by T J Kelly
It was funny how memory spells worked. Magicians hid their escape routes so their enemies could never find them, and the best way for the secret to stay hidden was for us to also forget about them. Especially important for our guests to forget. But when the knowledge was needed, we knew what we had to do and where to go. No wonder my mirror hummed with magic, and I never investigated it. Memory spells protected themselves.
Another loud explosion shook my bedroom door. Seth picked up my backpack from where I dropped it in surprise and gave me a shove towards the closet where Peter was already hiding.
Hiding? No, not hiding. Performing a spell.
Peter said a few words as he stood in front of the mirror in my closet, then fogged it up near the corner with his warm breath. He drew two small marks in the condensation and the entire thing went black. The normally reflective surface turned into a door.
There was no time to ask him questions. What he did, how he did it, none of those things mattered at that moment. We needed to go. Peter jumped to the side, switching positions with Harris and Seth, who had been hovering around me. People running and shouting in the corridor outside my bedchamber drew our attention.
The door burst open as three men in dark brown with ski masks covering their faces forced their way in. Time slowed to a crawl as I took in several things at once.
In the hallway behind the men, Reg was launching spells for all he was worth, although there wasn’t any dust or sand around to use. He must have been pulling magic straight from his inner core, which could burn him out. A method only used in the direst of circumstances.
Cold chills ran through me when I realized the object on the ground at his feet was his wife Tian, lying motionless. Instinct took over, and I launched a Shield at the men, shoving them back into the corridor. I chased after them, desperate to save Reg and Tian, but Peter’s hand clasped my shoulder and yanked me away. He slammed the door and dragged me back towards the mirror.
“Seal the door,” he ordered. He had nothing to write with and couldn’t do it himself. I was horrified at what I had just seen, wanted to help, not run. But the compulsion of the memory spell overwhelmed me again. I closed my eyes and imagined a cinder block wall instead of my bedroom door. My eyes snapped open, and there it was, blocking the way.
Peter grabbed my hand and ran with me back into my closet. Harris and Seth were gone, already escaped through the portal. They were the advance guard, the more experienced agents, and wherever we ended up, they would be the ones who sprang any traps.
Peter shoved me through the mirror. A split second later, he followed. We plunged into the darkness together.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Blood and Lead
We were still on Armageddon’s land. I had assumed we would be somewhere far away, maybe in a desert halfway around the world, but no. Instead, we appeared in the woods near Castle Laurus above an old redwood tree.
I spotted Seth and Harris on my way down, already standing guard. Their stances active and alert but relaxed, which meant no enemies were nearby. Yet. I almost hit the ground before I realized that would be a terrible thing and threw my arms out to break our fall. A giant waft of Air flew up and cushioned us only a foot off away from disaster.
Oof. I should have spaced the particles further apart for a softer landing.
“Great catch,” Peter said. He looked like he would throw up, swallowing hard several times. Come to think of it, my stomach felt pretty rocky, too.
“Thanks,” I said. “Sorry about the landing.”
“It’s all good.” Peter helped me to my feet. My backpack had fallen during our descent, and he lifted it from the dirt, shaking off the dust. He slung it over his other shoulder, the one he wasn’t already using to carry his.
“Come on,” Seth said, jogging to meet us. “There’s an Air tunnel leading out. We need to get there quick, it will close up again in five minutes. Permanently. We must be on the other side before it does.”
We took off, Seth in the lead and Harris trailing behind to watch our backs. As the junior members of the Irregulars, Peter and I maintained our position between them. Our location was especially important while we were in the field because the way we triggered our magic caused a built-in hesitation. Peter because he had to draw to work magic, and me because I had to picture spells in my head first. More direct agents would always have to surround magicians like us. Another reason to wonder if I was really cut out to be a real agent.
I had no trouble keeping up with the pace, grateful I was outside when the attack came, and I had my tennis shoes on instead of a stupid formal outfit. Remembering it was easier to tour Rector Enterprises in heels when I used Air, I stirred up the dirt at our feet and grasped some in my hand. I used it to anchor my spell, but then turned it into the Air element the new way I had been practicing with Seth and Harris. The spell I created lifted and pushed us all forward faster, yet would leave no trace for our enemy to follow.
It looked like we were about to go over the cliff, but we didn’t. Instead, there was an opening in the sky to plunge through, and we did. Right after Harris entered the portal, it snapped shut behind us.
“I don’t know why, but I was kind of expecting a slide,” I admitted.
We stood clustered together on an Air-bridge. The portal had moved us from Laurus land to another location. A small town loomed in the distance, the four of us higher than the buildings in the distance. High enough to be out of the way of tall buildings, and low enough not to run into any helicopters or airplanes or stuff like that.
“Right?” Peter said, grinning at me. Thankfully, nobody was afraid of heights. Taking a deep breath, I pushed away my anxiety and took my backpack from him, slinging it over my shoulder.
“That was a smooth move, Lia,” Seth said. “I’m glad you shoved us forward. It’ll leave a trace, but we should be okay now that the portal has closed.”
I relaxed my clenched hand and let the dirt I had been clutching sprinkle onto the Air-bridge below our feet. It outlined our path for a short distance. One tiny rock tumbled over the edge, disappearing as it fell towards the ground.
“Not a chance,” I said. “I used Earth to work the Air spell and brought it with me.”
Harris whistled. “I didn’t think of that. It’s untraceable if you commune elements,” he explained to Peter, who wasn’t there when we discovered that little trick. Man, I had been so busy that I hadn’t even had time to tell my closest friend about it.
Peter looked impressed. “That’s something I need to learn. When we have time. For now, does anyone know what the next stage is? I don’t have any other recovered memories to fall back on.” He shifted his weight. He didn’t go near where the dirt fell off the edge of the path in the air, but my nerves jangled anyway. What if he slipped? What if there was another time limit and the Air-bridge spell ended while we were still there?
“Oh,” I said when a memory block suddenly lifted. “That’s why I thought there should be a slide. It’s because there is one. Come on, we’re supposed to go this way.” I edged forward and then sat down carefully. “Race you to the bottom!” I shouted, then pushed off.
It was a pretty cool slide. I sensed my uncle’s magic in it, and I guess he was getting bored by that time in the escape route plans because the bridge turned into a tube and we spun around and around, like a water slide would, if there were any water. A wild and fun slide that looped us upside down at least three times.
To be fair, Armageddon had to contend with the ebb and flow of magic in the space between where the portal started and where it ended. Swirls and movement of power in an ever-changing magical landscape existed everywhere and nowhere, even in thin air, five stories above the ground. It probably needed most of the loops.
We came to a halt at the end of a side street. I recognized the place from a series of pictures my uncle had shown me during our escape drills, although I never had the chance to go there in person since I was basically locked up on his property twen
ty-four hours a day.
We were in Leavenworth. Not the prison in the middle of America, the other one. The town closest to Armageddon’s land in the Pacific Northwest.
“Where do we go from here?” I asked. All three of the guys looked tousled, but poor Peter looked almost green.
“There’s a safe-house here in town. I know we haven’t read you into all our backup plans and escape routes, Lia, but from this point on, we wouldn’t need an implanted memory block. This is our normal spy stuff,” Peter said.
“Oh, hilarious,” I said as I slugged Peter’s arm. I told him a while back I was convinced my uncle was a spy when I was a little girl. I never saw him but heard the rumors. That was silly, of course. Armageddon was so much more. But Peter thought it was funny and always joked about us being spies.
Harris and Seth took off in opposite directions to check our surroundings. There wasn’t anyone on the street where the slide ended. We had landed in an unpopulated area surrounded by warehouses. My uncle likely chose that as a landing place so we didn’t have to worry about attracting attention when we appeared out of nowhere.
Peter stayed close until we reached the main street, a handful of cars passing us by. Harris and Seth joined us, shaking their heads.
Nobody waiting to ambush us.
Peter tugged a memo notepad out of his pocket and flipped it open. He detached a tiny pencil and drew a few quick marks, four lines in a box. “I’m using the Earth left on Lia’s hands to generate a You-didn’t-see-me. We should be able to make it to the safe-house unnoticed.”
Spells like that took very little magic and would be difficult to trace. Especially if I washed off the Earth element once we got where we were going.
We walked silently along the street until we entered the downtown area. People were milling around, going about their day, cars driving up and down the streets. A few young men lounged on a bench talking and joking. Two women with strollers crossed the street to reach the park. Typical activities in a small town.
Peter took the lead. He lived nearby and had visited many times. It was always better to utilize the agent with the best contacts in the area. We headed to a corner coffee shop. A hole-in-the-wall that smelled fantastic, with dark, private corners and cast-iron decorations on creamy beige walls. Almost as if we had walked into a sepia-tone picture. Except with lots of ivy.
I watched as one woman at the counter collect her drink as she checked out Harris. He smiled at her, but before she responded, her eyes glazed and she turned to put a tip in the jar. She forgot we were there thanks to Peter’s spell.
We made our way to the back of the shop where a faux fireplace decorated the wall. I almost didn’t notice the hum coming from the bricks, but once I did, I realized it was another portal, like the mirror in my closet.
“This way,” Peter said. “Come on up.”
He placed his palm against the wall, threads of light bursting out, engulfing his hand. After a short pause, a transparent gray shadow floated out and surrounded us. It was a Shadow-veil and would block us from sight. Nobody else would notice when the faux fireplace became a very real door.
Peter entered first. He quickly climbed the stairs spiraling up two more floors until we were on the third floor. The number three was powerful and often used in magic. The triangle, the Trinity, the triquetra. The only odd thing happening at the moment was that the coffee shop was in a one-story building.
Knowing Armageddon, I guess not that strange after all.
Harris and Seth brought up the rear, the brick fireplace closing behind us, sealing us in. When we reached the top of the stairs, we crowded together on a cramped landing and Peter knocked seven times, then after a pause, three more.
The door opened, and a goddess smiled upon us.
“Kamini,” Peter said warmly. “What an unexpected pleasure.” He leaned forward and gathered a tall, gorgeous woman into his arms and hugged her tight.
My left eyebrow raised all on its own.
“Peter! Come in. Who are your friends?” she asked. Kamini stepped aside and let us pass, then closed the door behind us.
While Peter handled the introductions, I eyeballed her. She had long, lustrous black hair and these deep, soulful brown eyes full of mystery and allure and all the things guys fell all over themselves for when women like that entered a room.
Kamini shook my hand firmly. Her magic came from Fire and Air. Her light side outweighed her darkness ninety percent to ten, so I was positive all those hidden depths were an illusion. No way somebody that good could be that interesting.
I totally wasn’t jealous, either. It was just the truth.
Seth was all over her like a fool, too. It was really embarrassing for him. I only hoped I didn’t look as appalled as Kamini did when he kissed her cheeks in greeting. It was a perfectly acceptable gesture of courtesy, but nobody did it anymore. Expect old guys, reprobates, and the occasional quirky charmer.
Seth thought he was a quirky charmer, but I knew better. He was definitely a reprobate.
I looked away and took in the safe-house. We stood in the main area of a typical apartment, complete with a little living room, a small kitchen, and a dinky table and chairs crammed into the corner. A massive TV was mounted on the wall, four or five gaming consoles with multiple controllers strewn about nearby. I assumed staying in a safe-house meant you had to lie low and lying low got boring pretty quickly. Even with outdoor privileges like I had at Castle Laurus, it was a drag, but it had to be worse being stuffed into a sardine can with no windows.
Kamini was done enchanting the guys, so she finally turned back to me. “I’m so sorry. You’ll want to wash up. I’ll show you to the bathroom.”
I could have found it myself considering how tiny the place was, but I followed her anyway to look friendly. I stuffed my hands into my pockets. Earth-users always sported dirty fingernails or stained jackets, and magicians understood that. But I was at a disadvantage. There she was, all sweet and ultra light inside, so there was no way she was making me feel that way on purpose. Apparently, my awkwardness was entirely on me - I couldn’t resent her for acting superior because she wasn’t acting. She genuinely wanted me to be comfortable. Which made me resent her even more.
Oh my gosh, what a nightmare.
I decided to do the only thing I could do. I would overflow with sappy kindness. “Thank you, Kamini. You are so sweet to concern yourself over me. It’s been a difficult afternoon, and as silly as this sounds, a small convenience is a huge comfort.” What was I saying? I couldn’t believe it. I was babbling like a lunatic.
Kamini beamed in response and then held the bathroom door open for me. It was a tight space, and I had to sort of push my way around her. I brushed up against her and accidentally knocked her off balance. Not like it did her any harm. She gracefully righted herself and gave me another comforting smile.
I pondered creating a huge rock to hide under. How mortifying. I was such an ox.
She finally left when I shut the door, not bothering to look up and smile at her again. She had smiled so many times, I could never catch up to that, much less surpass her.
I turned to the sink and washed my hands. A glance in the mirror forced a groan from my lips. There was a smear of dirt on my cheek, a black fleck - probably pepper from my lunch - jammed in my teeth, and my hair was sticking out everywhere from the crazy escape Air-slide. Thanks so much, Armageddon.
If it wasn’t his stupid Air-slide, it was his genes that did me in. His hair stuck up all the time, too. Except nobody ever said anything because they were too scared of him.
Too bad I wasn’t that intimidating. Or tall. I could have gotten away with more if I had a more imposing presence.
While my internal tantrum ran its course, I washed up, creating a toothbrush and toothpaste using the dirt on my face as the magic source before I cleaned that, too, and then scrubbed my teeth until they sparkled.
I still had my backpack with me, so I took extra time to change. I used the
dust and sweat on my dirty clothes to generate cleansing magic and cleaned them on the spot. Nobody ever wrote about things like that in the ancient tomes I had been studying, but I thought it was cool to clean clothing using its own dirt. Maybe I would write my own tome someday and teach future generations all about the magic of hygiene. It could be a companion to the massive codex my aunt created for healing magic.
Get a grip, Lia.
Since Kamini was so beautiful and wore a summer dress, I skipped my casual clothing so I wouldn’t look like a slob compared to her. Instead, I put on my Irregulars uniform. I had no idea what was coming next and decided that I could get away with wearing it without looking like I was trying to show off.
The battle vest fit close enough to highlight my curves and chest. Kamini looked like a model. She was a thin, willowy beauty. I would never top that so I enhanced my other assets.
I brushed out my hair and took the time to braid it on one side, looping the dangling end around so it twisted into a ponytail. Eyeballing my reflection, I decided I was presentable enough to join the others.
The guys were squashed together on the couches when I came back into the room. Everything was so cramped, and they were over six feet tall.
“We should contact Peony,” Seth was saying. “She may need us to return and help fight.” He looked frustrated. The memory charm had directed our feet along the path my uncle created for us, following the directive to get out and get away. It had to be hard on a warrior like Seth to leave the battle behind the way he did. The way they all did.
Because of me.
Armageddon wanted me out of there, protected from my enemies. He made me the priority, but that left my aunt and anyone else in the household vulnerable. And sure, it was his job to play guardian until I reached my final majority. On my twenty-first birthday when my apprenticeship contract ended, I would be an entirely free adult magician. But not yet. I understood.
I felt so guilty, though. “We should contact her at once,” I agreed. “I want to help.”