Magic and Mayhem: A Collection of 21 Fantasy Novels

by Jasmine Walt

  “What?”

  “Instead of apprenticing with them.”

  “My mom never really let me live it down; she thought it was a sign that non-Pack was unreliable. So I spent a hundred years or so trying to get on her good side and hating every minute of it.”

  “What happened then?”

  “My grandfather died. Bequeathed his power to me and Eren. And if we hadn't taken pains to learn spellcraft, we could never have used it—it could have even destroyed us without an outlet. We studied under the woman who used to own the Well, a doddering old thing with the nastiest streak I've ever encountered. She had a fear of authority and mainly ran it as a fuck you to some of the leaders of the Hub at the time, who feared that with in-between points like the Hub, it would encourage cross-species allegiances. She didn't even like her customers, but she devoted her life to protecting their discretion and anonymity. When she died and left it to us, we decided to do the same. Pack life, it's just not suited to spellcraft.”

  “And your mom didn't mind?”

  “She didn't have much choice in the matter; she knew a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Our grandfather's power stretches much further here. The changing nature of the between-worlds where we're situated removes a lot of the constraints. With barely a touch of his power here, I can create worlds, where in other realms, it might only be enough power to light a candle.”

  I smile just a little. “Don't get cocky now.”

  “It's not cockiness. Just honesty. So long as we're here, we're somewhere all but impenetrable.” He hesitates, warmth and a guarded frustration warring in his face. “I can teach you a few tricks if you want. I don't know your brand of spellcraft, but you can see if other disciplines might work for you.”

  I'm not sure that I could stomach working in such close proximity to him. I'd certainly never learn anything. “Maybe.” And there's still a question that haunts me. “You said I protected you. The book says the spell is weak.”

  “Except when done to protect an individual one's closely bonded with. That book, the author's a demon who never saw an animal he didn't want to kill and eat. He never considered pets as a possibility. And you brought me into your home, accepted me as your family. Every day I was there, you let me into your heart just a little deeper, and the spell got stronger. Even when I was a man, the power knew I was still the same person you'd brought into your life to love.”

  I shudder. “It must be weak now. If I had to try it again. Because we're not family. You're not my pet. And you're not someone I love.” Fuck, that sounded harsh. “You know what I mean,” I try to amend, but the awkwardness still reigns supreme.

  Reza glances away. “Yeah. That stands to reason. I'll get out of your hair. Just let me find something to read.”

  “It's—it's okay. I'll head out. I was mainly trying to brush up so that I wouldn't be locked out of my room.”

  “If that's what you want. Goodnight, Lis.”

  He turns away, and I skedaddle as fast as my legs can take me. I learned a lot, both about him and about myself. So why do I feel like shit?

  28

  Reza

  The room seems empty without Alisa. I've gotten used to being in such close quarters with her, and the new space just doesn't sit well with me. That's the problem with canine instincts. And her voice… When she broke down why she'd no longer be able to protect me the way she used to? That was a kick in the stones. Nothing I hadn't known already, but still not a pleasant truth to hear.

  Everything is too claustrophobic here. I'm gonna have to create a new floor or something once I've settled in. We're at capacity already, with more clients coming every day. No wonder Eren was shitting bricks. I'm looking forward to the work, both for the extra space and for the distraction. It shouldn't bother me as much as it does—that whatever liking or trust was between me and Alisa is gone.

  The door opens again. I look up, a spark in my heart at the thought it might be Alisa coming back to talk some more. But it's Abel. Shit. I doubt the woman in our past meant anything to him, but it certainly would have wounded his pride at the time.

  “Nice collection.” I offer an olive branch. And it is a nice collection. Abel's created shells for such a broad variety of books, and it's plain that he loves every one.

  “Thanks. Might need more shelf space soon.”

  “I'll set that up this week.”

  He shuts his eyes and begins working, creating a book out of the raw materials in the air. It doesn't look like much now, just a cloud of sparkling filaments weaving themselves together. But I can feel his raw power as he works. It's honestly pretty relaxing to watch, and I've always enjoyed the way my nerves hum when someone else shapes magic.

  Eventually, he opens his eyes. “You're staring. Why?”

  “Why're you here?”

  “Because I was bored and wanted to take advantage of the relative quiet to get some work done.”

  “I mean here. In the Well. You know that.”

  His eyes narrow; he was testing me, and now he knows that just because he has Eren's okay to be in our domain doesn't mean he has mine. “Eren needed the help, and I wanted the change. Gene and I were bitten one too many times by unreliable bosses. We wanted to do business our own way, make our own place.”

  “So you two are—”

  “Yeah. And if you look at her wrong, it's a toss-up which of us will come down harder on you.”

  “Don't worry; I don't have eyes for your girl.”

  He cocks an eyebrow. Maybe I should confront the elephant in the room. But before I can figure out what to say, he does it himself. “Don't worry about Katerin. It's water under the bridge.”

  “No, I was cocky. It was a dare. And she was a sweetheart. I took a good thing away from you.”

  “I got someone better. Someone I probably would have overlooked if I'd still been pining for Katerin even a few decades later. Getting that broken heart out of the way fifty years earlier is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I just—I hope you treated her well. Like you said, she was a sweetheart.”

  “She left me. A year after. I wasn't around enough; she thought I was a sailor in those days. So she found someone who was around to pay her the attention she deserved. I met her kids. She had a beautiful family. Lived to a ripe old age.”

  “I'm glad.”

  “So what're you gonna do when Alisa—”

  My heart skips a beat at the sound of her name. “When Alisa what?”

  “I just thought…that's gotta be the frightening thing about loving a mortal. One of the incubi got himself a mortal wife and baby, but she has the blood and the birthright. At least his family won't be broken up when her time comes.”

  “Alisa and I aren't together. You misread.”

  He cocks an eyebrow. “Did I?” I hate incubi sometimes, so smug about their insights into romance. But for an instant, my chest tightens. Does he mean Alisa might feel something for me other than betrayal? I want to ask, desperately, but I shouldn't. It's a bad idea to give even that glimmer of hope purchase in my thoughts.

  “She's just laying low here. Eventually, she'll go back to her old life, catch up with her old friends, boyfriends, and this'll all just be a strange, dreamy chapter in her life. I'll always owe her a few favors that I don't doubt she'll be too proud to cash in, but there's nothing more than that between us. We've shared some weird shit. That's it.”

  He shrugs and goes back to his work. I take my book, ready to walk away. Maybe I'll have a drink with Eren before bed. I've been too rattled to really be inclined to be social, but it's such a pleasure being home, knowing he's safe, too, that together we can weather anything. It's good to be back with my family. It would be good to bullshit with him. Shift and wrestle, just to keep our fighting skills in shape. Plan improvements to the place or just shit-talk the regulars. The Well never really sleeps, and there's no shortage of interesting characters to observe.

  “And when are you going to go back to work?” I look
back at Abel before realizing the question didn't come from him. Eren's standing on my other side.

  “Work?” I ask, not understanding.

  “You weren't the only one they tried to hit that day. You seriously haven't noticed more familiar faces haunting this place? It's not because our goulash recipe got better, though you didn't complement the changes I made to our goulash…never mind. It's because we're one of the few places in any of the worlds where people feel safe from Morena and her Reapers, butt-hurt incubi lashing out, or paranoid demons. And not everybody was as lucky as you, either. They eviscerated Jai and then tore him limb from limb when they discovered him harboring a succubus. No one knows what became of the young lady; she hasn't turned up here, either. But there were witnesses. I'm no longer fool enough to believe this is anything but the first salvo in what could very well be a generational war.”

  “I didn't know.”

  “How could you? You've been mooning over the girl since you got here. Did you even get those wounds properly looked at?”

  “One of the witches helped me,” I say, almost sheepishly. I hadn't wanted to track Alisa down to have her finish what she started in her car. Eren knows me well enough to really twist the knife. “And I wasn't mooning.”

  “Lie to yourself if you like, but don't presume the rest of us are as naïve.” I think I catch a smirk out of Abel and wish we weren't having this conversation here. “I just… We need you, okay? I can barely run this place on my own, let alone keep the spells up. And I have a feeling our same old defenses won't cut it anymore. We need your head back in the game, not up your own ass or wedged tight in some girl's—”

  “I got it,” I put up my hand. “And you're right. I've been too wrapped up when we all need to be pulling in the same direction.” I squeeze his shoulder. Then I grab a book from the shelf behind him. “This should get me started.”

  I'll have a nap, first, though. My room is next to Alisa's. No doubt, Eren planned it that way so that I'd be close if anyone got out of hand with her. But it's a blessing and a curse. I'm gonna have to walk by her door and pretend that everything's okay and that it doesn't sting that there's no chance of us even being friends or allies.

  Her door's open, and she looks up as I walk past. I pause. “You're gonna want to close that. Not all of the other guests will be inclined to respect your privacy. They might see it as an invitation.”

  She grins. “Just let them try.” And she thought I was cocky. “Think violent thoughts, and try to come in.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I'm testing a modification of the ward. If you have any ill will toward me, it should stop you in your tracks.”

  “Really? How'd you do it?”

  “Blended a few different sigils with some of the divination stuff. I have no clue if it'll work.”

  “So you left the door open to test. That was stupid. What if it failed?” I step through her doorway to not be talking in the hall. The ward washes over me like warm water. Apparently, the Well amplifies her power, too. That's a little odd; it's written into every stone of this place that only its masters have that privilege. She shouldn't have even been able to cast, aside from general healing and opening charms. Even the unlocking sigils would only work on common-area doors and her bedroom.

  It's the hair. The one that I told her to swallow so the gate would consider her connected to me. She must have eaten it, just in case I got held up or died, leaving her to find her way in on her own. Its presence in her has fooled the Well into accepting her as a mistress. That's…good to be aware of. Though I don't issue blood invitations like that as a general practice.

  “That's a strong casting.”

  “Thanks,” she says, beaming. Apparently, her curiosity's gotten the better of her, and she's excited to explore her powers. It's a good look for her. “You have no ill will toward me. At least, if it's working.”

  “Let's test it.”

  “How?”

  I twist my fingers to shape a window to Eren. The air parts in front of my face, and I talk quickly. “Grab a knife or something and come up here now. We need to kill Alisa.”

  “What?”

  “Just do it.”

  The air closes up the window, but the magic in the atmosphere only intensifies. I choke, the air in my lungs on fire. Some unseen force jerks me backward, and then I'm outside her door, able to breathe again. That's a good sign.

  Eren comes up the stairs, knife in hand, and sees me. “Why the fuck aren't you doing it yourself? You too soft to kill the deadweight? Regretting adopting her? Is your debt of honor not enough to cover the inconvenience of taking care of a pet?”

  I glare at him, wanting to defend her. But I want to know if her ward works. I'll hold him back long enough to explain if it doesn't.

  He starts toward the door, not feeling the ward. Eren never had a good nose for that stuff. He bounces off the air in her doorway as though it were cement. “What the fuck—”

  He tries again. A grin spreads across Alisa's face, and he looks a little ashamed to know that she heard everything he said.

  “It works, Lis.” I call in to her. “Scratch that, Eren. I just needed you to want to hurt her so we could test something. You can drop the knife.”

  He glares at me and follows the instruction, setting the knife on a table in the hall.

  “So long as you're not gonna try to hurt her, try to go in again.”

  He does so, and this time walks through easily. “What was that?”

  “A variant on the warding,” she says proudly. “Targeting intent, not just whether you had any weapons on you. It kicked Reza out when he told you to come kill me.”

  “You're letting her cast?” Eren asks, his eyes boring holes into me. “Is that a good idea?”

  “Letting might be strong. I didn't know at first.”

  “Then how?”

  I pantomime plucking a hair from my head and swallowing it.

  “Ah.”

  “But I trust her. And she's new to the craft. It's good for her to practice.” And if she takes Eren's bitch-fit to heart, she might not try again.

  “But—”

  “Trust me, Eren. Lis is okay. Better than okay. She's not gonna hurt anything.”

  He shrugs, glaring at me a little. “Okay. If that's all you needed, your majesty, I've got beers to sling.”

  “Sounds good. I'll be down for a drink, later. After I catch a nap.”

  He walks away.

  Alisa's spell presents a ton of possibilities, all cascading through my mind. “Now, show me exactly how you did that. Show me your hybrid.”

  She obeys, the words tumbling over each other in a machine-gun patter. But it all sounds workable. I have some research to do, but if I can put this spell in the gates to the Well, we can weed out unwelcome intruders. Once again, she's found a way to protect me. And the rest of my family too, apparently.

  She's happy to be useful, but the smile on her face quickly shifts. “Why was your brother so surprised I could cast? Abel can form books, and you and Eren can build places.” And then she freezes, her face going pale. “God, he'd have done it. He'd have killed me. Because you said he could.”

  “Had to. There's a difference.” I should have asked Eren to have someone else test it. I shouldn't have eroded her trust in me bringing her face to face with a potentially ugly demise at our hands.

  “We have prohibitions woven into this world, which only allow Eren and I to cast. Abel's restricted to only certain kinds of magic—and even that's more permissive than we are with most of our guests. You can cast because of the hair you swallowed.”

  “Oh…” She shudders, feeling suddenly vulnerable again. Her brow furrows. “How long will it last?”

  “The hair you swallowed will eventually be dissolved by your stomach acid. That probably happened the first night you were here. But its nutrients will flush from your body, so your casting might get weaker. Odds are, some of the proteins will be with you for a very long time.”
<
br />   “I'll still be able to cast?”

  “Maybe,” I tell her. It isn't something I've ever tested. She draws her legs beneath her, obviously worried. I sigh and pluck another hair from my head.

  “Is that wise?” she asks. “I've been reading. Magic is connection. I could hurt you with it.”

  “You could. But I don't think you will. I trust you.” I turn to go. “I'm going to get a few reagents. I want to apply your spell to the main gates, and I'd like your help, if that's all right?”

  She's preoccupied, still staring at the hair in her palm. “Sure,” she says.

  “Let me go get some stuff. I'll be right back.” I smile as I close her door behind me. Once again, Alisa's found a way to keep me and mine safe. I don't know why I'm so surprised.

  29

  Alisa

  When the technical talk dies down, all of Eren's dull antipathy hangs heavy on my shoulders. I slump in my seat on the bed. “What Eren said—is that what's gonna happen? Is that what I am to you? A pet?”

  “Don't like the shoe on the other foot?” Of course, he can't help but tease. “Of course not. I want you to feel like you have free reign here. I know I hurt you, and you need space and to know I won't tie you up again.”

  My eyes dart toward the doorway for reassurance from the easy glow there. “It works. So you can't tie me up.”

  “Well, not unless you wanted me to, and the intention wasn't hostile…” Damnit, he's needling me again. I flush scarlet but can't help laughing.

  “It's…I don't know what there is for me here. I don't belong here. I want to go home.”

  His mouth tightens. “You can—you aren't a prisoner here. But it isn't safe yet. The Reapers who attacked us, they'll be waiting at your home. They'll have figured out by now that you mean something to me, or I would have left you there. They'll use that, hurt you to try to draw me out.”

  “Would that work?” I ask. The question stings, though he tries to hide it.

  “I don't know,” he says, but it's a lie I'm not sure even he believes. “But this is your world. The Well's putting its power behind you; that's rare. You could wield true power, shape this haven alongside me—”