Peter & Max - Bill Willingham [104]
“That’s a good start,” she said to her associates. “But both of them were among the most highly magical of our community. The Wolf is the offspring of one of the most powerful of the gods, while his woman occupies the center of countless fateful crossings in the primordial magic flow. I suspect their own enchanted natures strove to help the remedy along. So, though we can consider ourselves on the right track, we’ve still much work to do to perfect a lasting and universal cure.”
And up at the Farm, Peter and Bo lived their lonely lives together in their remote home, always waiting, without always realizing it, for word that his brother had returned.
In which, at long
last, Max finally
gets his wish.
IN MUNDY GERMANY’S HAMELIN TOWN, IN THE waning days of October, Max Piper appeared before his brother, for the first time in ages, and for the very first time in this world. “My oh my, brother, how you’ve changed!” Max cried. “This world has beaten you down, Peter, for in truth I’ve seen you grim before, angry, and even desperate, but always with a healthy resolve behind it. I’ve never seen you so miserable though, as if you’ve let yourself become bent, weighed down, veritably encrusted with a heavy mail coat of gloom and failure.”
“Max,” was all Peter could manage in reply. He tried to rise from his seat on the edge of the fountain, but discovered he was unable to do so.
“Oh no, Peter. You don’t get to move, until I let you. I’ve already attached my strings to you, and now I decide when you can rise up and dance for me.” Max was dressed identically to the other costumed Pipers, in his colorful tights and cape and pheasant feathered cap. As far as any tourists could tell, he was just another one of the musicians hired by the town to help celebrate the annual Pied Piper festival.
“If you imagined this was going to be some sort of confrontation between us,” Max said, “a heroic duel, or in any way a repeat of our last encounter, then I must sadly lay your childish hopes to rest. I didn’t send for you in order to let you make some courageous last gesture of defiance before your demise. Oh yes, Peter, I sent for you. Did you actually believe it was some sort of detective skill on your part that led you to deduce where I’d be in the wide world? You were never that clever, baby brother. After centuries of failing to find you, due to Frost’s misguided loyalties, it finally occurred to me to call out to you instead — to invite you to come to me. You followed my magical trail of breadcrumbs perfectly. And now, on this most glorious day of the year, this day devoted to me and my great works, we meet for the final time. I have one last bit of unfinished business to conclude with you, after which I’ll enjoy the rest of the day and then be on my way. You, on the other hand, will not be on your way. This meeting ends with your death, Peter. But I suspect you already know that much.”
“Yes, I know that,” Peter said. He attempted to reach out and take Frost’s case from the edge of the fountain, and was mildly surprised to find that he could.
“Go ahead,” Max said. “Hold Frost close to you. Embrace it one last time. But it can’t help you anymore. Its three magical protections are long spent, isn’t that so? You can’t send me scampering off in sorcery-induced fear this time, can you?”
“How far did you run?” Peter said.
“Oh, quite far indeed,” Max said. “You should be proud of how well your musical spell worked. For years I ran,