Lial unfurled a map of the world and divided it by the prime meridian and the equator. “If that’s a correct assumption, here would be the four quadrants.” Next, he placed an ‘X’ at Annie’s market location. “So here’s Annie’s portal. I would think they’d make them all equidistance from each other so the locations form a square. Give me a few hours and I’ll pull some coordinates that fit that theory,” he said.
They continued on with Wizard Guard business: new procedures, monthly meetings, a new training schedule, and continuing education. “I appreciate everyone coming in for this meeting,” Cham finally said. “I have nothing else. If you’re staying here to work, we added several small cubicles to the side of the department. I’d like wizard guards to come visit more often. They’re fairly large for temporary cubicles and have some basic books and such. If you’re heading back to your satellite office, have a good day. When we finally deal with the Fraternitatem, I’ll be traveling to the satellite offices. I want to get a good feel for your cases and what you might need. Come find me, I’ll be in my cube the rest of the day.”
They pushed back their chairs and said goodbye to their colleagues, though all of them decided to stay in main office for the day. Annie walked back with Starla and Monica, inviting them in her cubicle.
“I’ll come with you tonight,” Starla said as she sat down.
“Great. I’d like to leave around eleven thirty. I can meet you back here. We’ll be heading to Louisiana. It’s wet, hot, and buggy, so dress accordingly,” Annie advised.
“Congrats. I see the ring,” Monica said, reaching for Annie’s hand.
“Thanks.” Annie continued the conversation, enjoying the moment with no thoughts of her father, her mother, or the Fraternitatem.
*
After a while, they separated, Starla and Monica finding empty cubicles. Annie knocked on Cham’s cubicle. “Hey,” she said and sat beside Milo, who was speaking with Cham.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” Cham joked.
“Eh. Just wanted to let you know I’m trying to get a meeting with Rathbone. Jack is working on it now.”
“You should take Ryan with,” Milo suggested. He glanced at Cham. “Sorry. Habit.”
“No worries. I didn’t think it was time to tell everyone about Emily. On that account, I’m deferring to you on everything,” Cham said.
“There’s only a few people I trust with that. I have two thoughts actually. First, I wonder if she might try to get in touch with her mother. Second, I wonder if we could have a team break into Emily’s house and snoop a little. Find something that proves it’s her.”
Cham looked at Milo, who knew Emily even better than Annie did.
“It’s easy enough to put a team on your grandmother. We might be able to bug the phones and put a camera on the doors. Who do you trust with this?” Milo asked.
“Brite and Shiff. Brite already knows,” Annie said.
Milo patted Annie’s hand. “So I suggest Shiff and Brite investigate that house. It would help to know if it’s really her. In terms of your grandmother, I defer to the department manager.”
“Is there anyone else you trust?” Cham asked.
“Spencer and—” She leaned backwards in the chair. Her eyes teared up; she didn’t bother to wipe them away. “Sorry.”
“We all miss him,” Milo said.
“I feel vulnerable without him,” Annie said.
“I’m here to help. I can watch your grandmother with Lial if he’ll go,” Milo said. He touched her hand.
“I’m a blubbering mess sometimes,” Annie said. She started to scratch at her thighs.
“You’re still scratching?” Milo asked.
“When I’m tired, sad, angry, or contemplative.” She wiped the tears. “It never really goes away. Though I notice it less when I’m busy.”
There was a knock at the cubicle wall, and they all turned to see Shiff and Brite standing there. Brite held up his phone, revealing the text Cham had just sent.
“You’re quick,” Annie said as the two men walked into the cubicle.
“Yes we are. So, how can we help?” Brite asked.
“My mom. We think we know where she is,” Annie said.
“Bucky found her. That’s a positive step. Where?” Brite asked. He pulled his chair beside Annie.
“We think she’s watching Sami.” Annie told him what they had seen over the weekend. She described the woman who watched them and the house that was just purchased in the courtyard.
“You want us to follow her and watch her?” Brite asked.
“Break in and look around and verify it’s her,” Cham said.
Annie passed Brite the address. He looked at Shiff and back to Annie. “I think we can do that.”
Chapter 11
The athame sat in a leather sheath strapped to Annie’s leg and rubbed against her skin when she walked. She placed the extra potion inside her pocket and sealed it with a spell, then read the map of the market locations and sought out the portal in the Louisiana swamp.
“Um, that’s where we land?” Starla asked.
Annie shook her head. “Actually, we’ll land here and trek through the swamp.” Her finger trailed the path she and Robin had taken the week before. Annie glanced at the costume Starla chose to wear: a low-cut tank top under a leather jacket, tight jeans, and tall boots. She appeared nothing like a guard, something much in her favor.
“What’s the interest in coming tonight?” Annie asked. Starla was from the Northeast region and primarily worked vampire cases in New England.
“I’ve never worked with the main team. I thought it was time to get out and get my face shown.” She smiled widely.
“Welcome. I think Cham wants to rotate everyone throughout the five offices to get a taste of the different cases. The market problem was a great way to get everyone out,” Annie said.
“Cham seems cool. I like that he’s the new manager,” Starla said.
Annie smiled and said, “As much as I got used to Milo’s way of managing, it’s nice for something new.”
“When did you and Cham become engaged?” Starla asked, tapping her fingers against her jeans.
“About four weeks ago.” Annie checked her phone.
“You can’t work for him, can you?”
“No, I can’t. But as the old saying goes, once a wizard guard, always a wizard guard. I’ll be around,” Annie said. She had known from the beginning, when she and Cham began dating, that this would happen. It had been months since Headmaster Turtledove had asked her if she’d try her hand at teaching at Windmere School of Wizardry. She was intrigued by his new offer, a real offer, and she was curious what the reaction of the Wizard Council would be when Ryan took the plan to them. Annie sighed and glanced up as Spencer entered the conference room.
“Are we ready?” Spencer said as he glanced at Starla. She stared back at him. Neither had ever worked together and they each seemed surprised by the other’s going-to-market appearance. Spencer normally dressed in collared shirts and chinos, but tonight he wore boots, tight jeans, and a tight T-shirt showing off his muscles. Over that, he wore a black leather coat. Annie recognized it as Gibbs’s jacket. Meanwhile, Spencer couldn’t stop staring at the high heels on Starla’s boots.
Annie chuckled softly. “Starla, can you magically shrink your heels? You’re gonna have a rough time through the swamp.”
Starla glanced at her boots and back to Annie, a pink blush on her cheeks. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“No problem,” Annie said as Starla adjusted the heels.
“Ready?” Annie asked, as she led them down the back staircase, teleporting from the Wizard Hall courtyard.
*
Shiff and Brite teleported to the roof of Samantha and John’s townhouse. While they worked in the Chicago main office on several cases, they weren’t from the area and took a moment to take in the cityscape from their location on the roof.
“It’s a great view up here,” Shiff commented.
“Yeah. It is.” Brite walked to the far corner of the roof and took out his binoculars aiming them at the townhouse belonging to Emily and Levi King-Solomon; the shades were drawn and the lights were off.
“They could be asleep,” Shiff said as he looked over his partner’s shoulders.
“Most normal people would be at midnight,” Brite said curtly.
“You seem mad. Care to share?”
“Not now. I’ve only been back three weeks. I need time to decompress.” Brite moved to another location along the roof top and glanced through his binoculars, searching for any visible signs of recording equipment, magical hexes, and jinxes.
“We have to talk about what happened to you. What you saw. I’m your best friend,” Shiff said.
Brite pulled away from the binoculars and stared absently into the darkness. “Annie’s in danger and I’m really fond of her. You and I, we’re still just partners.”
Shiff cringed. “It could be so much more,” he said. “I touch your hand, you hold mine. I try for more, you push me away.”
Brite looked through the binoculars again, scanning the roof across the courtyard. “I felt it before I left. I did. I knew. I knew that you were more to me than just my partner. But I can’t do this now. I want Annie safe. I need time to process… everything.” He sighed deeply.
“I’ll wait. No more pressure. Just tell me how I can help.” Shiff raised his hand above Brite’s shoulder but removed it.
Brite glanced at him with sad eyes. As he passed him the binocular, their hands touched. Brite made no movement to stop it.
Shiff took his turn watching the rooftop. “I’m not seeing anything up there. We should be able to take them, as they’re not magical,” he said.
“The husband and kid might be,” Brite reminded him.
“Sure. It’s possible. Damn, I know we’re here to help Annie, but I’d love transfer to the main office,” Shiff said.
“A new start.” Brite nodded and smiled. “When she’s safe, we’ll talk. I’ll head to the rooftop on the right.” He teleported away.
Shiff teleported after and watched cautiously as Brite flashed a light across to the King-Solomon roof top, searching for magical hazes or nonmagical devices. “Anything?” Shiff asked.
“Nothing. Why does that make me anxious?”
“It’s like they’re baiting her to come after them,” Shiff said.
“I sense a trap. Wanna break it?” Brite smirked before he teleported to the King-Solomon rooftop.
“You’re getting bolder.” Shiff said as Brite jiggled the door handle.
“She’s a good friend. And this pisses me off.” Brite held his hand six inches from the handle and twisted his wrist until the lock popped and the door swung open. They waited for any sign of a security system. “No alarm,” Brite whispered.
Rather than using flashlights, they activated their crystals. A dim, bluish glow highlighted their path as they searched for magic and booby traps along the back hallway. It led them to the bedrooms; they stopped at the first room on the right. Shiff nodded as he positioned himself between the other room and his partner as Brite opened the door. The room was small. A young teenager lay in a twin bed along the far wall. His digital clock blinked 12:30 a.m. Above him, a large Chicago Bears mural took up the entire wall. Brite backed out of the room and closed the door.
“Shiloh King-Solomon,” Brite whispered. “We should come back when no one’s here.”
The next room was open and empty; they entered and closed the door. A decorated bed sat under the window and two pillows lay against the headboard. Family pictures hung along the far wall covering most of it. Shiff and Brite perused the photos of Shiloh from baby to teenager. Apparently, the family had traveled extensively through Europe, Israel, and Africa. Brite and Shiff took several pictures of the family with their phones.
Beside the individual pictures were two large collage frames. They studied each of them, getting a sense of Emily’s life with Shiloh and Levi. At the corner of the left collage, Shiff found a picture of Annie and Samantha with Jason. He snapped a picture. “Either a part of her never stopped loving them, or it was a reminder of what she had to do,” Shiff said.
Brite pointed to the closet and found a small filing cabinet. He touched the wall and sent a muffle spell across the room before opening the top drawer. Inside, he found a thick folder and pulled it out. The file contained several official documents—a marriage license, birth certificates, death certificates, and passports. He lay them on the desk. “They look real,” he commented, snapping pictures before moving to the next document.
Shiff skimmed bills, taking pictures and making notes on what and where the King-Solomons spent their money. “I found pay stubs from a company called Antique Symposium,” he said.
“Never heard of it. Anything for him?”
“Nothing yet.”
“Well, well,” Brite said a moment later and showed Shiff death certificates for Anne Elizabeth Pearce, Samantha Emily Pearce, and Jason Pearce. Brite took more pictures.
“You think she told her husband her first family died?” Shiff asked.
“You’d think he’d know these were fake if he’s part of the Fraternitatem,” Brite said.
“It’s a lot of work to keep up appearances. Their bills are pretty average.” Shiff returned the items to the desk and took the next drawer of the filing cabinet.
Brite finished sifting through the documents and placed them back in the drawer, continuing his perusal of the contents.
“Huh?” Shiff said as he pulled out a large bound document. “The will and testament of Gloriana Worthington.” Shiff shuffled through the document. “Annie’s grandmother’s will. In the event of Emily’s death, Annie and Samantha stand to receive quite a lot of money.” Shiff snapped pictures of several sheets of the will before texting Bucky asking him to search for a full copy of it.
“The only family Annie ever talks about is the one she created after her parents died,” Brite said.
“I can’t imagine what she’s going through right now.” Shiff finished taking pictures and put the will back in its rightful place. “I think we have enough to prove it’s her. Let’s plan on coming back when they’re not home.”
After replacing what they touched, they snuck back down the hallway and back outside, teleporting home.
*
Annie trekked through the water, her arms outstretched, searching for the unmistakable chill that always radiated off of magical portals. Behind her, Starla grumbled as her pants grew wet from the stinky swamp. Though she shortened the height of her heels, they kept sticking in the mud. Spencer held up the rear, assisting Starla in between scanning the edge of the swamp for any company.
“Here it is,” Annie said.
“Demons are getting more devious,” Spencer commented.
For this entrance, he shoved his own cursed athame into the portal, immediately opening it. A heavy, tornado-like wind whirled at them, and lightning struck the water. Starla jumped out of the way as thunder boomed. She glanced inside the portal, a look of fear on her face.
“You okay?” Annie asked. She bit her tongue to keep from laughing, though she realized her first experience in the market had been a bit daunting as well.
“Yeah. I’ve never been to the market, let alone seen a portal.”
Annie smiled and said, “See you inside.”
Spencer joined Annie in the market, leaving one foot in the swamp and the other on the silky dirt of the market. The portal swirled and hummed against his leg, pushing on him as they waited for Starla to jump through. “Now. It’s getting stronger,” Spencer shouted as the lightning lit up consecutively, sending booms reverberating across the water.
Starla had started six months before the fall of the black market and hadn’t had the opportunity to see what a large operation the market could be or the make up of the portals. She swallowed hard and stepped through; the portal closed when she was securely entered. She gla
nced behind herself when she entered and saw only the back wall of the market. She glanced across the market, her eyes widening in a mixture of anxiety, fear, and awe. While merchants and customers bought and sold items, a woman led a small dragon by a heavy, iron leash strapped around the dragon’s neck.
“I’ve never been to the market,” Starla admitted.
“The timing was bad. Sorry about that. You should have been trained in the market when you started. So look at this as your on-the-job training,” Annie said. “Just remember, if this new athame works, this will be nothing compared to the real market. Keep your eyes open and listen.” She led them across the five aisles to the last row, where Joseph’s booth was located. He smiled when he saw her.
“Annie Pearce. You’re back,” he said.
She handed him a note and headed behind the storage shed.
“There’s not much to this portal,” Starla commented.
Spencer stood guard as Annie summoned her cursed athame. “See these here?” She showed Starla the four glyphs that formed a large square.
“It’s in there? I don’t feel anything,” Starla said as she touched the wall.
“It’s somewhere here.” Annie estimated the center of that supposed square. She was about to place the tip of her knife to the center when she spied a small glyph near her proposed location and moved in for a closer look. Summoning a magnifying glass, Annie was able to ascertain she was looking at another Solomon’s knot, small and perfectly centered.
“Damn,” she said.
“Found something?” Spencer asked.
She touched the knot with the tip of her knife. As the poison touched the Solomon’s knot, energy burst forth. Annie’s arms tingled and shook, and that unmistakable portal chill radiated outwards as the portal materialized. Annie glanced inside; the market, much like the original one, stood before them.
There was no wind, no lightning, no thunder, as the portal revealed a five-foot-high entrance to the main market. Annie glanced at Spencer. “Look what we found,” she said proudly as Joseph joined them.
“Yes, you did,” he said.
Wizard Hall Chronicles Box Set Page 149