by TR Cameron
He tucked himself into the shade of the doorway of a closed bar that would doubtless be under different management within the month, that being how New Orleans worked. His quarry stepped out and slipped her sunglasses on, reminding him of a celebrity. The men emerged and did the same, the perfect image of bodyguards, which was no doubt exactly what they were. He had the sense she would probably be adequate to any challenge on her own. Experienced practitioners could usually recognize others.
A black car pulled up to the curb, and he cursed as the trio slid inside. He looked around for a taxi but none were in sight. His phone wasn’t set up with the apps to call for one yet, and there was no way a ride could get there in time, anyway. He jogged in the direction the car was headed and caught a glimpse of black rubber from an alley. A motorcycle was parked there, chained to a bar mounted on the wall. Sorry, whoever you are. I’ll bring it back full. He made a yanking motion and the chain snapped where the bar tried to resist his magical pull. Tanyith directed a tiny burst of force into the keyhole and used it to turn the ignition and punched the starter switch. The bike roared to life.
He backed it out into the street and accelerated after the dark sedan. Pedestrians interfered with the flow of traffic, again merely a part of how things worked in New Orleans, and he was able to gain on his target. Within a few minutes, he realized where they were likely headed. The car turned into a garage about a block from the nightclub. Tanyith parked the bike around the corner and went back to watch on foot. He expected to see them emerge and cross over to it, but after ten minutes, decided that something else must have been at work. The building was a squat concrete bunker with only the rolling door visible. He circled it at a distance and identified another door but no windows. It was a mystery but now, he had two potential locations to investigate.
On his return to the bike, he noticed a flyer tacked to a telephone pole advertising live music at The Shark Nightclub for the next several nights. So, a little of the old place remains, he thought with a smile. It’s a perfect opportunity. The grin faded. There’s no way I’ll get into the club alone. They’ll check everyone but no doubt give singles extra attention. He considered asking Sienna, but there were abundant reasons not to, most especially the part where he’d put her in danger. He sighed. I guess I don’t have much of a choice, then. Tanyith kicked the motorcycle into gear and headed back to return it where he’d borrowed it from before seeking out a partner in crime.
He managed not to slam the door as he entered the Drunken Dragons Tavern, which earned him a nod from the dwarf behind the bar. Zeb tilted his head toward where the cask rested and Tanyith held up a hand in negation. “I need my brain tonight, thanks.”
The proprietor laughed. “A cider, then?”
“You read my mind.” He slipped into the chair nearest the bartender and handed over a bill in exchange for the glass of amber liquid. His change appeared a moment later, and he drank deeply. His jaw ached slightly as the sour tang of the drink caught his taste buds. “Delicious.” He leaned forward. “Can I ask you something that might offend you without getting whacked by the ax over there?”
Zeb chucked. “Probably. No promises.”
“Your server. She’s more than meets the eye, right?”
The chuckle became a heaving laugh. Finally, after almost a full minute, he raised a gnarled finger to wipe the tears from his eyes. “That is definitely one way to describe it. Yes, Cali is entirely unique.”
Tanyith nodded. “You clearly find her trustworthy.”
The dwarf turned serious. “Absolutely, I do. Not to overstep, but you’re a little old for her.”
He shook his head. “I’m not looking for a girlfriend, no worries on that account.” He finished the drink and rapped his knuckles on the bar. “Thanks.” He twisted and stood and quickly noticed her across the common room. She gave him a reserved smile as he strode directly toward her and he matched it and said, “Hey.”
Cali raised an eyebrow. “Still not great at talking to girls, huh? Hey yourself.”
He nodded at the alcove behind her. “Can you take five for a quick chat?”
“Sure.” She shrugged. “If we hear screaming, though, I’ll have to come out and see what’s up.”
He laughed. “Fair enough.” He followed her into the room and sat across from her. “So, I saw you the other day outside the Shark Nightclub.”
She stiffened. “Are you spying on me?”
“Spying yes. On you, no. I was watching the building.”
While she relaxed slightly, her suspicion was clear. “Why?”
“I’m still trying to piece together what happened to land me in jail and how things have fallen out after, and I’ve hit a roadblock.”
“That’s plausible. Say more.”
He shrugged. “They’re having live music in there. I can’t go in alone. That would make them suspicious, even if I was in disguise. So I need a partner. Ideally, one that casts better illusions than I do.” He laughed. “Before my stint behind bars, I would have known ten people who met that description. Now, I only have one. You.”
“What makes you think I fit the bill?”
“Your boss likes you and you can clearly handle yourself. I saw the precision of your portal spell.”
She laughed. “Plus, you’re desperate. And trust me, there are many people who don’t like me.” She paused and looked thoughtful. “But I’m already on their radar and they’re on mine, so there’s a unity of purpose between us.” She leaned back and drummed her fingers on the table that separated them. “How do I know you won’t kill me and leave me in an alley?”
“I’ve left a clear trail while coming to talk to you. Your boss could finger me and I’d be on my way back to Trevilsom.”
“I’d still be dead.”
“You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
Her hair flopped in her face as she nodded vigorously. She emerged with a smile. “Yeah, it’s kind of who I am. I thought you should know that upfront.”
He rolled his eyes. “Perfect. So, you’re in?”
Cali raised a finger. “We haven’t talked compensation.”
“What, you aren’t willing to go in simply to find out what’s going on?”
She shook her head. “Not as such. If you’re going to take away my one night off a week to go see a band I probably won’t like in a nightclub filled with people who might want to hurt me, I’ll need a little more than that.”
“Fair enough.” He laughed. “Dinner beforehand?”
“You have yourself a deal. And if it’s fancy, you’ll have to supplement my wardrobe.”
“That I can do. So, we’re agreed?”
She rose and extended her hand. “Agreed.” He shook it, and she smiled. “If you do turn out to be a killer, please don’t dump my body in the swamp. That would be the grossest afterlife.”
“Okay, I promise.”
“You’d better or you’ll find yourself haunted.” She departed through the beads and immediately yelled at one of the customers. He leaned back with a grin. Well, this gets more and more convoluted with each passing second. It’s gonna be an interesting start to the weekend when Friday night arrives.
Chapter Fifteen
Fyre and Cali were back at Emalia’s before noon the next day. The Draksa had made it clear that she would not spend another afternoon away from him, and there had been no compelling reason to leave him behind. The walk was easier than usual, as people who wouldn’t normally have gotten out of her way on the sidewalk gave the red-haired girl with the large boxer at her side a wide berth.
No fortunes were being predicted when they arrived, so they headed to the back room. Her guardian was waiting with the tea already brewed. Cali frowned. “That’s some impressive timing.”
The older woman smiled. “I told you, the teacher is attuned to the student. I felt your presence growing closer and assumed you were probably coming to see me, given that we need to continue your training.”
She sat whe
re she always did and drained her cup, then held it out for a refill. Since having her magic unlocked, the tea seemed more potent and cascaded like fire through her from the moment it touched her tongue. Emalia chuckled as she refilled it. “It seems as if you’ve come to terms with your new power quite well.”
Cali shook her head. “Not really. I’m afraid to use it for anything other than defense in case I go overboard and wind up hurting someone. But that’s not totally on point at the moment. I need more help with illusion.”
Her teacher squinted. “Why that? Why now?”
She sighed. “It’s tough to explain. There’s this guy—”
Emalia interrupted with a laugh. “Ah, I see how it is.”
“He’s, like, at least a decade older than me. Please.” She shook her head. “Anyway, he has issues with the same people who were taking a look at me. But he also has a plan to get inside and find some things out. The only problem is that they’ll recognize us. So, I need to disguise both of us.”
“He’s not magical?”
“He’s magical, but apparently not great at illusion.” She shrugged. “He’s been…away for a while, and it sounds like he’s out of practice.”
“Okay, then, illusion it will be. Your increased power should help here, but you’ll have to be careful to contain it as well. If you wind up in close quarters, the fact that you’re using magic might be noticeable.”
Cali winced. “Close quarters are basically a guarantee. We’re going to the Shark.”
The other woman shook her head. “Caliste, that is a terrible idea.”
“I know.” She sighed. “But it’s where all the trails lead to. I don’t have any idea where else to look, and it sounds like he’s convinced that any clues to take his investigation further are inside.”
“Investigation? Is he a detective?”
She thought of how different he was from Barton and laughed. “No, although he clearly detects. I think he’s only a guy who has questions that need answering before he can move on with…well, whatever it is he wants to move on with. He’s kind of single-minded.”
Emalia tapped a fingernail against the table, a sign that she was thinking. Finally, she shrugged. “If you are intent on this course of action, it is not my place to stop you. But you will definitely need a plan, a backup plan, and a backup plan for that one.”
She smiled. “Which is why I’m here.” Fyre barked. “Why we’re here.”
The older woman looked at the big dog laying on his side on her floor. “I don’t suppose you’re able to change into something small so you can be there to help?” He raised his head, thumped his tail once, and laid it down again.
Cali met her mentor’s eyes. “I’ve decided that particular set of movements means ‘maybe, but not interested in helping you right now.’ I see it often.”
Her mentor laughed and shook her head. “Ah, child, we all knew that you would be special. But none of us imagined how special. I hope and fear that you will always live in interesting times.”
She finished off the liquid in her cup. “Well, Em, if anyone can teach me what I need to learn to get through them safely, it’s you.”
Taking the hint, her teacher ordered her to clear her mind and focus on her magic. While she did so, the older woman bustled about to clear the table, lock the front door of her shop, and flip over the back in an hour sign. When she returned, Cali closed her eyes and pushed the rest of her concerns into their corners and secured them there. She opened them and nodded her readiness.
“You are getting faster at that,” Emalia complimented her. “So. Illusion has two parts, each of which has two parts of its own. The first is to create the magic that will obscure your own features and the additional magic that will layer new ones on top. There’s not enough time to teach you everything, so we’ll focus only on faces. You will have to add appropriate physical disguises.”
The girl nodded. “Okay, got it. Hide and replace.” It was like what she’d done in the fight with Jarten’s friends.
Emalia chanted softly, and her facial figures blurred until she looked like a mannequin. Then, new ones emerged to create a different shaped face several decades younger. She gasped at something that triggered a memory of her mother and realized for the first time that Emalia shared similar traits. “You’re related. To my mother.”
The older woman let the impersonation fade away, and Cali saw the similarities she’d missed for so long. “Yes. I was her aunt, although on her father’s side.” Like many ancient civilizations, Atlantis and New Atlantis traced the dominant family line through the mother. “We did not know each other well before we met here. But I grew to love her and your father very much. And you, of course.”
Cali decided that was a can of worms that could stay closed for the moment. She imagined her features filling in and her face turning into a generic plastic version of herself. The symbols on her arms made their presence known with a slight shimmer. The second part, crafting a person, was harder. She pictured people she’d met, drew eyes from one, cheekbones from another, and nose and lips from a third. The symbols brightened, and her teacher—and great aunt—laughed. “You may want to select a single image and change it instead of what you’ve done. The result is rather…distracting.” Fyre barked to add his support to the suggestion.
She felt the magic flow into her as the spell failed. “Damn. Okay. But I think I have that down well enough to practice. What’s the other part?”
“You have to subtly convince others to accept it while hiding the fact that you’re doing so.”
“I understand the words you said, but when you string them together like that, it’s like a different language.”
Emalia laughed. “This is a magic you’ve never had occasion to learn. It’ll take some time. Let’s do a test first, though. Try to send a feeling to me.”
“A feeling?”
“Yes. Any emotion. Make me experience it. Emotions are the easiest things to transmit.”
Cali locked her mind on the concept of wonder and pictured the Draksa in his native form. She imagined the idea as a current in her body and pushed it toward her limbs, then outward. Her mentor smiled. “He is amazing, isn’t he?”
A grin broke out over her face. “I did it?” A nod followed. “Fantastic! Okay, what’s the next part?”
Her teacher laughed. “Now, you need to hide it so I don’t know you’re doing it. Take whatever method you used and make it smaller and almost transparent, scentless, flavorless—the closest thing to imperceptible as you can.”
She did as instructed and after ten minutes of fiddling, had managed to accomplish enough to practice on her own. When she moved to rise, her teacher raised a hand. “You should be able to add something else with the aptitude you’ve shown. You’re not tired, are you?”
Surprisingly, she realized that not only wasn’t she tired, but she was actively energized like spending magic power had given her more. “I’m good.”
Emalia nodded. “Okay. Now, in addition to the rest, you need to send out a cover. If someone does detect magic, you want to give them something to latch onto. Here’s what I do.” She didn’t move but suddenly, the perfume she associated with the woman—a kind of a brittle vanilla scent—reached her nose.
“That’s magic?”
“Yes. I haven’t been able to actually buy it for years since it’s Atlantean. So, I remember it with my magic. If someone notices, you have something harmless to attribute it to when you explain.”
Damn. The old lady has some serious tricks. “Okay. I can handle that, I think.”
Her mentor put a hand on her arm before she could stand, her gaze sharp and serious. “Do not take this lightly. You propose to walk into an enemy stronghold with only your magic to protect you. That might be fine if it were filled with humans—and let me stress the word might—but these are our people, born and raised with magic.”
Cali passed on the opportunity to point out that she hadn’t been raised with magic. “I’
ve got it. I’ll be careful, and I’ll keep working on it until I’m perfect.”
She nodded. “Do that. And remember a backup plan.”
“And another to back that one up. Absolutely. Now, Fyre and I need to go entertain some tourists. I’ll choose something that lets me practice.”
“Good girl,” the older woman said with a smile.
They emerged into the sunlight moments later and sidestepped out of the way of a single woman heading in for a reading. She gave the boxer a pat as the customer closed the door behind her. “My great-aunt. How did I not realize that?” He snorted, and she scowled at him. “I don’t know why I talk to you. I wonder if Dasante would take you to the pound for me.”
His tail thump showed his complete lack of concern about her threat, and she sighed. One of these days, someone will give me the respect I deserve.
Chapter Sixteen
Cali had struggled through most of her shift without bringing the issue up with Zeb. He’d worked the bar, seemingly content with the evening, and doled out drinks and bowls of stew from the large pot in the corner warming oven. The tavern only offered one menu item per day, plus fresh bread from the bakery down the street, and the variety changed more or less on his whim. Today’s was a spicy mix of venison and vegetables, which resulted in more drink sales than usual as the diners sweated through the food.
Finally, though, things slowed a little and she couldn’t delay any longer. She delivered another collection of glasses for cleaning and wiped her forehead with a sleeve. “So, uh, I’ll need tomorrow off, boss.”
He gave her a death stare. “You’re kidding.”
She laughed. “No, I’m serious, and you’re not fooling anyone with that scowl.”
Zeb shrugged and returned to washing glasses, his expression returning quickly to its normal serenity. “Okay. I’ll see if Janice can come in.”