by Dyan Chick
In any ritual performed in the divination room, each step had to be done with purpose. Once the thirteen were gathered, an energy or power flowed between all of us, making any magic we performed stronger than it would be on our own. Some spells could only be done with the help of other mages, that was part of why me living on my own was so unusual. A searching spell could be done by a single person, but it would get you to a general location, possibly miles away from where you really needed to be. Having all thirteen of us should get us pinpoint accuracy.
Lifting my face skyward, I closed my eyes and inhaled, knowing the others were doing the same. Silently, I prayed to the mother goddess, the protector and patron of the mages. Please help me save my friends and the other mages. Please help me before it's too late.
Opening my eyes, I lowered my chin, indicating that I was ready. When I pulled my chair out, the sound of twelve other chairs moving echoed around me.
Without speaking, we all sat. Hands flat on the table now, I turned and nodded to Jasmine, who was seated on my right, then reached my right hand toward her. She set her hand on top of mine, then repeated the process with the person next to her until the person on my left, a greying woman with half-moon spectacles, set her hand on top of mine.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd done a searching spell, but the principal was the same with a group as it was alone. Taking a deep breath, I whispered the incantation, surprised how easily the words rolled off my tongue. The language of magic was a fusion of several ancient tongues, the only words that remained were those we used in spell craft.
As I said the last words, a screaming pain filled my head and I squeezed the hands on either side of me. Wincing in pain, I held my breath to keep from yelling out. It felt like something had hijacked me. Wreathing tendrils wrapped their way through my insides, the same way it felt when a gifted mind reader crawled through your head. Except, this time, it was my entire body.
Clenching my teeth, I fought against the intrusion inside me. Just when I thought I was going to let my control slip, a second force joined in, pushing away the intruder. A voice echoed from inside my head. "Fight it, Morgan, fight it."
Pushing with all my might, I resisted whatever was trying to take hold of me. My eyes were open now, but all I could see was a black void. Letting go of the hands on either side of me, I slammed them on the table and let out a cry as I fought. "Get out of my head."
"Let go, Morgan," another voice filled my head now. Soothing, familiar. It startled me and for a moment, I eased up.
"James?" The words came out as if I'd said them underwater.
"Stop fighting, I'm trying to talk to you," James's voice came again.
I took a sharp breath and let go of the panic and relaxed. The pain I'd felt eased, though the slithering feeling of something invading my body didn't.
Suddenly, I felt my back hit something hard but I couldn't see anything other than the blackness around me. It seemed my body was not in my control at the moment. I should have been scared, but I was more concerned about James than my own wellbeing. If he was contacting me, I had to find out where he was. "James? Is that really you?"
"I'm sorry to do this to you," he said. "But I've been waiting for you to tap into your magic so I could reach you."
"Where are you? Chester said you're in danger," I said.
"We all are," James said. This time, I heard footsteps behind me and I turned around. A faint shimmer glowed in the distance. As I took a few steadying breaths, the form took on the shape of the handsome man I'd met in Chinatown. Bright blue eyes, tousled brown hair, tight black tee-shirt. He looked alert, healthy, safe.
"James, what is this?" I asked as relief spread through me. It seemed too good to be true, but I let myself believe that maybe everything was okay. Maybe all the bad news had been the dream and this was reality.
"We're bonded, through the favor you promised, remember?" he asked.
"That doesn't explain what's happening," I said. "Favor bonds just make it so you can't say no, they don't connect you."
"They do when you're a dragon," he said.
"So this is about cashing in your favor?" I tried not to show my disappointment. This wasn't a social call, it was all business.
"Not exactly," he said. "As soon as I ask for the favor, we'll lose this bond. I don't want that yet."
"Okay, so what's going on here, then?" I asked. "And where the hell are you? Are you safe?"
James smirked, locking his eyes on mine. It took every ounce of my willpower not to run to him.
"None of us are safe, Morgan. I've been captured and so have the others like you. I saw them," he said.
James's form was fading, the details in his face harder to make out. I had a feeling we didn't have much time left before the connection was broken. I had to get some information from him. "Tell me what to do, how to help you."
He shook his head. "I can't, or the bond will break."
"Tell me where you are," I said.
"The girls are in the old mines in Angeles National Forest. Use the Devil's Canyon trailhead."
He was almost entirely transparent now.
"Where are you?" I asked, my voice high-pitched with worry.
"Don't worry about me," he said.
Feeling desperate, I ran toward the fading wisps of his figure. "Don't say that. Tell me where you are."
As I reached my fingers toward the figure, they cut through the last remains of gray mist. He was gone, and I was alone.
All at once, the tugging in my gut vanished and I opened my eyes with a gasp. Staring up, I realized I was lying on the floor, twelve mages looking down at me.
9
Are you okay?" Jasmine asked.
My head throbbed and I glanced over to see my chair on the ground. I must have fallen straight back. Sitting up, I rubbed the back of my head. "I'm okay."
"What was that?" A young male mage with freckles and red hair asked. "I've never seen anything like that."
"The spell was disrupted," Jasmine said. "But I'm not sure by what." She looked at me, as if waiting for me to explain what had just happened.
I still didn't trust the Mage Order, despite them offering to help me. They had an agenda, they wanted to find all the Dragon-Bloods in the city and I wasn't sure how noble their reasons were. While they might talk a big game at having me work with them, I couldn't be sure they didn't have something else in mind. "I had a vision."
Jasmine lifted an eyebrow. "A vision?"
It was clear she didn't believe me, but she didn't call me out. Instead, she stood, and offered her hand.
Accepting, I let her help pull me up. "I know where the missing mages are."
"What about the searching spell?" she asked. "Do you want to try again?"
I shook my head. "I don't need it. I can do this without Tavas."
"You were pretty insistent before that you had to find him," she said.
"That was before I had this information. The Oracle said he'd help me, but the future is always changing. Something must have changed," I said, half-trying to convince myself.
"What did you see?" Jasmine asked.
"A mine, in the mountains. I have to get there," I said, already moving toward the door.
"McKenzie will go with you," Jasmine said.
I stopped and turned back to Jasmine. "I don't think so. She's only going to be in the way."
"I insist," Jasmine said. "She's got talents you can use."
"The lie-detector thing?" I asked. "How is that helpful in rescuing a bunch of kidnapped mages from a cult?"
"She's a talented healer." Jasmine walked past me and opened the door. "You don't know what the state of the mages is or what they'll be like when you get there. If I remember correctly, that was your lowest score when you took your exams."
I scowled at her. While I excelled in most magic I used, healing had always been a low priority. Winning the duals I'd participated in left me with few reasons to use the spells on myself, which was how mo
st mage kids honed their healing skills. I wanted to argue with Jasmine, to come up with a reason for not bringing a healer with me, but there wasn't a good one.
"I'm sure you need her here." It was a lousy attempt, but all I had. "Besides, you probably have some other mage you can lend me, one who isn't as valuable."
Jasmine moved over to me and I backed up against the open door. She placed her hands on the wall, on either side of my head, boxing me in. My senses prickled at the physical threat. She was trying to intimidate me. "What gives?"
The mages who had gathered in the room with us, filed through the open door, trying not to make eye contact with me as they left. As soon as they were gone, Jasmine leaned in closer to me. "One of the missing Mages is my granddaughter. She could be hurt. McKenzie is the best healer there is. You will take her with you, and you will bring my granddaughter, along with the other mages back to us. Alive and well."
"So, we're done playing good cop?" I asked.
Jasmine dropped her arms and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. "I don't want to be anyone's cop. I just want Amaya back. She's all I have left. You of all people should understand the importance of family."
A lump rose to my throat and I saw Jasmine in a different light. If she was telling the truth, it was possible she was in as much pain as I had been when I lost my mom. Jasmine's daughter, Megan, had been a friend of my mom's, but I didn't realize she'd passed. I remembered meeting Amaya after she was born. I think I'd been around ten years old at the time. "What happened to Megan?"
"Accident a few months after your mom died." Jasmine's mouth tightened and she didn't give any more details.
I should have known. It was while I had been living in the human world. I felt for Amaya, growing up without her mom. At least she had her grandmother.
"Morgan?"
I turned away from Jasmine to see Alec and Dima waiting for me. Moving away from the door, I looked back at Jasmine. "We'll bring McKenzie, but I'm not going to babysit her. She'll have to take care of herself."
"Wait, what?" Dima said. "We're bringing that snob with us?"
"What snob?" Alec asked.
"Me," McKenzie said, hands on her hips. Somehow, she'd managed to sneak into the room. "And I don't need babysitting, I can handle myself just fine."
"Sure you can," I said, walking toward my friends. "We gotta go. No time to waste."
"Good luck," Jasmine said.
"Thanks," I said, deciding there was no point in any other conversation.
"So you found him?" Dima asked.
"Not exactly," I said. "But I know where the Mages are."
"But we need him," Dima said.
"Need who?" McKenzie said as she followed us toward the front door. "I thought you were doing a spell to find the Fae, is that what you're talking about?"
"Things changed," I said.
"But the Oracle," Alec said.
"Will you all just get in the car? I'll explain on the road." I didn't wait for them to answer me. Instead, I made my way to the car.
Someone grabbed my shoulder and I spun around to see Dima. "What gives?"
"Chester said we need the Fae. I don't like it, but you can't just go changing plans on an Oracle like that," she said.
"Look, I told you, I got what we need. We don't need Tavas." I continued to the car, stopping at the passenger side door, then turned to look at her. "You coming? Or should I drive myself?"
"This isn't a good idea," Dima said, making her way to the driver's side. "I have a bad feeling. Something's not right."
"What about this would make you feel right?" I asked. "We're chasing down some crazy cult that has kidnapped a bunch of mages with the intention of killing them. We don't know why they want to kill them or how they'll do it or even if they are keeping them safe right now. All we know is that they need us."
"I just think maybe we should listen to the Oracle, that's all," Dima said. "I mean, he did tell us to find Tavas. And now we're skipping it."
"I told you, it's fine," I said.
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," McKenzie said.
"You're welcome to stay here," I said. "Come on, Dima, Alec. Let's go."
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but the mage is right," Dima said. "Something happened and you're not telling us."
"You want to know what happened?" I shouted. "James found me. He told me exactly where he and the rest of the Dragon Mages are. I know the time is limited, we have to get to them."
"Who is James?" McKenzie asked.
"A friend of Morgan's," Dima answered for me.
"How did he come to you while you were in the middle of a spell?" McKenzie asked, her words slow, her brows pressed together in concern. "That shouldn't be possible."
"He said it was dragon magic," I said.
"It's because of that thing he did to you, isn't it?" Alec said.
"Alec, stay out of this," I said.
"What thing, Morgan?" Dima asked.
"Something about a favor," Alec said.
"You're favor-bound to a dragon?" Dima asked. "Oh, that's going to end well."
"He didn't use the favor," I said. "He just gave me the location to where the mages were being kept."
"That makes it even more important to find Tavas," Dima said.
"He told you where the mages were?" McKenzie asked.
"Yes, how many times do I have to say it?" I asked, frustration twisting inside me. Pulling the door handle, I opened the door. "I'm leaving. Is anyone coming with me?"
McKenzie walked to the car, opening the door behind mine. "I'm with you." She didn't look like she was happy about it. "We need to help those mages."
"Finally," I said.
"I sure hope you know what you're doing," Dima said, opening her door.
Alec walked to the car silently. McKenzie moved over and he slid into the seat behind me.
"Let's go," I said.
10
When we neared the edge of Realm's Gate, I could feel something that wasn't quite right. Squinting ahead, I tried to pinpoint the cause of my unease. The sun was low in the sky as the afternoon neared its end. We'd wasted so much time already.
"Where's the ward?" Dima asked.
That was it. The usual energy I felt from the ward was missing. It was like there was a missing charge from the air. Fear and guilt tumbled around me. This was my fault. The dragon fire must have damaged it beyond repair. "I don't see it."
"Is that how the Dragon- Bloods got in? I mean, if they weren't locals, they'd have been kept outside unless there was someone on the inside, right?" Alec said.
"I'm sure there was help on the inside. After all, Tavas was here," I said.
"Yeah, but the Oracle said he didn't do it," Dima said. "Remember?"
I took a deep breath and pressed my lips together, refusing to answer her statement. Tavas might not be directly responsible, but I wasn't ready to forgive him for his involvement in all of this. Whatever was going on, whoever the mastermind behind all of it was, I knew that Tavas was involved. He might not have put the stake through Jimmy's heart, but he was involved.
The car passed through the place the ward should be and a chill ran through me. It was unnerving. Like walking through a thunderstorm without feeling the electric charge to the air.
"You think they know it's down?" Alec asked.
"I'm sure they're already working on it," Dima said.
"They don't know yet," McKenzie said.
I turned to look at her in the back seat. I'd almost forgotten she was there. "How do you figure?"
"The Mage Order keeps that thing working," she said. "If it goes down, they'd call us. Unless someone is not making the call on purpose."
"Who makes the call?" Alec asked.
"Not sure," McKenzie said, picking up her phone. She started tapping away at the screen, then looked up at me. "I've let Jasmine know. They'll be able to fix it."
She glanced back down at her phone, mouth drawing into a frown. She tapped at the sc
reen again.
"What is it?" I asked.
"No service," she said. "That's weird. You have service?"
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and glanced down at the little bars on the top. It was a new phone and should have better reception than my old one. My brow furrowed. No service. I'd never lost service in the woods outside of Realm's Gate before. "Maybe a cell tower is down or something?"
"Check mine." Dima handed me her phone, keeping her eyes on the road.
I looked down at it. Same thing. No bars, no service. "Nothing."
"How about you, little vamp?" McKenzie said.
"They took mine when they threw me in the daylight cells. Haven't gotten a new one yet," he said.
"Well, looks like we're going to have to count on someone from Realm's Gate to let the Mages know," I said. There was no way I was going to let Dima turn the car around. We were on a race against time and every second we wasted was another second that the other dragon mages and James were potentially being tortured or starved or worse.
"Someone will see it soon," McKenzie said.
I wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or to us, so I ignored her. Right now, I wasn't especially worried about anyone inside of Realm's Gate. Marco and the other vampires I called my friends could take care of themselves just fine.
I opened the glove box and started digging.
"What are you looking for?" Dima asked.
"Got a map in here? Without service, we aren't exactly going to be able to use the GPS on our phones."
"Good point," she said. "But, no. I don't have a map. I have a phone."
"Do gas stations still sell maps?" Alec asked.
"Oh no," I said. "We are not going to visit Chester."
"There are other gas stations," he said.
"Fine, yes, first gas station we see, we stop and find a map," I said.
The car fell silent as Dima drove through the dark woods. I stared out the window, watching the clouds as we flew past them. The memory of James speaking to me in the dark nothingness flashed into my mind. His eyes had seemed sharp, focused, alert. He didn't seem to be in pain. I hoped that meant he was safe and unharmed. I hoped it meant all the missing people were safe and unharmed.