by Simone Pond
“Keep up,” Nils called over his shoulder.
I ambled over to his side. “I’m so sorry to do this to you—especially at such a critical moment—but I’m having an issue of the female kind I need to tend to. I’m gonna find a convenience store and hurry right back.”
“What? Are you f—” He paused and sucked in a breath. “Are you kidding me?”
“I wish.”
“Can it wait?”
“I guess it could, but if I’m trying to make a good impression on my first day, this probably won’t help my chances.”
“Fine. Go. I’ll be at the location. You know where it is, right?”
“Yep. I’ll be back,” I said, running off.
I felt my phone buzzing and reached for it and read the text from Magnus.
Bring her to me.
The phone slipped from my freezing hands, slamming onto the cobblestones and shattering the screen. Her? He wanted me to kidnap some girl and bring her to the right bank? He had lost his ever-devious mind. No. No way. I picked up my phone to text him back but the device wouldn’t turn on. I looked at my watch—I had five minutes to get to the location. No navigation and no Leftbanker would willingly give me directions, so I’d have to go by memory. The street name was Gilad, which was seven blocks north of the dock. I’d figure out the address when I got to the street.
I barreled down one of the narrow roads heading north, running between the rows of brick buildings, counting the blocks as I ran. Along the streets, some of the Leftbankers stared at me as I dashed by, but most went about their business and ignored me. I’m sure they were used to seeing operatives throughout their side of the city.
The left bank seemed to function similarly to the right bank, only many of the buildings were dilapidated and everything seemed to be covered in a layer of soot. Some of the buildings were slanted and leaning against each other for support. Others had broken windows and gaping holes in the rooftops. I didn’t see any unusual magical activity happening in the streets or suspicious-looking mages; I’m sure they kept that all concealed.
When I reached Gilad, I turned right, hoping against all hope that was the correct direction. I scanned the numbers above the doors but nothing rang familiar. Sweat dripped down my back. I had two minutes before noon—I needed to call Magnus to get more details. I looked around the busy sidewalks, hoping to grab a phone off one of the Leftbankers, but these people weren’t carrying any devices. Many smelled of fish and factory grease. I’d need to find a place of business with a phone.
I pushed my way through a crowded section toward a tobacco shop, when I spotted who I sensed was my target: a young woman with gleaming violet eyes and a bright orange scarf wrapped around her head. She was draped in layers of matching fabric and smoking a cigarette from a holder made of silver. I’d seen this woman before on the right bank, standing outside one of those fortune-telling places that rip off wealthy Oligarchs.
A tap on my shoulder sent a jolt through me.
“What the hell are you doing?” Nils barked.
I pulled him back into the alley and pressed against the wall. “Shhh,” I whispered.
“Thought you had female issues?” he said.
“I was about to go into a shop when I saw a suspicious-looking lady. So I followed her.”
Nils frowned. “What’s going on with you, Jordy?”
“Across the street. The lady in orange. I think I saw her using some black magic. We need to apprehend her and bring her to the right bank.” It was only a small lie.
Nils peered around the corner, then came over to me. “You sure?”
“I’m going on a gut hunch,” I said.
He nodded. “Your gut was right the other night. Let’s do this, partner.”
I braced myself as we walked out onto the street. I just lied to my partner’s face and felt pretty lousy about it, but at least now we had a legitimate way of getting the target to the right bank.
The lady caught sight of us stalking over. Her violet eyes gleamed brighter, then beams of blinding light shot out from them. I shoved Nils out of the way—bricks exploded behind us. I charged toward her, dodging the beams. As I got closer, she turned and bolted down the street in a flash of orange. By now, people had stopped to watch. Topaz units would be on the scene soon, and I had to get to her before they did. But she was faster than anything I’d ever encountered. Yet I was keeping up. I glanced to my right, and Nils ran beside me—somehow he was keeping up. Looks like I wasn’t the only one with secrets in the Jade Division.
“I’ll break ahead. We’ll trap her between us,” he shouted, zipping off down an alley in a blue blur of light.
The orange streak shot straight ahead toward a rickety wooden building being held up by stilts, with the back half about to fall into the river. Why was she going there of all places? Before she reached the front steps, Nils came zipping down the hill and slammed her to the ground. I ran over, taking out my baton to secure her inside a crystal cage, but when Nils rolled away, her violet eyes were blank and lifeless. She was gone.
“Damn,” I said.
“I’m fine, by the way,” Nils said, wincing in pain. His right thigh was covered in blood.
“Stay where you are. Your leg’s broken,” I told him.
He lay back down on the dirt and laughed. “That was amazing. You’re fast, Jordy.”
I snatched his phone from his front pocket, ignoring him as I sent a text to Counselor Magnus.
“What are you doing?” Nils asked.
“You need a healer. And we need to get the hell out of here.” I motioned to the crowd of Leftbankers gathering on the sidewalk.
“Why isn’t Topaz here yet?” he asked.
“Probably because they’re not nearly as fast as either of us.” I glanced knowingly down at him.
He closed his eyes.
I stared at his phone, awaiting a response from Counselor Magnus, but the screen remained dark.
One of the Ancients from the group of Leftbankers—an elderly woman with scraggly gray hair and a robe of rags—crept up the hill toward us. As she got closer, a pleasant smile spread across her wrinkled face.
“You’ve come,” she said in a hoarse whisper.
“Please stand back,” I ordered.
“He needs healing.” She pointed her bony finger to Nils.
“I need you to stand back,” I repeated, holding up my baton.
“Aw, come on, Jordy. Let her heal me. I’m in pain,” Nils moaned.
I jerked my gaze toward him. “Are you insane? We’ll wait for Topaz to get here.” Or Magnus to get back to me with an exit strategy, I thought.
Nils smiled at the old lady and waved her over. “It’s okay. You can heal me.”
Astonished, I stepped back. The woman knelt down next to Nils and held her skinny hands over his thigh, where the bone had snapped and was protruding through the dark blue material of his uniform. I couldn’t believe Nils was allowing this woman to use her black magic on him.
Another memory rushed across my mind; something my mother had said that day when we were drifting down the River Elin, heading into Mysterium. She pointed to the left bank and said: The left bank is full of dangerous black magic.
“Stop this now!” I shouted, aiming my baton at the woman.
Nils rose to his feet, his leg completely healed. He patted the woman on the shoulder.
“You need to chill, Jordan,” he said with a stern voice.
“Jordan …” said the old woman. “And she will have eyes of jade.”
The woman was freaking me out with her strange words. But the phone in my hand started playing a funky beat, and I’d never been so relieved to hear from Counselor Magnus.
“Counselor,” I answered, watching the old woman amble away.
“You failed,” he stated.
“Can you get us out of here?” I asked.
“You’re on your own now. Follow protocol. We’ll chat later.”
Click.
“
Sonof—” I hoisted the phone, ready to wing it, but Nils snatched the device and slipped it into his pocket.
“Topaz is here,” he muttered.
“We need to agree on what happened,” I told him.
“I’m not exactly sure, so I’ll let you do the talking,” he said, stepping behind me.
Two hulking operatives marched up the dirt hill toward us with their magical devices raised as they scoped out the scene. The Leftbankers that had been gawking from the sidewalk quickly dispersed. The men bulldozed their way over to us. Nils and I saluted.
“Details, operatives,” barked one of the men.
I proceeded to explain my cover story about spotting suspicious activity and going after the lady.
“Our goal is to capture and collect, not kill on the spot.”
“Yes, sir. It all happened so fast.” I remained steady and confident. I couldn’t allow for a splinter of intimidation to creep in, otherwise we’d be toast.
Nils stepped forward. “Bachar had to make a quick call—much like the other night. She saved my life.”
So, now my partner was lying to cover up my lies. I wondered how far down this rabbit hole we’d end up going.
After a few moments of silent contemplation, the more talkative of the two Topaz operatives told us, “Clean this up, get back to headquarters, and report directly to Crawford.”
They strode off, leaving us with the dead body.
“What are we supposed to do?” Nils asked.
A chill shuddered through me. I glanced over my shoulder to the sidewalk. The old woman who had healed Nils stood staring directly at me.
Leave her, a voice whispered in my head.
I stumbled backward, bumping into Nils.
“Whoa, Jordy.” He held my arm.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said.
“But what about the body?”
“Leave her.”
CHAPTER 6
At headquarters, Nils and I sulked out of Crawford’s office and went back down to the third floor. Our commanding officer had reprimanded us for dereliction of duty and unauthorized lethal action against an Ancient.
“Sorry,” Nils muttered.
“Not entirely your fault. I was the one who went after her. But can we talk about your ability …”
“Let’s just keep things status quo for now, Jordy. You have your secrets, I have mine. Let’s write up the report before we get dinged with some other penalty.”
At my desk, there was a white pastry box waiting for me. It had a sticker on the top with the same logo from the snack bar: Danny’s Delicacies. I opened it and the savory smell of a half dozen latkes wafted over me. The kid had left his business card inside the box. Maybe he was hoping to drum up some catering business from my mother, who was known to throw at least two social events per week. The address was on the left bank. So, Daniel came over here every day to feed a bunch of men who couldn’t stand his people—the wages must’ve been worth all that leveling of pride. I slipped his card into the pocket of my bomber jacket.
“You gonna keep them all to yourself or share some with your loyal partner?” Nils grinned.
I handed him one of the latkes, still warm, and grabbed one for myself. When I bit down into the rich potato pancake, a feeling of satisfaction washed over me. I moaned in delight. It was the first bite of food I’d eaten all day. As I swallowed down the delicious mouthfuls, something familiar came over me. Laughter and friendship. Communion and celebration.
Nils held up his last bite. “Kid knows how to make a latke.”
“There’s more,” I said, pushing the box across the desk.
“Let’s just finish this report. It’s almost quittin’ time, and I’ve got a certain redhead to call on.”
“Sly fox,” I teased, then went for one more potato pancake before typing up my side of the story.
***
When I walked up the drive to the family estate, I decided to use the back entrance to avoid any potential encounters with Counselor Magnus leaving the admin wing. I just wanted to get up to my bedroom, take a shower, and go to bed. No big family dinner discussions or grilling sessions. I didn’t even have enough energy for my mother. I needed a quiet place to figure out how to break the loathsome “arrangement” with Magnus. He could hang the exposing-your-magic threat over me all he wanted—I wasn’t doing any more of his dirty work.
I slipped by the kitchen staff as they bustled around preparing for dinner, and ran up the back stairs to my room. I closed the door behind me, tossing my bomber over a chair. As I fumbled with the fourth button on my shirt, I sensed a heavy presence in my room. My magic encased me as I scanned the suite. Counselor Magnus was sitting in my reading chair by the windows.
“What the hell are you doing in my room?” I asked.
“The Seventh was said to shine the brightest of all the cities,” he mused. “Like a guiding star to all those seeking. The girl was one of the last who knew the way in.”
He stood up and approached with a confident smile, his black hair glistened under the chandelier’s light. He had no shame in trying to allure me, but his charm fell flat like stale champagne. Magnus might’ve been impeccably handsome, but there was something deeply crooked behind those panther eyes.
“The girl was killed in action during an assignment. It’s a done deal.”
He chuckled and touched my shoulder. “That wasn’t the assignment.”
I pulled back. “Whatever it was, it’s done. And whatever arrangement we discussed the other night, that’s over too.”
Magnus gently rubbed the scar above his right eye, staring at me. If I could get away with it, I’d shoot a blast of electricity right into his chest, letting him know just how serious I was. He stepped closer and grabbed my wrist, twisting it. Pain ripped up my arm. Why wasn’t my magic protecting me?
He leaned in so close, I could smell the cognac on his breath. “We’re just getting started, Jordan.”
I lifted my foot and stomped down on his shoe with my boot, causing him to release me and stumble backwards, cursing. Then he regained his composure, grinned, and held open his hand—a ball of orange flames rose up from his palm. Inside the sphere of fire appeared the image of a face … my mother’s face. I started toward him, ready to strangle the life from his body, but then stopped when he held up his other hand; he had called on something that looked like a sword made of black flames. I didn’t know how he was able to conjure such dark magic—it was blacker than anything I’d ever seen before and dangerous enough to kill both of us.
“What are you doing, you fool?!” I yelled.
“Giving you options,” he replied.
Options? Either stick with his malevolent arrangement or he’d kill my mother, me, or both of us. This wasn’t going the way I had imagined.
“Just pocket the black magic,” I said.
He waved away the flaming sword and handful of fire. “That’s my girl.” As he headed to the door to leave, he took something out of his pocket and tossed it to the bed—a new phone.
“Tell me something, Magnus. Do I work for you or the Jade Division?”
He gave me a camera-ready smile. “Don’t you see, Jordan? It’s all me.” Then quietly exited the room.
I went to the bathroom to take a shower and wash off this hellish day.
CHAPTER 7
My next assignment for Magnus began with me crouching behind a dumpster near one of the fisheries on the left bank at four in the morning. This was how things would go until I ended the deal … or killed him. I stood shivering as the fog rolled off the River Elin and drifted into the streets. My damn heartbeat refused to return to normal. It wasn’t just the cold—I was still jumpy from hopping an illegal ride on one of the shipping boats returning to the left bank. Not my favored mode of transportation, but it was the only way to get over here undetected.
The air reeked of fish and smoke; I struggled to get in a full breath, choking from the filth. A foghorn moaned across the dark river a
lmost like a warning signal. I pulled my wool hat over my frozen ears, desperate to get the chill from my bones. I clutched my phone, careful not to drop it, as I typed in the new address into the navigation.
My latest “assignment” was to break into the Ancient’s Temple Chever and extradite one of the high priests: Azia the Conjurer. We’d heard rumors at the Academy about this powerful and influential mage. I couldn’t imagine what Magnus needed him for, other than to get the location to the alleged Seventh city. What he needed that for, I didn’t know and I didn’t care. I just hoped he’d get what he needed and my services would no longer be required.
I prowled like a thief through the alleys of the left bank, telling myself it’d be over soon. The layout of the streets spiraled in rings toward the middle of the city, and in the center was a temple perched at the top of a large mountain. The jasper-stone structure might’ve been a thing of beauty in earlier days, but it was now near to ruins. The golden dome was cracked and falling apart in places, and stones crumbled around the perimeter.
I jogged along a dirt path up the mountain. My boots crunched on the gravel as pebbles and rocks slipped down the ledge and echoed in the quiet night. I approached the top and someone—or something—came forward from another path. The hooded figure stopped and stood about twenty yards away. He lifted his hands and without warning began shooting streaks of lightning toward me. My magic protection instantly covered me in a sphere, causing the blast to ricochet off its surface. The mage paused, studying me for a quick second, then lifted one of his feet and stomped down on the ground. The earth rippled forward and rolled in a large wave that had such an intense velocity I lost my balance and fell to the dirt.
“Stop what you’re doing, or I’ll have you arrested for unlawful use of magic,” I shouted.
“Your backward laws don’t hold ground in our holy places.” A man’s voice came forth.
I pulled myself to standing and aimed my baton at the mage. “I’m here to talk to Azia.”
“You think we’d just hand over Azia to you right-bank slavers?” He laughed—a loud, menacing bellow—then lifted his hands toward me again.