The People v. Eleanor Warwick
Sinkhole

Slowly moving her hands, Eleanor looks around the cavern.

The pale white lights and the figures from the past have vanished. The ripples in the air ceased. The torrent continues to spin furiously. The multi-colored mix returns. Grey is gone. Likely scattered into microscopic bits or consumed by the torrent.

Lying back, she focuses and casts a healing spell. She screams as her bones crack and contort as they pop back into place. Sitting up, she rubs her legs.

The sound of scattering stone draws her attention. A pile of rock lurches and shifts before it settles back down. The chamber goes quiet until the mound suddenly erupts.

Jessie arises from the gravel with an angry cry. Her tattered hoodie has become more brown than black. Her eyes shift to their natural hazel as her face softens. “What the fuck happened?”

“Grey went in for the Stone. She saved us.”

Jessie approaches the torrent. “So it’s over?”

Rising slowly, Eleanor grunts, a hand on her hip. “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”

The duo head for the incline before Jessie giggles. Surprised by the sound, Eleanor looks to her with a brow raised. “I was just thinking,” she says, trying to wipe the smile from her face, “we killed two bitches with one Stone.”

Eleanor stared at her, unamused. “That’s not funny.”

“Oh, come on,” she responds with a scoff. “They both got what they had coming.”

“Grey sacrificed herself so…” Warwick looks past Jessie as her sentence trails off.

“For fuck’s sake, Warwick!”

“Jessie.”

“What does somebody have to do to stay on your bad side?”

“Jessie,” she says again with slightly more urgency.

“I bet if somebody punched you in the tit, you’d buy them lunch!”

“Jessie!” Warwick lunges forward and tackles her. Before the hellblood can unleash a string of profanity. She sees the colorful whip of energy narrowly miss them as it passes over. The tendril lashes the stone walls of the cavern, leaving a deep gash and sending multi-colored sparks flying about. Jessie rolls to her stomach and looks to the torrent.

The spinning mass wobbles wildly like a top that’s about to fall over. Strips of the torrent fly off the column and cut more gashes into the chamber.

“Shit!” Jessie shouts. “It’s losing its whatever-the-fuck!”

“Containment!”

“Yeah!”

“We have to go! Now!”

The pair leap to their feet and hustle up the spiral incline. Larger sections of the torrent come unhinged and batter the cavern. Another collapse is imminent. Jessie dashes past the wizard with superior speed. “Pick it up, Warwick!”

Eleanor grunts as she picks up the pace. Her newly mended, but incredibly sore legs and hip make the flight difficult.

A sudden tremor causes her to stumble, but she stays on her feet. Arcane power burns through the cavern walls like a hot knife to butter. Within moments, the chamber collapses.

Jessie reaches the library and turns to check Warwick’s progress. When she doesn’t see her, she prepares to head back down to get her. She stops, however, when the floor of the library suddenly lurches and tilts.

She loses her balance and tumbles across the now diagonal surface. She slams into a bookcase before being struck by the tables and chairs that join her. Books fall from the shelves and quickly become a leather-bound avalanche.

When Eleanor reaches the mouth of the spiral, she finds the exit partially blocked by the library floor. Crawling through the slanted opening, she slowly stand, gingerly making her way across the room. “Jessie?”

“I’m here!” she answers, throwing furniture off her. “What the hell is going on?”

“The torrent is destroying the cavern! It’s going to take the building down with it!”

“Well, that is fuckin’ great!” she growls, ascending the slanted floor.

The room shakes and Eleanor reaches out to grab Jessie before she falls back down the tilt. The increasing slant causes two bookcases to fall away from the wall. The large shelves tumble toward them. Eleanor pulls Jessie in close and spins out into the hallway, narrowly avoiding the furniture.

“Go! Go!” Eleanor shouts, pushing Jessie down the hall. Their flight resumes as the academy shifts and sinks around them. Jessie leads the way as they try to backtrack through the corridors. Sections of the roof cave in and the floors split, limiting their options. A sharp turn leads them out onto the balcony. Eleanor eyes the double doors that would lead them out.

Unfortunately, it was on the other side of a massive chasm that greatly contributes to the academy’s collapse. The tremors chip away at the edges of the expanding pit.

“Can you get us to the doors?” Jessie asks with urgency.

Eleanor flexes her fingers as she tries to focus her powers despite the falling fixtures. “Give me your hand,” she requests calmly, extending her arm. Jessie grasps it without hesitation. With a deep breath, Warwick conjures a spell.

A large support beam detaches from the ceiling and descends upon them. Jessie’s eyes widen as the plank nears. “Warwick!”

By the time her shout is completed, the girder crashes down on the platform. The weight shatters the balcony’s supports and tears it from the wall. The platform plummets into the chasm.

Marvin’s eyes are wide with horror as he watches the academy crumbled.

Massive plumes of dirt and dust spread like filthy clouds. Piece by piece the opulent building disappears into a huge sinkhole. Minutes later, there’s silence.

Henry rubs his chin as he waits. He reaches out with his senses but finds nothing. He isn’t ready to write the girl off, though. He’ll stand out there for hours if he needs to.

Marvin seems more prepared to give into despair. He puts his hands on his head and paces nervously.

As the dust begins to settle, two figures emerge. Marvin’s arms drop to his sides. He starts slowly walking toward them. Henry stays put, but allows a smile to edge his lips.

Eleanor wipes dirt from her glasses before popping them back on her nose.

“Ballsy, Warwick,” Jessie says with a smirk. “Teleporting without a landing pad? Even that short a distance, still kinda reckless.”

“Well, somebody once told me that careful lives, but reckless kills.”

“And I stand by that.” Jessie flexes her neck as the duo walk away from the crumbled corpse of Arkshire. “Damn. I need a cigarette. Bad.”

Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out her last cigarette, miraculously still intact. Jessie smiles broadly at her good fortune. “How do you like that shit?”

Matching her beautiful grin, as she always did, Eleanor flicks two fingers and produces a flame from nothing.

Placing the smoke in her lips, Jessie lights the stick and takes a deep drag. She blows smoke into the air as she watches Marvin running toward them. Eleanor sees her smile change. It isn’t quite as broad, but it’s softer, sweeter.

“Hey, what were you going to say in there?”

Eleanor looks away. “Oh, nothing. I don’t even remember.”

Jessie looks her over skeptically. “Uh huh.”

Taking another drag and exhale, Jessie turns to Marvin and heads off to meet him. Eleanor watches them embrace and share a kiss. She waits until they start back toward the cars before following.

She should be happy. They just pulled the entire world back from the brink, after all. She should be happy for Jessie as well. She’s taken a lot of abuse from life, and Marvin is a good bounce that was long overdue.

“Hey, Jessie.” When the couple turn to her, Eleanor tosses Jessie her keys. “Why don’t you guys take my car? I’ll ride back with Henry.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You two have fun.”

“Thanks, Warwick,” she says with a smirk.

“Glad you’re okay, Ms. Warwick,” Marvin says as Jessie turns him back around.

Eleanor only nods to him before turning her attention back to Jessie. “You’re going to put that out before you get in, right?”

Turning back around, eyes rolling, she glares silently before flicking the cigarette away and resuming her pace.

“Thank you.” Eleanor waits for them to get a ways ahead of her before continuing toward Henry. The Hornet pull away by the time she reaches the Mercedes. Henry stands patiently, hands clasped in front of him. “I’m a little disappointed you didn’t run out to meet me,” she says.

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Eleanor freezes before hanging her head. “God. I didn’t think of that.”

“Just have it cleaned. Thoroughly. I take it Agent Grey didn’t make it.”

“No.” Eleanor leans against the passenger side door. She tousles her hair with a tired groan.

“Are you all right, girl?”

“I broke both my legs and probably my hip. Might have a concussion. And on top of that, I’m hungry. So everything hurts.”

Henry rounds the car, opening the driver’s side door. “Well, we’ll fix that. How about some dinner? My treat.” He halts when Eleanor stays put, her back to him, staring at nothing. “Girl?”

“Did you know?” Eleanor asks, her voice subdued.

Henry is quiet a moment, before closing his door. “About the torrent, I mean?”

“I did,” he answers bluntly.

“So Dad did, too.”

“Yes.”

“It’s true then. Arkshire was built so my House could steal magic from kids.”

“I don’t know. It was founded a long time ago.”

“It seems pretty likely, though.” Eleanor finally turns to face her mentor. “I mean, given recent discoveries.”

“Listen, girl, I don’t- .”

“Henry, please. I just need some time with this.” Henry frowns as his protégé opens the passenger door. “I’ve got a long way to come down.”

The door shut and Henry shakes his head. Getting into the car, the Mercedes’ engine revs and they leave Arkshire Academy behind.

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