Chapter 22: The Magicians
Disclaimer: All characters, aside from thoseĀ who appear on Glee, belong to CP Coulter and appear in her lovely fanfic, Dalton. The basic plot is from Erin Morgensternās The Night Circus. Previous chapters can be found in my masterlist. *** Authorās Note: Well, this is the end (sort of - there will be side stories in the future). Thank you to everyone who stuck with me to the end. :) Every review, every message, every like and reblog (and awesome liveplurks) have been a joy. Iād like to dedicate this last chapter to the one person who has kept me sane through this entire process. Sheās been my rock, my plot doctor, my friend and confidante, and still managed to produce the most beautiful AdR art in the midst of it all. Tess (abadgerinthebluebox), thank you so much. Youāve been a joy to work with, and I hope we can team up again soon to create more magic. :) Thank you for all the blanket forts. I love you!
And a big thank you to everyone who followed this! <3 Happy holidays! ***
āI have been surrounded by love letters you two have built each other for years, encased in tents.ā ā Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
Chapter Twenty Two: The Magicians
John had always kept a secret, one that heād never willingly told anyone. A few people had unfortunately guessed, but he never revealed it himself. Heād struggled to hide it his entire life, fought to not give in to the temptation that had gnawed at him all these years when his studies became too heavy to handle. It would have been ridiculous, after being taught so meticulously by his own father, to abandon himself to the barbaric instincts that reared their ugly strings whenever a spell was too hard to memorize. Travis had guessed it the first time they touched ā collided, rather, in a baseball field in secondary school. Heād never really forgiven the director since. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting his feet ā definitely not his feelings, he had to remind himself ā guide him to the large, grotesque tent outside the circus. It had ārebellious teenagersā written all over it, from the size to the insolence that tainted Julian Larsonās careless magicā¦ Not that John could feel magic, he reminded himself sharply as he stomped toward the tent. When he stepped inside the miscellaneous tent, he froze in utter surprise when he saw its contents. The tent still had the crashing waterfalls from Julian and Loganās first time in the tent, but the rest resembled the circus outside. Although, John observed as he peered a bit closer, there were some tents missing, and everything had subtly been moved around. There was only one patron within. The blond cleared his throat, forcing the disappointment and anger from his voice as he slowly called, āHello, Travis.ā The director turned around, both hands still tucked in his pockets. He then grinned and waved the politician over, before he returned his attention to the magic pervading the tent. āHello, John. Itās good to see you.ā Growling, the blond crossed his arms and stopped a few feet away from the other man. The pair fell silent as they studied the mishmash of magic surrounding them ā John struggled not to ponder on how Loganās spells were emanating a disgustingly happy aura ā and the blond waited patiently for Travis to rub his victory in his face. āYour son has done well,ā Travis congratulated instead, studying the object nearest to them. He ran a hand over its surface, smiling in delight. āHe controls his magic as well as you do.ā John shifted his eyes to the table in front of them. It was an exact replica of the Hatterās Table in front of the circus, but the spells had been reversed. Julian had created the table, Logan the saucers, Julian the enchantment inside the cups, and Logan the floral centerpiece. John saw the soft signature silvery glow of his sonās spells on the objects he had created, so he only assumed that the faint golden tone on the rest was the actorās. āI,ā coldly replied the politician, ādo not have a son, as far as I am concerned. He made his intentions clear when he destroyed the tent I told him to create, and then chose to give in to these base instincts your kind glorifies.ā Travis snorted. āYou hypocrite.ā He was smiling brightly at John despite the dark bags sinking under his eyes and the wrinkles on his face. āYou are upset because Logan used his feelings to break the spell we had put on the boys. He only used what genetics gave him, John Wright. As a birth magician, youāā āShut up!ā John turned his back from Travis. āIāve never usedā¦ that. My father taught me every spell I know.ā āYou mean to say that he beat you until you could repeat any spell you could have just summoned with a bit of practice?ā Travisās voice held no derision; in fact, his eyes were misty with regret. Both men remembered their years as schoolboys, when John would show up with bruises covering his body and hurt-filled eyes after a weekend home. There was a long line of Wright men who excelled in education; when Loganās grandmother had admitted, after John Logan Wright Jrās birth, that she was a birth-magician, the entire family had kept the abomination a secret. Then, John had spent his entire life struggling to control the intense swirl of enchantments from escaping his mind. As a youth, when the magic had been easier to access, he could throw up from the intensity of the inner battles heād been forced to endure. When heād seen Logan show magical aptitude as a young boy, he had immediately erased his memory every time the boy accidentally used magic ā with another spell that would stifle the urges that John himself still felt. āMy father,ā corrected John sharply, ātaught me control. I only tried to show Logan the honourable way to use magic.ā āItās a shame, you couldāve been a fearless and powerful magician,ā smiled Travis, detecting the sour tone in Johnās voice. John waited a few seconds, letting the unspoken admission sink in, before he turned to Travis. Sepia eyes met a steel grey gaze and John asked quietly, āHow did you remove the curse from the ring?ā āI fiercely regretted sending my son to his death really, really intensely.ā A long pause followed that statement, only breached by a dry chuckle. āWhen I couldnāt find a decent spell within my mind, I turned to the old book of spells you left behindā¦ It was during college, when you would try to convince me to repent from my wild magical waysā¦ and Iād try to turn you to the dark side.ā Smiling sadly, Travis looked away from John. āYou left behind both that spell and the one Logan used to surrender, all those years ago, without even realizing it. I just needed to amplify mine with innate magic, and so did Logan. This new kind of magic ā a mixture of old and new ā superseded the ancient spells of our ancestors.ā John shuddered at hearing the mention of his sonās loss of control, and he abruptly turned to a dome not too far away. āWhy are there tents in here?ā āHavenāt you guessed?ā Travis sounded amused. āTake some time. Look around!ā John turned to retort that he didnāt have time to frolic, but Travis had left, heading for the furthest tent in the back. It was a bit odd, seeing those life-sized tents inside the bigger one created by Julian, but Johnās curiosity was piqued, so he decided to play along. The politician entered the first tent he saw. He felt like heād been in this one before, though. It was very similar to the Celestial Maze, although this maze had a different pattern within. John walked aimlessly, wondering why they needed to copy the one outside, until he turned a corner and his hand skimmed the wall. His vision blanked and he suddenly found himself completely weightless, surrounded by constellations. It was as though his eyes had magnified everything, allowing him to see galaxies and planets he never even knew existed. Shifting his hand allowed him to move in this alternate dimension, and it was only when he stepped away from the wall that he felt the overwhelming sense of wonder take him over, as well as a deep yearning to try touching the wall once more. He was calm, though excited to see more, and realized that those emotions were not his own. After another brush of his hands on the wall, he recognized that this was a subtle variation of the spell inside the Labyrinth of Fury, although this one not only affected his feelings, but also his senses. Combined with Julianās wild, unpredictable, and now subtly shifting walls, this maze reached an entirely different level of magical talent. The result of their collaboration was overwhelmingly above and beyond what John could do with his own magic. The sadness threatened to overwhelm the owner and he hurried outside, easily tracing his steps back to the entrance. He saw a variation of the Body Enchantments and the Park of Amusement nearby, but only briefly peeked in those. While Julian had added designs that lit up the skin in Loganās tent, the circus manager had added roller coaster tracks that disappeared from one end of the tent and reappeared from the other in Julianās. He knew that if he looked closer, he would find more subtle changes, as both boys had seemed set on improving the otherās tents. They had also been set on exploring what their talents could have produced if they had worked as a team from the very beginning. When he entered the tent in which Travis had disappeared, he knew that it was an improved version of the Soothing Station. Travis stood in the middle of an empty dark room, sitting on a stool as he made sparks dance between his fingers. He narrowed his eyes and the sparks turned into liquid, droplets forming a ball that solidified into a glass marble. Travis threw it in the air, and then snapped his fingers and watched it disappear. Afterwards, he glanced down at the ground, longing evident in his eyes. āIs that what it cost you, Travis?ā questioned the politician carefully. āTell meā¦ What price did you pay to remove that curse from the ring?ā Travis clenched his hands as he carefully jumped down from the stool. He walked toward the exit with purpose, but paused only when he was standing next to his old enemy. A sad smile slipped on his face as his eyes turned glassy with emotion. His voice raw, he replied, āI would have made a fearless, powerful magician.ā John closed his eyes. āEverything?ā He missed how Travis only nodded, and then hurried out of the improved Soothing Station. The tent recognized instantly what troubled the individual within ā Loganās contribution to the tent ā and personalized oneās healing. When John reopened his eyes, he saw a see-through, blank-eyed Logan staring at himā¦ and suddenly, he knew that he couldnāt give up on his son. It took him by surprise, since he had fully wanted to abandon Logan only a moment ago. A rush of power filled the politician as he realized that this was not over ā he could still work with Logan. He believed that his son wasnāt lost quite yet. He assumed that a memory-modifying spell and the famous enchantment to forget oneās instincts wouldnāt work on Logan this time, or any other time, for that matter. He knew the pesky Larson boy would fight for his son, and that was a problem. Julian would most likely remind Logan that he had magical instincts and could learn magic that way. Logan wouldnāt stand being locked away from the worldā¦ yet it felt a bit inhuman and melodramatic to think of that option, even for John. It would take a lot of work for the politician to reconstruct his sonās memories this timeā¦ he vaguely began to consider wiping the boyās brain clean and starting over. He bobbed his head in a small nod as he left the modified Soothing Station, his mind skimming over the possible enchantments to keep what was left of Loganās true childhood memories relatively intact. Perhaps he would also find a way to alter Loganās perception of anyone who spoke of this competition for the rest of his life ā heād get to work on such a spell the minute they would arrive home, John decided. John pondered how he would approach Logan as he stopped in front of Travis, who had returned to the new Hatterās Table and asked, āSo, what do you think?ā
āItās a waste of time,ā John coldly shrugged, his eyes set in Travisās. āI refuse to fund this ridiculous concept a moment longer. Logan and I will return home to New York and spend some time recuperating from our loss. This competition isnāt over, Travis, since you cheated your way out of it and ruined all the work Iāve done on Loganās integrity. Perhaps we can find new apprenticesāā āYouāll never learn!ā A bubble of laughter left Travisās lips as he shook his head. His hands reached out to grab onto Johnās shoulders and he softly said, āJohn, I lost all my magic. Iām no longer interested in your competitions or your beliefs. Logan will never speak to you again after everything youāve done to ruin him. As far as the circus goes, donāt worry too much about it; I have enough money left over to keep it going a while and Logan signed the ownership to me last night ā donāt give me that look, you authorized him to make these kinds of decisions when this all started.ā Since John didnāt respond, Travis then squeezed his shoulders and teased, āI hope you like our sonsā models for the new LāAcadĆ©mie des RĆŖves! Youāre standing in the future of this circus.ā The brunetās hands slid off his old friendās shoulders as the cocky smirk returned fully on his face, bitterly reminding John of their teenage years. āAnd, my old friend? Your son and I made a decision together ā he gave me the privilege of announcing the good news. John, youāre fired, so please get out of my circus, and donāt ever bother us by coming back.ā *** āIs that a bonfire?ā Julian asked, looking absolutely thrilled as he hurried down the path. Logan chuckled and followed him happily, the sound of their footsteps soon drowned by the delighted chatter ahead. All the circus employees were gathered around a bonfire that roared a foot off the ground, without anything actually burning. Dwight looked nervous, but he was taking notes furiously in a notebook that heād taken from Derekās Library of Secrets. The rest of the performers chattered about various topics as the night dawned upon them ā Logan had made it very clear to the villagers that tonight, the circus would be closed exceptionally for maintenance, but in reality, he really just wanted a break. Julian sat by Derek, who was blatantly ignoring him as the medic slept with her head propped against his shoulder. His arms were curled protectively around her and he studied her face intently, looking far younger and happier than he had been before. The headaches that had crippled him had disappeared when the competition had ended. For the first time since LāAcadĆ©mie des RĆŖves had opened, the heavy pressure of the circusā magical aura had diminished. Everything felt lighter in some sense, and the stressed hunch of Loganās shoulders had relaxed. Everyone liked seeing their manager happier, and it made the atmosphere more festive than it had ever been. Logan remained standing. He lifted a hand and waited for the chatter to die down, until he had a few dozens of faces looking at him curiously. āI have an announcement Iād like to make,ā he calmly stated, running through the speech heād rehearsed with a few important men in his life. He knew that his calm nature was a direct effect of Julianās smiling eyes on him, and he took a moment to wink in the brunetās direction before he returned to the expectant gazes in front of him. He noticed a few concerned faces, so he decided to ease everyoneās fears right away. Heād tortured them enough in the last few months. āMy father has stepped down from his role as owner of the circus,ā he carefully lied, before quickly switching back to as truthful statements as she could speak. āUnfortunately, that means that heās also going to stop funding this place.ā The crackling sounds coming from the fire were the only noises that could be heard. Many performersā eyes dropped to the ground or sought comfort in the equally sullen expression of their neighbourās. āā¦Which is why we will most likely all have to undergo another small pay cut,ā apologized the blond with a sigh, āfor a while, at least, until we can review how much the circus makes per night. It could only be for a few weeks. I wonāt hold it against any of you if you decide to give in your resignation.ā āAre you closing down this place?ā Riley asked as Jake frowned with suspicion. āNo,ā confirmed Logan, āwe were lucky enough to receive aā¦ donation. An anonymous patron is going to fund the physical maintenance of the circus for at least a year, but we might have to completely self-sustain afterwards. As I said, anyone who wishes to leave can do so at any time.ā āBut it would be a cruel move.ā Most heads whipped to Gregory Harvey, who stood up with his back straight. In his best Master of Ceremonyās voice, he called out, āAfter discussing the possibility with Logan, I have agreed to help manage this circus. Which means that I will be stepping down from my role as master of ceremony.ā āCan I do the interviews for the job?ā quipped Julian. āWe need a woman who cāā āActually, Julian, Iāve already hired someone.ā Harvey smiled above Julianās head, and the illusionist peered around himself to see his father smirking down at him. Travis was wearing a black and white suit with a very similar top hat to the one Julian used during his own shows, and the resemblance between father and son was striking for most people around the bonfire. The actorās expression deadpanned and he looked back at both Logan and Gregory. āI am not working with my father. I canāt do a convincing adult show when my fatherās around.ā Travisās expression changed as he blinked in surprise. āI thought theyād hired you as an illusionist, Julian. What exactly is an adult sāā āLogan!ā immediately whined the brunet with desperate eyes. Logan, however, was smiling warmly at Travis, and Julian caught on rather quickly. The brunet scoffed and crossed his arms. āAnonymous donation my ass,ā he mumbled to his father as Travis walked by him. The director only winked and dropped to a seat beside Gregory, who had also sat down. āThere was one request from the donor, actually,ā Logan called out, a smirk on his face. āHe says that the ring business is absolutely ridiculous. My father thought they were an important way to mark employees from clients, but we felt like it would be a good opportunity to say goodbye to past management if we ended that rule.ā Logan felt Julian stand by him, and Derek ā after carefully waking the medic ā soon joined them on his other side. Taking a deep breath, he continued, āMy father had his reasons to keep the rings. I can assure you that they were twisted, and wrong; I am therefore making a new rule for this circusā¦ as a way to say thank you to the donor. Letās get rid of them!ā The lie rolled smoothly from his mouth as he reached for his right hand. He marvelled at the ease with which the piece of jewelry left his finger, and smiled when he saw Julian and Derek remove theirs. All at once the trioās arms arched out, and three similar rings sailed through the air and landed in the fire, disappearing into oblivion. Harvey whooped and was the first to throw his ring, letting it sail over a few peopleās heads. His enthusiasm caught on, and one after another, every employee had either placed their rings in pockets or bags, or had thrown them in the fire. Music began to play soon after Logan had stepped away from the middle of the group, and the festivities of the evening returned. No one came to tell Logan they were quittingā¦ At least, until Merril and Spencer stopped in front of him, and Logan lost his smile. Julian and Derek hovered nearby, listening to the conversation that was sure to be interesting ā Derek knew the secret, of course, but he still wanted to hear it again. āHi,ā the acrobat breathed happily, reaching out a hand which Logan immediately took to press a kiss on her knuckles. She smiled at him and kept their hands tightly tangled together before she said, āLogan, I hope you donāt mind if I become a bit of a rebel and keep my ring on. Itās got sentimental value.ā The blond smiled at his star acrobat and was about to answer in the negative when she lifted her left hand and wiggled her fingers in front of his face. The beautiful golden band with a shiny diamond proudly decorated her left ring finger, and the implications hit Logan immediately. He dropped her hand and turned to Spencer, who was awkwardly glancing at the ground in front of them. āSpencer?ā he casually said, approaching the boy. The dark-haired assistant flinched a bit and didnāt answer, but dark eyes lifted uneasily to Loganās face. Their hands grasped as Logan reached over for his, and then shook it firmly. āCongratulations, Spenceā¦ Andā¦ Iām sorry forā¦ for how I treated you when we first met.ā Julian and Derek snickered in the background, silencing only when Merril glared at them. Spencer smiled back and nodded, and although their relationship would still be strained in the future, the apology had mended a bit of the tension between them. The moment was broken by Merril herself, however, when she screamed in delight, gathering everyoneās attention. In a loud voice, she hurried away toward the entrance of the circus, calling out the upcoming boyās name. āReed! Everyone, Reed is here!ā Logan met the artistās eyes, and Reed shrugged apologetically at Logan. An energetic Shane Anderson had bounded away to talk to the leader of the Terpischores, and Logan immediately saw a potential job opportunity arising there. He was pondering the words heād use to convince them both to join ā or, in Reedās case, to return ā the circus when Julianās arms wrapped around his waist and he kissed Loganās shoulder blade. āI never said thank you,ā he whispered in Loganās ear, āfor letting me win.ā Loganās grin returned on his face as he turned around ā he didnāt regret his decision at all. The party roared around them as everyone gathered around the fire, cheering when Travis offhandedly mentioned that he would use his savings to get everyone new stages and props ā āWhy not?ā he laughed loudly ā but the two magicians were too lost in each other to listen in. The success filled them with joy as Logan reached down, kissing Julian deeply, and then smiling into the kiss when his employees erupted into applause for them. Thunderous shouts filled their ears as the moment seemed to freeze in time; life finally gave them some happiness, and they soaked it in with relief. Moments later, they pulled apart and went to sit by the fire with Derek, who had returned to his medic. Somehow, they remained silent, even though there was still so much to be said, yet all three boys were happy. At least, they were happy, until Dwight handed a large, sealed envelope to Logan ā then, they just became wary. Dwightās other hand clutched his notebook, and he had wrapped his pentagram pendant around it to keep it shut. The hunter was pale, but looked determined, the intensity in his face caused just a shred of anxiety to spin itself inside the managerās stomach. āWhat is this?ā Logan asked as he took out the heavy document inside the envelope. There must have been at least a hundred pages, all handwritten. āItās my full report,ā Dwight casually replied, āand a list of recommendations. As I promised you on the day I was hired, I have completed the evaluation. I have proof that something supernatural is happening within the circus, Logan. Iād like to request more weapons to ward off any potential witches, demons, or magicians.ā Julian and Logan glanced sideways at each other, and they both smiled. āOf courseā¦ Anything you need, Dwight.ā
