Illumination

by M. V. Freeman

  “A FAILURE.”

  Stieg frowned. Instead of answering the Chairman, he pulled the sheet over the girl’s body lying on the steel gurney. The small movement caused bits of epidermis to flake off her cracked, dried skin. At fifteen, the plump smoothness of her pubescent body was gone. It now resembled a slab of dehydrated meat. Stieg was one of six Mage Board members and was second only to the Chairman himself. But that didn’t mean a damn thing now that he was under house arrest. His only value lay in experimenting on the young of the three races—Mage, Elemental and Dark—like this husk of girl. Humans were useless and better left alone.

  “This makes ten Elementals in the last six months and three Darks.” He couldn’t help but smooth her gray hair; the strands were prickly and straw-like. Last week, her hair had been a glossy mahogany that matched her brown eyes. Those same eyes now stared forward, milky and sightless.

  “Getting squeamish?” The heavy sound of the Chairman’s approaching footsteps made Stieg shut his eyes for a second.

  “No. I’ve come too far and sacrificed too much,” he said.

  The image of a time, twenty-five years ago, when smaller, more helpless children lay on this very gurney flickered in Stieg’s mind like an old film reel. It was a time when he’d sacrificed one of his own flesh and blood. The wail of a fearful boy, his child, overlaid the echo of those memories, a soundtrack in an endless loop of recrimination. With a savage click of teeth grinding together, he clamped his jaw shut to break the chain of images and sound. This was no time for regrets.

  With measured movements, Stieg transferred the six sealed pint jars lying next to the body. One at a time, he placed them on the steel counter across the room. The smoky substance in them writhed and moved—the last of the energy from the girl, a promising earth Elemental. She’d been taken from her family because of her early ability to manipulate stone and dirt; it was hoped she’d transform into a Cogent, possessing the rare genetic gift of a powerful single Elemental. Her potential never manifested. She required a balance to keep her energy stable—something a trained Cogent didn’t need. Still, her handiwork was revealed in the garden and the walls reinforcing the Chairman’s home. Now her blood filled bags already stored in the refrigerator in the next room.

  There was only one solution.

  He looked up and stared into the cold, black eyes of the Chairman.

  “We need to find multiple births for experimentation. That’s what worked before,” Stieg said.

  “Agreed, but as you’ve pointed out, old friend, they’re hard to come by.” The Chairman took the last pint jar as Stieg reached for it, turning the glass container around to examine the contents.

  “If we’d gotten that Cogent your son let slip through his fingers, we could’ve bought some time,” the Chairman said. He twisted open the cap and dipped a finger in. The cloudy substance wrapped around his finger like cotton candy.

  “He’s still young. He’ll learn.”

  “Xander lives because he’s your son and your only success.” The Chairman did not absorb the energy in his hand. Instead, he ate the Elemental energy like a Dark. He licked his lips as he looked at Stieg.

  “Your people are lax. It’s been so long since a birth of a Cogent they’ve given up looking for one,” Stieg managed to reply as he swallowed a spike of nausea rising at the crass display by the Chairman. He still couldn’t believe they’d missed finding an Elemental, especially one so powerful. Registration was supposed to track all of their subjects, Dark and Elemental. For all their careful placement of loyal Mages and well-paid Elementals to do this job, some Elementals still slipped through the cracks.

  “Laurie Hudson was our fault,” Stieg said. “And I will take the blame for Petrov. I trained him. I thought I had him.” He had misjudged Mikhail Petrov—and it was a mistake he wouldn’t make again.

  Laurie Hudson had been one of the coveted Cogents, a powerful single element of fire they called an Incandescent. Only Cogents could bond with Tri-elementals, but once this happened, their considerable energy was forever cut off from Mages. Laurie’s power would’ve regenerated dozens of Mages for the next twenty years. Mikhail Petrov, a Tri-elemental trained and shaped by the Mages, knew this. It was his job to hand her over. His betrayal was one Stieg wouldn’t forget for a long time. Now they were forced to drain some of the young Tri-elementals, the very beings they needed to sustain the climate of the earth. A slippery slope. Unless they could find another way to retain their magic, they were all going to suffer.

  “Which is why I have you under house arrest,” the Chairman said as he stretched. The influx of power he’d consumed made him restless. “For your protection and your son’s cooperation.”

  Stieg unhooked the iron manacles restraining the corpse.

  “I’m well aware of that, Leonid.” Blackened, dried skin ripped off in chunks as he pulled the restraints off one by one.

  “Xander is a Mage inside and out. I made sure of that,” Stieg continued as he gathered the heavy manacles and walked over to sterilization bin in the corner and dropped them in with a loud metallic thunk. “His loyalty will always be to his people.”

  Brushing off his hands, he faced the Chairman, who watched him with a flat, reptilian expression.

  “We’ll see.” The Chairman broke eye contact first, opening the door to leave the laboratory. He stopped when Stieg spoke.

  “Do I have your leave to contact the head of the Census?” He turned toward the sink near the door. “We need to be certain all Elementals are tracked.”

  “Do what you have to, talk to whomever you please, and give whatever order is needed to get the information,” the Chairman said. “We need to be able to regenerate without having to rely on lesser beings to sustain us.”

  “I know.” Stieg soaped up his hands. “There is always Mina. She survived the experiment.” His peripheral vision caught the Chairman’s smile—one that didn’t reach his eyes.

  “I’m working on that. Until then, do what you must.”

  “Of course.”

  The door shut. The room felt much bigger and emptier. Stieg continued to wash his hands, scrubbing until they were raw, but he knew they would never be clean.

  Chapter One

  THERE WEREN’T ANY CHEESE PUFFS LEFT.

  Chip bags crinkled as Mina dug around in her friend’s narrow pantry looking for more of the crunchy, salty, chemical orange snacks. Her personal crack. There were rice crackers, baked potato chips, and a hidden bag of caramel Dove Chocolate. Nothing. Ever since the war started—the one she’d tried to prevent, forcing her people, the Darks, into open conflict with the Mages, beings who ruled the three hidden races—it became a smart move to stay out of everyone’s way. So, here she was, living with her recently awakened Mage friend, Nicki, staring at a pantry that refused to generate her favorite snack. She told herself she stayed here because her friend needed her, especially after the treachery of Nicki’s last boyfriend, a shape-shifter.

  Werewolves—stinky creatures you can’t trust.

  Mina crinkled her nose at the thought.

  The shrill ring of the phone made Mina jump. She stared at it. She didn’t like phones. She preferred talking to the person, where she could view the emotions they emitted. On the third ring, the message machine clicked on.

  “Mina, if you’re there, please pick up.” Nicki’s voice sounded breathy, as if she’d been running. Mina made a face, her hand hovering over the granite counter top where the phone sat. This type of technology always felt weird, as if little spiders ran over her skin. She hated spiders. They weren’t like crickets, who alerted you to danger. Spiders always tried to capture and eat you.

  Mina deftly grabbed the phone and held it three inches from her ear. You never knew what these things were radiating.

  “Yes?”

  “Oh God. I’m glad you answered, Mina.” The words were faint and fast, tumbling over themselves like water over stones. Mina forced herself to place the receiver against her ear in order
to hear Nicki more clearly. She shuddered as the plastic touched her skin. “They’re coming to get me.”

  “Who?”

  “Mages…I can’t get to an exit.” Mina heard a clicking sound of a door closing. “I’m in a changing room,” Nicki whispered, “but there are other things here. Darks, I think. I’m not sure what’s going on…”

  “I’ll come get you,” Mina answered. Her body tensed at the anxiety in her friend’s voice. She could almost taste the harsh bitterness of it, like raw horseradish. Why hadn’t she warned her friend? Mages tracked Nicki to impress her into their ranks. In this war, there were no volunteers. If she didn’t side with them, they’d kill her. But what concerned her were the Darks; they’d take her friend and the rest of the Mages if they could—a fate that’d make them beg for death long before it came. This wasn’t going to end well. “Where are you?”

  “I’m at West Brook mall, the one near the airport.”

  “Did you put up the ward around your car like I told you?” Mina knew there wasn’t much time. Nicki had only recently come into her Mage powers and didn’t know many spells.

  “What?”

  “The ward you used around your car, you can place around yourself,” Mina clarified keeping her voice even.

  “Oh.” The sound of rustling was loud in Mina’s ear as Nicki’s voice faded. “Where did I put that paper?” Her friend’s voice grew louder. “Here it is, I think. No, that’s my grocery list.”

  “I thought you memorized it.” Mina rolled her eyes to the ceiling and kept herself from making an audible sigh. Nicki could recite the periodic table and explain how molecules worked, but could she remember a simple spell? No.

  “Finally got it.” Triumphant, Nicki started the spell, then stopped. For a long moment, all Mina could hear was the crackle of the electronic connection. When her friend’s voice returned, it was too loud. “They’re throwing spells. In public. I feel it. I thought you said that wasn’t allowed.”

  “It isn’t.” Mina’s mouth went dry. “Did you park in the shade?” Mina really hoped she had.

  “I…” A woman’s muffled edgy voice interrupted Nicki. Mina’s hands tightened on the phone as her friend snarled. “Get away from me.”

  Silence.

  The phone disconnected.

  Mina dropped the phone on the stone counter. The hard plastic hit with a crack, and the back flew off. The phone lay in pieces on the floor, synthetic and electronic bits separated from each other now useless, just like Mina felt, knowing she couldn’t get to her friend fast enough. She headed toward the corner of the room where the shadows were the heaviest.

  She lifted a hand, feeling the erratic pulse that called the shadows to thicken and condense. It was the focus of energy, a living thing, which she’d learn to control around the time she learned to tie her shoes. She didn’t pause in her stride as she stepped into the shadows. Merging with, and walking through, shadows was like passing through cobwebs. Usually there was only a slight pressure, but today they pulled at her—sticky strands that resisted her passing. This was the ward she’d helped set around Nicki’s house. It wouldn’t stop her because it recognized her, like a security thumbprint. If she’d been uninvited, it would mold into a hard, impenetrable wall.

  Locating Nicki’s car was simple. She’d ridden in it countless times and could visualize it. Combined with her friend’s unique aura and the emotions surrounding it, the direction of the vehicle stood out to her, similar to a dull blinking light. Walking in the shadow world was reminiscent of walking in a dim hallway. Mina could sense places to exit on either side of her, but the faint glow of her objective kept her moving in the right direction.

  She paused.

  Here was the entrance to Nicki’s car. The area around her had a slickness to it—a combination of magic and very little shadow. She placed her palms on the surface of the exit. Nicki’s ward bent in at her push.

  Mina sighed.

  The wards were weak. The threads of power making up the protective spell were delicate, akin to paper-thin sheets of plastic. She put more weight into the push, and the wards fractured and crumbled.

  If not for the tinted windows, Mina wouldn’t have been able to make it through the almost nonexistent shadow. Parked in the sketchy shade of an anemic tree, Nicki’s car was a metal kiln baking in the bright noon sun. It was June, but southern summers started early and stayed late.

  It cost her to force it. Her body flattened; her breath forced out of her lungs as she slid herself into her friend’s vehicle. She collapsed from the shadows onto the backseat of the car.

  Mina sat for a few moments, blinking, sucking in deep lungsful of scorched air. Her skin itched, and she longed for the cool nothingness of the shadow world. She looked around the inside of the car and tried to even her breathing. Hard to believe Nicki kept her house spotless. Mina kicked at forgotten fashion magazines, crumpled bags from department store sales with items still inside to be returned, discarded water bottles, and empty bags of Skittles. She picked up a bottle of silver nail polish and shook it—dried. She tossed it back into the mess.

  When it didn’t hurt to breathe and her legs no longer trembled, Mina unlocked the door and stepped out into the moist early summer. The air outside was a welcome relief from the roasting temperature inside the car. The slightest of breezes swept along her sweat-dampened flesh, making her shiver.

  The air rippled.

  She blinked. Power floated all around her on currents. The brush of it against her skin gave rise to goose bumps—a severe contrast to the painful prickle of heat from the sunlight. She turned toward the three-story mall. The structure stretched out on either side like deformed arms embracing the parking lot. A glossy, chrome-and-glass entrance dominated the center. The words West Brook were etched into the glass.

  A sudden outpouring of movement bringing a kaleidoscope of color from clothing worn by people bolting from the building, running like ants from their shopping colony, caught Mina’s attention. A cacophony of excited voices brushed along her nerve endings. She didn’t focus on them but on the rotten citrus taste of panic. Beyond the crowd in the center of the mall, magic thrummed like a living thing. She slipped between the humans and the sharp click and snap of camera phones. She registered and discarded their emotions: initial rushes of terror with brief flashes of regret, even anger. Fear fueled violence, and this this crowd was close to rioting. In the distance, sirens sounded, eerie wails announcing that humans were now involved. Already, uniformed police officers herded people away from the mall as they set up a perimeter.

  Mages and Darks were battling it out in a very public place. Oh, the Chairman and Cazacul were going to be pissed. Their war was meant to be out of sight of human eyes, not on YouTube.

  Mina frowned.

  Another thing I’m going to be blamed for.

  Even she knew the safety of the three races rested in anonymity from humans. Staying out of sight didn’t stop Mages, Darks, and Elementals from killing each other, but it made it easier to hide the bodies.

  No one tried to stop the Darkling; she had plenty of practice of slithering through crowds unnoticed. In moments, Mina managed to get inside the mall. At once, the scorching heat evaporated into a cool sanctuary. A few hours ago, the center of the mall had been a masterpiece of polished cream tile, bubbling fountains, and frothy plastic greenery surrounded by glass-fronted stores. Now the fountains were crumbled, and water poured onto the floor, sweeping up bits of glass from the shattered store windows. Mina stepped over the shredded fake plants and scattered bits of green plastic lying in clumps everywhere, as if they’d gone through a blender.

  “Nicki?” Her friend’s name escaped her lips as she spotted a very human body lying in the middle of the mess. The expensive jeans and crop top were ones her friend would wear, and her heartbeat rocketed in her ears. She squinted and gave a guilty sigh of relief—the girl’s darkened wet hair was ash-blond, not Nicki’s mahogany tresses.

  Mina’s eyes sli
d away from the motionless form of collateral damage. This was why she didn’t arrive through the shadows direct to this mall. She didn’t know what she would find.

  Mina clung to the wall. Gritting her teeth, she murmured an illusion spell to cover her. The enchantment rolled over her like a thick, greasy cream. She shuddered. She hated this spell.

  “This will take forever to peel off,” she muttered.

  The snarl of voices made her duck lower.

  “Oh, hell no.” Nicki’s pissed-off voice was clear. Mina peeked around the corner. Her friend was on the floor, engulfed by a binding spell—thin, sticky, fibrous threads that tightened when the victim moved. Nicki’s face flushed with fury. Floating around her was the red-and-black miasma of anger, and Mina could taste the sour tinge of fear as her friend glared at the frowning Mage, an older woman with a fleshy face and short, gray curls. The woman wore a purple velour outfit more suited for mall-walking than fighting Darks or imprisoning her friend.

  “You don’t fight with us, you’re against us,” the older woman snapped. “There is no other side; this isn’t a human war.” She turned to a slight man with thinning hair standing off to the side whose murmured words gathered energy into a circle, making the air about him hazy.

  “Carl, is the transportation spell ready?”

  The man shook his head, eyes closed as he concentrated. Carl wasn’t a strong Mage. Bile rose in Mina’s throat; she was sickened by what she saw. The Mage was drawing power from Nicki to fuel his spell. A thin thread of light stretched from her prone friend to Carl’s hands as he chanted. This was crossing a line, akin to copping a feel.

  “David,” the woman yelled to a third Mage, a man with glasses, a trimmed beard, and apparent color blindness—his shirt a brilliant orange paired with plaid blue pants. “Take care of the filth.” She pointed to four misshapen figures—Darks who ducked behind pillars and the turn of a wall. “We have to get this traitor to the authorities.”

  He nodded and threw a panic spell that bounced off the wall with a hiss of sparks.