The Day of First Sun (Annie Loves Cham Book 1)

by Sheryl Steines

  *

  Annie had told Jack that nonmagicals were never welcome in Wizard Hall—no exceptions, until Milo rescinded that order. With the public restless for answers, and assuming the murderers were long gone, Jack cautiously and anxiously accepted her invitation into the hall to finally put this case to rest.

  He met her outside of Wizard Hall.

  “So, this is it?” he asked, staring at the glass-encased, modern structure. It was situated along the Chicago River, and the wind blew like a wind tunnel. Annie’s hair flew behind her back; she pulled it back in a ponytail and watched him carefully.

  “Not really. It’s enchanted with what we want the nonmagical community to see.”

  Annie handed him a small black rock, which was heavier than it appeared. She held his hands as if shaking it.

  “What’s this?” Jack stared at the heavy yet small stone, which was pockmarked and rough. He had never seen anything quite like it.

  “It’s a meteorite.” Holding a palm over the rock, she chanted a spell. “It will help you see what we see. Without magic, you can’t. You might feel it, but you won’t see it.”

  Before his eyes, the modern structure vibrated and hummed softly as it shimmered and faded, reverting back to its original state—a medieval castle. For the first time in magical history, a nonmagical saw the true nature of the building. Jack’s jaw slid opened in shock, his eyes widened with wonder, and his hands shook.

  “Well?” she asked, deeply curious about his thoughts.

  “I… I… ” The sight left him breathless. Composing himself long enough to answer, Jack replied, “Awesome.”

  He stumbled after her as she led him through the drawbridge. It rose after they entered the passageway, plunging them into a dim, almost completely dark tunnel except for the torches lining each wall.

  “Very medieval. Is this how you light the entire place?”

  “Ah, no. Just this section. It’s more for fun. The rest of the building has heat, AC, electricity, and running water. We might be magical, but you can’t beat modern tech.”

  “Good to know.”

  They exited the stone passageway into the courtyard, yet even in the dim light, Jack saw more than possibly imagined. The courtyard was as large as a football field. He shook his head and laughed.

  “How does this fit here? In the city?”

  “Magic.”

  “Of course.”

  He turned in a circle, taking in the structure, the beautiful gardens, and the school playground at the far corner. “What’s housed here?”

  “See the playground? The school is in that far corner. The hospital, zoology, and research departments are there.” She pointed to each location.

  “Amazing.”

  “Follow me.”

  Annie led Jack into the building, crossing into a modest lobby. The security guard glanced at her Wizard Guard badge, glared at Jack, and handed the badge back to her.

  “He’s not magical. You know the rules,” the security guard warned.

  Annie produced a piece of parchment and handed it to the man. Reading the scroll, looking at Jack, and rereading the order for a second time, the security guard said, “He’s the FBI guy?”

  “He’s the one.”

  The security guard eyed Jack suspiciously before handing the scroll back to Annie. “Paperwork’s legal. I guess it’s okay.” Annie reached for the scroll and tossed it in her bag, waiting for the small gate to let them through. “He knows the rule?”

  “I’ve already told him.”

  The security guard waved them through to the first floor of the legislative wing.

  “What rule?”

  Annie walked them down another hallway and headed toward the back.

  “No telling about us.”

  When Jack didn’t comment, she turned. He gazed at a display case against the wall. His eyes crinkled in confusion as he stared at swirly poky things and stuffed creatures he’d never known existed. His curiosity was merited, but they didn’t have time.

  “Jack, we need to go. Sorry.” She motioned to him.

  “Sorry. There’s a lot to take in. You were saying?”

  “You’re not allowed to talk about us. But I’ve already told you that.”

  Barely able to take his eyes away from the display cabinet he asked, “So what are we going to do tonight exactly?”

  “The orb will be stolen tonight, we think. We thought you’d like to track it with us.”

  Jack smiled, and then his face fell. “And the magic?”

  “We’ll protect you from spells, and I promise no harm will come to you. If you grow an extra limb, we’ll remove it.”

  He sucked in air and frowned. She took him down a small hallway with a bank of elevators to their left and pushed the up arrow.

  “I’m kidding. You’ll be fine. Have any questions?”

  “I’m just so overwhelmed. I have no idea where to start.”

  “Ask me anything as we go on. Your safety is our biggest concern, and you asking questions helps us make sure you’re safe.”

  They entered the elevator when the doors split open, heading to the fifth floor.

  *

  Milo sat at his desk, which was not nearly the mess it normally was, and attempted to tidy up his office for the visitor, though some piles still lay strewn across his desk and on his floor.

  A hands-off approach to managing his staff left him distant and oftentimes unapproachable—though his Guards, the best trained in the world, didn’t need him. Other managers before him preferred to be in the field with the rest of their team, but Milo yearned for the safety of Wizard Hall. He was set to retire in the next five years, and he hoped to do so with all his limbs intact.

  Though it was quiet in the hall, there was an electricity, a collective anxiety. On his desk lay the photos from the manila folder that Ryan had procured and forwarded to him. He rested his chin in his hands and stared down at the pictures of the two men who under normal circumstances shouldn’t be spending so much time together.

  With nothing else to do, he anxiously waited for Annie and her guest, who were late. Their tardiness frustrated him, but then again the FBI agent had driven to Wizard Hall. Maybe there had been traffic. Tapping his fingers on his desk, Milo sifted through the pictures again, slowly searching for any evidence to arrest Stonewell. He determined there was nothing just as Annie and Jack strolled in.

  *

  Rebekah followed Jack again at midnight. With all his late meetings, she had no doubt that he and Anne were keeping a secret. The journalist parked across the street and watched as the FBI agent met the girl outside of a seemingly random structure made of modern glass and stone.

  As the two spoke, Anne shook Jack’s hand and held it there a little longer than acceptable. He stared at the object in his hand, his eyes grew wide in surprise.

  What is he gawking at?

  When the two entered the building, Rebekah jumped from her car and ran across the street. Nothing about the modern glass structure seemed out of the ordinary. She examined the building façade.

  What had him so enthralled?

  She touched the building but pulled her hands away when the glass hummed at her touch.

  “Are you glamored?” she murmured, recollecting various information gathered in the last week.

  Rebekah touched the glass again. Suddenly, her vision blurred in front of her, her head spun; vertigo pulled her downwards, and darkness consumed her. The journalist stumbled and reached out her arms, touching something tall, warm, and breathing. Rebekah opened her eyes; before her, a creature with gray skin gazed at her. She pulled her hand away from the building and stifled a scream.

  “What the hell?”

  Her eyes darted across the street and down the sidewalk; inside the doorway of the glass building the gray-skinned creature bared protruding teeth, each sharpened to a thin point. Rebekah sprinted across the street. Yanking open the car door, she fumbled with the keys in the ignition, and pulled away�
�tires screeching.

  Chapter 30

  Milo motioned for Jack and Annie to sit.

  “About time,” he grumbled.

  Jack waited for Annie to take a seat. Milo reminded him of Gibbs. Both were men of few words.

  Milo touched the back of his cubicle and chanted what Jack thought was a poem before realizing the wizard had cast a spell. He jumped when the spell exploded around them, locking them inside the cubicle. His uneasiness made Annie chuckle.

  “Muffle spell so no one can hear us,” she explained.

  “Oh.”

  The explanation didn’t allay his unease. Jack sat on edge of his chair, ready to bolt.

  “Annie explained it to you?” Milo asked.

  “I have questions.”

  “Of course.” Milo blew out a frustrating sigh and placed photos of Rathbone and Stonewell across the desk.

  “Milo, drop it. I couldn’t explain everything out there,” Annie barked.

  Startled by the tone in which she spoke to her boss, Jack turned toward her, but her irritation was just as palpable.

  Are they always like this?

  “Fine, fine.” Milo rearranged the pictures. “This is Rathbone. This is Stonewell. They have some plan to overthrow the government on a holiday known as the Day of First Sun. It’s an ancient holiday that leaves the magical kingdom with a high power boost. So we’re not sure how they plan on doing that with all of us receiving this increase.” He motioned for Annie to continue.

  “What we know is this. All summer, Sturtagaard has been collecting dead bodies to create a zombie army.”

  As if in school, Jack raised his hand. “That’s the vampire who was traveling with Jordan?”

  “Yes. He’s a big pain in the ass, and we thought we finally had him with something we could actually stake him with, but no. Anyway, that’s not your problem. The issue is Rathbone using this zombie army to take down the Wizard Council, our government. But he lost the fourth orb, which means he can’t make the spell to create the zombie army work.”

  Jack raised his hand again. Annie shrugged.

  “So Amelie and Jordan died because this guy lost his pretty round ball? But the orb is the key to his plan? That explains a lot.”

  Annie glanced at Milo. He held his hand open as if giving permission.

  “Listen Jack, I know this is a lot, but that orb is really powerful. It can put a spell on hundreds of zombies at once and reanimate them. When Amelie and Jordan stole the fourth orb, Stonewell gave the Golden Athame to Rathbone to harness its powers. It’s seems like a lot of work to overthrow our government, but that’s the plan he came up with. Rathbone, we think, might be a victim of blackmail by Stonewell, the man who really wants the power. But that’s for another day. Does this make sense?”

  “Yeah. This… it’s not so different from the nonmagical world,” he said thoughtfully. “So what will happen tonight?”

  “I almost got caught when I found the location of the bodies. He’s moved them and we don’t know where. So we set a trap with a fake orb that Rathbone will steal, probably tonight. We have a tracer on the orb, and we’ll take you with us so you can arrest him.”

  She attempted a smile. Jack’s face was shrouded by amazement—or probably fear. His hands shook in his lap.

  “There’s a lot that might not happen. You sure he’ll come tonight?” Jack asked.

  “No. Not for certain. It’s just that we placed the fake orb in Artifact Hall in the container that housed the athame. If all goes to plan, Stonewell will be too stupid to realize it’s a trap and he’ll let Rathbone come and steal it.”

  “You’re really calm and confident it’ll work the way you planned.”

  Milo laughed loudly. Annie gave him a warning glower until he stopped.

  “Did I miss the joke?” Jack said.

  “Just ignore him. Milo thinks nonmagicals are hilarious. Do you have any questions?”

  He sucked in a deep breath to calm himself before asking.

  “What will I be doing, exactly?”

  “Shadowing Annie. You’re much too big of a liability for any other position, and since this is actually your case, you should be the one who brings Rathbone in.”

  “Can’t he kill me with a flick of the wrist?”

  “We’ll bind his powers before turning him over. It occurred to us that you’re getting walloped by the nonmagical press. You might as well have him, and without his powers, he’ll be helpless. Rathbone’s probably better off in your prison than ours, anyway. I mean, ours is infused with magic and without his powers, he won’t be equipped to ward off the spells. So, you ready?”

  Reluctantly, Jack nodded.

  “Shadowing you,” he said as they stood up and made their way to Artifact Hall.

  *

  Jack trailed closely behind Annie, afraid of getting lost in the maze of cubicles and foreign objects. The magical items intrigued him with the powers they possessed, but mostly they frightened him.

  “What if we’re too late?” Jack whispered in the empty stairwell. They turned down another landing.

  “We miss the fun. Don’t worry, we’re not planning on doing anything yet.”

  The rest of the team waited for them at the second floor landing. Emerson, Pete, and Lial, a new guard from satellite offices crowded the small space.

  “Annie, what’s up?” Pete said, offering a fist bump.

  She engaged before introducing Jack to the other members of the team. With Jack now participating in something more familiar to him, his anxiety and tension reduced.

  “So is everyone in position?” Annie pointed to the door.

  “We’re all set. Gibbs, Cham, and his team are downstairs in position. Shiff and Brite are waiting outside Rathbone’s mansion and will let us know if he leaves. It’ll be a shame, though, if he stays held up,” Manfred, from the northeast region, said.

  “Great. Here’s to hoping he comes tonight.”

  The Wizard Guards waited patiently, keeping alert and listening to the sounds of Wizard Hall. They didn’t have to wait long before a popping sound rattled the heavy steel door beside them.

  “What’s that?” Jack said, backing away from her.

  “A problem.”

  Annie inched the door open before poking her head inside. Peering over her shoulder, Jack witnessed a large space with cubicles surrounding the perimeter and a line of them running down the center of the floor, much like Annie’s floor above.

  Just beyond the cubicles, two wooden doors housed the Law Department, where Samantha and Janie worked. White, billowy smoke puffed out from the crack at the bottom of the doors like a steam engine. Great wafts of smoke rose in the department, darkening the already dimly lit space.

  Annie closed the door, remaining in the stairwell with Jack and five Wizard Guards. She pulled out a phone.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “Milo. We need backup.”

  *

  Cham, Spencer, and an additional Guard stationed themselves in the dark shadows of Artifact Hall—but as observers only, ordered to not make contact with Rathbone or his men unless an emergency arose. Cham expected no problems but prepared anyway, hiding himself behind a heavy wooden storage unit that offered him an excellent view of the orb. The others stationed themselves among the artifacts, hiding so well that Cham was unsure of their exact location.

  Gibbs hid in the dark shadows, cloaked with an invisibility spell he had created in his younger days as a new Wizard Guard. The tricky spell had been impossible to duplicate for most witches and wizards; only a few who could use it and even fewer knew when it was in use.

  The ceiling in Artifact Hall shook; the chandelier rattled, each crystal clinking together, and dust drifted to the ground. An uneasy feeling came over Cham.

  Something went wrong.

  He took a deep breath, remaining hidden. Concern for his colleagues, for Annie, who should be there by now, made his heart pound.

  They know what they’re doing, he rea
ssured himself

  Shortly after the chandelier started shaking, a hole opened in the wall. Four men, including Rathbone, entered Artifact Hall.

  The dark wizard headed to the glass enclosure housing the orb, lifted the lid, and grabbed the object. Even in the very low light, the orb sparkled. Small dots of light glittered across Rathbone’s robes. Shoving the orb deep inside his cloak, without uttering a word he signaled for his men to leave.

  After his men departed, Rathbone glanced at the ceiling and smiled. The chandelier clinked together as the wall closed itself off—and the black magical wizard was gone.

  “Gibbs has the match to the atomie bean that’s in the orb. It’s up to him to follow Rathbone to the bodies,” Cham said.

  *

  “Emerson, no!” Annie screamed as the door exploded open in the young girl’s hands, the force throwing her and Lial backward.

  Emerson crashed on top of a desk, and Lial landed on the floor below her, his head striking the metal desk drawer and leaving a dent. Fire roared from the offices of the law department before imploding back inside, leaving a ball of smoke hanging in the air.

  Annie ran for Emerson and Jack for Lial, who attempted to sit up before nausea forced him back down.

  “There’s a bump on the back of his head. I think it’s a concussion,” Jack said as he ripped the Guard’s shirt and placed it over a cut on his head, stemming the blood.

  Annie shook Emerson’s shoulder and shouted her name, but the young woman lay unconscious, though still breathing. Annie placed her hands over the Guard’s head and shouted a spell but Emerson stayed silent.

  Annie repeated the spell, feverishly tapping Emerson’s cheek until her eyes finally fluttered open. At first, her eyes were dreamy and unfocused. As she returned to consciousness, the realization of the explosion came back to her, and her face grew wild with panic and pain. Annie checked Emerson over; the girl’s wrist hung in the wrong direction.

  “You okay?” she asked, healing the broken wrist.

  “Diversion,” Emerson said, touching her head with her good hand.

  “Looks like it.”

  Pete and Jack assisted Lial to his feet. The injured Wizard Guard stumbled. Chaos descended as footfalls pounded in the stairwell. Cham, Spencer, and the others entered the second floor to find smoke hanging in the air and felled Wizard Guards being cared for.