by Ben Reeder
“Of course not,” Emerson said. “Our students’ safety is our top priority. For the moment, I will continue to claim that it was my efforts that protected Mr. Hampton. However, several people saw what he did with the energy filament, and they saw him run from the common room.”
“And he was severely reprimanded for that,” Drummond said, which wasn’t exactly fiction. “His actions interfered with our attempts to apprehend whoever cast this spell.”
“We’ll make sure word gets out, unofficially,” Emerson said. “Mr. Fortunato, why don’t you assist Mr. Hampton back to his room?” I got up and went to the couch. Stewart got to his feet without much help from me.
“I owe you my life, Chance,” he said when we were alone in the hallway. “I mean, I literally could have died back there. I can’t even start to repay you for that.”
“Don’t try,” I said. “A good man doesn’t keep score like that.”
“Well, I still feel like I owe you. I’ll tell you what, meet me at the Grotto tomorrow evening, eight o’clock.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Let’s just say that some folks here know a good person when they find one. I’ll see you there.” He stumbled into his room, and moments later, Rebecca went in, leaving the door open. Having a girl on the boy’s side was strictly forbidden, much less in your room. Rank evidently had its privileges.
The common room was empty by the time I made it back to collect my homework, but almost every room had its door open and people were congregating. Only my door was closed, and I heard Hoshi’s voice through it.
“No, he’s fine,” he was saying as I walked in. “He just walked in, as a matter of fact. Yeah, he did. Big dude, had guns under each arm. No, didn’t see a staff, either. Yeah, we’ll meet you down there.” He rolled off his bed and perched his hip on the corner of his desk as I set my books down.
“What I can tell you is not much,” I said, cutting him off before he could ask.
“Did you see the circle?” he asked. “Was there a sacrifice or something?”
“I saw it, but…Hoshi, I can’t tell you what I saw. The Sentinels told me not to.”
“Dude, you go out and risk getting expelled so you can look at another circle, but suddenly you’re all law and order about this shit?”
“On this, yeah,” I told him. “The Sentinels are looking for people who might know something they shouldn’t, so they’re keeping the details under wraps. If I told you something, and you said something to the wrong person, they lose their edge, and someone dies or some shit like that. Or they think you’re the perp.”
“Okay, chill, dude,” Hoshi said. “I know what you’re like when you’re all serious like this. Come on, Kiya and Desiree and a bunch of other guys are hanging out in the common room downstairs. You gotta at least give ‘em something.”
I got up and held up my hands. “Fine, I’ll go, but I have to get back up here soon so I can call Lucas.” We headed downstairs, and ended up in the biggest common room. About eight other people were down there, including Desiree and Kiya. Hoshi sidled up to Kiya and put his arm around her waist.
“Okay, official word is he didn’t see much,” he started, which brought a moan. “But can you tell me about the Sentinel you came back with?”
“I guess, what do you want to know?”
“Did he have one of those swords?” Kiya asked
“A paramiir? Yeah, they all do.”
“I didn’t see it. Where was it?”
“It was on his belt. The blade was retracted.”
“They can make the blade disappear? That’s so dope!” Hoshi said.
“Yeah, or they can turn it into a staff.”
“I thought the staff was for the higher ranks, and the sword was for like the next rank down,” Desiree said. Coming from her, I was surprised at the level of misinformation she had.
“No, the staff, the sword and the ankh are all one thing. I thought everyone knew that.” All around me, heads were shaking.
“Dude, tonight was maybe the second time I’ve ever even seen a Sentinel up close,” one of the guys sitting next Desiree said.
“And I’ve never seen one even use his staff or his sword,” Desiree said.
“Well, they are bad. Ass,” I said. “Last spring, I got to see a whole bunch of them in action.” With that one sentence, that room was mine as I recounted the fight at Inferno. It was almost an hour later before I could sneak out.
Lucas answered almost as soon as I hit the call button. “Dude, you’ve given Dr. C gray hair, I think.”
“Well, I’m not done,” I told him. “There’s been another attack. But, good news, I was able to protect the potential victim and disrupt the spell before they did any serious damage. Thing is, this one was different from the last one. The spell was just a straight-up assault. I think they were trying to make sure they could get through the school’s wards.”
Lucas nodded and pointed at the camera. “Okay, that makes sense, or at least it fits something Dr. C was saying. That circle you sent him wasn’t making sense because it was like the symbols were all wrong. He said it was like they were combining sigils, which wouldn’t have worked. Let me get him on the call.”
“You can do that?”
“Yeah, Chance,” Lucas said as he worked. “These newfangled devices can make what modern people call ‘conference calls!’ They’re amazing. Okay…there he is. Hey, Dr. Corwyn. I have Chance on the line. Let me patch him in.” Suddenly, my screen split in two, and I was looking at Dr. C’s face next to Lucas’s.
“Good to see you, sir,” I said.
“You, too, Chance,” he replied. “Though I wish the circumstances were better. Lucas’s text said you’d found something new.”
“Yeah, you could say that.” I went over what had happened.
“Okay, now some things are making more sense,” Dr. C said. “The first kid who died showed signs of severe magickal trauma that targeted his energy centers. Since you saw his spirit, and probably the girl who went missing, we can assume they didn’t get their souls, but they got Lodge’s. If they used the same place but made two different circles, things make more sense. Now they’re trying to get past wards. Each time, the effects are different. I can’t believe I didn’t see this before, but with this attack, it makes perfect sense! I know what they’re doing!”
“Clue me in, guys,” Lucas said.
“They’re experimenting,” Dr. C and I said at the same time.
Chapter 9
~ That no Man shall be prevented from traveling freely upon the roads or through the wilderness… ~ Founding charter of the Shadow Regiment
The down side to being ahead of the authorities when you’re sneaking around is that you can’t tell them what you know without putting your own ass in a sling. But, if the Sentinels didn’t know me well enough by now to assume I was investigating this on my own, I figured I wasn’t going to screw myself over until I had to. Besides, it was Friday, and this was also the first weekend Mom and Dee were coming up. It was also the first weekend juniors and seniors were allowed to leave the campus.
After dinner, I made my way down to the Grotto. I lit my way with a glowing sphere that hovered behind and above me, one of the things I’d recently learned in Evocation class. Stewart was waiting for me near the door, and gestured without a word for me to follow him. He turned and followed the curve of the building to the edge of the lake, creating a sphere of his own as we followed the bank around to a small clearing that was out of sight of the rest of the school. A rowboat was pulled up on the bank, and Stewart stepped into it, taking a position near the prow.
“Dude, what the hell?” I asked. He responded by putting a finger to his lips, then winking before he pointed to the seat in the middle of the boat. I hesitated for a moment, then decided to play along. My hand went to the wand at my left hip. In my front pocket, I also had a chameleon charm made from the bit of broken CD, a shield cast on the skull and crossbones amulet and the li
ttle ring I’d charmed for a TK blast or two. If this was an ass kicking, someone was going to be going back to their dorm with a limp. I stepped into the boat and sat down. No sooner than my butt hit wood, Stewart turned around and held his hand out, and the boat slid into the water. It slid across the surface of the lake almost without a sound until it hit the rocky shore of a small island. Black tree trunks and boughs stood out against the clouded sky, and for a moment, Stewart stood in silhouette against it as well. He stepped off the boat and picked up a bundle from somewhere, then turned to me and put a finger to his lips again, then gestured for me to follow him. I stumbled along after him as he donned a hat, then buckled something around his hips and finally swung a long coat over his shoulders.
After a few moments, we came to a clearing, and he stopped me once we were well inside it.
“Dusk has fallen, the road is dark,” Stewart said solemnly.
“The way is safe,” another voice spoke from the darkness.
“Who protects the way?” Stewart asked.
“The Shadow Regiment protects all who travel,” several voices answered.
“The way is safe,” Stewart said in unison with the other voice. Around us, a circle of lights sprang up, showing several people in long coats, hats and domino masks. All of them wore a broad leather belt, each holding a pistol across their stomach and a sword at their left hip.
“I see my brother,” one of them said as he stepped forward. “And I see a face unknown to me. Who do you bring among this congregation of your brothers?”
“I bring a worthy man, one who walks the shadows, a man who loves freedom and one I would call brother, for I owe him my very life. I vouch for his character by pistol, sword and wand.” For a moment, there was a soft murmur around the circle, and I got the feeling Stewart might have done something he wasn’t supposed to. I snuck a look his way, but he seemed confident.
“In that you have vouched for him, having sworn by pistol sword and wand, we would call him brother as well. Brother to one…” the guy in front of us said, leaving the sentence hanging.
“Brother to all,” everyone else finished.
“Then there is only the matter of formalities,” the leader said. “Brother, how are you known, by what name and titles are you called?”
“Chance Fortunato,” I said. Stewart nudged me and made a circular motion with his hand, so I decided to run with it. “I am the Demon’s Apprentice, the Seeker and the Page of Swords, gothi to the Diamond Lake pack and apprentice to Trevor Corwin. I am the Wolf Slayer and Demon’s Bane.” No one said anything for a moment, then the leader nodded and handed me a belt like the one he wore.
“Then it is a given that you have a sword. Do you have a pistol?”
“Not with me, but yeah, I do.”
“It is known that you have a wand,” he said, then handed me a cloth domino mask “Within this circle, we are the Shadow Regiment. Outside of it, we were once called the Devil’s Highwaymen. To outsiders, you may say you are a Highwayman, a group you were inducted into because you are a member of the fencing and pistol clubs. The Regiment is the enemy of tyranny and the defender of those in need. With this mask, you accept the mantle of the Regiment, to safeguard the ideals of freedom and brotherhood among Men. We fight not for glory but for liberty. Brother to one,” he said as he offered the mask. I took the mask and the belt, knowing he expected me to finish the phrase. In the dim light, I could see the smile on his face. This was an empty ceremony to him, something fun to do on a weekend. The words were pretty but meaningless. But to me…freedom meant something. I’d been a prisoner, been the oppressed. When I said the words, they were going to mean something.
“Brother to all,” I said. I felt the strange brush of magick on my skin and through my hair.
Then the rest of them said it.
It felt like a gust of wind blew into the clearing, then held itself, a bubble of overpressure waiting to expand. The guy in front of me went wide eyed, and I heard several gasps.
“Brother to one,” he repeated, as though he was just now understanding the words.
“Brother to all,” we all said. For a moment, it felt as if I really was going to uphold some ancient code. Like somehow, all mankind would benefit from what we were doing right here, right now. And I liked being a part of that.
The warm, tingly rush of magick blew through the clearing, tugging at coats and hair, even the strap of the domino mask in my hand. I could hear voices all around me, mostly some variation on “That’s never happened before.”
“Let us welcome our new brother,” the leader said. The solemn tone was gone, and suddenly, the circle of people closed in around us. I shook a dozen hands before a cold can was pressed against my palm. In the dark, I couldn’t see a label, but I smelled the fermented hops before I got the can to my lips. I’d never really liked the taste of beer, and I especially didn’t like losing control. The hiss and pop of more cans being opened filled the night, and the guy in front of me pulled his mask off to reveal Lance Huntington standing in front of me.
“Welcome to the Regiment, Fortunato,” he said as he held a beer up in front of him. I tapped the edge of my can against his, then mimed taking a drink. The lights came up around us, and more masks came off. I recognized a few faces, but most of the guys around me were unfamiliar.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to smile like I meant it. “Is it always this intense when you bring someone new in?”
“Ya know, that was new,” Stewart said from beside me.
“Yeah, it was really cool, though,” Lance said. “I felt it, too. Like, I dunno, we were about to save the world or something.”
“I think saving the world would be a lot more like being scared shitless, you know?” I said. Lance and Stewart laughed and Stewart put his hand on my shoulder.
“Well, we’re your brothers now, fellow Highwayman,” Stewart said. “You should have been one of us all along, being the Seeker.”
“Is that like, automatic membership or something?” I asked.
“No, but it should be,” Stewart said. “The Regiment was formed by a Seeker. But it’s been years since there was one who was a member.”
“Well, now there is,” I said. “Hey, are you going into Boston this weekend?”
“Don’t have much choice,” Lance said. “My father wants me to come home tomorrow morning, but I’ll probably be stuck at the house all weekend.”
“Me, too,” Stewart said. “My father hired extra bodyguards for the weekend. I should have had him just hire you,” he finished with another clap of his hand on my shoulder. I put a smile on my face and looked around. Everyone was gathered in a tight group, and I noticed a couple of folks glancing out into the dark. Someone had brought a cooler out, and I headed for it, but all they had brought was beer and more beer. I took a swig and resigned myself to a little control loss and some forced small talk. Fortunately, most of it was about something I actually knew things about: magick.
If I had been a Sentinel, or even on good terms with them, I could have had at least thirty people arrested for violating the first and fifth Laws of Magic, regarding free will and invading another person’s thoughts. For that matter, as I listened to Lance talk about how his father had inflicted a curse on a rival that slowly devastated his health, only to offer to help ‘cure’ him in exchange for a favorable deal, I was reminded of the Ninth Law of Magick, not using magick to rule or using it to profit from the suffering of others.
My salvation came when someone started crashing through the brush nearby. Wands came out, mine included and pointed toward the noise until Ginger emerged from the darkness. As a handful of unsteady wands came down, she headed for Lance and Stewart.
“Baby, what the hell are you doing here?” Lance demanded.
“You guys have got to get out of here,” she said without preamble. “The Sentinels are making a sweep toward the lake.” Lance went pale, but it struck me that she had addressed Stewart instead of her boyfriend.
“Scramble, everyone,” Lance said. “Leave the beer and just get to the boats!” There was a flurry of activity as the lights dimmed and everyone headed for the trees. I turned to Stewart, who was looking around as if he’d just realized where he was.
“Come on,” I said, heading for the trail we’d followed to the clearing. “We parked over here.”
“Our boat’s on the wrong side of the island,” he said, his words fast and high pitched. “They’ll see us the second we hit the water.”
“We’ll catch a ride with them, then,” I said as I followed the last of the Highwaymen toward the trees. Stewart followed me, crashing through the brush like an elephant. We got to the beach as the last of the group was getting on board. Each of the three small boats was full, and the last of them was riding low in the water with the added weight of Ginger. Dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt, she stood out enough that I realized she had to have come on her own instead of with the rest of the group.
“What are you waiting for?” Stewart asked as I drew up. The people in the other two boats were gesturing to us, even as the third boat struggled.
“They won’t make it with extra passengers,” I said as I went to the third boat and grabbed Ginger’s hand. “Come on.” She got out of the boat when I pulled on her arm, and it slid free of the shore.
“We can’t leave you behind,” Lance said. “Brother to one, brother to all!”
“Yes, you can!” I said. “We’re leaving the same way she got here. Now go!” He hesitated for a moment, then waved to the other boats.
“So, how did you get here?” I asked as the three boats pulled away from the shore. She held up a ring and glared at me.
“This spreads my weight out so that I don’t break the surface tension of the water. It won’t work for the two of you. Now you’ve screwed all three of us!”
“Surface tension!” I said. “That’s brilliant. Does it still work for you?”
“Of course it does. I wasn’t planning it being a one-way trip.”