Enemies Allied
Magitech Book 3
Serena Lindahl
Copyright © 2019 by Serena Lindahl
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Art copyright 2017 by Silviya Yordanova of DarkImaginarium Art & Design
Created with Vellum
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
About the Author
Also by Serena Lindahl
Chapter One
Eden
Castle Ilona was a masterpiece of majesty and grace, heralding back to the time when the European mages sailed to the New World to escape prejudice. Hundreds of mages journeyed to the mysterious land across the ocean, living in peace among the Native Americans, who were also predominantly mages. The earth fueled the magic of both peoples, and they lived together in cooperation for a time before the techies followed.
As Eden looked upon the facade of the estate named after Davin's beloved sister, she noted the influence of Davin's European ancestors in the lines of the architecture and the magical aura surrounding the building. It called to her even as it struck her as the most amazing, most incredible sight she'd ever seen.
Their small group of mages and techies had just fled the mage safehouse in Canton. Recent events revealed that a powerful, unknown Magitech harbored plans for world domination. He wanted to recruit others like him.
Eden glanced at the newcomer to their group. Elijah claimed to be her brother, and every instinct verified his claim, but she didn't know his story or his motives. Why was he only approaching her now? After twenty-three years? He was a fearsome man to look upon. Nearly every visible inch of his skin was marked with scars. He called himself a blood mage.
She looked back at the rest of her motley group of friends and companions exiting the specially modified vehicles that transported them from the safehouse.
Her familiar, Gideon, soared over the turrets of the estate. The fading sunlight colored the snowy owl's pale feathers with tints of red and orange. Gideon had reassured her that the man who claimed to be her brother would play a necessary part in the battle which threatened to become a war. The fight involved mages and techies and threatened the safety of both territories.
"So, who is this?" a familiar voice asked behind Eden. She turned to her friends. Alena and Alec, a mage and a techie. They'd remained in the van when Eden emerged from a dreamwalk vision to find Eli waiting on the side of the road. He'd needed permission from Davin to enter the wards around Castle Ilona.
Eden cleared her throat nervously. "Uh, this is Elijah - Eli. He's my brother, I guess."
"You guess?" Eli turned to her, his scarred lips tilting in a smile. "I thought we'd already confirmed our familial status, my dear." He shrugged arrogantly. "No matter." He bowed towards the two. "A pleasure to meet you. You'll both play an important role in the coming battle."
Alena's brows lifted as Eli grabbed her hand and planted a kiss on her knuckles in an antiquated gesture. She snatched her hand back and crossed her arms over her chest, her bright green eyes spitting fire. "How do you know?"
"Blood Prophet - at your service."
Alena's eyes narrowed in distrust. "Prophet?"
Eden's sensitive nose separated her friends' emotions without her permission. It was one of the talents she'd received when the lock around her magic broke. She was still getting used to it. Alena was suspicious, but also surprised. Little fazed Alena because she knew almost everything about the magical world.
Davin's approach prevented Eden from asking for more information about prophets or blood mages. "Come," he commanded, "the sisters want to meet us." It didn't matter what he said; Davin could make a weather report sound like an imperial command.
The small group entered the vast house and were ushered into a room off to the side of the great hall. Eden only had a second to examine her surroundings. She caught the impression of understated elegance focused more on comfort and tradition than extravagance. It matched what she knew of Davin himself. The owner of one of the largest, most prosperous techie companies in the Eastern Territory, Davin didn't flaunt his wealth. She'd recently learned the powerful man was a Magitech, his blood equal parts mage and techie.
The room they entered was nearly devoid of furniture except for a massive fireplace and a set of couches lining the walls. The refugees from the safehouse and the group from Brenville stood together, talking amongst themselves.
Alena and Alec took positions on either side of Eden, prompting a smile. Their protective attitude towards her still surprised her. She'd been alone most of her life.
Eden's newfound brother adopted an insolent pose against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He possessed a magnetism that drew attention to him and his scars.
Three women entered the room shortly after they gathered, walking in step like the robots that attacked their sanctuary and forced this relocation. But that was where their likeliness to the strange robotic creatures ended. The three brunettes resembled the house Brownie they'd left behind in Canton. One was tall and skinny, another short and round like Bette, and the third somewhere in the middle. They appeared ageless.
"Welcome to Castle Ilona. We shall soon be attached to the house, and it's our duty to care for and protect all of you." The tallest one possessed a pleasing voice that buzzed over Eden's skin. She couldn't sense any emotions or magic from the trio, but it didn't surprise her. Bette had been the same. House Brownies were amazingly powerful, but their powers were limited to the house they occupied. Davin still needed to perform the ritual which connected the Brownies to the house, but he'd promised Bette he would.
"I am Elle," the tallest one announced. "My job is general caretaking and house matters. Jay is the cook." She motioned to the one who reminded Eden of Bette. Dimples decorated her apple cheeks. Eden liked her immediately. "Kay is in the middle. She will be the nanny for the children. She has appointed the east wing for the schooling and care of the children if that's okay with you, Dr. Rennert."
Davin nodded. No one argued with a Brownie in their territory, but the services they offered in return were worth any concession.
"Excellent," Elle said, "then Kay will take the youngest ones to recover from the journey." The twins and Kathy looked disappointed at being excluded from the proceedings, but they followed the Brownie without complaint. Alena hugged them before they left. The house in Canton had been much smaller and the group had grown close.
After the teenage girls were gone, Elle motioned for everyone to sit. Davin and Jenira claimed one of the loveseats, with Jenira's sister, Cat, beside her. The twins, Andrew and Mac, sat on a settee and Elliott took an armchair. Eden claimed the other loveseat, Alena and Alec still bracketing her. Eli remained standing. Eden suspected he did things just to be different.
The cook, Jay, snapped her fingers and refreshments popped into existence on the table in the middle of the room. A pang of homesickness struck Eden. Although she'd only stayed at the safehouse for less than a week, she missed Bette. The
food and drinks looked similar to what Bette might prepare.
"No beer?" Eli asked incredulously.
Jay snapped her fingers again. Eden thought the gesture might just be for show; Bette had waved her hand. Several glistening bottles of beer appeared on the table, and both Davin and Eli reached for one although they didn't look at each other.
"Where's Zar?" Eden whispered to Alena as everyone reached for food and drinks, referring to the huge black familiar.
"He's out checking the grounds, probably peeing on everything."
Eden hid a smile behind her water. Gideon was performing a similar check, scanning the grounds from an aerial view.
"Now." Elle remained standing, her tone authoritative and drawing all attention. "Our cousin, Bette, has informed us of the situation. The whispers have also been traveling along the housevine. We've expected this for some time, but it appears as if events are escalating faster than predicted. The rogue Magitech doesn't employ Brownies so we have no spies on the inside. Our primary concern is ensuring you're all properly cared for while you rid the territories of this threat."
“Indeed," Eli said, raising his bottle in a toast.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Andrew asked. Eden flushed. She'd forgotten that everyone in the second car hadn't been included in the introductions. Her brother had appeared out of nowhere.
Eli bowed again, his beer bottle held out to the side in an elegant court gesture which fit the castle perfectly. His eyes shimmered. Eden's eyes were mostly light brown with green and golden flecks; her brother's were green with brown and golden flecks. She could usually sense the magic surrounding a mage, but Eli's aura wasn’t visible. "Eli. I am the lovely Eden's older brother. I happen to know where the Magitech is hiding, and I possess the insight to defeat him."
Eden ducked her head and played with the end of her braid as all eyes turned to her.
"If you're Eden's brother, why haven't you been helping her all this time?" Alena demanded.
A brief shadow of pain crossed his face before an impish grin erased it. When he smiled, his dark hair hanging on either side of his face, he was attractive despite the scars. Without the scars… Eden knew how pointless such a train of thought was; her stub twitched where her arm used to be.
"I truly regret not being able to care for my sister better," Eli said. Eden scented the genuine truth in his words. "The locket that was spelled to keep her magic hidden also kept me away. I couldn't approach her when she wore it."
"The person who spelled the locket would have to know you to spell it against you specifically," Alena observed.
"Yes," Elle interrupted, staring at Eli thoughtfully. "Bette didn't mention you, but we've noticed you smelling around the house since we arrived. How kind of you to wait for an invitation."
"The Rennerts are master warders. I didn't want to become a burnt husk of a man. I rather like my pretty face." A particularly nasty scar bisecting his right eyebrow puckered with his words.
Everyone stared at him with a mixture of suspicion, curiosity, and a small amount of anger. The anger belonged to Mac. Eli had been in her memory when her mother had been killed. Mac was waiting for an explanation.
"You're only here until I revoke my invitation," Davin commented darkly. His overly-muscled form strained against his t-shirt as if enforcing his words. "That goes for anyone, however. You are part of this group or not part of it." His voice held a threat that made Eden shiver. She resisted glancing at Elliott. She believed the young man was undecided in his loyalty. Others shared her opinion.
"Fair enough," Eli said. He looked to Elle. "Shall I tell my friends of my visions and what I know so far?"
Elle stepped back, her dark eyes gleaming, "Please do, Blood Mage. But here, use this. Don't bleed on the floor." The tall Brownie threw Eli a towel. He snatched it out of the air, put down his beer, and took center stage. In a practiced move that rivaled Davin's or Jenira's in speed, he pulled his dagger and sliced into his skin. Eden's mouth dropped open.
Eli's eyes darkened, the green overtaking the brown. Expectancy coated the room like a blanket. Eden smelled fear. A sliver of that emotion belonged to her. The air shimmered over the food table. Slowly, objects started moving in the pocket of air, forming a smoky ball which severed their vision of the other side of the room. The man from Eden's sinister dreamwalks, the rogue Magitech, took shape. None of Eli’s muscles twitched as he created the image and made it visible to all.
The man looked normal enough. Dark hazel eyes shone in a weathered face. His black hair was streaked with silver and contained in a braid which trailed down his back. His robe resembled the one the cloaked figure in Mac's dreamwalk had worn.
His eyes were bright with magic and dark with tech, but they shone with a spark of something Eden could only describe as insanity. As much as she wanted to deny it, the resemblance of his features to both hers and Eli's was unmistakable. When Jenira raised the idea of the rogue Magitech intentionally creating more Magitechs, she'd resisted the idea. Faced with this image, she accepted it as truth.
"This is Mather. He's the Magitech who wants to take over the country. He believes Magitechs should be the only ones in power, and he thinks he’s the perfect leader. Normal mages or normal techies will be killed or enslaved. The mundane will continue to live normally, performing the menial tasks which assist with society's workings. Mather doesn't feel as if they're a threat, and he's likely right." Eli's voice tightened with strain as the image faded. He dropped into the remaining armchair, gulping his beer with a brooding look on his face.
"Why does he look like you?" Elliott asked, acknowledging the elephant in the room.
"Because Mather is the man who gave me life. Eden, too," Eli responded with a tip of his beer bottle in her direction and a self-deprecating grin. Eden slumped against the couch.
"Your father?" Elliott confirmed, his eyebrows high as he looked from Eli to Eden.
"Not our father," Eli retorted in his raspy voice. "Father implies some sort of connection or responsibility. He donated sperm to our mother. Nothing more." His quelling look made the fragile, shy Elliott blush and look away.
Eli had wrapped the towel around his arm, but it didn't appear to be bleeding anymore. Was a blood mage different – preventing them from bleeding out after performing several spells? It was just another thing Eden didn't know.
"How do we know we can trust you?" Jenira's spine resembled a steel rod as she sat between her sister and Davin. The fierce warrior woman had a scar of her own lining the side of her face.
Eli shrugged. "You don't. How do we know we trust anyone? We watch their actions and let time tell. I have no misplaced loyalty toward that asshole, though." Anger soaked his tone.
Eden shivered. Whatever Mather did to Eli must have been horrid, and she wasn't sure she ever wanted to know the details. His emotions made him more trust-worthy to her, though. He wanted revenge. She trusted that more than a desire to save the United Territories. Personal vendettas were remarkably reliable.
"How do we stop him?" Davin's question broke the oppressive silence blanketing the room.
"By using his own ideas against him, of course." Eli grinned, the darkness of a moment ago disappearing. "There are four Magitechs in this room. All of us have a role to play no matter our abilities. When..."
"Four?" Jenira’s brow scrunched as she looked around the room. "Are you one as well?"
Eli shook his head. "No. I am Mather's greatest failure. My blood magic is very closely tied to the earth and does not mix well with tech. Eden is one. The amazing Dr. Rennert is another."
Elliott's indrawn gasp reminded Eden he hadn't known. She suspected Davin would be following up to make sure his secret remained safe.
"The twins, MacKenzie and Andrew, make one. Jenira and Catrianna, your situation is similar. Although you didn't share a womb, you shared a bed, the same milk, and a childhood together. Your magic and technology developed alongside each other and wove together. Neither of you might fully un
derstand the other's gifts, but together you form a Magitech. That's four Magitechs from six humans.“
Jenira and Cat shared a look that spoke of their history. Their limitless love and loyalty for each other was so pure, Eden could see how firmly they were entwined. Cat's soft silver tech swirled inside Jenira's aura.
"Eden's powers are useless in battle, but she can funnel her visions and her energy to someone else. This is where Alena's high magical sensitivity comes into play."
This time, Eden and Alena looked at each other in surprise. "How?" Alena asked. "I've never heard of anything like that.”
"A lot of this is uncharted territory, little dragon. Just as Cat and Andrew will each work behind the scenes to fuel their partner's magic, so will Eden. Alec's support is just as important as yours," Eli pointed out but didn't elaborate on the statement. Eli's nickname for Alena almost made her giggle. Eden could easily envision the petite woman as a majestic dragon, her scales the same burnished red as her hair.
Alec's surprise entered the air. His calming tech ability, the soft gray aura that surrounded him, soothed her like a light mist. Eden wondered if his purpose related to his ability to comfort her without even trying.
"This seems like a lot of guessing and unknowns," Davin grumbled.
Eli shrugged nonchalantly. "Since when is the fate of the world ever easily explained or altered?”
Despite the nap in the car, Eden yawned. They'd been up most of the previous night fighting the automatons sent by Mather and the day seemed to stretch into forever. Elle sprang forward as if Eden's yawn summoned her.
"That's enough for now. Davin has to perform the ritual to bind us, and the rest of you should find your rooms. Dinner tonight will be an easy affair. Food will be placed in the main dining room; you may serve yourselves as you please. After tonight, however, you shall all be required to share the evening meal." The two house Brownies ignored the collective groan of the room's inhabitants. Shared evening meals were a requirement with their kind, no matter who they served.
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