Chapter 12
Saturday, June 4rd, 2016, 9:23 AM
I’d sent Sierra to work a couple of hours ago, and have been meditating on the knowledge I’d gotten from Jaben since.
Fire sorcery was the ability to detect and manipulate fire, heat, light, and emotion. The part I had been missing was the knowledge fire sorcery could give me. Air pulled knowledge of the mind, which encompassed dry facts, locations, things of that nature. Fire gave knowledge of relationships, emotions, and the connections between people.
Huh, all those nuts out in the world that say we’re all connected, turns out they’re right.
I’d also found out how Jaben had traced me. Fire magic could be showy, and raw, but tracing the emotional connections between people was a very subtle form of elemental fire, and required a light touch. I’d been studying myself with fire, and there were strands of elemental fire, of emotion, connecting me to everyone I knew.
It didn’t give me knowledge of their lives like air did, but if I traced the strand, I could see where they were, even if they were shielded, more importantly I could then further trace to all the people they were connected to. A fire sorcerer would be a hell of a tracker. I’d also figured out I could find the coven that way, if I read Tara, I could find the connection of hatred and jealousy that connected Cyndy to her.
This new ability that came from my understanding of fire wouldn’t help me locate a rogue, or someone warded by power, unless there was someone they had an emotional connection to around. So it wouldn’t help with all of my cases, but it would sure as hell work with the dark coven when we were ready to hunt them down.
I’d given some thought to just letting it go, but leaving enemies behind was just a bad idea. If we let them go now, they would just regroup, and rearm. I also had a new healthy respect for witches, without Tara I’d never have taken Jaben down, and that dark coven was now my enemy, and the pack’s as well. Besides, if I didn’t stop them, I’d be partially responsible for all the people they killed and sacrificed in the future, that was something I wasn’t prepared to accept any more than the personal risk in doing so.
I also learned fire sorcerers can’t use their powers to travel. Or at least, if there is a way to do so Jaben had never learned it. That large pillar of fire he made behind Spirits was just a distraction to disguise that he’d been there the whole time, invisible. It would take me a lot of practice to learn how to do it though, it was subtle and complicated, but in the end, it was because fire sorcerers controlled light.
Regardless, I thought I had a good grasp on what was possible now, at least with my current level of knowledge and experience, once I used it enough to master it…
Tara’s store was open to the public again when I got there, and the wards were recast and stronger than before. I guess she’d seen to defense before preparing more combat spells which made sense. I walked inside, and there were a couple of customers and a teenager manning the register. Tara called out for me to come in the back, I supposed her wards had recognized me. The two customers looked at me with surprise and recognition, I smiled politely as I walked past them and into the back, no doubt they’d seen me on the news.
I almost did a double take, Tara was in a pair of jeans and a clingy t-shirt. I’d never seen her in anything except dresses or skirts before. She looked really good actually, and somehow more approachable.
She said, “I won’t be ready until tomorrow morning, could you come back then?”
I nodded, “I’m not here about the dark coven, I wanted to… clear the air between us.”
She snorted, “Interesting turn of phrase sorcerer. Alright, I screwed up and I figured out too late that you’re not a typical sorcerer. You’re with Sierra now and that isn’t going to change. I see no reason to belabor it.”
“That’s half of it, but the other half is what exactly are we? Are we friends, or just colleagues that trade favors, or is there a potential to be allies?”
She tilted her head, “You would ally yourself with me? Why?”
I frowned, “The day we met you helped me understand a small part of what I am. You’ve also done me a lot of favors, and just yesterday you saved my life, along with everyone else’s. I thought we could just forget all the trading back and forth of favors, and simply ally and help each other when needed.”
She shook her head, “I helped yesterday, but I believe you saved me moments before that, I also believe that when I helped you and did you favors I had an ulterior motive.”
I shrugged, “It was recently pointed out to me that one reason for doing something doesn’t negate the others. Was that the only reason you helped?”
I didn’t believe that for a second, but it was what I came to find out. If all her help had been merely to get me into bed and make a child, I wouldn’t want to ally with her. If we were truly friends… that was a different story.
She peered at me, “At first it was the only reason, but yes… it didn’t take very long until there were others. You would truly ally with me?”
“Don’t look so surprised witch,” I said teasingly, “Why wouldn’t I? We have similar views on what is right, we already depend on each other under the excuse of favor trading, and the only reservation I had we already worked out. Do witches even ally? Is it just our word, or is there magic involved?”
She frowned, “It is our word, but our magic would hear us. Not exactly a binding oath, but if we turned our backs on it our magic would extract a price for the betrayal. Words have power, especially for those of us with magic.”
“Did you want to think about it? I don’t want to pressure you into something, and I certainly won’t think less of you if you say no.”
She laughed, “I just wanted to make sure you were sure. I’d be an idiot to turn down a sorcerer of both fire and air as an ally. As for your other question, we are friends, at least I would like to think so. Perhaps with a little baggage, but nothing is perfect and we are well on the way to finding a balance already.”
“So… that’s it?”
She chuckled, “Yes, our intent and words are enough, as I said. Now get out of here, I have a lot of work to do.”
I retreated through the door into the store and took a look around. It had occurred to me if she had grown up in a dark coven, she didn’t really even have a family grimoire, or lore that was passed down. She was powerful, and had figured out much on her own, and with the assistance of other covens, but it was still a disadvantage. One I might be able to help with.
I went over to the shelves with the elaborate thick vellum blank books, a sort of blank grimoire or spell book. I’d waited until after her decision, because I didn’t want to make it seem like a bribe. Covens guarded their secrets jealously, all those grimoires out there in the hands of witches were protected by wards, which I couldn’t read through.
However, I was able to find several grimoires that had been lost when the covens were destroyed, and now sat in private collections that belonged to humans. Humans with too much money and a fascination with the occult world as they called it. Those books were no longer protected, the wards fading without the book’s custodians around to refresh them.
Of course, I left the physical books there with the human owners, but the knowledge in the books was easy to absorb, catalogue, and even remove duplicate common spells. I had the combined wisdom and spells, of seven light covens in my mind.
I picked up one of the heavier blank books. This was the part I wasn’t sure of, and why I’d chosen thick paper. I opened it up and used both my air and fire magic, to literally burn the words of the first page, and I smiled when it worked perfectly. Although I could smell the burnt paper. I ran my fingers down it, and the paper was smooth, the words indelibly inscribed in the paper itself.
So… I was a little lazy, I wanted to give Tara a gift of magical knowledge, perhaps as payback for her helping me when I first started with what knowledge she had of sorcerers, and partially because she was my friend. However, I also di
dn’t want to write it all out by hand, it would take months doing it that way. It wasn’t all unselfish of course, she was my ally now, and was about to become one of the most powerful witches in the world, at least knowledge wise. To be fair to myself though, I’d have done this either way.
I actually bought the blank book from the teen behind the counter who looked at me strangely. The book was ridiculously expensive, and then I walked back into the backroom of the store.
Tara looked at me and raised an eyebrow. No doubt wondering why I hadn’t left yet.
I winked and put the book down on the table, covered it with my hands, and called my power. The smell of burning paper filled the room as I filled the entire book all at once, copying it straight from my mind line by line so quickly that it only took a second of time for every five pages. When it was finished, I verified it by touching it with the power of air, it was perfect.
I moved toward the door when Tara asked, “What is that?”
I smiled, “A gift for you, enjoy it,” as I continued out into the storefront.
I grinned wider when I heard her gasp in surprise from all the way by the front door while I stepped outside. I don’t know why I felt the need to leave, except I was aware how priceless the knowledge was that I had just so casually given. It seemed… wrong to stick around for thanks. Or maybe I thought she might get emotional about it and hug me, which Sierra would undoubtedly scent as soon as I arrived. All I knew was, I was following my instincts.
Maybe I was just odd.
Either way, I ducked into an alley, called my air magic and observed the pack’s back yard for a likely landing place, Sierra was already there, back from work, and I let the magic take me there. I was surprised by how fast I got there, this was the first time I’d made the trip personally since yesterday when my powers grew. Instead of taking eight to ten seconds, it had taken somewhere between five and six. Apparently doubling my power, meant better speed as well. I looked around, none of the pack had reacted to me appearing out from nowhere, I guess they were used to people popping in the way they did all the time now…
Chapter 13
Saturday, June 4rd, 2016, 10:16 AM
Sierra kissed me breathless before she led me over to the lawn chairs and table. I just went along with it as she pushed me into the chair and claimed my lap. I surely wasn’t going to object, what can I say? Werewolves liked to cuddle, and were very pushy about it sometimes.
We all exchanged greetings. Besides the two of us, it was Derik, Selene, Clint, Katie, and Suzy the omega around the table. The rest of the pack was scattered elsewhere in the yard, Gerald, Carrie, Sam, Carl, Peter, and Darren. The only one missing was Todd, and he’d never returned to the apartment last night.
I had to believe that meant his date with Aiya had gone extremely well.
Selene smiled, “So when are you moving in?”
“Anytime really, I’ll have my apartment for a few more months, but we can start sleeping here whenever.”
I could sense it with her sitting on my lap. Sierra was happy with me at the apartment, but there was a relaxed vibe to her right now that showed me she had also been missing her pack. She just hadn’t wanted to pressure me about it.
I added after realizing that, “I don’t see why I couldn’t grab some clothes today, and start spending the evenings and nights here starting tonight.”
Sierra wiggled in a distracting way and twisted to look down on me, “Are you sure?”
I could sense her excitement at the idea. How could I say no? Now was a good as time as any.
“Sure, you’ll have to give me the nickel tour later, and show me our room.”
Katie changed the subject, “So Clint and I want to help tomorrow, Gerald, Todd, and Carrie shouldn’t get all the fun.”
Gerald scowled over at the table from across the yard, and Clint laughed at the byplay.
I shrugged, “Whoever wants to go is welcome. It won’t be easy; we’ll be going after a coven of eight witches on their home ground.”
Katie nodded, “Yeah, but he can’t go if I do, we need to keep one enforcer back to watch the pack, and our illustrious alpha.”
Derik grunted and stood up, “Going to start lunch going on the grill,” he cut off the brewing argument before it could get started.
Sierra stood and pulled me up, “Let me show you the house.”
I could tell with my fire magic Sierra was feeling rather frisky, and heated, I had a very happy werewolf on my hands. We moved into the house from the sliding back doors in the back, which opened up to a dining room/living room combination. The table was red oak, looked very sturdy, and had sixteen chairs around it. The living room was oversized as well, with two full sofas, a love seat, and four loungers, all around a huge flat screen television.
I didn’t get the impression they used it very much, wolves liked the outdoors, but I was sure they gathered in here sometimes for sports or the occasional movie if nothing else.
She pulled me to the right, and into a large stainless steel kitchen that had a second freezer, two ovens, six stove tops, as well as a restaurant sized countertop griddle. I supposed with all the food they must go through it made sense. It didn’t take me long to realize the house was completely custom, built no doubt by their own construction company. There was a guest bathroom downstairs, then there were stairs leading upstairs, as well as a hallway that lead to the back of the house.
Sierra said, “Down that hallway is the alpha’s and Selene’s bedroom and their study. The rest of us never go in there unless invited of course.”
She took me upstairs and down the hallway, pointing out who lived in what bedroom until she pulled me into the room third on the right. The bedroom was done in neutral colors, and I wondered if she had it redone in expectation of this move happening, but I didn’t ask and it didn’t matter. The floor was deep brown wood color, and the walls were a standard off-white. The bed was a rich red oak, as were the two dressers. There was an attached bathroom just for us, and curious I verified with my power that all the bedrooms were so equipped.
The sheets were off white as well, and there was a light gray comforter on the bed. There were a few knickknacks on the end tables that seemed to fit Sierra, but much of the room I’d decided she’d obviously had redone for us.
I closed the door and pulled her into a kiss, and when I broke it we were both a little out of breath.
“I like it a lot, and I love you,” and I pulled her into another kiss, deeper and more passionate than the first.
I used my power of air and fire to create a shield to keep sounds from leaving the room, she was just as eager to break the room in as I was. I picked her up and brought her toward the bed, and she wrapped her legs around me and devoured me with a kiss. It was quite a bit later, werewolves did have a lot of stamina after all, and sorcerers weren’t too shabby either, that we made our way into the shower before we headed back outside…
The pack had gone out on a run, leaving me to my own devices. Lunch was almost done on the grill, I assumed they always timed it that way because they’d be very hungry after two transformations with a hard run in between. I decided now was as good a time as any to pack, and pulled in my power and remote viewed my kitchen. I was about to go when I felt a warning, and investigated.
There was a bomb attached to my front door. So much for Kira’s story helping to keep the mob away. Still, there was a moment I stared at it not quite believing what I was seeing.
I sighed, and checked the hallway outside my apartment. It was empty, so I had the magic move me there instead. Five seconds later I stood in front of my door. With the bomb now inside my sphere of fire and air, it wasn’t a problem to contain it inside a shield, and simply open the door. Not even the noise of the explosion escaped, and the door didn’t have a scratch on it. I sent the remains of the bomb to the dump, and then I went and packed a bag with casual and business clothes. I took a moment to send it to the bed in my and Sierra’s bedroom back at the house.
Maybe it seemed a little odd to do that first, but it was the reason I had come here, and I saw no reason not to continue with my plans, especially not because of some psychopath human with a penchant for bombs.
Then I took a few minutes to think about the bomb, and bomber. Ironically, the same man that tried to kill me, or rather sent someone else to kill me, was the father of the young child I’d saved. Regardless, I already knew the layout in his house, but I took the time to get a current picture, and remote viewed from room to room.
He had a number of goons, but only one in the study he was in. Satisfied that I had a decent plan I had the magic take me there. One of the things I didn’t like about my powers of air was literal mind control. However, in this case I was making an exception. Predictably, they were both reaching for guns the moment they saw me, but froze as I seized their minds. I didn’t mesmerize them, as it was true mind control.
I felt a bit uncomfortable at that. I wondered if I was crossing the line, just because these men were evil, and liked to sell foreign girls, didn’t mean my behavior or treatment of them didn’t count. I decided in this case, I was wrong and needed to watch myself. I needed to gain in power to face my family’s enemies, or I would die, but I really didn’t want to change who I was in the process, my moral center, and become some compromising evil that merely grasped for power. That said, they’d tried to kill me, so not much was off the table. Just… mind control. I encased them in air, and released their minds.
They tried to scream, but I’d made the shield holding them sound proof. I moved the idiot out of the way and got on his laptop. Knowing where to look, a few keystrokes was all it took to find all the files related to his trafficking enterprise and remove the encryption, and then I forwarded them to the FBI with a request to come arrest me, since I used the mobster’s own email account. I doubted I would take down the whole enterprise, but the file had the people he bought from, and sold to, three links in the chain was better than nothing. I deleted what I’d sent locally on the computer to cover my tracks on this end.
Sorcerer: Witch's Woes: Power of Air (Book 3) Page 9