Magecraft (Magik: The Avatar Wars Book 1)

by Antoine Henderson

  Rook zipped the fanny pack up in a huff before tossing it over his shoulders once more. The sound of footsteps echoed outside the door causing him to hide behind the door. Two maidens walked in the hallway, passing by the room as they discussed new hair products they were using.

  A large man wearing a light gray suit holding a cellular phone to his ear and walking with a cane followed behind them at a distance, yelling to whoever was on the other end. Rook recognized who it was from the photo inside the file. It was Magnus Rathbone.

  “I have no choice, Sophia! I can’t allow that arrogant pompous prick to get away with what he did… this goes beyond your feelings… he would do the same thing to you that he did to Lyberia and I won’t have that! Tell me I have your support…”

  Magnus disappeared around a corner and his conversation with him. Rook didn’t pay attention to what he was saying; his only focus was not being caught. When the coast was clear, he opened the door enough to get a better look of the hallway, being careful to avoid the cameras. He tossed the shroudnet back over him and entered the hall, holding the map while staying on guard. He passed by the maidens who passed him earlier being careful to hug the wall across from them, so they couldn’t sense his presence. After careful maneuvering of the hallways he finally made his way to the fourth floor.

  Following the map, he strode to a set of double doors. He turned and looked around, there was no way he could mask the door opening and shutting on camera, so he had to go for it and fast. Based on the information given to him, the item was in the room on a trophy mantel shelf that comprised of Magnus Rathbone’s most prized possessions. It was in a black rectangular case with a silver five combination lock.

  Opening the door, Rook entered swiftly and closed it quickly behind him. He leaned against the door and looked forward. Directly across from him was the mantel shelf, and the case lay upon it. His eyes beamed with joy as he had done it, without Bishop’s help. He walked toward the mantel shelf, careful to not make any noise when he heard muffled sounds. Turning to his right to see a man in front of the bed of the master bedroom, tied to a chair and his mouth taped.

  He was an older man, with short salt and pepper hair wearing a butler’s suit. Fear emitted in his eyes, catching Rook off guard. His suit was tattered and bruises marked his features, with a large gaping wound on his forehead stained in dry blood. Could the man see him? Impossible, but he witnessed the door opening then closing and it may have spooked him.

  Whatever the man was there for, Rook didn’t want to stay any longer to find out why, but part of him couldn’t just leave the man there, he needed help. Rook needed Bishop; he couldn’t leave the man there. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called Bishop. Rook’s conflicted thoughts came to a stop when another voice spoke.

  “There you are!”

  Rook turned to see a man holding a gun and swinging its grip at him, knocking him off of his feet and throwing the shroudnet off of him. Several other men quickly picked him up and holding his arms as the man approached. How did they know he was there? He turned to the man in the chair—that’s how. The man in the chair was Edgar Killshaw’s inside man, and they captured him.

  “We were waiting on you to show up,” said the man, before delivering a painful punch to Rook’s stomach.

  “Thanks to Oscar over there, we knew it was only a matter of time before you’d show up. Take him to the basement, the boss, wants them both downstairs.”

  Rook’s vision became blurry from the initial blow to his head. The punches he could withstand, but he slipped in and out of focus as Oscar looked away with every blow. He tried to focus on figuring out a way to escape, but those thoughts quickly left with a quick glance around the room in-between punches to his various part of his body. He saw six guards, not including the four that were holding him. There was no escape, and the room was fading with each blink of his eyes, slowly getting darker, fading until falling unconscious.

  Chapter 4

  Jumportal

  Bishop’s eyes snapped open, waking up from a harsh sleep. He looked around his room and winced, wiping drool from the side of his mouth. He looked at the blank screen of his television, then the clock next to it. It was nine-thirty, and he’d slept in longer than he was hoping to. Standing from the chair he turned to see his cellular phone light flashing on his bed. He picked it up saw a missed call from Rook. He turned to walk out of his room when he came to a stop.

  Slowly turning around, his gaze met the empty clear box that once contained the fanny pack. Bishop already knew the culprit: Rook. Only he would have the stones to take it, let alone come into his room. Felix wouldn’t do it out of the respect and admiration he held for Bishop and he knew Niles didn’t care enough and would prefer not to come into his room.

  In a huff, Bishop marched over to his bed, cursing Rook for stealing one of his most prized possessions and grabbed his phone. He tried to ring him several time, but his calls went directly to his voice mail. Annoyed, Bishop left him a scathing voice mail cursing him for taking his emergency kit, without it being an emergency. Hanging up, he realized he had a voice mail on his own phone and he listened to it. His anger with Rook faded when he heard voices of men he never heard before threatening Rook, with one even giving an order to take him downstairs.

  The voice mail came to an end and Bishop hurried downstairs, to an empty cafe. He glanced over the empty booths until spotting one with papers scattered over a table. He ran to the booth and immediately saw the note Rook left for him. After reading it he looked over a few files on the table, trying to remember the important details and grabbed another map from the pile.

  “Rook, you fool! Why didn’t you wait for me?”

  Without hesitation, Bishop ran to his room, searching the closet and drawers of his dresser throwing things out, until he finally found what he was looking for, the jumportal cloth. Using a jumportal took a lot of focus and a lot of magic. In order for it to work, two jumportals are needed, with both being used to transport a person from one place to another. When a person stands on the symbol after activation, they turn into pure magical energy and transported to the others location.

  Bishop always suggested that they use them in case of an emergency. He hoped Rook remembered to place his, if not, Bishop wouldn't be able to get to him in time. He put the square cloth on the floor before placing his hand upon it. Using magic to activate the seal, it illuminated a white glow as he stepped onto it, transforming into energy until he disappeared.

  The jumportal activated and Bishop arrived, kneeling in a wooded area. Rising, he immediately hit his head on a thick branch above him as the symbol’s white aura dissipated.

  “Ouch!” He exclaimed loudly in pain.

  His screams attracted the attention of several guards near the back of the house who came running toward the tree line. He removed a Yoyo from his pocket and swung it like a pendulum while standing still, avoiding making any sudden movements. The Yoyo was his conduit, an object used by warlocks and witches to channel magic and use their magic. The guards came before him, but their gazes moved around him as they passed. He was invisible to them now.

  Satisfied that what they heard may have been a woodland creature, the guards returned to their post. Bishop lowered his conduit before exhaling, immediately looking for a way inside the estate. He took a moment to catch his breath. Even for him, using a jumportal and his illusion magic took its toll. The more he used it, the weaker he became, but he had to come up with a plan quickly otherwise he might be too late to save Rook.

  Holding conduit high, he walked onto the grounds of the Magnus estate, using the map to guide him. A window was open straight ahead and after referencing the map, he deduced it was the same one Rook used to get in. He entered the window and was now inside the Rathbone estate.

  There was movement in the hallways and Bishop followed, doing his best to control his breathing and his flow of magic so he could keep his illusion. Against experienced mages, a trick like this would be
easy to figure out and sense, but there were none in sight as he followed security guards around the house until noticing a pair standing by a door that led to the basement of the estate. He thought about bursting through the door, but thought better of it. If the guards were alerted they might kill him if he wasn’t dead already, no, he needed a distraction.

  Scanning the room, Bishop saw a vase sitting against the wall. He knocked it over then ran back down the hall to find the guards running toward him and then passing him. Wasting no time, he entered the door quickly, making his way down the steps. Chatter echoed through up the stairs as he walked down them. The source came from a room at the far end of a long hallway. He crept down the hall until walking inside the room to see Rook worse for wear next to an older man. Their hands bonded by rope, they both sat next to one-another in silence.

  He scurried behind Rook as eight guards watched them closely. He needed to find a way to get him out of there, but the room was well guarded, he walked over to Rook slowly, standing on his life side. Bishop could only imagine what was going through his head at that moment. Part of him felt responsible for him being in this predicament while the other part of him blamed him for not waking him up.

  Another guard entered, followed by a large bald man wearing a light gray suit and walking with a cane. His entry into the room caused the other guards to stand at attention and make way for him before he came to a stop in front of his two prisoners.

  “A kid and a Butler—my butler—tell me Oscar, was losing your life worth the betrayal? You made the wrong choice.”

  “Lord Magnus, I didn’t—”

  “Take him out of here, you know what to do,” Magnus ordered.

  Several of the guards left their positions and grabbed the now sobbing butler as he begged for his life, but his plea fell on deaf ears as Magnus’s attention focused on Rook. He admired Rook for several moments, analyzing his features, his emotions, trying to figure something out. Bishop was proud of the way Rook was handling the situation, he wasn’t showing fear. He accepted his fate no matter what happened. Bishop didn’t know what Rook was offered to take the job, but whatever it was, he believed strongly in it.

  “Boy, what is your name?”

  “Rook.”

  “Rook, huh? Cute,” Magnus replied. “Do you know who I am, Rook?”

  “Yes. Magnus Rath—”

  “Lord Magnus Rathbone,” Magnus interrupted. “Head of the Rathbone royal family. I tell you this because I want you to know who will kill you. I will not end up like the others no, no he can’t kill me so easily… are there others?”

  Bishop recognized that name. Magnus Rathbone was a member of the royal magical families. A fullblood mage in high society, he’d met Magnus and other members of his family years prior. The man he met years ago differed from the man before him. Time had not been kindly to him and he’d gained a significant amount of weight which hid the small frame he once carried.

  Rook glared at him in confusion. “Others? What are you talking about? It’s only me.”

  “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about! He sent you here to kill me didn’t he?”

  “Who—who are you talking about? I wasn’t sent here to kill anyone! I was sent here to take back something you stole!”

  Magnus paused for a moment and admired Rook once more. Bishop’s frustration grew as he watched, still unable to lift a finger to help his friend in this state. The guards that took the butler away hadn’t returned yet, so that increased their odds slightly, but not enough for him to act. Glancing around the room, he stopped to look on a table near the back of the room. On it was his shroudnet, his emergency kit and Rook’s phone. His quickly attention fell back to Magnus as he spoke.

  “Okay… I’ll play along… what is it I stole?”

  “I—I don’t know what it is, he only told me you stole something from his client and that if I came here and retrieved it and delivered it to him; he would help me in return. I don’t know what was stolen; he only described the long black and has a silver lock on it. That’s it.”

  “Long black case—” Magnus stopped talking and turned his head and stared at Rook for several seconds before speaking again. “Tell me, who are your parents?”

  “What?”

  “Just answer the question!”

  “They’re dead.”

  “What is their names boy?” Magnus roared.

  “Morgan and Lucia Montcroix,” Rook relented.

  Magnus’ eyes widened, stepping back and swallowing a lump in his throat. “Morgan and Lucia? This can’t be… he found… why didn’t he—”

  The sudden appearance of Bishop’s head poking through the shroudnet next to Rook’s head interrupted Magnus. He and the guards took several steps back and stumbled at the sight of seeing a bodiless moving head. While the guards and Magnus focused on Rook, Bishop had taken it along with the emergency kit and his phone.

  “Hey buddy,” Bishop greeted. Rook jerked away, startled by Bishop’s sudden appearance. “Might want to close your ears!”

  Bishop’s hand appeared from under the shroudnet, bringing the whistle to his pressed lips. Rook followed his instructions, lifting his rope-bound hands to his hears as Bishop blew as hard as he could. The whistle emitted a powerful and piercing cry, causing Magnus and his guards to stumble back, dropping whatever they had in their hands and trying to cover their ears. He used that opportunity to use Rook’s pocketknife to cut him loose allowing him to join him under the shroudnet. Bishop stopped blowing the whistle, but the sound carried for a few more seconds, while Magnus shouted for his men to kill them, but they were too busy protecting their eardrums from the piercing cry.

  Under the protection of the shroudnet, they made their way out of the basement as guards passed them hurriedly to find out what the commotion was. Reaching the main level of the estate, they removed the cloak when the coast was clear and Rook hugged his friend, before pulling back quickly.

  “It’s time to go, Rook.”

  “Not without what I came for!”

  “We don’t have time for that, they’ll be up here any moment!”

  “I almost died because of this thing! I’m not leaving without it, Bishop!”

  “Yes, we are! There will be other jobs to do, Rook. It isn’t worth losing your life. Remember what I always say? Only enter a situation when you can control the outcome—this would not apply!”

  “Had you been awake to help me, this wouldn’t have been a situation! I’m going, Bishop! This is the only way for me to find my sister and I am not screwing this up!”

  Bishop paused as he began realizing why Bishop was content with his situation. He didn’t do this for money or anything monetary, he did it because he loved his sister and would do anything to see her again; even going on a suicide mission. Bishop felt leaving was their best chance at getting away, but he wouldn’t allow his friend to do this alone after he’d been through so much already. He couldn’t.

  “All right, Rook, lead the way… I hope you have a plan!”

  Rook smiled at Bishop. “I do, this way!”

  Rook led Bishop up three flights of stairs until reaching the fourth floor. They entered the master bedroom where the box remained on the mantel shelf. Rook grabbed it and held it tightly; they could hear the guards storming down up the stairs headed in their direction.

  “Now what?” Bishop asked.

  “Think you can conjure an illusion?

  “Possibly, I’m almost tapped out—I can use it for a minute, maybe less.”

  “Good, that’s all I need. Keep them distracted, I only need less than a minute. Throw me your fanny pack.”

  “Emergency kit!” Bishop corrected.

  “Whatever, just throw it here!”

  Bishop followed Rook’s request and tossed him the fanny pack. Catching it, Rook threw it over his shoulder before he ripped the bedding off the bed and yanked the bed sheet off. He opened the emergency kit and removed the fire crackers and lit them, placing
them on the wooden floor. He walked toward the window on the other side of the room as Bishop removed his conduit from his pocket and held it high stepping back toward Rook as the guards voices drew closer. Bishop looked toward the bed and noticed the firecrackers and his face turned..

  “Rook… did you… you didn’t light those, did you?”

  “Yea, we need it for a distraction once your illusion is disappears… It should last for the time I need, just get to it!”

  “But—”

  “We don’t have time, Bishop!”

  “But—”

  The guards storming into the room grabbed their attention and Bishop held his conduit high, looking at them then the firecrackers. Their attention fell on the illusion of them standing by the bed, holding their hands up in the air. The guards aimed their guns at them why the real Bishop and Rook stood behind them. Bishop still held his conduit high while Rook hurriedly drew a symbol on the large bed sheet. He finished by the time the illusion were giving themselves up.

  Rook came to Bishop holding out an end of the bed sheet. “Here, take this.”

  “What are you planning, Rook?”

  “We’re going to port jumportal out the window.”

  “That’s a bad idea! We need to get out of this room and fast! Those weren’t just regular firecrackers, Rook!”

  “What were—”

  The sudden disappearance of their illusions interrupted Rook as Bishop lowered his conduit. The guards noticed the firecrackers on the ground before turning and seeing them standing there holding a sheet to their backs.

  Bishop looked at the quickly burning wick and panicked. He placed his conduit in his pocket, grabbed the end of the sheet, pulling Rook with him and bolted toward the window in one motion. The guards ran out of the master bedroom as they crashed through the four-story window sending glass shards flying outward. They looked on as the firecrackers popped, turning into a large series of explosions that engulfed the room, rocking the house and sending flaming debris through the window behind them. Rook activated the seal, and it ignited in the white aura as they descended closer to the ground. As they landed, the jumportal fully activated, collapsing around them, and then onto itself disappearing into nothing.