Draft of Dragons

by T S Paul

  I frowned at her. “Grandmother told me that the Guardians were what the European Councils called their enforcers. And that Verity was once one of them. A Witches Council member identified one of my bracelets as a mark of that group.”

  Agnes snorted. “They wish. Verity did work for that group over there. She had little choice at the time. It was amazing, the amount of prejudice against women in those days. But her bracelets were not given to her by the Council over there. That is a story for another time.”

  “What are they and what is he?” I pointed to Sebastian.

  “I believe they’re Egyptian, and may have been created originally by Khonsu, one of the Gods of light.” Agnes paused to gauge my reaction.

  “What are they for, then?” I asked, nonplussed. I’d seen and talked to Gods before; that was nothing new.

  “Protecting the pathways between the realms. They were created to fight Demons,” Agnes replied. Tapping her companion on the knee, she smiled at him. “Sebastian here was an accidental familiar. I was young and performed a spell, looking for companionship.”

  Sebastian spoke up. “She was but a girl. Younger than you were when you went to the FBI originally. Her family had literally just settled down to start constructing a house when I appeared in the area. Showing myself in human form was out of the question, as her people and the natives of my home were not agreeable over certain things like laws and colonization. She performed the proper ritual and said the words to draw in a proper familiar. But as you know from your Fergus, familiars are temperamental and don’t take kindly to people forcing them to do things. None of the local animals allowed the spell to persuade them, but I got just a bit too close to it and was pulled in, whether I wanted it or not.”

  Cat studied the man for a moment. “So not Africa. Australia then?”

  “Very good, Catherine. Very good. Not many Weres guess the proper continent. Can you guess species, as well?” Sebastian asked.

  “You don’t look like a crocodile. I’ve met a couple of alligator shifters and they had a certain...slime about them. You’re different, more like a tiger.” Cat peered at him until her eyes widened. “Are you a throwback like I am?”

  Sebastian chuckled and crossed his legs in front of him. Leaning back as far as he could on the couch, he stretched out a bit. “No, not one of those. I’m the real deal. Possibly the very last of my kind. Although there have been a few sightings that could be my people. Weres would’ve had an easier time of hiding than my natural brothers.”

  Cat looked to Agnes and straight out asked her, “Just how old are you anyway?”

  The non-sequitur as Cat changed subjects caught me off guard a bit, but I knew it would all link up at some point. Cat just had a roundabout way of investigating.

  “I’ve almost reached my four-hundredth year. My time upon this plane is coming to an end, which makes it so, so important that I pass on as much information and training as I can to you girls. Sebastian will help as well,” Agnes explained.

  Not understanding, I turned to my friend. “Cat?”

  “He’s a Thylacine, Agatha. The last of his kind for real,” she replied.

  Thylacines. I wasn’t a biologist or that big of a science nerd, but I watched a lot of cartoons as a child, courtesy of Fergus, and had once upon a time researched Tasmanian Devils. The Thylacine was sort of a marsupial dog or wolf. It had stripes and everything.

  Looking at Agnes I asked, “You’re Australian?”

  “British, actually. My parents were free settlers, not convicts as most folks thought in those days. We landed in Port Jackson, rather than Botany Bay. I remember the country being rough and untamed. It was a different time, the mid 1800’s. I will not be judged by you or anyone else for daring to try and colonize an empty land. We didn’t stay there long, as it was. Father was a Council member and was there to sort out the locals and any Magick they had,” Agnes remembered. “You can imagine his surprise when his only daughter, using his very own spell book, impressed a familiar. And a Were one at that. Not wishing to run afoul of other Council members, he moved us here, to Briarwood. We found a community and a purpose.”

  “Verity was here, then?” I asked.

  “She was around. Once the town was established and running the way she thought it should be, she moved around a lot,” Agnes mused. “My formative years were spent as a nanny and tutor to the Blackmore household. It was how I met Marcella and joined the Coven. I know much of the history of our area. I was the town librarian for years.”

  “And you acquired all of this stuff when it was new?” Cat swept her arms around.

  “Some. We Witches live to become very old and very frugal. But older does not necessarily mean wiser.

  Agnes leaned toward me and stared into my eyes. “Well, my dear? Do you want to learn what your are to become? Are you brave enough for this next phase of your existence? Or not?”

  Chapter 8

  “What exactly is it you do for my daughter?” Teegan Blackmore asked Anastasia.

  The forensic technician and Vampire gave her friend’s mother an honest look. This woman had been locked up and drugged for years by her late sister. It was understandable that she wanted to know about Agatha. Explaining how she took care of the team scientifically was the easy part. Getting her to understand how she was an ancient Vampire was a bit harder. A lot harder, actually.

  Teegan shook her head. “No. I don’t believe you. Why would a Vampire that is in control of an entire city work for MY daughter in what sounds like meaningless jobs?”

  “She’s my friend and I trust her. You have zero idea how hard it’s been to hide from the entire Vampire race and the United States Government at the same time. I’ve been able to walk in daylight for centuries, but have refrained. Vampire powers that only my progenitor is supposed to have are part of my personal toolbox. By being part of the FBI, I’ve been unable to use them. Joining wasn’t my idea originally, but I could’ve left almost anytime I wanted. My life is my own and I choose my friends,” Anastasia replied.

  “Then why continue to lie and not use your birth name?” Teegan countered.

  “Aleiana was both a victim and a survivor. She’s not who I am anymore. I’ve made my peace with her,” Ana smiled with sadness on her face. “My father was a proud man, but he’d understand. History remembers him as a great architect, but he still died. My life is a mystery, but I’m still here. That is my own legacy, not his. Your daughter has the capability to bring people together for the better. Why belittle her?”

  “She was supposed to stay here! With me. Her Magick, whatever there was of it, should’ve been suppressed as mine was. This is all my mother’s fault,” hissed Teegan. With pain in her voice she practically shrieked her mother’s name. “Marsella just took what wasn’t hers to begin with.”

  Ana pulled back from the woman in front of her. Her Vampire senses explored and focused on Teegan. Emotionally, she was a mess. “I’ve only witnessed positive things from your mother. She’s made a huge effort to help Agatha.”

  Teegan snorted. “No. She’s only exposed my little girl. They will find her now. Don’t you understand? Ken was just the beginning. His family will find and kill her just like they killed him. And nothing you do or she does will stop them! Marcella has doomed my daughter.”

  “That is about enough of that!” Marcella spoke from the doorway to the den where the women were talking.

  Anastasia looked away from Teegan toward Marcella. The old Witch stood in the doorway with Minerva backing her up. She had the look of a woman on the edge, and with Witches that could be very bad.

  “It’s all true, Mother. You just fail to see it. They will kill her and nothing you can do will stop it. Nothing. Just like Ken,” Teegan spat at her mother.

  “For the last time, Ken’s death was an accident. His car went off the highway and he died. I think it’s time for you to go back upstairs now, my dear,” Marcella told her daughter.

  Teegan stood up. “Fine. I’m going.�
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  “You’ll start healing more once you get this hatred out of you…” Marcella started to say, but Teegan shut her right down.

  Brushing past her mother, Teegan practically growled out her words, “I’m as much a prisoner here as I was in that place. Why won’t you let me just go?”

  “There’s the door. Leave if you like.” Marcella pointed but Teegan was already halfway up the stairs, muttering almost under her breath, “My daughter hates me.”

  Anastasia watched as Teegan went up the stairs. “She lived a large chunk of her current life in a haze. Not knowing who and where she was. That part of her I can understand. It was much the same for me before I became a Vampire. The hatred is something else. It stems from what?” she asked softly.

  Marcella sighed and looked toward the now empty doorway. “You have to understand that my daughters were sheltered here in Briarwood. Their father…their father wanted them kept close to home. He had been somewhat of a traveler himself and didn’t want them to pursue that particular lifestyle. They were enrolled in human schools and that was my first mistake.”

  “Mistake why? The other children did know they were Witches, correct?” Ana asked.

  Nodding, Marcella agreed. She licked her lips and winced as if reliving an old pain. “They did. Both girls made friends and were introduced to concepts and learning that were unknown to most Coven-raised children. It brought about rebellion and turmoil. I don’t have to tell you about Camilla. She defied me early on and refused to continue her lessons with me or the Coven’s teachers. Taking a cue from her sister, Teegan also refused. They both missed out on crucial information and lessons that would have harnessed their power and brought them closer to the light.”

  “But none of it was to be. Camilla went off to a human college and returned home a complete stranger. She had Magick but refused to tell me how she received training in it. My sweet girl became a hateful and vicious woman. Teegan was no better. She ignored her Magick completely,” Marcella paused and looked at the Vampire. “There were moments I could see that she regretted not learning things. The way we teach is similar to a pyramid. Each lesson builds upon the others until you know what you need to know to survive. Poor Teegan never got past basic household cantrips.”

  “So she did have some Magick, then?” Ana asked.

  “Oh yes, she did. Kassandra, our seer at the time, swore to me that my daughter would impact the future of our race. To do so requires great power. We had such high hopes for her. Even when she met Ken, we hoped he would change her for the better,” Marcella replied.

  “Ken? Is that Agatha’s father? She doesn’t speak of him at all,” Ana interjected.

  Marcella took a deep breath and folded her hands in front of her. “Ken. He was a bit of a transient. He drifted into town working the odd job here and there. We all could see that he was running from something, but even Cappy couldn’t figure out what it was at the time.” Marcella smiled and blushed just a tiny bit. “He’d given a different name more than once to some of the folks in town, prompting me to have Cappy pick him up for questioning.”

  Ana shook her head and chuckled, “Small town living. It was like that in the 1930’s.”

  “I know, I remember,” Marcella answered.

  Anastasia pointed her finger skyward and motioned, “Touche.”

  Appearances were deceiving between the two women; it was hard to think of them both being so much older than they looked.

  “You can imagine our surprise when the Coven member on the force probed him and was blocked. This transient was one of us somehow. He didn’t give us a full background but did say he’d been tossed out of his family and was looking for a new start here in America,” Marcella explained. “He was able to pass several tests proving his affiliation to our Gods and Powers-That-Be, so we allowed him to stay. I might have said no if I knew that my daughter would be attracted to him.”

  “But then you might not have had Agatha,” Ana pointed out.

  “True. Teegan met him at one of the town festivals when she returned from school. Love at first sight, if you can believe it. He was different and unique, just the sort of thing my daughter was searching for,” Marcella sighed. “But it was not to be. He was killed on his way to get a cake for Agatha’s sixth birthday party, if you can believe it.”

  “The car accident,” Ana stated.

  “Yes. But we now know it was a murder committed by paid assassins. After the funeral, Teegan became a recluse. For almost three years I saw very little of her or Agatha. The squirrel incident drove my daughter farther and farther away from the Coven and me. It wasn’t until her seventh birthday that triggered everything that has happened. That was when Fergus entered the picture and Camilla, my once sweet girl, came into her own,” Marcella pronounced.

  “Why did Teegan become a recluse? At the time, Ken’s death was ruled an accident,” Ana said. “That is what’s in Agatha’s FBI records and what she herself told me.”

  “Before she was sent off to that horrible hospital, Teegan told me something of Ken’s history. It was a moment of weakness for her, as we’d just given her a cup of relaxation tea and were spellcasting to calm her down. She was under the impression that Ken was killed by his family. The same family that had thrown him out, and according to Teegan, was still chasing him with the intent to kill, even after all these years,” Marcella answered. “If only Camilla had left her in peace instead of throwing that party for Agatha.”

  Anastasia blinked. Ignoring the seventh birthday comment she looked at Marcella in surprise. “Who has the resources to do that? Was he a prince or something?”

  “No, something worse. He didn’t say it at the time, but according to Teegan, he was the son of a Yakuza leader. He refused to be a part of the family business and fled,” Marcella replied.

  “Ok, that I can see. The FBI is of course familiar with that particular group. Which clan does he come from?” Ana asked.

  “That’s the rub. I didn’t like it, and neither will you,” Marcella stood up from the couch, moved around the coffee table, and leaned down to the Vampire. She whispered a single name into Anastasia’s ear.

  “Oh dear. What do you need from me?” Ana asked.

  “Research. I dare not use Robert or any of the Council resources to investigate them. When I first found out about the Yakuza connection I did something unethical and very unprofessional on my part.” Marcella paused and sat down next to Ana. Turning to look the Vampire in the eye, she continued. “I blackmailed the head of the American Witches Council to use all of HER resources to shield both Teegan and Agatha from them. Ken might be gone, but family is family. You know how the clans can be. Teegan was right in her worry. They might try and claim her, especially that particular clan.”

  Ana laughed. “You actually blackmailed Bethany? What do you have on her to do so?”

  “Nothing now, which is why I’m worried. Last month when Agatha came to me to stop the Magickal tornado, I initially said no. There are rules, as you are aware. Even I cannot break the Council’s decree. Not without consequences. I did see her point, but human lives aren’t that important to our people. But as a favor to my granddaughter, I tried. The AWC had the resources I needed so I used them. But I needed leverage,” Marcella replied.

  “How exposed are we?” Anastasia asked. “What exactly did you promise them?”

  Marcella shook her head. “No promises. The material was destroyed by my own hand. I swore an oath with witnesses to that effect. Any protections that Agatha had were stripped away. Bethany and those that follow her are now free to do as they please. Montgomery and the others didn’t even know I had it. I expect they will be more circumspect in the future. If there is one. Minerva and I believe they are working with the enemy, but we are unable to prove it. Any edge we might have had is gone now.”

  “Hence the reason you need my help,” Ana nodded. “My access to the FBI database is limited now. You do know we’re on suspension?”

  Marcella snort
ed, “Don’t give me that! Just as soon as I knew exactly who you were, I investigated. You forget that I’ve met Jack Dalton and remember who he said his boss was. There is no way you didn’t leave yourself at least one backdoor into that system when YOU created it.”

  Anastasia sighed, “How much do you know?”

  “Enough, I would never attempt to blackmail a Vampire such as you, but telling Agatha and the rest of the team about your history?” Marcella replied. “What I know might ruin your relationship with them.”

  “They already know most of it, but not in excruciating detail, which you somehow found out, I’m sure. It’s not blackmail but, I’ll do it anyway. You have to be prepared for what I find. Some of these groups make even my progenitor look like a saint,” Ana replied. “First and foremost Agatha is my friend.”

  “It’s a deal, then. Good. Shall we see what the kids are getting into?” Marcella asked.

  “We should. Chuck and Fergus together can be a challenge on their own. Just be glad the polar bear isn’t here as well,” Ana replied with a laugh.

  “Polar bear? That’s a bit rare for the Academy. How did one of those end up there?” Marcella asked.

  “You’d need to speak to Agatha about the details, but I know enough. His name is Mongo and he wanted to go into law enforcement.” Anastasia launched into some of the stories that had made the Academy so much fun.

  Chapter 9

  “Let’s go look at something cool.”

  Chuck considered his options as he looked at Fergus. With Agatha and Cat off on a shopping trip and Ana tied up with Marcella, he was pretty bored. There were only so many games he could play alone and Fergus always had some good ideas. It was just that sometimes they were a bit on the crazy side.

  “Where are we going?” Chuck asked.

  “Into Minerva’s garden. There’s something you’d like there,” Fergus replied. “Now go to your left.”

  Chuck looked down at the tiny unicorn he carried in his palm and frowned. “I thought the Garden was off limits to us? Agatha said we weren’t to go inside it without supervision.”