by K. M. Shea
“I don’t imagine for a couple weeks,” I said. “There’s still a lot to…settle.” My gaze again strayed to the viewing room before I yanked it back.
Mason’s smile turned overpoweringly sympathetic, like too much sugar in your coffee. “Of course, Adept. You need time to mourn your parents.”
“And to notify the Wizard Council, gather the records, and find the House Medeis signet ring,” the House Tellier wizard added. “Unless you already have it?”
“No.” I clasped my hands behind my back so I wouldn’t be tempted to make any rude gestures I would later regret. “Given the tragedy, having my parents’ will read hasn’t been a priority.”
The two wizards exchanged an indiscernible look.
“Of course, Adept,” Mason said smoothly. “If I can be of any service in the meantime, just ask.”
I had been eyeing the Tellier wizard, but when Mason spoke I shifted my attention to him. He said that already. Is he just putting on a show for House Tellier? It seemed my future in politics was grimmer than I thought. “Thanks.”
Mason bowed slightly. “It is my honor—the House comes first, after all.”
Three weeks passed, and the unbearable pain left by my parents’ death settled into a dull ache.
Laughing came more easily, but sleeping was rough. I spent hours every night walking House Medeis.
The magical House was both comforting and a stark reminder that I was less than an Adept should have been—less trained and less skilled.
I’m going to have to come up with a method to supplement my magical power, I reluctantly concluded. Or House Medeis will crumble even though I’m the rightful Heir. I mean, kicking kneecaps and being as squirmy as an eel works for facing off with people like Gideon, but that’s not going to help with politics. But what would work? Stronger allies would be ideal, but who would want to befriend us that didn’t want to when my parents were alive?
I scratched under the elastic waistband of my owl fleece pajama pants. Though it was late spring, nights were still cool, and House Medeis was always a bit drafty—a good thing given wizards tended to run hot most of the time.
The House grumbled under my feet as it turned on a dusty chandelier for me while I ambled down one of the long hallways.
Maybe I should give the senior Medeis wizards more power. It would be unusual, but not entirely unheard of—or unexpected.
I popped into the bathroom and pulled on the knob for cold water, filling my ceramic mug. I turned off the tap before I took a sip, making a face at the steaming hot water.
It seems that the ice-cold shower I had earlier was not because Felix used too much water on the gardens, but because the House is upset. How…wonderful.
I set the mug down on the counter and leaned against a wall covered in blue damask wallpaper. “I’m sorry,” I told the creaking building. “I know you’re growing weaker because I haven’t had my Ascension yet. I’ll get it sorted out soon.”
The water pipes groaned ominously, and the black and white tile under my feet rumbled.
“I’ll call my parents’ lawyer in the morning,” I hastily added. “We still haven’t had their will read or the deed transferred, and the signet is stored with all of that. I think.”
My answer must have satisfied the House, because it finally shut up. I considered trying for cold water again, but decided not to push it.
If I had Ascended and become the proper Adept, I could command the House to give me whatever kind of water I wanted. Supposedly I’d be able to sort of communicate with it rather than just guess at the source of its foul moods. But until then, it seemed like I’d be getting hot drinking water and cold showers.
I exited the bathroom and shuffled back up the hallway. I was trying to decide between heading to the library to find a book to read or going to the kitchen for a snack when a door creaked.
Curious, I swung around and jumped when I found Mason standing right behind me. “Geez, Mason, you scared me.” I took a few steps backwards, but Mason grabbed me by the shoulders, stopping me.
His face was shadowed in the flickering hallway light. “We need to talk.”
“Sure,” I agreed as I adjusted my fleece pajama pants again. “Sometime tomorrow or…?” I frowned when I studied Mason and saw he wasn’t dressed in sleepwear like me, but a crisp, pristine suit with the House Medeis coat of arms—which had a rampant leopard and a white unicorn rearing over a shield—over its breastpocket.
“Now,” Mason said.
The wind shrieked as it whistled through the trees just outside, and I thought I felt House Medeis quiver.
“Fine,” I said. “What about?” I tried to ease out of his grasp, but he dug his fingers into my shoulders.
“You’re aware we are related?” Mason said.
“Distantly, yeah. Aren’t you, like, my third cousin three times removed—or something?”
Mason relaxed, slightly. “Yes, I have Medeis blood in my veins—though it’s so little, wizard law won’t count it. But what I lack in pedigree I make up for in power.”
Why is there something unnerving about the way he’s talking? I tried to lean so he would have to step more into the light—I might be able to read something in his expression—but he pulled me back.
I licked my lips. “You’re obviously known for being strong in magic. It’s why you’re the youngest senior wizard in House Medeis.” He was weirding me out enough that I tried to nonchalantly feel the pocket in my pajama pants for my cellphone, but I must have left it in my room.
“Precisely—whereas you have the blue blood of the Medeis, but are practically a dud,” Mason said.
I sighed and fluffed my hair with a hand. “Is this about me not having much magic? Because I already know we’ll have to come up with another alternative to keep our power consolidated. But that’s something I should be discussing with all the senior wizards—”
“I’ve already come up with the alternative we will take.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Will we?”
“We should get married.”
My forehead puckered, and my mouth dropped open. “What did you say?”
“It’s the most logical move,” Mason said. “You can’t run House Medeis alone.”
“Mason.” My voice was hot with frustration. “I’ll admit to being a weak Adept. But it is an insane jump to get from there to ‘we should get married’!”
“You’re unable to protect yourself or House Medeis,” Mason said.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I have no delusions about my power. But there are about a thousand different plans we can enact that don’t involve the two of us getting hitched. You don’t even like me!”
“The House comes before all.”
“That’s nice, but I draw the line at an arranged marriage!” My voice was growing louder with my disbelief.
“Adept? Is everything okay?” Felix poked his head out of his bedroom, his gold hair shining in the dull light as he peered suspiciously at Mason.
I gritted my teeth but forcibly smiled. “Yes. I was just having a discussion with Mason.” I yanked myself from Mason’s grasp, and he let his arms drop.
Mason offered me a smile. “Won’t you even consider it?”
Was this why he’d been so friendly the past few weeks? Not because of my parents’ death, but because he was hoping to sway me?
“No,” I said, “I won’t consider it because it’s not necessary.”
Felix frowned and fully emerged from his room, pausing to roughly kick a few other bedroom doors.
“It’s the fastest way,” Mason said. “And speed is vital in this case.”
I sourly pressed my lips together to keep from shrieking. “Not important enough to make you propose in the middle of the night!”
Felix made a choking noise as Momoko, Great Aunt Marraine, and Franco—Felix’s older brother—emerged from their quarters.
Momoko yawned and stretched her arms above her head. “What’s going on?”
“Mason has apparently lost it,” Felix said.
“Maybe if he was sleeping right now this wouldn’t be a problem.” Great Aunt Marraine struggled to put on her thick, blue framed glasses. Her hair was in curlers, and she looked fierce as she tied her purple bathrobe.
Mason glanced back at our family, and I sighed—it wasn’t my intention to publicly embarrass him. Who knows, maybe that was why he approached me at night?
“I’m twenty-two, Mason,” I reminded him. “I’ve been the Adept for three weeks. Figuring out the new power balance doesn’t have to be an instant thing.”
Mason stared up at the ceiling. “It would have been easier this way.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
An explosion rocked the House, making the lights shake and the walls groan.
Chapter Three
Hazel
“House Medeis?” I slapped a shaking hand on the wall, trying to judge the House’s state, but it was no use: I hadn’t Ascended yet, and I had too little magic to get a good feel for it.
“That came from the front hall,” Great Aunt Marraine shouted.
“Let’s go!” Felix and Franco sprinted down the hallway and darted into the corridor that held the main staircase.
I moved to follow them, but Mason grabbed me by the wrist. “Not yet, Adept,” he said.
“Let her go, Mason.” Momoko stalked closer, her wizard mark surfacing as she funneled magic.
Mason glanced at her, and something felt off. When his wizard mark—which stretched all the way to his jaw—surfaced, I stiffened. He made a flicking motion, blasting Momoko with blue magic. She crashed into the wall with a groan.
I lashed out, kicking Mason in the gut. “What are you doing?”
He coughed, but yanked me closer. His mistake—years of being bullied made me anticipate his reaction. As soon as I smacked into his chest, I stood on my tiptoes and summoned what little magic I could channel to my fingers, which I then jabbed into his eyes. I might not have a lot, but apply it to just the right spot on a person and it will still work!
The magic crackled, and Mason swore as he released me, clawing at his face.
I scurried around him, sprinting to Momoko’s side. “Everyone, wake up!” I tried to keep an eye on Mason as I inspected Momoko, trying to judge how badly she was hurt. Thankfully, more House Medeis wizards emerged from their rooms.
“I’m fine.” Momoko leaped to her feet and shook out her hands. Her wizard mark was darker than ever as she made a pulling gesture, producing more magic before she advanced on Mason with a snarl.
A few of the senior wizards popped out of their rooms, half dressed.
I spotted Mr. Baree among them, quickly calling magic to his hands when he noticed the way Momoko placed herself between Mason and me. “Mr. Baree, wake the others in the other wing. Something’s going on!”
I had to shout to be heard above the rattling, but the House wasn’t reacting much besides creaking floorboards, so I couldn’t tell what was happening.
What had Mason done?
Yells echoed from downstairs, but Mason stood between the stairway and the rest of us. When I cautiously started to approach, Great Aunt Marraine and two other wizards stepped in front of me.
“We have to see what’s downstairs.” I watched Momoko and Mrs. Clark—Felix’s mom—stalk closer to Mason.
“We can’t risk you, Adept,” Great Aunt Marraine grimly said.
“But—”
“We’re under attack!” Felix bounded up the stairs, turning around to cast whirling balls of magic behind him. “House Tellier busted through the front gate! They’re swarming—” A bolt of orange magic struck Felix, and he fell with an ominous thud.
House Tellier wizards—led by Gideon the Idiot—stormed the stairway. They weren’t hiding their House—they all wore black sweaters or blazers with the orange and yellow House Tellier crest on the front.
My brain struggled to understand. There hadn’t been serious physical fighting between wizard Houses since World War II. That Tellier would attack us was unthinkable—and why would they even do it? What could they possibly gain from this?
“I asked you nicely, Hazel.” Mason briefly looked back and exchanged nods with Gideon as the House Tellier wizards trotted down the hallway. “Now I’m ordering you: marry me.”
I had been trying to count the House Tellier wizards—it looked like they outnumbered those of us in this hallway, though who knew if they’d already subdued the rest of the family in the other wing? I felt my empty pocket again and cursed my nonchalance in leaving my cellphone in my bedroom, but Mason’s words yanked me out of my thoughts.
“Do you seriously not know what year it is?” I snapped. “Because this isn’t the medieval ages. You can’t buy me for a cow because you want my House!”
He didn’t even blink at the accusation that he was after House Medeis.
Instead, he smiled politely. “This isn’t an economical exchange but a political move. I deserve to be Adept and lead House Medeis. You—made out of the same overly optimistic and pacifist stock as your parents but lacking their admirable power—do not.”
His words made my knees shake.
This wasn’t just an attack; it was a coup. Mason wanted to lead, but without my blood to legitimize him the House would rebel and chaos would rule. His attempt to belittle me and use my low powers was just a shield to cover how power hungry he was. He had to be, no one would have called my parents pacifists. Being part of House Medeis meant you took a vow to honor life!
I tried to swallow, but almost choked as Mr. Baree and the other House Medeis wizards crowded around me in a protective huddle.
“But it seems you’ve misunderstood,” Mason continued. “If you don’t marry me, I’ll start killing off the House Medeis wizards one by one and take it by force instead. We’ll begin with…your friend.”
He glanced back over his shoulder, and two House Tellier wizards dragged Felix, still unconscious, up to him.
“Felix!” I lunged, but Mr. Baree caught me and held me back.
“You can’t, Adept.” Mr. Baree had to tip his head back to avoid my fists as I tried to thrash free. “If he gets you, it’s over.”
“He’s attacked the House—do you really think he’ll let Felix go?” I snapped.
“It doesn’t matter,” Mr. Baree firmly said. “The House comes before everything.”
The House!
I whipped my gaze back to Mason. He was holding a ball of magic that crackled like electricity as he curiously watched me, his hand hovering just over Felix’s heart.
“House Medeis,” I shouted. “Can’t you do something?”
The building rattled and groaned, but nothing happened.
“It can’t, in fact.” Mason still wore his usual smile, looking as kind and calm as he had at my parents’ funeral. “I waited just until you stretched its power to its weakest. You never Ascended and bonded with it, so there is very little it can do to protect you.”
I could hear my heartbeat in my eardrums.
How. How could this happen? It was unfathomable.
“Roy, did you get a hold of the others?” Mrs. Clark asked.
Mr. Baree shook his head.
“Felix!” Momoko shouted.
“Decide, Adept,” Mason said pleasantly. “Marry me, or Felix dies.”
I tried to wriggle in Mr. Baree’s grasp, but being part hulk and part bear he didn’t flinch, even when I elbowed him in the stomach.
Great Aunt Marraine leaned closer on the pretense of soothing me, but she spoke in a lowered voice. “What are the chances after he makes Hazel marry him he’ll force her to Ascend, and then have her killed?”
“If I agree it will buy us time,” I snapped. “He can’t make me Ascend tomorrow—we don’t have all my parents’ papers or the House signet ring!”
Mr. Baree barely moved his lips as he spoke, his eyes hooked on Mason. “You’re the last in your line, Adept. Your lif
e isn’t something we can gamble with.”
“Adept, I’m waiting,” Mason warned, his voice losing its pleasant edge.
Momoko had turned around to watch us, but she exchanged a look with Mrs. Clark, lifted her chin, and moved to stand in front of the small huddle of House Medeis wizards. “You won’t get away with this, Mason.”
Mason raised an eyebrow. “What a cliché thing to say.”
“When the Regional Committee of Magic hears about this, they’ll arrest you!”
“No, actually, they won’t.” Mason flexed his fingers, but didn’t move them any closer to Felix’s chest. “The law states clearly that House inheritance must be handled within the House—the Regional Committee of Magic and our local Wizard Council aren’t allowed to interfere.”
Momoko scowled. “And the House Tellier rats aren’t ‘interfering’?”
“Hey!” Gideon scowled.
While Momoko continued to challenge Mason, the senior wizards kept up the whispered conversation.
“We have to get the Adept out,” Mrs. Clark said.
“Indeed,” Great Aunt Marraine agreed.
“We’ll cover your retreat, Hazel, while you run,” Mrs. Clark whispered. “Go to the Rothchilds. My car is parked at the end of the driveway. Here.” She discreetly pressed her car keys into my hands.
“I can’t leave you all like this,” I hissed.
“You have to,” Mr. Baree said. “Neither you nor the House has the ability to protect us, and the House must survive.”
I winced, but he was right. I hadn’t Ascended, so I couldn’t lean on the House for power, yet. I was in no condition to fight Mason. But I couldn’t abandon them. “How many will he kill?” I asked.
Great Aunt Marraine chuckled humorlessly. “With you gone and not around to threaten he won’t kill anyone. Harm, perhaps, but he is not so stupid to shed the blood of House Medeis wizards in House Medeis itself without the payout he wants. We can outlast him.”
I shook my head, but before I could stubbornly voice my discontent, Mr. Baree interrupted me. “You must leave us, Hazel. For the House.”