Magic Born

by Dyan Chick

  "Maybe he doesn't want to be found," Alec said.

  "But vamps can't use magic. And I've never heard of a charm or curse or spell that can cover it like this."

  "Isn't that what Realm's Gate does? Cover all the magic?"

  I stopped walking and stared at Alec. "That's exactly what Realm's Gate does. But nobody can enter without a way in."

  A nagging feeling pulled in the pit of my stomach. There was something I was missing here. What was it? I reached for my necklace, already knowing it wasn't there. I'd been stupid and put on that stupid cross instead. Grabbing hold of the useless charm, I stomped my foot. "Shit."

  "What?"

  "My charm. I took it off. We can't get back in without it," I said.

  "Why'd you take it off?" Alec asked.

  "Forget that, where's yours?"

  "I don't have a way back in yet. Have to be a citizen for a year first," he said.

  "Fuck." Even if we find James and figure out a way to help save Realm's Gate, we can't get back in anyway. I covered my face and turned away from Alec, taking a few deep breaths before running my hands through my hair. How were we going to deal with this?

  "We can't do anything until we find this James, right?" Alec rested his hand on my shoulder, gently pulling me toward him.

  I turned around. "Right."

  "So why don't we find him. Maybe he has a way in, and he'll help."

  That made sense. After all, we'd been sent to find James so he could help us. But where was he? We'd been up and down this street several times with no signs of magic.

  Alec was looking off in the distance as if having the same thought as me. "What if he's not exactly in Chinatown. What if he's a few streets away? Or what if he moved? Maybe we should find a phone book?"

  I raised my eyebrows. "A phone book?"

  "Well, do you have any bright ideas?"

  All at once, the thought hit me. In my excitement, I reached over and hugged Alec. "You're a genius. He's not here."

  I let go of him and took off at a run, back up the street.

  "Wait, what's going on?" Alec called after me.

  "Come on," I said.

  We ran back up the street, to the highest point. Now, I was able to look down at the entire area. Breathless, I stared down at Chinatown. I didn't think Marco would send us to the wrong place. James was here somewhere, but he wasn't exactly here.

  "I'm missing something, aren't I?" Alec said.

  "It's like Realm's Gate. It's there, but if you don't have a way in, you can't see it. He has to be here, but I bet we can't see the entrance. We need to find it.

  "How?"

  I stretched my arms out on either side of me, fingers extended, feeling for magic. Nothing. I took a few steps backward, moving further away from the shops and buildings. Still nothing.

  Alec's head was cocked to the side while he watched me. It was too much to explain right now, so I was glad he waited in silence as I continued to step back slowly, feeling for magic as I did.

  Three more steps. Nothing. Four more steps. Nothing. Five steps. I froze. "There."

  Alec looked around. "What?"

  Smiling, I turned to him. "I can feel it. There's an energy right at the edge of Realm's Gate that's unlike anything in the world. It's like a supercharged burst of magic, but it's contained only to the exact place where the town is closed off. It feels just like this." I traced my fingers through the air in front of me, feeling the invisible charge that hung in the air.

  Alec stretched his hand out. "I don't feel anything."

  "It's there, trust me." I glanced around, looking for some sign of an entrance. This wasn't as sophisticated as the wards that protected Realm's Gate, that was clear, but it was still powerful magic. The wards around our town were created by over a hundred mages all working as one. That was nearly impossible to duplicate. This ward came from only a few mages working together. Whatever they were hiding had to be something big. Or someone important.

  I walked over to the building closest to where I was standing and set my palm against the wall. There was a faint pulse coming from the brick facade. "Bingo."

  "I'm so confused right now," Alec said.

  "This is the entrance," I said.

  "That's a wall," Alec said.

  I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the brick wall in front of me, then knocked on it. This was it. I was sure the entrance was here. But how to get in?

  Hands on my hips, I stared at the wall. A dog yapped at my ankles, and I jumped, moving out of the way. The woman holding the dog's leash wrinkled her forehead as she looked me up and down. I must have looked very strange contemplating a brick wall, but I ignored her and went back to studying it.

  Now that I was here, it was hard to believe I hadn't noticed the magic coming from this wall before. It was pulsing, vibrating, calling to me. It wanted to be released, but how? If only I had another mage here, I think two of us would have enough magic to open it with just a typical unlocking spell. But one wasn't enough. Maybe that was the whole point. Most mages weren't willing to work together. The exceptions being the cult I'd grown up in, and they didn't leave Realm's Gate.

  Would other magic work? I knew Vampires couldn't use magic, but maybe they carried some with them. I mean, they had eternal life, which had to be worth something, right?

  "Alec, come here."

  When Alec reached me, I grabbed hold of his hand and sandwiched it between my hands. Closing my eyes, I felt for any magic that might be inside him.

  "What are you doing?" he asked.

  "Shhh," I said, eyes still closed.

  Then, I felt it. A flicker of something powerful that was nearly dormant. I called to that sensation inside him, pulling it to the surface. It felt like a pilot light, waiting to be ignited.

  "What is that?" Alec's voice was high, he sounded scared.

  I opened my eyes and looked at him. "It's okay. I'm just trying to find your magic."

  He tugged his hand away. "I don't have magic."

  "Please." I held my hand out, palm up, hoping he'd give me his hand back. "I won't hurt you, but I don't have enough magic on my own to open this. I need your help."

  He glanced at the wall, then back at me. With a sigh, he set his hand back in mine.

  As soon as our hands touched, a spark shot through us and we both pulled our hands away. Hanging in the air where our hands had been was a red sphere of light.

  "What the fuck?" Alec said, ducking down so he could see the sphere more closely.

  "I have no idea what's happening," I said, reaching to cup the sphere in my hand. When I moved closer to it, the light responded by moving with me. With a shrug, I guided it toward the brick wall. It moved toward the wall, then once it touched the surface, the light spread, forming a glowing arch.

  Alec and I stepped back, away from the wall. My eyes widened as I watched the inside of the arch melt away, revealing a doorway. I had no idea what I had done or how I had done it, but there was now a door where there hadn't been one before.

  "After you," Alec said, sweeping his arm toward the doorway.

  I took a deep breath, then stepped inside, Alec at my heels. As soon as we crossed through, the light vanished, leaving us standing in the dark.

  9

  I muttered the words for a basic light spell. Nothing happened.

  "What the hell?" Alec bumped into me in the dark. "Sorry."

  "It's fine, just give me a minute." For some reason, my magic wasn't working. Making a simple light was one of the first skills we learned while training as a young mage. It shouldn't be a difficult spell to cast. I shook my hands again and called to the magic inside me.

  I reached out, flicking my wrist, trying to get the light to show. Nothing happened. "My magic isn't working.

  "Is that normal?" Alec asked.

  "Not at all." That had never happened to me before. How was this possible?

  "No magic works in here." A deep, male voice called out. The sound seemed to come from
all around us.

  I spun slowly in a circle, looking for any signs of the person who had spoken. "Who are you? Where are you?"

  I could feel Alec's arm against my side, but other than that, there was nothing. We were in a dark void. My heart raced, and anxiety filled my insides. I was starting to panic, which wasn't a typical feeling for me. There were few things that scared me but apparently, being in a strange, dark room with no access to my magic was one of them.

  "Morgan?" Alec's voice was shaky.

  A scared vampire wasn't helping ease my anxiety. "Just give me a minute."

  Suddenly, bright lights replaced the darkness, and I looked away at the shock. Shielding my eyes against the brightness, I turned back toward the voice, squinting into the light. "What the hell is going on here?"

  As my eyes adjusted, I saw the outlines of a few figures not far from us. I blinked a few times and looked around. We were standing in what looked like a gymnasium. A vast, empty, wooden-floored, bare-walled gymnasium. Blue and red lines were painted on the floor, complete with circles and marks for various games. The only thing missing were basketball hoops and stands for the crowd. "Where are we?"

  I turned until I was facing the figures, now clearly in focus. In front of me was the most handsome man I'd ever seen in my life. It took every ounce of my willpower to keep my mouth from dropping open. He was tall, with thick black hair and piercing blue eyes. It was as if he materialized from my fantasies.

  The man walked toward me, and as he moved, I could see every muscle flexing through his tight shirt. He might be a vampire, but I wondered if he was something new. I'd never seen a human as beautifully sculpted as him. He might as well be a marble statue carved by a Greek master.

  Alec elbowed me in the side. It was then that I realized I was shamelessly staring at the man when I should be questioning him. Shaking my head, I broke the trance. "Who are you?"

  He lifted a dark eyebrow, and his full lips moved into a smirk. "Who am I? You're the one who broke my enchantments and came into my home uninvited."

  Footsteps in unison sounded behind him as the others in the room followed the man. I glanced behind him, taking a moment to look at the others in the room with us. There were six of them, dressed head to toe in black. Faces covered, swords in hand, they looked like they could be ninjas. Maybe they were ninjas.

  I held my hands out in front of me, attempting to look like I meant no harm. "Hey, I'm sorry we came in without asking. I'm looking for James King. If we're in the wrong place, we'll just go."

  He stopped walking and took a deep breath, then shook his head. "I wish you wouldn't have said that. I hate having to kill pretty girls. It seems like such a waste."

  "No need for killing." I nudged Alec. "Do something. Can't you talk to him vamp to vamp or something?"

  "He's not a vampire," Alec said.

  "Of course he is," I whispered. "What else could he be?"

  "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not a blood bag. I'm something much older, much more dangerous." His eyes changed from blue to gold. Vertical slits, like those of a cat or a snake, replaced his round pupils.

  As he neared closer to us, his eyes moved up and down, as if examining my body. Was he trying to decide where to attack? Without my magic, there wasn't a lot I could do. Especially if I didn't know what kind of creature he was. What was he? A demon, perhaps? I'd never met a demon, but I'd heard stories.

  "Look, we can go. My friend Marco must have been mistaken," I said.

  The creature stopped less than a foot away from me. "Marco? You don't mean Jimmy's guy?"

  "Yeah, Jimmy's guy," Alec said.

  I took a step back and crossed my arms over my chest. "Yes, from Realm's Gate."

  "He sent us to find James King, do you know where we can find him?" Alec asked.

  The man laughed. A rich, full sound that echoed through the room. The ninjas behind him chuckled. It was almost a human sound, but not entirely, and I wondered what they looked like under those masks. Something told me I didn't want to know.

  There were creatures beyond my wildest dreams and my darkest nightmares that existed in the world. For someone who grew up in a place full of what humans considered to be monsters, it was strange to consider how much there was that went bump in the night. I had a feeling the masked creatures in front of me were some of those beasties that were the things of campfire tales and horror stories. Even in my world.

  The man's eyes had returned to blue, making him less intimidating. He moved closer to me, leaning in, so our noses were almost touching. "You sure you want to meet James King?"

  I held my breath and stared at his eyes. Up close, the blue of his irises was flecked with purple. It made for a stunning and surprising combination that pulled me in. I didn't want to stop looking into those eyes.

  Alec elbowed me, and I lowered my gaze to break the eye contact. "Yes, we have to. Realm's Gate is in trouble. Marco said James King could help us, that James owed Jimmy a favor."

  "That he does. Come with me." The man turned around and walked away.

  I looked over at Alec. He shrugged, which was basically how I felt. What were we supposed to do? There wasn't much of a choice. We either follow this guy and hope he takes us where we need to be, or we try to run. The problem was, if we decided to run, we could never go home again. Marco only gave me 48 hours to prove my innocence. And even without being set up to take the fall, there was still the dragon to worry about.

  Taking a deep breath, I followed our guide, walking through a gap between the ninjas. As we passed between them, the hair on my arms stood on edge. Whatever the creatures in the mask were, they were not human. I might not have my magic right now, but I didn't need it to detect that.

  Alec stayed right next to me as we walked through a set of double doors into a white, tiled hallway. It had an institutional quality to it, which made me instantly uncomfortable.

  We went through another set of double doors, and the institutional vibe vanished. Now, we were walking on polished bamboo floors in a hallway lined with gold wallpaper.

  At the end of the hall, we stopped in front of another pair of doors. I leaned my head back so I could see to the top of them. Twin Chinese dragons were carved into the doors. One on each side. Yellow stones stared at me, making up the dragon's eyes. Green and red stones lined their bodies. The design was exquisite. "They're beautiful."

  "The dragons?" the man asked.

  I hadn't meant to say the words out loud, but it was true. I'd seen a lot of crafted design work in the last few years of visiting estate sales. The workmanship on these doors was the work of a master. "Yes. Absolutely stunning."

  He smiled at me. "Glad you like them."

  I felt my cheeks grow hot despite my urging them not to. This man had threatened to kill me, after all. Just because he was attractive, didn't mean I should forget that so quickly. Turning away from him, I focused on the room in front of me. It looked like an office or a study. A large modern, glass-topped desk sat in the center of the room. Behind it was a single black office chair. Off to the side was a black bookshelf filled with books and a few decorative objects.

  Our guide entered the room. "Please, come in. Have a seat." He swept his arms toward a pair of leather armchairs, with a small table between them, nestled in the corner.

  Alec entered first and plopped down in one of the chairs. I followed him and sat down next to him.

  "Mr. King will be with you shortly," the man said as he closed the door.

  I couldn't help but look at those blue eyes one more time as he closed the door. I wondered if we'd see him again. Maybe he was head of security?

  "What was that all about?" Alec asked.

  "What?"

  "Wow. I mean, I thought it was a guy thing to undress girls with our eyes. But it seems girls can do it, too."

  "I wasn't undressing anyone with my eyes," I said.

  "Right." He winked at me.

  "Fine, I was checking him out, but there was no undressin
g."

  "Whatever you say," he said.

  I was going to object again, but just then, a portion of the wall opened a crack. Straightening in my chair, I turned so I could have a better look. The crack got larger as a hidden door that blended perfectly with the wall swung open, and a cart came through.

  A woman in a flowered, silk tunic pushed the cart into the room. Her shiny black hair was pulled into a tight bun on the top of her head. She smiled and bowed at us, then pushed the cart closer to us, pausing when she was right in front of the small table that rested between the chairs.

  "Would you like some tea?" she asked.

  Warning bells rang in my head. Taking a drink from a stranger was a big no-no. Especially for a girl my age. But I had a feeling this was a test. I couldn't risk insulting the one person who could help us save our city. Fixing a smile on my face, I nodded. "Yes, please."

  Alec followed my lead. "That would be great, thanks."

  She lifted a delicate, white teapot and poured two small cups of tea. After placing them on a saucer, she set a cup in front of each of us. With another bow, she rolled the cart away.

  "Is it just me, or is this place super weird?" Alec whispered.

  I knew what he meant. There was something off about this place. Aside from the whole secret entrance, security team of ninjas, and secret doors, there was something I just couldn't place. Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I picked up the tea. "I know. But drink your tea."

  His forehead wrinkled. "You can't be serious."

  Moving the cup to my lips, I nodded. "I'm serious."

  He sighed but picked up the cup. "Cheers."

  At the same time, we sipped the tea. I set the cup back down on the saucer, feeling a bit of relief that nothing happened when I drank the tea.

  Then the whole world went black.