Magaestra: Tested: An urban fantasy series

by Katherine Kim

  She slunk through another section of shelves and breathed deeply before peeking through the next curtain. It took her a minute to figure out what she was looking at: the metal and plastic base of a hospital bed, with all the plugs and wires that seemed to involve snaking along the floor past where she rested her fingers.

  Faith frowned to herself and peered further into what she could see of the room. It wasn't set up as a fancy living space like the others— even the kitchen had a high-end, expensive feeling to it— but what she imagined a prison medical center might be. There was another bed she could see part of, made up neatly and ready for use with handcuffs dangling from bars running up the side, and a large refrigerator with a giant lock on it. She couldn't see anything else, but a glance down the outside of the curtains told her that the room wasn't huge, but had enough space for three or four beds.

  What would they need an infirmary for? As far as Faith knew, none of the people they sent after the Frostwalkers lived to get back here for medical treatment. Well, the ones that did survive end up in Marc's rogue wolf cells, and that wasn't all that many prisoners. So what—

  The answer hit her and she felt sick. Blood collection. In hindsight it was obvious, but she could argue with herself later. Right now she had to listen very carefully to the inside of that room before going in and breaking her sister out.

  Silence. Nothing but muffled silence and the occasional hum of equipment. Faith peeked back into the room and listened again without the fabric muffling sounds. Still, no indication that anyone was in the room, not even Crissy, though it made the most sense so far. There weren't exactly a lot of holding cells in this giant, open space, and curtain walls were not exactly as secure as a cell at Alcatraz.

  She crept in, crawling next to the bed frame that blocked her view, and peered around the end. She had guessed right. Three beds and one bigass refrigerator. There was some other equipment sitting next to the bed opposite her that Faith assumed was for involuntary blood donations, and a smaller version of the industrial shelves surrounding them, loaded down with smaller boxes of gauze and medical tape and needles, and other assorted supplies. There was no desk or anything else.

  Taking a chance, she stood up and immediately focused on the last bed in the room.

  "Crissy!" Faith only just remembered to keep her voice down, so the word came out as a choked-back whisper, but it still felt as loud as a shout in the silence. Hopefully, the curtains muffled the noise.

  Crissy didn't answer, just sighed, and kept her eyes closed. She was pale-- very pale-- and her hair lay limp and greasy on the pillow. She was handcuffed to the bed on one side, and her other arm was folded over her belly on top of a thin, wrinkled blanket.

  Faith hurried over to her sister, her blood boiling. "Crissy, I'm here." Faith grabbed her sister's hand making the handcuff clink. Her anger rose at how cold her sister's hand was.

  "Faith?" Crissy whispered. Her eyelids fluttered and then opened and Faith vowed that Conti and Cherro wouldn't breathe much longer if she had anything to say about it. Her sister's eyes, usually a warm brown and sparkling with humor were muddy and dull.

  "Faith you have to run. These people. they're--"

  "I know, Cris. But I'm not leaving without you. Kaylee would kick my butt."

  Crissy's grip tightened slightly. "Is she here?"

  Faith shook her head. "No. She's back at the Frostwalker clan house. If I know those guys, your baby girl won't be able to sneeze without three enforcers and a few sentries right there to offer her a tissue. They have to have realized I'm missing by now."

  Crissy clutched at Faith's hand. "Do you swear that she's safe there? Swear to me, Faith. These monsters. They're..." Crissy's voice broke.

  "I told you at the lodge. The Frostwalkers are good people. They'll protect Kaylee with their lives if they have to," Faith smiled sadly. "One of them already has, in fact. Kaylee is as safe as she can be. And Aunt Lucy showed up. I promise, paranormal or not, nobody's going to want to go up against her. Hold tight."

  Faith eased her hand out of her sister's grip and bent to the ground. Thank all that was holy that the arrogant idiots hadn't taken her shoes off when they tossed her purse. Faith remembered laughing at Tamika as the Enforcer snatched them one day and started prying at the soles.

  "You never know when a few extra tools'll come in handy, sugar!" Tamika had grinned at Faith, who rolled her eyes at the time.

  "Remind me to thank Tamika. And apologize for not believing her," she muttered. She stood and winked at her sister, flashing the thin metal tool. "I told her I'd never need this thing or the knowledge of how to use it, but she insisted on teaching me."

  "You gotta have faith," Crissy muttered back and Faith's heart soared to hear the familiar, terrible old joke. Crissy may be down, but she wasn't out.

  Feet pounded past the open doorway just as the cuff clicked and released Faith peeked out the corner of the curtains to see the last of a group of men flash down the warehouse. Did that mean they were heading to the exit or to the back of the warehouse? Was there an exit on both ends? She hadn't been in many warehouses, but it seemed reasonable. One end of the place was visibly closer than the other.

  "What do you mean the wolves are gone?" Conti's voice bellowed from somewhere near the far end where the group had disappeared, making her decision on which way to go. "That idiot Alpha swore his fealty!" He followed that up with what Faith could only assume was some creative cursing in Spanish.

  "Shit. I think our grace period just ran out. Can you sit up?" Faith bent to put her tools away. "I'm just glad this handcuff was a cheap one. I'm not sure I'm good enough to crack something serious. I doubt those assholes expected old-fashioned lockpicking."

  "I'm dizzy, sis. And really weak. They've been taking blood every day. And those monsters bi-- bit me." Faith didn't miss the hitch in Crissy's words.

  "Killing them once won't be nearly enough." Faith carefully pushed her arm under Crissy's shoulders and helped her sit up, then a moment later to stand slowly.

  "Dizzy," Crissy muttered. A sound that Faith imagined was what gave rise to the myth of the banshee shot through the building, making her hair stand on end. It was horrifying, a sound of rage and promise death, but instead of causing terror Faith found herself grinning as a wave of pure power washed over her skin.

  "Aldric. He’s here.“

  A wave of similar, but less potent shrieks answered Aldric's hunting cry and unleashed power buffeted her awareness, but it was when two louder, powerful cries joined the response that Faith shook herself and got moving. She wrapped Crissy's arm around her shoulders and helped her trembling sister start moving just as a chorus of howls and shrieks rose again from outside.

  "Lean on me. We're getting out of here."

  18

  Aldric crouched in the brush that edged the property and peered through the binoculars Marc handed to him. He watched Molin and about two dozen wolves storm out of the warehouse and into vehicles and drive off.

  "Where do you think they're headed?" Marc asked.

  Aldric just shook his head. If they were heading to the clan house they were going to have a very disappointing welcome. Eldridge, Lucy, and an entire team of sentries stayed behind to guard the children. Tamika had taken Lucy to the basement gym for some friendly sparring the day before and assured him that anyone who tried to get past the older human would regret their assumptions of automatic superiority very quickly.

  "Leo, The Goldfangs seem to have left the building. Keep an eye on those idiots if you can, would you?" Marc had his phone out. They didn't have fancy communication devices like the ones that were so popular in the movies. They had never had a need for them and while Leo was an excellent hacker, but he was no gadget genius, conveniently coming up with exactly what they needed.

  "Great, thanks. And give The folks at the house a heads up that they might have company. Molin might try to hit the house while we’re not there.” He heard Marc stuff his phone back in his pocket, then
turn to Aldric, who was still peering through the binoculars. "See anything else?"

  "There is that slight space between the ridge and the warehouse that we noticed on the images Leo provided. It does seem well wide enough for a body to fit through, and even if it is not, I can without a more solid form. But I foresee no difficulty on that score." Aldric didn't elaborate. They had planned a similar strategy to their raid on the Goldfang's camp: there was a team positioned near the back of the warehouse intending to cut off any possible escape through the caves, and they intended to use that gap for their entry.

  Aldric hoped he wouldn't need to use his new skill, but considering Cherro had fed on countless mages in the past, he suspected there was only a very slim chance of keeping his new secret. It was likely that after this battle the Ulfred Coven and the Sun Ridge Pack would know that the Frostwalkers hosted a human mage, and also know about Aldric's own new abilities. That would bring a whole different set of problems upon them.

  If Marc didn't trust them, then they wouldn't be here, he reminded himself, and in truth, Aldric found he cared somewhat less than he likely thought. By the end of today, the Frostwalker Clan would have eliminated this coven and two of the most dangerous creatures to walk the Earth, and possibly the Goldfang Stalkers Pack as well, thus proving to the world that they would fiercely protect their own. There were no alternatives. Either they took Faith and Crissy home today or Aldric would be past caring about it.

  And he was not dying while Faith was still endangered.

  "You are growling, friend. And prepared for battle already." The Master of the Ulfred Coven slid up beside Aldric. "She is that important to you?"

  Aldric couldn't hear any mockery in the man's tone so he simply nodded.

  "Then we will get her back and end this," the other vampire said. Aldric felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

  "Congratulations, Enforcer Donnelly. We will rescue your mate and put a final stop to this, as we should have back then. Nobody should go through what he likely has planned for her."

  Aldric did lower the binoculars now to turn and stare, keeping his expression as neutral as he could. Master Arthur tipped his head and a smile flickered across his face.

  "I am an intelligent man. As soon as you briefed us on who we were coming up against, and that he had one of your people, it was not a difficult connection to make." Master Arthur snarled now. "My father was a mage, and while I did not inherit any of his power, I am still connected to many who once hid those who were hunted, as well as a sadly dwindling number of mages. I will not allow this to continue. I only regret not bringing more of my warriors."

  This was news to Aldric. Very few paranormals had human parentage for one reason or another. He could not offhand think of any other who had a human mage as a parent.

  "Nobody should be hunted, not simply due to their birth." Master Arthur said, his face deadly serious. "But remember. She will likely not thank you for getting yourself killed in the process of freeing her."

  Marc's rumbled growl of agreement from Aldric's other side reminded him that this was a bigger battle than simply him versus one or two rogues. He was ready for a fight now, and he had what felt like the world to protect. Faith and Crissy and Kaylee were Frostwalkers. They were his family. They would be home, safe, and comfortable by the end of the day.

  "I wonder," Master Arthur. "Have you started to bond?"

  Aldric felt his face start to heat but kept his expression neutral and held his tongue.

  A twinkle appeared in Gregory’s eye. “I ask because my parents were bonded, and I see the same sort of look about you. Not as strong, but, I wondered. I believe that if there is that connection between you, even just a thread of one, you may be able to sense approximately where she is in the building, and if we’re lucky, a few other things. It will depend on several factors that I admit I am not very familiar with, but any information is good information before we move.”

  Aldric frowned. Master Arthur did not seem to have an ulterior motive for asking. Marc hummed on his other side.

  “Might be useful to know where she is if we can find her. Leo still hadn’t seen her on the cameras, when I just asked him.”

  Aldric turned his gaze to the warehouse. It was a huge building, meant to house mining equipment and trucks large enough to take huge amounts of rock and earth out to one of the enormous piles quickly turning into thickly forested hills around them.

  He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and searched in himself for a hint of Faith’s bright soul. He knew that there would be a connection, whether or not they were forming a bond, but because Aldric could still feel her magic flowing through his veins with every beat of his heart, but he knew Lucy and Master Arthur were right, the bond was there. Thin and incomplete, but there.

  It was that sense of her, of her magic that he focused on now, following the thread of power from his own body outward, toward the warehouse. It was probably no more than a few seconds but it seemed like an eternity as he stretched out his senses until he found her.

  Frightened and determined and not injured but still not whole. Her magic seemed disconnected from her, somehow, and she was not pulling on it as he had expected.

  Aldric was unsure how this bond worked. His own parents had been bonded, true, but they had never discussed it in any depth. He knew that they always had a sense of each other, however. Neither needed words to know the state of the other, and that was what Aldric hoped he could tap into now.

  He sent reassurance, or he tried to, across the thin thread of their connection. There was no answering rise in her confidence, and Aldric doubted she could sense him. He did however hear a loud shout, too far and too muffled to make out the words, but it caused a spike of anxiety and fear in Faith.

  That was intolerable. If she could not sense him through their connection, then he would let her know another way.

  He lifted his chin and released a hunting cry that had birds lifting from trees for miles around. His power, the magic that sustained him as a vampire and fed his abilities swept out from him in an expanding ring, almost visibly making the air shimmer as it passed. He poured every ounce of his intention to destroy Cherro and Conti into his cry.

  Beside him, Marc, Arthur, and the rest of their allies gasped in surprise and he could sense the vampires among their force responding to the cry by shifting fully into their fangs and claws.

  A wave of power hit their force as the vampires in the warehouse answering his challenge. The Frostwolf warriors, as well as the Sun Ridge wolves and the Ulfred Coven vampires, raised their own voices, howling or shrieking their power as two distinct voices rose over the din from the warehouse

  Cherro, he guessed, was prepared for them. And the other would be Conti, Aldric guessed.

  He also sensed a surge of relief through the thready connection he was holding firm in his mind. Faith did not howl, as she had done several times before in their battles, though, and Aldric hoped it was not because she was injured.

  Marc nodded and the tone of his howl changed to one of command. The battle was begun.

  Aldric raced to the warehouse and made for the door in the long side of the building that was his team's targeted entry. It burst open and vampires charged out. They were not the thugs sent by Molin. These were trained and hardened soldiers, and they would not go down easily.

  He led a team of his own sentries as well as the team of Sun Ridge wolves, and Redmond cackled with glee as he kept pace with Aldric right up to the line of vampires waiting for them. Hopefully, the man was as skilled as he was cocky. That was all Aldric had time to think before they engaged.

  The stench of blood almost immediately blanketed the battlefield. Wolves snarled and vampires hissed, throwing their power out to try to intimidate the attacking force. The wolves only responded by fighting harder.

  A shriek from near the front of the building told Aldric that there was a similar scene there, where Marc and Master Arthur led the assault. The last group was trying to enter t
he warehouse from the other side and were attempting to be quiet, and Aldric took reassurance that he heard nothing from there.

  He tore through his opponent and moved on to the next, advancing ever closer to the doorway that would let him inside to search for Faith. He kept a firm lock on his anger at these vampires, these vermin who dared to consider themselves above those around them. He recalled something he was told once when he asked how anyone could stay calm in the face of the atrocities of war.

  "You don't stay calm. You get angry. You get filled with an understandable rage at how callous one person can treat another, but you don't let that anger consume you or lead you. You take it and you use it as a tool. You focus your rage into a scalpel and cut out the evil of the world to save the good," his friend had said. Aldric took that advice to heart now and sliced through the defending vampires as if they barely resisted.

  He turned to the last man between himself and the door and unleashed another wave of his power and the soldier paled, but stood firm. At least until Aldric took the man's head from his shoulders with one slice of his claws. Uncle Eldridge had been right. He had yet to even pull out a knife.

  "Clear this infestation then follow me inside," he shouted to his people. He got growls and battle cries in response, and he heard one of the sentries shout "Bring Faith home, boss!"

  With a nod, he turned to the door. When he stepped inside the dim space he felt a wave of panic hit him and he heard Faith's scream.

  He roared his challenge. Shelves rattled and dust rained down from the girders above with the sound, and it wasn't a second before he had found her. She was huddled near a towering metal shelf with someone behind her, her arms up to hold a shield firm, looking so much like she had when he first met her that his chest squeezed. But it wasn't a half-rogue wolf that was trying to break through to her this time.

  "Sandalio Conti." The name came out as a hiss, his fangs prominent enough now to hamper his speech. He had to be careful, though, because where Conti was, Cherro must be nearby.