Back at the cabin, Penny was waiting with the others. "So, how'd it go?" Kai asked.
Penny said, "We got her out. She's pretty banged up, but stable. But uh—we found someone else too."
Kai's expression hardened after that. "Oh? Where is he?"
Alice frowned. "Wait, how did you know the person was a he?" Kai ignored her, walking toward the figure asleep in the corner. Without hesitation, he kicked the body hard enough to rattle the cabin causing the man to scream.
"Yooo, what the fuck?!" Penny shouted.
"Kai!" Alice yelled.
"Holy shit," Quentin muttered.
"Kai, what the hell?" Julia demanded.
Kai meanwhile grabbed the man by the neck, lifting him as the coverings fell away revealing Christopher Plover.
"Ohhh," Eliot drawled. "So that's why he soccer-kicked him. He's the bastard who ruined Martin."
Christopher coughed, panicked. "Martin? He's the one who imprisoned me! After all I did for him—"
"You disgusting motherfucker," Margo spat. "What's that on his face?"
"Age suspension spell," Kai said flatly. His eyes were cold as he looked at the disgusting piece of human infront of him. "You know, I promised your sister that when I found you, I'd kill you. And I intend to keep my word."
Christopher's last sight was Kai's bloodshot eyes, veins darkening his face, fangs bared. With a sickening crack, Kai snapped his neck and let the body crumple.
"I've kept my word," he muttered. "Now… that just leaves Martin."
The others stared at him. "What? He was a child molester. He deserved it."
"Frankly, you should be thanking me."
Alice sighed. "…well, when you put it that way." Kai turned to Penny. "Check on Vicky. I'll deal with the knife."
—————
Later, the group appeared outside the Wellspring cabin. Vicky had helped Penny inscribe runes into his hands, strengthening his ability to carry passengers through travel.
Quentin stared at the wooden walls. "Well that's the place… it's now or never."
One by one, they filed inside. Everyone, except Kai. He lingered outside, eyes scanning the woods. "Wouldn't it be easier to just blow this whole place sky-high?" He shrugged. "Oh well. Either way, that bastard dies before dinner."
With that, Kai walked inside.
The cabin was not what they had expected.
Instead of a throne room or some grand wellspring chamber, it was an imitation, a sickly, distorted copy.
Quentin's eyes widened, his stomach turning. "It's… it's Plover's writing room."
Eliot scoffed bitterly. "All that power, and he still can't stop thinking about where it all started. Where it happened."
Margo, who had been staring at the strange shimmer of the ring on her finger, finally looked up. "Well, looks like Fillory needs a trauma therapist more than it needs magic."
"Yeah," Eliot muttered, glancing around. "Okay. So… where's the actual Wellspring?"
Alice's gaze softened with a kind of pity. "Poor Martin…"
But before Quentin could respond, he froze mid-step. His eyes darted around the room. "…Uh, guys? Where's Kai?"
Julia's stomach dropped. "…Shit."
"Not the time to be losing one of us," Margo snapped, her voice sharper than usual to mask her worry.
Julia made for the door, but then she saw something dark flitting past the window. A wasp. Then another. Her face went pale.
Quentin followed her gaze, his voice trembling. "…Oh my God."
The air grew heavy as the swarm poured in, buzzing violently, blackening the air. The stingers glistened in the cabin light, but what made their blood freeze was the figure that followed.
Martin.
He stepped forward calmly, the wasps covering his face, distorting it, obscuring the man beneath.
Quentin swallowed hard. "…Hi, Martin. We know it's you."
The swarm peeled away like a veil, revealing Martin's amused grin. "Hmm. You made it a good long way this time around." His eyes flicked about the group. "No doubt searching for your absent friend, hmm well you wouldn't see him anymore? Well, I'm afraid this is it, Quentin."
He strolled casually toward the liquor shelf, poured himself a drink, and swirled it like they were old friends catching up.
"I know you're still in there," Quentin blurted.
Julia snapped her head toward him. "Quentin, he's not! Not anymore."
But Quentin ignored her. His voice was steady, desperate. "Look at all this. The representation, the theatrics it shows that you still feel. You still hurt. After what happened to you, how could you not?"
Martin regarded him like he was a bug crawling across the floor. Then he smirked. "My, my… mediocre and their sentimentality. You're always so predictable. Although…" His eyes narrowed. "There is something off about you lot this time. Different from the other versions I've butchered."
He sipped his drink, letting the silence stretch. "Most people wouldn't walk into certain death forty times in a row. You're no quitter. I'll give you that." He looked directly at Julia and smiled, voice honeyed. "And neither are you, my darling."
Julia sneered. "Yeah? Well, go fuck yourself."
Martin chuckled. "Mnn. Spirited. But this dance is growing tedious. Let's end it."
He paused, as though suddenly remembering something. "Oh and your friend. What was his name again? Ken? Kay?"
"Kai," Julia spat.
"Ah yes." Martin's grin widened. "He made the most outrageous promise. Said he'd hunt me down and kill me no matter where I ran. Brave words… but funny. Because I am about to wipe the floor with the lot of you, and he's nowhere to be found." His laughter rang out, sharp and mocking. "Thanks to my protection charm, he's tucked away somewhere far, far away."
He raised his glass in a mock toast. "So. Shall we?"
Quentin stumbled forward. "Wait! Wait. Jane gave me a message for you. A gift. She said you'd want it that you'd understand."
Martin arched a brow, intrigued. Quentin fumbled into his pocket and pulled out his deck of cards.
The beast barked a laugh. "Card tricks? Oh Quentin, your stalling tactics are pitiful."
But his words faltered when his body suddenly twisted with pain, his face contorting.
Julia's hand was raised, glowing faintly. She gritted her teeth. "Yeah, well you shouldn't have gotten distracted."
Martin turned toward her, only for his left arm to snap with a sickening crack as Eliot and Margo unleashed the bone-breaking spell. His scream was cut short as Quentin, Alice, and Penny together unleashed the immobilization charm, freezing him mid-step.
"Holy shit!" Quentin gasped. "We're doing it!"
"Stop talking, you twat!" Margo snarled, sweat dripping down her forehead. "It's taking everything I've got to keep him down."
"Focus!" Julia barked, struggling to maintain her hold.
"Can't you cast a boundary spell or something?" Penny hissed through clenched teeth.
"I can't!" Julia swore. "This is burning everything I have!"
Blood began to pour from Martin's nose. He chuckled through the pain, his voice dripping with contempt. "Children. Learning new tricks, I see. Clever, clever. But not clever enough."
His eyes began to glow, bright and dangerous. Penny's face blanched. "…oh Shit."
Martin smiled, blood dripping from his lips. With a guttural roar, he released a wave of raw magic that sent them all flying into the walls.
"You cannot defeat me!" he thundered. His body straightened, his suit shifting as though mocking their attempts. "You are all out of your depth. I have beaten you thirty-nine times, and this will be no different. You think trickery will save you? It wouldn't."
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