by Jeff Hale
“Um, I thought this was… business?” I asked hesitantly, almost afraid of the answer now.
“It is. But I figured I owed you an explanation. I wanted you to know that the Council was correct about me. I have an… attraction for you. It could be unhealthy if I was to remain your supervisor. The water Councilor was able to sense that within me. The Council wasn’t happy about it. I’ve had previous… relationships with my agents before, and it’s compromised my work in the past. I was given several admonitions. Guess they finally got tired of warning me.”
“But, we haven’t even done anything,” I pointed out. And despite how attracted I found myself to her, it would stay that way.
“No, but my feelings are there. They decided to nip it in the bud and deal with me before it happened. It probably would have, too. It’s in my nature, and ironically, in our element.” Bianca looked forlorn and a little out of sorts.
“Look, we can work this out, we can’t let Dan win. I can’t stand that snake. I don’t trust him. I trust you.”
“I agree, which is why I stepped down as the Councilor of Fire and didn’t fight the Council’s decree. I could have, and maybe managed to hold on to my position just barely, but we need someone else to take the position. Someone who has fought in the trenches, so to speak. Dan Ritter is a dangerous man, Aerick, you are right to not trust him. But he has a lot of pull with the Council, and with the government. Luckily, Chris owes nothing to Dan, which means he will do what is needed for the good of the agency.”
“Still can’t believe Chris took a non-field position.” That had been almost as much of a shock as Bianca being fired.
“He did, and… there’s more. The Council is severely worried about something. Dan is the Lord Councilor at the moment and is trying to push it off as a non-issue.”
I frowned and waved a hand. “Wait. I’ve been confused by this Lord Councilor bullshit. What is a Lord Councilor? I thought the Council was just that; a council of peers.” I had a vague memory of the mention of the title in one of their classes, but nothing else.
“It is, to an extent, but we need someone who can take charge in case we can’t agree on a policy or direction. The Vegas Branch hasn’t had a Lord Councilor in decades, but there are things happening right now, things we don’t know how to deal with and… let’s just say we felt it was necessary. But now he has abused the position.” She made a little face of distaste.
“Anyway. You said that the Council was worried about something and Dan was scoffing at it. What is it?” I asked.
Her icy blue eyes became suddenly serious. “Our researchers have found some very disturbing evidence that leads them to believe that the Barrier is failing.”
“Whoa! Wait! Say that again?” I scooted away and stared at her in incredulity. Sure, I’d had some worries, but I’d kind of brushed them off as unfounded.
“The Barrier. It’s failing. On a massive scale.” Bianca laid her hands flat on the table top, her fingers pressing into the dark wood. “We’ve had failures in isolated locations before. Some in my tenure as Councilor even. The Heartland Hotel. The Bermuda Triangle. An Irish castle once. But this time it’s failing in multiple locations all at once. We have reports flooding in of ‘miracles’ all over the place. Statues of the Virgin Mary crying blood, stigmata, and sightings of angels have all been reported. We even had one report of some old pagan god coming to life inside a volcano in Hawaii and demanding sacrifices.” She lifted one hand in a dismissive motion. “That’s probably just a renegade causing havoc with everything else going on though.
“Also have reports coming in of multiple hauntings, people developing psychic powers, and urban legends like Bigfoot being sighted more frequently. All of these are signs of the Barrier failing. This is unlike anything we’ve seen in the history of the agency,” she said, becoming more and more focused as she continued her report of the situation.
“And Dan is just ignoring this? Sweeping it under the rest of the paperwork as though it’s not happening?” I asked, disbelieving.
“Yeah, says it’s not our concern, that the other agencies will deal with it.” Her own look was one of frustrated resignation.
“Other agencies?”
“Yeah, you know the Catholic Church, the Interpol MAGE branch and such.”
“What the fuck?! We need to help! This affects us all! What about the other MAGE branches?” How could Dan be so stupid? If the Barrier was failing then it had to be fixed. The world couldn’t survive if it wasn’t.
“He won’t speak with them, or if he is, he’s not letting the rest of us know about it. The Council knows about the Barrier, but Dan has complete control of this office now and he’s forbidden anyone to contact the other branches. You know what would happen if the Aether is released upon our world?”
“It would overwhelm everything, destroying whole cities and driving those who survived insane. The resultant chaos would drive us back to the Dark Ages,” I said, the words almost verbatim from one of my classes.
Bianca nodded grimly at me. “You need to go now. Be careful with Dan, there are disturbing rumors going around that he may not be himself, that he may be something… else.”
“Something else?” I asked, concerned.
“Don’t know. It’s just a rumor. Go. Weaver’s expecting you. Oh, and here is Raven’s new, un-enchanted, contract.” She handed me a folder, the look on her face letting me know the conversation was over.
I slid out of the booth, pulled the curtains aside and stepped out. I didn’t say anything else, just turned towards the door, and started walking with deadly purpose. I hoped Weaver would be up to doing what was necessary if it came down to it. I knew I would kill Dan Ritter if he couldn’t be persuaded to deal with the situation, or I would die in the attempt.
Raven took up a step behind me and followed me. I handed her the folder, noticing Lucien watching from one of the bars, along with a cute little blonde girl who smiled and waved at me. I waved back despite myself. As I pushed the foyer doors open I glanced back over my shoulder at him. He merely nodded at me.
“Don’t worry, chief. I’m with you on this one. Speaking of missions and purposes, when do we start our search for Serena’s killer?” Talon asked as he materialized beside me.
“As soon as I can convince Dan to put his full attention towards the Barrier problem. I can’t do much to help contain this, but I can make sure that something gets done about it,” I said mentally, striding through the outside doors.
“Where to?” Raven asked as we got to her car.
“MAGE HQ. And then to Weaver’s office. After that I’ll be heading to Dan Ritter’s office, with, or without help. I don’t care either way,” I said, yanking the car door open. Once Raven slid behind the wheel I looked at her and said, “Drive, and I couldn’t give a fuck less about road laws at the moment.”
With that she peeled out of her parking spot and pulled into traffic without so much as signaling. It’s actually a short trip between the Treasure Island and the MGM Grand, but with the traffic, the trip could take upwards of an hour if conditions were really bad. It took us about five minutes. Raven wove through traffic with the perfection of an expert. Amazingly, we never once got flashed by the cops. Once we pulled into the parking garage of the MGM Grand, Raven looked at me and smiled.
“Cops can’t pull over what they can’t see. I camouflaged us so we wouldn’t be bothered with them.”
I might have shown more awe if I hadn’t been focused on Ritter. “Very cool. Let’s go.” I got out of the car and headed for the area that served as the entrance to MAGE HQ.
“Wait! What do you expect to do in there? Even if you get to Dan’s office, isn’t he just going to call a security detail if things go against him in your attack?” Raven asked as she grabbed my arm. I tried to pull out of her grip, but couldn’t. I would have better luck trying to physically pick up the parking garage and move it.
“That’s where you come in. You’ll make sure no one knows wha
t’s going on. That’s in your power. Isn’t it?” I said, jerking my arm again. No luck.
“Yes. It is. Stop. Now.” She moved to stand in front of me, hands on my shoulders, and looked me dead in the eye. I was drawn into her violet ones, and I felt my breath quicken for a second. “I just don’t want you going in there with the intention of murdering a MAGE Council member.”
“Why is that?” Besides, I wasn’t going to murder him. It would be self-defense once I provoked him.
“Because, Aerick. You aren’t a murderer.”
“You don’t know me very well do you? I’ve killed…”
“In cold blood? Name one time you’ve killed someone that’s been in anything but the heat of the moment. Go ahead. I know your entire history, you’ve never done it. You have never killed in cold blood. Even Val’s father you killed in a rage. It was an impassioned killing that was done in the defense of another.”
“How do you know about…?” I was beginning to think that nothing was secret from Raven.
“Because I told her. Sorry, but I figured if she was going to be working with us, she needed to be in on everything about you. Don’t worry, I got her full story too, and no I’m not going to tell you what it is. Just trust me when I say we can trust her,” Talon assured me coolly.
“Okay, Talon. But only because I trust you. Okay, so I’ve never killed in cold blood, but give me the right reason… say the fate of the world, and I sure as hell could!”
“Okay, granted. But think on this, if you go through with this, you will be no better than a renegade.” She tilted her head and stared at me.
“Maybe. Look I’m going to try and convince him to deal with the situation first. It’s not like murder is going to be my first answer. And it’s not going to be so much of a murder as an assassination.”
“In most books there is no difference between the two. Keep that in mind.”
“I will, but we have precious little time as it is. Can we go now?” For all I knew, Dan had been forewarned and was making himself scarce.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Raven let go of me and we walked towards the entrance together. As I entered the initial hallway, two security agents approached me. Great.
“Mr. Kerensky, if you would stop for second…” the one on the left said. His partial robes were red, along with black leather armor padding. Fire sorcerer. He was in his early twenties, his blonde hair in a flattop haircut. By the way, who does those anymore? He stood a little shorter than me and had an average build and blue eyes.
The other was dressed the same as the previous, only in the green robes of an earth sorcerer. He was of African descent, about an inch or so taller than me, bulky with muscle. He had a shaved head and grey eyes.
Taking all this in, I just blew right past them. I knew the fire sorcerer. His name was Jason? Or was it Jacob? Oh well, not like it mattered at the moment. As I breezed past them, the earth sorcerer made a grab for me. I swiftly moved aside and turned to face him.
“You try and touch me again, rookie, and I’ll shove your bald head up his ass. Speaking of which, is it a uniform requirement for earth sorcerers to be bald now?” I said, pointing at his partner.
“Look, we’re just trying to do our jobs, sir. We were asked to escort you to Mr. Weaver’s office. He would like to speak with you,” the fire sorcerer said, tone respectful.
I glared at him for a second before sighing. “Fine. Lead the way, rookie,” I said, falling in behind him, Raven at my right shoulder, her hand in my back pocket. Usually I would be pissed about that, but I knew why she was doing it. She was ready to do whatever was necessary to watch my back. If I moved in any way that suggested I was going to fight, she would know immediately.
The two security guys took me up to where Weaver’s new office was, in the exact location as Bianca’s old office. The fire sorcerer opened the door and motioned for us to enter. As I walked into the office, I noticed that all of Bianca’s belongings were gone, and the finality of what had happened settled in. I sighed and looked around. The office still had warmth about it, but instead of the welcoming warmth of a campfire, it now held the refreshing heat of a spring sunray.
There was an old oak desk pressed up against the back wall, with a high-backed leather office chair pushed into it. A high-end laptop sat on the desk, closed at the moment. An array of flash drives hung from a rack above the desk. A plasma television hung in the back right hand corner of the room, and an over-cushioned couch sat facing the television. In the center of the room were several chairs sitting around a low circular table.
Chris Weaver sat opposite the door, the table sitting between him and us. He was dressed in all black, from his faded AC/DC t-shirt to his ripped denim jeans and spiked leather bracers. His hair was styled up into a slightly off kilter Mohawk. I’d seen him during Dan’s announcement but his appearance still took me by surprise. He looked to be a front runner for a punk band rather than a newly appointed Council member. Not that there was anything wrong with the way he looked, I had just come to think of the Council members, and anyone who would take the position, as suits. His deep brown eyes seemed to be appraising me in return.
“The infamous Aerick Kerensky. Glad to finally meet you. Please. Sit. We have a lot to discuss.” He spoke with a refined English accent as he motioned to the chairs around the table.
“I’d rather stand,” I said, crossing my arms.
His laugh was a genuine one of pleasure. “I’d heard you do things by your own terms and are as stubborn as an ox. I am happy to see that the rumors weren’t untrue. You’ll need that attitude in the times ahead,” he said as he leaned back in his chair.
“So what’s going on around here?” I asked, a bit frustrated with everything I had heard. I wanted to head directly to Dan’s office now, but I would rather do it with this guy on my side.
“What’s going on is Dan Ritter has attempted, and succeeded, in a coup to take over this MAGE branch. He used your reassignment to cement his place as head of the Council. Which as a side note, we haven’t had a Lord Councilor in almost forty years.” His tone implied he wasn’t happy about the change.
“Okay, what was the big deal about my reassignment?”
“Well, first, you are the first prodigy we’ve seen in this agency in over twenty years. Anyone who could claim they were your supervisor would have extra sway in the Council as they would have one of the most capable agents on their roster. Secondly, Nychelle can’t figure out what the bloody hell you are.” He looked me up and down again, shaking his head. “You aren’t a sorcerer, or if you are, then you’re on an entirely different level. The Council members were scared of you, especially since you couldn’t be controlled. Once Dan Ritter had you on his roster, he knew he had you. You would follow his rules or he would have you hunted down by the entire Agency and executed. Since he could control you, he used the other Councilors’ fears against them. And lastly, you came with a contracted fae, something no one has been able to accomplish in…. Well… ever.” He motioned to Raven.
I was confused. “Bianca said there were other fae working for MAGE, East coast.”
Chris inclined his head. “There are. But the others are freelance. You’re the first to get a fae to sign a contract.”
“Well, that was Bianca’s doing to begin with,” I said, trying to give credit where it was due.
“Either way, it doesn’t matter, she is contracted to protect you. Which means she comes with you as a package deal.”
“Not anymore. The contract was destroyed. Part of a deal Bianca made.”
“Hmmm, she’s still as crafty as ever. Destroy the tie that Dan had to control a fae. Excellent.” Chris seemed pleased, a small smile curling the corner of his mouth.
“I’m standing right here, you know. I’d prefer if you spoke to me, rather than around me like I wasn’t here,” Raven put in testily, tapping one foot on the floor and arching both dark brows.
“How rude of me. Many apologies, Raven.”
Chris bowed his head towards her and she seemed partially mollified.
“So now what?” I asked, finally taking a seat at the table.
“Now we go confront Mr. Ritter and get him to reverse his decisions.”
“If he doesn’t agree?”
“Well, then we have one pissed off fae whom he was trying to control, don’t we, mate?” He grinned and nodded at Raven, who smiled back and winked.
Dan Ritter should have known better. You don’t try and control the fae to gain something. Bianca had done so for reasons that Raven could understand, Dan had done so for personal gain. Trying to control the fae for personal gain has never worked for anyone, and all the tales have told us this over the years.
Woe to the fool who tries to control the winds of fate, for he is often consumed by them. It was told to sorcerers that Merlin the Wise said this when he had struck a deal with an unnamed queen of the fae that had backfired and nearly destroyed him. He had survived by his wits alone, and only barely at that. Raven was no fae queen, but then Dan Ritter was definitely no Merlin. We traveled down the hall to Dan’s office. As I knocked, the door opened and I heard Dan’s voice from within.
“Mr. Kerensky, why don’t you and your guests come in? We have much to discuss. Ah good, I see you brought your contracted help and Mr. Weaver. I knew you brought guests, I just had no idea that they were this esteemed.” There was that snake’s smile again. If I didn’t dislike him, he could probably sell my own soul back to me. “Now that you are here, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you have the assignment you wanted, by order of the Council, against my better judgment.” Dan glared openly at Chris.
“Alright, mate. Let’s have a good look at you, yeah?” Weaver said, moving out from behind me.