Power

by Doug Burbey

  With that thought, he worked on how this beguilement worked, though the ugly term of thrall hung in the back of his mind even as he shied away from it. There was nothing he wouldn't do in pursuit of his goals, but some things should only be done when there was no other choice. Rape was one of those items for him.

  Days faded into weeks, and weeks into months as his control and skills grew. Other than the go away air spell – which basically boiled down to convincing anyone looking at him that anything else was more interesting – mostly he learned to refine his control and do only what he needed, nothing more. He never used circles anymore, though he wondered what he could do jacked on demon blood using Fae magic. Shane knew better than to ask that question. That would be something he'd test when he finished here

  He had rarely seen anyone besides Lewl and the occasional brown creature and she'd avoided answering any of his questions about them. Rich, once or twice, though the pleasant man he'd met in the bar never showed up again. Shane had glimpsed the occasional other Fae or human but hadn't interacted.

  Walking in for breakfast he stopped, surprised. For the first time Lewl wasn't sitting there waiting for him. He no longer got escorts, but never had Lewl not been waiting there with her serene expression. Turning, he almost tripped over one of the brown creatures. He still didn't know if they were flesh and blood or plant material.

  "Lady waits in atrium. Go." It pointed to the doors that lead to where they spent most of their time, the gesture somehow imperious.

  "Going, going," Shane replied lifting his hands up in surrender, even as he cast a mournful glance at the empty breakfast tables. The food, while never what he would normally have eaten, had become something he looked forward to in the mornings, as well as the tea. Odd thought, him missing drinking tea.

  He headed into the atrium wondering if Lewl had another special excursion for them, but why that meant skipping breakfast he didn't know.

  His stomach twisted as he walked in and saw Rich and Lewl seated and waiting for him.

  Maybe not eating is a good thing.

  Rich gestured to a pillow sitting on the ground and he sat down, gracefully.

  Shane didn't say anything. Patience would never be his strong suit but rushing the Fae never worked. It just made them slower.

  "Lewl has informed me you have learned all you can learn here. She also says you have grasped all the forms of magic."

  "I may have grasped them, but I am not expert."

  Rich half laughed at that. "To be an expert takes centuries. But already you are further along than those who have studied for years. Apparently," he cast a half chiding look at Lewl, "you are dedicated, intelligent, and more powerful than is probably safe."

  Holy shit, a compliment. This is not good.

  "Lewl is too kind."

  A bark of laughter from Rich. "No, she is a demanding bitch. But she is also the best in a very long time. But either way, all that is left for you is to spend centuries practicing. There is nothing new that can be taught to you." All humor faded from his face. "I have lived up to my part of the geas, now it is your turn. Find the ones who killed my children and kill them."

  Shane swallowed at the cold fury laying behind Rich's eyes. He nodded his head. "Of course. I have only compliments for how you have held your part of the bargain. Do you have any idea how I can find their killers?"

  "All information the police gained is waiting for you in your room. When they are dead you will feel the geas end. There will be no doubt. Blood magic is old and not clearly understood, but it knows what is needed to fulfill the bargain we struck."

  "Thank you I will review the information and start my hunt."

  Rich rose. "You have until the sun sets tonight to depart. Good hunting." His smile showed teeth and resembled a shark hungry for blood. With that, Rich strode away leaving Shane there with Lewl.

  Shane sagged a bit, Rich had enough power that it rolled off him sometimes.

  "I guess we are done?"

  "No one stays with one teacher forever. Your time with me as a teacher has come to an end. I will have some of the tea made up for you to take with you. Use it when the corruption drives you too hard. It would take years to repair all the damage, but the tea will help with some." She started to rise from her seat.

  "Will you show me your eyes?"

  Halfway to standing she paused, turning towards him then sank back down.

  "Yes, I did say I would tell you." She tilted her head then shrugged. "It is not a secret. Most Fae, most people, can only use one or two of the magics." Shane blinked at that but didn't interrupt her. "When I was young I could use Water, Fire, Earth, but Air eluded me. Everyone advised me to be happy with my skills, but I wanted more. Arrogance is a common failing among the Fae, and I was no exception. So, I went to one of our greatest teachers who could do all four areas. But he said my ability to control air was blocked and that I would not be able to use Air without great sacrifice." She shrugged. "I said I would sacrifice anything to gain this ability. He asked me multiple times, making me think about it over years. My desire did not fade and I persisted. Finally, he agreed. The sacrifice was not what I expected." She smiled something bittersweet that made Shane want to offer comfort. "I had expected hours, decades of study. But instead, I had to pay with what I was most proud of and what blocked my ability to sense what I could not see."

  Lewl looked right at him and the glamor that always prevented him from seeing her eyes clearly enough to note their color and their shape disappeared. He looked into two empty sockets, lids open, with beautiful lashes, but there they closed over emptiness.

  "Remember this. There is a price for everything, and very rarely is it what you think it is."

  Shane sat there, stunned, as she rose and left him alone in the atrium.

  10

  New Path

  Lewl stood in the hallway, a small package in her hands. She handed it to him as he walked down the stairs carrying his duffel on his back.

  "The tea I promised."

  "Thank you."

  "Shane?" He froze. Lewl had never said his name before and he turned to look at her, taking in the picture she made - pale skin, hairless skull, and eyes that, even knowing they were but empty sockets, he could not see. "You have power not seen in this realm for centuries. Be careful. Merlin may have been more powerful, but he garnered too much notice. How you use magic is as noticeable as what you do with it. Learn from the masters of the past. There are still records out there that talk about how to use the human magic. That is what allows you to use the demon blood and the Fae magic. Our ways are not yours. You need to learn your ways to ever reach your full potential." She tilted her head and smiled. "I look forward to watching your ripples across the world."

  Shane stepped out of the Fae enclave, sensing more than seeing Lewl shutting the door behind him, and the glamour that protected the building became the primary reality. He could still taste it there and could have broken it if he wanted, but this is what he'd agreed to.

  The next three steps took him completely away from the Fae magic and the geas settled down around him like a leash surrounding his heart and measuring his actions.

  Well, this is going to suck. How the hell do I find who killed his descendants?

  All the information they'd provided hadn't been worth much. The police down here, while they had actually tried, couldn't say more than that they were held captive for a while and drained of blood. They'd canvased hospitals and care homes, but no one knew anything.

  Which meant he had no idea where to start.

  I'll head to their homes, maybe there will be something there.

  Hitching up the duffel on his shoulder, he started walking towards the address that had been in the files. It took less than a minute for him to narrow in on the two men following him. They weren't bad, staying in the shadows and not being obvious, but he could feel them as they moved the air. Air magic would never be his best skill, but it excelled at telling him what went on aroun
d him if he remembered to pay attention.

  I'm getting mugged immediately? Oh well. I needed something to relieve some stress on as I try to figure out how to hold up my end of the bargain. Magic or violence? Let's start with violence, it might help. I'll use magic if I need to.

  He walked a bit further making sure no one else would notice if he did something. This area of town didn't have a large population and he'd left the Fae Enclave at siesta when most people were taking a break from the heat of the day. With a smirk they couldn't see, he paused and set the duffel against the wall and bent over to touch his shoe. They made noise as they moved, rushing towards him. Glee spurted up in him as he whirled to face them.

  Magic pooled into his hands, his own weird version of demon and human, nothing fancy, just a small fireball. A decision made as his eyes alighted on the syringe in one of their hands and their higher than average quality clothes. These weren't some gang members looking for an easy mark.

  To his surprise and concern, the magic didn't make them run but instead they cursed and pulled guns. He threw the ball of fire at one of them, sagging a bit as the power left him. Using magic this way, though fast and powerful, had an immediate cost unlike what the Fae had been teaching him. It hit the first man and he screamed, a cry that would have roused anyone in the area, if they were dumb enough to get involved. People that lived here were rarely that dumb or that altruistic.

  The second man, who Shane suddenly realized was Indo-European and not South American, cussed and aimed, even as his partner fell to the ground with his face incinerated.

  I don't think so fucker. Better men than you have taken shots at me.

  Shane pulled on magic of fire, pulling heat from the buildings around them and sank all that energy into the gun the man held.

  "Merda!" he cursed, dropping the gun. It steamed as it hit the dusty street. Shane moved using the brutal physical attacks he'd spent a decade in the army learning. The thud of his fist against the man's ribs, a nice kidney shot, caused an odd rush of pleasure he didn't bother to analyze. He just attacked. He threw two quick rabbit punches to the face before the man could recover from the kidney shot.

  The man might have been trying to say something or even beg for mercy. Shane didn't care. Rage rose in him, a friend he'd missed. It pushed away all his worries, all the thoughts of decency, the feel of someone else in pain, and knowing he caused it.

  When the man collapsed to the ground Shane stepped back, breathing heavy liked he'd run a race. The world sparkled around him. He could sense the people behind their doors pretending they didn't know anything. For the first time, he could catch glimpses of air magic twisting around him and the life magic rippling through this man. Before the man could recover from the blows Shane stepped forward and snapped his neck. Magic flowed out of him, and with a spurt of excitement he tried to catch it, to drink it, but it didn't touch him at all. Dissipating into nothingness.

  All that power and I can't capture it.

  The mental snarl didn't make him feel better and riding the rage in the middle of a city would be a bad idea. Reaching into his personal magic he soothed it away. Demon hunters normally couldn't do that easily as they rarely had personal magic. People with personal magic became mages, those without became demon hunters. Or if you were an idiot like DK, you ignored the power coiled in your body and died a stupid death.

  Letting it go, he came back to the present and almost collapsed as the geas snapped. Releasing him from its bonds. One hand braced against the blood sprayed wall as he fought to stay upright as the world spun around him. When he thought his stomach could handle him moving again, he stood all the way up. He didn’t move as he made sure his supposition about his stomach did not prove inaccurate.

  His stomach quit rolling and Shane bent over, much more interested in who these two idiots were, than he had been. He found ID on them, addresses, keys, and the drug they had tried to dose him with.

  This is too easy. Why did they pick on me just as I left?

  His mind caught on that. He'd asked Rich a few questions and he'd confirmed his family had been coming to visit him at the enclave for generations.

  Grabbing everything he swung his duffel up on his shoulder and headed towards the address of the idiot he'd fried with a fireball. From his name Rubio Sousa he probably grew up here. The apartment building was basic, and Shane sensed no wards or security on the door beside the lock. With a quick double check that no one watched him, he unlocked the door and entered. The one-bedroom apartment would have been considered low middle class in America, here it probably rated as upper. Meaning the guy made good money for this economy, though probably less than most teachers made.

  Shane locked the door behind him, dropped his duffle to block it and began going through the apartment looking for anything to explain why these two were killing people - more out of a sense of annoyed curiosity. He felt like his debt to Rich had been paid off way too easily. Though he found lots of stuff he didn't find anything that explained or implied why they were killing people and he didn't find a single thing to tell him where the occupant worked.

  Who doesn't at least have ID for their job or paychecks?

  He glanced at the computer and turned it on, but it had a password on it, and that had never been his skill set. With a disgusted sigh he went through and looted it for anything he thought he could use or sell for an amount of money to make it worth it, then headed to the other man's place. This guy, one Michael Jones, lived in a nicer part of town and the apartment proved it.

  Once again Shane slipped in the apartment after making sure the coast was clear. Most people were still at work or napping, which made it a good time of the day to slip in. This apartment rated higher on the luxury scale and Shane shrugged. He could stay here for a few days, though he did need to deliver a final report to Rich.

  He went through this apartment also, but slower, thinking this guy might have been higher up on the food chain. Even so, he found nothing on his first go around. Going over the desk again he found a journal. Sitting down, Shane read the journal a few times and put puzzle pieces together that made sense. The information in the journal was enlightening, but it told him nothing really, at least not regarding motive.

  With a sigh, he left his bag in the apartment as there had been no signs of anyone else ever being there, no female paraphernalia or anything. He headed back to talk to Rich.

  Lewl opened the door with an arched brow. "I would not have thought you would give up so soon. Do not think I can remove the geas from you."

  "No, that isn't it. May I speak to Rich, please?"

  Lewl tilted her head but stepped back from the door. "He is in the atrium. Where you learned. You know the way." Her voice was calm, but he detected a hint of curiosity.

  "Thank you." He nodded at her and wove his way to the place where Rich sat on a pillow his eyes closed and brows furrowed tight. As Shane reached the first of the rings set in the sand, his eyes flew open and he pinned Shane with a glare. "How," his voice rough with emotion, "How did you find my children's killers in minutes when the police couldn't after months of searching?"

  Shane sank down on a pillow that seemed to be waiting for him and handed over the journal he'd found. "I didn't. They found me." He nodded at the journal. "They didn't have anything to explain reasons, but I discovered that in one of their apartments. It lists all the Fae in the area and tracks them. It has a list of people they've taken and how much blood they managed to extract before their victims died but nothing tells me what they were using the blood for. You can see the first few victims died in days. But the last one, taken a week ago, lasted almost two months. " He broke off as Rich flipped open the journal a dark look on his face.

  "Yes, I see my children's names here. As well as a few friends we thought had moved on."

  "I'd guess they were staking out this place and grabbing people that were leaving especially if, like me, it implied I was not expected to return immediately." Rich looked up at an arched brow
. "Remember, I had my bag on my back. It would have looked like I didn't plan to return."

  Understanding flashed across Rich's face. "The last day I saw them, they left with a suitcase of presents I'd brought back. Nothing major, just things I thought they and their families would enjoy."

  Shane nodded. "I am sorry. I don't know what they are doing with the blood outside using it the way I use demon blood. But it seems a reckless way to go about it, not to mention short-sighted. The Fae are Humanities allies. Right now you are the ones helping us keep the treaty intact and are training many of our mages at the government levels."

  Rich smiled a bitter smile. "Individuals always are capable of only looking at the short term, no matter how long they live." He closed his eyes and the book at the same time sitting there. Shane relaxed into the peace. He'd miss this place, but it too would be destroyed when the demons invaded again.

  "I thank you for your service. You will be marked as friend of my house. But this place will be closing. I will put no more of mine at risk. When we relocate you are free to visit as you wish. I suspect Lewl would be interested in seeing what more you learn."

  Recognizing a dismissal when he heard one, Shane rose and gave Rich a slight bow. "Your hospitality was excellent and I honor you and your house."

  The shadow of a smile hovered at the corner of Rich's lips. "You were less annoying than I expected. May your journey end where you desire."

  It was an odd farewell, but it fit in a way that made Shane smile. He turned and headed out. Lewl meeting him at the door.

  "Sun shine on your endeavors, Shane Gris."

  He paused and smiled at her. "And on yours." With a smile he headed back to the first apartment, planning his next moves.

  11

  Broadening the Mind