by Maher Tegan
I rang a buzzer situated to the left of the giant set of double doors. You couldn't just walk into the place; you had to be buzzed into the foyer, then state your case to the receptionist. If it seemed relevant enough or if you been summoned, they sent you through security into a magical waiting room. Once you passed through security, all your powers were dampened. Just the idea of that gave me the willies because I knew that all the officials were at full power. It wasn't exactly like I was afraid of them, but I was a witch. Taking away my powers was worse than blindfolded me. I'd heard horror stories of people who'd been summoned to the Council and were never seen or heard from again. Even though I was there on my own business of and of my own free will, I would to be comfortable until I was back outside the castle like building and breathing free air again. The door buzzed, and I pulled it open. I'd only been there a couple of times, so the cavernous foyer was a little intimidating. Okay, it was a lot intimidating.
"State ya business, please." The witch behind the magically reinforced glass stared up at me over glasses bedazzled to match her rainbow hair. Her eyeshadow was a dramatic mix of blues and silvers, and I wasn't sure how she even blinked with the length of her fake eyelashes. Her nasally voice reminded me of Fran Drescher, and she tapped her long pointy nails on the counter impatiently.
"I'm here to see your aura dark more, please," I replied.
She arched a painted-on brow. "Do you have an appointment?"
Before I could respond, calamity piped up. "No, but she summoned us. Just tell her were here. She'll see us."
I did my best to keep my face impassive when she said that. On reflection, it was probably better than what I would've gone with, which would've been a polite request.
The woman stared at us for a couple seconds, then picked up her phone. Mme. Blackmore, there's a Mila Maganti here to see you. With her Fox familiar." She said the last with a distasteful glance at Calamity, who returned it in spades. If she was hoping to out snob my little fox, she'd need bigger britches than she was wearing.
She listened for a moment, then nodded her head. "I'll send them right back."
"She'll see you now." She motioned toward a blank gray wall painted a neutral gray, then waved her hand in the door appeared. "Take the elevata to the penthouse. That's where her office suite is, her receptionist will point you in the right direction from there."
Her Jersey accent was so thick that I almost wondered if she was faking it, not that it mattered. As soon as I stepped through the doorway, an emptiness settled in where my magic usually lived. It felt wrong, like somebody’d taken my voice or put a blindfold on me.
I swallowed and followed the receptionist’s directions, and when the elevator doors swished open, I felt like I'd stepped into a totally different world. Thick Persian rugs carpeted the gleaming wood floors, and the crown molding appeared to be made of gold. A long black-marble counter shot through with gold curved around a reception area, where a middle-aged witch in upscale business attire talked on the phone while filing her nails.
The keys on the keyboard sitting in front of the computer beside her clacked along by themselves. She glanced up at me over the rims of her black readers and motioned me toward a massive corner office with glass walls and door. Covering the phone, she said, “She'll see you now. Make it quick. She has an appointment in five minutes with the Chancellor."
I nodded even though I had no idea who the Chancellor was. As far as I knew, she was at the top of the totem pole. That had no bearing on me, though, so I did as I was told and trotted toward the office where I pecked on the glass door. Aurora glanced up from what she was doing and waved for me to come in.
“It’s nice to see you, Mila,” she said, her red-tinted lips turning up into a full smile. “Calamity, you’re looking well, but what brings you two here? Is everything okay?”
I returned her smile and took a seat in the modern clear-plastic chair in front of her desk, a white marble-topped industrial piece. In a separate part of my brain, I was a little surprised that her office was so bright and airy. For some reason, I’d expected it to be dark and maybe a little musty.
“I’m afraid everything isn’t okay,” I said, “but it’s nothing to do with us. I believe we have another of the Abaddon’s Gate souls wreaking havoc.”
I walked her through what had been going on, and she steepled her fingers in front of her as she listened. Once I was finished, she leaned back in her chair and was quiet for several long moments. “We’ve been apprised of the situation. I don’t believe at this time that it has anything to do with Kira’s situation.”
“But what about the black smoke?” Calamity asked from her place on my lap.
She drummed her long red nails on her desk, and the pop of bright color was striking against the white. “You said it yourselves that it was nearly dark, yes?”
“Yes, but—" I started.
“But there’s a chance your eyes played tricks on you in the low light. Horses kick up dust, and that part of the city is a lot older. The gas lamps often create odd shadows.” She pressed her lips together in a gentle smile, though I couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not. With Aurora, I’d come to learn that it wasn’t always easy to tell.
“I wasn’t seeing things,” I insisted. “Calamity and Aaron both saw it.”
“Aaron? The man who helped you when you were working with Kira and Michael?” Her thin, painted-on brow rose almost to her hairline, and I wondered why she was interested.
“Yes, that Aaron,” I replied. “We’d just come from having ice cream.” I decided to keep April out of the picture altogether because I could already tell she was brushing me off. No need to drag my friend into the spotlight if I didn’t have to.
“I see. Well, thank you for coming to me. I’ll keep an eye on the situation myself, and if I believe there’s reason for concern, I’ll take care of it.”
I did my best to contain the sigh of frustration swelling in my chest and focused on keeping my face impassive. “Thank you,” I said, curving my lips into what I hoped looked like a genuine smile. “If you need me for anything, please just let me know.”
“Of course.” She shuffled the papers on her desk and made a sweeping motion toward her door, which swung open for me. I left as quickly as I could without looking like I was hurrying, but I was mad enough to spit nails. I wasn’t some rookie witch who imagined things going bump in the night, and I didn’t appreciate being treated like one.
I managed to control myself long enough to make it to the elevator, but when I started to say something once I was inside, Calamity spoke to me through our link. “Smile for the cameras. We’re not out of here yet, and the last thing we want is for her to put somebody on our tail to make sure we don’t do anything on our own.”
She was right, so I kept my face neutral as we stepped out of the elevator. Unlike from the lobby, the exit door wasn’t hidden.
“Have a nice day, now,” the receptionist said in her nasally tone as I breezed past her desk. The feeling of my magic settling back over me was a comfort, and I wasn’t eager to repeat having them muted again.
“You, too,” I replied, sweeping through the lobby. “My regards to the Chancellor.”
“Way to stay subtle,” Calamity said as soon as we were back outside. The warmth of the sunshine and the ordinariness of people rushing along the sidewalks and perusing wares on vendor carts seemed a half-bubble off from reality.
“I wasn’t shooting for subtle,” I groused, stomping down the steps. “Yeah, I realize we don’t want to draw attention, but from the way she talked to me, she didn’t take anything I was saying seriously, anyway.”
“Still, don’t bring attention to yourself. Let’s go talk to Charlie.” She hopped down from my shoulder onto a waist-height wall running along the sidewalk and skittered along beside me. “We’ll see what he has to say and see if we can start putting this all together.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” a familiar voice said from beside me.
>
I about jumped out of my skin when I glanced to my right to see Aaron striding along beside me. “Where did you even come from?”
He held up a hand and I tried to ignore how handsome he looked as the sun filtering down through the oak tree above us splashed across his face. “Don’t get mad. Michael did charge me with being your bodyguard. Since we haven’t had anything come up, I’ve given you your space, but now that things are getting a little crazy again, I think he’d want me to resume that role.”
I wanted to be annoyed at him, but I was finding that I enjoyed his company, and he did have more experience than I did in this area. He worked for the PCBI and though he hadn’t said it, I was under the impression that he’d helped Michael and Kira on more than just the one case I’d helped with.
“Then let’s get a move on,” I said, casting him a sideways glance and smiling. “We’re heading to ChocoLatte, and if you’re lucky, I might even buy you a coffee.”
“And in return, I’ll do my best to make sure none of us die or are possessed by evil witches,” he replied, grinning. “Too soon?” he asked when I arched a brow at him.
Evil witches had been the reason we’d met, and they’d kidnapped April. I held my forefinger and thumb an inch apart. “Maybe just a little.” I smiled to let him know I was kidding—sort of—and admitted to myself that I was glad he had my back.
7
The rich smells of chocolate and coffee melded with the buttery scent of fresh-baked scones enveloped us when we were twenty feet from ChocoLatte’s front door. Once we were inside, the cool interior—all polished wood and brass—was like stepping into your favorite auntie’s house. My stomach rumbled.
Charlie himself was behind the counter arranging glossy chocolates behind the case. Some were sprinkled with gold dust and others had stripes and polka dots in a rainbow of colors splashed across them. In front of each row was a little black placard announcing such magical flavors as Orange Dream and Raspberry Crush.
Further down in the case, a variety of scones and plump muffins squatted, just waiting to be enjoyed with a cup of fresh coffee or tea. The espresso machine behind the counter burbled and hissed as Charlie worked the knobs. Finally, a tall glass-fronted freezer displayed several different varieties of homemade ice cream.
“Good morning, Mila! Calamity, have you come for a slice of chocolate-dipped bacon?” Charlie sat a cup of steaming latte topped with a cloud of foam on the counter in front of him, and his handlebar mustache curled up along with his lips into a welcoming smile. “I saw you coming. You always choose different treats, but you never veer from your white chocolate latte, extra shot.”
Calamity hopped from my shoulder to the counter, nodding. “I have, thank you very much.”
Since it was that time between breakfast and lunch, the shop was empty other than a young hipster couple sitting a table in the far corner.
“I didn’t realize you two new each other,” Charlie said, glancing from me to Aaron. “And will you be having espresso or tea today, Aaron?”
“I’ll have what she’s having,” Aaron replied. “Let’s mix it up. And a carrot muffin, please.”
“And I’ll have a banana-nut, please.”
With a nod and a wink, the chocolatier flicked a hand toward the espresso machine, which commenced to make another latte. While it did, he reached into the case and pulled out a few strips of the bacon for Calamity, adding a few more for Aaron and me along with our muffins. He knew the bacon was a weak spot for me, too, and from the extra slices, I assumed Aaron shared our love of the salty-sweet treat.
“This isn’t just a social visit,” I said, handing him my card. “We’d also like to talk to you about the incident that happened here yesterday.
The twinkle faded from his brown eyes. “Nasty business, though I’m not sure what I can tell you. A regular came in during the lunch rush. She’s usually shy and was waiting in line, reading her book as she always does. She ordered, then went to the restroom, and when she came out, she was jumping about, laughing like a loon while she flipped over coffees, flung food from customer’s tables, and wreaked havoc in general.” He paused, and a furrow of consternation formed between his brows. “A witch cast a freezing spell on her, and the poor woman passed out.”
I pondered that for a minute as I took a sip of my latte. “Did you happen to see anything odd?”
He arched a thin brow at me. “I think I’d classify the entire situation as odd, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes,” Aaron replied, nodding in thanks as Charlie handed him his cup, “but did you see anything strange after the witch froze her?”
He thought for a second, then sighed. “I thought I did, but the constables didn’t seem to think it was important. Out of the corner of my eye, I would have sworn I saw a shadow moving on its own toward the bathrooms. It was busy, though, so I could have imagined it, or it could have just been a customer moving.”
I worried my lip as I handed him my card. “Anything else? Did the woman come around before the police got here?”
“She did,” he replied, wiping crumbs from the counter. “She was quite distraught and claimed she was innocent. She said she didn’t remember doing any of it, and I tend to believe her. It was quite unlike her, and I declined to press charges.”
“Anything else?” Calamity asked, her mouth full of bacon. She’d already torn through two slices, and if I had any hope of getting any, I needed to get it now.
“Not that I can think of. It was all so overwhelming. I was making vanilla scones and I thought I smelled them burning.” He frowned. “Though that would be next to impossible. I haven’t burnt anything in years.”
My mind whipped back to the incident the night before, when the same odor had reached me. I’d assumed the woman in the coach was wearing cheap perfume, but maybe not. “Did it smell like burnt cookies?” The acrid smell of singed flour was much different than what I’d smelled.
He shook his head. “No, which is strange because that’s what I’d expect. More like burnt vanilla.”
“Thanks, Charlie.” I scooped up the bacon and my coffee, and Aaron got the muffins.
“Why does it matter that he got his scones a little brown?” Aaron asked, peeling the fancy brown paper from his muffin.
“He said he didn’t burn them,” Calamity pointed out, taking a drink of my latte.
I scowled at her, then pulled her sippy cup from my bag and poured some of my drink into it before she could backwash bacon into my cup.
“I smelled the same thing last night, but I assumed it the woman in the coach was wearing gross perfume,” I said, sliding the cup over to her. I wasn’t a huge fan of caffeinating her, but a little wouldn’t hurt. Plus, maybe she’d have enough energy to walk for a while instead of hitching a ride on my shoulder. She only weighed nine pounds, but after walking for a while, that started to feel heavy.
“So, you think it’s related to the shadow thing?” Aaron bit into his muffin, then chased it with a drink of latte. That was another beautiful thing about Charlie’s drinks—they remained the perfect temperature right down to the last sip.
I thought for a minute as I tore off a chunk of my pastry and popped it into my mouth. It could be a coincidence, but that was a distinctive smell. “I think I do. Also, he said he saw a shadow, when what we saw was more like smoke. I wonder if that’s a progression or if he just didn’t get a good look at it.”
“Could be either,” Aaron replied. “I don’t know if I’d classify a change from shadow to smoke as a progression, though.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Relief flooded over me. “It’s Kira asking what’s up.”
I tapped out a quick response, detailing everything that had happened. After a few moments, my phone rang. I glanced around to make sure we were still alone before I answered, putting her on speakerphone when I did.
“Hey,” she said. “That sounds like one of mine. Sorry it took me so long to answer. I’ve been at the farm, and t
here’s not reception there.”
She lived on a farm not far from the city, but it was way out in the boonies. On top of that, there was all sorts of magical interference because the actual Abaddon’s Gate was cloaked in a field on their property.
“No problem,” I said. “Can you get here?”
She paused. “Not right away. I just got word that a wizard’s soul has made an appearance in a little town down the coast a bit. He was locked up because he was … well, he was really bad. It sounds like you’ve got a mischief demon, and probably only one. If there were more, there’d be chaos. They’re not harmful in and of themselves, but they take awareness away from people and cause them to do things like what happened to your guy last night. It was locked up in a lower level because it caused bad things to happen but killing somebody wasn’t the intent. They just like to cause trouble.”
“Then what do I do?” I asked. As far as I was concerned, it was dangerous whether it meant to kill anybody or not.
“You still have the trap I left with you?”
“I do.” I wasn’t sure how to go about using it, though, when the appearances seemed random.
“Then I have faith. I’ll get up there as soon as I can, but I’m not sure how long it’ll take me to track down the baddie I need to capture first.”
“But—“
“But nothing. You’ve got this. What you need to do is find how it’s getting around. It can’t take solid form, and it’s weak in daylight unless it has a host. That means it’s traveling in the dark between hosts.”
I sighed in frustration. “I have no idea how to go about that.”
She laughed, but there wasn’t any humor in it. “Welcome to my world. Look, I hate to stick you with this, but I’ve gotta catch that wizard before he hurts anybody else, and I need Michael’s help. If you run into any problems, I’m only a phone call or text away. I promise to respond immediately. Or at least within a few minutes. Just find how it’s getting around and wait for it, then use the trap with the spell.”