Enemies Allied

by Serena Lindahl

  Mac shivered, suddenly chilled in the sterile metal room. Lightning sensed her discomfort and leaned against her legs, lending her his warmth. "What about the Magitechs that aren't born - like Cat and Jenira?"

  "No effect," Eli said. "Granted, the connection Cat and Jenira display is extremely rare because circumstances need to be perfect. But the connections aren't in the brain; they're not as tangible. Their connection is also harder to manage as a result. Whereas Davin could create Magitech fairly simply, Cat and Jenira need to work harder at it and might encounter difficulties working together."

  "So, to be clear," Andrew said, speaking for the first time, "Mac is definitely a threat to any Magitech device. She could unwittingly hurt Davin and Eden, and her power might affect me, though it's less likely. Eli, Cat, Jenira, Alena, and Alec are safe."

  Mac frowned. She didn't want to be a danger to anyone. She shivered again, wondering if maybe she should just return to not using her magic. It seemed like more trouble than it was worth. The idea that she could have stripped any Magitech of their powers at any point over her lifetime bothered her more than she would ever admit.

  Eli arched a brow. "Yes and no. Mac, and any null, could still deliver a powerful blow to anyone who threatens her. The automaton's power is similar to hers. Any blow could melt a hole right through a person or an object if she focused it enough. The good thing is that the altercation with Rock proved Mac is learning to dial her power down to the correct level so she doesn't cause full-scale destruction." Mac winced, thinking of her mother. "In terms of simply losing power: yes, Andrew, those categories are appropriate."

  "I don't think this is a good idea." Mac crossed to an empty chair to support her shaking legs. "My magic is dangerous."

  Eli's eyes met hers, dark with some unknown emotion. "Yes, Mac, your magic is dangerous. Mather fears you. Without you, we won't be able to defeat him. I don't know if your magic can be isolated, even with such brilliant techie minds as we have here working on it. We need you to defeat him."

  Mac's shoulders slumped. "It's too dangerous." Her eyes found Davin's and Eden's, and then her brother's. She could hurt them in a way worse than death. She couldn't imagine life as a mundane - no tech and no magic. Having all that and suddenly losing it... she shuddered at the thought.

  "It's necessary," Davin said. He crossed to her and laid a huge hand on her shoulder. She almost flinched from him. "Mac." He crouched so he could meet her gaze. "We need you to help us kill this asshole. The kind of power he controls isn't safe for the world. I would rather lose my tech and magic than let someone like him continue living. Remember what his creation did to Ilona." Mac's eyes lowered. "But," he continued in a confident tone, "you won't hurt us. You'll get the bad guy, we'll free the other nulls, and we'll all live happily ever after."

  Mac snorted, and Eli and Jenira sounded like they were choking on restrained laughter. Davin shrugged a massive shoulder. "Okay, so maybe it won't be that easy, but we can hope."

  "Fine," Mac said, her insides churning. Thankfully, she hadn't eaten or she might have spewed her breakfast all over the pristine lab. "Are we done with the sociology lesson? Can we get to the tests?" She forced false bravado into her voice as she met Cat's eyes. "What are we going to do?"

  Cat produced a glass box. It was a small, hollow cube, the size of a child's building block. "We're going to try to trap some of your magic in here. If we can trap it, we can wire it up to some kind of weapon. If that doesn't work, we have a list of other possibilities."

  "Okay, everyone that could possibly be in danger from me needs to get out," Mac ordered as she stood. "Let's do this before I decide it's all a horrible idea and take off."

  "We have a better idea. We have an empty room to put you in. There's a reinforced glass window so we can see each other and there’s a microphone to communicate." Andrew led her to a room down the hall as the others gave her encouraging nods on her way out.

  Lightning followed and sat again at her feet when she was in the new room. "What about Lightning?" she asked before her brother disappeared.

  Eli answered, visible through the glass window between the two rooms. His voice echoed through a speaker on the ceiling. "It's up to him. Your magic can't hurt him because he's a part of you now. He might even strengthen you."

  Mac lowered herself to Lightning's level, scratching behind his tufted ears. "You should go, boy." Despite Eli's words, she didn't want to risk hurting him. His eyes were unperturbed as he settled into a reclining position on the floor, his head on his paws. "Fine, you stubborn cat," she huffed. Her eyes met Cat's and Andrew's through the window. "Tell me what to do."

  The timid techie nodded, although she was truly in her element now. She seemed to come alive when she stepped into a lab, and Mac had a momentary wish the woman would grow to love her brother. They'd be good for each other.

  "You're sealed in. The walls are all metal alloy. It will absorb the power you throw at it. Concentrate on sending out short bursts at a time." Cat motioned to the glass cube Andrew had left with Mac. "Aim your magic at the box, and we'll see if it traps your power."

  Mac nodded. It sounded easy enough, but that in itself was a problem. If it were this easy to trap magic, it would have happened already. But her magic was different.

  "If something happens to the cube, we have others," Cat added.

  Mac placed the cube on the single table in the middle of the room, trying to ignore her eager audience. She did feel like an animal in a zoo, but Lightning helped her. He laid his head down like he intended to nap. His indifference to the process relaxed her. She called on her magic, trying to mold it inside herself before she released it. She thought about intention, remembering Eli's words.

  "Okay," she breathed to herself. "Just trap the magic - don't fry anyone's brain or punch through any walls." The power rose and tingled in her fingertips. Her hands still shaking, she raised them and pointed at the glass cube. Her small bolt of magic arced through the air like lightning, causing her hair to rise with static.

  The magic fizzled around the cube and sparked across the glass surface. Each of the sides glowed briefly, and Mac wondered if she'd actually done it right. Then, a tinkling sound filled the air, and the cube disintegrated into nothing but sand. She walked forward with a wince, studying the small pyramid of sand where the cube used to be. The smell of something burning filled the air, but her magic didn't appear to affect anything else. Her shoulders fell.

  "Here's more." Andrew's voice didn't sound upset at all. A little drawer opened in the wall, and one of them pushed a box of cubes through. Mac laughed. They'd evidently expected this. She would have wondered how the labs and the supplies had appeared so suddenly, but she'd grown up with the magic of the house. Nothing surprised her anymore.

  For the next half hour, she sent bolts toward the cubes, one at a time. She practiced dialing down and ramping up her magic. The cubes either glowed before falling into a pile of sand or nothing happened. One shattered, causing her to throw up a quick shield before either she or Lightning got pelted with glass shards.

  "Okay," Andrew said through the speaker system when her nerves started to fray. "We're going to try something else."

  Mac forced herself to be patient. The little drawer opened again, revealing a couple metal cubes in the same design as the glass ones. Her brow lifted toward the viewing window. Cat shrugged. "Glass is a better conductor and more amenable to magic so we thought it would work best, but metal is the next option. If this doesn't work, we have other ideas."

  Mac groaned, certain she would be stuck in the sterile room until doomsday. She placed the metal cube on the table and backed away. Her bolt fizzled on the surface of the cube but didn't do anything else. Mac could feel the moment her magic dissolved into thin air. She tried again, increasing her output. The metal cube burst into flame. The fire sputtered immediately, but it burned so hot, it left nothing but a charred spot on the table top. Mac stomped her foot on the floor.

  "This isn't
working," she growled. Lightning opened one eye to look at her, yawned, and went back to sleep. The drawer opened again, and the techies shoved in an armful of different materials.

  Mac laughed. "What the hell?"

  Andrew shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to try, sis."

  Easy for him to say. He wasn't performing like a monkey at the circus. Mac sorted through the random pile of objects, rolling her eyes at some of the things they'd given her.

  One by one, she placed them on the table and sent her magic towards them. The thick piece of cloth singed and charred into nothing. The portion of bark and tree branch blackened but didn't otherwise explode or start the room on fire. The rubber began to melt, filling the room with such a horrible stench Andrew turned on the ventilation system to clear the air. Even Lightning woke for that one, covering his sensitive nose with his paw.

  Mac eyed the next object in the lineup and held it toward the glass. "Really?" she asked, a hand on her hip. A pale reflection of herself revealed dark shadows under her eyes and her hair standing straight up with static. A shiny red apple glistened in her hand. Eli barely contained his snort, and Davin's lips twitched.

  Shrugging, she took a large bite out of the apple before placing it on the table. Juice ran down her chin. What if this one worked? They could approach the fortress and start pelting everyone with radioactive, nullifying fruit. Her magic flew towards the table. It flared briefly in a beautiful white light before leaving only pulp behind. The room smelled like apple pie. She threw up her hands.

  "Okay," she said. "This isn't working. Let's take a break." The smell made her hungry.

  The techies nodded in agreement. She joined them back in the lab after she'd made sure none of her magic still clung to her. Sometime during the last experiment, Eli had left.

  Andrew approached Mac. "Cat and I will go over the results of your - uh - trial, and get back to you." He shrugged. "We didn't expect much, so it's not a disappointment. Nothing like this has ever been tried as far as we know. Your magic is erratic and an unknown."

  "Just like me," Mac replied sarcastically. The morning left her frustrated, angry, and tired.

  "Do we know how the Magitech places his magic in the items he creates?" Eden asked.

  Cat shrugged. "From the tests we've done, it's simple. It's the same as a mage carving an amulet and imbuing it with magic, but the components are different. As far as we can tell, the magic he puts in his devices function as a power source, but not everything needs power. The locket didn't have any. "

  "Maybe I need to power something electrical?" Mac asked. The objects had all been inanimate, non-tech pieces.

  "Maybe," Andrew replied thoughtfully. "The idea occurred to me, but we need more precautions if we try that route. There's a chance the two powers could collide and create an explosion. While you might be able to shield yourself and Lightning, the room might not be able to cope with that level of power. The house might get mad."

  "Mad?" Eden asked with an eyebrow lift. "You speak like it's a sentient being."

  "We've always treated it as such, even though it doesn't make much sense. It's always been magical. Now that the Brownies are tied to it, it might be more sentient. Either way, we could short out the entire electrical grid of the house or simply cause a hole in the wall. It's not something we want to play around with until we know how it might react."

  "Well, I need food," Mac grumbled. "You brainiacs work on it and let me know if there's anything I can do." She hugged her brother briefly and left the room, Lightning trotting after her.

  Eden joined her in the hall. When Mac glanced in her direction, she shrugged. "I'm hungry, too. I also haven't talked to you since we got here. How are you doing?"

  Mac's face lit up in a rare, genuine smile. "Much better. After the dreamwalk, I feel more myself. And then Lightning made everything better. But I don't like how my magic threatens the people I love the most in the worst way. Fate isn't kind."

  "No, it isn't," Eden murmured. "But there are silver linings. Good things can happen - like kicking Mather's ass."

  Mac shared in her laughter. "Yes, that's a definite plus."

  They walked in companionable silence to the dining room where Mac watched Eden's face light up at the appearance of Alena and Alec. She could ruin everything, or she could make sure that these amazing people lived long enough to love and experience their happily ever after. The way her life had gone so far, she wasn't feeling too optimistic.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jenira

  Jenira twirled her daggers as Davin drove them to Brenville to meet with Davis. She needed some action. Too much time had passed since her encounter with the angry mage that tried to kill her and Cat, and she was beginning to go stir-crazy. Organizing a motley crew of mages and techs was not her usual mode of operation. She preferred working alone. Peeking at Davin as he drove, admiring the bulging muscles shown off by his tight shirt, she admitted that she did prefer a partner for some activities.

  The break had been welcome in some ways. Cat was beginning to feel more comfortable at the castle. Her sister enjoyed the friendship building with Mac, Eden, and Andrew. In their crazy, runaway life, they hadn't experienced many times for play or getting to know other people.

  Alena sat in the back seat, absently petting her huge familiar as she stared out the window. They'd wanted it to be a small operation, taking just the three of them. Jenira still didn't like the idea of Davin joining them. She was confident he wouldn't be able to hide his Magitech nature, but he'd insisted. He thought he'd be able to talk to Davis without revealing his biggest secret. She rolled her eyes at his cocky self-confidence. It would get him in trouble at some point.

  "Are you worried?" Jenira asked Alena, turning halfway in her seat. The mage was competent in a fight and didn't appear as weak as Eden. Jenira liked the young Magitech, but in a fight, she preferred the "little dragon" as Eli called her. The blood prophet didn't consider their side trip worthy enough to the alteration of the timelines to join them.

  "Not at all," Alena replied with a shrug. Her main job was to sense magic and alert them if Davis employed mages. One or two might be normal but more than that seemed suspicious. Alena confirmed she could sense Magitechs as well. After Eden told her what to look for, she'd been able to detect the castle's resident Magitechs.

  "How do you feel about leaving Eden and Alec behind?" Jenira asked. "You've been connected at the hip lately."

  The mage sighed loudly. "Why is everybody so concerned with our relationship?"

  "Everyone has death on their mind. They automatically gravitate towards the opposite - love. Besides, your relationship is different and interesting - to most people anyway."

  "I don't mind leaving them behind. They have their specialties and I have mine. I also consider this a trial run. When we fight Mather, the team will be the same. I'll come along while Eden and Alec work from home."

  Davin glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "You're not jealous that they're together and you're not there?"

  Jenira hid her smile. The triad's relationship continually baffled Davin.

  "Not really," Alena said, nothing but the truth in her voice. "I'd be lying if I didn't say I never experience jealousy or envy that they're sitting at the castle comfortably while I'm out here. But other than that, no. I can sense Eden now that we've gotten closer. She'll keep me in the loop if she has any dreamwalk visions while we're on our mission. I don't understand it, but Eli thinks it's possible. Since I can feel her, it doesn't seem like we're really apart. I can't feel Alec the same way, but I can feel him through Eden."

  "Kinky," Jenira teased, enjoying the color that rose in Alena's cheeks.

  "I can't feel him like that," she protested. "Yet," she added more quietly, her gaze thoughtful.

  Jenira understood what Alena meant. She'd started to sense Davin on the occasions when they were apart - not him as a person, but his magic. The connection was still very tenuous, but she believed she'd know if something happened.
She refused to think about the implications and wished she knew whether this was normal for a mage-on-mage connection after their magic had merged. She'd always partnered with mundanes so magic didn't get in the way and expose her secrets. After Davin, she didn't believe she could return to mundane sex. Their coupling had an added intensity she'd never experienced with a non-mage. It filled her with as much addictive adrenaline as her mercenary work.

  As if he could sense her thoughts, Davin grinned. She smiled back before putting such ideas out of her mind. They neared Brenville, and she needed to focus on their plan. Cat waited at the castle, ready to tap into and turn off the electronic surveillance around Davis' house. The system had been hard to hack into, but Cat and Andrew eventually accomplished it together. Cat didn't appreciate needing help, but her natural love of all things brilliant overrode her emotions.

  "Okay, simple operation." Jenira's tone became all business. "We go in with no fatalities, talk to Davis, and determine whether he's working with Mather. If not, we discover who's been stealing his parts for Mather's army. Does he have enemies who want to set him up? Then, we get out. Alena, your job is sensing mages. Alert me to any. I will take down the personnel; Davin will help if needed."

  Alena nodded crisply. Zar would play lookout from the street. Jenira considered that a ridiculous proposal until Alena demonstrated how expertly he blended into his surroundings. Davis' Brenville house was situated in one of the elite tech districts. The area should be relatively empty of mages who might sense them or cause trouble.

  If Davis used the inadequate Magitech security devices currently on the market, Cat could override the tech portions, and Alena could detect any mage built wards. Most techies relied solely on tech to protect them, but Davin considered Davis a particularly intelligent opponent. They wouldn't underestimate him.