chapter five
i know the end

     Sometimes, when Sabrina has nothing else to do, they allow her to watch the doors that connect Kamar-Taj to the three sanctum branches of the Mystic Arts.  There isn't much that she can do wrong with a job like this and it makes her feel important.  Sabrina eyes the door that leads to the New York Sanctum.  She supposes that there isn't anybody to stop her from leaving through the door and never coming back.  After all, isn't everything that she wants right behind that door?  But the truth is, Sabrina knows that she isn't prepared for whatever lies beyond the door in New York City.  She's still a kid.  She still knows nothing of the world beyond Kamar-Taj.  She wouldn't last a week alone because, in a place like New York, she is just a mouse among men.

That doesn't make the temptation any weaker.  Sometimes Sabrina wonders what would happen if they were to just disappear.  Would they come looking for her?  Or would they let her go like sand slipping through their fingers?  Would it be better for her if they let her be, or would it hurt her if they don't search for her?  She doesn't get to ponder this much longer, as suddenly the double doors that guard the three doors are pushed open.  Wong, followed by Mordo and Stephen enters the chamber.

"While the Avengers protect the world from physical dangers," Wong is saying as he crosses to the center of the room and activates the glowing glove, "we sorcerers safeguard it from more mystical threats."

"What's going on?" Sabrina asks in a low voice, edging closer to Mordo.

"We're teaching Mister Strange about our purpose," Mordo replies.

"The Ancient One is the latest in a long line of Sorcerers Supreme," Wong continues, "going back thousands of years to the father of Mystic Arts...the mighty Agamotto.  The same sorcerer who created the eye you so recklessly borrowed."

Sabrina raises her eyebrows.  "Oh, so I missed a chapter."

"Agamotto built three Sanctums in places of power where great cities now stand," Wong explains.  He tilts his head up to gaze at the glowing glove above their heads and raises his arm, turning the globe along with him.  He points to the door on the far left.  "That door leads to the Hong Kong Sanctum," he then points to the door on the far right, "that door to the New York Sanctum," and finally, he points to the door in the center, "that one to the London Sanctum.  Together, the Sanctums generate a protective shield around our world."

Sabrina watches as the globe spins faster.  Three protective runes appear just above the surface, expanding from the three locations of the sanctums.  It's an intricate system.  They protect the Sanctums, and in return the Sanctums protect them.  Sabrina finds it funny how eventually, everything connects.  History repeats itself as it always has.  Humanity is just fragmented pieces scattered across a timeline.  But in the end, don't we all come together to protect our world?

"The Sanctums protect the world." Mordo is the one to speak up this time.  "And we sorcerers protect the Sanctums."

"From what?" Stephen inquires.

"Other dimensional beings that threaten our universe," Wong answers.

"Like Dormammu."

The name sends shivers crawling down Sabrina's spine. 

Mordo's head snaps to Stephen.  "Where did you learn that name?"

"I just read it in The Book of Cagliostro," Stephen answers slowly.  "Why?"

Modro and Wong exchange grave looks.  Wong lets out a sigh and turns the disc on the table.  The runes fade away from the glove and the tiny pinpricks of light fade away once more.  "Dormammu resides in the Dark Dimension.  Beyond time.  He is the cosmic conqueror...the destroyer of worlds." 

As Wong continues to slowly turn the disc, the globe continues to turn, and darkness begins to spread across the surface.  It reminds Sabrina of infection, spreading and consuming until there is nothing left.

"A being of infinite power and endless hunger...on a quest to invade every universe...and bring all worlds into his Dark Dimension.  And he hungers for Earth most of all," Wong finishes.

Stephen nods slowly.  "The pages that Kaecilius stole."

"The ritual to contact Dormammu and draw power from the Dark Dimension," Wong confirms. 

Silence settles between them, allowing Stephen to absorb the new information.  Then he laughs.  "Uh...okay...okay, uh, I-I'm out.  I..." He lets out another nervous laugh.  "I came here to heal my hands.  Not to fight in some...mystical war."

Neither of the three has time to answer before a distant bell begins to ring throughout the room.

Wong's head snaps up to the globe.  "London."

As if on cue, the London door opens.  Sabrina whirls around to see a man charging toward the doorway.  She can see the terror that's written on his face and the figure that looms just behind him.  Sabrina doesn't have to see the future to know how this ends.  She knows that he is already beyond saving.  His death was written in the stars just moments before the bells of the London sanctum rang.  He bursts through the translucent doorway with a grunt and collapses to his knees, falling limply to the ground.   Sabrina lets out a strangled sort of sob and covers her mouth.  She doesn't need to investigate to know that the man is dead.  Stephen instinctively steps in front of her, shielding her from the view of the limp body.

Everything happens so quickly after that.

"Kaecilius!" She hears Wong scream.

"No!" Mordo shouts.

And then suddenly, a blinding light.  She hears the sound of an explosion and she's flying backward through the air.  She slams into something solid that gives way almost as soon as her back makes contact with it and tumbles to the ground, rolling into a wall as debris rains down around her.  Coughing, Sabrina pushes herself up from the ground with trembling arms before collapsing again.  Her ears are ringing and the only thing that she can hear is the beating of her own heart.  She's dimly aware of something dripping down her forehead and into her eyes and she can taste blood in her mouth.  Slowly, she raises a hand to her forehead and her fingers come back stained with blood.  Her stomach churns.  She thinks she might throw up.  She can barely see anything through the dust that settles in her hair like snow.  She feels numb.  She doesn't know what happened.  It feels almost as if the world has paused. All she knows is that she isn't in Kamar-Taj anymore.

She feels helpless as she lays on her back and stares up at the ceiling above her, but she cannot bring herself to move, not yet.  She's still regaining her breath.  She just needs to catch her breath and then she'll be all right.  Sabrina is dimly aware that she is alone in whatever dream state she's found herself in—if this is even a dream at all.  She aches for The Ancient One because this isn't a problem that she can fix all on her own.  This is so much bigger than just her.  This is so much bigger than scraped knees and bruised knuckles.  This isn't another one of her alleyway brawls.  This is so much more.  There is so much more than just her safety at stake and Sabrina doesn't know what to do.  The Ancient One would know what to do.  The Ancient One always knows what to do. 

And then the world starts again.

"Wong?" She faintly hears a voice call.  She cannot begin to describe the relief that flows over her.  She's not so alone after all.  "Mordo?"

"Doc?" Sabrina calls desperately, pushing herself up.  "Please tell me that's you."

"Sabrina?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out," Sabrina replies half-heartedly with a weak smile as Stephen rushes over to her.  His trembling hands grip her forearms and she helps to pull her up.  "What the hell happened?"

"You're bleeding," Stephen points out.

"No shit, Sherlock," Sabrina replies with a grunt.  "We gotta get out of here."

Stephen nods and together, they stumble into the entry hall.  Sabrina turns around slowly, studying the surroundings.  Stephen is the first to step out when he pushes open the doors.  Sabrina follows after him.  She stares around in wonder, slowly spinning around in a circle.  Cars line the sides of the streets and the buildings stretch for miles around her.  It's loud—much louder than it is back in Kathmandu.  She becomes acutely of the people who stare at them, but she's too captivated by her surroundings to care.  She turns back to face the towering building from whence they had emerged, craning her head to see just where the top of the building met the sky and then down at the small metal plaque beside the door.

177A Bleeker Street.

"Where are we?" Sabrina asks.

"New York," Stephen answers.

"No way," Sabrina murmurs.  "I've always wanted to go to New York."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but we can't sightsee right now," Stephen replies.

"Right," Sabrina replies.  "Right."

"We need to get back inside," Stephen tells her, "Maybe there's somebody who can help us.  And patch you up."

"I'm fine, Doc," Sabrina replies.

"You're bleeding," he reminds her.

"It doesn't matter," she replies as they walk back up the steps to the building.  "This is much bigger than just you and me."

Everything screams at Sabrina to turn back as she and Stephen wander the empty halls of the New York Sanctum.  The building is eerily empty and silent. This does not bode well with Sabrina. There's a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that tells her that something bad is about to happen. She feels sick but she isn't sure if it's residue from the explosion back at Kamar-Taj or something else entirely.

"Hello?" Stephen calls.

His voice echoes through the empty hallways, eliciting no response.

"Whoa," Sabrina whispers as her eyes land on what lies before them at the end of the hallway.

Three glass doors sit on the wall, each showing a different location on the other side.  The first—the door to the farthest left—shows a forest with towering trees and effervescent fauna.  Shafts of sunlight filter through the trees and she thinks that she sees a deer dart across the line of vision.  The forest looks peaceful and still and for a moment, Sabrina too is washed up in its tranquility.  The door in the middle shows the ocean.  Waves wash up against the rocks and a light fog has settled on the surface of the water.  The sky is gloomy and overcast.  The door to the right shows snowy mountain tops.  Small flurries of snow fall from the sky and settle onto the ground, coating the mountains in a blanket of a winter wonderland.  Just beyond that, she can see tiny moving specks in the distance, and wonders if they are mountain goats. 

Stephen steps forward and pulls open the middle doors.  Sabrina's hair is pushed back in the sudden wind and she can feel the spray of sea salt on her skin.  She hears the wave crash against an invisible shore and can smell the salt in the air.  She's never been to the ocean, Kathmandu is too far away from the coast.  She has never had a reason to visit the ocean.

"Wicked," Sabrina whispers. 

Stephen closes the doors and the song of the sea fades away.  The salt still lingers in the air and on Sabrina's skin.  She hopes to come back to this door one day.  She longs for the spray of the ocean.  Stephen's gaze then lands on the dial beside the door.  Reaching out, he turns it and Sabrina watches as the scenery changes rapidly, almost as though it were on a film reel.  The ocean is replaced with a desert.  Rolling dunes run as far as Sabrina can see.  Bright sunlight shines down on them.  It looks still and deserted. 

Sabrina wants to stay in this corridor for a few moments longer, but Stephen has already moved on and Sabrina does not want to be left alone in the empty Sanctum.  She follows Stephen down another hallway that leads to a room filled with display cases.  Sabrina can feel the hum of magic and it almost makes her double over, it's so strong.  The stronger the magic is, the more it hurts.  On most days, it's just a buzz in the back of her head—it's been there so long that she hardly even remembers that it's there.  She feels drawn to the relics behind the glass, almost as if there's an invisible string that runs through her stomach and tethers her to them.  Sabrina had always been sensitive to magic in a way that most sorcerers were not.  In the same way that she hungered for it on most days, she felt drawn to it.

She follows the pull in her stomach that is the strongest and finds herself standing in front of two identical display cases.  A deep red cloak hovers in the case to the left while a hooded, deep purple cloak hovers in the right.  The purple cloak seems almost to perk up at Sabrina's presence.  She grins and waves at it.  The purple cloak lifts one of its corners and waves back.  Sabrina lets out a small laugh.  She wonders if there's a way to open the display case.

"Hello?" Stephen calls into the empty room.

"Doc, check this out," Sabrina calls.

Stephen joins her side in front of the red cloak's display case. 

It almost seems to move with him as he centers himself in front of the cloak.  He looks it up and down before turning away.  Sabrina lets out a sigh and follows after Stephen, leaving the cloak behind.  They make their way over to the window that no doubt would give Sabrina a breathtaking view of the city below, but before they can reach it, a loud crackling fills the attic.  Sabrina doesn't need the telltale wave of nausea to know that it is strong magic that is being used.

Sabrina and Stephen exchange glances. Stephen approaches the stairs and motions for her to stay behind him. Sabrina rolls her eyes but complies. Stephen shrinks behind a pillar as he reaches the bottom of the stairs while Sabrina watches from the railing. A hand shoots out from behind the pillar and secures itself around Sabrina's upper arm, dragging her with it. Sabrina glares at Stephen and opens her mouth to argue, but Stephen raises a single, tremoring finger to his lips and Sabrina closes her mouth.

A lone figure stands in the entry hall armed with nothing but a staff. Sabrina watches as the doorway ripples open and Kaecilius stands in the entrance flanked by two of his disciples. History is repeating itself once more and Sabrina thinks that she's going to be sick all over again. She does not be forced to watch as another person is slaughtered but she knows that this is how it will end. With blood staining the soles of her shoes and pooling on the ground. This is how it always ends and Sabrina does not have the power to end it. Not yet.

"Daniel, I see they have made you the master of the Sanctum," Kaecilius says.

"You know what that means?" Daniel responds.

"That you'll die protecting it," Kaecilius answers, forming a translucent spear in between his hands.

And Sabrina knows that Kaecilius's words ring true. This is the grim reality of a Sorcerer. You are raised like a lamb to the slaughter. You are expected to lay down your life for forces well beyond your comprehension. You are expected to die in battle if it means that you will save the world in the process. You are expected to die in a war that you did not want to be a part of. This is the price of becoming a Master of the Mystic Arts. This is a price that Sabrina does not think she is willing to pay. But Sabrina did not have a choice in the matter. Sabrina never has a choice. She knows the end of her tale just as she knows the end of all sorcerers: dying for a cause that she had never wanted to be a part of in the first place.

Sabrina has already planned how she'll go out: with a weapon in hand and a pair of cracked lips and blood-stained teeth. She had always hoped it would be outside of Kamar-Taj. One taste of the outside world before she leaves it. Sabrina has thought about her end more and more ever since Abiral had been slaughtered. She just hadn't expected it to come so soon. She hadn't expected that today might be her end.

Daniel readies his relic and swings at first disciple to his left. Screams fill the air as Daniel knocks down both disciples on either side of him. Daniel is fast, but Kaecilius is faster. Sabrina watches with both hands clasped over his mouth as Kaecilius whirls around and slashes Daniel across the leg. The sorcerer lets out a cry of pain as he collapses onto the ground.

"Stop!" Stephen screams, vaulting over the railing, just as Kaecilius drives his translucent weapon through Daniel's gut.

The world falls silent.

Kaecilius looks up and sharply pulls the spear out of Daniel's gut. His limp body falls to the ground with a sickening thud. It takes all of Sabrina's willpower not to scream. But Daniel is not dead yet. He's trying to push himself up from his knees. He still has hope. She wants to run. She wants to run far away and never look back but she's rooted to the spot—whether it's out of morbid fascination or fear she does not know. Stephen seems to shrink back under Kaecilius' gaze. Sabrina is surprised that he didn't turn on his heel then and there and run.

Kaecilius takes a few, ambling steps toward the bottom of the staircase. "How long have you been at Kamar-Taj, Mister..."

"Doctor," Stephen corrects.

Kaecilius pauses. "Mister Doctor?"

If they were in any other situation, Sabrina would have laughed.

Stephen lets out a sigh. "It's Strange."

"Maybe," Kaecilius agrees. "Who am I to judge?

And with that, he turns and stabs Daniel in the gut once more. Sabrina flinches as she hears the sickening sound of skin tearing. Daniel is dead. Daniel died for the Sanctum. Instantly, Stephen jumps into action, forming blazing strings between his fingertips. Sabrina closes her eyes and forms two small shields in front of her hands. She's always been more defensive than offensive.

"Sabrina, run!" Stephen shouts as Sabrina joins his side on the landing.

"What? Are you crazy?!" Sabrina shouts. "I'm not leaving you here!"

She watches as suddenly, Kaecilius leaps and sprints across the wall, breaking all known laws of physics. His disciples do the same. Sabrina gulps.

"You know what, on second thought—"

"GO!" Stephen screams.

Sabrina doesn't need to be told twice.

She turns and vaults over the railing, sprinting down the nearest hallway. She turns back to see Stephen dodging and ducking in a clash of golden sparks. Her eyes catch a lone vase that sits in the hallways, and she hurls it into the clash, buying Stephen enough time to vault over the railing and join her in the hallway. The end of the hallway is just within reach, if they can make it to the three doors, they might be able to lose Kaecilius and his disciples.

Sabrina is suddenly overcome with a strong wave of vertigo as the hallway elongates. This is a scene out of a horror movie, Sabrina thinks to herself. The floor creaks underneath them and Sabrina realizes with a sickening feeling that they are not getting any closer to the doors. Kaecilius and his two disciples loom in the entryway of the hall.

"Shit," Sabrina whispers.

She and Stephen stop and turn to face them. And she knows that this is what Mordo had trained her for. For all she knows, this may as well be the fight of her life and she will not go down without a struggle.

"We need the girl alive," Kaecilius says.

This makes Sabrina's heart stop in her chest.

She stares wide-eyed at Stephen, who only stares back. She's overcome with a sudden wave of fear. Why? Why? Why? Why? What was so special about Sabrina? Why couldn't they kill her? They should've killed her. She thinks she would be better off if they had killed her that night along with Abiral. Why did they have to die while she got to live? Did they all die because of her? Will Stephen die because of her? In the end, when everything is through, is she the one at the center of all this pain and suffering?

Sabrina sets her jaw.

Her shields flicker to life in front of her once more.

Stephen jumps into his battle stance, his own shields expanding from his clenched fists. Sabrina watches as the shield over Stephen's right fist flickers out in a shower of golden sparks. Stephen's eyes wide and he glances down at his clenched fist, shaking it as though he expected the shield to appear once more.

"Aw, seriously, dude?" Sabrina groans.

"Shut up," Stephen replies.

Kaecilius and his disciples each take two, looming steps forward before they spring into action. Kaecilius jumps and flips, landing with his feet on the ceiling while his two followers take a few bounding steps and leap onto the walls, running along them at superhuman speed. Sabrina lets out a groan.

"Oh, that is so not fair!" She exclaims.

She ducks the first attack, rolling out of the way, and rises once more to face off with the zealot. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the other zealot lunge at Steven as they grapple against gravity. Her momentary distraction is just enough for the zealot, and she feels an arm around her throat. Gripping the zealot's forearm with both hands, she throws herself forward, flipping the zealot up and over her head and slamming them to the ground with a thud just as Stephen is sent flying backward down the hallway. Summoning her shields again, Sabrina faces the zealot as they charge toward her.

"Duck!" She hears Stephen shout.

"What?" Sabrina screams, but her body is already going through the motions before she can fully register what Stephen has instructed. Mere seconds later, a whip of pure golden light arcs overhead and strikes the zealot who had charged at them. They fall to the ground with a grunt of pain and slide across the floor.

Sabrina lets out an alarmed yelp as the room suddenly rotates, almost as if it were on its own axis. She's thrown off of her feet in the sudden change of gravity and crashes into what used to be the wall with a thud. Her head crashes through a display case and glass shatters around her, settling in her hair and cutting her face and fingers. The room rotates again and Sabrina is slammed into the opposite wall, knocking a painting off of its hanger in the process before tumbling back down the ground again as the room resets. She lets out a cough, staring up at the ceiling, chest heaving as she tries to regain the breath that had been knocked out of her.

Stephen is already stumbling up and rushes to her side, slinging Sabrina's arm around his shoulders and hauling her up. Together, they run toward the stairs, but their momentary peace is broken as the floor begins to tilt backward. Sabrina loses her footing first, tripping over the open pages of a book and landing on her stomach. Desperately, she claws for something, anything to keep her anchored.

"Ó cāo!" She swears loudly in Chinese just as her fingers grip the edge of the wall.

She can already feel her grip slipping away as the room is tilted vertically.  Stephen dangles just below her, hands clamped tightly around the lamp bolted into the wall.  Sabrina lets out another scream as her fingers slip and she feels herself falling once more.  Her frantically searching hands clamp around Stephen's ankle as she dangles dangerously over the void.  If she were to fall now, she would crash through the center door and into the desert.

"Doc, I swear to God, if you let go I will kill you!" Sabrina screams.

"Sabrina, you have to trust me!" Stephen shouts back.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you trust me?"

"No!" Sabrina exclaims.  "This isn't Aladdin!"

"Listen," Steve tells her calmly.  "I'm going to let go.  But it's going to be okay."

And before Sabrina can protest, Stephen lets go.

author's note: i can write metaphorical pain, but when it comes to physical pain?  forget it.  but yes, they are getting matching cloaks because i think that's cute.  and because the cloak of levitation is so fucking cool & their cloaks are besties (real).  brina also just has a lot of survivor's guilt.  i can't wait to send her to therapy.