Academic Magic

by Becky R Jones

  He gave her a small smile. “This is probably the worst I’ve faced so far, but yes I’ve gotten into arguments with other mages who wanted to at least seriously hurt me, over magical issues.”

  Her eyes widened and she gazed unseeing out the living room window. Clearly there was a lot she had to learn and figure out about this whole mage thing and the operating rules of this new world. Especially if she wanted to continue as a living Elemental mage. It would really suck to get killed before getting tenure.

  Kieran grimaced. “You’re powerful. They know that. You’re also an unknown and that probably makes them nervous. They have no idea what you’re capable of and that means they can’t plan for anything with you.”

  Zoe's mind reeled. She didn’t know anything about her power and now she had to use it in a matter of life or death. The attack on the house was beginning to bring home to her the idea that her reality had drastically shifted.

  She dropped her head into her hands. This reality had a very frightening edge to it. Discovering she had magic power had really been kind of cool. But in the world that now included magic, that meant you could become a target because of those powers. She wanted to whine that it wasn’t fair. She should just be able to do fun things and not worry about witches trying to kill her.

  She glanced up through her fingers at Kieran. He had a somewhat sad yet proud smile on his face. Like a parent who is watching their kid figure out that Santa Claus isn’t real. Zoe sighed. This whole thing made the thought of going up for tenure a little less stressful.

  “George and the rest of you have said that you suspected I had some power. Do you think that there is a faculty or other staff mage working with the coven who could have told the coven that I have power?”

  Kieran shrugged. “I don’t know. Why?”

  She sat down on the sofa and took a deep breath. “I know that discovering Susan and Meredith in the basement was a giveaway that I have some level of power. But would they have some way of figuring out that I’m an Elemental mage? I just don’t know enough about all of this and that makes me nervous. Never mind having people actively trying to kill me.”

  Kieran looked at the sofa where Zoe was sitting, but then moved over and sat on one of the chairs across from her. “That’s possible. They would have had to be near you after you discovered your power. Which…would mean that any committee meeting or faculty meeting that we’ve had since then would have put you in close enough proximity for somebody to at least guess at your power.”

  “Great,” sighed Zoe. “Now we have to add nasty faculty mages to our list of people to watch out for. That throws the possibilities WIDE open!”

  Kieran laughed. “I’m glad you’re taking this so well!”

  “I’m not. I’m faking it as hard as I can. I don’t know what else to do! The provost’s secretary is trying to raise a demon with the help of the president and the provost, they’ve managed to capture or control most of the staff in Shelby Hall, one of my Sociology colleagues is definitely working with them and she or the provost tried to drop a bunch of bricks on my head, Mark and David were attacked on Thanksgiving, and now somebody has directly attacked my house with what appears to be enough force to destroy my whole block. This was most definitely NOT in the faculty handbook!”

  Venting helped. Just when she almost had a grasp on this new world of magic and power, her mind stubbornly returned to its previous reality. She had to keep reminding herself that not only did she share her home with talking cats, but she had the ability (Okay, fine. Power.) to manipulate Air, Water, Fire, and Earth. She reassured the stubborn part of her brain that she was still an assistant professor of history, just now with added bonus features.

  Weirdly, it was turning out to be a hell of a lot more fun, in a kind of twisted way, even if it wasn’t what she had expected to find in a tenure-track position. As long as you don’t get yourself killed, noted the more practical part of her brain.

  Flash cautiously crawled out from under the sofa where he had sought refuge. “I’d check your spell barrier if I were you. If you’re as powerful as it seems, you should be able to tell if there is any damage from in here.”

  He sat down and began grooming himself and putting his fur to rights. Moose crept out from under the sofa as well, and with an air of offended dignity, set about trying to make himself look a bit less like a stereotypical Halloween cat.

  Zoe pulled herself out of her mini-reverie and smiled at the cats. Even as magical talking cats, there were still attitudes and actions that made them no different from ordinary cats. She leaned down and gave them both a scratch behind the ears and was rewarded with two slight purrs – a grudging admission from the cats that they did indeed appreciate her reassurances. Flash was right about being able to check the barrier from inside the house. She found that she could focus her magesight and see the barrier; it did not look damaged, but she strengthened the bonds between the threads of Air, Water, and Earth and added a third layer to the dome anyway. Remember, ‘don’t get cocky, kid’.

  Turning back to the cats, she said “Guys, I think we’re okay for the time being. It will likely take the coven a while to build up that kind of spell-casting power again.”

  She smiled at Kieran. “Which means we have a lot more to talk about. I still think we should order that pizza and hash out ideas.”

  He returned her smile. “Good idea, and yes, I’d like to stick around for pizza and some coven-bashing.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Zoe was a little surprised at how well she was taking this second attack on herself. Her house and her block had just been violently attacked by a powerful witch and her coven, demonstrating that taking lives was not a sticking point for said witch and they had only a few days until the winter solstice yet here she was, suggesting that Kieran hang out and have pizza. What was wrong with her?

  Bringing herself back to the present, she looked over at Kieran.

  “But, before pizza, we should go outside and check that there are no injuries or damage to my neighbors. This wouldn’t have happened to them if it weren’t for me living here.”

  “You’re right. Let’s go.” Kieran stood up.

  Zoe looked at the cats. “Do you guys want to come along? Maybe do your own reconnaissance?”

  Moose glanced up at her. “Yes, we’ll come with you. Most people here are used to us wandering around by now and don’t get upset or call animal control or anything. We should check in with the others anyway.”

  Zoe grabbed her coat and keys and headed out the front door followed by the cats and Kieran. Pausing on her porch at the top of the steps, she noticed that several of her neighbors were out on the sidewalk despite the chilly day, talking together. Clearly, they had all noticed the attack. How could she explain it? She came down her steps and walked over to join the little group around her next-door neighbor.

  “Hi Jeff, what’s going on?” she asked.

  “Hi Zoe. You felt that, right?” Jeff Connelly responded. “I think there was either a gas explosion or a transformer blew. But, since we still have power, I’m leaning toward gas explosion.”

  Zoe nodded. “Yeah, I felt it. I was wondering what it was.” A gas explosion was a good explanation. Would anyone comment on the greenish light that accompanied the blast. How could that be explained?

  “I dunno, Jeff,” Kim Smith appeared from behind Jeff. “That didn’t feel natural to me. There was something off about that blast.”

  Jeff turned towards her. “Well, Kim, I’m not sure what else it could be. And, I’d argue that a gas explosion is not natural. I did check the other houses on the block, and everybody is fine. I didn’t see any cracked or broken windows, so I think we got lucky.”

  Jeff was also the block captain, organizing trash clean ups and the block party, introducing newcomers, and generally keeping an eye out for his neighbors. This was a particularly Philadelphia phenomenon that Zoe was still getting used to, but she liked the idea that somebody felt even a slight oblig
ation to make sure that neighbors knew each other.

  Zoe looked over at Kim. Besides the brief encounter and invitation for beers a few weeks ago, Zoe did not really know Kim that well. They had met at a block party not long after Zoe moved in but had never had any real interaction beyond waving at each other in passing. Was Kim a mage? She glanced at Kieran who was gazing speculatively at Kim. He caught Zoe’s eye and nodded imperceptibly. At the same time, Kim was looking around the little group and caught Zoe’s eye. Her eyes narrowed and she edged over toward Zoe and Kieran. Moose and Flash sat down at Zoe’s feet.

  “Hi Zoe, how are you?” she said, bending down to give the cats ear scritches.

  “Hi Kim, I’m good. This is Kieran Ross, a colleague of mine,” Zoe responded.

  Kim eyed them both and said, “I think we need to talk. Let’s just wander over toward your steps.”

  The three of them drifted back to Zoe’s steps in a pretty good imitation of a casual conversation. The cats strolled after them. Kim stared at Zoe and Kieran.

  “I’m a Fire mage,” she said without preamble.

  Zoe nodded. “Kieran is a Water mage and I’m an Elemental.” Kim’s eyes went wide at Zoe’s statement.

  “Elemental? Wow. There aren’t many of those around. I’ve never met anyone who is an Elemental mage before. But you must have just figured this out and only recently tapped into your own power? I don’t remember feeling any power around you the first time I met you.”

  Moose and Flash bumped her legs and she leaned down to pet them again. “Watchers?” Zoe nodded and the cats head-butted Kim again.

  “I just figured out a number of things in the last couple of months,” Zoe gave a short laugh.

  “More to the point though, what the hell just happened?” Kim asked.

  “Zoe was attacked by the leader of a coven that has been formed on Summerfield’s campus. We believe they are going to raise a demon at Swann Fountain on the solstice.” Kieran managed to sum up a few months’ worth of activity in two sentences. He was remarkably concise for a faculty member.

  “A coven on campus?! I wish you guys would let the rest of us know when these kinds of things crop up!” Kim sounded exasperated.

  “I’m sorry…” Zoe started.

  “No, it’s not your fault. I know you’re new. But George Wardmaster forgets that what happens at Summerfield can affect all of us.” Kim threw her hands up in frustration.

  Kieran gave a short laugh. “I’m not surprised. Faculty do have a tendency to get insular. Give us your number and we’ll add you to the group text list and then you can add others you know.” He smiled at Kim and pulled out his phone. Zoe did the same.

  Kim smiled back. “Thanks,” she recited her phone number and turned back to Zoe. “You warded the block. Thanks for that. But, what’s Swann Fountain?”

  “The fountain in Logan Square,” Zoe explained. “It’s a power locus.”

  “Oh, yeah. I knew that. I mean, I know it’s a power locus, I just didn’t know it was called Swann Fountain,” Kim said.

  Kieran laughed. “You’re not the only one! I always thought it was called Logan Square fountain.”

  “Are you planning on taking on a demon-raising coven with just you two and George Wardmaster?” Kim asked. “I think you need more than three mages, even if Wardmaster is helping you and you are an Elemental.”

  Zoe and Kieran explained about the faculty and student mages and the make-up of campus coven. Kim’s expression grew more concerned and angrier as Zoe finished her explanation.

  “If they attacked you here, they’re moving fast. We need to move faster ourselves,” she said.

  “What do you mean ‘we’?” asked Zoe.

  “You need as many mages as you can get; I don’t care how big your college group is, you will need more people on your side. This is a situation where going in over-prepared is the only way to win,” Kim was adamant. “I know a few more mages in the city. I will contact them and let them know what’s going on. They probably felt this attack anyway. I have your number now, so I’ll let you know. If you don’t hear from me, we’ll meet you at the fountain before sunset on the solstice.” She strode off toward her own house.

  Zoe and Kieran glanced at each other.

  “I think we need to contact the other faculty mages and get moving on creating some offensive weapons,” said Kieran.

  “Offensive weapons? Like what? I didn’t realize you could build up an arsenal ahead of time,” Zoe said.

  “I’ll show you how. Let’s go back in. I think your neighbors are okay, and I think if there were any other mages on the block, Kim would have mentioned it to you, or those people would have come over while we were talking.”

  They went back into Zoe’s house with the cats following. Once inside, Kieran started texting the group, while Zoe spoke with the cats to see what the other Watchers had to say.

  “Why didn’t you guys tell me Kim was a mage?” Zoe asked them.

  “It’s not our call,” said Moose. “Besides, you do have the ability to tell if somebody is a mage. You can feel the power, or at least you should be able to. He felt it,” he raised a paw at Kieran.

  “Okay, good point. I guess I need to pay more attention,” Zoe said.

  Just then her doorbell rang. Zoe grimaced at Kieran.

  “Now, what? We didn’t even order the pizza yet,” she moved toward the door.

  The peephole revealed Kim standing on her porch with two men she didn’t recognize. Pushing out with her power she searched for anything that might not be as it appeared. Bearing in mind the conversation she’d just had with Moose, she hunted for something that would tell her if the men were mages. Then it hit her. A subtle, yet consistent, wave of energy moving off each of them. She wasn’t sure how she distinguished the two different powers, but she identified an Air mage and an Earth mage in addition to Kim’s Fire.

  Zoe opened the door and Kim and the two men came into the living room. Kim introduced them. “This is Joe Chapman and Rob Andrews. Joe’s an Air mage and Rob is an Earth mage.”

  Zoe gave herself an internal high five when the introduction confirmed her identification of the men’s mage powers. “They live on the next block, which is why you haven’t met them yet, so I thought I’d bring them over and introduce everybody. I told them what you told me about the coven, but I figured you two can give them the details. Like I told you, we need to move fast. No offense, but in my experience, you faculty types spend way too much time talking about things, and not enough time actually acting on them,” Kim got it all out in one breath and stopped, looking at Zoe expectantly.

  Zoe laughed. “Um…okay. Well, like we told you earlier, we are assuming that the winter solstice is when the coven will raise the demon. I’m kinda new to this whole mage thing, so Kieran and I were just talking about anything we can do ahead of time.”

  Zoe was still getting used to the idea that other mages were going to expect her, the Elemental mage, to be a leader and come up with ideas. Her entire adult life she had been either a grad student or untenured faculty member. Leadership and her own authority were not something she was used to at all. Clearly, screwing up was not an option.

  Joe Chapman spoke up. He was a stocky man with spiky black hair streaked with gray. His blue eyes were sharp. “Do you know how many people are in the coven?”

  “Not exactly,” Kieran answered. “We do know of four and we just assume there are more. We’re sure of the president of Summerfield, the provost, one of the Sociology faculty and the provost’s secretary, who’s the leader.”

  “There are bound to be at least nine more to get up to thirteen total coven members,” Zoe added. “To raise a demon, the coven needs at least thirteen if they hope to be successful, and not kill themselves. More is even better.”

  Zoe was a little disappointed that her anticipated afternoon spent talking with Kieran was obviously turning into a war council with her neighbors, but she had to admit that if they didn’t survive the co
ven’s planned demon-raising, there wouldn’t be any afternoons to spend with Kieran anyway.

  “We really need at least something of a plan to take out the coven before they can complete the summoning. Obviously, we don’t want a successful summoning. Even in Philadelphia, people will notice a demon running around,” Rob Andrews noted wryly. He was a tall, weathered-looking man with brown hair and eyes. Zoe thought he looked like a younger version of Clint Eastwood without the classic Eastwood squint. He definitely looked like what she thought an Earth mage would look like.

  “How many of each Element do we have?” Rob asked.

  “Counting you guys, we have four Earth mages, three Fire mages, a couple of Air and a couple of Water. And, of course, Zoe is an Elemental.” At Kieran’s response, both Joe and Rob raised their eyebrows.

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you that,” Kim grinned at the two men. She looked back at Zoe.

  “Actually, I just wanted to see the look on their faces when they found out,” she laughed.

  Kieran looked at Zoe. “You’re the expert on witches and witchcraft. What’s the best way to disrupt a summoning?”

  “Well…” she hesitated and consciously stopped herself from saying my research shows… “the best way is to break their concentration and break their circle. But then, if they do manage to summon a demon, obviously whatever you do, don’t break the circle. That will release the demon. But then, it will probably be a free-for-all anyway. I don’t know if there’s anything we can do ahead of time. Even if we’re all standing around the fountain, the coven can set up elsewhere nearby, like in Sister Cities park, that little one across the traffic circle with the café. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think that’s what they’ll do anyway.”

  Kieran frowned. “But the fountain is the power locus, right? Won’t they have to make their circle around that?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Zoe grimaced. “I wasn’t really thinking. You’re right. That was stupid.”

  “No. Not stupid. Just over-thinking,” Rob grinned at her.