by B N Miles
Jared watched her go for a moment before turning back to his old home. Gods damn he hated coming back to this fat pile of steaming shit, but his family was working with the Medlar, and they were the only people that might help.
He pushed open the gate, walked to the door, and knocked. Silence fell for several seconds before he heard footsteps inside.
Carlo tugged open the door and smiled at Jared, his tail swishing in the air behind him, long, thin, black, and pointed like a bee’s stinger. His skin looked younger, his eyes brighter, his hair fuller, like he’d aged in the reverse for several years since Jared last saw him. The Imp was tall and powerful, but bound to the Bechtel family.
“Jared, what a lovely surprise,” he said.
“Good evening, Carlo.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I’m here to see my sister.”
He laughed. “I suppose you would be.”
“Is my uncle here?”
“He’s out, unfortunately.” Carlo tilted his head. “I’ve heard rumors about you, you know.”
“I’m sure they’re all good.”
“Your uncle isn’t happy with you.”
“There are things going on right now, Carlo, and I think—”
He held up a hand, cutting Jared off mid-sentence, and Jared stopped talking more out of surprise than anything else. Imps were contracted to Magi families through very complicated and very powerful magic similar to the Accords, and Carlo had never once interrupted Jared—which he supposed meant that Jared was no longer considered a part of the family. That was fine by him, but slightly disturbing, given how strong Carlo was.
“I know what your family is doing,” he said, keeping his voice low. “They forget I’m here sometimes, lurking in the shadows, always listening. Good old Carlo, fetch me something to eat, and oh, Carlo, here’s a tasty snack, this second cousin’s grown too old and senile to control his power.”
Jared felt his stomach turn. That explained why Carlo looked younger—he’d eaten recently.
Imps ate Humans. It was one of the viler things in this world, but Human meat and soul sustained the Imps, gave them power and youth. Magi souls were even better, and a single Magi could last an Imp for hundreds of years without needing to feed again—which was why Magi and Imps worked together.
When Magi got too old to reliably control their abilities, or if the Need got to them and drove them insane, then the household Imp would be allowed to feast. It was a sick symbiotic relationship that worked out for everyone: The Magi got rid of the dangerous members of their family that could no longer be trusted to control magic, while the Imps got to feast on delicious, powerful souls at regular intervals.
“Where’s my sister, Carlo?”
“She’s inside. I’ll take you to her, but I feel as though I should warn you.” He leaned closer, his jagged teeth showing beneath his red lips, and Jared thought he could smell blood on his breath like he’d just recently fed. “She may not be so sympathetic this time around.”
“Take me to her.”
He pulled back, straightened himself, and gestured. “Right this way, young master.”
Jared stepped into his old home and followed Carlo through the halls. He idly wondered how many Magi had been eaten by the Imp over the years—and realized the answer would be easy to find. All he had to do was count how many Magi had been born into the family, and that was how many Carlo had consumed. The thought that his parents were both consumed, his grandparents, his uncles, cousins that fell to the Need, every member of his broken and absurd family that had gone too far with magic and never been able to come back—they were all inside the Imp.
Carlo deposited him in front of a door and left without a word. Jared hesitated, knocked twice, then stepped inside. He expected the piano room again, but instead he found himself standing at the threshold of a traditional study. A fireplace crackled on the right, bookshelves lined the walls and were packed with heavy, dusty tomes, and a large wooden desk was perched on the left.
His sister sat behind it. Her long dark hair was pulled back and she wore a sweatshirt and jeans. She was hunched over a book, staring at the text, though Jared wondered if she actually saw it or not—her expression seemed far away.
“Sophie,” he said, his voice low.
She looked up and smiled. He didn’t expect that smile. He expected her to attack, or shout, or do anything but seem happy to see him. They hadn’t parted on good terms, considering she’d been the one to kidnap Cassie while he was off fighting Uncle Rolph. The memory sent a spike of anger through him.
“I was wondering when you’d show up.”
He drifted into the room and shut the door behind him. She looked pale and tired, although that wasn’t anything new. He stayed near the fire and felt the warm flames lick at his back as he studied her, trying to decide what he could say to make her see how foolish she’d been, how shortsighted it was to back the Medlar. But he knew his sister, and knew nothing would change her mind if she hadn’t already changed it herself.
“Carlo looks like he fed recently.”
She frowned a little, like she wasn’t sure what he meant, then nodded and gestured vaguely toward the wall. “Cousin Nicky.”
Jared had to think for a second to place him. The Bechtel family was wild and insane—but also really big. “Short? Blond hair?”
“He got taller since you left the family, but yes, that one.”
“He was so young.”
She shrugged. “You know how it goes.”
He took a breath and slowly let it out. That was the Bechtel curse: their family could use two memgrams at once, an ancient and powerful technique that kept their members relevant, but it also caused them to go insane at twice the rate of a normal Magi. Some of their family couldn’t handle the strain and ended up spiraling into madness at a young age.
Sophie shut the book in front of her and leaned back in her chair. She stared at Jared with a curious expression, and Jared had to hold himself back. There was so much to say, so much anger inside of him—but he couldn’t start yelling at her. He knew that wouldn’t get him what he wanted.
This was his sister. They grew up together, trained together, fought each other like dogs, but also loved each other, at least when they were children.
“Do you know why the Medlar wanted Cassie?” Jared asked finally, keeping his voice steady.
“Bits and pieces.”
“They want to break the Accords, Soph.”
She grimaced. He wasn’t sure if it was the Accords that made her flinch, or if it was her name.
“I had some idea about that.”
“How much did you know?” He stepped toward her. “Do you really want to help them?”
She tilted her head. “You’ve been making a lot of trouble for the Medlar. They’ve been putting a lot of pressure on me to find you.”
“Well, here I am.”
“Why would you come here, Jared?” There was a strange, almost mournful tone to her voice.
“If they break the Accords, the world will end. You know that as much as I do.”
“We don’t know what will happen without the Accords.”
“There will be nothing separating the Human world from the Meta world. It’ll be chaos. People will die.”
“People always die. Cousin Nicky just died.”
“You know what I’m saying.” Jared stared at his sister and tried to see the girl she’d been—but saw nothing.
“The Medlar pay very well.” She looked at her nails as though the conversation was boring her already. “The Bechtel family has not been in good shape for generations. The Medlars promise to help that.”
“And how has that gone so far?”
She hesitated. “Uncle Rolph is out making collecting on their promises.”
Jared laughed. He couldn’t help himself. “They haven’t paid yet?”
“They will.”
“Oh, Soph. The Medlar are using you because of me. They don�
�t give a damn about any of the Magi houses, much less our house. They want to destroy the Accords and enslave as many Metas as they possibly can. This is about domination.”
“It’s always been about that,” she said, her face coming alive for a moment. “You think I don’t know that?”
“Then help me. I want to stop the Medlar from enacting their ritual. Help me keep the Accords intact.”
She pushed back from the desk and stood. Jared watched her come around toward him, then walk past and linger in front of the fire. She was a slight girl, thin and willowy, several inches shorter than him, but still his mirror in many ways. He stood off to her left and watched as she clasped her hands behind her back. Her Mark was deep purple, and he knew his own would look similar to hers now that he’d been using magic much more frequently.
“The Medlar haven’t been forthcoming with us in the past.” Her voice was still soft, but there was an edge to it. “We weren’t aware of their bigger plans until recently. They told us—well, it doesn’t matter what they told us, but it was a lie.”
“How many families know about what the Medlar are doing?”
“I’m not sure. We were approached by Waters and Nevins three days ago. They told us that the Medlar were planning something to do with the Accords, and when I pressed my Medlar contact, they stopped responding. It’s been two days since my last message, and I haven’t heard from Rolph since then either.”
Jared felt a chill despite the heat rolling off the fireplace. “You think Uncle is dead?”
“Dead, or under their control.” Her face tightened. “I won’t lie to you, Jared. This is not what I wanted. If I had my way, the Medlar would make good on their promises, and the Accords could go burn in hell—instead, it seems as though they’re going to betray us.”
Jared let out a bitter laugh. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to feel relief, since it sounded as though his sister was going to turn to his side after all, but it was for all the wrong reasons.
“Tell me where to find Wade.”
“They move him.” She shook her head. “I don’t know where he is now.”
“What can you give me then?”
“Nothing right now, but I’ll know something soon. I suspect Rolph may be dead, but I have other eyes on the Medlar.”
Jared felt himself tense. “You have to know something.”
“I know plenty,” she snapped, then seemed to compose herself. “You’ll have to be patient.”
He didn’t have much patience left. They’d been chasing after the Medlar for months, always one or two steps behind, getting close but never close enough, and he was beginning to worry that they’d never catch up in time. The world hung in the balance, the stakes were too high—and he wasn’t sure if he was up to the task.
“We’re running out of time,” Jared said, struggling to keep his tone even. “Every day we delay, the Medlar have more time to prepare.”
She turned to him, her face tight, her eyes staring into his—and he remembered his sister, the girl she used to be before magic and politics destroyed her, before he left the family and abandoned her, and for a moment he remembered what it was like to have a family.
“I want something from you if I’m going to give you more.”
He blinked twice. “You want something?”
“Something only you can give me.” She stepped closer. “I want you to continue the Bechtel family name.”
He pulled back, eyes going wide. “What the hell, Soph?”
She smiled slightly, turning back to the fireplace. “The family’s dying, Jared. I think you know that. The magic’s ripping us apart, and for a very long time we’ve been holding it at bay by reproducing as much as possible—but you broke that chain, didn’t you?”
Jared took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t thinking about having children when I left.”
She waved that away. “We need a new child if the Bechtel family’s going to survive, and I hear that you have plenty of girlfriends to impregnate.”
“I don’t think I can just—get them pregnant. It doesn’t work like that.”
“Have a conversation then. I don’t care.” She crossed her arms, and she looked so small in front of the fire. If it weren’t for the deep, blackish-purple mark, he’d think she was a frail thing. “But when you start having children, I want them to be Bechtel. I want them to be Magi.”
“I won’t put my children through all that.”
“Then raise them how you like, but raise them with magic. Pass down our family secret. Keep the name alive.”
“Why?” He didn’t mean the question to sound so harsh but he couldn’t help it. The idea of having children and raising them to be Magi like him felt insane and absurd—felt like the opposite of what he was fighting for, the opposite of why he left the family to begin with. It felt like giving up. “You can’t really care about that.”
“I’ve devoted my life to this family. While you ran off and did what you wanted, I was stuck back here trying to hold things together. So yes, Jared, I care very much about that, and if you want my help then you’ll swear that your children will carry our name.”
Jared felt his jaw tense—then forced himself to let it go.
If he had children, they didn’t have to turn out like him, or his sister, or his uncle, or anyone else in his family. He could pass on his name—and teach them better.
“Alright,” he said. “I swear it.”
She looked back at him with cold, glittering eyes, then nodded to herself. “I have the location of Wieland Medlar. My understanding is that he’s been a big part of this whole Wade saga from their side.”
Jared’s eyes narrowed. “He was at the original facility.”
“He’s staying at a place in Maine. I’ll send you the address.”
“That’s a good lead. Thank you.”
“I’ll also send contact details for a man within the Waters organization that you can contact if necessary. They’re already aware of your activities and are very interested in aiding you as much as they can.”
He wanted to say something—about their childhood, about the people they used to be before the family broke him and destroyed her, before he’d left her behind, before they’d grown into strangers. He wanted to bring back that person he used to know, but he knew he couldn’t. He wasn’t the boy he once was, and she wasn’t the girl, and they’d never be close again, never be siblings. At best, they could be allies, and that would have to be good enough.
“Thank you.” He moved toward the door. “I’ll see what I can do about paying Wieland a visit.”
“I hope that you do.” She stared at him from under heavy lids. “Good luck, Jared.”
He hesitated at the door, and then pushed it open and left.
Carlo met him in the hallway, his white teeth glowing in the dim light.
“How did that go?” he asked.
“Well enough.” He hesitated and met the Imp’s eyes. “One day, I’m going to have children, and I’m going to name them Bechtel. And you’ll stay far, far away from them. Do you understand?”
Carlo’s smile spread wider, unnaturally wide, threatening to break out of the confines of his face.
“My contract is for only those within these walls. Have no fear, your children will be safe from me.”
Jared wasn’t sure he believed that. He’d never seen Carlo’s contract. It was kept hidden and guarded at all times, since a Magi family’s Imp was incredibly powerful and knew all their secrets—rival families might go out of their way to steal or sabotage it.
He strode past Carlo, back toward the front door, and found the street empty, no Nikki, no civilians, and tried not to let the surging hope in his chest overpower his reason.
6
The gate that connected Jared’s house to the Chapter House was left open at all times, presumably so that the girls could move between the two buildings, but really so that Jared’s girls could come and go as they pleased. The Chapt
er girls rarely came to Jared’s unannounced, which he told them time and time again would be completely fine with him, but there seemed to be some unspoken rule about it that he couldn’t quite get rid of.
Kerrin was sitting in the back yard with Olga. She perked up as Jared shut the gate and turned to her.
“Morning, ladies.”
“Morning,” Olga grunted. She was a big woman, muscular and about Jared’s height. She could probably rip him in half if she wanted, or at least she could if Jared were an average Human without magic.
“Where have you been?” Kerrin asked. She was the opposite of Olga: pale, willowy, and slight. Both of them were beautiful, but in very different ways. “We have a lot of new girls and not enough room.”
He walked over and sank down into an empty chair. The work was never finished. “I know. I’ve been thinking about that.”
“We need more housing,” Olga grunted. “Can’t pack them into the rooms.”
“You should see our shower drain. There’s like a Wookie’s worth of hair on top of it.” Kerrin shook her head. “I swear, it’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen.”
Jared chuckled and ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Lumi’s in the process of buying a few more houses, but I was thinking we’d go a little bit… bigger.”
“Bigger?” Olga grunted. “I like the sound of that.”
“I’m thinking we’ll buy the whole block. You know how these houses are built side to side? We can gut the insides, break holes in the walls, and create a network of interconnected buildings—like one giant mansion, or hotel, or something. Every girl gets her own little room, or maybe we’ll have to double up, I don’t know, but we’ll make as much space as we can.”
Kerrin tilted her head. “Can we get away with that?”
“I hope so. I haven’t worked out the logistics yet but I think it can work.”
“You do the buying. I do the building.” Olga grinned at him. “Me and the girls, we’ll make something real nice.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Jared laughed and shook his head. “By the way, is Cassie around? I was looking for her.’