Praelia Nox

by T J Kelly

  "That's so cool," he laughed. "Man, I never had these things happen when I was an apprentice." He voice was laced with humor and lighthearted envy. I guess my experiences were kind of neat, if I ignored the mortal peril that came with them. "Where is the crystal supposed to be?"

  "In an heirloom." I repeated the information we had learned.

  "I know exactly where it is," he said, then hurried over to an old wardrobe that held tons of cool knickknacks and wooden boxes and carved candlesticks. He returned with a golden stag, proud and standing as if mounted on top of the world. Embedded in his chest was a small Rector memory crystal.

  "Um. That's so..." my voice faltered.

  "Ugly? Yeah, totally. That's why I stored it in a box for all these years despite being a legacy."

  "Clever," I murmured as he pried out the crystal and handed it to me. "Sentimental enough to keep, revolting enough to store out of sight until the right time." Ashe had thought of everything. The crystal was small - anything inside would be fairly short. In fact, the last memory we viewed wasn't all that long, either.

  "Go ahead and see what's in there. I'm dying to know. You guys will have to include me on this treasure hunt now that I know about it."

  "All right. Sit back. I'll extend the spell field to project it in front of you."

  "I didn't know there was a spell for that," James said. He set down his plate and root beer.

  "There isn't. At least, not one anyone else knows." Even though there wasn't an audience to impress, I tossed the crystal in the air, levitating it between us. It would make it easier to include him in the memory. I had done the same for my aunt and uncle, and they had never openly asked me about it. I realized they probably chalked it up to more Rector confidential business. But James and I were getting to know each other better, and that usually led to more pointed questions.

  A burst of light and then we were both viewing the world through the eyes of Ashe. I kept control of the memory so we were observers. It helped us remain conscious of our surroundings and less immersed in the emotions and thoughts of the person who left the crystal behind.

  Ashe was finishing a letter. "I can't tell you how happy I am to hear your news. Please come to me and finally be free. There is a place for you here."

  He signed it "with much love" and then sent it away to the recipient. Then he walked to the mirror and gazed at himself for a moment, fiddling with the memory crystal. He gave his reflection a look, serious and intent, then his whole being glazed over. He was having a vision without an audience. As far as we knew, that never happened.

  Unless the audience was meant to be me and James.

  "Embrace your heritage," he said. Chills ran down my spine. It was so weird hearing that again. "Find what is lost. The key is with the treasure."

  Then the sound of a knock on his workshop door. "My lord?" came a call. It snapped Ashe out of his trance. His mind placed the voice as belonging to one of the servants. "You have a guest. An old friend from college. Vir Fortis."

  "Friend? Not after what he'll do to my sister's family." With a growl, he turned away from the mirror, the memory ending.

  "Did he just say the mayor's name?" James asked. He knew about our investigations into Vir Fortis.

  "Yeah, he did. Man, I hate that guy." I used to look at the mayor in such a different way. I had been so naive and trusting to think he was merely comical and that annoyed me.

  "Dad told me this morning they are going to make a move on him."

  "Wait, what? When?"

  "I'm not sure. They're planning it now."

  "Not without me," I declared. They weren't going to leave me out. Not when it involved that man. "Sorry, I've got to go."

  ◆◆◆

  I practically flew down the stairs, using Air and Earth to keep me from falling as I skipped two and even three steps at a time. My uncle's office door was closed but I burst in anyway. It was rude, but I was too caught up in the moment to stand outside in the hall and knock.

  "What's going on with the mayor?" I demanded.

  My uncle and Mort glanced at each other. Armageddon looked tired, as always, but also shot me a look laced with humor. "Come in, dear. What perfect timing."

  "It's always about the timing," Mort quipped.

  I sucked in a deep breath. Blew it out. Did it again four more times. My wild mood settled. "Hi. Sorry for barging in. I can come back later."

  "No, we were about to send for you anyway," my uncle said. Good thing he didn't take me up on my offer because I might have died if I had to wait. He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, and I sat. "We're about to go into the next phase of our plan, but I didn't want to take you off guard. The attacks from the edges are happening with greater frequency and the distractions continue to mount. The light half of the year is coming closer to its end and we don't want to confront our enemies at their preferred time."

  As with all of magic, there was a balance. Half the year was light, the other dark. Most magicians did the important things like ceremonies or marriage or huge deals in the part of the year that was more likely to help them. It made sense dark magicians would wait until after the autumn equinox in September to do their worst. And that was only another month away.

  "So what's up?" I was trying to act like everything was normal, but it was hard with my anger and resentment towards the mayor still close to the surface.

  "We'll get into more detail during the briefing, but the gist of it is we'll force them to act early. It gives us the advantage to cut their plans short and we can fight them in our half of the year." Armageddon paused, studying my face.

  "Why would that catch me off guard?" I asked.

  "We're going to trigger it by exposing the mayor."

  "Are you serious?" The thought of taking somebody as prominent as Vir Fortis, who was supposedly on the side of light, and airing his dirty deeds thrilled me. I wanted in on that action. "When do we start?"

  "Your uncle and I are going to do it tonight," Mort said. "We have a solid standing in the business community and enough clout to out a man in his position."

  "No way. You aren't going to leave me out of this one."

  "You're still the newest, and youngest, CEO. You can't afford any blow back."

  "I don't care. You can't keep me away from this one, Uncle Ged. You can't. He's responsible for what happened to my parents, too. I have enough political capital to burn. Outing that man will give me credibility when things settle down. All my employees and business partners and vendors will believe in me and my abilities once this plays out. I'll be better off in the long run."

  "She's got you there, Ged," Mort said. Bless the man for backing me.

  Armageddon sighed, running his hand over his face. "Fine. You're right. Of anyone, you deserve to be there when it goes down. And you may as well bring Peter. He's your partner now."

  "And one more person to keep me safe no matter what?" I asked.

  "I'm still your guardian, even if your need of me lessens every day. You can't blame me for wanting to protect you."

  "As long as I'm not left behind, that's fine by me. Thanks."

  "Be ready at nine. Wear your uniform. This will be official Irregular business."

  "Got it." Then I hesitated. I couldn't leave it like that. "Uncle Ged?"

  "Yes, my dear?"

  "I'll always need you."

  ◆◆◆

  The mayor was in attendance at a formal dinner held by the Council. The four of us gained entry using the invitation my uncle had received as the head of the Irregulars. We wore our formal uniforms, which meant they included old-fashioned cloaks. I had finished making one for all of the senior agents, roping my aunt into helping me since she was an excellent seamstress. We wove in magic so if we flipped them around, nobody would notice we were there.

  The one I made for my uncle was black with a Celtic design embroidered along the edges in a dark blue to match our uniform colors, muted enough to be classy but enough sparkle to be fashionable.
I used metallic black for Mort's design. It didn't seem right to use anything but black on black for a man named Wicked Death. Peter's and mine both had silver and blue threads along the edges, no actual design. I made it that way so I could alter the indirect magic when needed. And Peter could move the threads around if he wanted to perform magic with his art.

  We paused at the top of the steps, showing the crowd milling around below who we were, allowing the paparazzi to take pictures and identify us. We usually operated in the background, but tonight was different. Tonight we wanted to be recognized.

  The press drew closer, pushing Peter aside to get a better shot of me. Even though I was focused on my mission, I still wondered how that made him feel. Did he resent me getting all the attention? Now that I finally figured out who I was meant to be with, would I lose him because nobody else noticed how amazing he was?

  "Armageddon," the mayor boomed from the crowd, moving closer. Well, wasn't that convenient? We could get started right away and not have to sit through a formal meal first. "Good to see you. And Lia, how lovely my dear." I hated how overly familiar he was. Showing off his connections.

  So he knew us. Whoop dee do.

  "Mayor," my uncle responded curtly. He didn't raise his voice, but it still carried. "We have important matters to discuss."

  That took Vir Fortis off guard. Official business was conducted in office buildings, not at formal parties. Before he could respond, we made our way down the stairs and walked off to the side of the room away from most of the guests but still visible. We wanted an audience. The best way for them to overhear was to act like we didn't want them to.

  "I'm happy to be of service," Vir Fortis responded. He looked nervous. My uncle was intimidating on his own. But standing beside Mort? Nobody on earth wanted to face their united anger.

  "I'm afraid you won't be happy long. It has come to our attention you've had dealings with unsavory elements. Come with us, we need to question you."

  The mayor didn't fight it, but anyone could see he was reluctant to comply. They could also see our actions and hear our conversation as we exited the building.

  "What's this about?" Vir asked as he shuffled along.

  "We have evidence linking you to dark magic," my uncle responded. The people behind us weren't loud, but the hush that fell over them in response to those words was almost palpable. "You may wish to remain silent until we reach headquarters."

  But he didn't. His ego wouldn't let him. "Release me," he demanded. Not that we had restrained him. "I'm the mayor and deserve your respect. I'm above reproach."

  "Are you, though?" Peter snorted and the mayor's head whipped around to glare at my boyfriend. "I mean, even an apprentice like me can see the taint of darkness on your hands."

  Oh, wow. That was direct. We still had an audience, countless people finding a way to be in our vicinity even as we walked the back halls. They heard that, too.

  "I won't go with you," Vir Fortis said. He stopped walking and glared up at my uncle. "I know my rights. You can't do this. I'm important, not some classless alchemist scum. I've done nothing wrong."

  "Oh, you shouldn't have said that," I taunted. "Even I can tell you're lying. Just wait until the seers get a hold of you."

  That set him off. He was definitely a man with something to hide. He stepped aside and tried to stalk back to the party.

  Mort had been keeping an eye out for danger, so we already knew there were four enemy magicians behind us based on his signals. When we turned to stop the mayor, Oberon and his brothers were standing there. I hadn't seen George, Alastair, or Harold in a long time. They all looked so much alike. A pack of light-blond, icy blue-eyed devils.

  "What seems to be amiss?" Oberon asked, smooth as silk. "I have business with the mayor."

  "I bet you do," I said. "That's why we want to talk to him."

  And there it was. I had just openly tied the two of them together. It felt good to shine a light on their dark connections.

  "This is outrageous!" the mayor bellowed. "I work with all important businessmen in good standing with the Council."

  It didn't work. The people around us knew the Taines were only in good standing because of the nasty favors they did for the Council. The mayor had just tied himself closer to their deeds.

  We were still on the move, using the elements to shuffle the mayor along, right out the door. The Taines followed us along with a couple of the guests. That part surprised me. We were prepared for the mayor's allies to follow us, but not random magicians. The color of their ties and pocket squares indicated they were from the Viclean clan. We had warned them about being followed by our enemies. - maybe they wanted to help. Return the favor.

  "We're onto you, Vir Fortis," Armageddon said. There was no need for pretending anymore. We wanted them to know. I set off a null spell to keep them from transporting, preparing for an attack. "Your dealings with the Taines, the dark magic curses in your office, the locked drawers hiding your ties to the Rector car wreck."

  Oberon didn't hesitate. He threw out a Flash-bang, trying to blind us. His brother George grabbed the mayor's arm as if to haul him away, but Mort knocked him down.

  That was when all hell broke loose. The Taines had no problem with combat, even in the streets of our capitol. Flashes of light burst in the air as I dove to the side, Peter right behind me, avoiding the concussive effects of a Smash-force. I strengthened my shield and turned back, shocked to see the Viclean men join the fight on the side of the Taines and the mayor.

  Confusion. Betrayal. So many thoughts tumbled in my mind, but I pushed them all away, focusing on the mission. We needed to bring in the mayor. We had questions for him, but his incarceration would put our enemies on notice. They needed to fear that at any moment, Vir Fortis would rat them out to save his own skin.

  Mort engaged Alastair and Harold, a brutal exchange of punches and kicks. Peter launched himself at Vir Fortis, who was trying to slither away. No way that man would escape. He had too much to answer for.

  Armageddon landed a solid blow, knocking Oberon's head back. It was a beautiful sight, the worst man I had ever known getting smashed in the face. I skirted around them to join Peter.

  "This is unacceptable," Vir Fortis ground out as he struggled against the Air restraints around his wrists. "Release me at once, young lady. Counteract the binding made by your little friend. Fortunately for you, I've known you since you were born. Do as I say now and I can protect you from the repercussions."

  He had known my parents. He knew my aunt and her brother, too. A light magician in the lives of my family for decades, still able to betray them.

  Able to kill them.

  "How dare you?" I spit out. It wasn't very original, or clever, but my voice conveyed my fury. Vir Fortis blanched. "I've seen the evidence. You took them away from me!"

  "I had nothing to do with it. Miranda and Donovan were in an accident. I have the proof back at my office. Let me go and I'll show it to you."

  "Don't you say their names," I shouted. Magic rose inside me, clawing to get out and decimate the man who had destroyed my family. Their faces floated before my eyes, obscuring the mayor. The grief that had never fully gone away bubbled up, bringing another surge of power with it.

  I could kill him.

  But no. We needed him. I wasn't so far gone that I didn't remember that. My emotions didn't control me. Ideas flew through my mind. I grasped onto one of them. I could vanquish him. He would never be able to perform another spell but he would still have value as a witness.

  Peter called to me before I could launch myself at Vir Fortis. Grunts from the fighting reminded me that we had a job to do, that there wouldn't be time to hold the man down and rip out his magic. The mayor opened his mouth again, but I didn't want to hear it. Clenching my hand, I swung my fist right into his jaw, my skin-tight shield protecting the skin on my knuckles as I knocked him out.

  "Nice shot," my boyfriend praised as he kept the mayor from hitting the ground. Peter was
nicer than I was. I would have let Vir Fortis fall. Maybe kick him once or twice to make my point.

  Our enemies saw the battle had turned against them. It was only a matter of time before we subdued the rest of them. But instead of running like usual, Oberon dragged his brothers off the ground and as a group, they went for the mayor.

  My uncle wasn't having any of it. With a burst of power coming right through his bloodline magic, the Taines and Vicleans were thrown to the ground, thunder booming directly overhead, deafening us. Before they could recover, I removed the null spell and Armageddon grabbed Vir Fortis, transporting away. The fight was over.

  That was our cue. Peter and I skip traced out of there, Mort disappearing as we did. I wanted to fight them so much, finish what we started, but now was not the time. There were more important things to do.

  Like start the war.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Memories

  I entwined my fingers with Peter's as we made our way into the forest area outside Castle Laurus.

  "I thought you would kill him for a moment there," Peter said. He squeezed my hand. My lips rose into a smile in response to the Light that flowed through our connection. He had added a little flair of comfort and admiration with it.

  A small pebble skittered across the path as I booted the smaller objects out of my way. "I couldn't. We need him. But I wanted to. I wanted him dead. It would have been for the wrong reasons and that's not a line I want to cross."

  "I'd have understood," he assured me. "Anyone would have."

  "Not anymore. If only I realized all the things I could have gotten away with before I found a way to control myself," I joked.

  Peter laughed. "Right?"

  "I hope he talks soon. Mort said the mayor has been shockingly stalwart and hasn't broken yet." Not that we were torturing him or anything.

  "I'm sure he will, given enough time. Vir Fortis is not exactly the strong man his name professes him to be." He dropped my hand for a second to leap onto a small rise, then reached down and tugged me up to join him. "Not that it really matters. As long as we restrict access, nobody can confirm what he has or hasn't said. That'll work, too."