She took the jitney to the mall and walked around, reading the magical histories and wandering through some of the shops. She grabbed fun foods like giant pretzels and kabobs, things she could munch on while she strolled. She left one of the candle stores smelling like cotton, freshly washed clothes, and a leather men’s candle. As she turned the corner, she froze at the sight of the dark wizards from earlier in the year.
Again, without warning her stomach turned, and she felt herself drifting at the edge of a memory. She put her hands on her head, feeling pressure, and closed her eyes. There she was again, near two people she could only see from behind, fighting someone in the distance. That vision faded and the other started—her leaning against a brick wall, sweaty and tired, dark magic flying by and someone screaming in the background.
She took a deep breath and pushed the visions back, stumbling to a bench. There wasn’t enough of a memory to understand what was happening, but whatever it was it was serious. She rubbed her forehead and made herself calm down, pulling a bottle of water from her bag and taking small, slow sips.
These visions were getting worse each time, and even more frustrating since she couldn’t put the pieces together. Who were those people? They vaguely looked like the ones she had remembered the year before, what she could see of them, during her memory of a holiday dinner at that couple’s house when she was younger. It was hard to be sure, though. All she could see were their backs. In the vision, as soon as they started to turn it cut out.
Izzie wondered if she should tell Mara. After all, she was her legal guardian. Then again, it would worry her, and put an even bigger strain on Izzie’s freedom. She figured it was better to just wait for Alison to come back and tell her, or even possibly Horace. Even if they didn’t have answers, they would be comforting. She wasn’t really sure how much more of it she could take.
Alison met Shay and Brownstone when she got off the train in LA. They’d arranged to catch a plane to Miami and go from there to the kemana resort. She wished they could travel by magical train. It would have been so much faster; ten minutes and they would be basking in the Florida sunlight, but it was impossible, so after they’d hugged hello, they headed back up through the Starbucks.
Brownstone had rented a driver to take them to the airport in LA. Alison had originally just told them she would meet them in Miami, but Brownstone was too nervous that he wouldn’t get there in time, or someone would follow her. He was a bit paranoid at times, but it made sense after everything they had been through. She was just excited about her first family vacation with them.
During the whole plane ride to Miami, Brownstone slept reclined with his inflatable neck pillow around his big neck. Shay sat next to the window, and Alison was in the middle with her head on Brownstone’s shoulder. She went into a meditative state, wanting to make sure she was as rested as possible before her vacation. She didn’t want to miss a thing.
When she came out of her meditative state, the plane was starting its descent into the Miami airport. Alison poked Brownstone, and he opened his eyes, looking around wildly.
“Huh? What? Is it time for pretzels?”
“No, Dad.” Alison giggled.
“You snored your way through the in-flight snack.” Shay chuckled. “We are landing in Miami!”
“Yes,” he said, pulling the tab on his pillow, the air he squeezed out hitting Alison in the face.
They landed and exited the plane, then grabbed their luggage and found the car they had rented. Brownstone pulled out a hand-drawn map and stared down at it, shrugging.
“We got this, right?”
Shay rolled her eyes and climbed into the passenger seat. To everyone’s surprise, though, they made their way straight to the kemana. The entrance sat right outside the city near the back of a public park. They walked along with their bags, and Alison sensed the energy from the kemana below her. There was a blue hue to the ground, and as they approached a long row of trees, the energy swirled up and around, pooling in the center of a knot in a nearby tree.
“How do we get into this thing?” Brownstone grumbled, shifting through the papers in his pockets for the instructions.
Alison wandered over to the tree and pressed her finger into the glowing blue orb in the knot. She hit something hard—a button—and pressed it. Suddenly the ground trembled, and she rushed back over to Shay’s and Brownstone’s sides. The trees shook wildly and the lush green moss on the forest floor slowly opened, revealing stairs that led into a dark pit. Blue sconces lit the walls, and a cool ocean breeze blew their hair around them. To Alison’s sight, it was a sparkling blue hole leading into the magic of the kemana.
They picked up their bags and started down the stairs. Alison felt the charge of energy coming from the stone that was the center of the kemana. When they reached the bottom, a goblin wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt and his bowler hat stood on a stool at a podium.
He nodded. “Mr. Brownstone. Please come on in. The resort check-in is to your right, and the city is straight ahead. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Alison had wandered forward and was gazing at all the energy swirling around the place. Everything had some sort of magic, and the colors she saw created an almost perfect painting of her surroundings. Shay caught up with her, whispering a description of the place.
“There’s a magic ocean, a beach, and ziplines across the very, very high ceilings of the cave. The sky looks bright blue and has barely any clouds, and wild Oriceran flowers are planted throughout.”
“Wow.”
“From what I hear there’s a pool, water skiing, snorkeling in the magical ocean, shops, and exotic food,” Brownstone added, rubbing his belly and walking ahead to hold the doors to the resort open. “First, though, let’s get settled in the rooms.”
After they put their things away, Alison joined them on the balcony. She looked at the shimmering blue energy that made up the magical ocean in front of them. She wondered for a moment if it was as beautiful to regular eyes as it was to hers.
She sat down in the lounge chair between Shay and Brownstone and let out a deep breath of relaxation.
“How is school going?” Brownstone asked.
“Good. I’ve got A’s in all my classes.”
“Excellent. And how about boys? Are you seeing anyone?”
Alison shook her head and kept her lips closed, wisely not saying a word about Tanner. “Did you know that we have a winter formal this year?”
“Oh, really?” Shay said loudly, helping her change the subject.
“Yeah, but I figure I’ll probably be too busy studying to go.”
Brownstone seemed happy with that answer. Shay held back a laugh and squeezed her hand. “Aw, that’s too bad. Why don’t we send you home with a dress anyway? You know, just in case there is no homework, and you are still way ahead.”
“Okay.” Alison smirked.
She was glad when Shay was around for those awkward moments.
18
Brownstone, Shay, and Alison perused the shops along the strip. Brownstone looked at a bright blue shirt with flamingos and beach chairs on it and held it up in front of himself in the mirror. Shay shook her head, laughing as she patted him on the shoulder. Alison couldn’t see what he held up, but she could only imagine. Shay leaned in and whispered, “Think the brightest blue you can imagine, with feathered birds and beach chairs.”
“Oh, God.” Alison grimaced, then giggled.
She ran her hand over a ribbed sundress, wondering what color it was. She liked the feel of the fabric, and the way the neck was cut in and high with little straps. She ran her hand to the bottom and put it back, knowing there was no way her dad would let her buy a dress that short.
Shay walked past the front of the store, and near the open door felt the cool breeze blowing in. She stopped and stared at three men sticking out like sore thumbs on the street. They were dressed all in black, the material of their robes showing a strange crest on the backs of
the high necks. They were carrying their wands openly.
“Brownstone,” she whispered. “Come here.”
Brownstone hung up the shirt and walked over, looking at the guys. “Thugs.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
He narrowed his eyes and stared at the crest on the back of their collars, thinking back to something one of his informants had told him. They weren’t just thugs. They were hired thugs, magical contractors for a private company. They worked under men who wanted to suppress magic.
Alison walked up behind them and stared at the men’s energy. It was very dark and she got chills up her spine, remembering the same kind of energy on the Harriken the year before. Brownstone stepped out under the awning and looked at Shay.
“I heard about these guys. They are scouts on paid assignment, to see how humans might be able to take over the kemana one at a time. Whoever they are working for must have ties to the resort business. Big money for a place like this.”
“Should we tell someone?” Alison asked. “Like a kemana official or something?”
“I want to see what they are up to first,” Brownstone replied slowly as a local official approached them.
Shay watched as the guy on the end slowly pulled his hand behind him, trying to hide the wand. The official was suspicious and started asking them questions to find out what they were doing down there. The guys played nice at first, trying to trick their way out of it, but they hadn’t been too smart, coming in there dressed like the characters from the Matrix.
Suddenly the guy in the middle pulled his wand and pointed it at the official. People on all sides of them screamed and scattered. Immediately Shay and Brownstone sprinted forward and stopped between the wizards and the official. The wizards didn’t seem at all surprised to see Brownstone, which concerned Shay, but there were too many people around to allow a fight like that to break out.
The wizard poked his wand into Brownstone’s chest.
“This is none of your business, human,” he growled.
The wizard to the left looked nervous, putting his hands up. “We don’t want any trouble, Brownstone. We’re on official business that doesn’t concern you.”
“The hell it doesn’t,” Brownstone barked. “You are trying to take the kemana from the magicals, and well, I just can’t let that happen.”
Alison listened closely, getting angrier the longer the wizard left his wand poked into her dad’s chest. She could see the dark energy swirling around it as it pushed at Brownstone’s soul. She started to walk forward, her energy surging through her body like never before. The energy in the wand grew stronger, and there was no way she would allow her dad to be harmed.
Brownstone looked at her and put his hand up. “No, Alison!”
At that moment, the wizard twisted the wand back to strike Brownstone. Alison screamed and sprinted forward, lifting her hands. A dark orb shot from her palms and blew through the air like a cloud, encircling the wizard in darkness. While he was blinded, Brownstone used the opening to slug him across the face, knocking the wand out of his hand and into the sandy beginning of the beach.
Alison didn’t pause, just let her magic do its thing. A long stream of white light shot out and formed into a silhouette next to one of the other wizards. He looked at it, furrowing his brow, and fired a steady stream of dark magic at Alison. She jumped and levitated while at the same time sending a large ball of fire directly at him. He was unable to dodge, and the ball of sparkling purple fire slammed into his chest.
Shay ran toward him and booted him in the stomach, knocking him the rest of the way to the ground. She kicked the wand from his hand, but he grabbed her leg and flung her over him into the sand. She jumped up and charged him as Alison slowly came back down. A crowd had gathered to watch as Shay fought the agent in hand-to-hand combat, using her martial arts skills to thrash him up and down the sandy sidewalk. He fell and turned over on his belly to scoot forward and grab his wand.
Alison saw the energy surge through the wood as Shay’s soul pounced toward him. Alison could tell she wasn’t going to be quick enough. She swung her arms from side to side, following the natural rhythm of her magic. Dancing lights flew from her fingertips to swirl around the guy, momentarily distracting him. Before he was able to look back, Shay punched him hard in the face and grabbed the wand as he hit the ground unconscious. She looked over, amazed at Alison, and called to her.
“Good girl. Nice work.”
Just then there was a loud thud, Alison turned in time to see her dad’s soul smash into the wooden walkway. The wizard lifted his wand, but Alison wasn’t going to let anything else happen. She felt the energy buildup in her head and leaned it back, closed her eyes, and rolled her neck. She stiffened, and when she opened her eyes, the souls and energy were brighter than ever. On the outside, her eyes had completely glazed over in a dark grey color as she stared at the wizard standing over Brownstone.
“Put your wand down,” she whispered, using a Drow’s magic of suggestion without even realizing it.
The wizard looked strangely at Brownstone and lowered his wand to his side. Brownstone frowned and glanced at Alison, seeing the trance she was in.
“Now break it in half,” she whispered.
He snapped it in half, sending a jolt of energy straight into his face that knocked him down.
“Alison,” Brownstone called, impressed by her magic but slightly frightened by it at the same time. He had never seen anything like it before.
The sound of her dad’s voice brought her out of her trance, and she stared at the three unconscious souls on the ground. Brownstone and Shay glanced at each other and together with the local officer, carried the men toward the entrance of the kemana. They tossed the three men into the park and waited as the officer put a spell on them, blocking them from ever entering another kemana again.
When they returned to the resort, they found Alison on a boardwalk bench, staring out at the shimmering blue energy of the magical ocean.
When they reached the bench, Brownstone put his arm around Alison and pulled her close. She laid her head on his chest, feeling the beating of his heart. She wasn’t upset. She was shocked at her own abilities. Without someone there to guide her the powers had built on their own, and when she let go of that control they took over, doing exactly what needed to be done at the time.
“Where did you learn that magic?” Brownstone asked.
“I didn’t,” Alison whispered. “I tried to find information on Drow, but there isn’t much in the library at school. I didn’t know what to do, so I just let the magic take over.”
Brownstone glanced at Shay, who ran her hand down Alison’s hair. She couldn’t help but notice that during that one fight almost half her hair, from the bottom up, had turned white with silver tips. Her powers were growing faster than she could understand them, but there was no one they could call to help her.
“You are growing in mind, soul, body, and magic,” Brownstone told her comfortingly. “It’s not something for you to fear, but instead something you should embrace. You know you have these abilities now, so you should be able to recall them even when you are holding on to your own restraint. You’re not only a Drow, but you also have royal blood. Be careful of letting the power guide you too much, or you might get lost in it.”
Alison nodded her head, completely understanding what he was saying. This fight was one thing. She’d had to do something to save her family, but until she’d let go, she hadn’t even been aware of how capable she was. If she hadn’t let go, though, someone might have been hurt or even killed. Now she knew some of her capabilities. She knew she needed to learn how to control them, and use them the way she wanted to.
She sat up and took a deep breath, still staring at the energy of the ocean. “Do you know what I want?”
Shay smiled gently. “What’s that, sweetie? World peace?”
“Well, yes, but I was thinking of something even greater than that.”
“Wh
at can be greater than world peace?” Brownstone asked, confused.
Alison turned toward his voice, staring at his large soul. “Ice cream. You know, the kind they make into little ice balls and you can mix all the flavors together?”
Brownstone threw his head back and laughed loudly, squeezing her tightly. “You are a good kid, Alison. I’m proud of you.”
Those were probably the best words she had heard in a long time.
19
Suffice it to say, Alison was glad to be back at school. Her vacation had turned out to be a bit more educational than she had hoped. She just wanted her normal routine, and she sank back into the daily life of school pretty fast. Before she knew it, it was Halloween, and the campus was decorated from top to bottom with magical décor. All around the courtyard, magical ghosts swayed in the now-almost-leafless trees. Scattered throughout were tall oil lamps that when lit in the evenings made everything look eerie.
At one of the outside picnic tables, the group talked about what their Halloween costumes would be. The whole school loved that time of year, because instead of being limited to the cheap plastic costumes at the store and bad makeup applications, they could use their magic to turn them temporarily into whatever they wanted to be—without the side effects that becoming a zombie, warlock, or vampire would entail, of course.
“I am going as Queen Victoria,” Emma said happily. “I saw a painting of her in one of the history books at my mom’s house, and we look really alike. No one has ever been able to prove it, but the rumors were that Prince Albert was a wizard, and that was how he kept Queen Victoria in love with him for so long.”
Wary Is Her Love_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure Page 11