Presence- The Marked

by L J Branch

  “Brother-”

  “He can’t hear you,” Diamond interrupted coldly. “You went too far this time,” Diamond continued as she prepared to end him, however before she could finish him, Abbie’s voice stopped her.

  “Stop!” Abbie shouted loudly. Abbie’s hoarse voice cut through Diamond’s rage-filled mind, and Diamond could only wonder how long Abbie had tried to get her attention. “I know you hate him, but unfortunately he’s the only one that can erase the memories of Haylen’s team since I have your mark. You can’t kill him, no matter how much you believe he deserves it,” Abbie said, her voice measured as she tried to get Diamond to see reason. Diamond gritted her teeth when she realized that Abbie was right. As long as the threat of exposure was there, she couldn’t afford to kill the mage.

  “By the Goddesses, you have no idea how lucky you are,” Diamond muttered before she forced herself to lower her weapon. “We’ve done our job,” Diamond said as Kat picked up the Shield. “Now you do yours and deal with the civilians,” Diamond ordered as she lowered her gun. “This is on you and the Circle, don’t blame me for whatever happens the next time we meet. You won’t be saved again,” Diamond muttered as Jack released his brother who was still frozen to the pillar. “Let’s go,” Diamond said before the lights of the gallery were shut down. When they turned back on, Xavier once more found himself defeated and alone. It was just like in their last encounter but this time he had a feeling he hadn’t believed he’d ever have toward Band 13.

  Fear.

  CHAPTER 12: Changes

  Santa Monica, Abigail’s Apartment

  “Ouch, easy back there Kat!” Jack complained as Kat used a knife to cut into his back. “Bloody hell,” Jack muttered as Kat seemed to be even rougher in her attempts to remove all traces of a bullet from his shoulder.

  “Oh man up, you’re the one who decided to take nectar with a bullet still lodged in your body. I have to reopen the wound to get it out!” Kat snapped as she continued to work on Jack, her hands now soaked with his blood. “What the hell were you thinking!? We’re a band for a reason, we fight together, don’t tell me to stand back on the battlefield!”

  “It was just a civilian, I thought I could handle it.”

  “Bullshit. Don’t act like he was normal. His augments aside, something about him was off. I felt it, so I know for a fact that you did!” Kat shouted which made Jack grimace as he realized she was right. Jebediah was practically a living weapon with how strong his body was. It took everything Jack had and then some to hurt the older man. “We could have handled it faster, together,” Kat said as she removed the last piece of the bullet from Jack’s body. “We’re thieves, Jack, our priority is always the objective. I know you’re new to the whole having emotions thing, but there is no place for pride in our line of work. You know this,” Kat said before biting her lip as she tried to search through the storm of emotions that filled her heart in an attempt to sort out Jack’s. “You’re our enforcer,” Kat said as she felt his heart within her own, understanding dawning on her as she could feel the fears and insecurities that he possessed but dared not disclose to any of them. “You don’t need to prove a damn thing to us, we know how strong you are,” Kat said softly as she rested her forehead on his back and closed her eyes. Jack tensed as he felt the fear and sadness that Kat had when he was shot down. “I can’t lose you.”

  “Don’t worry, Kat. I’m still here,” Jack reassured her as he reached for his flask only to have her snatch it away from him. “Kat!?”

  “Not this time, consider this your punishment. You want to act like a civilian? You’re going to heal like a civilian, now be still as I stitch you up,” Kat said firmly.

  “You can’t be serious!”

  “Oh, I am, or should I call Vivi instead?” Kat challenged and Jack felt the blood drain from his face. “That’s what I thought, though I should, seeing how you sold me out last time. Consider this payback.”

  “I apologize.”

  “Little late for that,” Kat said dryly. “Doesn’t matter, just stay still and let me work,” Kat muttered as she continued to work on Jack. Abbie, who was on her way into the room decided to turn around and leave the two alone. Abbie made her way into her bedroom where she found Diamond. Diamond stared silently out of Abbie’s window as she tried to gather her thoughts.

  “You know, I never thought I’d see Kat that angry, remind me to not get on her bad side,” Abbie joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. Once they had made it back to Abbie’s apartment, Kat snapped at Jack immediately and Abbie worried that she would get noise complaints from her neighbors.

  “It is not a pretty sight,” Diamond mused. “Jack and Kat were raised together. For all intents and purposes, they are siblings so I’ll let her vent for the both of us. Though it doesn’t change the fact his injury is my fault,” Diamond said tiredly, clearly frustrated. “Goddesses, I swear it seems like Kat is the only one who doesn’t screw up in this band. It’s like she was made for this life which is saying something seeing how I was literally born into it.”

  “Hey now, don’t be too hard on yourself. I can’t imagine taking a life is ever easy, even if they are someone as messed up as Jezebel,” Abbie said in an attempt to make Diamond feel better. However, instead, Diamond’s face just showed an even more pained expression. “Want to talk about it?”

  “Not much to talk about, I went to subdue her, it failed. After that, I had multiple attempts to bring her down as she clearly posed a threat. Time after time, I didn’t take the shot I knew I could have. Because of that Jack nearly lost his life and that’s on me,” Diamond said as she turned to face Abbie. “The anger I felt wasn’t toward Jezebel or Xavier, no, that anger was directed toward myself. There are no replacements for bandmates. Once one of them is gone, the entire band ceases to be operational. If Jack had died, my claim to the throne would have been forfeited,” Diamond revealed. “Who would follow a Queen that can’t even keep her own band alive? For my mother, it was simple, her bandmates perished long after she claimed the throne and long after she had proven herself. My Father? His band is alive but broken, that alone has caused many to question his ability despite his band being the strongest in the Guild. Frost and Katarina are more valuable to me than any reward a job could possibly offer and yet my hesitation almost cost me everything. We succeeded tonight, but now I realize we still have much to learn,” Diamond said before she glanced at the Shield that rested on Abbie’s bed. “We got the grimoire, now we let the fully trained thieves handle this.”

  “Stop while we’re ahead, that’s a plan I can get behind,” Abbie mused. “But will you be alright?”

  “She was my first intentional kill,” Diamond said quietly. “She will not be the last, either. According to my teacher, it doesn’t get easier but you do get better at it.”

  “That’s fuckin’ scary.”

  “Right?” Diamond said with a small smile. “Thank you,” Diamond said suddenly. “For stopping me,” Diamond clarified. “You were right, if I killed him and left those memories with the civilians then everything that I worked for would have been lost. I would have never forgiven myself if a moment of tunnel vision made me lose everything. Once Kat finishes working on Jack, we will get out of your hair. We have imposed enough. Hopefully, the next job we deal with involves less blood.”

  “Amen.”

  “By the way, tomorrow, come to our penthouse. We want to discuss some changes with you concerning our current arrangement,” Diamond said before she rolled her eyes when she saw the concerned and slightly fearful expression on Abbie’s face. “Kat wasn’t kidding, you do jump to the worst conclusions first. Believe me, it’s completely beneficial for all of us. This makes the second time you’ve gotten us out of a jam. You’ve more than proven yourself to be an asset to me, so I have a proposition I want to make you after a good night’s rest.” Diamond explained. “But we will deal with that tomorrow, get some rest, Abigail.”

  * * *

  San Diego,
Magnus Manor

  “Really great job you did there, brother, glad to see you made such a difference,” Lilia said sarcastically as she held a long golden rod. At the end of the rod was what appeared to be a golden flower that had a green crystal embedded in its center. From the crystal came a green beam of energy that was currently focused on the downed form of Jezebel who bled profusely over the bed. On the floor were the unconscious forms of Samuel and Jebediah. Never had Haylen seen her allies in such a state. “The first day off I have in months, and of course, you screw it up,” Lilia muttered as she concentrated on the task of healing Jezebel. “Let’s not forget the fact you were bested by rookies again. Are you the heir of House Magnus or a fool?”

  “It’s not his fault, I watched the recordings, this situation could have been handled if Jezebel hadn’t gone AWOL,” Haylen said as she gazed down at her fallen teammate. “I’ve never seen this woman miss or screw around on the job, this behavior of hers was unprecedented and when she wakes up, I will find out why.”

  “She’s branded, nothing more than the property of thief royalty. In this instance, she was never on our side, just a tool of the Midas family. Curse my bleeding heart, I should just let her perish,” Lilia muttered as she glared at Haylen. Soon that glare shifted to Xavier. “Not that it matters to you, you’re going to forget what happened here as soon as possible. The footage she speaks of, did you destroy it?”

  “All of it,” Xavier said exasperatedly. “Don’t treat me like a novice, I know protocol.”

  “You know protocol?” Lilia asked and the beam of light disappeared when Jezebel’s bleeding stopped. “You could have fooled me!” Lilia snapped while the golden petals at the end of her staff closed around the green crystal. Lilia slammed the bottom of the rod on the ground right before her brother and Haylen’s eyes widened slightly at the loud thundering sound that echoed throughout the room. “If you knew protocol I wouldn’t have a smart-ass civilian talking to me right now. If you knew protocol, you wouldn’t have been bested by the same rookies two times in a row!” Lilia roared as her eyes turned into twin black voids that were filled with stars. Lilia practically growled as she gestured toward the rod. “Tell me, what is this?”

  “Your staff,” Xavier answered with a grimace.

  “And what does it do?”

  “Allows a mage to control their magic to its full potential.”

  “And without it, not just myself but all mages are restricted to the most basic of spells. When a mage's servant and shield are destroyed, that power returns to them to make them stronger. Without your staff to capitalize on this, to draw out the most of this newfound strength, that power is utterly worthless!” Lilia snapped. “You sit there, do something as risky as fighting thieves of all things, without your staff, and expect me to believe you know protocol? Where the hell is your staff!?”

  “I’m…making changes to it at the moment so I can’t use it just yet,” Xavier answered and his sister trembled with barely restrained rage.

  “And you still decided to go out to fight? To nearly get yourself killed!? Do you not realize that the bloodline ends with you if you die now?” Lilia asked through gritted teeth. “Enero is wrong, you are too prideful and too foolish to be the Head of House Magnus. You’re ill-fit for your position.”

  “And who would be a better fit? A bastard like you?” Xavier asked with an angered expression. Silence rang out through the room, as Lilia’s eyes returned to normal instantly at that remark. For Xavier, it was as if his mind had finally caught up to his mouth and his expression went from one of anger to horror at his own words. “Lilia…”

  “Stop,” Lilia said quietly as she narrowed her eyes at her brother. “Don’t even try to apologize because you meant that,” Lilia said as she strolled toward the door. “But know this, I’d rather be the twisted bastard that I am than the failure of a son you turned out to be,” Lilia said coldly, “No wonder father tried again,” Lilia said with a scoff before she opened the door. Lilia was surprised to see August on the other side.

  “Am I interrupting something?” August questioned with a frown.

  “No, I’m done here, excuse me while I get back to work on our project,” Lilia said as she strolled past August.

  “Uncle, about the Shield-” Xavier began only to be stopped when August raised a hand to silence him.

  “What matters is that you are okay,” August said simply. “Losing the Shield was, well, it was the expected outcome in the end I suppose. In your current state, you make very little difference, Magnus or not,” August said and his audible disappointment seemed to hurt Xavier more than any injury he had sustained that evening. “We can only look toward the future. Your failure is in the past, a lesson to be learned from. What matters most now is our civilian friend here.”

  “Oh, am I allowed to break up this little family moment?” Haylen asked sarcastically. “What the fuck is goin’ on here?” Haylen snapped. “What did I witness tonight and will my team be okay?”

  “A spit-fire this one is,” August said with a chuckle. “My boy, why have you not erased her memories? And what of her companions?” August questioned. The sheer ease in which August made messing with her mind sound, along with everything she saw that night, proved to be more than enough to strike fear even into Haylen’s cold heart.

  “They were all taken down before anything too unnatural was shown to them. With the exception of the big one, Jebediah. I had to alter his memory of Ja-er-I mean the Frost heir recovering from his nectar. She saw the most but the memory alteration spell isn’t working on her,” Xavier explained to August who stroked his beard in thought.

  “Well perhaps that’s the case for you, she is an intelligent woman,” August said before raising a shining palm at Haylen. “But allow me to try,” August said as he went to move his hand toward Haylen who stepped back apprehensively only to find herself pressed against a wall. Just as he touched her forehead, August’s eyes widened as he felt his spell blocked before it dispersed into harmless white particles of light. “What?”

  “Like I said it isn’t working,” Xavier said with a frown which August mirrored as he gazed down upon the confused woman.

  “This poses a problem, did the relic play a part with its time in her family’s possession?” August wondered to himself. “Doesn’t matter, since we can’t safely remove her from this secret world of ours now, we’ll have to come clean and get her cooperation until I can bring this to the inner circle.”

  “What are you talkin’ about!?” Haylen asked. “Please, just give me my team and let us leave,” Haylen pleaded and she cursed how weak her voice sounded.

  “In due time but first let me ask my girl, do you believe in magic?” August asked curiously as his eyes glimmered with amusement.

  * * *

  Santa Monica, Midas Tower

  “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Abbie asked after Kat met her inside the safe house. Abbie knelt down and pet Sal on his head after he happily rushed her. “Missed you too, boy,” Abbie said as the dog licked her cheek. A whistle from Diamond was enough to get the dog to stop and sit down quietly.

  “Kat, this is your job,” Diamond said as she made her way to the kitchen where Jack poured her some coffee. Abbie noted that Jack favored his right arm as she figured his left one was still sore from the previous night’s events.

  “Huh?”

  “You’re dating her, not us,” Jack pointed out. The smirk on his face was infuriating to Kat as she noticed that he was paying her back.

  “Oh, come on, you can’t get back at me for getting back at you! The cycle will never end!” Kat complained only to be completely ignored by Jack.

  “Want some coffee, love?”

  “No, I’m fine, had a cup before I came,” Abbie said as her suspicious gaze never left the now nervous Kat. “What’s all this about?”

  “Okay, well, wasn’t expecting to be put on the spot like this but uh, move in with us?” Kat said though it sounded more lik
e a question as she handed Abbie a key to the penthouse.

  “Smooth,” Jack teased while Diamond shook her head in disappointment.

  “This is why she’s not the grifter,” Diamond said with a sigh.

  “I don’t know, I think she’d do a great job. What woman couldn’t say yes to that?” Jack questioned, doing his best not to laugh.

  “Okay, can the peanut gallery please shut up? Thanks,” Kat said dryly before she turned back to an amused Abbie. “So, what do you say?”

  “Well I wouldn’t mind, I suppose I could bunk with you but where would I put my equipment?” Abbie asked while Kat looked like something exploded in front of her.

  “Wait, you would have slept with me?” Kat asked incredulously. “Quick! Put her bed back!”

  “Excuse me?” Abbie asked sounding confused as Jack downed his coffee.

  “Alright,” Jack said as he started to leave only to get held back by Diamond.

  “Stay put, if anything, this is the only way to get her out of the front room and give us our couch back,” Diamond muttered before she gestured for them to follow her. “I told you I was refurbishing my study,” Diamond said as she opened the door to her study. “What do you think?” Diamond asked as Abbie gasped at the sight. The already beautiful study had been turned into a bedroom with a bed where the desk used to be. The desk had been moved near a window and had multiple monitors resting on it with a computer beneath it. The shelves were filled with books on coding and it had equipment that Abbie realized could come in handy for hacking that ranged from a personal drone to spare hard drives.

  “Wait a second,” Abbie said as she looked at the contents of the room. Abbie pursed her lips for a moment before she turned to the three thieves that did their best not to make eye contact. “Is this my shit? How did it get here!?”

  “Kat,” Diamond said as Jack chuckled nervously.

  “This is your job.”

  “Oh, screw you two, don’t act like you didn’t help!” Kat complained as Abbie’s eyes narrowed further.