Resistant Magic (Relic Hunter Book 5)

by R. Leonia Shea

Peter nodded. “Of course. My apologies again, Dr. Cerasola. I was expecting you to be more…”

  I could have supplied a dozen words. Competent? Informed? Knowledgeable? Qualified? Experienced? Trained? All would have worked because, in truth, I was none of those things. I was a disgraced field archaeologist temporarily in charge of a secret resistance organization. Yeah, I saw Peter’s point entirely too clearly.

  I looked at Kai, and he closed his eyes to prevent me from seeing the laughter in them and pinched his lips together with a slight shake of his head. I felt laughter bubble up. I covered that by clearing my throat and pasting an expectant expression on my face as if I were an expert and completely confident. Peter wilted and left his sentence unfinished.

  He started again, even more apologetic. “Yes. I can see how this situation might differ from other regions. La Gilda Maghi is the governing body of the Italian magic-practitioners. The Benedicaria has been practiced since the inquisition. Sorcery is not allowed unless it is used for healing or fixing problems. There are rumors that some of the more powerful families practice Stregoneria, but there’s no direct evidence, and everyone denies it because the consequences can be severe. There are regular hearings on the matter and a formal complaint process if anyone has evidence one of the families has violated the code.”

  A self-imposed Mini-Magical Inquisition was what I thought of, and that sounded like a process to strangle magic. How did someone get all the Italian witches to agree to that one?

  “So, only healing magic is allowed, and there is no actual witchcraft allowed in Rome?” I asked, keeping the disbelief from my voice by some miracle. I found that hard to swallow because my mother sold grimoires to someone in Italy and made a pretty decent living doing it.

  “In a manner of speaking, you are correct. There’s been some debate that one person’s healing is another person’s harm, but it is up to each family to ensure they follow the rules of the Benedicaria. Anyone found practicing sorcery is automatically expelled from La Gilda, and if it can be proved the family knew of it, the entire group could face the same consequence. La Gilda is not interested in changing those traditions.”

  I looked at Kai.

  Yet. He mouthed with a shrug.

  “So if the jinn problem isn’t dealt with, then the Alliance or the Chanson could come in, solve the problem, and break up that structure.” I summarized.

  “That is the fear. The families banding together and hiring Majeedah to find an outside fattucchiera hasn’t happened before that I know of.”

  Fattucchiera is the Italian equivalent of “a fixer.” I supposed that pretty much described my magical career so far; in all fairness, the term destroyer would have applied on a few occasions, but that was my little secret. “I have free reign to solve the jinn problem however I see fit without interference? Including using witchcraft in Rome?” I asked.

  Peter looked doubtful, but he nodded. “Yes. You have been hired to solve the problem so none of the families can claim superiority or be forced to break with tradition. They’re willing to let someone else take over to keep the peace since it’s very likely that some rules might need to be broken. The heads of the families will clarify all this when you meet them.”

  It almost made sense, but power was a funny thing. People claimed to be egalitarian until it looked like they were capable of ruling. The families joining together to hire Majeedah sounded a little suspicious to me. “So you are my liaison?”

  “I am to act as your contact should you need any assistance since I work for Chairman Mariani, the head of La Gilda. If I can’t help you, I will refer the request to another liaison, as necessary.” Peter pulled a plain linen card with nothing but a phone number on it from the folds of his cassock. I felt a faint buzz of magic as I reached for it, and at the last minute, I pointed to the table and folded my hands in my lap. He laid the card down after a second’s hesitation.

  “I’ll let you know if I need anything,” I said with a smile as I stood and herded Peter out of the room. Once I had closed and locked the door behind him, I tried to set a privacy ward, but pulling up a current of earth magic seemed to take much more effort than usual. I was exhausted, so I strained a bit harder and finally felt a pathetic ward snap into place.

  Kai opened his mouth to say something, and I held up one finger, giving him a short shake of my head. I pulled out my cell phone and snapped a picture of the card before picking it up with a towel from the bathroom and placing it in the sink. Laying my hand on the door frame, I hauled a strand of old magic from the wood and spiraled it to create a white-hot ember which I flicked off my finger to ignite the linen card.

  When the card burst into flames, a sickly red smoke curled off the surface. I wiped the back of my hand across my forehead, feeling the tiny beads of sweat, and turned on the tap with my other hand, drowning the smoke from the spell and washing the ashes down the drain.

  I looked up, and Kai was watching me with a smile on his handsome face.

  “You learn fast.” He said.

  “Lesson one must be that nothing in Italy is what it seems to be.” I sighed.

  “Remember that when we go meet La Gilda Maghi.”

  I rolled my eyes. “How do you know about all of this European stuff? You’re indigenous to North America, aren’t you?” I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. I suspected there was way more to my Coyote than just roaming the good old USA.

  Kai looked contrite. “I got around.” He crossed his arms in front of him and leaned back against the dresser, crossing one ankle over the other. I swept my gaze from his shoes to the top of his head and back down again, waiting for him to elaborate.

  “Do you have any idea how irritating that is?” I asked, grinding my teeth when he smirked at me. “You dole out tiny bits of information, but never the whole story.”

  “It’s all part of my greater plan to keep you coming back for more.” He said, lifting his eyebrows and one corner of his mouth.

  “One of these days, I’m going to snap,” I warned.

  “I’m looking forward to that.” He replied.

  “Just help me find the tracker that someone placed on our luggage.”

  It didn’t take me long to find the tiny electronic device sealed underneath the airport’s baggage tags. I was rattled by that, for sure, but I was way more afraid of what else I’d find in Rome that I wasn’t expecting.

  “I heard there’s a great bookshop around here,” Kai said, massaging my very tense shoulders. “Should we go visit it?”

  “That would be an excellent idea,” I said, standing on tiptoes and kissing his smooth cheek.

  Chapter 3

  After eating gelato and taking in the sites of Rome, Kai and I walked down the street hand in hand. I’d deliberately chosen a route that would take us away from my mom’s bookstore because something deep inside my brain said that might be a wise choice. I suppose part of me also wanted to delay the inevitable.

  I hadn’t seen my mom since we’d had a mild confrontation in Boston. The argument was diffused by Kai’s easy manner and my sudden realization that my mom might still feel pain over my father’s death even though it was over thirty years ago. Without those two things to curb my temper, I would have tried to drag some of her secrets to light.

  I had recently discovered that my family had been keeping all sorts of things from me since my childhood. My father, Marco Cerasola, was one of those things nobody talked about. Magic had been another secret, and their efforts to “protect” me almost got me killed because my magic was raw and untrained.

  Kai squeezed my hand, and I looked up at him. “Let it go.” He said, turning my hand up and placing a kiss in my palm. His tone was patient but determined. “She doesn’t have the information you need.”

  “How are you so sure about that?” I demanded. That had been his position all along, and I’d been so avoidant about even discussing the entire thing that I never questioned his reasons.

  “She wouldn’t endanger you on purpose,
and there’s probably an excellent reason she chose to live here. I have a theory that a certain older gentleman convinced her to take steps to protect you.”

  “Pops?” I asked. The tone of my voice indicated my disbelief.

  “No. I’m talking about the other one who is elbow-deep in your current profession while pretending he has no idea who you are,” Kai whispered with a note of conspiracy.

  I sighed. He was right; Kingston Pon did seem to have a lot to do with my current magical adventures. I chewed the inside of my cheek, trying to figure out how Kingston seemed to always be both a benefactor and a shadowy figure in my life. He worked for the United Coven and Alliance and made sure that I was categorized as NSP - No Significant Power. That kept me off the Alliance’s radar. I had believed that myself for a long time, but experience showed me I had also grossly underestimated my own abilities.

  In truth, I liked Kingston, and I trusted him. We’d had a fair amount of contact, but somehow he was always behind the scenes. He and Evan worked together, so I’d spent some time with both of them, despite their dubious affiliation with the Alliance. Secretly, Kingston and Evan also worked with the C.C.O., or at least they did before they dropped that little gem into my lap as a temporary assignment.

  I stopped in front of the bookstore and cocked my head to the side, peering in the window as if I were just another tourist intrigued by the shop. The self-improvement books were front and center. Cookbooks on kitchen witchery and natural healing rounded out the clean and modern display.

  To everyone else, mom’s bookstore looked like a new-age haven filled with all sorts of holistic titles to cure whatever ailed the body, mind, or spirit. It’s an excellent cover for the black-market trade of grimoires and antique tomes on magical practices mom keeps locked in the ancient vaults beneath the shop.

  I pulled open the door, hearing the bells chime in multiple locations, and I waited for the big black dog that mom had adopted to come padding out from behind the counter. Kai bent down and held the dog’s head between his hands.

  “You’re a good dog, aren’t you?” He asked.

  The beast met Kai’s gaze with soulful brown eyes, and his long tail swished from side to side in greeting.

  “Hmmm, on second thought, you might want to try a little harder,” Kai added in a whisper.

  “Woof!”

  “Yeah, you’re going to have to work on that,” Kai said, scratching the dog behind the ears. The dog whined, paced back to the edge of the counter, and laid down with a loud thud.

  “I think you hurt his feelings,” I said.

  “He seriously needs to up his game,” Kai replied, pointing to his own eyes with two fingers and then turning his hand to give the dog the same gesture. The dog rolled over and yawned, kicking his paws into the air.

  “He’s not impressed,” I said, poking Kai in the ribs.

  “That’s the story of my life at the moment,” Kai responded, pulling me by the hand toward a display of crystals and herbs in large glass jars that lined the shelves of an old armoire. “We’re going to need some supplies. Do you trust me to do the shopping while you talk nicely to the owner?”

  His hint wasn’t lost on me, so I nodded and headed to the back of the store and down the winding stairs to the basement. My mom had one foot on the bottom step when I made the final turn toward the vaults. Basir was on her shoulder, and she broke into an excited grin when she saw me.

  “I was wondering how long it would take you to come to see me.” She said, holding out her arms.

  I wrapped her in a tight hug. “Hi, mom. You look great.” My mom's shorter than me by an inch and always at least twenty pounds lighter than me. I must have inherited my curves from Marco Cerasola’s side of the family because Anna O’Flynn is downright tiny.

  My mom’s now white-blond hair is curly, and her skin has an ivory perfection unmarked by the freckles that dot the bridge of my nose. She's angelic-looking while I swing from tomboy to femme fatale seamlessly, winding up somewhere in the middle more often than not. Recently, I started dressing up a bit more because of my new job, but the new wardrobe was primarily due to Kai’s love of shopping.

  “You look beautiful, Ari.” Mom said, laying a graceful hand on my cheek. “And you’re wearing a dress.” She breathed, widening her eyes in mock surprise.

  It wasn’t a great dress by any stretch of the imagination. It was an a-line t-shirt dress in a shade of green that reminded me of agave leaves. The neckline was scooped and modest, and my only accessories were flip flops with cream-colored woven straps and gold foam soles that showed off my pedicure.

  I had chosen the dress because my standard wardrobe of cargo pants and a tank top had taken on a more bad-ass edge since Kai and the C.C.O. became part of my life. I liked my new look, but for a day of playing sightseeing tourist, I didn’t need the attention my work clothes would bring.

  The dress was understated with nice big pockets, so it was a compromise. My hair was again pulled into a messy bun on top of my head and secured with an all-purpose gray scrunchie. I smiled at mom, but I didn’t take the bait.

  “Do you have anything new down here that I might be interested in?” I asked, looking around her at the shelves she had concealed with a glamour spell. All I could see were boxes of books and office supplies, but a faint tingle of magic, like kitten whiskers, brushed against my skin.

  The grimoire trade was a dicey business, and suddenly it seemed illogical that my mom engaged in such dangerous work while cautioning me against using my magic. I felt the tension ratchet up a notch as the hypocrisy settled in.

  “Let’s go have some tea and catch up.” Mom said, turning me around and giving me a gentle nudge toward the stairs. “I haven’t seen Kai since Boston.” She added, sounding enthusiastic.

  Yup. Like mother, like daughter. Avoidance must be genetic. This would be a great visit with mom, after all, because I could pretend I didn’t have issues with her treating me like I was twelve while she pretended that neither one of us did magic for a living. Yes, going upstairs to join Kai was a great idea because he handled her way better than I did.

  Kai had laid some supplies out on the counter. Herbs, stones, and a few small candles in multiple colors were lined up in neat little bundles. He was contemplating some vials that contained infusions of various plants, and he selected a few after reading the labels and added them to the pile.

  “Anna!” He said, breaking into a wide grin when he saw my mom. He walked over and hugged her warmly before stepping back next to me and placing his hand on the small of my back. His thumb stroked up and down my spine in a soothing gesture as they made small talk, mainly about the airport. My mom walked by us and went to the shop window, intending to face the chiuso sign toward the street and lock the door.

  “Don’t do that, Anna. We’re just customers out taking in the sights of Rome.” Kai said, smiling with a wink. My mom hesitated for a second, then glowered at me.

  “What are you involved with?” She asked.

  I opened my mouth to protest, and Kai’s hand squeezed my bottom with just enough force that I shot an incredulous look at him.

  “Ari’s here on business,” Kai replied, looking down at me and moving his hand to my shoulder. He waved at the supplies on the counter. “We might need a few supplies, just in case.”

  The dog stood up on his hind legs and looked at the selection on the counter, sniffing at the vials. Kai shook his head, “Seriously. You need to work on that.” He said to the dog, meeting the animal’s big brown eyes.

  Mom’s gaze slid to the dog, and I recognized the warning glare she gave him because it was the same look I usually got. The dog whined and returned to his space on the floor. Mom drummed her elegant fingers on the counter for a moment with a thoughtful look before she waved us toward the stairs. “There are some things upstairs that you might need. Go on up and make yourselves at home. Ka’Tehm is in the bathtub. Poor thing looked dehydrated when he got here. Give me a shout if you need anythin
g, but I have to check on a delivery that was supposed to be here a few hours ago.” She said.

  When we headed toward the stairs to mom’s apartment, I sagged against Kai dramatically and gave him a long-suffering look. He kissed my temple and pushed me toward the door while my mom bent down to whisper something to the large black dog, who watched us with a bored expression.

  Kai and I climbed the stairs with Basir riding atop Kai’s shoulder, clicking his beak and making irritated noises.

  “Dehydrated my foot,” I grumbled, turning my head toward Kai.

  Kai raised one hand and stroked the owl’s feathers while his other hand massaged my shoulder. I could hear my mom’s overly cheerful Italian as she made her phone call. Her business tone was wrapped around her disapproving one.

  In her apartment above the shop, my mom’s spare room contained a closet chock full of magical curiosities. The good stuff was concealed behind a clutter glamour that shouldn’t fool anyone since the rest of mom’s place was immaculately clean and organized. I tried to pull down the spell, but it only flickered.

  I let out a disgusted snort and blasted through the damned thing, knowing I’d have to repair the damage but not caring. It had felt good to shatter it, and I was a little less tense after the spell fell in shards of tinkling glitter. Kai laughed and pulled me into a quick hug.

  “Remind me not to get on your bad side,” He whispered. Kai perused the shelves, finding a few things that he needed, and he made a small pile in the center of the kitchen table. Kai sat down and gestured for me to take the other chair. I gave a frustrated shake of my head. I tapped my wrist to indicate we’d be cutting the visit short. Kai nodded and grinned.

  “Your mom has a nice supply downstairs, but this little stash will make things much easier. There are still a few things we need to pick up, but when we get back to the hotel, I can pull together a nice little arsenal for you.” He said, leaning back and waiting for me to process that information.

  I felt the muscles in my jaw twitch. Besides my ability to use earth magic, I hadn’t packed any spells or potions to bring to the magical catastrophe.