Fredozy
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Chapter 73: Et voilà
🕑 Added 2025-08-29 12:14:02 +0000 UTCDean Fogg’s office smelled of whiskey. He stood behind his desk, face twisted in a mix of irritation and resignation.
“Every year. Every single fucking year,” he muttered, pacing around. “There’s always a way you lot manage to fuck your lives up, always. It’s a goddamn talent at this point.”
Penny, slouched in the chair across from him, squinted. “Oooookay. I don’t think I follow.”
Fogg sighed heavily, stopping long enough to pin Penny with a look before standing straighter. “Students, Penny. Every class that passes through here finds a way to screw up in spectacular fashion. At this point It’s become tradition. Predictable, even. But your group…” he scoffed, shaking his head, “ Your group still managed to surprise me time and time again.”
The last part was spoken under his breath, quiet enough that Penny tilted his head. “What?”
“Nothing.” Fogg waved it off, collapsing back into his chair. “For the fortieth fucking time, I’ve said my piece.”
“Yeah, we don’t have time for this,” Penny shot back. “Kai said—”
“I don’t give a damn what his displaced ass said,” Fogg snapped, his words coming tight through gritted teeth. “You’ve told me. And I’ve heard you Penny.”
As he leaned back again, Penny started to rise, only to freeze at Fogg’s next words.
“Why are you even here, Penny? It’s not like anything I say will matter. You lot never listen. You’ll do whatever insane, suicidal thing you’ve already decided to do. So go ahead. Be my guest.”
Penny gave a half-smile at the confirmation. “Thanks.” He turned for the door, paused halfway, then came back a step. “Hey, for the record? I’m glad we have you.”
Fogg blinked at him, confused. “Excuse me?”
“In that other universe…” Penny hesitated, then exhaled. “You were the fucking Beast. You. That version of you screwed us all over.”
The silence that followed was heavy. Fogg leaned back slowly, studying him with unreadable eyes behind his shades. “Well… that wasn’t what I expected.”
“Yeah.” Penny crossed his arms. “But it’s true. Which is why I’m glad we have this version of you. Not the psychopathic Beast one.”
He then turned and left. Just before the door clicked shut behind him, Fogg’s voice followed quietly.
“I’m glad too.”
---
Later, Quentin, Alice, Eliot, and Margo stood outside Julia’s apartment. The door opened to reveal her standing there with her arms crossed, impatience written all over her face.
“Took you guys long enough,” Julia said flatly.
Eliot arched a brow and muttered something under his breath “Well fuck you too sexy pants.” that made Quentin glance sideways at him and shake his head.
When Quentin tried to step forward, he smacked face-first into something invisible.
Thud
“The fuck?”
Julia blinked sheepishly, then smirked. “Oh right, sorry that’s the doorway boundary spell.”
Margo looked at the door intrigued with a smile blooming on her face. “Cute. But we need to get back and start learning all those sweet little tricks Kai taught you.”
Alice reached forward, pressing her hand against the barrier. She frowned and pulled a shard of pink glass from her pocket, and peered through. She saw nothing. “There are no wards.”
Eliot plucked the shard from her and angled it himself. “She’s right. Not a trace.”
“That’s the beauty of it,” Julia said smugly. “This barrier doesn’t rely on wards. It’s powered by something else entirely.”
The shimmer dissolved as she dropped the spell. “There. It’s down.”
Quentin looked at her curiously. “How long has Kai been teaching you?”
“Five months now.”
His brows rose. “Wait that’s…”
“… a while ago,” Julia corrected. “Ever since the birthday party.”
“Oh.” Quentin scratched the back of his neck. “Right.”
Margo rolled her eyes. “God, can we save the sentimental crap? We’ve got shit to do.”
Julia ignored her and hugged Quentin anyway.
“Okay, okay,” Margo said, shoving her hands into her pockets. “Chop chop, people. Move it.”
Alice giggled quietly as Julia grabbed her coat and a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it, revealing the three spells Kai had given her, the Pain Infliction, the Bone Breaking, and the Immobilization spell. She lifted her chin.
“Well. Let’s go.”
---
Across the divide, in the alternate universe, Kai stood outside the huge shadow of the Plover Estate. The once-grand manor stretched before him, windows like hollow eyes staring out at the world.
“Well, would you look at that,” Kai muttered. “Still standing. Guess no one thought to burn the shitty place down in this reality. Tragic waste of opportunity.”
He circled the grounds, lips twisted in a smirk, until Alice’s voice broke through. “What exactly are we doing here, Kai?”
“Well you see back in my universe,” he explained, eyes still roaming the estate, “Christopher Plover had a… let’s call it an obsession with reaching Fillory. That obsession drove him to study spells most magicians wouldn’t touch. Traveler-based magic, mostly. Dangerous stuff. But powerful.”
Alice studied the building warily. “I know that story.”
“Then you also know,” Kai continued, “that if there’s anywhere to find the tools I need to get home… it’s here.”
“That makes sense,” Alice admitted, pulling a shard of broken glass from her pocket. She held it up and squinted, watching shimmering runes coil over the estate’s walls. “But there’s a problem. The place is heavily warded. Someone’s sealed it since the last time we came here.”
Kai scoffed. “Oh, let me guess. Some dusty, soulless, unfortunately persistent bastard.”
Alice lowered the shard. “So what now?”
A grin stretched across Kai’s face as he stepped closer to the ward. He lifted his hand, pressing it against the unseen barrier.
Alice’s eyes widened as a deep crimson glow spread across his palm. “You’re… absorbing the wards.”
“Mmhm,” Kai hummed. The runes shivered, flickered, and then broke apart, dissolving into nothing. He lowered his hand with a flourish.
“Et voilà.” He smirked over his shoulder. “Some people need keys. I prefer shortcuts.”
