Lial reviewed the notes. “Gibbs and Fabien are already back in France. Marielle and Shiff are on their last one. Phillipe and Marcus started late—they should have about five left.” Lial said.
“When Shiff is, done, tell him what happened. Get Phillipe and Marcus here to Mt. Rinehur to help with the spell. You have the memory story from Graham?” Cham asked Annie.
“Yes,” she said and patted the pocket of her jacket.
“When you finish, get the hell out of here.” Cham kissed her with a quick peck on the cheek, took a step backwards, and teleported away. The rush of air boomed as the air took up residence where Cham just stood.
“Okay. Annie, if you need anything when we’re done, let me know,” Lial said. He glanced back at the map before he and Jory dematerialized in the wind.
“This isn’t going as well as we hoped,” Guenther commented. He watched Annie causally.
“No. It’s not. I hope Brite’s okay.” She continued to pace along the fire. The wind blew in rapid gusts, and with it went the heat. She shivered.
“Good news! The Amborix team is fast. Two left,” Spencer announced.
“We should be quick. It’s our home, and it’s small,” Guenther said with a softness to his voice. He hadn’t stopped watching Annie. She felt his stare, though there was nothing angry or menacing in his look. He finally glanced away when two blurry visions simultaneously landed beside him.
“It went smoothly,” Phillipe said.
“Not so much for the Americans,” Guenther put in as he explained the injury.
“That is a shame. It’s quite illegal for someone to leave a trap like that. I hope he is okay. Shall we finish for them?” Marcus asked.
“No. We’re good. I need you here for the spell. We’re now short,” Annie said quickly as she read her phone, which was buzzing nonstop. “The queen’s medical records were adjusted. She now died of an undiscovered heart ailment.” She absently touched her pocket that held the memory modification story.
“And the rest of the crystals have been laid. Everyone is back in France,” Spencer said. He reduced the fire to only ashes with a wave of his palm and continued until nothing was left, until their presence was removed from the mountaintop.
“Ready, Annie?” Guenther asked as she sat in the dead grasses. She summoned the memory potion and poured it on the blue crystal laying in the palm of her left hand.
“I’m ready,” she said. Phillipe, Marcus, Guenther, and Spencer sat around Annie in a circle. She placed her right hand over the crystal and chanted the spell:
Spirits of the wizards in this sacred place
Remake the memories
To save what is dear
Take all memories of this memory maker here.
A spark flew from her hand, lighting the rock. In turn, hot, bright light burst from the crystal and flew through the air as it searched for the hidden crystals placed along the border of Amborix. Light raced across the countryside, blanketing Amborix in magic. Annie glanced up and for a moment was truly in awe of the magic she had carried in herself for her entire life.
Without wasting any more time, Annie quickly remade history.
Queen Catriona Maxillian of the Royal Family of Amborix has died in her sleep due to a heart defect that she had lived with her entire life. The military has been stationed at the palace to keep the citizenry calm in the face of this devastating loss to Amborix. The royal family is grateful for all the prayers and well wishes of the people of Amborix. It is at this time that the royal family wishes for privacy, as they are still mourning the death of their beloved Princess Amelie and now are mourning the loss of their beloved queen.
Annie held on long enough to complete the story. When she had told all that she needed to, her hands went limp, and the stone fell to the ground. Spencer caught Annie as she fell into him, exhausted from expending so much magical energy. She shook in his arms.
“Queen Catriona’s medical records reflect this?” Guenther asked.
“Our Vampire Attack Unit just completed that part of the modification. She’s had the heart defect since birth,” Spencer said.
Dizziness overtook Annie; the world spun wildly. She closed her eyes as the wind continued to batter them.
“Smart choice,” Guenther said. He knelt beside Annie, handing her a small box. “This is for you. Eat when you get back to France. Restore your strength.”
She placed the box in her pocket and smiled. “Thanks,” she whispered. She leaned against Spencer as he helped her stand.
“Thanks again for your assist with the magic. We have underestimated your Wizard Guard unit. We apologize for the trouble we caused.” Guenther bowed his head slightly.
“I’m glad we could resolve this together,” Annie murmured. She shook as the wind rushed against her petite frame.
“Please keep me apprised of our other conversation.” Guenther wrapped his arms around Annie and kissed both cheeks. He nodded to the group and teleported from the mountain.
“We should leave, too. Please let us know how we can help with anything else,” Marcus offered.
Annie gave both of her counterparts warm hugs. They exchanged handshakes with Spencer before heading back to their homes.
“Well, that’s that,” Spencer said. He left Annie to rest against the large rock as he cleared the mountaintop of their footprints and the remains of the fire until the area looked pristine and uninhabited.
“Okay, my brave partner. It’s time to go.” He picked her up, and she leaned into his grasp as he teleported her to France.
Chapter 29
“It’s done,” Annie said as she gingerly walked through the empty Wizard Hall. Her phone crackled underground, Ryan seemed so far away. She ran her fingers through her windblown hair.
“And Guenther?” Ryan asked on the other end of the phone. Annie bit her lip as she pulled her tangled hair apart, winding several strands around her fingers.
“He thanked me for our help.” Annie glanced behind her and stared at the metal rod hanging from the ceiling at the center of Wizard Hall, so old it was nearly black.
Should I tell Ryan what they want us to do?
“As relieved as I am, I’m somewhat surprised,” Ryan said.
“Are you going to fix this relationship with France or let it be?” Annie asked as she stepped into the hall leading to the hospital wing.
It would be simple enough to do.
Annie thought about Marielle, Jory, and Roland, who had offered her a plan that could potentially relieve the tension between the French and American Wizard Guards.
“We’ll see. For now, I’d rather not think about them or Amelie or the royal family or this case,” Ryan sighed.
Annie’s footsteps clacked against the cement floor. The dingy walls and dim grayish light seemed anything but comforting and safe.
“I think that can be arranged. If there’s nothing else, I need to check on Brite,” she said, reaching for the solid metal door. Though it was painted white, it was covered in thick scuff marks, where the door had been kicked in more than once. Annie pushed the doors open and entered the hospital. Bright fluorescent lights, burned her eyes. She squinted as she came to the empty reception desk.
“Go do that. I’m glad it’s done and you’re okay. Keep me posted on the next step when you get a chance,” Ryan ordered.
“Will do,” Annie said as she headed down the hallway for Brite’s room.
*
“Hey.” Annie was the last in to see Brite. He wasn’t alone; his longtime Wizard Guard partner, Shiff, was sitting in a hard chair beside him. “How’s he doing?” she asked and reached for Brite’s good hand.
“He’s heavily medicated,” Shiff said. “I’m taking him home in the morning. It looks like it’ll require surgery, and I’d rather it happens at home.” His face was drawn, and his eyes crinkled with worry.
Brite’s eyes fluttered open. “Hey, Annie.” His voice had a dreamy, sleepy quality about it.
“I’m
glad you’re safe. You had me worried,” Annie said. She moved her hand to his upper arm. It twitched and shook.
“Good meds,” he murmured with slurred speech. He smiled with a light, goofy grin.
“I’m glad for your help, always. I just wanted you to know.”
“Just doing my job…” He let out air and his smile waned. Brite’s eyes flickered closed. His breathing steady, he fell into a deep sleep.
Annie kissed his cheek.
“You staying the night?” Annie asked Shiff.
“Yeah. I’ll keep you posted. Let me know if there’s anything you need from me,” he said.
“You’re off the clock. Try to get some sleep.” Annie touched his arm and headed back to Wizard Hall.
*
“Any changes?” Cham asked when Annie entered the conference room.
“Sleeping. Shiff’s staying with him. He’ll bring him home tomorrow.”
Tension seeped into Annie’s muscles. All she wanted at that moment was to lose herself in Cham. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled into his curly hair, mussed from constantly running his hands through it.
He always does that when he’s stressed.
Cham pulled her into his arms and down to his lap. She rested against his chest and listened to his heart beat.
“It’s quiet. Is anyone still here?” she questioned.
“Gibbs, Lial, and I. Spencer’s going home as soon as he talks to you. I have no problem with him going home to the family.”
“You’re the boss,” she murmured and closed her eyes.
Spencer, suited up and ready to return home, entered the room, looking anxious. “You sure it’s okay for me to leave? I don’t have to go.”
“Go home. Shiff’s staying. We’re staying. It’ll be fine,” Annie said.
“I don’t want to leave my partner to clean up the rest of the mess.” He smiled wanly as if trying to make a joke, but he was just as tired as she was.
“Spencer. Go home. Be with Melinda and the boys. You were shot. We have this,” Annie said.
“You were injured too,” he reminded her.
“Your wife is pregnant. Go.” She kissed his cheek and touched his arm. “Go,” she said again.
“If you need me—” Spencer began.
“We’ll manage.” Annie smiled and watched him walked from the room.
*
A small bunk room was housed at the end of a little-used, darkened hallway. It was so old that whichever electric lights still worked could only buzz and flicker as they struggled to light the narrow passage.
It’s claustrophobic down here.
As Annie and Cham passed the paint-chipped walls stained with something she didn’t want to know about, she took out her flashlight and followed the path to the small room with only two single beds. Her remaining team—Gibbs, Lial, and Shiff—filled the crowded space.
Gibbs and Lial, unfazed by the cramped quarters, rolled out sleeping bags and lay out on the floor. While Gibbs broke into his food; Lial put his arm across his face and closed his eyes for much-needed rest.
“He’s still okay?” Annie asked Shiff. He tapped his foot on the floor. The cot squeaked.
“Yeah. I need to get back, though. What do you have for us?” Shiff fidgeted on the bed.
Cham placed his hand on the wall. Light flew from his hands and flashed across the walls, enveloping them in the hazy perimeter of the muffle spell.
When it was certain the spell blocked their conversation from being heard, Gibbs asked, “Plan?” He took a bite of a sandwich.
“The memory modification spell,” Annie said. Summoning her field pack, she tossed it on the bed and searched inside for a crisp apple. They hadn’t yet discussed the possibility of it or the consequences of performing it.
“It’s not illegal,” Gibbs asked.
Annie shrugged. “That’s not my issue. Why would you, a wizard guard, give permission to another Wizard Guard unit to wipe your memory? Yeah I admit, it would make this all go away. While it’s not illegal, it is unethical, don’t you think?”
“That guard, Roland? He suggested it,” Gibbs reiterated before taking a bite of his sandwich.
Annie strode across the small room and turned. “They do it. They admitted they control the masses.”
“Have we ever done this?” Shiff asked. He glanced at his watch, anxious to return to his partner.
“No. No one ever thought to do that. We only perform the spell when it’s a matter of security, or to limit our exposure risk,” Annie said. “I don’t feel comfortable with this at all,” she admitted and laid her apple on a napkin. She was no longer hungry.
“Say we do this,” Lial said. “We wipe their memories of us, Bucky removes the tapes, Graham removes the files. What’s really the harm?”
“Do we want to set this precedent?” Gibbs answered with a question.
“Marielle doesn’t know I’m uncomfortable with it, though I’ve ignored the situation as best I can.” Annie glanced at her phone. An email from Marielle asking if they should be there early in the morning to perform the spell. “She’s asking again. Left me a text message.”
“So run through this. What would be the benefit to performing the spell? We end this bad relationship with France. It could be a good thing,” Cham said. He stood up and leaned against the wall. “But then, what does France gain?”
“What are they hiding?” Annie suggested.
“They weren’t aware of all of the vampire attacks. Were they hiding those?” Gibbs offered.
Annie glanced at him. “I wondered the same thing. Why else would they modify the memories of their own people? So easily without asking permission. I just don’t want to be…” she sighed.
“The group to set precedent?” Gibbs asked
“Yeah. I don’t want to open this can of worms. But it does bother me. What are they hiding, who’s helping the princess? Is that person in the Wizard Guard?” Annie thought out loud.
“Did the person helping the princess make the suggestion?” Lial asked.
They all glanced at him.
“I’ve been suspicious of her for a while. The way she looked at Louis when we first arrived. She’s been fighting us all along, and then she is pushing the memory modification spell. It doesn’t make sense, unless she’s the one who’s doing this,” Annie said.
“Get us to wipe their memories, along with it any proof in France. It’s a brilliant plan,” Gibbs said.
“I’m still not sure it’s the right thing to do, but say we perform the spell on their group. We need a few things to happen prior to Marielle’s arrival,” Annie began.
“I’ll need help getting Brite out of here. It’ll have to be earlier than Marielle’s arrival,” Shiff said.
“I can’t technically work with Annie. That’ll have to be with you. I say we need to be moving by five fifteen, just in case there are early arrivals to the unit,” Cham said.
Annie leaned against the cold cement wall and closed her eyes. For a brief moment, she thought of the metal rod hanging from the ceiling.
When she opened her eyes, she glanced at her phone, checking the clock. She looked at Gibbs. “We need to get Brite, Sturtagaard, and Van Alton out of here before any one gets to work. It’ll be hard to explain our presence after the spell.”
“And Amelie?” Cham asked. He took a swig of warm pop from a can.
“I’ll stake her tonight,” Annie said.
“You’re leaning toward doing the memory modification,” Gibbs said.
“Why would Marielle suggest this? As we’ve already surmised, someone is hiding something. If it’s the vampire attacks, we need to outline when those attacks were, and determine when the modification spells were completed. We don’t have time tonight; we only have a few hours to sleep. Business hours are over in the States. If anything, I can buy time. If whoever is helping the princess forgets about the princess, that can buy us a little time to find out what’s going on.”
“It’
s not without permission. They did offer this solution,” Gibbs reminded her.
“If we do this, if we modify their memories, we still have Amborix to contend with. What do we do with them? What if they tell someone? Do we modify their memories too? When does it end?” Annie asked.
“We keep an eye on her, gather the proof. Trap her. If she was killing Van Alton’s for money, wiping our presence won’t change that,” Gibbs argued.
“Do you believe Marielle was helping the princess?” Cham asked.
“It’s just my gut that it’s her. I just…” Annie sighed and closed her eyes as she felt the cold cement wall against her back. She shivered. “It seems so plausible that it’s her. She looked at Louis Van Alton as though she knew him. Someone named ‘M’ wrote a letter to the Van Altons at the summer house. She disappeared while tracking the princess. If it’s not her, if it’s someone else, where are we then? We’re the group that modified the memories of another unit.” Her voice was high and anxious.
“Listen, Annie,” Cham said. “I don’t like this choice either. But I agree with Gibbs. We can use this time to get proof. Marielle’s expecting an answer. Tell her yes. We need to buy time and this gives you a few hours. If we change our mind, we’ll call it off.”
Annie looked at her phone screen and sighed before typing her answer.
Tomorrow. 6 a.m.?
Oui.
Annie sighed. “Marielle’s in for tomorrow at six a.m.” She put her phone down and closed her eyes.
It still doesn’t feel right.
“What if the spell doesn’t work and someone remembers? They could blackmail us. Or worse, turn us in to the International Witches Tribunal.”
“Annie. We have a plan. They wouldn’t dare turn us in if we can prove what they’ve done. Get a grip girl. Stick with one plan or another, don’t waffle,” Gibbs said.
“Amborix knows. What do we do with them?” Her voice rose higher as she spoke.
“Tell them what the French suggested. They don’t trust France either. This gives you time to figure out who was working with the vampire,” Gibbs responded. “Just stick with the plan. It’s a good plan.” He took a bite of his sandwich, leaving half behind.
Wizard Hall Chronicles Box Set Page 94