Charmed Offensive

by Annabel Chase

  “Good night, Dr. Hall,” someone called.

  “See you soon,” I said to the vampire.

  Dr. Hall tipped an imaginary hat. “Namaste, mother—”

  “Thank you, Dr. Hall,” I blurted. Loudly.

  As we left the library, the pregnant werewolf said in a hushed tone, “I’m a little afraid to come back to the next class, Nick.”

  Her werewolf husband lit up like the Vegas strip. “Are you kidding? It’s better than a night at the Speckled Owl. I can hardly wait.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Daniel didn’t bat an eye when I announced the next morning that I’d requested a meeting with Warden Theo Armitage to discuss my father. The warden offered to see me between classes today because he was starting a new assignment for the AMF the next day and wasn’t sure when he’d be available again.

  As promised, Daniel drove me across two hours to where the Spellslingers Academy of Magic was located. To my credit, I only made him stop three times so that I could pee.

  “Wow, this place is a school?” I asked, once we’d parked in the overflow lot and passed through the gateway. With its spires and flying banners, the building looked more like a castle.

  “I wouldn’t mind living in a dorm here,” Daniel said. “I bet the rooms are as nice as ours at home.”

  “Yes, but you’d have to share them with other students.”

  “So? I have to share our house with a ghost, an owl, and a hellbeast.”

  I smiled up at him. “True, and you’re very good about it.”

  We followed the signs to the entrance, admiring the architecture along the way.

  “You’d never come out of that library,” Daniel said, gesturing to the transparent wall that revealed rows upon rows of bookshelves.

  I approached the base of the steps, where two gargoyle statues guarded the library entrance. “Nobody has gargoyles like these in their gardens,” I said. “Amanda needs to up her game.”

  “They’re kind of grotesque,” Daniel said.

  “Who are you calling grotesque, Mr. Fluff and Feathers?”

  I whipped toward Daniel. “Who said that?”

  “Look over here and I’ll tell you, pretty one,” the voice said.

  “It’s the gargoyle!” I said and jerked my hand away from where it rested on his head.

  “You look lost, little lamb,” the gargoyle said. “Maybe we can direct you.”

  “We’re looking for Warden Theo Armitage,” Daniel said.

  The gargoyle on the right studied us. “Who’s asking?”

  “I’m Emma Hart and this is my husband, Daniel Starr.”

  “You look familiar,” the gargoyle on the left said. “Were you a student here?”

  “Of course she wasn’t,” the gargoyle on the right said. “We’d remember her, wouldn’t we, George? We remember almost everyone that graduates from Spellslingers.”

  “We sure do, Fred,” George said. “You have a lot of power, did you know that?”

  I smiled at the gargoyle. “So I’ve been told.”

  “Don’t make them late for Armitage,” Fred said. “The warden can be a downright grump.”

  “He has an office on the main floor,” George added. “Go through the main entrance. If you reach Chancellor Tilkin’s office, then you’ve gone too far.”

  “Thank you,” I said. Excitement rose within me as Daniel and I made our way inside. Could Warden Armitage really help me find the information I wanted? My nerves began to build.

  I clasped Daniel’s hand, wanting to share my anxious energy. I’d been ambivalent about my father before, but the impending birth had changed my mind. I had no other biological family left that I knew of. If my father was out there then, at the very least, I wanted to know his name.

  We arrived at the office and I heard the shuffling of papers inside. “He’s in there,” I whispered.

  “He is,” a rumbling voice called back. “Who’s out there?”

  I poked my head in the doorway. “Thank you so much for agreeing to see me, Warden Armitage.” I hoped he was nicer than during our last meeting at Raisa’s cottage.

  “Emma Hart,” he said. “Good to see you again.” His gaze flickered over my shoulder to Daniel. “And you brought a friend.”

  “Daniel Starr,” the angel said. “Emma’s husband.”

  Warden Armitage waved us in. “Have a seat, you two.” He hurried to the chairs and scooped up the stacks of paper to make room for us. “I’m sorry these chairs don’t accommodate wings very well.”

  “That’s okay,” Daniel said. “I’m used to it.” He crammed his large white wings against the back of the chair.

  “As you can probably guess, we’re having a baby,” I said, easing myself into the chair.

  Warden Armitage examined me closely. “And that’s why you’ve been thinking about your biological father.”

  “Is that strange?” I asked.

  “No, I think it’s only natural that you would,” he replied.

  I fidgeted in my seat, my nerves getting the better of me. “Were you able to find anything?”

  The warden perched on the corner of the desk. “Are you sure you want to know?”

  My stomach clenched. “Because he’s evil and will likely kill me?”

  Warden Armitage broke into a grin. “Stars and stones, Emma. When you go dark, it’s midnight.”

  Daniel chuckled and patted my arm. “It isn’t typical, Warden. She’s generally our ray of sunshine.”

  He stood and smoothed his shirt. “As it happens, I’d done a little digging after we met because, as I think I mentioned at the time, your mother’s file made no mention of a child.”

  I nodded, remembering. “The only information I have about my father is from letters my mother wrote to my adoptive parents. She doesn’t say much, though.” And most of it wasn’t in glowing terms.

  Warden Armitage offered a sympathetic smile. “I asked the agency to send over the file I pulled together. It’s here in the records room. Give me a few minutes to grab it and I’ll share what we know.”

  The warden left the office and I leaned to rest my head on Daniel’s shoulder. I was so anxious that I felt ready to vomit.

  A dark-haired young woman peered inside the office. “Warden?” She stopped when she noticed us. “Hey, I remember you. Your owl crapped on the warden’s head. It was amazing.”

  I laughed. “I feel guilty about it now. He’s being so helpful.”

  She waved a dismissive hand. “He deserved it. I’m Bryn Morrow.”

  “I’m Emma Hart and this is my husband, Daniel Starr,” I said.

  Bryn gazed at me with interest. “Have you decided to join the academy?”

  I gestured to my belly. “Probably not the best idea at the moment.”

  Bryn’s eyes rounded. “Oh, wow. How did I miss that?”

  “I’ll take it as a compliment,” I said. “I’m here to learn about my father. Warden Armitage said he has information.”

  Bryn’s expression clouded over. “Be careful what you wish for on that front.”

  My radar pinged. “Why? Do you know something?”

  “No, no. I’m just talking from my own experience. Not all fathers are worth finding, you know?”

  Daniel threaded his fingers through mine. “Even his identity would be something. A name we can tell the baby someday.”

  “Boy or girl?” Bryn asked.

  “We don’t know yet,” I replied. “We’re waiting for the birth.”

  “I don’t know how people do that,” she said. “I’m impatient. I’d want to know the second an extra chromosome formed.”

  I laughed. “That would be some impressive technology.”

  She smiled. “Or magic.”

  Warden Armitage returned with a red folder. “What’s up, Morrow? Are you pestering my guests?”

  “No, I wanted to ask you about an assignment,” Bryn said. “I can come back later, though.”

  A slight grin emerged. “Be honest,
you wanted an excuse to pass by the cafeteria,” he said.

  “Like I need an excuse,” Bryn said and paused. “They do have those amazing cinnamon buns today.” She glanced at me. “I highly recommend them. Your baby will thank you.” She tapped the doorframe. “Good luck with everything.”

  “You, too,” I said, as she disappeared into the corridor.

  Warden Armitage sat behind his desk and set down the red folder. “What I’m about to tell you is classified. It could end my career.”

  I straightened in my seat. “Top Gun!”

  The warden frowned. “Excuse me?”

  “You quoted Top Gun, when Maverick is about to find out about his dad…” I trailed off. “Okay, maybe not.”

  The warden chuckled and shook his head. “Now you sound like Bryn with her Terrene references.” He opened the folder. “We were able to piece together the identity of your father based on the reports of your mother and her agency partner.”

  “How accurate is that?” Daniel asked. “Sounds too circumstantial.”

  The warden met his critical gaze. “We feel pretty confident about it.”

  “Was my mother tracking him?” I asked. “Was he a criminal?”

  “No, but it seems that she relied on him as an asset at one point,” the warden said. “He’s listed in a few of her reports and then the mentions of him stop abruptly. We were able to do further research on him.” He paused and looked at me. “Are you sure you want this information?”

  “Why does everyone keep asking me that?” My hands balled into fists. “Just tell me already!”

  “The winner is…” Warden Armitage handed me the top sheet of paper from the folder.

  “Is?” I said, accepting the paper. “So he’s still alive?”

  “As far as we know,” the warden replied. “When it comes to paranormals, the presumption is they’re alive unless proven otherwise.”

  With trembling hands, I scanned the page. “His name is Calix? Sounds like a company.”

  “Probably is somewhere,” the warden said.

  I turned the sheet over to inspect the back. “There’s no last name.”

  The warden leaned back in his chair. “Didn’t use one, apparently.”

  I continued to read. “His father was a human named Edmund and his mother…” I trailed off, my eyes still glued to the page.

  “What about his mother?” Daniel asked. He leaned over to glimpse the sheet of paper. “Wow. Emma, your grandmother is a goddess.”

  Not just any goddess, either. Nyx. Goddess of the Night.

  “Some claim she spawned Sleep and Death,” Warden Armitage said. He wagged a finger at me. “Those are some fancy genes you’ve got.”

  “My father is a demigod,” I said in disbelief. I couldn’t stop staring at the words on the page.

  “Does this mean Emma is immortal?” Daniel asked the warden.

  “No,” Warden Armitage said. “Neither is her father, as far as we know. He has an extended life, so it’s longer than a regular human’s, but not unlimited.”

  Daniel slipped a hand under my belly and placed it on my thigh. “That’s good news. You and I might live extended lives together after all.”

  I smiled so hard that it felt like my cheeks would burst. We’d worried that, as an angel, Daniel would outlive me by quite a stretch, but the news about my father meant that maybe we’d be together longer than we realized. A silver lining.

  “Do we know how old he is?” I asked. “There aren’t any photos of him. Do we know what he looks like?”

  “All we have is what’s in the file,” the warden said. “Your mother’s statements tell us that he looked to be in his mid-forties, but I guarantee you he was much older than that even then. There’s no data on his father except a name and species.”

  “Edmund,” I repeated.

  “Could be that Edmund lived during a time when surnames didn’t exist,” the warden said. “He might’ve been Edmund of the Hillock or something.” Warden Armitage grinned. “Can’t fault your mother for falling for Calix. You know his name means ‘very handsome.’”

  “I didn’t know,” I said. It felt so strange to be sitting here, learning about my father and his parents. Even without the demigod and goddess revelation, it would feel strange.

  “Any idea what kind of powers Calix has?” Daniel asked. “Emma’s pretty powerful, but we assumed her magic came from her mother.”

  The warden sucked in a breath. “I’ll put it this way—his half-siblings are Death and Darkness.”

  “Maybe they got all the bad genes and there were none left for my dad,” I said with a weak laugh. Except my mother had described his soul as dark and that she didn’t want him to find me.

  “Well, it’s worth pointing out that other half-siblings include Brightness and Friendship,” the warden said.

  I frowned. “Friendship is my…aunt?”

  “Friendship is a concept,” Daniel said.

  “And a deity,” Warden Armitage said. “Philotes, a minor goddess but a goddess nonetheless.”

  Daniel cast a sidelong glance at me. “That’s quite the family tree you have.”

  “I know. It’s surreal.” I’d spent my life as an only child. I’d lost my biological parents, then my adoptive parents, and finally my adoptive grandparents. My world had been so very small. In the breath of a single conversation, it now felt infinite.

  “I guess it’s not like we invite them over for brunch,” Daniel joked. “Send Sedgwick with an invitation to your Uncle Darkness.”

  “Are you okay?” I asked my husband. “I know this is a lot to digest.”

  “For you, too,” he said.

  “Yes, but you didn’t know any of this when you married me.”

  Daniel chuckled. “You think I’m going to make a run for it now because of your family?” He took my hand and squeezed. “You know me better than that, Emma. I’m not going anywhere.”

  I shifted my gaze to the warden. “How can I find my father?”

  “Are you sure you want to?” Daniel asked. “This guy could be pretty dangerous.”

  “I haven’t decided yet, but I’d like the information in case I decide that I do.”

  Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. “What if you put yourself in danger by reaching out to him?” He glanced back at the warden. “How high is the risk with this guy?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” the warden said. “He fell off our radar when your mother stopped using him as an asset.”

  “So if he fell off the AMF’s radar, that means we can’t find him?” Daniel asked.

  “I didn’t say that,” the warden replied. “You have access to means that we don’t. He’s your father, Emma. That means you share blood. You can try a locator spell. Doesn’t get much better than shared DNA.”

  My pulse quickened. “Of course!” I’d need the help of my friends to perform the spell, but my blood should be enough.

  “Be careful, whatever you decide,” Warden Armitage said. “Just because he’s your father doesn’t mean he’ll be thrilled to know you. You can ask Bryn Morrow all about that.”

  I looked to the empty doorway where she’d been standing. “She made a similar comment.”

  “Her dad was as evil as they come,” Warden Armitage said. “Your father is powerful, make no mistake, but he’s not the malevolent dictator that the Shadow Sorcerer strived to be or this file would be a lot thicker.”

  The baby kicked me in the ribs and I lurched forward. “The baby is active today,” I said with a weak smile. “Must be the traveling.”

  “So Calix isn’t pure evil,” Daniel said, still focused on the warden, “but a modicum of evil?”

  “I guess you’ll have to decide that for yourselves.” He handed me the rest of the folder. “Good luck, both of you. Let me know how it works out. I’m sure the agency wouldn’t mind knowing his whereabouts now. We like to keep close tabs, especially on the powerful ones.”

  I clutched the folder to my growing ches
t. “You have no idea what this means to me, Warden. Thank you so much for sharing this information.”

  Warden Armitage cocked an eyebrow. “What information?” He returned to the paperwork on his desk and Daniel and I slipped out of the office without another word.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The trip back from Spellslingers was tiring, but I didn’t care. I went straight to the secret lair where my friends were gathered to give them the update. Like me, they were both impressed and a little frightened.

  “I always knew you were special, Emma,” Begonia said.

  I sat on the sofa, trying to cross my legs. I shifted too far to the right and plunged to the floor.

  Millie spared me a glance over her shoulder. “What are you trying to achieve, Humpty Dumpty?”

  I rubbed my sore tailbone as I returned to the sofa. “Sitting comfortably. It’s not too much to ask, is it?”

  “Apparently,” Laurel said from the table by the bookcase. As usual, she had several books in a pile in front of her.

  “Any luck on hybrids yet?” Sophie asked.

  Laurel flipped another page. “Not the kind we’re interested in.”

  Begonia left the sofa and walked over to examine the books. “You have lots of pages marked. You must be finding something.”

  Laurel pulled the books toward her. “Nothing noteworthy.”

  Begonia seemed unconvinced. “What are you up to, Laurel?” She snatched the nearest book and opened to one of the tabbed pages. “Demigods?”

  “The baby won’t be a demigod,” Millie said.

  I twisted as far as I comfortably could to look at Laurel. “You’re already researching my father?”

  Laurel grabbed the book from Begonia. “Information is power.”

  “Laurel, if Emma doesn’t want to research him, then neither should we,” Sophie scolded her.

  “Emma is thinking about him in different terms,” Laurel said. “I’m thinking about what it might mean for the baby.”

  I stood and stretched my back. The long journey had my muscles in knots. “You mean that the baby might inherit some of his genes?”

  “The baby will most certainly inherit some of his genes,” Laurel said. “The question is—which ones?”