Seeing Emily like this challenged Annie’s belief that the Fraternitatem had severely brainwashed her and removed her humanity as they fashioned her into a killer. In this moment, Emily was a tender, caring, supportive mother. For the first time in twenty years, Annie missed her mom. It felt so overwhelming, she strode to the kitchen as if to join them, even if they couldn’t see her standing there.
It was the closest Annie had been to her mother in twenty years. Emily’s familiar scent was fruity and sweet; the same scent Annie wore.
She took a deep breath. As if on its own, her hand reached out and touched Emily on the shoulder. Though her mother shouldn’t have been able to feel her, Emily glanced to the side, but by then Annie was gone.
Annie groaned as she woke up. Pulled from the dream, she felt jealousy.
I don’t like that feeling.
“You okay?” Cham asked from the chair beside her bed where he had been sleeping. He stretched it to release the tension and kinks.
“Weird dream.” She yawned and stretched. “Can we see if I can get released? I feel fine.” Annie picked up her hand, shook it out, and watched the magic flow from her palm.
Cham left and quickly returned with Dr. Christine. “I hear you’re anxious to leave,” she said as she read Annie’s chart.
“Yes. I can’t do anything here.”
“The extra magic raises your blood pressure and causes the dizziness. I’m worried about you having a stroke,” Dr. Christine said. She wrapped Annie’s arm in a blood pressure cuff and began to pump.
When she read Annie’s vitals, she said, “Your blood pressure is fine today. Have we figured out how to get rid of this magic?” She looked directly at Cham.
“No,” Cham said.
“Binding it nearly killed you,” Dr. Christine warned Annie.
“I’m fine. I feel great.”
Dr. Christine made notes in Annie’s chart. “I’ll conditionally release you. But I worry about the consequences if you’re not careful.”
*
Annie curled up on her sofa with a blanket wrapped around herself. The television was on in the background, but she didn’t completely watch. She picked up her phone, glanced at it, and then tossed it beside her.
Kathy walked into the room. “You should have stayed,” she said as she sat beside Annie. “You can stroke out.”
Annie closed her eyes. “I’m fine.” She knew she wasn’t. The magic that didn’t belong to her could kill her if they didn’t find a way to remove it.
“Annie,” Kathy began.
“I astral projected last night,” Annie said.
Kathy held her breath for a moment before blowing out the stale air. “Where did you go?”
“Emily’s townhouse. I watched her and her son. I touched her and she felt it.” Annie said. She watched Kathy’s reaction.
Kathy hid behind a smile. “It’s understandable that you want to find out about her. She is your mom.”
“You were more a mom to me than she ever was.”
“Sweetie. I know you love me. Wanting to find out about her doesn’t change that,” Kathy said.
Jason entered the den, returning home from investigating several leads in South America. He glanced at Annie.
“Find anything?” Annie asked. She rolled to her side.
“How are you feeling?” He sat beside her.
“She astral projected last night,” Kathy said.
Jason looked at her with wide eyes. “Where did you go?”
“To see Mom,” Annie said and yawned.
“You can astral project and turn a ghost corporeal. It’s rare to have one of those psychic abilities; you seem to have two,” Jason said, worried. While it was widely accepted that some magical beings possessed extraordinary abilities; Annie was showing signs of two gifts.
“Did you find anything in the markets?” Annie asked, ignoring his concern.
“They were bigger than I expected, but I saw nothing in line with the portal markers you found.” Jason patted her hand. “I think we should stop worrying so much about finding the other portals and concentrate our efforts on going after the Fraternitatem.”
Annie closed her eyes again. “That sounds like a good course. Waiting for something to happen is hard.”
“Enough. Your daughter can stroke out. No more working,” Kathy said. “Shoo. Leave. Get back to Wizard Hall.”
Jason chuckled and kissed Annie’s forehead. “I’m going. I’ll talk to Cham. He’s at work?”
“Yeah. I made him go in. He’ll be back after lunch, I think. There’s so much stuff to do.”
After saying goodbye, Annie sat up and looked around, searching for her field pack.
“You’re not working now, are you?” Kathy asked.
“I have to,” Annie said as she prepared for the rest of the day.
*
Cham peered out from his hiding spot and scanned the street and nearby rooftops for possible hiding spots.
“If they’re here, there’s not much I can do about it,” he murmured and stepped onto the sidewalk. He strolled at a leisurely pace, certain he was being watched.
The last time he was here, six months ago, he had been investigating the death of Benaiah, found outside the portal to the original black market.
So much has changed since then.
Cham stopped at Arden and Ariana’s building and glanced across the street. Drapes in the upstairs window of the building fluttered. He turned back to the door and cast a spell to pop the lock and let himself inside.
His footsteps clicked against the green and white tile, and he felt the smooth coolness of the handrails as he took the stairs two at a time. At the front door of Arden Blakely’s condo, he knocked with some urgency.
Ariana opened the door, her jaw tight. “Go away!” she snapped. She began to slam the door, but Cham stuck his foot inside and pushed his way inside.
“I thought we were done with you!” she shouted and looked toward the bedroom hallway.
“The Fraternitatem is back,” Cham said. He closed the front door, locked the dead bolt, and slid the chain closed. He ran to the front window and peered through the drapes. The street was clear.
Ariana shook as she reluctantly led Cham to the front room. Six months ago, the room had been dark and cave like, filled with artifacts, maps, and books. Since then, someone had removed most of the items and organized the rest and generally opened up the apartment to space and light.
“What do they want?” Ariana sat across from him in a weathered leather chair. Her back was straigh, and she balled her hands into tight fists.
“Annie received a magical power. It’s… really, really dangerous,” Cham began.
“Can they get at the power?” Ariana asked.
Cham nodded. “After they kill her.”
Ariana squeezed her fists tighter.
“The Fraternitatem’s been watching Annie her entire life. They are surveilling anyone with direct knowledge of them. One such person was killed while in prison.”
Ariana’s hands shook. She glanced toward the hallway that led to the bedroom. They had agreed to modify Arden’s memory so she would forget about magic, the Fraternitatem, and the Wizard Guard. She was left only with the memories of her long career, all of her accomplishments, and her love for Ariana.
“They’re going to kill her,” Ariana said.
Cham nodded.
“Why are you doing this? Why can’t you just leave us alone?” Ariana cried out. “She’s doing well. She doesn’t have vague nightmares; she doesn’t need her meds anymore.” Down the hallway, Arden moved about in a second bedroom. “We turned the guest room into an office,” Ariana said. “She’s researching.”
Horns blared from the street outside. Cham glanced to the front window and ran for it, peering behind the curtains. A man dressed in jeans and a hoodie approached the building from the sidewalk, his gaze on the upper window, Cham ducked out of view.
“I’m sorry. There’s not enough
time to explain. Even if they know we performed the memory modification spell, it won’t be enough to protect her. She’s still a liability to them.” The man below stood on the sidewalk outside the building. He glanced down both sides of the street and then back up to the apartment. Cham stepped away from the window and walked to the front door.
Ariana closed her eyes. Tears streaked her cheeks. She wiped them with the back of her hand. “Do we have to do the spell? I’d rather her not remember.”
“We can discuss this when we have you safe. Tell her there’s a problem and we’re leaving. Go pack something now,” Cham said.
“What do I tell her?” Ariana asked.
“A gas leak might work. Though I’m teleporting you out of here, so she’ll figure it out soon enough,” Cham said. He watched the hallway through the peep hole.
“I guess the truth will be the best.” Ariana left to get Arden.
“Why? Where are we going? I don’t want to leave!” Arden Blakely shouted as Ariana spoke softly to her. She looked at Cham with confusion and fear. The sound of shattering glass came from below them.
“What was that?” Arden asked.
“Listen, Dr. Blakely, someone is coming here for you. You won’t remember it, but we need to go,” Cham said. “Go pack!” he shouted to Ariana, who ran to the bedrooms.
Cham reached for the archaeologist and held her wrist tightly as he placed his other hand on her forehead, an open vial inside his palm. When he finished reciting the spell, a fine mist billowed out and covered Arden’s head. She shook, and then her head titled backward and forward as the memories poured back into her brain. She screamed and slid to her knees.
“What… did you… do to me?” Arden’s skin was pale and she struggled to breathe, appearing to be holding back vomit.
“I’m sorry. But someone just broke in to kill you. We need to go, now!” Cham looked at the front door. “Is there a way out of here to the roof?”
“No.”
Cham spied the kitchen window and flicked his wrist, opening it. Ariana returned with two bags as the front door handle rattled.
“Tell me what’s going on? I demand to know!” Arden shouted.
“I will, I promise, but we need to get out of here. Now!” With that, Cham shrunk the bags, took hold of Dr. Arden and Ariana, and teleported them away.
*
Annie felt better and therefore felt trapped inside the house. She hadn’t intended on leaving but found the pull too great. From her back porch, she glanced inside the trees and teleported herself away; the last thing she thought she saw was a tree as it swayed.
She thought the neighborhood would be a foreign location until she landed behind a shed. She stepped onto the sidewalk and walked to a house that on first glance seemed more familiar than she expected.
The white stucco house gleamed in the sunlight. A large two-sided staircase wound upwards to the double front doors. She knew her grandmother lived there, and while Annie had no memory of this mansion or her grandmother, she couldn’t help but think she had been here before.
I wonder what it was like for Mom.
She spied Eddy and Isaak walking the neighborhood and strolled toward them, catching their gaze. Rather than meeting them, she stopped at a park a block away and took a seat across from an ornate water fountain. Both Eddy and Isaak walked to the park, taking a seat near her.
“We’ve walked the neighborhood and watched the house. Emily hasn’t been here,” Eddy said. He continued to watch the house and the street from his position on the bench.
“How are you feeling? I thought you were at home?” Isaak asked. He leaned against a lamp post, keeping his eye on the mansion.
“I feel fine,” Annie said. She didn’t really; the magic raced through her and she knew she’d have to expend some soon. “Anyone else live here?” she asked.
Eddy produced a folder labeled “Gloriana Worthington” and handed it to her. The first page was a picture of Gloriana. Annie recognized the face, Emily’s face, her face—clearly, she was related to the women. They should have been her support system, her family, and yet, she didn’t know them. Annie turned the page and saw a picture of three people she didn’t know. She read the descriptions: “Melissa Worthington, Brandon Worthington, Abigail Worthington.” She knew the name Brandon, Emily’s brother.
The others must be her cousins. Cousins.
“We’re guessing they were having lunch. They were here for a few hours and left,” Eddy said. He glanced back at Isaak, who was still intently observing the house.
“You see something out there?” Annie looked out into the yard but saw nothing.
“I thought I did. I’ll keep close to the mansion today and have Graham sweep the yard tonight,” Isaak said.
“Are you okay, Annie? You seem a little low, tired maybe,” Eddy said.
Annie stared at the house where her grandmother lived, where her mother had grown up. It could be hers for the taking: a family, the money, all the pieces coming together. All she had to do was ring the doorbell.
But do I want the life Emily left?
Annie knew something must have happened to make Emily leave home for an older man, one who was magical. Emily had given up everything for him and for Annie and Samantha. She had left it all. Annie sighed and handed the folder back to Eddy.
“Is there anything else we can do for you?” Eddy asked.
“No. Just keep Emily away from them. I’m not sure her return will be the best thing.” Annie tried to smile, but dizziness was slowly creeping up on her. “I’m going to go. I’m starting to feel a little weird.”
She hid herself behind a tree and watched Eddy and Isaak return to their watch on the mansion.
*
Cham felt a burning sensation in his leg as he landed in the teleportation area on the island that housed Tartarus Prison. He remembered a flash of a spell as the front door was blown open. He hobbled as he waited for Arden and Ariana to catch their breaths.
Arden stumbled to the picnic table and sat down. Her restored memories seemed to have overwhelmed her, and with that, came the knowledge of what she had lost. Between that and the teleporting, she was nauseated and confused. While Arden bent at the waist and sucked down air, Ariana shook, ran for the tall grasses, and vomited.
“I know this is a shock and confusing,” Cham said. “But we’re not there yet. We need to leave now before the Fraternitatem finds you.”
Arden looked at him. “I remember them. Why?”
“I’ll explain everything. But right now, we need to go,” Cham said.
“Where?”
“The prison is the safest. You’ll be fed and relatively comfortable. I can promise you that. And we’re hoping you can help us stop the Fraternitatem. They’re coming for Annie and they won’t stop until they have her.”
Arden shook her head.
Cham helped her up. “We’re going to the prison and then we’ll talk. Or you can go home and fend for yourself.”
Ariana and Arden reluctantly followed Cham along the path the prison. The warm sun beat down on them as their steps kicked up dust from the roadway. Above them, birds squawked loudly as they cooled off in the trees.
Arden and Ariana looked as though they had been traveling for days, lost and confused and sweaty.
When the prison loomed in front of them, Cham picked up the pace, his senses tingling. As they neared, the metal gates swung open, revealing a giant waiting for them at the entrance. Ariana stopped and gaped, but Arden seemed unaffected by the creature and continued. After they entered, the giant slammed the door shut and watched along the trail for the Fraternitatem to see if they had traced the archaeologist there.
They walked up to the security desk where the day officer, Beverly, greeted them. “Hi, Cham. Glad you got here safely. We’ve got cameras across the island and have been watching for signs of anyone. The giants will be walking the lane. So far, we’re clear,” she said.
Cham glanced at the pictures that rotated b
etween several locations. “If anything changes, let me know. I’m going to get them settled.” Beverly nodded and let Cham through. Ariana and Arden exchanged frightful glances and followed cautiously.
The room had been designed as a small studio apartment with a small kitchen, private bathroom, a Murphy bed, and a living room with a sofa, table, television, and storage armoire.
The walls were painted, the floor covered in rugs. The room had previously been used as a conference room; Cham was impressed by the Tartarus guards’ diligence in preparing a room so quickly.
“Okay. You can use the storage,” he told the two women. “We have food for you. Have a seat and get comfortable.”
He turned to the prison guard waiting at the door and ordered some food to be brought in. When he finished, he pulled a chair to the sofa.
“If I had more time, I would have fully explained what we did to you in March. I apologize for the decision we made that affected your life, but we were hoping that if we erased those memories, you could live the rest of your life in peace,” he said apologetically, fiddling with his hands.
Arden jumped up and pointed to him. “You removed my memories to suit your own needs. How dare you!” she shouted. She was feisty and aware, unlike what she had been when he first met her. Back then, the former archaeologist was anxious, scared, heavily drugged, and docile. He assumed whatever drugs she had been given had kept her compliant. This wasn’t the woman before him today.
“You’re right. We made a decision based on your knowledge of the magical world. You knew our secrets and we couldn’t afford to let them out. I think you’ll soon remember that as an assassin for the Fraternitatem, you came to my home to kill me,” Cham said.
Arden took in a breath. The memories must have been coming so quickly she didn’t have time to sort through them. She blushed at Cham’s reminder of her going to his house with a gun.
“I was doing what I was trained to do,” she murmured.
“Yeah. You were. We could have imprisoned you instead. We chose to modify your memories and let you live your life.”
Wizard Hall Chronicles Box Set Page 155