“He murdered seven people in order to do that Cleanse. Why? Why would he do such a thing?”
“I think he was bribed,” I offered. I knew he had been bribed. Utter disgust and contempt melded over Kalen’s face at the betrayal. “And the man who saved him, I think was a Legacy or maybe even a Vertu?” I hoped he didn’t ask any follow-up questions, because I hadn’t perfected a story that would explain why I knew this bit of information.
As the anger and disgust faded leaving behind a very portentous air, he sighed several times. “No one knows how many magical objects were taken. They’ve never been fully catalogued. The Magic Council has some, but what about those that were probably lost in transition or even pillaged?”
My parents often spoke of their history, but as I recounted the many things they’d told me, I couldn’t remember any specifics about magic artifacts. Most of it had to be relegated to the back of my mind, stored with the memories of my parents, because they all brought the same pain that I had grown tired of dominating my life and reliving almost on a daily basis. “I assume The Cleanse required a great deal of magic, very hard to replicate, which is why he needed the Necro-spear. Magic is magic, as you’ve said a thousand times before yourself. At its very essence and core”—I stopped, and he probably thought it was a dramatic pause or to gather my thoughts, but I almost said “we,” including myself—“you all are the same but manifest it differently, right? I don’t think it can work without all the pieces that make up the core of magic existence. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be nervous; as long as the Necro-spears are available, there is a possibility. But we know the pattern and only a small number of people can do it. The Guild is aware, and I am confident they can stop it even if someone chooses to try.”
In my effort to comfort Kalen, I claimed a piece of it for myself. I still wanted to kill Jonathan, then find a necromancer to raise him from the dead so I could kill him again. And I wanted Conner dead so badly I ground my teeth at the mention of his name or anytime I thought of him. I would have to find all the Necro-spears, and it would help if I knew how many. Then the thought of it made me sick. I had been and was on the other side, killing my kind. We can’t have another Cleanse; I had to make sure it didn’t happen.
He nodded, with a renewed curiosity. “How do you know so much about this?”
“Everyone keeps mistaking me for a witch; I think I might have a link to them.” It was kind of sort of the truth. “So if a Cleanse happens, I will probably be affected, too.” That was the truth. I would die with everyone else, because the reason we were spared initially was we were secured behind an impenetrable ward that protected us while the world crumbled outside of our own magical one. See how cruel my kind was?
“I have to go; I will be in tomorrow.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll make sure to add the whole fifteen minutes of work you did to your paycheck,” was his snarky response from behind me as I headed out the door.
“More like thirty minutes. And hazard pay for spritzing me with water. I could have drowned.”
His robust laugh filled the air, and honestly I needed it. The weight of the world was still there, and although I’d only given Kalen a mere piece, edited and repackaged, I still felt better. I looked forward to unweighting myself more with Savannah.
I approached our apartment door, holding the twins tighter. I could feel the magic that dampened the air. My heart raced and regulating my breathing became impossible. Our front door was slightly open. I eased in, and the magic washed over me. Jonathan. The table was knocked over, the television cracked and on the floor. Savannah’s favorite chair on its side. I called her name in a strained dry croak, knowing I wouldn’t get an answer. But I still looked, hoping I was wrong. Maybe she was hiding somewhere. I checked the closets, under the bed, any place a person her size could hide.
Fuck. They had taken Savannah.
Scanning the area, I looked for a note or something and came up short. What type of bastard leaves nothing? Jonathan, that’s who, because the arrogant bastard knew I’d know it was him. When I picked up my phone, I had a message from Savannah with an address. And a simple message: “Leave it there.”
I called Gareth and as soon as he picked up, I said, “They took Savannah.”
He cursed into the phone, and I’m glad I didn’t have to explain anything with my gravelly trembling voice that was just moments from breaking. The tears welled more so out of anger than anything else. I was teeming with a level of anger that was new for me, and I didn’t know how to subdue it. Vengeance rode me hard. Gareth’s commanding voice broke me out of it.
“I can’t give them the Necro-spear for Savannah, Levy,” he said. “Let me—”
I hung up. I knew that wasn’t going to happen and I wasn’t sure why I called him. I could track Jonathan, but I needed something of his. He’d touched the Necro-spear but that wasn’t enough. I needed more. Something intimate, blood, clothing, hair, a possession that was uniquely his. The anger and thirst for revenge made it difficult to stay on task, but the phone ringing pulled me out of my thoughts of revenge that had taken dominance over everything.
“Don’t you hang up on me again,” Gareth’s commanding voice roared through the phone. Definitely a lion.
I didn’t have time to fight with Gareth. I mumbled an apology.
“I have four mages working on tracking him, come to the Guild as soon as you can. We will find her, okay?”
“Thank you.” But before he could hang up I had to ask, “How? Do you have anything of his?”
“Yes, his blood. It’s a Council requirement, and it’s a good thing for times like this. It was done to help track us if we ever went missing, usually in a kidnapping situation, but …”
My lungs relaxed into the exhale. This is what breathing feels like. The restricted feeling had gone away. “I will be there in a few minutes.” I said, “Good-bye,” remembering him barking at me about hanging up on him. He’d earned my compliance.
I locked our front door and turned to find Lucas just inches from me. Startled, I took a step back. Definitely didn’t like that about vampires.
“What’s the matter?” he asked with concern.
“Savannah’s missing,” I said, sidestepping by him to get to my car.
Grabbing hold of my arm, he turned me to face him. “What?”
“She’s missing. I have to be at the Guild. I really don’t have time to explain everything to you.” I rushed out and I made another fruitless effort toward my car.
“If time is of the essence, I can get you there faster.” He guided me toward the motorcycle parked in front of the apartment. I looked at my Focus, which I wasn’t quite sure would start. Most times it was hit or miss, and she was definitely slower than a motorcycle would be. But I couldn’t help but wonder who rode a bike in a suit. Ok, this time it’s not a suit. He had on a simple black dress shirt, cuffed to the forearm. We got on the bike and I wrapped my arms around him. As soon as I did he started down the street.
We zoomed through the city. I buried my face into his back, closed my eyes, because seeing the world at a blur was making me sick. He might get me to the Guild faster, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be in one piece. When he pulled up in front of the Guild, my phone had vibrated in my pocket for the second time. I pulled it out and saw that it was Gareth, but at the same time he was getting off the elevator. As he made his way down the hall, he was joined by five other officers. Harrah was nearly jogging to keep in step with him.
“Gareth.” Her voice was gentle and urgent as she kept pace with him. “You have to end this as quickly as possible. Today you will be expected to give a press conference. You know a rogue Magic Council member is going to look terrible. Don’t mention anything about a Cleanse because that hasn’t been confirmed and there isn’t a need to alarm anyone.”
His face was nearly expressionless, but his voice was razor sharp. “Harrah, I heard you the first two times. Public image is the last of my worries right now. I ne
ed to apprehend a murderer and abductor. I don’t care how it plays out in the court of public opinion.”
But Harrah did because it was her job to. She placated the pedestrians and made magic seem harmless.
“I’ll do the press conference, but if you expect me to play nice, I’d suggest you do it yourself,” he growled.
Her arms were crossed over her chest as she stopped in the middle of the hallway. Gareth kept walking. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt; she was working in the best interest of the community. She wasn’t as cold as she seemed until she said, “If you are sure he’s guilty, I don’t want him kept alive. We will develop the optics for it. I need to address it so that the humans continue to trust us—and not consider us dangerous. This is a problem and it needs to be handled. He needs to be handled.”
My head jerked in her direction. I’d suspected that gentle facade was her best foot forward. I didn’t realize it was an all-out mask that hid a person who was ruthless and pragmatic when it came to maintaining the public image of the supernatural community. I wondered how many times things had been handled in this manner. Ice crawled up my spine as I realized that I would be handled just as callously and practically if I were discovered. I tried not to look back at her, but I couldn’t help it. Everything about her was as gentle and calm as a meandering stream—except her eyes, which held the dark shadows of malice and mercilessness.
When Gareth simply nodded at her request, the ice turned to tension that seized my body. It was that sliver of hope that if he found out about me, he would be understanding. But he was still in command of the SG and that was where his commitment and alliance lay. I wasn’t mourning Jonathan’s life, he deserved to die. He killed seven people out of thirst for more power. There wasn’t a place for sympathy for him. But it lent to the fears I had about being discovered. The nightmares of people finding out and seconds later I was a puddle of blood on the ground not even given a moment of consideration that I deserved to be spared.
Lucas seemed just as surprised as I was when Gareth gave him the address in passing as he got into his car. Someone got into the passenger side and the rest into a department-issued sedan, similar to police cars except they were black and the lettering was dark, barely visible, which I think was the point. With the exception of a decal around the door handle, it looked nondescript and like any other car on the street.
Pressed against Lucas’s back, I felt weird not hearing anything: breathing or heartbeat. But that probably wasn’t such a bad thing because I was breathing hard enough for the both of us and my heart was racing as he careened down the street, weaving in and out of traffic, my surroundings reduced to nothing but blurs of colors and whizzes of sound in my ear.
We got to the little cottage nearly an hour away, in the middle of a bare field. Stretches of just grass and nothing else. Magic was thick and glazed the air. The power of it pumped hard.
Within a few feet of it, we crashed into the ward. Lucas pushed harder into it and it rebounded with equal force, throwing him back several feet. Jonathan stepped out of the house onto the porch, his lips twisted into a cruel smile. I stood inches from it, meeting his gaze.
“Give her to me.”
“Do you have the Necro-spear?” He stepped closer to the ward as he shot me hateful glares. “If you ruin this for me, I will kill her and then you.”
Gareth approached the ward with two mages at his side, magic illuminated off their hands, the push striking the ward. It wavered but stood. They wouldn’t bring it down, because it wasn’t his magic. And if it were, it was enhanced by Conner’s. Then Jonathan stepped away, moving back into the house. One glance back and a wolf soared, clawing into one of the Guild mages’ back, blood splattering as it ripped at his flesh. Its eyes were wide and blank, its acts controlled by someone else. It started for the other mage. Before I could move Lucas flashed past me, charging the wolf; his hand gripped around its neck as he sent it crashing onto his back on the ground. He was about to break its neck when I yelled, “Please don’t. He’s being controlled.”
He hit it once and then again and several more blows until it stopped moving. It was unconscious, but better that than dead.
Four more animals came out, padding fast. Gareth ran toward them, shifting midstride into the massive lion that charged them, his paw striking, sending them back. Lucas took on another wolf. The other SG officers had guns. I looked again, I thought they were tranquilizers. That lifted some of the guilt. I had a problem with people dying for something they had no control of. It was just too close to home.
The remaining mage was still working on the ward. I walked around, getting lost in the chaos. The sai in hand, I pulled magic, just as much as I needed to break the ward and shatter the magical wall. Remnants of its existence floated in the air. I ran into the house; Jonathan was on one side of the room, Savannah on the floor. Her eyes were closed, and I watched waiting for her to breathe. Come on. Savannah, please. Her chest rose, but barely. I was able to exhale before the charge of magic thrashed into my chest, sending me crashing into the wall, the sai tumbling out to the side. I jumped, reaching for them, but I was struck by something sharp in my ribs. Jonathan had kicked me. Hard. He was past anger, reduced to a madman enraged as he watched the life he was guaranteed slip through his deceitful fingers. He attempted another kick. I whipped around on my butt, swiped his leg. When he crashed down next to me, my elbow crushed into his windpipe. He gasped for breath. He pushed a wave of magic, and I stumbled a couple of feet and waved it away. I’d grabbed the sai, ready to end it, when Lucas moved past me. One second Jonathan was struggling for breath, the next his neck was wrenched into an odd angle; he was breathless and unmoving.
Before I could fully grasp what happened he was next to Savannah, his fingers pressed to the pulse in her neck….
CHAPTER 16
Savannah in Lucas’s arms was the last thing I saw before I disappeared. Conner held me secured against his chest, where I’m sure I would have stayed if I hadn’t pulled away. I held the sai at my side, gripping them, thumbs ready to flick off them. I had them perfectly positioned to strike.
“Anya, please relax.”
I stayed in position. He smiled, kind and disarming, and for a brief moment I could see how one could be swayed by the charismatic stranger. “Anya Kismet. You’ve abandoned it for so long that it is foreign. It means nothing to you.” A hint of sadness accompanied his words. He reached out to grab my hair and I blocked it with the side of the dull shaft of the blade. With a wry smile he pulled his hand back. “You changed your hair.”
I’d been brunette for so long, I forgot that Legacy hair was red, not just red, but fiery persimmon. A dead giveaway. The palest to the darkest of our kind, we were cursed or blessed, depending on who was describing it, with the same color hair. Our crown that let everyone know who we were.
I lifted my eyes to his dark brown coif. “Hypocrisy much?”
“Yes, I must blend with the insipid as well.” He ran his finger through his hair, changing it to its natural color. It fit him. I don’t think I’d ever seen my natural color.
He looked at my hands and rolled his eyes. “Please Anya, relax your weapons. I will not hurt you, I give you my word.”
“Then I will not hurt you, either,” I said placing them back in the sheath.
He chuckled, finding more humor than the ire I had infused in my words.
“Why am I here?” I asked, looking over the fallow land. The small patches of grass were barely alive. The barren land stretched for miles. There were only four small, simple white cottage-style homes. Nothing like the extravagance my mother spoke of when she described where she grew up and lived. Empyrean is what the Legacy had named their little town, Heaven, fifty miles from the border of the city, miles and miles of unused land to separate them from the others. The supernaturals they considered beneath them and the humans that they held little to no regard for at all. She spoke so fondly of the palatial homes, the magically enhanced grasslan
d, exotic flowers that climbed and wrapped around the rails of the gates at the entrance of Empyrean and that extended out miles before you entered the town. The barrier that separated them from everyone else. People would travel to Empyrean just for a look at them, even though they would never gain entrance to the city. This wasn’t the nirvana I expected.
He stared at me for a moment, then looked over his shoulder, seemingly taking in the dire backdrop from my perspective. “I see my living quarters aren’t up to your standards. Since there are so few of us, and this place is simply temporary, we didn’t exert great efforts, just provided ourselves with the basics.”
The smile spread over his face, brightening his eyes and his voice. “Please, let’s walk and talk.” I stood, rooted in my spot. I didn’t want to do that and get farther from the veil.
“I don’t need to be awed by the beauty of your home; you can impress me with honesty. Why are you doing this?” I asked.
He started to walk, but I stood my ground.
He sighed as his face relaxed into a plaintive smile. “Anya, this is your new home, please give up any thoughts of leaving.” He extended his hand. “Please, walk with me.”
“I’m not staying here.”
With a faint smile he said, “I will satisfy your curiosity, and in return I expect you here by my side.”
“Why don’t you just tell me whatever information you are willing to offer that will allow me to leave once the conversation is over.”
He tilted his head, but he didn’t possess any more humor. It had drained from his face and his words. “I’m sorry if I gave you any impression that you would be able to leave. That isn’t going to happen. I’m glad you had the chance to see Savannah before you left because you are here to stay.”
Double-Sided Magic (Legacy Series Book 1) Page 20