“Amanda,” Gentle Water said. “I not go to New York.”
“Oh?”
“You not need me anymore, Amanda. You are capable Magus. Older and stronger than I. And life, it change for me. This blindness. I feel my time out there, fighting, it now at end. I want to relax. I think I live here now.”
Amanda sighed, but she’d known that this day would come. Gentle Water, unlike most other Magi, was one of those whose life was not extended by the Magic they had within them. He would live an average human lifespan by all indications. Naturally, this would mean that one day, he was likely to retire. His injury had acted as something of a catalyst, and she honestly couldn’t blame him. She’d probably do the same if she were in his place.
“I understand,” she said.
“And I have chosen to remain as well. I’ll act as the temple’s guard for now,” Balor said.
“Are you sure?” Amanda asked.
“I’ve given it much thought, and I need some time to myself. Also, if anyone should come looking for your mentor, I will be here to protect him.”
Amanda nodded. “I will rest easier knowing you’re here, Balor.”
“Then it is decided,” Gentle Water announced.
“I’ll return when the task is done,” Amanda said.
“I look forward to it,” Gentle Water commented with a smile.
Amanda turned and saw that everyone was back and waiting, but keeping a respectful distance from their conversation.
She said her goodbyes to her two friends, hugging them both before she walked over to the group.
“Everyone here is going to New York, right?” she asked.
They all agreed with nods and answers of yes.
“Is Gentle Water not coming?” Liz asked.
“No, he’s going to stay here with Balor. He’ll be living here from now on. If you wish to say goodbye, now would be the time.”
She waited while everyone took their turn wishing Gentle Water all the best and said their goodbyes, and a few moments later they were all back in the group close to Amanda.
“Ready?” she asked. With a full round of agreement, Amanda worked her Magic and Ported them all to New York.
They appeared in the catacombs of the Pit Club, in one of the larger rooms that Amanda remembered from when she’d come here to deal with Lucian. The large room had several seating areas, a pool table, a wet bar, dining table, and some entertainment stations. Against one wall, a few desks had been set up with computers on them, including multiple monitors for each workstation and banks of servers humming away.
Shaun sat at one of the workstations while Vanessa sat at the other. There were several other Magi here, clustered in small groups. Most of them she didn’t know or recognise, but there were a few all-too-familiar faces.
Trevelyan, Stephen Bathory, and Kai of the Magi Council were all here. As was Celest and Victoria. Everyone sensed or heard their arrival and looked over, and those she knew best jumped up smiling and walked over to greet them.
“It’s great to see you all. Especially you, Amanda. We thought we’d lost you for good,” Trevelyan said.
“Yasmin will have to work a little harder to get rid of me,” Amanda smirked.
“So I can see. Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
“I hope you don’t mind me setting up in here?” Shaun asked. “It seemed like the obvious place.”
“Absolutely not, it’s a great idea.”
“I’ve been monitoring as much as I can online. There have been some changes to the DWeb though, so I’m glad to have Matt back. He’ll be a great help.”
“Oh, yeah!” Matt exclaimed. “The Hypernet. I’d forgotten in all the excitement at the temple.” He looked over at Amanda with a huge cheesy grin, silently asking the question.
“Of course, go. I’m not your mother. Shaun needs you.”
“Yes!” Matt said, emphasising his pleasure with a little fist pump before he headed over to the workstations where Amanda noticed him awkwardly greet Vanessa.
“I’m glad to see you’re all alive,” Amanda said, turning back to Trevelyan, Stephen, Kai, and Victoria. “Liz said that Yasmin attacked Ultima Thule.”
“She did. I think she was actually there to try and topple the Council. Liz being there with you and the others was just a nice bonus.”
“How many died?” Amanda asked.
“A few, but it could have been worse. We fended her off, and the castle is still there. She attacked the Albion as well, through the London entrance.”
“Liz said she saw that, too.”
“That was worse. We suffered some heavy losses there.”
“She hit us, too,” Stephen said, referring to his coven, The Order of the Dragon.
“We also suffered,” Kai added. “But not at the hands of Yasmin. Lyka paid us a visit.”
“Lilith told me she was awake again when I visited you,” Amanda said to Victoria.
“She did,” Victoria confirmed.
“We were informed of that. She’s been attacking covens worldwide,” Trevelyan explained.
“I forgot to mention,” Victoria added, looking at Amanda. “After you left, Lyka returned briefly and attacked me. She read my mind. She probably would have killed me, but she was interrupted at the last moment. Anyway, the one thing I know she took was the location of your house in New York.”
“Really? Interesting,” Amanda answered. “And that was before Yasmin attacked us there. Hmm. I didn’t see her, but I guess that doesn’t mean she wasn’t watching.” She needed to think about that more.
“I have to say,” Trevelyan said. “This is the worst situation we have dealt with in a long time, and I hear that the Archons have been freed?”
“How did you know that?” Amanda asked. She’d not had a chance to tell anyone before she’d been killed. Liz and the others only knew because Crystal had told them.
“The Null Barrier to the Aetheric has been destroyed, probably by the same thing that freed the Archons, so we’ve been able to start talking to some Spirits. They were quite clear on this fact.”
“The barrier’s gone? Incredible. Well, it’s true. Yasmin killed one of them. Samael, I believe. The act of killing him broke the Magic that was keeping them imprisoned. I have no idea where they are now.”
“So far, they have remained quiet, but we’re watching for them. Right now, the main issue is Yasmin. She’s been hunting Liz and your friends while also attacking a few of the larger covens. I have no idea what she’s planning to do next. Whatever it is, it won’t be good.”
“I think that’s a given,” Amanda commented. “So, how did you end up here?”
“That was all down to Shaun, here. He managed to get in contact with members of our covens and invited us to gather here. There’s strength in numbers, so it seemed like a good idea.”
Amanda turned back to Shaun, who smiled at her. “Well done. Seriously, excellent work.”
Shaun shrugged. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”
“So, did you actually die?” Trevelyan asked.
Amanda looked back at the Arch Master with a smile. “I guess so, but not entirely. Something happened to me while I was on the other side, a revelation of sorts, I guess. It allowed me to come back.”
“Do you have a plan?” Stephen asked.
“I just wish to face Yasmin.”
“Are you sure that’s wise? It didn’t go well last time,” Kai said.
“I’ve learned a few things since then,” Amanda reassured her. She didn’t want to say much more. What happened while she was dead was something she would happily share with Trevelyan, but she didn’t want to tell everyone. Her experiences with Sophia were incredibly personal, and she wanted to keep the details to herself. She’d told her coven what had happened in broad terms, but had skimmed the details.
Those details were for her, and maybe her closest friends and family. In fact, there was one family member that she felt she needed to pay a visit. She wasn’t sure if he r
eally deserved to know the truth, but she thought it was the right thing to do. Mr Black was her father, after all, and she felt sure that he would be interested to know who her mother was. She’d need to pay him a visit before long.
“Okay,” Trevelyan said, “I trust you.”
“Thanks,” Amanda answered with a smile.
Over the next few hours, they all settled into their new temporary home. Amanda found a small, out of the way room and Ported Alicia into it. She wanted to keep her friend close. She told her closest friends and the Sigil about her, but otherwise kept her presence here on a need to know basis, before she locked the door and placed an alarm-Aegis around her that only Sigil members could pass through.
Creating the coven had been a good idea and had made adding that contingency to the Aegis much easier, than adding each person individually. She wondered whether Maria or Maya would join the Sigil. Both of them were long-time Legacy members, so jumping from the Legacy to the Sigil might be somewhat awkward. Maya would probably find it the easiest, being her daughter and a Scion rather than a Magus, but Maria was more of an unknown. She wondered if she’d be seeing Maria later tonight and made a mental note to ask her, before continuing with her errands.
Matt settled back into working with the computers and after his first stint online, was already raving about the Hypernet and how amazing it was. Amanda was keen to go online with him sometime soon, but Yasmin would have to be dealt with first. Besides, Shaun was keeping him busy hunting for information about Yasmin, so he didn’t have any time to play games.
So far, though, there was nothing. Yasmin had been quiet for hours now, which was something that worried Amanda somewhat.
Time passed and later that evening, Maria asked Amanda if she wanted any company that night. They ate in Amanda’s room and before long ended up in bed. Sex was such a simple, carnal thing, and yet, coming back from death and spending time with someone she loved, indulging in what was a very personal exchange of love and affection was wonderful.
Eventually, they lay in each other’s arms, just enjoying the other’s gentle caress. Amanda relished the warmth of Maria’s body intertwined with her own.
“I won’t be joining the Sigil,” Maria whispered. “I hope that’s okay?”
Amanda smiled. She’d wondered when Maria would deliver her verdict. She probably would have asked her before too long, so it was nice that she volunteered the information. “That’s okay. I know you’re a Legacy member and have been for decades. So, I can’t say I’m all that surprised.”
“You don’t mind?”
“No. Not really, no. It’s not as if it’s going to change anything between us. We can still see each other.”
“Good. I’m just glad to have you back.” She emphasised the point with a squeeze.
“Me, too. It’s good to be back.”
“So, you gave us a broad outline of what happened to you, that you met your mother, who’s an…?”
“An Aeon. Well, that’s what she called herself, anyway. She said that’s what they’re known as in English, but they’ve had lots of names, including the name they use for themselves in their language.”
“Which is what?”
“I have no idea, but I’d guess it translates as Aeon.”
“I guess,” Maria laughed. “So, tell me what happened. I mean, if you’re happy to tell me. I’d love to know.”
“Sure, but it’s not something I’ll tell many people. It’s all quite personal.”
“I won’t tell a soul. This is between you and me,” Maria promised.
Amanda smiled and then told Maria everything that had happened to her. Keeping it all bottled up probably wasn’t good for her. Once she started, she found it just all spilt out of her, everything that had happened to her during her time with the Aeon, from her first meeting with Georgina through to the final conversation before she woke up back in her body. Maria asked her questions throughout, requesting clarification on things or giving her opinion on other parts. Having her there to talk to about it was good for her and made her think about things a little more, as well as helping to get the whole event straight in her head, until finally, Amanda reached the end. In the end, it felt kind of great to tell someone.
“And that’s it, that’s when you saw me at the Red Temple,” she said.
“So, Sophia is in there with you now?”
“I can feel her presence, the channel that I can use to speak to her. I don’t know if it’s something that will last once Yasmin has been dealt with.”
“Well, it’s certainly an incredible experience you’ve had. I hope you can somehow use the information she gave you and her continued help to end Yasmin’s reign of terror.”
Amanda stared off into the middle distance, thinking about the confrontation that was yet to come and nodded. She didn’t know if she was stronger or more powerful after her experience, but something about what had happened to her made her self-confidence burn bright. She would confront Yasmin soon enough. She just hoped that Sophia’s help would be sufficient to do what needed to be done.
“I hope so, too,” Amanda said.
- The Pit Nightclub. Manhattan, New York.
It’s good to see you again,” Amanda said to Celest in the main kitchen of the Pit Club as she prepared her breakfast, of toast with marmalade and a glass of orange juice.
“From what Shaun tells me, I’m lucky to see you again.”
“I guess so. It’s been a crazy few days, to say the least. Glad you made it here, though. Did Shaun find you?”
“It was Vanessa who turned up at my doorstep, but yes, they found me. Thought I’d be safer down here with the Magi.”
“With Yasmin on the rampage, hunting for anyone associated with me, she’s probably right.”
“I guess. Well, if it gets me into the fight, I’m there. It’s been a while since I was able to really let loose.”
Family Ties
Syndicate Island
The surge of Essentia faded as she looked around at the tropical environment of the secretive island where the Syndicate operated. She’d only been here once before and wasn’t that familiar with the place.
She wasn’t even sure if Echo and Mr Black were still here. But she needed to see them. She needed to tell him some of what she had learned. It was only fair.
She remembered him telling her about his time with Sophia. He had also heard about Sophia giving birth on Tārūt from an account of the event which Matt had posted online.
He didn’t know much beyond that, though. Only that it sounded like she was a Magus, but that was all.
She now knew much more about Sophia and felt she kind of owed it to him to tell him. She wondered how he was, following Yasmin’s attack. Would he even be alive? Could she help somehow, if he was?
She needed to see him, that much was clear to her.
She stood outside a large building in the blistering tropical heat, in a large, open flat area with pathways bisecting small sections of grass that had the occasional palm tree jutting from them. There was no one about, and the building looked empty.
Had the last members of the Syndicate left? She wouldn’t blame them if they had. Their years of planning for the attack on the Archons had been foiled, their leader had gone missing, and there’d probably been a few somewhat terrifying moments in between.
Not least of which, was the devastating fight that had happened here very recently. Amanda walked towards the complex. The building was modern, made from gleaming steel and lots of glass assembled into sweeping lines and curves. It looked like quite an appealing place to work once upon a time.
As she neared the building, Amanda sensed a growing rush of Essentia up ahead and Echo snapped into existence before her, her fists clenched, and a look of defiance on her face.
“What are you doing here?” Echo asked, fiery emotion in her voice.
Amanda raised her hands. “I don’t want to fight.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
&nbs
p; Amanda nodded. “No, it wasn’t. Sorry. Look, I just want to see my father. I have some information that I think he’d like to hear. Is he around? Is he okay?”
Echo scowled at her. “He’s here, but he’s not well.”
“Maybe I can help?” Amanda asked. Echo was a very capable Magus, if not a little hot-headed, and she didn’t seem to like her much.
Being Amanda’s father’s adopted daughter was probably part of the issue. She had grown up with Mr Black from a very young age, so having her father’s biological daughter turn up and divide his attention, probably didn’t sit too well with her.
Amanda had no intention of stealing away her father’s affections, though. All she wanted was some information and the ability to visit him when she wanted. But all in good time.
“What can you do? I’ve tried everything, my Magic doesn’t work.”
“Trust me, I might be able to save him.”
“There’s nothing you can do that I can’t.”
“I think that’s open to debate,” Amanda commented. “Look, I’m not going to hurt him. You can be in the room the whole time. I just want to see him. Can I please see our dad?”
Echo pressed her lips together and frowned at her, apparently thinking it through. It looked to Amanda like she would dearly love to just send her away, but maybe she was thinking about what their father would want.
Echo sighed. “Very well. You can see him. But no funny business.”
Amanda shook her head and raised her hand in salute. “Of course not. Guide’s honour.”
Echo rolled her eyes and turned away from Amanda. “Follow me.”
Amanda smiled and fell into step behind Echo. She followed her into the entrance of the building, through the atrium, and around the unmanned security station into the office itself. There were lots of desks in an open-plan arrangement, but they were all empty. The desks themselves seemed to have been abandoned with a few discarded personal items on them that the previous user hadn’t bothered to take.
It looked like the office had once been busy and full of life. To see it empty and looking more than a little sad was a disconcerting feeling.
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