Maria moaned and shifted in her sleep, making Amanda stop.
Not only had her relationship with Maria changed, but her life had changed too. She wondered what this meant, what did this make her? Was she a lesbian? She wasn’t sure. She still liked men, she still found them attractive, so maybe she wanted a bit of both? Did this thing, did she, need a label? She just didn’t know, but what she did know was that last night had been wonderous, and she felt a keen love and attraction towards the dark-haired beauty beside her.
She rolled herself out of bed and gently padded across her room and into the bathroom to use the facilities. Afterwards, she washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror.
Is this what you wanted, she silently asked her reflection? Is this the right thing to be doing? She turned away and walked around the corner to look at her bed and Maria, still in a deep slumber.
She leant against the wall and just looked at her friend and now lover. She smiled, feeling content and happy. While she looked at her, everything felt right with the world.
She returned to the bed and pressed herself up against Maria’s back, wrapping her arm around her and kissing the back of her neck. Maria stirred and moaned lovingly in her newly woken state.
“Mmmm, morning, Mandy. What a lovely way to be woken up,” Maria said.
“My pleasure,” Amanda answered as Maria pushed into her. Amanda used her fingers to trace gentle lines over Maria.
“Oooh, that feels good,” Maria moaned.
Amanda kissed her neck some more and moved one hand down, caressing her ever so gently, moving her fingers in slow, deliberate movements that barely touched her skin at all. “And how about this?”
Maria rolled her pelvis around, clearly loving every second of it.
“Don’t stop,” Maria said. “Just don’t stop.”
***
A little while later, Amanda sat in Liz’s room, on the edge of her bed while Liz busied herself putting her makeup on.
“You seem happy this morning, Mandy. Did things go well yesterday? You spent a long time in your office.”
“Yesterday was a little stressful, dealing with the politics of the covens and the Council. It’s all a bit of a nightmare, don’t ye know. But I suppose things could be worse, the end result in Los Angeles was basically what I wanted.”
“So, what’s got you smiling like a hyena? Hang on,” she said locking eyes with Amanda in the mirror. “Did you meet someone last night? I thought you had Maria over. Did you go out?”
Amanda chuckled. “We didn’t go out, no, but I did have a grand night.”
“Well, good, you deserve it. You’ve had to deal with some shitty things since moving here,” Liz said turning her attention back to the makeup brush in her hand.
“We all have. We all deserve to have some fun from time to time.”
“Ain’t that the truth. So, what did you do?”
Amanda had come in here to see Liz while Maria got herself up. It felt like a few days since she’d really seen her and she needed to see someone she could speak to. Someone she could confide in.
Liz was still so young, though. She wondered what her views on same-sex relationships were. She had no idea, and poking around inside her head to find out would be rude. So, she’d just have to say it.
“Yeah, well. I did end up in bed with someone. With, um… Maria…” Amanda let it hang there and watched in the mirror for Liz’s reaction.
Liz paused, but she then turned with a look of happiness on her face. “Heh, it’s about time, isn’t it?” Liz said. “She’s been after you for months.”
Amanda smiled. “Yeah, she has.”
“And is that what you wanted? Are you happy?”
“I… I think so. I’m still kind of getting my head around it, but she does make me happy.”
“Then that’s all that matters. What about Maria?”
“I think so. We need to talk, though I think.”
“I would say that’s an excellent idea, and don’t leave it too long.”
***
Amanda returned to her room and found Maria sitting in a chair pulling on her boots.
“Can we talk?” Amanda said.
“Sure, what do you want to talk about?” Maria said.
“Us. I want to know what this is and how we move forward from here.”
“Of course, sit down,” Maria said. Amanda sat in the soft seat next to Maria. “I like you, Amanda. I think that’s been clear to you for a long time. I’ve fancied you ever since I met you when you first arrived at the Legacy House. I think I’ve been quite open about that.”
Amanda nodded. “You have. I have been in no doubt about that for a long time.”
“But you also know that I am not a one-person girl. I can’t and won’t have just one lover. Girlfriend or boyfriend. That’s not me, and it never will be. I like you, Amanda, I like you a lot. But I have other lovers who I am not prepared to end things with. No offence, but that’s just not me. So, if you want this, if you want to be with me, you have to be open to that.”
“I understand,” Amanda said, staring at the floor. She’d known this was how Maria was. She knew she had several lovers on the go. But, it felt a little different hearing it put so plainly to her after such a passionate night. “That’s pretty much how I thought it would be.”
“Please, don’t take offence. It’s nothing personal and no reflection on you. And do feel free to have as many other lovers as you want, as well. Go wild, enjoy yourself.”
Amanda smiled. She wasn’t sure if that was what she wanted or not. Did she want other lovers? “Thanks, I’ll bear that in mind.”
“Are you alright?” Maria asked.
“I’m grand, it’s just been a bit of a rollercoaster and, well, it’s all a bit new to me, and I think I’m still getting my head around… this, around us, you know?”
“I get it, I understand. It’s your first time with a woman, plus, with how this relationship is going to work, I get that will take a bit of getting used to. Take as much time as you need.”
“Thank you. I do want to see you again, though.”
“I want to see you again too. You’re not getting away from me that easily if I have anything to say about it.” Maria said with a mischievous smile.
“I won’t be going anywhere. Last night was fierce fun, so it was. Oh yeah, how about the ball we’re throwing at the World Trade Center? Will you come to that?”
“Just you try and keep me away. In fact, I’d like to get you an outfit for it, if you’ll let me?”
“Oh, really? And what makes you think I don’t already have an outfit?” she said in mock horror.
“You haven’t got an outfit, Amanda, have you?” It was more of a statement than a question. Maria knew her better than she thought.
“No, I haven’t,” Amanda answered, the ball was still a few days out, and she just wasn’t that organised.
“Then, would you mind if I got you something?”
“Go for it, go wild. I’ll look forward to seeing what you get me.”
- Bratislava, Slovakia.
Liz crouched behind the side of the car next to Xain and Orion as bullets slammed into the vehicle from the Initiated men they were facing off against.
Xain rose from his ducked position and fired before a fresh salvo of shots forced him to duck back down.
“Easy, my big black ass,” Xain shouted to his partner in crime.
“Quit your complaining. You’re enjoying this as much as I am,” Orion shot back.
“Yeah, but I’m better at this than you are,” Xain said.
“In your dreams, dude.”
“Would they be wet dreams?” Liz piped up.
“Oooh, sick burn, man,” Orion said, mirth in his voice.
“You’d best not be taking sides, blondie,” Xain quipped as he popped up again for another shot. “Liz, one of the targets broke right, down there, you see?”
Liz watched the man run-off between two buildings. �
�Got him,” she said and strengthening her Shield, ran in a wide arc that kept her clear of the fire team but brought her in behind the man who’d made a run for it.
She followed an intercept course and allowed her Magic to guide her. Knowing she’d meet him at the crossroads up ahead, she leapt at the last moment and delivered a savage knee to the side of the man’s head before he even knew he was being attacked.
He dropped to the ground with a cry of pain, the Essentia in her attack having weakened his Aegis. With him down for a moment, she extended her hand towards him and blasted him with Magical energy. His Aegis sparked and spat with power as it tried to resist the Magic. But the Aegis was weak and with a shower of rolling blue energy, it dissipated, allowing Liz to deliver a knockout punch fuelled with more Essentia.
She stood above him, breathing hard, her heart pumping.
“Damn, girl, you got the moves,” Xain said from behind her.
She turned to look at him. “Thanks,” she said.
“Shit ain’t over yet, come on.”
Generals Gambit
New York
“…so then we head off and chase down the rest of the gang. They’re hiding in one of the warehouses, so we sneak in and move through the building, taking them out one by one. Xain gets us to split up and I end up taking on two separate guys on my own.”
“Wow, really? Sounds like you’re doing well,” Amanda said.
“She’s doing great, Red,” Xain said. They were in Amanda’s kitchen, standing around the island in the middle of the room. Amanda sat on one of the stools nursing a steaming cup of hot chocolate as she listened to Liz’s story, with the occasional interjection from Xain and Orion. Liz was full of energy and didn’t seem capable of keeping still as she related the story of her latest mission with the boys.
Amanda brushed her loose hair back behind her ear as she smiled at Xain and Orion. Amanda admired Xain’s physique and the way he filled out that tight black top of his rather nicely.
She pulled her eyes away and silently chastised herself. What had gotten into her? Ever since that first night with Maria, she’d had sex on the brain. She’d seen Maria a couple more times since then, the nights getting a little wilder with the addition of some Magic into the mix. Now she was eyeing up Xain? It was interesting to know that she still felt attracted to men, not that she would have been bothered either way, it was just interesting.
He stayed mostly quiet while Liz ran through the details of what she’d been doing with them, but he spoke more than his partner did.
Orion sat on one of the stools around the corner of the island from Amanda, playing with an apple from the fruit bowl that sat nearby. He wore black like Xain, but where Xain was all shiny leather, Orion sported softer fabrics.
Looking at them, Amanda couldn’t help but associate the pair with two characters from a couple of action films. So much so, that on occasion she’d even called Xain, Blade and referred to Orion as Neo, especially when they wore their long coats.
“So, when’s the next mission?” Amanda asked when Liz had finished relating her story.
“Nothing definite yet, but we’ll have something soon.”
“Will you be coming to the ball tomorrow night?” Amanda asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Xain said.
“We’ll be there, so will grumpy,” Orion said, referring to their companion Steven Loomis, who Amanda had met a couple of times.
“And Balor?” Amanda asked after their Scion friend.
“No idea, we’ll ask him,” Xain answered.
“Excellent,” Amanda said.
They chatted some more, discussing recent events, and as they were saying their goodbyes, Amanda had a feeling in her head that someone wanted to speak with her. With the boys out the door, Amanda asked Liz to give her a moment before opening the link, knowing it was Shaun before she committed.
“Amanda, we have an issue, can you come down?”
“Be there in a jiffy,” she sent before turning to Liz. “Alright, Wonder Woman, sounds like something’s up. Want to tag along?”
Liz smiled. “Sure. Where are we headed?”
“We need to speak with Shaun,” she answered and guided her apprentice into the basement.
Shaun stood behind Vanessa in his black outfit. What was it with people wearing black? There were so many other colours out there. At least Vanessa gave the room a splash of colour in her pink top as she worked the mouse.
“What’s the craic, then, Shaunie my boy?” she said as she walked in with Liz at her heels.
Shaun looked around, blinking an incredulous look off of his face. He’d get used to Amanda’s sarcastic manner one day. “We’re not entirely sure. We’ve had a report come in from the Knights of Newark Coven. They said they were assaulting a building with a group of Inquisitors inside. We asked them to hold off, but I think they’ve gone in.”
“Inquisitors? I thought we’d sent them packing?”
“We did, and we didn’t have any reports that a new group was in the city.”
“Could they get in without anyone knowing?” Amanda asked.
“Sure, that wouldn’t be too difficult. Seems odd that the Knights knew of it, though.”
“Have they been in touch since?”
“No, nothing. That was just a few minutes ago, so it’s probably still going on.”
“Where is it?” she asked. Vanessa pulled up a map on one of the screens, with a street marked on it, showing its position relative to Amanda’s house. It was fairly close and if this really was the Inquisition, then this new safe house’s proximity to her home did not feel good. It could easily be a coincidence, but the thought that they might know where she lived gave her shivers.
That could be dealt with later though, if it even became an issue at all. First things first, they needed to get to this new Inquisition safe house and see what the situation was.
“Do we know which building they’re in?”
“No. I can try to find out. It’s not far away, though,” Shaun replied.
She nodded. “Come on,” Amanda said to Liz, “it’s only a couple of minutes away, we’ll bike it. We’ll figure out their exact location when we get there.”
“Really?” Liz said in wonder as she followed her into the garage.
Amanda tossed her one of the helmets. “Pop your lid on and climb on,” she said as she swung her leg over her Fireblade and pulled her own helmet on.
Liz climbed on behind her as she fired up the engine and the machine roared to life. The garage door had already opened most of the way having telekinetically flicked the switch to open it with her Magic. Pulling away, she swung out into traffic, her ambient Magic making sure she exited at just the right time into a gap between the cars.
Liz held on tight to Amanda’s waist as she gave the bike some power and shot along the streets, weaving between cars, her Magical luck opening a gap up for her, keeping the lights green and the traffic cameras looking the other way.
Less than two minutes later, several blocks away from her house, and much closer to the Hudson River Amanda moved into a side street with just a few cars parked up and a handful of people wandering along the sidewalks. The road didn’t have much down it, just a few boarded up shops and commercial units, a perfect place for a hideout.
Amanda pulled in behind a camper van that she recognised as the mobile home of the Knights of Newark. Looking around with her Magical senses, she could quickly pick out the fading remains of an Aegis around a nearby building. The local Essentia around the building was a mess of swirls and surges. The tell-tale signs of a fight between Magi.
Amanda jumped off the bike and banged on the back of the camper van with the base of her fist. After a brief pause, movement could be made out from within and then the back door opened and a face popped into view. He had messy hair and a jacket over a t-shirt that looked to have a Star Wars design on it.
“Amanda? Are you alright?”
Amanda raised her ey
ebrows in mild surprise. “Me? Are you alright, is more like it? You contacted us.” This was Mike, a Knights of Newark Magus. He seemed most at home sat before a computer screen from what she knew of him. He’d be monitoring the rest of the coven as they went into the building.
“Only to let you know what was going on. I think it’s mostly over now, though. We ruined them.”
“You guys took on an Inquisitor squad?”
“Yeah! Don’t look so surprised. I mean, we had a bit of help, but we took them on.”
“Help?” Amanda asked.
“Well, yeah, but…” he said, never finishing the sentence as Amanda pulled the other door open and stepped into the back of the van. For such a small-looking van on the outside, it appeared deceptively big on the inside. No doubt, it had a bit of Magical enhancement. Ducking slightly to keep her head from banging into the ceiling, she looked at the bank of computer screens on the table and side of the van. There seemed to be a live video feed coming in from several body cams and she could see Magi from some of the other New York covens in there with them.
“What the hell…” she said, feeling a little bewildered. She turned back to Liz. “We’re going in,” she said, and moments later they Ported into the building.
They appeared in the centre of a huge room on the second floor that had been trashed by the fight. Furniture had been smashed, bullet holes peppered the walls, and in amongst it all, there were a number of bodies. Mostly, Crusader Knights. These guys were usually humans with Magical items like swords and such, but they were not to be underestimated.
On Amanda and Liz’s appearance, a number of the Magi that were standing in the room raised weapons or readied Magic, only to recognise Amanda and relax, stifling their Magical attacks.
Amanda immediately recognised members of three covens in the room. All of them had recently moved to New York and had introduced themselves to Amanda on their arrival. The Knights of Newark she’d known were here, the other two covens though, were Tyranny Effect and Tiger’s Claw.
They were all scattered about the room, giving the place a search, or talking amongst themselves. One of the Magi from the Tyranny Effect Coven sat tapping away on a laptop.
Magi Legend Page 55