Shadowborn's Terror: Book IV of 'The Magician's Brother' Series

by HDA Roberts

  I called Will and yanked Pike's Spelleater off his neck in a shower of steel links before simply picking him up and tossing him at Beck, who'd started moving after Cathy. The Policemen went down in a pile of thrashing limbs and I yanked the other Spelleater away before tossing a pair of Sleep-Hexes that knocked them both out cold.

  Three seconds from start to finish. I was getting better.

  "Mister Graves!" Kenilworth said, "You assaulted two police offi-"

  "Oh, shut up," I said sadly, hexing him too.

  Bill looked on in shock as our headmaster fell to the ground.

  "Damn, Matty, this isn't good!" he said as I dragged the three bodies out of sight with my Will and threw an Illusion around them while we waited.

  "True," I said, "but I've rather had my fill of heavy-handed authority figures lately."

  Which was true enough; my experiences with Gardenia's police had likely informed what I'd just done, which was... regrettable, but better safe than sorry.

  It wasn't long before Hopkins popped through a portal and came striding towards me. I felt her cast Mage Sight as she approached. She quickly saw through my Illusion to the three snoozing people inside.

  "Oh, what did you do this time?" she asked.

  I told her. She wasn't happy.

  "I'm going to kill that kid," she whispered menacingly when I was done.

  "What do I do about the police?" I asked.

  "You're a pretty good Telepath, fix them," she suggested.

  "Just like that?" I asked. "I would have thought that you'd object to that sort of thing."

  "Matty, you have to do what you have to do. You're an Archon, trust your judgement."

  I sighed, looking over at the heap. It had been my first inclination. Sort of an ironic solution to the problem, bearing in mind the very reason they were at Windward. I shrugged and headed over to them while Hopkins spoke to Bill.

  Altering memory was a tricky and delicate business if you didn't want to create insanity, such as what had happened to Clayton. I slid gently into Pike's mind and started working. The best way to go about it was to build your fake memory on the framework of a real one, rather than shoving in something brand new. My way was more time consuming and focus-intensive, but was far more difficult to detect if done correctly.

  I cast a delicate spell on the memory of our meeting, making the engram pliable and then I whispered into his mind:

  I lead the way towards the kid. He's sitting under the tree with his friends. He looks harmless, but I'm taking no chances.

  The memory shifted slightly as it adjusted to my words, which I was speaking as his own inner voice into the pliable architecture of the memory.

  I ask him to stand and am about to take his friends to the station, but at the last second, I decide that it isn't necessary, and I am worried about my lack of warrant. So I question the kid carefully, forgetting to note things down in my book, like a fool.

  I projected the kinds of questions he should have asked and my answers, instilling a sense of satisfaction and trust. By the end, he'd remember over an hour of conversation and be under the firm impression that I was completely harmless.

  By the time I'm done, I'm convinced that he's innocent, and that the tipster has wasted police time. I decide that it's time to leave.

  I stood him up and left him asleep while I put that same story into the memories of Kenilworth and Beck from their points of view, standing them up next to Pike when I was done with the alterations. I made sure that they were standing as they had been in the fake memories. I hid Hopkins, Cathy and Bill behind an Illusion of my friends sitting next to the tree (Cathy had come back while I was working). With a final effort, I reversed the Sleep Hexes, and the trio awoke.

  "Sorry, spaced out there for a second," Pike said with an ingratiating smile, which I returned, "Well, thanks for your time, Mister Graves."

  He offered his hand, which I shook.

  "Sorry for wasting your time," he said sheepishly.

  "No problem, Officer, you're just doing your job," I replied, "I'm just sorry I couldn't be more helpful."

  He smiled and so did Beck before waving briefly at the Bill and Cathy Illusions, who waved back. Mister Kenilworth heaved out a sigh of relief as they left before following them.

  "Tee hee!" I said happily as they vanished into the admin building and I dropped my Illusions.

  I have so say, ethical considerations aside, I do love a successful manipulation. It makes me tingle in my evil little mind.

  "So, before I set that 'better example' for you, you were kind of a little bastard, weren't you?" Hopkins asked with a proud smile on her face.

  "Oh yes," I said with an evil grin, "Comeuppance was something of a specialty of mine."

  "I have to say, that was some truly beautiful work, elegant. Just how much of your Uncle Thatcher's mind is in its original condition after all the practice you must have used him for?"

  "Oh, most of... some of it," I said vaguely, turning away.

  I heard on the grapevine that Stone was taken in for questioning the next day, which warmed my heart no end. I hoped they gave the little bastard a cavity search. Life started to calm down a little after that. And there were no more visits from the police, even if Stone's stink-eye had quadrupled in intensity after he'd returned from his probing.

  Cathy and I spent as much time together as we could, but even we had to admit that this was an important term and started working harder for our upcoming A-Levels. We'd both applied to the same Universities, by design. Stonebridge was at the top of both our lists.

  We were just getting settled into our weekend at the end of that third week. We were out under the Old Oak again, Cathy in my arms, her head on my chest under my chin. I was as happy as I could imagine being, and all that took was her.

  There was a theatrical sigh from the other side of the tree that I ignored before the familiar voice accompanied it.

  "Really, Beloved, I know you're fond of the concubine, but must you do that where I can see you?" Evelina said.

  "Oh bollocks," Cathy said, sitting up so she could glare at the Sidhe as she came around the trunk in her interestingly (short) tailored Windward uniform... with Gwendolyn in tow.

  Cathy looked to the blonde Sidhe, who was smiling sweetly, her eyes locked on me in what was a very intense way.

  "Who's your friend?" Cathy asked Evelina.

  "Princess Gwendolyn," Evelina said with a smile more at home on a shark looking at a minnow.

  Gwendolyn looked at Cathy and extended her hand, "Hello," she said, coming closer. Cathy took the hand and they shook.

  "Hello, Mathew," Gwendolyn said, moving towards me.

  "Hi," I said, snapping out of my brain-shutdown and standing up to greet the princesses, "What brings you two by?"

  Apart from ruining what was shaping up to be a carnally interesting evening...

  "Our mothers hammered out an agreement at last, and if you and your... little friend are willing, I'd like to resume our talks," Evelina said.

  Gwendolyn coughed pointedly.

  "Oh, and she'll be coming too, I suppose," Evelina added with a dismissive wave.

  "I like your outfit," Gwendolyn said to Cathy while Evelina was talking to me, "it's nicer than hers, I don't like that cut."

  "Thank you," Cathy said with a blush, "I think yours is pretty, too."

  She was wearing a white and yellow sun dress with flowers in her hair. It was rather lovely.

  "Thank you," Gwendolyn said with a dazzling smile, "It's my favourite."

  "Oh, good grief," Evelina sighed, rubbing her eyes, "damned Seelie, can't keep their minds on the job. Show them something shiny and off they go."

  "Sorry, Evelina," Gwendolyn said, winking at Cathy.

  "Anyway," Evelina continued, "our mothers have agreed, in principle, to you being a consort to both of us, with precise terms and living arrangements to be determined at a later date."

  "Say what now?" I asked.

  "Oh, can I
tell your mother the happy news?" Cathy said impishly, earning her a glare.

  "This isn't what any of us had in mind," Gwendolyn said, "and we're all willing to be patient with you, just know that we'll wait as long as it takes."

  "Look, that's very flattering," I said, "but I have always been firmly of the opinion that love is one of those things that isn't shared. You can be in love with one person. That's it. And for me, also her, incidentally."

  I gestured at Cathy, who waved.

  "And that's what we are," Evelina said, smiling at me, "in love with one person."

  Cathy sniggered.

  "You are not helping," I said.

  "Not trying to," Cathy replied, quick as a flash.

  "Nobody's pressuring you, Mathew, just let us come by and see you from time to time? Now that we've met you, it really is painful to be parted from you for so long," Gwendolyn said in a voice that broke my heart.

  "Of course you can see him," Cathy said, sticking her two penneth worth in and getting me deeper into the pit.

  I nodded along, trying not to scream. This was not acceptable...

  "Thank you," Gwendolyn said, smiling again.

  Oh, don't thank me, thank the girlfriend who's apparently trying to drive my blood pressure through the roof...

  "Good," Evelina said, with another of those shark-smiles.

  "Well, I'll leave you three to it," Cathy said, smiling again.

  What?! I sent to her mind, making her jump, Why?!

  Because it takes time to put on a corset, and the blonde is so adorable, I'd feel like I was kicking a puppy if I didn't throw her a bone.

  What's this about a corset? I asked.

  Don't take too long coming to my room to find out.

  She kissed my cheek and walked away leaving me with the Fairies.

  "I like her," Gwendolyn said.

  "She's name three on my revenge list," Evelina said with a pout.

  "Oh, must you always be so crotchety?" Gwendolyn said.

  "Yes," Evelina replied.

  Gwendolyn rolled her eyes and looked at me, holding out her hand, which I took automatically, like an idiot. Evelina stepped to my side and linked her arm through mine. I felt comfortable, safe. That was a seductive damn feeling, I've got to say.

  "So," I said, walling that feeling away behind some mental defences, "I know quite a bit about you, Evi, why don't you tell me about yourself, Gwendolyn?"

  She smiled, "Well, I have eight sisters and three brothers, I'm the youngest. My sister Loni is the heir, like Evelina. My best friend is my dragon, Lenia. She's got turquoise scales and eats fish..."

  And so on. It turns out that she was the family's best Magician, other than her mother. She loved flowers, trees and swimming. She talked about her homeland, which sounded as close to beautifully idyllic as anything I'd ever heard of. Evelina's home was beautiful in its own way, but the way a Bengal Tiger was beautiful, which is to say, untamed and lethal.

  We'd sat down some time during this, Evelina playing with the fingers on one hand while Gwendolyn held the other.

  Gwendolyn talked about her servants, one of whom had been her nanny, whom she loved so much that she'd persuaded her mother to make her Gwendolyn's companion. She told me about her siblings, their quirks, likes and dislikes, about her eldest brother who had pitched a fit at the idea that a human was to be his little sister's consort.

  She spoke softly and emotionally, always smiling, her touch tender. It distracted me from Evelina's stroking and sniffing on my other side.

  "Easy, you," I said as her nose got to my neck.

  "Why?" she replied, "Am I making you nervous?"

  "You tried to kidnap me once. You'll always make me nervous."

  "I'd never do that, Mathew," Gwendolyn said, echoing Evelina's sentiment from back at the conference, and earning her a glare from the Unseelie. Gwendolyn smiled, a trace of mischief there.

  "Well, I think that's enough for one day," Evelina said.

  "Aww," Gwendolyn said, squeezing my hand.

  "I have a tutorial in half an hour and you know the rules, we're both here or neither of us is," she said.

  "Okay," Gwendolyn replied as I helped her up.

  The Seelie pecked me on the cheek before blushing, "See you next time, Mathew," she said.

  Not to be outdone, Evelina placed a much wetter kiss far closer to my lips, licking the cheek a little before pulling back.

  "See you soon, Beloved," she said.

  "Bye," I managed, blushing from those kisses. They vanished.

  I stood there like a half-wit for a few long moments before I took a deep breath and went to find Cathy.

  Bloody hell, I just didn't need that sort of additional complication in my life...

  Chapter 10

  And speaking of complications in my life...

  My mobile rang at one o'clock in the morning the following Wednesday.

  "Hello?" I said groggily.

  "My lord? Vivian Price. There's been a development."

  "What sort of development?" I asked, suddenly very awake.

  "I found the factory."

  "I can be with you in about..." I gave it some thought, taking into account inevitable detours, "...an hour, call it, maybe sooner."

  "Aren't you in Stonebridge?"

  "Magician," I explained simply.

  "Ah, of course," she replied, a hint of amusement in her tone, "My place. See you in an hour."

  She hung up and I dressed in my hoody and trousers. On a whim, I picked up the staff I'd taken from Des when he went insane the second time (or was it the third time? Hard to keep track of my brother's loose screws). It was useful thing, it weaved a dispel into whatever attack I channelled through it, which might make all the difference in a punch-up.

  I picked up my phone to call Cassandra, but decided against it, she'd yell. I pulled my satchel around my shoulder and opened a Gate.

  And I found that I wasn't alone on the other side.

  It wasn't the Leviathan, the presences were smaller, and there were a lot of them. There had to be a couple of dozen, at least.

  "Hello?" I said into the darkness.

  Greetings. Friendship to the One. Joy of meeting.

  Elementals, and very friendly ones. The way they communicated was quite refreshing, no obfuscation, nothing but pure emotion and intent.

  "Nice to meet you," I said as the little Shadows flitted around me, some touching, most just observing. They, like all Elementals, were usually quite harmless, unless you really annoyed them; then you'd better watch out. Shadow Elementals, in particular, could be especially dangerous as they could come from any dark patch and do you a mischief you wouldn't soon forget.

  Loyalty to the One. Protect the One. The ideas and emotions became more complex, seemingly projected by the whole as a collective, rather than any single Elemental. The One calls and we come.

  I connected to the Shadows, Gratitude, Joy, Pleasure, Honour, I sent back. There was a happy tremor, and the little Elementals flitted away, except for a few which hovered around at the edge of my perceptions.

  That was... a wonderful thing. Shadow Elementals were the most passive of them all. They never got involved with the Newtonian World. I wondered what the Leviathan had told them to change that.

  Well, that was an issue for later, back to my journey. This time, I decided to try something a bit different, flying high into the Shadow Realm's 'sky' before jumping in relatively short thirty or forty mile hops, rather than trying to get all the way there in one go. This allowed me to keep track of where I was and where I was going.

  I found myself over the channel in short order, which looked beautiful in the Shadow Realm, a whole sea of rolling, transparent fog, with the Isle of Wight's Shade ahead of me. I smiled. Ten minutes was all it took to get that far. I was over Gomorrah in another ten, and I opened a Gate on top of one of the taller skyscrapers, so I could check Google maps. Another three miles to the South-East.

  Back in for a brief jump and
I was floating high above the Red Carpet's spot in the Realm. Now that I could see it, jumping into it was nothing. I could hear the usual sounds through the mists as I drew myself towards the front door and opened another Gate in a darkened patch next to Bianca's desk. I stepped out and she squealed in surprise, which forced me to apologise profusely before she could call in someone to shoot me.

  "Please don't do that, Sir!" she said after she'd stopped squeaking, "Things are quite tense enough around here!"

  "Really sorry," I said sheepishly, blushing and feeling guilty.

  "Oh, don't worry about it," she said, calming down, "I know you did us a good turn a few weeks back, you've earned a dramatic entrance or two."

  I smiled and she led me through the place to the alternate office I'd visited the last time. The receptionist was there at the same desk that had been in front of the other one. Bianca smiled at me and retreated; Francois announced me.

  Price was dressed in a sensible suit and stood as I entered, smiling as she looked me over.

  "That's more what I had in mind," she said, "much more 'modern magician'."

  "The staff's a rental," I said with a grin, she chuckled, waving me to the same chair I'd occupied before.

  "I've found their lab, in a church, after not a small amount of work, I might add," she said, pulling out a city map and pointing out the particular building, I marked it in my phone's map.

  "Thank you," I said, "I'll go have a look-see."

  "Miss Vivian, do you think he'd prefer the red or the bla- oh! Hi, Mathew," said a cheery voice from behind me.

  "Hi Crystal," I said turning to see the vampire in what couldn't really be described as underwear, there simply wasn't enough of it.

  I looked away immediately, turning red.

  "Aw, he's blushing again," Crystal said, bending over to plant a little kiss on my cheek, "That's so sweet!"

  Without any further preamble, she sat all that perfect everything in my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck.

  "Crystal, don't torture the First Shadow, you know he's attached," Price said with a wicked smile on her face.

  "But he's so comfy," she replied, brushing my cheek with her nose, "and it's not like he's objecting."

  "That's because he doesn't have the necessary social skills," I replied, really not knowing what to do, I was too flummoxed and Crystal was too endearing to just toss off my lap.