn cushions. Her book had fallen from her slackened grip to the floor.
She'd been overworking herself again, trying to stay up into the later hours drawing spells till her fingers went numb, no matter how much he tried to get her to sleep at a normal time.
He smiled softly.
He'd taken on these apprentices to have a reason for worry, to stop the tree's growth in his feeble attempt to prolong his life, the life his dearest friend had sacrificed fragments of his own self for.
What a strange idea. What a completely ludicrous idea, that his primary emotion while looking after these precious children would be worry. Of course he worried. The worry came as naturally as he cared for them. But, of course, that was the problem. He loved them more than he could have possibly fathomed.
Her head was now drooping into a position that looked rather uncomfortable. He made his way over to the seat, and picked her up as carefully as he could, so as not to wake her. She mumbled something in her sleep, and nuzzled closer into his cloak as he walked.
He instantly felt a ball of warmth unfurl in his chest as he walked to her bedroom. He nudged the door open with his foot and quietly set her down on her bed, and then hesitated for a second before leaving. Making up his mind, he leaned down slightly and kissed her forehead. "Good night, little witch. Sleep well." He whispered. Taking one last look at her peaceful, sleeping face, he closed the door with a soft click.
* * *
Her face. Her face. Oh Stars, her face, that was usually lit up with a bright, earnest smile that made his heart clench with affection everytime he saw it.
It was...it was-
Qifrey resisted the urge to puke right then and there.
Though partially obscured, her face was covered in bloody scratches, and looked...burnt. His insides had turned into ice the moment he saw her crumple. Now, his shock turned into all-consuming rage. Still cold. So cold, he felt numb.
He slowly raised his eye to her assailant.
A lone figure, standing in the middle of the ocean, illuminated only by the moonlight. Qifrey's eyes flickered up to his hat his with a brim that was dripping slowly into the water like ink. He could admit to himself right then that even if he didn't have a brimmed hat, even if he was a member of the esteemed Great Hall, Qifrey would have eviscerated him.
As his fingers twitched to do just that, he caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye.
Coco.
She was alive. She was alive, she was alive, and goddammit she was going to make it out alive if he had anything to say about it. He almost keeled over with relief then, but in the depths of his mind, his voice of reason reminded him that he needed to ensure her safety before succumbing to any of his warring emotions of relief and rage towards the despicable person who'd dared to hurt this little girl.
He willed the sand around him to rise and whip around them at a tremendous speed as it formed a large dome for refuge.
He dropped to his knees in front of her still lifeless body, hoping desperately that he hadn't just imagined her move. "Coco." He whispered. He really wasn't sure why he was whispering. It felt appropriate. "Coco!" He tried again, a little louder, a little more urgent. "Can you- can you hear me?" His voice cracked on the last sentence, pleading. But she'd started to stir. "Nngh.. M-Master?" He felt his lip quiver, and he bit down on it hard. This was no time for him to collapse into a blubbering mess.
"Lie still. You mustn't try to get up." He said gently. "Do not worry. I'll see you to a doctor soon enough." She tried to get up, trembling elbows supporting her, and her hair fell away from her face. And his heart nearly stopped.
Her eye. He hadn't seen it before, but the left side of her face had taken the brunt of the damage, and her eye was swollen shut. The same eye as him. The nausea washed over him again, but now she was staring at him in mild concern, and he didn't want to cause her more fear. What a joke of a teacher he was. His apprentice took a hit that was probably meant for him, and now she was concerned about him.
He cleared his throat, forcing the words to leave them. "Until then, you need to wait. You must not leave this place." She tried to force herself up again, but her strength gave out and she collapsed back to the ground, making him inhale sharply and reach out to steady her. "Y-You mean this dome of...." She squinted with her one good eye "..Sand? But... I won't be able to see what's....."
She trailed off as he forced a watery smile, hands reaching for his wand and paper. "Yes. I know." The dome of sand started crumbling around them. "Do not fret, my child. It is to protect you." He turned to face the man with the brim. "And there is something I must do now..", He murmured, "..that I would rather my apprentice not have to see."
* * *
His pen kept slipping from his shaking, ink-stained fingers as he drew one of the largest glyphs he had ever made, while keeping an eye on the former Wise of Friendships as he fought with his smoke sculpture. He bit down a snarl as that monster's spell went clean through, knocking a hole in the sculpture. He was running out of time. He needed to finish this before the other man went after Coco instead.
Almost...almost done. Just a few more strokes of his pen and-
"Know this, girl. Witches have the power of magic." Engendale's grating voice rung out on the battlefield. Qifrey glanced up, and sucked in a breath. He was picking up a sword. A sword. Coco gasped loud enough for him to hear and tried to scramble backwards in vain.
You demon, Engendale.
Qifey tore his gaze away, clenching his fists so tight his pen almost snapped. He took in a rattling breath, and struck at the paper with that final stroke that completed the glyph.
At the same moment, Egendale raised the sword, and Coco shielded her face with a small whimper that broke his heart into a million tiny pieces as he heard it.
Then, the sand around him swirled around and rose, staying still for a single second before it swallowed him in an attack. He choked on air, he sword clattering to the ground as he clawed at his eyes, trying to get the grains out. Qifrey didn't give him a moment to breath, as he added the last stroke to yet another glyph that sent the water from the ocean flying towards him in another unyielding attack. He swooped in to grab his apprentice and flew through the field, setting her down. He kept one arm safely wrapped around her as he gave her a quick, reassuring smile.
"Impossible!" Egendale's shriek cut through. "My spell put a hole through you. Unless... was I fighting a smoke sculpture?"
Qifrey turned to face him, putting as much venom as he possibly could into his glare. "You can thank Master Beldaruit for that." He spat. "Spellbound, were you? At the thought of witnessing a monster take shape?"
The ink that had been swirling around his hat started dissolving, and the witch gasped and grabbed desperately at his head.
"Claim innocence all you like. But the moment you went after the life of a child...." He said, straightening up and locking eyes with him. ".....You made it very clear that the only monster here is you."
The monster plunged into the depths of the ocean.
***
He sank to his knees then, fighting down the urge to hold Coco and curl up into a little ball and cry. Knowing his luck, that would probably cause the silverwood to take root right that instant, and he'd rather not scar Coco even more.
His apprentice stared at him from where she sat on the bed of sand a few feet away, and then got up and limped over to him before he could stop her. On the last step though, she faltered, and stumbled down. He immediately felt terrible. He didn't even help her up. And oh my stars she's still injured-
"I'm okay!" she announced. He stared at her. "You....most certainly are not, dear child." She simply grinned at him like that was of no consequence whatsoever.
He stared dumbly at her beaming face and suddenly the horribly nauseous feeling he'd been experiencing for the past while was mixed with an overpowering surge of affection.
"How.. do you know?" He heard himself ask. It wasn't the most tactful thing to say, but she tilted her head thoughtfully nonetheless. "Well, I trust you, and I trust the others. I know we'll be able to fix it. We're going to be alright."
And looking at her, Qifrey could almost believe it.