"Were they magical?"
Another noise. Another yes. But James was beginning to fade, so I rose.
"Okay, we'll stop—"
"I don't want to stop! I want to be able to tell you everything." His outburst was short-lived, and he slumped back in his chair.
"I know, son," I said, patting him on the shoulder. "But you'll have to be patient and take this one step at a time."
He nodded. "I want to keep going."
"Fine." I changed directions. "Were you coerced into signing this silencing pact?"
"No."
I turned. His eyes were clear but his expression disgusted. "No? You signed it willingly?"
"Not…exactly."
"So if you weren't coerced, why did you sign it?"
He swallowed and closed his eyes. "L-l-l…"
"Alexis?" I said. "Did he threaten her?"
James sighed and slumped on the chair, which I took for confirmation.
"How? He can't touch her, per the agreements I made in the Guild."
"He…can't…"
"So why…" I rose, the word meeting coming back to my mind. "He was meeting with other magicals. Magicals not under the same agreements we are."
The loud breath of relief was the affirmation I needed—but raised other questions.
"But Lexie can handle a few magicals over there. They don't have specialties. They can't use attack magic or—"
"For…now…"
I turned. "The Danvers Accord is foolproof. Magicals have been trying to undo it for centuries and have been un—"
"You." James spat out.
"Me? What do…" I froze. "You mean my daughters."
Of course. The Danvers Accord had prevented anyone born on that side of the tear from specialties, including Warrior magic. And in New Salem, no matter how much Cyrus tried, he'd been unsuccessful in creating more Warriors. But if he'd been trying to do what I'd done with Mora—to create a set of new Warriors in the other world…
"Has he created any Warriors?"
James shook his head and sputtered more before giving up. "I hate this. I hate that I can't tell you what I want to tell you."
"So there's more?" I asked. "More than just trying to create magicals?"
He nodded. "So much more. I c… I c…."
"James, don't push yourself…"
But he'd overdone it once more, and fallen unconscious. I crossed the room and pressed my hand against his forehead, much as I had when he'd slept as a young boy. I'd tried my best to be the sort of parent I'd always wanted, but perhaps I'd been too indulgent. He was cocky, too sure of himself. Much too much like Cyrus.
I'd often wondered what truly lay beneath the exterior, if he was heartless, like Cyrus, or something a little more human. Alexis (Lexie, that infernal name) had certainly become close friends with him, and I knew her to be an apt judge of character. And James's struggle against the pact was only partially to clear his name—the information he'd given me was crucial. Cyrus presumably remained confident in his magical pact-making abilities, so now, at least, I had an idea.
James stirred and blinked at me groggily. "Sorry, I—"
"No need to apologize," I said, handing him a wet rag to wipe his face. "I think we've done enough."
He nodded, staring at the floor forlornly. "I'm sorry, Gavon. I wish I'd…"
"There's no use in dwelling on what's been done," I said softly. "What matters now is that we move forward productively. I want you to find out more about what Cyrus is doing. Whoever he's meeting with, I want you to try to disrupt it."
"How will I report back?" James asked.
"Can you report back?"
James shook his head.
"Well, Cyrus can write a pact, I'll give him that," I said with a shake of my head. "I suppose we'll have to figure out a system."
"Can you tell her?" he asked, showing a pair of sad, puppy dog eyes I hadn't seen since he was a small boy.
"Tell Alexis?"
"She thinks I'm a monster. Please tell her I didn't mean any of it."
I didn't respond right away. Alexis—Lexie—was crushed, and despite all her assurances to the contrary. I'd had a little hope that she and James would become friends, if only so she'd have a fellow magical to talk with and he'd have someone on his level intellectually. But even I'd been surprised at how quickly they'd become inseparable.
As much as I wanted to return to Lexie, explain everything and wipe away the hurt, it wasn't the right thing to do. If I told her why James had seemingly betrayed her, she would go stirring up trouble with Cyrus. She had a big year ahead of her, with her freshman year at Georgetown a scant four months away, and I didn't want any New Salem hijinks to ruin what should be a fresh start in a new city.
"We'll tell her eventually," I said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But for now, we'll keep this between us. You and I both have mistakes to make up for. And even if it kills us both, we'll make it right."
Sneak Peek from Book 4
As always, thank you, dear reader, for going with me on this adventure. As an indie author, I rely on my awesome folks like yourselves to help share the word about my work. Please consider leaving a review on this or any other fine book retailer.
And, as a special bonus, keep reading for a special sneak preview of the fourth Lexie book, Illusion and Indemnity:
"I love you so much."
"Nicole, I can't breathe."
In response, my oldest sister squeezed harder. Curious onlookers passed by, all laden with boxes and lamps and other dorm necessities, the parents wearing wistful looks of longing as my oldest sister hugged the very life out of me.
"We still have to move her in," came the gruff voice of Nicole's kind-of-serious boyfriend, Guy. He was a mechanic who'd spent the last six months wooing my sister. His latest overture was insisting he drive us up to Washington, D.C. from our little apartment in northwest Florida to help me move into my new dorm at Georgetown University.
And since Nicole had neglected to inform him I was a well-trained magical with the ability to transport myself and all my belongings into the dorm, I'd had to sit in the car with them for two days while we made the fifteen-hour drive. And if that weren't bad enough, Nicole slowly devolved from slightly-awkward-girlfriend to super-weepy-sister the closer we got to the capital.
She'd started sniffling again as we drove over the Key Bridge and broke into all-out sobs when we parked. And that was where we were standing, in front of the still-full car, Nicole holding me as if I might evaporate into nothing if she let me go.
"So…I guess I'll go get your key?" Guy asked, catching my eye. Nicole wasn't the most expressive person with him, and she, like me, colored bright red when she cried. This might've been the first time he'd ever seen her so emotional.
Which she was still doing when Guy returned with my key and move-in materials in hand.
"You're going to have to let go sometime," he said gently.
"I g-guess," Nicole said, relinquishing me and wiping her eyes. "P-promise you'll—"
"I will," I said, cutting her off. I'd agreed to return to Florida every Sunday night to watch a movie or have dinner or do something together. Since I could magically transport myself home in the blink of an eye, and Nicole, a Potion-maker, couldn't, it wasn't that big a deal. But I didn't think Guy wanted to find out that magic was real that way.
I felt bad as he hoisted two of my big plastic tubs from the back of his truck and carried them up to the looming dorm building above us. I hurried ahead of him with the key and went the elevator, but he stopped me.
"Nah, I'll just use the stairs. That'll take too long."
"Are you sure?" I said with another twinge of guilt that I could've had all this done in mere seconds. "It's on the fourth floor?"
"Yeah," he said, his smile widening when Nicole walked in the door carrying my bedding. He shifted the boxes in his arms, making the muscles pop. "Let's go."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his overt showing-
off, mostly because I was glad Nicole had found a guy who went through so much effort for her.
We reached my room, which was empty, so I chose the bed closest to the window. The room itself was pretty tiny, complete with two wooden desks and two elevated beds pressed against either wall. But it would be home for the next year, and I was excited about the adventure.
"Okay, I'm going to get the rest of it," Guy said as Nicole began sniffling again. "You two…just unpack."
"Are you sure?" I said. "There's a lot left—"
"I got it," he said with a wink before disappearing. I waited a breath then closed the door. And with a wave of my hand, I released magic into the air around me, unpacking the two plastic bins and making up my bed. I sighed happily, finally able to use magic for something.
Nicole didn't flinch at the use of magic, but placed her hand on the newly-made bed and frowned. "You're so far away."
"I'm really not," I said with a sigh. "One phone call and I'm there."
"But you're not home—"
"And maybe that's a good thing," I said, opening the door once more. "Guy's obviously in love with you. You two need some time alone together. Without me around."
"I like having you around."
"You don't like being alone with Guy?" I asked. "Why not?"
"I like being alone with Guy, but I don't like Guy being so…" She sighed, slouching onto my desk. "It's all moving a little fast for me."
"Fast? It took you three months to have sex with him."
She glared at me, obviously regretting sharing that bit of information with me. "But moving you in. It just seems so…so much."
"You could've told him no," I said. "It would've made everything easier."
"I know, but he really wanted to do it. And that's sweet. I just…" She stood with an odd expression on her face. "I'm gonna go help him."
"Or, you know, you could tell him about—"
"I'm not going to tell him about magic," Nicole snapped with more than a little heat. "We're not that serious."
I might've argued that they were, but I'd already had that conversation with Nicole fifteen times this summer.
Guy made another appearance, huffing and puffing as he put down my microwave. "I'm going down for the mini-fridge."
"No," I said quickly. "I mean, I got someone with a trolley to go down. I'm sure they're on the elevator. There can't be that much more."
"Just your suitcase," Guy said, wiping his forehead.
"I'll go get that," Nicole said, resting her hand on his chest gently as she passed by him.
"Good thing you aren't like Marie, or else we'd be here for years," Guy said as she left.
I had to laugh at that. My middle sister Marie was a notorious clothes hound, and when she'd come with us to Guy's family's cabin in Alabama, she'd brought her entire closet in two suitcases for a one-week trip. Considering she had as much magic as I did, and could transport back to her apartment in Las Vegas in the blink of an eye, I knew it was all for show.
"Hey, thanks," I said. "I know you didn't have to drive me up here, and I'm not sure if Nicole will have the words to thank you any time soon. But I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome, kiddo." He glanced behind him and almost tiptoed into the room, a nervous look on his face. "So you think…besides the whole baby-sister-moving away thing…you think she's happy I did this?"
"No, because you moved her baby sister away," I said with a laugh. "But yes, I think once she gets used to the idea of me not being at home," Or rather, me being able to come home whenever, "she'll be very appreciative."
"Good, cause my mom's asking when I'm going to marry her," Guy said. Then, he glanced behind him once more and retrieved a small box from his pocket.
"Whoa!" I cried, taking three steps back. "That's a little soon, don't you think?"
"I wasn't going to ask her on the trip," Guy said. "But in case it comes up while you're in school, I wanted you to see it. I hope Marie comes home for a visit, so I can show her."
I pressed my hand to my heart, touched that he was so concerned about us. I had no opinions on diamonds, but it sparkled on a pretty silver band. "It's gorgeous. But I think you need to work on her a little more."
"Do you think she loves me?" Guy asked.
"Yes," I said. "But you know…the whole dad thing…"
"I know."
"What whole 'dad' thing?" The man in question, in his mid-fifties, with dark hair and pale skin like me, breezed into my dorm. Guy hid the ring so quickly he could've done it by magic.
"Dad!" I said with a happy smile. "What are you doing here?"
"It's move-in day, why wouldn't I be here?" Gavon said, glancing at Guy. "I wanted to help out, but it appears I'm too late."
"I'm…gonna go help Nicole," Guy said, inching out of the room as if Gavon would strike him down with a glare. To be fair, he could've, but Guy didn't actually know that. My sister's poor boyfriend disappeared through the door, and my damned father had the nerve to laugh about it.
"What?" he said with a shrug. Not for the first time, I noticed the similarities between us—the shape of his nose, the particular peaks and valleys of his hairline. I should've known that he was my father the first time I saw him, and perhaps, deep down, I had.
"I said stay out of it," I said, turning to fluff my pillows on the bed.
"I am staying out if it!" Gavon held up his hands innocently. "I haven't said one word to the man."
I leveled my glare at him, hearing the loophole in his words. "You'd better learn to like him. He's planning on proposing to Nicole sometime in the next few months."
Gavon frowned. "Really? Seems sudden."
"Didn't you propose to mom after knowing her for, like, two days?"
"I was unaware of this society's customs," Gavon said, as if that explained everything. "And besides, it appears Nicole isn't infatuated with him."
"She let him drive me up here," I said. "And when she wasn't bawling her eyes out, she held his hand. I think she likes him plenty. She's just easing her way into it."
"I suppose," Gavon said, turning and seeing more of the dorm. "Sweetheart, this room is really small for two people."
"It's perfect," I said. "I have to live on campus my first three years. It's the rules."
"Yes, but can't I find you—"
"No. I want to live in a tiny little dorm with a person I barely know and share a bathroom with twenty people," I insisted. "That's the college experience. I want the college experience."
Finally, a smile appeared on his face. "You look like your mother when you lecture me."
"Dad," I said with a roll of my eyes. "Please don't get misty-eyed. I can only handle one crying family member at a time. Nicole was absolutely—"
A gasp filled the room, and Nicole stood in the doorway, holding my suitcase. Her face had grown pale, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. The suitcase dropped with a thump.
"Hello, Nicole," Gavon said tentatively.
"Lexie, when you're finished, meet us downstairs for lunch." She paused and glared at Gavon. "Alone."
To his credit, Gavon took the hit without as much as a flinch. But he'd gotten the cold shoulder all summer long. As he and I began repairing our relationship after a tumultuous two years, Nicole still wanted nothing to do with him.
I couldn't blame her completely. Gavon was from New Salem, an alternate universe of magicals who'd been banished for trying to enslave humanity in 1692. Gavon was a descendent, and nearly thirty years ago, he'd made a tear between his world and ours. Despite his ancestor's beliefs, he'd integrated himself into this world, marrying my mother and starting a family. Things had all changed when New Salem got wind of the tear and pressured him into taking the mantle of Guildmaster away from his rival Cyrus.
Cyrus had retaliated by killing my mother, who died right after giving birth to me.
My sisters and I had been raised by my aunt Jeanie, my mother's younger sister, and up until my fifteenth birthday, I'd no idea that
magic even existed. Gavon had met me that first night, and although he'd never intended our relationship to grow any further than a single, forgettable conversation, I'd had other ideas and kept pressuring him to teach me more. But then Cyrus reappeared, and my aunt Jeanie was his next victim. That death I still carried with me—especially as Gavon disappeared again shortly after that.
In mid-March of this year, after I'd been tricked into going to New Salem, Gavon and I finally had a heart-to-heart about his role in everything. Things were still slowly healing between the two of us, especially as we'd been working on a project together all summer.
"So, I might have another lead on closing the tear," Gavon said. "I know you'll be busy with school now, but—"
"Are you kidding? I'd love to go," I replied with a grin. "Where are we going this time?"
"It's a surprise," he replied. "As I'm still finalizing my contacts there. But you'll tell me if you get too busy."
"To help you close the tear?" I shook my head. "Of course not."
"Your schoolwork comes first."
"I don't have any classes on Friday. We could do it then?"
"You might want to hang out with your new friends though."
Yeah, friends. That was something I hadn't really had too much of in my small town, and one of the things I was most nervous about. I'd promised myself I would step out of my comfort zone and try to be more social, even though it made my skin crawl. But I was a Warrior, damn it. I shouldn't have been afraid of meeting new people.
"I'd better let you get to it," Gavon said, using his magic to take the suitcase still in the doorway and transfer my clothes into the small closet. "There, now I can say I helped."
"I feel so bad that Guy had to carry all my crap up the stairs," I said.
"Don't. He should work for it."
"Dad," I said with an exasperated sigh. "I like him. Marie likes him, and you know she hates everybody. Why don't you?"
He shook his head, a sadness creeping into his eyes that had nothing to do with Guy and everything to do with Nicole's hatred of him. He crossed the room and kissed me on the forehead. "Have fun at lunch with your sister. I hope she isn't too cross with you."
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