by Viola Grace
“I get paid. I get paid quite a bit. I wish folks would let me spend my money.” Imara snorted as Benny handed the server the cash.
Benny grinned. “We are going to a shop next. You can spend your money there.”
They were on their way when Imara asked Freddy, “Who are we going to meet?”
“Our friend Minerva. She is in town from Corudet City and working on taking inventory at an herb shop. She’s a master mage and an excellent judge of character. Also, she is married to a dragon. It’s a sweet story.”
“It sounds like it. Do you have a romantic attachment?”
Freddy smiled. “Aside from drooling over the gryphon with the dreamy eyes? Nope. I can’t. I have to be available to my mage.”
“That sucks.” She kept her vision on the red sports car that Benny was driving.
“It does. So, do you know any available mages who don’t have familiars?”
Imara scratched Mr. E’s ears. “No. I don’t socialize much, but I could ask my mother. What are your criteria?”
“Seriously? It has to be a human mage or I would have asked Benny’s family. I can’t get my family to ask around. We are bound by a geas. No call for help is allowed from us to another mage unless they approach us first.”
“So, because I asked, you can tell me?”
Freddy nodded. “Correct.”
After a few minutes of chitchat, they pulled into the parking lot of Sawberry’s Magical Supply. The door said CLOSED, but there was light inside.
Benny got out of her car, and she beckoned for them to come to the door. Imara shrugged and got out of her car. Freddy followed, and soon, they were at the door where Benny was texting frantically.
A moment after she finished the texting, the door opened. A tall woman, who radiated power, was standing at the entrance. “Come in. I have some tea brewing.”
Benny reached out and hugged the heavily pregnant woman. “Minerva. It is so good to see you again.”
The energy that Minerva was exuding was far more than the average master mage. To Imara’s senses, it was nearer to the power of a sun.
Freddy hugged the woman next, and then, it was Imara’s turn to greet her. She inclined her head. “Pardon my lack of hug.”
Minerva smiled slightly. “Thank you, and you are pardoned. I am Minerva.”
“Imara.”
“Death Keeper?”
“Yes. It pays for schooling.”
Minerva cocked her head. “Deity in the bloodlines?”
Imara shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“Huh. Well, please come in. I am guessing that you are the reason that they came to visit.”
“I am. I am taking a spell crafting course at Depford College, and they immediately thought of you.”
Minerva nodded. “That would do it. Please, come in and have a seat. I am in the process of purchasing this shop, so I am doing inventory. The wards dissuade anyone who wants to nag me, and it sends them off to the next shop.”
The interior of the shop was neat and tidy for the most part, but the scent of herbs and the feel of magic were heavy in the air.
The woman walked slowly to the circle of comfy chairs, and she lowered herself into one of the seats. “Someone else pour, please.”
Benny sat and took the pot into her very competent hands. “Here. When are you due?”
Minerva chuckled. “By human standards, three weeks ago. By dragon standards, I still have two months to go.”
Imara asked, “So he is really a dragon?”
She sighed and inhaled the fumes from the teacup that Benny handed her. “He really is. Zemuel has his territory in Corudet City, but I have decided that my child needs more than just his empire in its life. This shop will give me a reason to come visit as well as an outlet for the child to work when it is of age.”
Freddy grinned. “Nothing like looking ahead... way ahead.”
Imara smiled softly. “It is good that you are planning for their life. Even if things change, it is alterations to an existing design.”
Minerva looked at Imara and grinned. “I like you. So, I am going to give you the best advice I can. When you get assignments to make spells and potions, look at the ingredients and think of what they mean to you. The meaning in your mind will determine the end result, no matter the dictates in the spell book. If you think of sunny days when you see a sunflower, it will make the spell brighter and happier. If you look at a lily and remember a funeral, it will darken and mute the effect of the spell. You have to put all of your focus in it and realize that there is no incorrect spell, just an undesired result. By concentrating on the ingredients, you can guess at what the spell will achieve or what it won’t.”
That made so much sense; it explained why the strongest magical sensing strips that she had ever made were made with her favourite paper. “Thank you. That explains a lot.”
“You are welcome. Is that your familiar?”
Mr. E crept out from behind Imara’s collar.
“It is. While I regret the shape I chose for him, I regret nothing else.”
Minerva smiled as the kitten crept closer.
“Eadric the Hellborn. I never thought to see you walking free.” The deep, rumbling voice came from a corner where Imara would have sworn there was no one.
The kitten sat on Imara’s arm with deep formality, and he bowed.
“Imara, this is Zemuel. Zemuel, you remember my friends Benny and Freddy.”
He chuckled. “Of course. Now, beloved, you need to return to our home to rest. This flitting around in portals isn’t good for you.”
In a moment, Imara felt the tremendous power of the dragon’s mind weighing down on Mr. E. He met the pressure and returned it calmly and directly. Their conversation was short, but it was obvious that they were friends of a sort.
Minerva snorted. “I can rest for a day after I have the baby.”
He stepped forward, and Imara was struck by the size of him. Minerva was a tall woman, but Zemuel was a huge man. He was easily over seven feet tall, and the air of power that he wore was casual as if it didn’t matter to him.
“Eadric, what are you doing wearing that ridiculous form?”
Mr. E answered him on his personal frequency, and the dragon shifted his gaze to Imara. “You are one of those from the demon-mage families?”
She cocked her head. “Genetically, yes. The Deepford-Smythe line is mine. I have not looked into the ancestors that were killed.”
That seemed to surprise him. “Why not?”
“I am not close to either side of my family, so I don’t concern myself with the past. I can’t do anything about it.”
Mr. E perched on her forearm and looked smug.
Zemuel raised his brows and actually looked closely at her. “You have the air of death about you.”
She quirked her lips. “I live at a college. Some of those folks don’t bathe. Sorry.”
Minerva barked a laugh. “I like her.”
Zemuel sighed, and the communication between him and Mr. E continued for a moment. The dragon snorted, and a shot of fire was exhaled. “Fine. I will leave her alone.”
Minerva’s eyes went wide. “That is one impressive kitten.”
Mr. E stood and fluffed his fur out a little before looking at her with big eyes and a soft murp.
Imara smiled. “He loves compliments.”
Zemuel crossed his arms over his chest. “He always did.”
Mr. E hissed.
Imara yawned. “Apologies.”
Benny grinned at her. “Long day?”
“Yeah. Prepping for classes takes a lot out of me.”
Freddy gave her a commiserating look. “Maybe you should head home.”
Minerva hissed. “Not until she has had something to keep her alert for the drive. Give me a minute.”
Minerva got to her feet with alarming speed and made her way across the shop. Zemuel was behind her, ready to catch her if his posture was any indication.
; Minerva grabbed the wheeled ladder and slid it over to wherever she was targeting, and then, she began climbing. Minerva was muttering as she found a drawer and began to paw through it until she found what she was looking for. “Aha!”
She turned her head to Zemuel and murmured, “Coming down.”
He held out his arms and caught her when she jumped off the ladder. He didn’t stagger, but his knees bent slightly.
When he carried her back to them, she held her hand out toward Imara. “Here you go. It is a clarity stone. It will keep you alert. It is warded against detection, but I wouldn’t recommend that you take it to class.”
Imara smiled and took the tiny glass pebble. “Thank you, but I wouldn’t take it to class. Mr. E would eat it if I tried to cheat. He doesn’t need more clarity.”
He crept up to her shoulder and purred happily against her neck.
She slipped the stone into her robe pocket and inclined her head. “It has been pleasant to meet all of you, but I had best get back to the college. I have to get my supply list together for the course.”
Freddy smiled. “I thought you would have it already.”
“I would have, but they won’t give it to us until the day before the class.”
She bowed low and paused when Zemuel shifted Minerva in his arms, and he held out a card. “Here. Call us if you need us.”
She reached out and took it. The card was heavy with magic. “Um, thank you.”
Minerva grinned. “Let me know if you need any supplies. I can get them for you fresh and inexpensive.”
Imara smiled. “Thanks again. Good evening and take it easy. That baby needs a bit of rest.”
The room erupted in hugs and laughter, so Imara took that moment to escape and head for her vehicle.
Time to get home and check her email for the shopping list she needed for her course. She would apply what Minerva had told her in the class and see what following her associates could generate.
Chapter Four
She carefully put the stone in her storage cupboard in the lab and went through the list that she had gotten in her email.
You sure that you don’t want to take that with you? Mr. E idly batted around the cap from an empty herb bottle.
“I am sure. This is just a quick trip, a light lecture, and then, we are on our way home again. Sorry, buddy. No pie tonight.”
He sighed but hopped onto her shoulder. Too bad. It was tasty.
“And it was squishing through your paws for an hour. Gross.”
He chuckled in her mind as she grabbed her robes from the hook near the door.
She waved goodbye to Reegar and Bara and headed out the door. Time to talk to the dead... again.
The Death Keeper at the welcome centre was attentive, helpful, and had the necessary magic to do the job. He was deferential to her and got out of her way when she led the three XIA teams into the gardens.
This evening was different from the previous night. She was there to wake a dead suspect in a murder and get a confession from him.
She walked up to the stone, and she tapped the obelisk politely. “Excuse me, Mage Neffling. I have some folk here who would like to speak with you.”
She was holding back her energy to stop other spectres from rising. She offered a bit to his spectre, and he took it.
One moment there was a vague glow on his obelisk, and the next, he was standing in full regalia with a sneer on his features. He wasn’t handsome, but he wasn’t ugly.
Imara nodded to Benny, “I am not part of this investigation, so I will stay off to one side. He can’t make contact with you; he will be fine as long as you need to talk to him.”
She faded to one side and let the agents of the XIA gather and speak with a killer who had been dead for the better part of a century.
While keeping her energy in, she opened her senses, focusing on the shadowy, fading garden. There were still nine spectres moving, but they were excited by something. She pulled her senses back in, but just as she was nearly closed off, something cruised just out of her sensory area.
She asked Mr. E, Did you feel that?
Yes, and it wasn’t good. That was ancient and evil.
Where did it come from? She went to open her senses again.
Don’t. Don’t open yourself to it. You are strong but nowhere near strong enough to take that on.
I hate to say this, but I agree with you.
The XIA members were engrossed in the stories being told by the spectre, and they hadn’t noticed whatever it was that had cruised by the edge of the memorial garden. The thing was gone now, so she would just hold the information until it was appropriate.
The questioning took over two hours, but finally, the questions had been answered, and the XIA was satisfied.
Benny turned to her, and she smiled. “So, another pie?”
“No. I was wrong on my timeline. My first class is two days away, but I want to spend time doing more research. It is my last class, and I don’t want to blow it.”
Benny nodded. “Fair enough. Thanks for this, by the way.”
“Not a problem. The money is already in my account.”
When she had escorted them to the front door of the welcome centre, she turned to Argus. “Did you learn what you needed to know?”
“Yes, and I got to see you in action. My heart is yours. You are a wonder to behold.”
She blushed and quickly kissed him on the lips. “Go and have pie with your team. I have to get back home and think about how fast I can blow through this course.”
“Good luck and well done. He told us everything.”
“I am glad. It also proves that spectres can still be useful after their bodies are gone.”
He hugged her and walked her to her car. Once she was tucked in, he closed her door and walked to his SUV with the other team members laughing and elbowing each other.
Benny’s team was on the way to pie when Imara pulled onto the highway. They were on their way to the café, but Imara had to head home.
She was heading toward her turnoff when she saw a flash of midnight green.
The car crunched as it was struck and flipped into a rapid roll that had Imara holding her breath and trying to gain access to her location.
She wanted to scream, but her thoughts were shorted by the sudden thud of her head into the window glass.
She heard a hiss next to her, but a roar from Mr. E’s hellcat form seemed to freak out the attacker. There was a rumble of growling and hissing, but when Imara touched her head, she felt the ribbon of blood that was wrecking her robes.
She was lying upside down with light blazing into the side of her car, but she didn’t know what was casting that light.
“Imara! Imara, stay still.” Argus was concerned. How sweet.
She didn’t turn her head to look, but she croaked, “I am seat belted in. I am not going anywhere right now. Where is Mr. E? Can someone find my cat? Please.” Tears started to run up and over her forehead.
One of Argus’s team said he would follow the crash through the woods.
There was a low growl, and a cranky Argus pulled the door to her driver’s side away. He reached in, and his claws severed the seatbelt, catching her in his arms. He eased her out of the car, and he asked her over and over if her arms or legs could move. Once she wiggled everything to his satisfaction, he gave her a tight hug.
She looked up at him and caressed his cheek. “Something hit me.”
“We know. We can see it; we can smell it. It was big and serpentine.”
“Well. Shit.”
The vampire brought Mr. E back. His hair was matted in places, but he was in one piece.
Imara, I am so sorry that you were targeted.
So, I was a target. That is what it felt like.
I wish I could say it was the last time.
I got lucky in that I was able to wound it, but it will be back. Her kind is always fixated.
What is she?
Argus lifted his head, and he
sniffed. “Lamia.”
“What?”
“She is part woman, part snake, and known for being particularly hostile when she believes she has been wronged.”
“I guess I pissed someone off.”
“I guess. I am taking you to the hospital.”
She leaned against his shoulder and cuddled her kitten. “Sounds like a fabulous idea.”
He got to his feet and carried her and Mr. E to the rear seat of the SUV. His team surrounded them, and soon, they were on their way to the hospital in Redbird City.
It was amazing how fast you were seen when three heavily muscled and body-armoured men carried you into the emergency room.
She was scanned, probed, and a healer came up to her, wrapping her abused skull in gauze soaked in herbs and magic.
Mr. E was curled in her elbow, and Argus held her other hand.
“You were exceptionally lucky; your car is totalled, but you only have the small cut on your forehead.” Argus smiled. “I have filed the report with your insurance agency.”
Imara lifted a hand to her head. Mr. E was already healing her. “Huh. Did they catch whatever hit my car?”
“No, but we have some serpentine samples at the lab.”
She sighed and swung her legs to one side. “I don’t suppose I could get a ride home?”
“They want to keep you for another day.”
She glared at him. “I want to be home.”
He squeezed her hand. “I will check with the doctor. If he says you can go, I will take you home.”
She smiled and nodded. “Thanks. I will stay here.”
“So will I.” He lifted his hand and jerked his head.
Imara carefully turned in time to see Lio leaving the doorway. Ivar was still standing guard.
“They are still here?”
“They are hoping that when you graduate, you are willing to join our team.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I am not going to join the team the way that Benny has.”
He winked. “Good. I am not up for sharing you. We want you for your magic.”
Imara nodded carefully. “I know. I promise to make you a priority, but I am not going to cruise around with you every night. There are folk who want to talk to the dead, and they are willing to pay for it.”