Who is Magpie?

“Grandfather!” Kookaburra demanded, entering his office unannounced.

He barely looked up from the papers he was signing as he replied. “Somebody was was snooping through the crates.” He said slowly, dipping his pen into an ink well again. “and found something they didn’t like?” He looked up at her now, just one hooded eye made it high enough to make contact with hers.

“What are we doing blowing up aid supplies? You told us they were weapons!” She demanded, thinking of Magpie now laying down in her room with some medicine for her ears. “My team could have been seriously hurt not knowing what was in there.”

“Were they?” He asked instead of addressing the actual problem.

She shuffled her feet slightly before speaking, knowing how he would react. “Magpie was caught in the explosion, her injuries are minor but she’ll be dealing with tinnitus for the rest of the evening.”

He waved an uncaring hand like he was shooing that concern away before it even landed on his desk. “Magpie will be fine, she will not even feel the pain as it heals and tomorrow it will be better than new, thanks to our medicines.”

“You mean she won’t understand the pain!” Kookaburra snapped, unable to restrain it. “She feels everything, you can see it in her eyes, and her body lives in a constant state of tension, unable to process what is happening to it. All thanks to those special teas she gets every morning.”

The surprise that she knew only cross his face for a split second before he began to grin. “I had heard that you two were spending more time together. I let it go because the results from some a friendship were undeniably positive for you both. I also noticed that despite your… concern, you have not tried to halt the teas…?”

Kookaburra gave a curt nod. “I figured stopping something she’s likely been taking since she arrived here would cause health complications.” She muttered her response, deciding to not throw Bluejay under the bus, despite his questionable ethics.

The Martin gave a booming laugh. “You would be right, pulling that girl in from the cold and taking her under my wing was the best choice I ever made. Not only has her mission success been above average, but we were able to test out our teas on a, mostly, willing party.” He took a sip from his own tea cup, likely an oolong without and additives. “As for the warehouse, we are trying to run the wolven out, if we show the people who they really are and that they cannot take care of them it leaves us an opening to come in with our own aid. Really help.. the people.”

He made direct eye contact as she spoke and Kookaburra had to resist the urge to shiver. He was testing her, starting to admit small truths without saying them and gauging her reaction. She worked to relax her face so that she could reply with the casualty that he had.

“They’ll never understand the control the wolves take from them until it is lost. It will be a slow process, but we have made great strides in recent years.” She replied.

His lips pulled back over stained yellow teeth from years and centuries of smoking. “We are closer than you think, our numbers have grown since creating the Garden, and we now have people nestled within the dragon’s layer. Everyday we sink out claws in deeper.” He growled another laugh.

Kookaburra didn’t know how to reply and only nodded before adding. “You need to be honest with me if I am to lead. I need to know the risks on an assignment if I am to be successful.” She tried to maintain an air of authority to her voice, despite feeling like her safety and future were at risk.

He gave a small nod as he lit his pipe, a clear sign he was done with conversation. “And for that alone I apologize, I should have trusted you with that information. I mean, if you can’t trust family, who can you trust?”

The question was loaded so full Kookaburra feared the gun would go off without her saying anything. Instead of risking a reply she gave a short nod and left, leaving the choking sent of tobacco behind her.

It was clear for her now that this mission had been a test. He knew she would snoop, and he wanted to see her reaction to the truth, which made her wonder how much else he had hidden to this point. How many missions had they gone on that had been lies?

After leaving his office she had two directions she could go; towards her bedroom or towards the garden, that also happened to be towards Magpie’s room. She decided she wanted to check on Magpie, but also that she wanted to stop for a walk through the garden.

The fresh scents of the flowers quickly relaxed her shoulders despite the thoughts still humming in the background. The garden was by no means empty but no one was near enough to hear her sigh deeply with the collection of it all. She moved towards her favourite picnic table by the roses, disappointed to see it was full, and then confused when the people quickly got up and left.

Kay realized, without the sadness she thought she would have, that befriending Magpie separated her from the other’s in the Garden. As she sat, Sparrow and Nightingale had spotted her and walked out their way to sit at the same table. Both parties looked mildly miffed, which Kay found somewhat funny.

“Kookaburra, where’s your new bff Magpie?” Nightingale teased, or tried to, but it needed to be a lie to be offensive.

“I’m heading to see her now actually, she isn’t allowed in the garden.” Kay added, done with her grandfather’s lies.

“Not allowed? Why?” Sparrow asked, a tone like she cared slipping in.

“They told her it’s poisonous to anyone but Fae so she won’t go anywhere without permission.” Kay continued, eyeing a bright orange flower and considering bringing it to Magpie, but thinking it might freak her out.

“That’s..!” Nightingale began angrily but seemed to reconsider as she finished. “… sad.”

Both of their shoulders slumped. “The garden is my favourite place.” Sparrow added, “to not be allowed to go outside at all unless you’re on an assignment…”

“Would be torcher.” Nightingale finished for her. “But there’s still stuff to do inside. The games rooms, media rooms,…”

“She’s not allowed.” Kay interrupted. “She’s not allowed anywhere, but they told her that after class there’s a curfew, and after missions there’s a debrief period to stay in her room.”

The others girl’s mouths fell open. “That’s rude.” Nightingale muttered.

“How does no one know?.. how does she not tell anyone? That’s terrible.” Sparrow chirped, apparently getting emotional on Magpie’s behalf.

Kay shrugged like it should be obvious. “Does anyone talk to her? Would they let her if she tried? She joined as a human, she doesn’t know our culture, any of our customs, our rules.. to her she just assumes this is how it is. My grandfather has insured that she is an outsider among us and turned her joining of her own free will into a mockery.”

“Are you sure she joined willingly?” Nightingale asked, a very valid question but one Kay had just hoped was true.

She shrugged. “She doesn’t remember anything from before, and there are gaps she assumes are from her many concussions, but I’m not so sure.”

Sparrow crossed her arms and pouted. “You’ve been hanging out with her for months, why are you just being honest now?”

Kay sighed. “We aren’t who we think we are, any of us, and I’m starting to wonder if the Wolven are even the bad guys.” She replied, voice hushed and low. “The coming months will tell.”

The both gasped, wanting to question further but know Kay wouldn’t have said such a thing so lightly. They nodded, looking around and recognizing this wasn’t the place to talk more.

“We should sneak her out.” Sparrow whispered finally. “Into the garden. She deserves to see it at least once. There are a couple of Doux who… let’s say they owe me a favour.” She said coyly, batting her eyes in a way that said she had been having her own after hours training.

“Sparrow!” Kay gasped softly. “You?”

“A girl has to have her secrets.” She mused, “I can get them to clear the area with the Night Blooming Roses, if you can only see one thing I would pick that one.”

A smile spread over Kay’s lips, “That would be perfect. She can’t see that area from her room and it’s not near the driveway so she’s probably never seen it. Can you arrange it tonight?”

Sparrow nodded. “Whenever you want, but there’s on condition.”

Kay looked worried, thinking back to all the times when she had been kind to Magpie and she thought there was anterior motives. “What is it?”

“After this, you start telling us the truth behind Magpie.” Nightingale finished, knowing exactly where Sparrow was going, and they both nodded.

Kay sighed, if she was to turn this thing around and still somehow take over she would need to regain her popularity, and that would need to start with her previous best friends. “Alright, but you need to keep this under your hat, there’s so much more going on..”

“Understood.” They both agreed easily, just excited to get their friend back.

They continued at the table for only a few more minutes, discussing what time they would meet. Sparrow concluded that she could get the area cleared just before sundown just this once but they couldn’t be late. Kay watched their faces for any signs of deceit, and began to get more excited as their emotions seemed to hold true.

Meanwhile, up in her room Magpie was putting another round of special drops in her ears in an attempt to seize the ringing. She moved towards the window where the air was brisk and warm. The Garden had its own magic to keep it lush all year long, giving her a delightful view whenever she wished. This time though, when she opened the wooden shutters to look out she saw Kay with Sparrow and Nightingale, and a pit of worry weld up inside her stomach.