by Sarah Noffke
She and Plato exited the portal, nearly walking into John as he carried a box to the dumpster. He jumped back, startled by her sudden presence. He dropped the box, a broken keyboard and other parts falling out.
“Oh, jeez, you scared me,” John said, grabbing his chest.
“I’m sorry,” Liv said, turning around to ensure that the portal had disappeared. “I didn’t mean to. Are you okay?”
John took several breaths to regain his composure. Liv worried that the scare had overly taxed his heart, but he broke into sudden laughter, cutting through her tension. “Where did you come from? It’s like you appeared out of nowhere.”
Liv again looked back at where the portal had been. Mortals usually didn’t see a magician coming through a portal. If they did, it was explained logically in their mind somehow. The fact that it seemed to John as if she’d just appeared resolved a question she’d been debating during the last few days. For whatever reason, the veil between John and the magical world had come down. Maybe it was because Liv and Rory were around him so often, or maybe because he was an open-minded individual. Each person was different, Clark had explained during one of the long conversations they’d had the last few days.
He’d told her that many times telling a mortal the truth about magic simply didn’t work. They couldn’t see the magic because it didn’t work in their construct. That was why most of them didn’t see portals or many other magical things that happened around them. However, as mortals were exposed more and more to magic, they saw the things that they had ignored before.
Clark still thought that telling a mortal about magic was dangerous because it put them in a magician’s world. However, Liv had debated this long enough, and keeping John in the dark was putting him in worse danger. He didn’t even know there was anything to be on his guard about. John had served in the military; he was one of the strongest people she knew. Knowing what was out there and that there was a potential danger was better than being ignorant. At least, that was what Liv wanted to believe.
“John we need to talk,” Liv said, gesturing toward the open back door.
“Is everything okay? Are you feeling better? You don’t have to be at work if you’re still ill.”
“Are you kidding? If I have to stare at the walls in my apartment for another minute, I’m going to scream.”
John chuckled, waving her forward. “Okay, well, you go ahead, then.”
Liv did as she was told and counted the seconds until his next words.
“Are you limping?”
“Yeah, I sort of hurt myself,” Liv said, taking longer than she’d like to travel to the main workstation in the back. She took a seat on the stool and motioned to the other one. “You should sit down for this. I have something I have to tell you.”
John hesitated, raising a bushy eyebrow at her. “Are you quitting? Is this about that other job of yours?”
“No and yes,” Liv replied. “Go on, though. Sit down.”
John did as he was told as Plato jumped up on the workstation, taking a front-row seat for the show.
Liv cleared her throat. She didn’t know how to tell John the next part. She’d known about magic all her life and felt it coursing through her veins. She couldn’t even conceive of a reality magic wasn’t a part of, so how did she explain it to someone who didn’t have the same perspective as her? How did she explain this so that John still liked her and didn’t think she was a crazy person?
“I know I’ve been different lately, and you’ve witnessed new things happening in my life,” Liv began. “There’s a perfectly good explanation for it all, but you’re going to have to give me a chance to explain it fully, which might take some time.”
“You’re a magician,” John said with a smile on his face.
Liv’s mouth popped open. She waited for him to laugh. To tell her he was joking and ready to hear what she had to say.
John scooted off his stool and disappeared into his office. When he returned, he was carrying a photo album she’d never seen. He must have read the surprise on her face because he held it up and said, “I keep this hidden under a loose floorboard. You’re not the only one who has secrets, but as long as you’re being honest, I should be too.”
Liv was speechless. She looked between Plato and John, wondering if they were pulling a joke on her.
Setting the album in front of Liv, John opened it to the first page. A musty scent like an attic had been opened after a long time wafted up from the book. On the first page was a picture of John standing next to a woman wearing a white gown. She was beautiful, with long flowing brown hair and a crown of flowers. Beside her, John wore a loose suit, and on his face was the largest grin she’d ever seen him wear.
“This is my wife, Chloe,” John said, smiling fondly at the picture.
“Wait, you have a wife? How did I not know that?”
John looked at her thoughtfully. “For the same reason that you’re just now confiding in me that you’re a magician. And Chloe was my wife. She’s been gone for many, many years.”
“How did you know I was a magician?” Liv had so many questions that she didn’t even know where to begin. She’d rehearsed this speech, and it hadn’t gone this way at all.
“I didn’t, at first. Maybe I had hints of it over the years, but I never thought much about it,” John explained. “You see, Chloe and I were high school sweethearts. I asked for her hand in marriage after we graduated, and she turned me down. She ran across the country but I followed her, knowing that couldn’t be the end of us. It took me a long time to track her down.” He chuckled, his eyes distant as if he saw the memory in his mind. “You should have seen her face when I walked into the café where she was waiting tables. Much like you, Chloe liked working with her hands. She liked a good, honest day of work.”
“Wait, she turned down your proposal and you stalked her? John, that’s super-creepy.”
He nodded, laughing. “I realize that now, but I was in love, and I didn’t believe her when she said she didn’t want to marry me. There was something missing, and I didn’t want to live, not knowing what that was.”
“Chloe was a magician,” Liv guessed.
“That’s right,” John said, looking down at the photo before them. “She didn’t think I’d understand how different her life was. Man, I thought she was exaggerating, but I later learned that she hadn’t been. I begged her to allow me into her life. I told her I’d do anything to make it work.”
“And she accepted,” Liv stated.
“Well, not at first. She was reluctant, saying that it was dangerous for mortals to live in a magician’s world,” John said, his expression dark. “But I didn’t give up. I showed up every day at that café, demonstrating to her however she’d let me that I was serious about us being together.”
“Again, you sound like a stalker,” Liv told him with a laugh. “And you didn’t find it strange when she said she was a magician? You didn’t think she was making it up?”
“I’ll admit, at first I thought it was a wild excuse, but Chloe had never lied to me, so I knew it was the truth. She’d been secretive, sure, but she’d always been honest with me, and I could feel that.”
Liv had often felt that John was incredibly intuitive, knowing things she was going to do before she did them. It wasn’t hard for her to believe he’d had this sort of insight into Chloe.
“And to answer your question, I didn’t know what to think about this magician business,” John continued. “At first I couldn’t retain the things Chloe shared with me. I’d simply forget seeing her using her magic. Later she’d mention it, and I’d have no memory. However, over time, magic became a part of my life, too. Her life was weird and I didn’t know what to make of it at first, but I had her, and that was what I wanted most.”
“So you two got married,” Liv said, flipping through the album, looking at a John who was easily thirty years younger. He laughed a lot in the photos, his eyes always on Chloe.
“Yes, and when
I went away to serve, I knew that our love was strong enough to survive the time apart.” John’s expression turned dark again. All the joy he’d shown moments prior disappeared from his eyes. “However, when I returned, ready to really start our life together, Chloe was different. She was distant, when before she’d allowed me into her life. She was always looking over her shoulder, waking up in the middle of the night. One day she left a note that said I didn’t work in her life anymore, and there was nothing that could change that.” He shook his head, his chin low. “The letter said all the things you’d expect. She said it wasn’t me, it was her. She stated that we were too different and that she worried about our future, so therefore there couldn’t be one for us. Then she asked that I let her go and not search for her.”
Pickles lifted his paws onto John’s leg as if sensing he needed the extra comfort. John reached down and picked up the dog, staring into his dark brown eyes for a long moment. “That was almost four decades ago.”
“So you didn’t go after her?”
“No. She’d asked me not to,” John said.
“But you didn’t listen to her the first time when she turned down your proposal.”
“I knew she was hiding something, and that she still wanted me. However, the tone in Chloe’s letter was different than before. My wife was different. Before, she’d been warm and full of joy, but when I returned, something in her had died. She wasn’t the woman I had married. I tried to understand, but the more I tried, the harder she pushed me away. So when she asked me to let her go, I knew that was what I had to do. And I suppose that in a way, she was right. Mortals and magicians aren’t meant to be. I know Chloe worried what would happen if we had a family.”
Liv’s heart ached. She could hardly believe that the man she’d known for the past five years had such a story to tell. She hadn’t even had a chance to assimilate the implications of what John had just shared. “So you knew I was a magician?”
“I only started to piece things together recently, although I think I was in denial at the same time.” John scratched Pickles’ head. “You know I think of you as a daughter. When I started to feel the magic around you the way I had felt it with Chloe, I worried that it would take you away. And you’ve gotten more distant, and been off on secret adventures. Then you had magicians and fae showing up here, and I just assumed that soon you’d leave me too.”
“What? You knew that Clark and Rudolf were magical? Were you never going to say anything to me about this if I hadn’t admitted it to you today?” Liv asked.
John shrugged. “Of course. It’s sort of obvious just looking at them. And, I’m a firm believer in allowing the people in my life to have their privacy, and I know that it isn’t easy for magicians to explain this to mortals.”
Liv looked at Plato, shaking her head before directing her gaze back to John. “This is so strange. Here I thought I was going to have to convince you that I wasn’t making this all up. Now I find out that you were married to a magician.”
John slapped his knee, a pleased expression breaking through the tension on his face. “Okay, so start at the beginning. Tell me everything you can.”
“Well, I’m not sure… I only had my magic unlocked recently.”
John nodded, giving her a sideways grin. “Yes, that was when all the strange things started to happen. My calculator added up numbers before I typed them in.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been trying to avoid my magic having unintended consequences. If you don’t want me using magic at work, I completely understand.”
John scoffed. “Are you kidding? Since you’ve gotten your magic, the shop has never run so smoothly. It’s clean as can be, and our turnaround time on repairs is keeping customers happy.” He leaned forward, holding Pickles to his chest and giving Liv a conspiratorial look. “Actually, now that we’re being honest, I feel like I might be taking advantage of your talents, benefitting as a business owner. I’m hoping I’m not putting you in an awkward position.”
“Not at all,” Liv said at once. “No, it’s me who feels like I’m putting you in danger. That’s why I’m telling you the truth now. I feel like you should have a choice and know the facts. I’m a magician. Specifically, I’m a Warrior of the House of Seven, and I make enemies patrolling the magical world. Strange things happen around me. Strange people visit me. The line between my old life and my new one is blurred, and I need you to know that and tell me if it isn’t okay with you. Because the last thing I want to do is put you and your business in danger.”
John considered her words for a long time, his eyes searching the ground without really seeing it. “I’ve heard of the House of Seven before. Chloe didn’t always have nice things to say about it.”
Liv nodded. “That’s not uncommon. Some magicians don’t like the regulations the House puts on the community, but its overarching goal of justice is a good one.”
“And you work for them now?” John asked. “That’s the other job you have?”
“Yes, but it’s at night, and I can handle doing both.”
John pointed to her leg. “And that injury?”
“A magical snake bit me, and I was asleep afterward for three days.”
John whistled through his teeth, shaking his head. “No wonder your brother looked so bad. He is your brother, right?”
Liv nodded. “Yes, and he’s a magician too. My family lives at the House of Seven.”
“And you don’t want to live with them?” John asked. “I know that after your parents died, well, you went through something and needed time, but it seems as though you’re coming back to them. Wouldn’t you feel better if you were around your own kind, living in a better place? It’s got to be nicer than that rundown apartment of yours.”
Liv shot him an offended look. “I happen to like my place very much. And no, to answer your question, I don’t need to be with them. Not all the time, anyway. I belong here. Well, as long as it’s okay with you. Like I said, my life as a magician is full of dangers, and I can’t guarantee that they won’t follow me home.”
“A magical snake bit you, huh?”
Liv nodded, trying to read the look in John’s eyes. It spoke of his concerns and regrets and uncertainties.
“I remember that magicians have adventurous lives,” he said, his voice low. “Chloe told me stories, and I saw my fair share, although I think she kept me sort of sheltered. I never met her magician friends, and maybe that was for the best.” He looked away, the pain from his past surfacing in his eyes.
“John, if this is too much for you, given everything you’ve been through—”
He held up his hand to stop her from continuing. “Liv, you’re a magician, and you have a dangerous role. It sounds like you could be dragging all sorts monsters back here, and it could all but destroy the shop or our lives or the city. I’ve worked thirty years building this business, and the thought that it could all be put at risk? Well, it doesn’t bother me one bit.”
“What?” Liv asked, leaning forward. She had been absolutely certain he was going to say that she needed to pack her bags and get out.
A sincere smile broke across his face. “Liv, what I do matters, but not more than the people in my life. So what if you’re a magician with a crazy night job? So what if deadly monsters could be lurking outside the shop? You’re also one of my favorite people, and I’d prefer not to let you go. No matter the risk in your life, I’m all in.”
Liv couldn’t believe this. She wanted to throw her arms around John’s shoulders and hug him tightly. Instead, she simply smiled. “I can’t believe you’re okay with all of this.”
“Actually, I can’t believe I am either. After everything with Chloe, I thought I’d never want to be around magic again, but much has changed over the years. You’ve changed me. However,” John gave her a sudden look of warning, “if ever your life doesn’t work intertwined with mine, you can tell me. I’m still not sure that mortals and magicians should mix. I want to believe they can because I do
n’t want to let you go, but I’ll always do the right thing for you, even if that’s letting you go.”
Liv did reach across the space and throw her arms around John then, making Pickles whimper at the sudden movement. She held him close, and he hugged her back. When she released him, she was arrested by the tender look on his face. It made him look so much younger, as if their moment of honesty and emotion had magically transformed him. “John, I’m not going anywhere. I want to believe that the two races can exist together, not separately like they have for so long. Don’t ever worry that I’m going anywhere. As long as you’re okay with a freak magician and her talking cat, I’m sticking around.”
John looked at Plato suddenly. “The cat can talk?”
“Oh, yeah,” Liv said. “Go ahead, show him, Plato.”
The lynx yawned and settled down on his stomach, resting his head on his paws.
John looked at her sideways. “You’re sure you’re a magician and not just certifiably insane?”
“I’m both,” Liv said.
John pushed up from the stool, setting Pickles on the floor. “Well, now that this business is out of the way, I have an important question for you.”
Liv looked up at him curiously.
“Where’s that carrot cake you promised to bring me? I’m starving.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Rory’s front door was open when Liv arrived at his house that afternoon. Plato halted on the threshold, sniffing the air.
“Oh, come on,” she said, waving him in. “They are only kittens.”
“They are annoying little beasts,” Plato countered.
“Well, lookie there. You can talk,” Liv stated, narrowing her eyes at the cat. “Maybe next time you won’t make me look like a fool. John still doesn’t buy that you can talk. He believes that I can fix things with magic and faced off an evil serpent, but he drew the line at a talking cat.”