Tempted by Magic: Mischief and Magic: Book One

by Walt, Jasmine

  Blinking, I realized she and Mina had both stopped talking and were staring at me.

  "You look bummed out. Are you still worrying about Garalina?"

  "Huh?" I shook my head. "No, I actually forgot a little about Garalina. I'm just...not pregnant." I gestured awkwardly at their midsections.

  Sunaya and Mina exchanged quizzical looks.

  "Do you want to be?" Mina asked carefully.

  "No! No," I repeated in a quieter voice when their eyebrows shot up at exactly the same moment. Did pregnant women somehow sync up their movements when they were in the same room together? "I mean, I don't know. I think I want kids someday. I just meant that I don't really have anything to contribute to the conversation."

  They both laughed. "Sorry," Mina said, her eyes twinkling. "My mind's been so consumed with thoughts of the baby that I forget he's not the center of everyone's world. Do any of us have any non-baby news to share?"

  The conversation quickly morphed into various updates on everyone's lives, to my great relief. Sunaya told us about the progress she was making on the new magic school, Mina told us about her new veterinary practice, and I vented a bit about my issues with Terpan at the Guild.

  "I remember Terpan," Sunaya said, wrinkling her nose with distaste. "He's good at his job, but he doesn't like competition of any kind. Doesn't surprise me that he's got a hard-on for you."

  "You said you already told him that you're not interested in the position?" Mina asked, her brow furrowing. "Perhaps his issue with you runs deeper than mere competition."

  I sighed. "He suspects me of cheating."

  Sunaya scowled. "Cheating? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

  "He believes that using magic of any kind to solve cases is an unfair advantage."

  Sunaya rolled her eyes.

  "That's one of the reasons I've been so adamant about not using it. Terpan's already sniffing around me—I don't need to give him a reason to look any closer."

  "That's fucking insane." Sunaya bared her teeth, her shifter fangs sliding out like they always did when her temper bubbled to the surface. "You don't need to put up with this shit, Annia. I'm going to call Skonel tomorrow and—"

  "Please do not do that," I begged, my stomach plummeting into my shoes. "The other enforcers will never respect me again if you do that. They'll think I used our friendship to get rid of Terpan, and I'll be ostracized."

  "She's right." Mina set her fork down. "I know it's tempting, Sunaya, but you can't use your position to solve everyone's problems. Annia needs to figure this out on her own."

  Sunaya groaned, leaning back in her chair. "I know," she said, scooping a hand through her hair. "It just sucks that I have all this power, and I could fix so many things with a snap of my fingers if people weren't so fucking difficult all the time." She rolled her eyes. "Iannis says that I have to respect the free will of the people."

  Mina laughed. "I’m glad Iannis is the Chief Mage of Canalo and not you," she said. "You mean well, Sunaya, but you would quickly turn the Chief Mage's office into a dictatorship if you were in charge."

  Sunaya stuck out her tongue. "It would be a benevolent dictatorship, though."

  "What is this about a dictatorship?" Fenris asked as he walked in. Mina lit up like a candle at the sight of her husband, and I felt a surprising spurt of jealousy. Both my friends had strong, intelligent, handsome men in their lives who would do anything for them and who accepted their flaws and eccentricities. Who loved them unconditionally. And even though I wasn’t ready to settle down with anyone, my strained familial relationships were making me feel a bit…lonely.

  Sunaya chuckled as Fenris leaned down to give his wife a brief peck on the cheek. "Mina was just telling me that I'm too bossy for my own good," she said. "I'm guessing you’re done in the library?"

  "I still have more work to do, but yes," Fenris said. Ignoring Mina's squeals of protest, he scooped her up into his strong arms and nuzzled her neck. "For now, though, I'd like to take my wife home. She needs her rest. Good to see you, Annia." He nodded to me as he passed.

  Mina rolled her eyes. "You really don't need to carry me," she said as Fenris carried her out the door. "I'm pregnant, not broken."

  Sunaya snorted as she waved her hand, shutting the door on the couple and their good-natured arguing. "I should probably go to bed too,” she said, stifling a yawn. "I have a pretty early day tomorrow."

  “Really?” I glanced at the clock on the wall, and disappointment welled up inside me. It was only eight in the evening. “This is pretty early even for you.” Shifters were nocturnal by nature.

  She sighed. “I know, but pregnancy is really taking it out of me. Sorry to be such a bummer—I know we have a lot to catch up on still.”

  “No, it’s okay.” Feeling guilty, I hugged her. “I’m sorry it took so long for me to come visit you.”

  "You should be," Sunaya said, jabbing me in the chest as she pulled away. "You're my best friend; you don't need to wait for an invitation to come by. I know you want to handle things on your own, but that doesn't mean you can't come to me if you need a shoulder or an ear. Just because I can't get drunk with you doesn't mean we can't have a bitch-fest together. It just means I'll be gorging on ice cream while you guzzle wine."

  "Well, why didn't you say so?" I teased, fighting a grin. "I would have been here waiting for you when you got back from the honeymoon."

  Sunaya laughed. “Before you go,” she said, placing a hand on my arm, “I need a favor from you.”

  “Oh?” I asked, intrigued at the suddenly serious look on her face. “What is it?”

  Sunaya’s jaw tightened. "Someone’s been spreading vicious rumors about Iannis and me throughout the mage community. Specifically, about our ability—or lack thereof—to run Canalo. Normally I wouldn’t give a shit, but it’s making it difficult for me and Director Chen to corral the Mages Guild into getting these new changes implemented as several important figures have been second-guessing everything I do. Director Chen already has someone looking into it, but I’d appreciate it if you could keep an ear open for any clue as to who is spreading them. It might be someone outside the Mages Quarter.”

  "Sure, I'll let you know if I hear anything." I could understand why Sunaya was worried. In the last six months, Canalo had undergone a civil war between the races that had nearly torn us apart, not to mention it had suffered a devastating earthquake that came close to destroying the capital. The peace that existed now was a new thing and still extremely fragile, meaning it would be all too easy for someone to shake things up with a few well-placed rumors.

  "Thank you." Sunaya hesitated. “You know, Fenris or I could train you if you need help getting the hang of your new powers. I know how difficult the transition can be.”

  “Thanks, but I’m good.” The last thing I needed was either of them encouraging Garalina. “I should get going now.”

  I made my goodbyes to Sunaya, then left. As I walked to the waiting cab outside the front door, I could swear I felt eyes on me. Hopefully Sunaya would take the hint and drop it, because I had no intention of asking her for help. I didn't need someone to teach me how to use magic...I needed someone to remind me how to live my life without it again.

  6

  "Oh, I'm so happy you came by," Mother said as she handed me a cup of tea. "Priscilla and Gabrielle haven't seen you in an age. Doesn't she look well?" she gushed to the two middle-aged women sitting in the fussy parlor with us. "All that time she spent in Southia has given her skin such a wonderful glow."

  "I suppose," Priscilla said, though her narrowed eyes told another story as she looked me up and down. "Though I'm afraid such a tan wouldn't look very well on me. I prefer to keep my skin lily white."

  My mother and her friends all wore their best day dresses, their hair curled, and their nails done like proper socialite wives. If I'd known they were going to be here, I’d have worn something other than leather and denim when I dropped by to check in on her.

  "Oh
come now," Gabrielle said with a tinkling laugh as she picked up a ginger cookie. "We're not all built to sit inside all day. Some of us like to go out into the sunshine every now and again." Unlike the pale-haired Priscilla, Gabriella sported black hair, long, sooty lashes, and a darker complexion—a throwback to her Castellan ancestors who had immigrated to the Northian continent several hundred years ago. Both women were in their late fifties now, but Gabrielle had aged considerably better, the fine lines around her mouth and eyes making her look worldly and experienced.

  "That's what parasols are for, my dear," Priscilla said. In contrast to Gabrielle, her wrinkles made her appear as though she'd swallowed a lemon. "I never leave home without one."

  "I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to hold onto a parasol for very long," I said lightly as I took a sip of my tea. "I find they get in the way when it comes to catching criminals. Though they would probably make useful weapons," I added.

  Priscilla choked on her cookie, and Gabrielle winked at me.

  My mother gave us all exasperated looks. "How is Larana doing?" she asked Gabrielle, hooking a red curl around her ear. My mother, like Gabrielle, was on the youthful side despite being almost sixty, though her complexion was fair. Unlike Gabrielle, who'd managed to hold onto her svelte figure, my mother had grown plump over the years, adding a roundness to her figure that even her expert tailor couldn't quite hide.

  "She's over the moon now that Conner has finally proposed," Gabrielle said, her dark eyes sparkling. "She's been talking non-stop about the wedding plans and is meeting with an event planner next week to go over the arrangements."

  "Already?" Priscilla asked. "I thought they weren't getting married until next year."

  "They aren't, but that doesn't mean we can't start preparing," Gabrielle said coolly. "It is a very important occasion."

  "True enough." Priscilla sighed, her gaze suddenly wistful. "I wish I could marry Branson off. He's such a handsome man and a real charmer with the ladies, yet I can't seem to get him to settle down with any of the eligible girls, no matter how many gatherings I ask him to chaperone me to."

  "Well," my mother said, glancing sideways at me, "I do know one unmarried girl who might catch his eye."

  "Me?" I sputtered, glancing between the two women. "Somehow, I don't think he would be interested."

  "No, I suspect you're not his type," Priscilla agreed. "He seems to prefer homely looking women, for some odd reason. I can't fathom why."

  It took everything in me not to burst out laughing. Branson and I had gone to school together, and everyone except our mothers knew that he was gay. I wondered when the poor guy would finally tell his mother that he'd been secretly dating men for years. Part of me was tempted to let her in on the secret, if only to see the shocked look on her face, but it wasn't my place. Clearly Branson didn’t want his mother to know yet, or he would have told her already.

  I endured another hour of boring conversation before my mother's friends finally made themselves scarce. "I know that you and Branson aren't a good match for each other," my mother said as we returned to our seats in the parlor room, "but I do wish that you would settle down, Annia. You aren't going to be young forever, and your career really isn't a good fit for motherhood."

  "And what if I'm not interested in motherhood?" I snapped, my temper fraying.

  Mother's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying that you're not?"

  "I don't want to discuss it," I said through gritted teeth. I hadn't actually decided I wasn't having kids, but between Sunaya and Mina's baby-talk last night and my mother's incessant hounding, I was getting pretty fucking tired of having motherhood shoved down my throat. "It's none of your business."

  "None of my business?" she cried. "Of course it's my business. I always thought Noria would be the one to give me a grandchild first, even though she was so much younger, simply because she wasn't interested in risking her life for cheap thrills the way you are. But now, even if she does, I doubt I'll ever get to meet my grandchild, and that's—"

  "All my fault?" I interjected bitterly. "Yes, of course everything is my fault. The Ur-God forbid that you take any responsibility for how Noria turned out."

  "Are you implying that I'm the reason Noria was sent to the mines?" Mother's eyes shone with tears, her cheeks flushed red with pent-up grief and anger. "That something about my parenting—"

  "No." I held up a hand to stem her tirade as a wave of exhaustion swept through me. Dammit, I was so fucking tired of this argument. "I'm not saying it's your fault. You did your best with Noria—with both of us." I grabbed her hand and pulled her back down to the sofa before she could start to pace around the parlor room. "But it doesn't matter how hard you try to teach us to be prim, proper girls, Mother. We both inherited Daddy's adventurous spirit, and it expresses itself through us in different ways. Do you want us to be someone else? Do you think we shouldn't be our father's daughters, too?"

  My mother's lower lip trembled. "I loved your father." She dashed tears from her cheeks. "And I see him in both of you whenever I look into your eyes and see that zest for life. But his taste for adventure was what got him killed, Annia. I don't want that for you—for either of you. Why did I fall in love with such a man? I suppose I should have married someone boring and dependable, as my mother wished." A note of bitterness seeped into her voice.

  The anger sizzling in my chest faded away, replaced by a soul-deep ache. "Don't say that." I pulled her into my arms for a hug. "It's not Daddy's fault we turned out this way either. I know that you want to control every aspect of our lives, Mother, but I'm responsible for my own choices. And so is Noria," I added, threading a hint of steal into my voice. Gently, I pushed her back and forced her to hold my gaze. "Noria is responsible for her choices. Not you. Not me. Not Daddy. Is this how you want us to spend the rest of our days? Pushing each other away until what's left of our family is broken beyond repair?"

  "No, of course I don't want that." She wiped at her eyes again and sniffled, shaking her head in dismay. "You're right, Annia. I've been acting like a twit. I think being cooped up in this house all the time has been getting to me."

  "Perhaps you should consider going on vacation?" I asked carefully. My mother rarely left Solantha—she said traveling reminded her too much of my father. "It might be good for you to get away, refresh yourself with a change of culture and scenery."

  "You know,” she said thoughtfully, “my friend Beatrice did invite me to come with her on a cruise." A spark lit her eyes as she considered the possibility. "Her husband fell ill and isn't able to come along. If I'm still able to go with her, would you be willing to water the flowers for me while I'm gone? The cruise ship leaves tomorrow evening, and is gone for two weeks."

  "Two wee—" I started to exclaim, then caught myself. "Of course I'll water the flowers. Anything you need."

  "Thank you." My mother threw her arms around me in a tight hug. The faint floral perfume she always wore enveloped me, and for the first time in a long time, the scent actually comforted me. "You're a good daughter," she said, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

  "Thanks." I hugged her for a little longer, blinking back my tears before she could see them. This was the first real, productive conversation we'd had about Noria that hadn't devolved into a shouting match, and for the first time in months, I began to feel real hope. Maybe we could move past this. Maybe we could become a real family.

  Maybe this was the first step to finally living a normal life again.

  * * *

  "Annia!" Broghan cried, leaping off the couch as I walked in through the front door.

  Stifling a yelp, I slammed the door behind me, praying to the Ur-God that nobody had seen anything from the hallway. For some reason, he'd decided to take the form of a baby giant squid, and he landed on my hardwood floors with a squelching sound.

  "Broghan! You're getting slime all over my floor!"

  "Sorry." He disappeared in a poof, then reappeared in dragon form again. "Better?" He used his long, forked tongu
e to lick the slime residue off my floor.

  "Uhh, sure." Trying not to look grossed out, I scooped him into my arms and sat down on the couch. "I didn't realize you were still here," I said, stroking his scaly hide. I was rewarded with a rumbling purr for my efforts, and a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. He hadn't been around when I woke up, so I'd assumed he'd gone exploring again.

  "Of course I'm still here. I just decided to explore the ocean for a bit this morning." He nuzzled my neck. "Where did you go? You were gone for a long time yesterday, too."

  "I was visiting my mother this morning, and Sunaya last night. But you've got to understand that I don't spend a lot of time at home, Broghan. I'm usually out working, so I can earn gold and pay my bills."

  Broghan let out an unhappy growl. "I still don't see why you can't just make some. If you don't feel comfortable having Garalina do it, why not let me? The laws don't apply to us Tua. Surely you can't get in trouble if you didn't make the gold yourself."

  "Thanks, but I'd rather not risk it. Besides, it's more satisfying for me to earn it my own way."

  Broghan looked like he wanted to argue, but we were interrupted by a knock. “Who is it?" I called, putting Broghan down so I could approach the door. An uneasy feeling prickled up my spine, and I reached for one of my knives. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Broghan disappear in a puff of smoke.

  "Enforcer Timion Dalmouth."

  I looked through the peephole. A mage was standing on the other side of the door, wearing black robes hemmed in red. The enforcer's emblem was stitched into his breast, except instead of the usual “E,” it said “EII”

  "Can I speak to you in private, please?"

  I opened the door. "What do you want?"

  He tapped the emblem stitched onto his robes. "I'm from Internal Investigations. I'm following up on a complaint filed against you regarding the use of illegal magic."

  "You've got to be fucking kidding me," I growled. "Who filed the complaint?"