by Viola Grace
She grinned and scooped him up, cuddling him.
“Thank you as well, Liirick. You have a lot of skill at unraveling curses.”
He chuckled. “I have been taught by the best. The DeMonstres are friends that I spend a lot of time with.”
Reegar set about cleaning up after the explosion. “Well, this is not how I anticipated your first visit, Lee.”
Lee moved to the specter and wrapped his arms around him. “I came to see you. Whatever comes up, I am just delighted to be visiting.”
Imara smiled and returned to the entryway, gathering her backpack and hoisting Mr. E to her shoulder.
She carefully removed her gloves and tossed them in the trash.
The tea party set in the lounge was amazing. Reegar had gone all out.
The specter and the elf returned to the lounge, and Liirick poured her a cup of tea.
The steam was disconcerting. “How can it still be hot?”
“I have educator status at this college. I have free rein to use magic for any purpose. That includes keeping the tea hot and the sandwiches cold. They are from a bakery in town that has been around since the start of the college. It was a trip through nostalgia to come back here.”
The elf prepared a plate for her and extended his arm. “For your valiant defender.”
Mr. E murped proudly and hopped to the table, diving into the sandwiches with his amazing appetite.
“He eats on the table?”
She smiled. “When he can make the jump from the floor to the table without magic, he can eat down there. Until then, he eats where I can keep an eye on his intake.”
“You are worried about his diet?”
Imara chuckled. “No, I am fascinated by how much he can eat.”
Lee sat back and Reegar joined them. “What are you two discussing?”
“Mr. E’s eating habits.”
“Ah, a fascinating subject. I have never observed a familiar eating as much as he does or eating human food, for that matter. But, I have not actually met an inherited familiar with a penal aspect.”
Mr. E growled at him. Apparently, he was sensitive about that designation.
“I don’t care what they say about him. So far, he has been a great familiar. Doesn’t even peek on me in the shower.”
He continued to devour a thin ham sandwich.
Lee chuckled and Reegar sat next to him. Their hands were close on the table. It was sweet.
Reegar sighed. “This was my favourite bakery. I will miss the flavours.”
Imara blushed a little, but she felt it necessary to say, “Have you tried skelping?”
Reegar blinked. “What?”
Liirick cocked his head. “What is that?”
“It is a slang term for possession for pleasure. Reegar would place his specter within your body, and what you can experience, he can experience. It isn’t just electrical impulses that give a simulation of life but uses a living body to feel. You have to agree, of course. You could propel him outward in a moment if you didn’t. Life always wins.
Reegar looked to his ex-lover and raised his brows. “If you were willing, I would love to try, but I am a little too solid for that.”
She coughed delicately. “Bleed off your extra energy into metal or stone. You will be intangible once again.”
Lee was grinning. “You want to be inside me?”
Reegar chuckled. “In the worst way.”
Imara reached for a plate and picked out a few sandwiches. “If you two are going to get reacquainted in public, I am going to grab some snacks and head to my room. I will be back for Mr. E in a moment. Don’t do anything of the naked variety until then, please.”
Reegar held up his hand. “Do not leave. Aside from our flirting, Lee has too many manners to make a lady feel uncomfortable.”
Lee shrugged. “He is not wrong. You are here for the next three years. That is plenty of time to play at our leisure. I can probably arrange three or four lectures per term and come in on weekends around that schedule.”
Imara blinked. “I think I would like to attend some of those lectures.”
“You might not be able to attend until you complete your first term, but I can always let you know what you missed in a private tutorial.”
“That sounds pleasant. I would like to know how to recognize a cursed object. I had no idea what you saw when you looked at the box.”
Lee looked at her and cocked his head. “You are warded.”
“Yeah, I had to do it to stop the leak.”
“It is the wrong type of ward for you. Instead of helping you, it has blinded you. If Reegar will assist, I can make you a charm that will appear the same from the outside but leave your senses free.”
Mr. E got up and walked over to sit in front of Reegar.
“Lee, what is he doing?”
The rumbling purr and sudden rise to his hind legs made Imara cover her laugh with her hand.
Reegar’s voice was strangled. “What is he doing?”
Lee smirked. “He is giving you big kitten eyes.”
“Spells and stars, that is adorable. Yes, yes, of course I will help.”
With a cheerful murp, he turned and trotted back to his plate. Imara covered her face and howled with laughter. It was nice to know that it wasn’t just her that he could wrap around his fluffy paw.
Chapter Nine
The letter exchange with her mother became a regular feature of her life, but she had to cut back after midterms. She hadn’t done as well as she had hoped, and there had been two more cursed boxes on the doorstep. Reegar had called an instructor to take care of the parcels, and the person leaving them had yet to be identified.
The small amulet she wore tucked into her bra was preforming exactly as Lee had described. She could see out, but they couldn’t see in. Her stray energies were also contained but that was more meditation and practice than anything else.
“Enough, Imara. You have been studying for weeks; you are ahead of everything except Herbology, and you need to get out and have some fun.”
She looked at Bara briefly and turned back to the textbooks and research books on the history of magic. Reegar had brought in more books from somewhere, and she hadn’t had to spend any time in the college library.
“I don’t need fun. I didn’t budget for fun.”
“I will pay. There is a fey orchestra playing in the quad tonight.”
Imara smirked. “That is a lie. It is a goblin rave. I might have my head in my books, but I did look up and see the posters.”
“Half-goblins. Their voices are supposed to be incredible.”
“Why does it have to be tonight? I was just getting in-depth on the third century when that wave hit. It is the first recorded instance of trolls and giants.”
“Fascinating. Come out and have fun. Just for a few hours, you can pretend to be a normal student. Come on...” Her whine was what did it.
“Fine. Fine. I will come with you, but I am wearing this. Oh, and Mr. E.”
Bara frowned. “I don’t know if he will like the sound.”
Imara saw the logic in that. “Mr. E, do you want to go to a goblin concert?”
He gave her a slow blink and rested his head on his paws. He was content where he was, sleeping on her backpack and guarding her snacks.
“So, that’s a no. Well, I guess I can spare an evening.”
She looked at her paperwork and memorized what was where.
Once she had a good idea of where she had left off, she stacked everything together and brought it to her room. She returned to the lounge, and Bara appeared surprised. “Ready?”
“Sure. I am not going for socialization, so makeup is not necessary. This is an open party, so a skirt isn’t necessary. I am fine in jeans and a sweatshirt.”
“Right. Okay, come on, dinner is on me.”
Imara grinned and gave herself a quick pat down to find her wallet. She had her ID, so she was all set.
“Excellent. Lead on.”
Bara link
ed arms with her and hauled her out of their home and into the night.
They made their way to the gathering throng, and Imara grinned. “Food carts.”
“Well, I am not taking you to the dining hall. Come on, those little donuts are calling me.”
Grinning, Imara went to experience the depths of junk food before she stood and listened to her first concert.
Sharing small portions with Bara was surprisingly fun.
“So, why did you choose Reegar Hall?” Imara mumbled it around a mouthful of fries, cheese and chili.
“Same reason as you. Finances. Reegar Hall needed a resident advisor to continue to be considered part of the college, and I needed a place to live when my original hall was over capacity.”
“That can happen?”
“Sure. I was on a waiting list for housing and told to check in when I arrived. When I arrived, Leethan Hall was full and I was out on my ass. The housing advisor recommended my asking for a placement at Reegar Hall, and Magus Reegar agreed. I had a place to live and a master mage to point me in the right direction when he was feeling sociable. It has been a comfortable few years, though I haven’t been able to get any folks to come over for an evening. No one is interested in dealing with him.”
“He seems pretty cheerful to me.”
“He has been able to interact with the physical world for the first time in nearly a hundred years. Of course he is cheerful.” Bara snorted. “Seriously, though. I am happy that you signed up for us. I was spending more time in the library than at home, and I love the library at the Hall.”
“It is thorough. I like studying there. It is so quiet and Reegar is very helpful.”
Bara moved closer to her, “Is there any progress on your stalker?”
“Is that what it is? I thought I had a personal terrorist or a mail-order assassin.” Imara grinned. “The afterlife isn’t too bad, and Mr. E would get to get another mage assigned to him.”
Bara was shocked. “You hold your life so cheap?”
“No, but I am not afraid of what happens next after we leave the physical world. Specters are just another phase of existence.”
Bara tossed the empty container and wiped her hands on a napkin. She flicked her fingers, and flame took the napkin.
“I wish I could do that.” Imara sighed.
“It is a third-year spell.”
“Excellent. I have passed a few of the equivalency exams, so I am going to start using the fun stuff after this term.” Imara looked around and watched the variety of humans mixing and mingling in the quad. The band was setting up and getting ready to start their set. Imara had never seen a goblin in person before, but only two of them were pure.
The four-armed drummer was practicing a few beats; the six-eyed keyboardist was checking his equipment and the two nearly human guitarists were in conversation. The base player was human. Well, he was mostly human. His skin was greenish and his ears were pointed.
Bara murmured as they joined the crowd. “What equivalencies?”
“I am a third-degree necromancer, second-degree enchanter and first-degree potion master.” Imara grinned. “I had some time on my hands before the exams.”
“How long are you planning to be in school?”
“Three years or less. I need to get out and make a living.” She shrugged.
“Wow. That is quite the career path. What do you want to do?”
“I want to get into necromancy or possibly the spectral arts.” She grimaced. “I have to decide soon. The next thing I know I am going to be out of my first term and I will have to make up my mind.”
“I thought you had more of a budget for classes than that.”
“I have enough for five years, but I don’t want to spend that time here.”
“Why not?”
“Because that money will get me an apartment and a wardrobe to start a new life. Mr. E eats a lot.”
They had to stop their discussion because the band started the concert, and Imara was rapidly going deaf with a grin on her face.
An hour later, her hearing was a thing of the past, but she was still smiling. The music had moved her and had decided her on one of the courses she wanted to tackle. If there was still space, she wanted to take Sound Magic Theory. She wanted to know how someone could move her with just sound, strings and a beat.
They were near Reegar Hall when she was struck.
A shadow separated from a nearby hedge and charged for her. There was a body behind the shadow as it collided with her. Pain shot into her arm, and the impact dropped her into Bara. They fell to the ground, and everything went scarlet.
Bara was yelling and trying to get her to sit up. Imara helped as much as she could, and Mr. E met them on the way to the Hall.
He climbed her body while Bara was walking her to the building, and he tasted the impact spot on her arm.
She is going to die.
Imara couldn’t answer. She was wracked with agony as Reegar took over her maintenance, lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the lab.
It took twenty minutes of Reegar barking orders and Bara applying a series of treatments in turn, for Imara to be able to speak.
She could feel the fury of Mr. E in her blood. He was on the hunt. “Mr. E is hunting.”
“I am glad you are back with us. I have managed to reduce the effect of the poison, but I have had Bara put a call in to the main office. Unfortunately, there are several idiots who are taking up the healers that you need. We can’t identify the toxin completely without them.”
“Threbesh demon blood. They stabbed me with demon blood.” She gritted her teeth and relayed what Mr. E was telling her.
Reegar sighed. “Good. That is an easy fix. Where is he? He should be with you.”
She closed her eyes as Reegar started barking out orders to Bara. She sought out Mr. E, but he was busy. His mind was full of rage and ancient hate.
She opened her eyes as Bara applied a poultice that smelled like sulfur and mint. “Uh, Mr. E is busy right now.”
* * * *
Eadric the Hellborn crouched low to the ground as he faced down his opponent.
You think that that feeble body can take me, Eadric? I have waited centuries for you to be given a form that matched your skills.
Eadric circled to get an attack position on the ferret with the bad attitude. I see your mage chose a form that matched your soul. I have rarely seen a better match to personality, Kemeer.
So, you recognized me? I thought I had managed to hide rather well. The idiot who inherited me was easy to control.
That is not our place, Kemeer.
It is what I want. I have used her to gain what I needed to destroy your mage, and when her heart beats her last, you will be returned to wait for decades until you can be assigned to the next generation. In the meantime, I will gather power and bring the mages back to the top of the food chain.
That is why you were made a familiar in the first place, Kemeer. He growled and gathered himself.
Eadric felt a surprising burst of power coming from Imara, and he used it to effect.
Kemeer may have thought he was getting a kitten, but in a wave of energy, Eadric took on the body of a black tiger, stepping calmly on the small, squirming body until it cracked.
The woman sitting in the corner, dressed in black and holding a blade, came to her senses. “What? Kimmy, where are you?”
Eadric resumed his kitten form and left the way he had come. Kemeer wasn’t dead, but he was crippled. He would need attention, and there was only one place his mage could take him.
Eadric bolted back to Reegar Hall to be with his mage while she recovered. He wasn’t sure if she even knew that she had sent her strength to him.
The door to the hall cracked open at his approach, and he streaked toward the lab without hesitation.
Imara was slumped in a chair, face pale, lips blue, while Bara was working on her. The young mage applying medical assistance was crying. “It isn’t working.”
Eadric hopped up onto Imara’s lap, and he pressed his head against her ribs. His purr was deep, and he hoped that it was enough. He put all of his power into his mage and tried to stop the leeching of her soul through her open wound.
Hey fuzzy guy. Did you get it done?
He is incapacitated.
Why?
He sighed against her chest. He hates me. He is one of those I was fighting against, and his crimes against the unpowered populace landed him in the inherited-familiar system.
So, he kills me and he sends you back to storage?
And he has a clear run at bringing the mages back to power. That is his end goal. He considers mages to be superior to pretty much everyone else.
He could hear Bara muttering, “It is working.”
So, who was he?
The familiar to the receptionist at the familiar facility. He saw me the moment you carried me to the desk to get the materials.
Does his mage know?
No. He had her within his control. She was the one who attacked you. When she takes him in for medical care, we will learn where she got the blood for the curses.
I will let Reegar and Bara know. What was the name of the familiar?
Kemeer. His mage calls him Kimmy. He is a ferret.
Right. I hope I can enunciate. Her chuckled in their link made him relax a little. She was a good mage and had the potential to be a great one.
* * * *
Imara lifted her head. “Person responsible is a ferret named Kimmy. Kemeer the archmage is the familiar of the receptionist at the familiar center. He hates Mr. E and has been taking control of his mage in order to kill me and destroy Mr. E for this generation.”
Bara looked at Imara, “Familiars don’t take control of their mages.”
“This one does. Read your history. Kemeer wanted to raise the mages above all others, and he was willing to use whatever he could to accomplish it. Demon-zone energy was one of those things.” She spoke in a rush. She could feel darkness pushing in on her again.
“Right. We need to get you to the infirmary, but I can’t carry you.”