Saba severed the link and opened her eyes. “She’s in D.C. Living near the water.”
Charlotte smiled. “Thank you for your cooperation, professor,” she said. Then she slashed her two fingers diagonally and Professor Chang’s head was rapidly twisted around on her shoulders. Her neck snapped loudly and Charlotte allowed her body to collapse on the floor.
Saba looked down at the floor and frowned at the dead professor. “That was unnecessary.”
Charlotte shrugged. “Maybe. But it was fun, though.”
“We didn’t come here for games, Miss Grey. We came here to quickly conclude your personal business so we could get back to the main objective. Mine.” Saba replied firmly.
Charlotte sighed and rolled her eyes. “Must you be so serious all the time?”
“It’s fortunate that Kara is living in D.C. where I also have an agenda. Otherwise, we would part ways right here.” Saba said as she turned to leave.
“You’ll have to show me that mind trick you did with Chang,” Charlotte said.
“Maybe later,” Saba responded. “We have no time to waste right now,” Charlotte followed her out of the office and left the dead professor behind.
Kara Hartman District Wharf, District of Columbia, Present
Later that night when Selene dropped Kara off at her apartment, she paused at the door. “Do you mind if I stay awhile? Just until your brother gets here?”
“Not at all. Actually, I’d like that.” Kara replied.
She opened the door and let her in. Kara clicked on the lights and Selene went to work immediately. She walked around the whole apartment and cast Wards on all the windows and doors. Selene’s shimmering red energy sparkled on the glass then faded from view. But Kara could still feel the currents of magic as a faint tingling sensation that ran up her arms. No one with intent to harm Kara could enter her apartment now. But she could not just hide here forever. She needed to dust off her combat magic and for that, she needed a place to train.
Kara left her bag on the counter and hung her coat on a hook. Then, as Selene tested the Wards on the apartment, Kara went into her studio and retrieved a piece of charcoal and a long steel ruler from her desk. She walked into her bedroom and pressed the ruler to the wall as she traced a large rectangle along its edge. Kara placed the ruler on the nightstand and a complex sigil in the center of the rectangle. When she was satisfied with her work, she placed the charcoal next to the ruler and stood back from the wall. Kara brought her hands together at her middle, with her index fingers and thumbs touching. She cycled through a sequence of hand gestures and uttered an incantation simultaneously. As the warm energy flowed through her arms and concentrated in her hands, the sigil on the wall glowed with a white light. The light intensified as she repeated the sequence again until it burned as brightly as a star. Selene, in the other room saw the glow and went to Kara’s bedroom to see what was happening. As she walked up from behind her, Kara raised the back of her right hand above her head, then pushed her palm outward.
Suddenly, the rectangle she traced receded inward and a large chamber opened up behind the wall. The dark chamber lit up with the glow of fluorescent lights as Kara and Selene entered through the doorway. Their footsteps echoed on the concrete floor as a large red mat appeared to their right, along with a wooden dummy and a rack full of training weapons which leaned against the wall.
Selene was impressed as she looked around the Spartan chamber. “This is the coolest thing I have seen you do. As far as magic goes.”
Kara smiled her thanks as she took off her shoes and socks. Then she approached the rack and retrieved a pair of bo staffs. “If Charlotte wants a fight, I intend to give her one. Up for a bit of sparring?” Without waiting for an answer, she tossed one staff to Selene which she caught. She looked up at Kara and smiled.
Within minutes, the chamber echoed with the sharp cracks of their weapons as Kara and Selene clashed on the mat. Kara twirled her staff rapidly around her body as Selene parried her blows with straight angular motions. Kara caught her staff under her arm and spun as she thrust her leg straight out. Her heel traced a wide circle in the air and Selene ducked beneath it. Then, before she could plant her foot on the mat she struck her balancing leg with her staff and Kara fell backward. She hit the mat with a groan before springing to her feet again and deflecting a straight thrust at her middle. Selene came at Kara hard with rapid diagonal strikes which she parried with a constantly twirling fan of protection. She spun around and swung at Selene’s head and she leaned back as Kara’s staff passed over her face. Then she raised her knee and kicked gently at Kara’s stomach. She staggered backward then recovered her stance.
Kara and Selene circled one another; each one panted slightly as they sized each other up. Their eyes scanned for any gaps in their defense, any weakness they could exploit. Kara’s staff spun slowly like the blades of a fan as Selene held her staff under her arm at the ready. Then, like a rushing tide, Kara charged forward and just before she could strike at Selene, the doorbell rang. Kara halted her staff a millimeter before her torso.
Selene looked down and raised her eyebrows. “You would’ve gotten me there.”
Kara smiled coyly. “That’s probably John. I’ll get the door.”
“We should do this more often,” Selene called after her.
“Maybe we will,” Kara replied. She returned the staff to its rack and left the training room.
Kara walked back into the living room as the doorbell rang again. When she answered the door, John stood before her with a grim look on his face. At his side, was a short woman she did not recognize. She stepped forward and hugged her brother as he wrapped his massive arms around her. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered.
“Me too,” John replied.
“Please come in,” said Kara as she stepped aside. John and the woman entered her apartment and Kara shut the door behind them. They gathered in the living room as Selene emerged from Kara’s studio.
Selene entered the living room to find Kara’s brother towering over his sister and another youngish woman by his side. He stood before Kara with a somber face above his broad, muscular frame. He wore the dark coat of the Enforcers like a knight wore his breastplate and carried himself with all the dignity of a weary warrior. Deep within his pale blue eyes, Selene could see the pang of loss. It was a sentiment that was echoed in the dark eyes of the lady Enforcer beside him. Her head was covered in a silky mane of brown hair that fell to her ears and although her stature was diminutive, something about her demeanor commanded respect. The three of them looked up at her entrance.
“Selene, this is my brother, John, and his second in command, Amelia.” said Kara. “John and Amelia, this is Selene, my girlfriend.”
Selene shook hands with both of them.
“It’s nice to meet you, Selene.” said John. “I wish we were meeting under lighter circumstances.”
“I heard about the jailbreak.” Selene replied gravely.
John nodded. “The Council is in a state of emergency. Thousands of escaped rogues now roam free as the Council scrambles to recapture them. We weren’t prepared for this.” John said with a shade of anger passing over his face. “It is likely we will experience a massive mystical crime wave in the months to come.”
“But how did this happen?” Selene asked. “I thought the Tower was supposed to negate the prisoners’ magic. How did they all escape?”
John and Amelia exchanged a dark sideways look. The silence between them spoke volumes. “We were betrayed by one of our own,” John finally said. “She was a new recruit by the name of Saba Qureshi. When we received a new batch of prisoners, she infiltrated the Tower and shut it down from the inside. Then all the prisoners’ magic revived and all hell broke loose. We tried our best to contain the uprising, but we were vastly outnumbered. Nearly the whole garrison fell. Marcus died in battle and Rachel…”
“Charlotte killed her,” Amelia cut in. Her voice possessed an edge of steel as s
he squeezed her hands into fists.
“Do you know where Saba and Charlotte are now?” she asked as she looked up at John.
“They are most likely flying here if they haven’t landed already,” John replied. “Which is why I would like to set Wards around Kara’s apartment.”
“I’ve got it covered,” Selene said immediately.
John looked at Amelia who gave him a reassuring nod. “I felt its energy as soon as I walked in. It’s very strong.”
“Good,” he replied. Then he turned back to his sister. “Kara, if you need to leave the apartment, let one of us know and we will escort you.”
“I will. Thank you,” Kara said quietly.
“As soon as Amelia and I form a plan to confront Charlotte, we’ll let you know. Until then, please be careful.” John hugged his sister once again then left the apartment with Amelia.
Once John and Amelia were gone, Kara returned to the training room and Selene followed behind her. When she studied under Professor Chang, Kara discovered she had an affinity for the whip. If Kara was going to fight Charlotte, it would most certainly be her weapon of choice. She lined up several targets on a ledge against the wall, then stood about 10 feet back. Kara held out her hand with her fingers curled as if to grasp a hilt. She focused her thoughts and warm energy spilled in waves down her arm. A white, glowing whip materialized in her hand and unfurled gracefully onto the floor. The shimmering weapon burned with a white-hot radiance that stung Selene’s eyes, causing her to squint and shield her eyes from its intense light. Kara cracked her whip on the floor then lashed out at the ledge. Her whip struck like lightning and one of the targets fell. With two more cracks, two targets vanished a split second apart from one another. Kara lashed out fiercely several more times and all the targets tumbled to the floor.
“Interesting weapon of choice.” Selene said as she struggled to adjust.
“Professor Chang always said I was good with a whip.” Kara replied as she floated the targets back up to the ledge.
“Did you ever spar with Charlotte at the Academy?” Selene asked.
Kara nodded. “Many times.” she replied with eyes full of regret. Kara struck down three targets in rapid succession as her whip traced a figure 8 motion in the air.
“And what was Charlotte’s weapon?” Selene asked.
Kara threw Selene a sidelong glance. “Twin blades.”
Selene raised her eyebrows and smirked. Kara cracked her whip and struck another target from the ledge. Selene crossed her arms in an X before her face with her hands curled into fists. Then she rapidly pulled her arms down as two shimmering red blades extended from her forearms. Kara saw the weapons emerge in her periphery and gasped in surprise.
“Round two.” Selene said with a chuckle.
Their weapons flashed brightly as Kara and Selene battled across the floor. Kara expertly evaded Selene’s thrusts and slashes, then cracked her whip on her legs and arms to keep her at bay. Her whip moved like a barrier of lightning that kept Selene from moving in too close. Kara swung out fiercely and Selene cartwheeled over it. She landed with one foot on the ground then spun with the other leg extended. Kara leaned away from the kick then lashed her whip around Selene’s balancing foot. She pulled it hard and Selene’s foot slid out from beneath her. She fell but caught herself with a Levitation Spell then buoyed herself back up to her feet. She blasted Kara with a mild shockwave just enough to drive her away. She stumbled backward then lashed her whip around one of Selene’s arms. She threw her foot up high and stomped on the chord and Selene lurched forward. She raised her blade to sever the whip but Kara threw a dagger of light which pinned her sleeve to the wall behind her.
Selene’s eyes and mouth went wide in astonishment. “I yield.” she said with pleasant surprise. She released her blades and they faded into nothing. Kara relaxed and allowed her weapons to dissolve.
“I think that’s good for tonight.” Kara said as she wiped sweat from her forehead.
“Charlotte must be one bad chick if everyone is worried she could take you down.” Selene said.
“She is. And I’m afraid I won’t be strong enough to beat her this time.” Kara replied.
“Kara. We will beat her, okay? We’ll do it together.” Selene said while she touched Kara’s shoulders. Kara nodded but wasn’t convinced. Selene kissed her on the forehead.
The next morning, Kara called Daniela to her studio to help ship a few paintings to a client. A mess of bubble wrap and duct tape surrounded Daniela as she packaged a large finished work on a table crowded with supplies. Three more canvases awaited packaging as Kara slipped the painting into a box. She taped it shut and picked up another canvas from the rack. Kara barely began to wrap the painting when suddenly, her phone chimed in her pocket. She pulled it out and walked into the living room.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hi Kara, this is Dean Khan from the Academy. How are you?”
Kara hesitated before she answered. “Honestly, I’m a little shaken by recent news of the jailbreak,” she said quietly. She glanced in Daniela’s direction and made sure she was out of earshot.
“Yes. We are as well,” Dean Khan replied. “And I wish I was calling under better circumstances, but I am afraid I have more grim news.”
Kara felt a chill in her spine. “What is it?”
“Kara, Professor Chang was found dead in her office yesterday morning,” Dean Khan said. Kara gasped audibly. “Professor Stein identified Charlotte’s residual energy signature all over the corpse mingled with that of an unknown accomplice.” Kara turned toward the window and placed a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God…” she said in a near whisper.
“Charlotte used a spell to pin Professor Chang to the wall and then snap her neck. But before that, Charlotte’s accomplice cast a spell to telepathically extract information from the professor’s mind. What information it was we don’t know, but we fear Charlotte is trying to find you,” Dean Khan paused to let Kara absorb the information. “Again, I am so sorry to tell you all this, first because I know you and Professor Chang were close, and second because I know it must grieve you that your former friend has fallen so far. But because we believe your safety is at risk, I thought you should be among the first to know.”
Kara barely listened as she sat frozen on the couch. She stared wide-eyed at the far wall gripped with anxiety. “I will forward the details for Chang’s funeral once arrangements have been made,” Dean Khan finished.
“Thank you, Dean.” Kara said almost inaudibly.
“I am sorry for your loss, Kara. And please be careful. May the Creator protect you.”
“And you,” Kara responded listlessly.
They hung up.
Kara sat on the couch and stared at nothing. Professor Chang was gone. Charlotte was coming...and coming soon. Daniela stood at the door and saw Kara in dismay. She gasped. “Boss, what’s wrong?”
Kara had no words. Daniela didn’t know about Kara’s magical side and she thought it was better that way. Under the crushing weight of sadness and fear, she could think of no innocuous way to relate the news she had just received. So, she said nothing as hot tears streamed down her face. Daniela rushed to Kara’s side and wrapped her arms around her. Kara sobbed while Daniela muttered comforting words.
When her tears subsided, Daniela asked her what was the matter. Kara wiped her cheeks with a tissue before she answered. “One of my professors died this morning. She was murdered.” Kara asked quietly.
“That’s terrible!” Daniela exclaimed. “Do they know who did it?”
Kara nodded. “My ex-best friend, Charlotte.”
Daniela’s eyes went wide with shock. “Why would she do such a thing?”
That was a dangerous question that Kara could not answer. To disclose that information would mean to tell Daniela about her magical education and potentially about the energy that resided in Daniela. All Kara could see in her mind was the pale face of her dead brother as he stared up at her from the
ground that one tragic night. She dropped her eyes to the floor and shook her head.
“I don’t know.” she lied.
Daniela gazed at her with dark eyes full of concern. “I will pray for you, Kara.” she said.
“I would appreciate that.” Kara replied. She wiped her nose with a tissue and continued. “Take the rest of the day off, Dani.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I…need some time to myself.” Kara said.
Daniela nodded with understanding. “Okay, boss. If you need anything just let me know.”
“Thank you, Daniela.”
Her assistant hugged her one more time then left the apartment.
Kara didn’t do much else for the rest of the day. She finished packaging her artwork then tried to distract herself by doing some sketches in the studio. Soon, her desk was filled with sketches of the Academy, of magical hand gestures and Charlotte with a ball of flames that floated above her raised palm. The last time she faced Charlotte, she lost someone very dear to her. How many more would die now that she was free? Would Kara herself be among the dead when this was all over? Kara gazed at the sketch of Charlotte with a growing sense of dread.
Charlotte Grey 6.5 Years Ago
It was a hot summer afternoon when Charlotte came home from the bookstore. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and sweat trickled down the sides of her pale face. She kicked off her shoes by the door and hurried down the stairs with a bag slung over one shoulder.
She entered the cool dim basement and plopped herself down on the couch. Charlotte pulled her bag around to her lap and produced a thick leather-bound tome. On the cover it read “Basic Spells for the Fledgling Mystic” in golden letters. Charlotte tossed her bag aside and eagerly opened the book. As she perused through the volume, she saw spells for unlocking doors, lighting candles, invisibility and levitation. She saw charts and diagrams which highlighted the centers of power and how magic flowed through the body. Charlotte flipped rapidly through the pages until she saw a spell that caught her eye.
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