Most likely dabbler mages, ones with an affinity for magic, but not the energy to sustain them. They casted a few spells here and there, impressing humans and called themselves a mage. Well, technically, dabbler mages are mages, born of mage parents, but not in the same class as the Enforcers or even regular mages.
The cream of the crop, Enforcers showed strong talent and control of magic, and had high intelligence. Regular mages could cast many different spells, but had a hard time maintaining them for long periods of time or to cast more than one spell. Dabblers could cast simple spells which didn’t require a lot of energy.
Dabblers also didn’t live in fear of execution by the Coterie. Mages didn’t hate them since spells and the laws of magic still affected them, unlike Julia.
Before she mastered imbuing, she’d endured the whispers, the rumors from other jealous juniors implying she was a dabbler. Markus as a mentor was a prize many vied for, wanting to learn from him.
After a few fights, including some dirty fighting from both parties, they backed off.
With the help of her earrings, she eventually proved herself a competent mage, able to cast and maintain multiple spells at once. A true test of an Enforcer's skill. The duration of her spells she kept hidden.
That, and Markus refused to give her up as a partner. Long before she’d partnered with him at age eighteen, he’d shown an interest in her magic and schooling. He found her ways of adapting fascinating although he believed she changed spells because she was imaginative. She’d shown him new ways to maintain and shape energy which he claimed helped him in the field.
Looking down, her eyes not seeing the man crumpled at her feet, she dismissed him and the security concern from her mind. If Markus said they wouldn’t come then they wouldn’t come.
She shook her head, anger bubbling up as she remembered the last time she saw him.
“Why in the nine hells did you try to kill me?” She grounded out, hurt and furious. She trusted him with her life, and he left her there.
Chapter Twenty
Glaring at him, she saw the shock written on his face. “Try to kill you? I’ve never done that. What are you talking about?”
“The night we went to the office building. You casted a sleep spell on me and then you casted Devouring Plague. I would’ve died if Jackson hadn’t dragged me through the Fay portal. I almost died there anyway!” She shuddered, remembering the stench of the burning troll, the fear of dying in Fay. “Talk about a bad day.”
“It’s not what it seems. You should’ve stayed put, not tromped off with Jackson. I never wanted you involved in any of this.”
Regret and a touch of sadness flitted across his face. Vulnerability in Markus didn't sit right with her. Always so sure of himself and full of confidence, his arrogance a constant. He was unshakable. Wasn’t he?
“There are things I can’t explain to you, not right now. I’m in the middle of a huge investigation. You might get hurt. I won’t let it happen. I needed to protect you.” He scrubbed his hand across his face and muttered, “I almost didn’t with those damn wolves.”
His last statement nearly escaped her. She blinked in shock, unwilling to believe the implications of his words.
“What do you mean, with the wolves? You left my knife. You’re the only possibility.”
How else did he protect her from the wolves? Did he kill them? Had Revenant left the message on the bodies after Markus finished them? Could she accept that possibility, her mentor killing those two werewolves?
She felt torn. On one hand it horrified her. Murdered in cold-blood, the man weak from blood loss, the woman in shock. They’d died so quickly after they left the ally, no time to defend themselves.
Then again, the assassins tried to kill her and Jackson. Hard to dreg up any pity or sorrow for them as they blindly followed orders, attacking first. Did they even question why a kidnapped woman was one of the targets? Her disappearance would’ve filled the rumour mill, spilling over to the clean-up crew. Their job alone depended on them gathering information and assessing their prey. They could’ve verified, but didn’t.
Her heart hardened; no tears would be shed over their deaths.
“Yes, I left you the knife. Invisible and deodorized, I helped direct your attention to it; gave you an advantage. I felt the buildup of spell energy when the trap triggered. Dismantling it would’ve shown me. Since I didn’t want to tip my hand to the werewolves, I didn’t interfere.” Markus paced the room, raking a hand through his hair, his long coat flapping behind him. “I would’ve if you and Jackson needed help, but you did a fantastic job. I’m so proud of you. Once you were safely out of the alley, I left as well.”
A glow of happiness at his praise warmed her. Compliments from him were rare. He just expected her to live up to his expectations without whining or complaining. And he hated any whining whatsoever. He'd once teleported an extremely annoying junior Enforcer to Antarctica. At least he'd been nice enough to also shield him against the cold. A few hours later, he brought the silent and cowed Enforcer back. The other juniors learned to behave in his presence.
Slowly, she released the breath she’d held. It wasn’t an answer, but she wouldn’t get anything else from him. If he’d killed them, he had his reasons. Markus wasn’t an indiscriminate killer, taking life for pleasure.
As a senior Enforcer, he thought some things she didn’t need to know. His clearance higher than hers, he was privy to sensitive information. While it annoyed the nine hells out of her, pushing wouldn’t give her any answers.
Instead she had another, more important question she wanted answered. One that had nothing to do with the werewolves.
“Explain to me why you left me to die. Why did you cast Devouring Plague while I was unconscious? I'm placing the blame squarely on you. You put me to sleep!” Anger licked through her veins, consuming her relief and happiness. If he didn’t have a good reason, she might punch him to feel better. Rarely did she have so many violent feelings, but the stress of the past little while destroyed her natural equilibrium.
“Julia, you know I can’t cast those kind of spells. My expertise is illusions. I’ve spent my life perfecting them. And after almost three hundred years, I'd say I'm pretty damn good at them. So good, in fact, many can’t tell the difference between my illusions and reality.” He stated this without any pride or conceit, nothing but fact.
His illusions were superb. Some days, even she had trouble distinguishing the truth from fiction. Her magic resistance, however, made it easier for her to see through them. Which meant it was near impossible for a human, mage or any other creature to see the truth.
“Are you saying you pretended to cast Devouring Plague? Why? What possible reason did you have?” Her head pounded. Chaotic emotions swirled through her. She was happy to see Markus, angry at him for leaving her, scared he wasn’t who she thought he was and so damn tired of the hiding.
“Jackson needed to run, hide. Poking around brought the attention of the wrong people. He’s safer hiding. Didn’t think he’d take you with him.” Irritation seeped into his words. “That’s why I took your weapons. Didn’t want him grabbing them from you. He wouldn’t hurt you, but I didn’t want him taking your knives.”
He closed his eyes, a gesture as familiar to her as her own. He was centering himself, blocking out any disorganized thoughts. Slowly, he became his usual impenetrable, unflappable self. His shields to keep others at bay rock solid once more.
Julia saw through them. She always had. He'd proven over the years he cared deeply for her. The question was, how much? Would he do anything to keep her safe or was he feeding her a line? He'd left her alone, vulnerable and unable to defend herself. Could she forgive him for that? If she accepted his explanation, it meant he wanted to keep her safe and was playing an end game she wasn’t privy to. Why wouldn’t he tell her? Did he not trust her?
“What are you hiding from me? It hurts you don’t trust me. I’ve put my life in your hands more times than I ca
n count. Blindly followed you into dangerous situations believing you’d keep me safe and yet, you can’t trust me. What more do I have to do to prove myself to you? We’ve been partners for thirty years. I’m no longer a child who accepts everything you say at face value. If you don’t want me as a partner, tell me and I’ll walk away.”
Her heart pounded into her throat, cutting off her air and a little of her sanity. How could she force this ultimatum on him? He might walk away; decide she wasn’t worth the trouble. Hundreds of Enforcers wanted Markus as a partner. Replacing her, easier than ordering take out.
His gaze hooded and showed her nothing of his thoughts. She was groping in the dark. Had she hit a nerve or did he even care?
He pinned her with his scrutiny. “Are you sure? There are many things I’ve done that aren't public knowledge. Things that would forever change your mind about me. I’ve loved you as a daughter for so long. Protecting you is second nature to me. Everything I’ve taught you has been for your protection. One day, I won’t be your buffer and I want you ready before that happens.”
“How can I be ready if you won’t tell me? If you hide things from me then how can I be ready?” She pleaded. The glimpse into his dark depths, depths he'd kept well hidden from her, scared her. She needed to know, were her fears unfounded?
“And you’ve kept nothing from me?” His tone implied he knew she had and after the argument with Jackson, this hit close to home. She was keeping secrets - her imbuing abilities, her magical resistance and her training with Keeper.
Who was she to demand absolute truth? What hypocrisy. She hung her head in shame, her cheeks burning. Whatever he'd done couldn’t compare to hiding a deficiency which carried an automatic death sentence. If he ever found out, would he still love her or would he feel compelled to carry out the sentence?
“I’m sorry. I had no right to demand that of you. Everyone has something they keep close to themselves. You’ll tell me if and when you’re ready. I know that.” Tears threatening to fall and she forced them back, refusing to cry twice in one day.
Being in love had done some screwy things with her hormones. Usually it took a broken bone to cause a few tears and now some harsh words caused waterworks. She needed to get a hold of herself, remember her Enforcer training.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed down and cleared her mind. Jumbled thoughts were of no use to her and served no purpose. Trained for critical thinking, not emotional guesswork, she re-examined Markus’ words. Had he given anything away?
Investigating the demon trafficking, he'd pushed Jackson into disappearing for his own reasons. And somehow, he’s been able to find her twice now.
She sucked in a gasp as that last thought hit her. “How did you find me? You were there in the alley and now here. Do you have a tracker on me? Jackson checked me for one and didn’t find any. I didn’t either.”
She pinned him with a hard stare, wanting the truth this time and not an evasion.
“It wasn’t me. It was Keeper.” Unexpected words, very unexpected. Markus and Keeper working together to find her. Had Markus approached Keeper? Or did Keeper approach him?
“Keeper?” She tried hard to keep the panic from her voice, to appear calm but curious. No one knew about her connection to him. They both agreed to keep it under wraps or suspicions would be aroused as to why she needed training from him.
“Who else would I ask? He is the Keeper of All Knowledge. If anyone could find an obscure spell, it'd be him. And don’t bother asking about the spell because I don’t want you throwing it off. You’d find a way to break it.” His black eyes unwavering and his lips in a firm line. She’d get nothing from him.
She almost forgot how well he understood her. While she’d learned and studied from him, he had done the same with her.
Her mind processed new spells differently during training. Afterwards, since energy didn’t leave her body in a smooth, steady stream like the other Enforcers, she made necessary changes. Hence why she’d modified her tracker spell and as of yet it couldn’t be evaded. Markus had picked up on those changes. He’d never said much about it except to encourage her experimentation. He told her a stagnant mind was a surefire way to an early grave.
Magic was flexible, malleable to the whims of the mage, very little set in stone. Rituals were the sole exception to this; either follow the exact steps or prepare for disaster.
“I won’t tell the Coterie where you are or even that I’ve seen you. It’s clear you’re not a prisoner or you wouldn’t be here. And I saw how well you two worked together in the alley. That wasn’t the actions of someone desperate to escape.”
Relief flooded her. She leaned against the desk, gripping the edge hard. The pain in her fingertips told her to loosen her grip. Markus keeping quiet was more than she hoped for. While people worried for her, going back wasn’t an option, not when so much was unclear. She'd either become a target once she left Jackson’s side or make him a bigger target. She wouldn’t do that to him. Which reminded her...
“Speaking of Jackson, you two were friends? Why didn’t you tell me?” How could he shut her out, treat her like an unwanted relative? Full disclosure on his life, she didn’t expect. Markus made it clear certain cases remained classified, out of her pay bracket. But his personal life, hadn’t they moved past partners, becoming friends?
Markus crossed his arms, no longer pacing the room. The unconscious human lay between them, neither sparing him a glance. Eyes narrowed, Markus stood strong, proud and silent.
Ominously silent.
This trick wouldn’t unnerve her, though. She’d worked with him for too long. He’d taught her stubbornness, how to wait out a reluctant informant. She wanted answers.
"He's not good enough for you." He finally replied.
"What?" That didn't make sense.
Grateful for the desk under her butt, the sturdy wood kept her upright. This was the last thing she expected from him. He’d never struck her as the jealous, possessive type. They didn’t have that kind of relationship in the first place. Why would he feel that way?
While she gaped at him, he explained. "I love you like a daughter. No man will ever be good enough for you."
She waited for him to elaborate and the tense silence stretched. Was that all he had to say? He screwed with her life and he thought that was a good enough explanation? He wouldn't calmly accept her dictating his life.
“Not sure how I feel about all this. Gotta admit, I’m a little pissed off at you for being so high-handed and making choices for me. I’m a grown woman and I don’t need you deciding who I can and can’t meet, especially if I might enjoy their company!” She stopped to suck in some air and realized she’d been yelling. Guess she was angrier than she thought.
Fixing him with a furious glare, she continued “You and I are going to have this out later on. We don’t have time to stand here and argue. But don’t think I’m going to forget this. And remember what I said earlier about you getting a new partner? Forget it! You’re not getting a new partner. I'm gonna make your life a living hell for pulling this damn stunt on me. And wipe that smirk off your face or I’m not responsible for what I do next.”
“Sorry.” His lips quirked upwards before straightening. He sounded contrite, just not enough to satisfy her. “I’ll meekly accept any reprimands you give me at a later date. I'm glad you’re safe.”
He held out his arms for a hug. After a moment’s hesitation, she stepped over the human and wrapped her arms around him.
“I’ve missed you.” She whispered into his chest.
“I missed you too.” He tightened his hold and then released her. “Tell me, what in the nine hells is going on? Why haven’t you tried to escape from Jackson?”
She stepped back to get a better look at his face, searching for any signs of deceit. How much could she trust him? He’d been her mentor, her father-figure, for so long. She used to believe she could trust him with her life. Now, she wasn’t so sure. She wavered back and forth, reca
lling all the times he had helped her, supported her and encouraged her to be a great Enforcer. He never berated her or made her feel lacking.
Her mind made up, her words quiet, she said, “I love him and Jackson’s innocent. We just don’t have solid proof yet.”
She swung away from him, pacing in the tight quarters, muttering to herself, “I’ve spent the last two weeks going over everything he’s gathered. There’s a ton of shady dealings happening. But we’ve got nothing concrete to clear him. A lot is circumstantial evidence.”
She whirled towards Markus, the feminine part of her enjoying the swirl of her dress, and she assessed his reaction. To say she’d stunned him was an understatement. Not the answer he expected.
Long term commitment had never featured heavily in her life. The few men Julia had dated didn’t last long. Most couldn’t understand or tolerate her long hours and inability to discuss her work. Never mind hiding who she was and her special talents. How could she spend hours in the basement without rousing suspicion? Jackson, at least, knew about her hobby and would probably pester her to watch as she imbued her earrings.
For her to fall in love so quickly was unfathomable. Even with someone whom Markus recognized as a potential love interest for her. She, herself, had a hard time believing how fast she’d fallen for him.
“Does he really mean that much to you? Would you turn your back on the Enforcers, on me?” He asked, slow and careful. Julia almost heard the wheels turning. Markus never asked a question without a deeper purpose behind it. Probing her reaction for more than her depth of loyalty, but what, she wasn’t sure.
Rapidly blinking to clear the tears (again with the tears!), she thought over the true meaning behind his words. Did he want to know how much she cared for Jackson? Was he questioning her loyalty to the Enforcers? Or did he have information she wasn’t aware of? What answer did he expect from her?
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