The car beneath me started to move. "Hey it’s the Calvary!" Rudy cheered.
I looked over my shoulder to see Jules standing in front of a black van pointing a device that looked a bit like a sonic screwdriver at the car. It emitted a diffused yellow beam of light at the car.
"Sorry for taking so long. Must be a holiday with all that traffic." Jowls smiled, his head sticking through the van’s open window.
"Blow the windows! We gotta get her out of there before the car freezes," I said as I retreated from to the roof.
Jules nodded, adjusted the dial on the bottom of his wand and pointed it back at the car. A yellow beam lanced out, shattering each window in the car one by one.
That did it. The woman leapt out of the back driver-side door and ran, a kid under each arm, directly toward the outstretched arms of the icy rent-a-cop. But she jigged around his fatal hug at the last moment.
"Cleanup on aisle five!" Jowls sing-songed.
"How many of these things are there?" Jules asked.
"At least five."
Jules used his wand to corral the ice zombies with cars, flipping them onto their sides to prevent them from climbing out. Meanwhile, I dragged or scared a few more people out of their cars. By the end of it, his wand was smoking. The ice continued to steadily creep across the parking lot. It had grown into a circle nearly forty feet wide by the time Ixey rolled up on her scooter, O'Meara's sword slung across her shoulder.
"A shallowing in Grantsville. That’s amazing," were her first words after she pulled her rhinestone-studded helmet off her head.
Garn, perched on her shoulder, bobbed his head as he stared at the spreading ice. "The way the realities are bleeding into each other..."
My chest was heaving. "It could have picked at less populated location."
Ixey frowned when her eyes focused on me. "Not surprised to find either of you in the middle of this," she said, her voice flat.
I stood my ground. "Don't be mad at me. You and Tallow told me to leave the other day."
"We didn't tell you leave, Thomas! We told—"
"To stop O'Meara from channeling. Well, she's not channeling now, is she? Despite the fact I could have really used her help a few moments ago!"
Ixey pondered that for a moment, surveying the scene before letting her posture slump. "Fine. I assume you’re alright then? O'Meara will ask." She turned, pulled a bag of salt from the scooter's saddlebag and offered it to me. "If you can walk, make me a circle."
"I've had less violent days." Still, everything seemed to be working at least. Soreness blossomed everywhere.
"You're not going to let it reach its full size?" Jules asked, wandering over, Jowls at his heels.
"Jules, this is literally the center of town. I'll make it as large as I can," Ixey said.
Jules winced. Everyone knew wards weren't Ixey's strong point, but the technomagus didn’t volunteer to help either.
Ixey gestured to the trapped ice zombies, which to my relief didn't seem to be getting any bigger. However, one had gotten his hand between two cars and was trying to widen the crack. "Are they?"
"Dead, I think. They don't seem to be intelligent anymore," Jules said. "They could just be starving for heat or whatever they consume now. We'll have to watch them."
"Right." Ixey turned to me, spinning her index finger in a circular manner. "Thomas, make it as big as you can, but I only have that one bag."
I nodded then ripped open one end of the bag and proceeded with the circle making. Ixey needed to get the ward up before the SWAT team arrived looking for terrorists. After someone attacked a crowd of kids at Valentine Park with a barrage of fireworks, something I suspect Rudy had something to do with but wouldn't admit to, Grantsville police had gotten their own APC and automatic shotguns. According to the twitters, so far all they'd swatted were a few teenagers who had the misfortune of possessing friends with twisted senses of humor. Once the ward was up, the entire circled area would be impossible for mundanes to perceive and those ice zombies would be trapped inside.
Rudy chattered as I walked the perimeter. "Man, I could go for some roasted chestnuts right now. My tail is freezing! And what the heck was with Jules's little toy?"
My mouth occupied, I let Rudy monolog as I trotted around the parking lot. My circle wasn't terribly circular, as I had to thread through the cars and go back a few time to fix the line. As I walked, I felt eyes on the back of my neck while I was out of sight of Ixey and Jules. I paused and looked about. The only visible bits of life were four crows hanging out on the arc of a street lamp; well, it wasn't a streetlight since it stood within a parking lot, but you get the picture. Two of them had a distinct aura about them. The tell-tale sign of a magus. I hurried to finish the circle and get back the others.
Had anyone else noticed? I attempted to whisper the thoughts to O'Meara, futilely.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The crowd of crows had swelled by the time Ixey finished the avoidance ward, or as I called it the "Somebody else's problem" ward. Sadly, nobody got that joke.
Eight birds stared down at us as Ixey opened her eyes. One was no crow. You might mistake him for a giant raven, but the beak had a wicked curve to it, his talons vicious hooks. This was no scavenger. He was a black eagle, feathers darker than the others, giving almost no shine by the glare of their lamppost perch. He hopped forward, gliding down toward us. A single crow followed his lead, her body bursting into a blue light and form blurring as she swooped beneath the eagle, landing as an elegant woman in a white dress. She wore a falconry glove, which the eagle alighted upon as the last of the blue light faded from a ring she wore.
Despite her sudden emergence from feathered kind, the woman might have walked straight off a fashion runway. Long and thin limbs accented her dark eyes. Raven black hair swirled around her head, held in place with two shining rods of silver that glimmered with the golden color of protective magic. The air around her rolled into my mouth and tasted like the stale air of a long forgotten attic. "Greetings from House Morganna." Her voice sounded honeyed like a spider inviting in a fly. "I am—"
To my surprise, a hiss from Jowls cut her off. "Oh, I know who you are, missy. You're a claim jumper and that’s totally unfab- uncouth!" Jowls made a mewling spitting noise as Jules scooped him up and clapped a hand over Jowls' mouth.
"I apologize, Veronica," Jules said. "Jowls is jumping to conclusions." However, my own brain was on the case now. Wasn't House Morganna Lady Cavell's house?
The woman blinked, then smiled.
The eagle spoke. "We can hardly jump your claim if you are not qualified to make it. Which you are not, unless I am sorely mistaken. Have you joined a proper House? Even a minor House will do."
"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.
The bird turned his huge eyes on me. "You should know that being the familiar of the inquisitor."
My blood pulsed in my ears. Had Lady Cavell given me a huge price to heal O'Meara and then dispatched these birds to snatch away any chance I had to actually obtain it? A piece of me calculated that the bird was well within pouncing distance, and he probably had a fare bit of meat on those wings... I stomped on the instinct.
Ixey spoke up, placing a hand on my shoulder. "The Council has ruled that shallowings are too valuable to be kept by individuals. They must be maintained by Houses so their tass is properly accounted for."
The Eagle nodded. "So glad that someone around here is schooled."
"Now, now, Neelius, there's no need to be quite so confrontational," Veronica chided the bird. "I'm sure a healthy finder’s fee can make everyone satisfied with the outcome. And avoid certain questions." She pointedly directed that sentence at me.
I huffed at the obvious good cop, bad cop routine.
Jules failed to contain the struggling Jowls, and the big tomcat kicked free. He landed with an un-catlike whump on the ground. "This is poppycock! You have no claim! You have no Dominion over this town! We've been here for ten years!"
Neelius sneered. "A co-located shop doesn't count as Dominion!"
"It counts more than a carpet bag!" Jowl's spat. With his back arched, the round feline nearly looked dangerous.
"We have ties," Veronica said gesturing to the rest of the flock. A pair of birds dismounted and flew down in that same burst of magic. As the two landed they became a dark skinned woman and a black lab with ears that inched into fennec fox territory. The woman wore a flowing green dress, and her hair was a nest of half-inch braids bedecked with golden rings. Several had the soft glow of foci, and as she stood to her full height, I saw it in the angles of her face.
"I'm Dorothy of House Morganna, and my familiar, Fee." She spoke with the trace of a southern accent. "Sabrina the elder is my great aunt."
"Blood is nothing," Jules said. "You can't use blood to tie yourself to a missing Magus."
"It is enough," Neelius stated.
I wasn't about to let this happen. A shallowing like the one behind me could produce tens of groats a month. If I could hold onto my fifteen percent, then I'd have the fee for O'Meara health in several years, worst-case scenario. "I believe that House Technomagi has a stronger claim at this moment," I said. Adding a bit more bullshit to the pile couldn't hurt at this point.
Jules and Jowls each gave me a hard stare. Jules swallowed and Jowl's face broke into a grin.
Neelius fluffed himself up like a certain owl I knew. "That claim will never hold up in Council session!"
"Well, that does depend, doesn't it?" Jowls nearly sang. "Mostly on who is on the Council when it reconvenes. House Morganna might lose their seat this time, eh?"
"House Technomagi claims Dominion over Grantsville city limits, and we were at this scene first," Jules stated.
Jules and Jowls eyes went to Ixey. As the possessor of the inquisitorial sword, her word would be law until a higher up said otherwise. She could let this farce move forward or dash it to the ground here and now. After a moment’s pause, she stepped forward, cleared her throat and said, "The Inquisition recognizes the claim."
Veronica's nose climbed higher in the air as her lips pressed together so hard they turned white. Neelius looked back at her. I could almost see the thoughts flying back and forth between them. There was an edge to her eyes, something desperate as she stared at Ixey.
Ixey, for her part, glared back.
Neelius replied, "Well if that is the case, we can play this game of House with you."
Veronica stepped toward Jules. "I, Veronica of the Blackwings, challenge you to a contest of the Aegis and Sword for this shallowing."
Jowls bounced up and down with excitement.
"There's no need for us—" Jules began, but he was cut off by Jowls.
"We of the Runic Circuit, Prime Cabal of House Technomagi, accept your challenge!"
"Jowls!" Jules sputtered.
The cat grinned like a Cheshire.
Both Neelius and Veronica’s heads rocked back, surprised. Their eyes hardened in the same instant. "To the Exhaustion then!" Veronica declared.
"To the Exhaustion," Jules said, a smile spreading across his lips.
Veronica smiled back nervously, her gaze flickering to Ixey. "Are you capable of officiating the duel?"
Ixey nodded. "In eighteen hours I will send you the location of the duel, and it will happen twenty-four hours from now."
"Very well," Veronica said. "We will reside at the Country Lodge on Main Street. Send your messenger there."
In a flurry of wings, all of the Blackwings departed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jowls entwined himself around my legs the instant the Blackwings were out of visual range. "That was fabu! Absolutely FABU! You're a genius, Thomas," he purred like a lawn mower pumped full of nitro.
Rudy laughed as I attempted and failed to extract myself from the amorous cat. "House Technomagi?” he said. “Couldn't have thought of a better name than that? Maybe House Albert or House Neeerd."
Jowls backed up just enough so he could fix Rudy with an unkind stare. "House names should be descriptive anyway. Traditionally they're named for the founder. So officially it should be House Jules!"
He bounded back to his bond, entire body jiggling, and circled around the magus’ thin legs. Jules blinked as if he wasn't sure what to do. "Do you like the ring of that, my friend? My bond? My best pal!"
"Easy, Jowls." He looked to Ixey. "I really appreciate you supporting us, Ixey."
"We owe you." Ixey smiled warily. "And despite O'Meara's grumblings, you've been mostly honest with us. We don't need House Morganna in Grantsville."
"Is House Morganna particularly bad?" I asked.
Both Ixey and Jules shook their heads. "House Morganna's been on their back foot for a decade now, so it’s not that they're bad. They're desperate to get more leverage on the Council. This—" She gestured to where the ice zombies had wandered out of their pen and were milling about aimlessly. "—would help their position. The Blackwings are their most junior Cabal. Besides Veronica, none of them are more than decade out their apprenticeships. Grabbing a shallowing would be a major feather in their cap."
"Which was why she was willing to try the dueling gambit," Jules said.
"But win or lose, we win!" Jowls purred.
"I don't understand," I said. "You already had the shallowing."
Jowls chuckled. "Cuz you're just a cub! It’s all about the legalese. Standing."
"Standing?" I asked.
"Remember the whole bit where a House overrides a claim on the shallowing? Well, think about it." Jowls’s tail lashed with impatience.
It clicked. "Oh, so by dueling you they'd recognize you as a House!"
"It’s a really nice booby prize," Jowls said. "We're gonna found a House! We're gonna found a House," Jowls sung, bouncing around Jules' legs.
"Course, it will be better if you actually win the duel," I said.
Jules nodded. "I'll have to assemble—" He winced. "The Cabal of the Runic Circuit."
The cat laughed. "It sounded technomagical to me!"
Ixey departed soon afterward, muttering something about hitting the books and reading up on dueling rules. Rudy and I boarded Jules' van to retreat to his shop after spending a few minutes gathering pieces of the homemade helicopter.
Sandra's initial excitement about the shallowing quickly soured when she saw the pieces of her creation in Jules' arms.
"You lost my biggest elemental! That’s a month's worth of work!" Her fury flitted between Jules, Rudy and me, like an angry hornet that couldn't decide who to sting.
Jules waved her off. "You'll trap another. You always do. We have bigger projects now. We've got twenty-four hours to make an aegis capable of defending against a black sword."
Sandra blinked. "You got yourself into a duel? Are you mad? The Council's outlawed dueling for decades."
"Council isn't here right now, Sandra. It could be years until the politicking around those three open seats ends," Jules replied.
"A shallowing is on the line," Jowls said with that manic grin of his.
Sandra eyes went wide and continued to widen as the pair explained the situation involving the duel. Then cat, man and woman huddled, talking about force negation and arcane drains. I fell asleep fairly quickly.
***
"We don't have enough tass to do it." Sandra’s raised voice pulled me out of my nap. The three of them hadn't moved, except Rudy was now perched on the table with the others.
"Then we need to get some more,“ Jules said. "This is a shallowing. We'll get back our investment."
"We didn't get enough data to figure out any pattern to the transitions. We have what we have," Sandra shot back. "Even with Tom, Dick and Harry coming in, we don't have the time to gather it and craft the aegis."
Hearing my name, sorta (I much prefer Thomas precisely because the world is full of Toms), I wandered over. "If you need a loan, I might be able to help."
"Do you have twenty groat floating around, Thomas?" Jules
asked.
"I've got 5 and change," I informed them as I inspected what they'd all gathered around. The table was covered by a blueprint from the mind of a madman. It was filled with absolutely nonsensical patterns of wavy lines, but as I examined it, my perception shifted, went deeper. My stomach churned a bit as the lines went in directions that made my mind really uncomfortable, directions that should not be. It was a diagram of a spell, a complex spell, similar in complexity to the magic fax machine on Ixey's desk that teleported documents wholesale. I only understood the barest basics, but it was a focus with four separate nodes on it. Beyond that, my brain was lost in the bewildering connections.
I looked away as my brain threatened to overheat and into the faces of Sandra and Jules.
Sandra and Jules' eyebrows raised. I knew that Rudy had even more of his stash socked away somewhere. 'His rainy day fund,' he had called it. "Why are you after so much tass anyway, Thomas?"
"To pay to get O'Meara's anchor treated."
"You broke your bond to help her?" Sandra's voice held bewilderment.
"I owe her."
"Isn't he delicious!" Jowls said.
Everyone's eyes swiveled to him, and the cat suddenly focused on cleaning his paw.
I rolled my eyes. Jowls was harmless.
I knew where we could get some tass. A lot of tass even, but it would be no good for healing anyone. Yet, maybe as a weapon... I had a hunch about these transitions.
"Have you mapped out all the transitions you know about?" I asked.
"Yes," Sandra said. She grabbed a roll of paper from a nearby table and unrolled a simple map of the town in front of me. It had locations circled in red pen. With a sharpie she drew an X on the plaza. The shallowing we spotted from the helicopter was marked already. In my head I placed the other transitions I knew about: the stockyard, an apartment building with a bookcase that had emitted birds and a few locations Noise had talked about weird stuff her pack had found in the woods a few months ago, possible leftovers from the transitions.
Marking Territory (Freelance Familiars Book 2) Page 7