“You never know what goes on behind closed doors,” she said, thinking of Antique Symposium’s payment to Starla.
“I hope to find out what that means someday.” He smiled and summoned his folder, passing it to Annie.
She stared at the pictures he had taken in the market in Greece. “Did you get in?” she asked.
“I did. Keep reviewing,” he said.
Annie shuffled through the pictures. The glyphs were the same in the Greek market and they led to the main market. “I see you did.” She put them back in his folder and passed it back. “That’s encouraging. We have what we think is two left. We’re starting to plan to take down the Fraternitatem.”
“I’m here to help,” Fabien said.
Annie frowned. “Do you think you could bring the French Wizard Guard on board?”
Fabien looked at her tired face. “The good news is; I have something to offer them. I think they will listen,” he said.
“I’ll leave that to you. If you need our help, though, we’re here for it. I suspect we’ll need all the teams we can get,” Annie said.
“I realize I’ve made mistakes and abused my powers, but I really want to make the world a better place. That’s why I joined the Wizard Guard in the first place,” he said.
Annie glanced at him. She knew it was why he joined the Guard; most joined with hopes of changing the world. Sometimes good intentions led a person down the wrong path. She wondered if she could fully trust him. “Will you be going back to France now?” she asked.
“I’m still available to assist.”
“Well. All the work is menial at this point. I know deciphering notes on the Fraternitatem and finding the remaining portals isn’t all that exciting, but we need answers about the Cave of Ages,” Annie said.
“Can I pull up a chair and dig in?”
Annie chuckled. “Follow me.”
Fabien followed her to the conference room. He stopped at the door and held his breath. The last time he was there, the walls had been covered in crime scene photos and incriminating emails. He was being presented with charges against the French Wizard Guard and Marielle Beauchamp for attacking the Wizard Guard of the United States. He slowly let out stale air and entered the conference room. Along the far wall was a large map of the world. Red-tipped pins highlighted the location where a portal had been located. Purple pins represented the location of the portal to the main market. Annie added a purple pin to the market portal in southern France.
Fabien walked to the window and watched the traffic stop and start. “Today, I am enjoying my visit.” He sat at the window seat and watched for a moment. When he turned to Annie, she was standing at the map. “There are a lot of false markets,” Fabien said.
Annie nodded. “They went through a lot of work to hide the main market.”
“It’s not just hiding the market from you. They’re hiding from all of the merchants. I wonder how they chose the merchants to keep at the main market.”
Annie stared at the board. “The strongest, most powerful merchants with a lot of contacts, probably.”
“Those they think they can trust,” Fabien added.
“Arrowhead. The Fraternitatem doesn’t know their merchants like they think they do.”
“Do you really trust him?”
Annie grimaced. While she didn’t know Arrowhead well, Gibbs trusted him, and for that, she did. “Actually, yeah I do.” Annie sat at the table. “If you really want to help, you can come with me to see Sturtagaard. I asked him for help.”
“And he’ll give it to you?”
“He’s trying to bargain for his life,” Annie said.
*
Sturtagaard was where Annie expected him to be: the barn in the middle of a cornfield in central Illinois. Annie and Fabien teleported behind a wagon and walked to the building where a low light emanated from a single window. She pointed to the barn. “He’s lying low. Knows he’ll be staked when this is over.”
“I find it hard to believe that he’s giving up so easily,” Fabien commented.
“I expect a change of heart when the time comes. Until then, he seems resolved to his end,” Annie said.
They entered the crowded barn and scooted between the car and a wall of boxes. Sturtagaard was in the same spot Annie had left him, on a corner of his sofa, reading a book.
“Talk to your contact?” Annie asked.
He pulled a folded piece of paper from a pocket in his shirt and handed it to her without looking. She opened the paper and read it in the low, dim light. “We know about this one,” Annie said. She showed it to Fabien.
“Yeah. That’s where I found it,” Fabien said.
Sturtagaard looked at her and shrugged.
In the face of his docility, Annie refrained from yelling, screaming, or being an overall pain in the ass. Instead, she chose to sit beside him on the sofa and pull the book from his hand.
“Where are the other two?” she asked.
Sturtagaard looked upon her with disdain, as if she were bothering him. “That’s the one he gave me.” He pointed to the paper and glanced at Fabien. “No more Spencer, Cham, Gibbs?” His name made Annie squirm. “Oh, yes, Gibbs,” he said, smirking.
“You’re an ass.” Annie stood up and glanced Fabien, an apologetic expression on her face.
“The Fraternitatem is after you,” Sturtagaard said. He stood and touched Annie’s cheek. The chill emanated off of his skin. She shuddered but kept her gaze on his. Behind her, Fabien flipped his stake in his hand. Sturtagaard jumped but retained eye contact.
“I wanted to kill you, before I turned,” he said.
“What happened wasn’t my fault.”
“You are so beautiful and too smart for your own good. I could have done this for them so long ago. What’s to stop me now? You’re only one insignificant little girl.” He pulled another sheet of paper from his back pocket and handed it to Annie.
“To you, maybe. The name is Anne Elizabeth Pearce. Don’t forget it.” She took his information and left the barn with Fabien close behind.
“He doesn’t like you at all,” Fabien said.
“The feeling is mutual.” Annie glanced at the coordinates Sturtagaard gave her and placed her arms around Fabien as they teleported to the first portal in Louisiana.
*
“Are you sure that’s what it is?” Dr. Christine asked Graham Lightner. She stared at the crystal, the unknown magic waving about inside the rock.
“Yes. I took it to Perkins and to Mrs. Cuttlebrink. The Wizard Guard researcher, Emerson Donaldson, also looked into the magic. It’s all in the report,” Graham said.
Dr. Christine had collected the magic herself when she first examined the boy. No one at the time recognized what it was. Today, Graham had ascertained it was a dark evil magic inside of him.
“He’s carrying someone else’s soul?” she asked. “How did they do this and why would they do that to a thirteen-year-old boy?”
“How? We’re not sure. What we do know is, you can read someone’s magical energy. Most of us have one magical signature. This boy has a second magical signature. Annie will read the same way. We pulled the magic from the crystal, it acted…”
“It acted what?” Dr. Christine asked.
“It acted like a human. An angry, angry human.”
“That’s why you think it’s an actual soul?”
Graham nodded.
“I’ve never seen this. Ever. And my specialty is magical dark arts medicine,” she admitted.
“I’ve never seen it either. But then again, I didn’t know anyone could receive additional magic, not their own, until it happened to Annie. I shouldn’t be surprised to see this now.”
“The magic is evil. That much we know. Since we’re assuming we can’t remove Annie’s magic without killing her, should we assume the same with this magic?” Dr. Christine stared inside the crystal and frowned.
“Where’s Annie’s magic? Do you still have her crystal?”
&nb
sp; Dr. Christine summoned the crystal she used on Annie when she returned from the past and handed it to Graham. He stared inside.
“It billows and flows like you’d expect magic to,” he said. “Not like that angry, vibrating, human-like magic in his.”
Christine stared inside the crystal again and compared the two foreign magics, her frown lines deepening as she thought about their immediate problem: how to remove the magic from Shiloh. “Why do you suppose they did it?”
“It’s a lot easier to trust a boy who looks like that than any adult. Make him evil, and he can either kill or get her to leave with him,” Graham said.
“That poor kid. What a life.”
“Do you think we can exorcise it from him?”
“If we presume it’s an unwanted soul and not magic, then yes, I can exorcise the presence,” Dr. Christine said.
They glanced at each other with trepidation before entering Tartarus Prison. After casting spells inside the lock, they were taken to the prison hospital wing where Emily King-Solomon sat with her son.
“Hi, Emily. I hear he’s suffering from a high fever,” Dr. Christine said.
Shiloh was covered with ice packs; his skin was red and clammy. He slept fitfully. Dr. Christine checked his vitals and reviewed his chart.
“What is it? They said you know,” Emily said.
“The Fraternitatem used your boy. They added magic to him. He’s possessed with an evil soul. Did you let them do this?” Dr. Christine asked, her tone harsh.
Emily looked on in horror and shook her head. “I—I didn’t know. I didn’t protect him.” She shuddered as tears burned her eyes.
“We’ll take care of it.” Dr. Christine summoned a brand-new crystal and held it to Shiloh’s mouth. “Graham, hold his shoulders down.”
When they thought he was secure enough, Dr. Christine chanted the exorcising spell. As the evil magic was being summoned to the crystal, Shiloh began to shake and quiver. His young body bounced on the bed as the black magical energy was syphoned from him. He groaned and fought against Graham’s tight grip.
“Stop! Stop it! You’re hurting him!” Emily screamed as she reached for the crystal. Graham reached for Emily’s hands; she easily yielded as he pulled her from Shiloh. “She’s hurting him,” Emily murmured.
“No, Emily. She’s removing the evil magic. She’s saving him,” Graham said.
When Dr. Christine finished the spell and the magic was removed from the boy, a thick, gray light glowed from the crystal.
Shiloh stopped shaking and bouncing against the bed. His muscles slumped against the sheets and he began to shake from cold.
Emily pushed Graham from her and grabbed Shiloh’s hand. “It’s okay, baby. Mommy’s here.”
Dr. Christine and Graham looked inside the crystal. The magic took on a form of a face with a nose and a mouth that seemed to be shouting at them.
“Do you think that’s the man whose soul was taken?” Dr. Christine asked.
“It could be. I think maybe we should compare it to the magical signatures in the database. It might be useful.”
“It just might.”
Chapter 24
Fabien followed Annie across the path and stopped behind her as they came to the water’s edge.
“Okay. Why are we here?” Fabien asked.
“Well. The next portal location appears to be South Africa, and I have a contact here who probably wants to go there.” She took a step inside the water; Fabien followed reluctantly into the swamp.
Annie held her hand out until she felt that unmistakable chill. She glanced around the swamp and jammed her cursed athame inside. They ducked inside the whirlpool of air, their pants heavy with swamp water.
“Well, that was fun.”
“My contact is this way,” Annie said as she followed the narrow path to the left where she found Joseph working with a client. She pointed toward the portal and headed there.
When Fabien stepped behind the storage building, his eyes widened. “Yes. This is what I found in Greece.” He reached out and touched the cool metal of the perimeter fence, his fingers grazing the painted glyphs.
Minutes later, Joseph joined them behind the building. “Annie Pearce, how are you?” he greeted her.
Annie introduced Joseph and Fabien. They shook hands.
“Now Annie, how can I help you?” Joseph asked.
Annie handed him the sheet of paper. “Fabien found a portal to the black market in Greece. That leaves two more, including this one.” She held up the paper from Sturtagaard. Joseph glanced at the location.
“Where did that come from?”
Annie explained Sturtagaard’s contact. “That said, I haven’t established who his contact is. Anyway, I thought you might want to come,” she finished.
“Of course. This is close to the South African Wizard Hall,” he said.
They slunk out from their hiding spot and left the market separately; Annie and Fabien waited for Joseph at the edge of the swamp. “You sure nobody will suspect you?” Annie asked as they walked along the trail.
“Everyone is in and out. And if this helps get me away from the market, then it’s worth the trip,” Joseph said.
From a relatively isolated patch near the portal, they teleported to an empty acreage in South Africa. Being in a foreign territory, Annie had no jurisdiction and handed Joseph the paper from Sturtagaard. He studied the coordinates and their current location.
“We need to head west.” He pointed and motioned for them to follow him through the thick trees, miles outside of Cape Town on a little-traveled plot of land. Annie held her hands out, feeling for a change in the air. “The Fraternitatem has left the smaller markets,” Joseph said.
“It appears that the Fraternitatem might be making a move?” Annie asked.
“Yes. I was going to contact you in the morning and then there you were with this news,” he said. The air began to change, grew chillier, hummed violently. Joseph stopped. “Here,” he said.
Annie stared at the hazy anomaly. She felt the chill against her skin; goosebumps and itching coursed through her. She summoned her cursed athame and plunged it into the portal, which released a violent wind, reminiscent of the storm that erupted from the portal out of England— the one that could have collapsed with her inside. She stepped aside and watched the air whirl. It gained speed and lightning struck out at them.
Annie shook at the memories of the portal she had used to come home. She tensed her muscles and glanced inside.
“It’s violent,” Fabien said.
“It is.” Annie held her breath as she stepped through, leaving one foot in South Africa, waiting for Fabien to step through. When he did, she entered the market and waited for the men to join her.
“That was something.” Fabien joined Annie as they surveyed the market. It was smaller than the main market but larger than any other she had investigated. The air was humid, thick with stench of dung and smoke; a heavy layer hung over the market in a thick cloud. It was a comforting familiarity regardless of the evil that occurred there.
Annie turned and saw two small dragons hop across the silky dirt. When one coughed, a small puff of smoke flew from its mouth. To her left, a booth had several baskets on the table, each filled with dragon eggs.
“What really is the purpose of finding all of the portals?” Joseph asked. They walked along a wooden fence that spanned the perimeter of the market. As with the other markets, the wall was covered in seemingly haphazardly placed glyphs.
“To monitor traffic. Possibly to allow us to close the market portals, should we need to. I think once this is done, all Wizard Guards will need to monitor the black market situation more closely.” Fabien said. They had made a complete turn of the market.
“Where do we think the portal’s hidden?” Annie asked.
“There was a little corner, back that way. It might be a closet,” Joseph suggested. They turned and followed the wall again until they discovered what looked to be a closet in
the corner of the market. Though it appeared to be a door, there was no handle.
“Look for any hook or handle,” Annie said. Fabien, who was six feet tall, felt along the top of the fence, while Annie sat in the dirt and checked the bottom and Joseph searched the sides.
“Got it.” Joseph pulled the small latch out and yanked open the wooden door.
Behind the door was a brick wall with four distinctive glyphs that formed a large square. Annie recognized the portal and glanced across the market. Merchants took little note of them as Annie took out her athame and jammed it inside.
This portal was quiet. A light breeze blew outward from what looked like a transparent door exposing the main market. Annie glanced at Fabien and shrugged as she entered. The two men each followed.
“The market,” Fabien said as he looked around. “It almost looks like the original.”
“I need to make a quick stop,” Annie said. Getting her bearings, she found the path to the right and took the passage to the end.
Arrowhead glanced up when she arrived and caught her eye before returning to his customer and the impending sale. Annie perused the items on his table, even after he finished with his customer.
Arrowhead bent down, picked up a box, and shoved it into a bag. “Here’s your order as you requested.”
Annie pulled out a pile of avrum gold and handed it to him. He didn’t look at the pile, didn’t count how much she gave him, simply pocketed the coins and returned to another customer at his booth.
Annie walked to the portal, shrunk her wares, and pocketed them.
“What was—” Joseph began.
Annie held her fingers to her lips to quiet him as they stepped through the portal. The smaller market had grown crowded, and though they tried to blend into the crowd as it moved in the same direction, several merchants caught sight of them as they re-entered.
“We’ve been discovered,” Annie said. She grew uncomfortable as they followed the wall to the portal. They were being followed.
“Run!” Fabien shouted.
He grabbed Annie’s arm and pulled her; she shot successive spells in front of them as Joseph cast spells behind them, knocking one of their pursuers to the ground. Two more men grew closer to them. Annie ducked as a fireball missed them, hitting the wooden fence. Fire quickly caught hold and began consuming the fence. Fabien pulled Annie out of the way as a purple hex was thrown at them. As they ran up to the exit, Annie cast a spell opening the portal; Fabien pulled her through.
Wizard Hall Chronicles Box Set Page 162