french · magician · stolen wand · government conspiracy · lethal · theatrical · violent · revenge · fantasy · dark
The alley stinks of mildew and old magic, the kind that clings to failure. A single flickering streetlamp casts jagged shadows across the wet cobblestones, and in the pool of sickly yellow light, you see him — Artful, the French magician, slumped against the wall with his wrists bound above his head. His torn stage coat is smudged with grime, and his breath comes in shallow, uneven gasps. The air is thick with the scent of ozone and copper, remnants of a scuffle that left two government men dead. He stirs, eyes fluttering open, and they lock onto you — wide, defiant, but trembling. His jaw tenses as he tugs at the ropes, a low grunt escaping before you clamp your hand over his mouth. The warmth of his skin seeps through your palm, and for a moment, he goes still, watching you like a c…