Awakened Powers

by Logan Byrne

  “Combat Jumping,” I whispered aloud, finding the most promising bit in the index so far. I flipped to the eighty-ninth page, rolling my index finger down the page as I tried to find an ascent spell.

  I found the spell Levio that Britta had cast on us that night, but all it said was that it was a gravity and weightless spell. It didn’t give much more information than that. That was when it hit me. If I could make myself weightless, or at least much lighter, what if I used my surroundings in the elevator shaft to propel myself upwards? There would be a thick cable, and even ledges for the different floors on the sides of the shaft itself. I could toss myself upwards and make great time that way, all without breaking a sweat. It was genius.

  I closed the book swiftly, coughing as another dust cloud came out, before putting it back and sneaking out. Whenever I did something like this, getting information for something I shouldn’t be doing, I always felt dirty, like I shouldn’t leave too much of my presence behind. I wasn’t always the studying type, so somebody like Mirian or Britta finding me would mean I would have to do a lot of explaining.

  As I sat at my desk later that day, I twirled the flash drive around my fingers, the metal hoop attached to the end mesmerizing me. “Doing okay?” Charlie asked, walking up and sitting across from me.

  “Just thinking about tomorrow,” I said, snapping out of it.

  “Same. You’re sure you want to go through with this? It isn’t exactly an easy task, you know,” he said.

  “Nothing in life is easy, though, and nothing worth fighting for has ever been handed over. I think this is important, and I think the plan Faus and I devised is going to be the best course of action for finally ending this once and for all,” I said.

  “Then I’ll help you, but I can’t be implicated if something goes south. I know we’re partners, but this could be bad,” he said, his tone serious.

  “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. But don’t think like that! We’ll be fine, I’m sure of it,” I said, in a not-totally-reassuring or confident tone.

  “Promise me one thing?” he asked.

  “Depends on what that is,” I said.

  “If you don’t find anything bad, or anything that implicates him too badly, you won’t obsess over this. I don’t want to see you consumed if you don’t get what you want or need,” he said.

  “I promise,” I said with a half smile. Truthfully, I was lying through my teeth, and part of me thought he sensed that. He was my partner, and he did know me probably the best out of anybody besides maybe Britta.

  It was hard to promise him, knowing what I knew about my mark and the people who came before me. That spirit trip was eye-opening; it showed me what could happen to this time and this world if I didn’t step in and stop it. Knowing I had that burden made it almost impossible to stand idly by while Kiren had free reign of both realms. I just hoped that Charlie would understand that and not push too hard against me. But I would never let him go down with me if I did get caught. I loved him too much.

  “Just be smart when you’re out there, okay? I’ll make sure to try to find the club owner if I can and get eyes on him. Taking him down as well would make tomorrow night infinitely better,” he said.

  “If anybody can do it, it’s you and that nose,” I said, laughing.

  19

  “Okay, this is your communication device,” Faus said, handing over a tiny flesh-colored listening device. “It will do two-way communication and allow me to talk to you with nobody else hearing me.”

  “You’re a genius, I can barely tell I have this and it’s in my hand,” I said, rolling it around between my fingers.

  “Just be careful not to lose it before you go in. It’s important that you both have this, because it will allow me to talk to both of you, and you both will be able to hear each other as well,” he said. “Put them in now before you lose them.”

  I slipped mine into my ear canal, even shaking my head a little to make sure it wouldn’t fall out. “How do we know it’s working?” I asked.

  “Once I turn it on from my computer, it will be on. I just wanted them in place before you headed out,” Faus said.

  “For the final time, you’re sure?” Charlie asked as we stood around Faus’s table.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Do you have the invitations?” I asked.

  “Right here,” he said, reaching in his tuxedo and pulling out two tickets Faus had drafted from the image files he found on their servers. “Locked and loaded.”

  “Now remember the plan, Lexa. You know the blueprints, you know the procedure, and you know the exit points. You both do. I’ll be here to assist you both in any way that I can,” Faus said.

  “Well, are you ready?” I asked Charlie, holding my clutch in my hand. My wand was strapped to a garter on my thigh.

  “Ready as I can be,” he said, before letting out a deep breath.

  I grabbed onto him, teleporting us about two blocks away from the venue. The bustle of New York City, the mortal part, rampaged around us. “This place really goes off at night, doesn’t it?” he asked.

  “It’s the city that never sleeps, remember? I think they take that title quite literally,” I said, grabbing his arm. “Remember to call out if people are coming my way.”

  “I know, I will. If things get hairy up there, you need to let me know so I can either come help or create a diversion or something. I can’t exactly shift in front of all those people, but you never know,” he said.

  “Wait! I almost forgot!” I said, before we crossed the corner to the entrance and slipped into an alley.

  “What’s wrong?” Charlie asked nervously.

  “Here, take this,” I said, handing him a pill. I took one myself, swallowing it without water, before Charlie reluctantly did the same. “We can’t go in as ourselves. These will disguise us for an hour or two,” I said.

  “Or two? That’s a pretty broad amount of time, you know,” he said, before our faces started to shift around. “Wow, this is weird.” His face bubbled, his features melting into one another and reforming as he became an entirely different person. He looked at me, shocked.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “You’re…you know…kind of hot now,” he said.

  “What, I’m ugly otherwise?” I asked sternly, slapping his arm.

  “No, you’re great! I just think of you like my annoying sister, so there’s that,” he said, trying to save grace, even though he’d just insulted me even more.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  “Disguises all on?” Faus asked, from his lab.

  “Yup,” I said softly. “You can hear me?”

  “Loud and clear. The vibrations from your voice are resonating in the device, giving me the ability to hear you even if you aren’t speaking loudly. You could whisper at the most minute level and I would still be able to pick it up,” he said.

  “Great, because things might be getting soft for us here soon. We’re walking up now,” I said, as Charlie and I walked up the steps.

  There were guards out front, an illuminated entrance shining above the guests who were arriving. There were large stone steps leading up to the entrance, with red velvet ropes guarding off anybody who wasn’t permitted to enter. A large glass window showcased the interior, which was emblazoned with white marble slabs, which towered over the atrium inside. There had to be fifteen others coming in at the same time as us, a group of them inside already mingling and having drinks, before Charlie handed the man our tickets.

  “Have a good evening, Mr. Pumperschmidt,” the man said, nodding.

  “Mr. Pumperschmidt?” I asked, laughing a little.

  “Hey, don’t laugh! It’s a cool name!” Charlie whispered.

  Still holding onto his arm, we walked inside the building, where a grand atrium traveled all the way up to the top of the building. “It looks a little more menacing in person,” I said.

  “I think it’s cool. Imagine what I could see from up there,” Charlie s
aid, salivating, probably already thinking of shifting and going up there like the little kitty cat he was.

  “I should get started,” I said.

  “Don’t disappear too quickly, it would look bad. I’d say mingle for about fifteen or twenty minutes before disappearing. Somebody might notice otherwise if you disappear right after arriving,” Faus said.

  “What are you doing?” Charlie asked, as I dragged him over towards the drinks.

  “We have to look the part,” I said, before taking some spiked punch the servers were handing out. I took a sip and grimaced. “This is horrible.”

  “Yeah, it kind of burns going down, doesn’t it?” he asked, shaking his head.

  “Do you think all these people are magical?” I asked, looking at the crowd around us.

  “I don’t know, I don’t think so. Some of these people just seem like your average rich mortals. They don’t scream anything else, but then again I don’t think we do, either. I bet it’s a mix of both,” he said.

  “I’m into the security systems,” Faus said, in our ears. “There’s a camera pointed at the elevator access door, but I can freeze it while you’re at it so they never suspect a thing. They don’t even know I’m in their system,” Faus said.

  “Should I go for it?” I asked.

  “Start to make your way in that direction,” Faus said.

  “Go for it,” Charlie whispered.

  I walked slowly over, looking at a guard who was staring at me from the front door, until I slammed into somebody. I stepped backwards, looking up, and my stomach dropped. I wanted to vomit.

  “Are you okay, Miss?”

  It was Kiren. He was standing there, a group surrounding him, as he smiled and looked down at me. This was my first real experience with him, face to face, and he was talking to me directly. I wanted to punch him, pull out my wand and arrest him here and now for crimes against humanity, but I held myself together for the greater good of this mission.

  “I’m so sorry, Mr. President. I tripped and couldn’t catch myself in time,” I said.

  “It’s no problem at all. I don’t believe I’ve ever made your acquaintance,” he said. “What’s your name?”

  “Uh, Pumperschmidt. Katherine Pumperschmidt,” I said nervously.

  “What a peculiar name,” he said, extending his hand to shake.

  “I’ve been ill, I don’t think it’s a smart idea for me to shake the hand of such an important man to our people,” I said, smiling politely. Truthfully, I didn’t know if touching him skin to skin would allow him to know about my mark, and I wasn’t about to take the chance. I was out of my element, and even though my appearance and name were both fake, I couldn’t chance it. Besides, I needed to get to that elevator.

  “Interesting,” he said, smiling.

  “Mr. President, we need you around back to get ready for your speech,” a man in a suit said, interrupting us.

  “If you’ll excuse me, Katherine, I must be preparing for my speech. I hope to speak with you more tonight,” he said, smiling, before walking off with his security detail.

  I scowled, looking at him as he walked away. “Lexa, the cameras will freeze in thirty seconds,” Faus said.

  “Right, on it,” I said, shaking away my disdain for Kiren and walking towards the access door.

  “They’re freezing…now!” Faus said, before I walked up to the door.

  I pulled out a lock-picking set, listening closely as I tried to hear the springs and pins move into place. Using my wand was too risky; maybe this place was booby-trapped against magic. A hex or charm could easily stop those kinds of intrusions, and the last thing I needed was for an alarm to go off and everybody in here to see me trying to break into a room. Didn’t think I could try to pass it off as using the bathroom and getting lost.

  “Got it,” I said, under my breath, as the door opened. The shaft was massive, the industrial feel and bitter cold making my breath visible before I whipped out my wand.

  “Do you have a plan?” Faus asked.

  “Levio,” I said, hopping up with barely any force. I came up off the ground, before slowly floating down. This was perfect. “I do indeed.”

  I jumped upwards, grabbing the top of an elevator cab, before hoisting myself up and looking at the reverse bottomless pit above me. I couldn’t even see the top of this thing, the dimly lit shaft likely never seeing human eyes. “Here goes nothing,” I said. I jumped up as high as I could, over a story high, before grabbing onto the cable. I pulled upwards hard, going up two more stories, before the cable moved.

  “Whoa,” I said, letting go and feeling my feet gently hit the top of the cab. My hair flew backwards as I held on for dear life while I was thrust upwards. My eyes partially shut, I noticed I was getting higher and higher, before the cab started to slow down. “Now is my chance.”

  Using the momentum of the cab stopping, I jumped at the same time, flinging myself upwards like an asteroid flying through space. I grabbed onto the ledge of the forty-fifth floor, two stories away, before looking back down at where I’d come from. That was a steep fall, and one I wasn’t sure even this spell could handle.

  I jumped upwards, the spell starting to wear off, as I barely reached the next floor. “Faus,” I said, moaning as I pulled myself up.

  “What is it? Are you all right?” he asked.

  “My spell wore off, I think. I don’t think I can cast it again or I’ll be too light once I get inside,” I said.

  “Then climb like you’ve never climbed before, Kiren is minutes from his speech,” Faus said.

  “Get on it,” Charlie whispered.

  Taking a deep breath, I exhaled hard before jumping upwards and using my parkour skills that I developed as a thief. Maybe it was a good thing I thought I was a pilt for such a long time. The skills I learned as a thief really had come in handy in this new profession.

  “I’m here,” I said.

  “Door opening,” Faus said, and the elevator shaft door opened just enough for me to slip out.

  “I can hear someone,” I said, walking towards the left, where Kiren’s office was. “There’s a guard here, but I think he’s preoccupied.”

  I could hear a man humming, and the faintest sound of music from headphones as I slyly peered around the corner. He didn’t notice me, sitting in a chair and looking straight in front of him at an aquarium that was built into the wall, just like in my dream. I pulled my wand out from my garter belt and pointed it at him. “Dormio,” I said, the bolt hitting him, before he started to yawn. I guess my spells weren’t as powerful as Britta’s.

  Within thirty seconds he was out, slouched back in his chair as he snored heavily with his music still blaring. “I’m at the door,” I said.

  “Anything there stopping you?” Faus asked.

  “No, it just looks like a normal door,” I said, before turning the handle. The door opened as you would expect, but something didn’t seem right. “This place seems weird,” I said.

  “Like dark?” Faus asked.

  “I…I think I’ve been here,” I said, confused as to how I’d ever gotten here before. I turned on a lamp, the room lighting up, and I gasped, looking all around. “This was in my dream.”

  That night I dreamt of being in Kiren’s office, the night he did his ritual, was it real? I thought it was a dream, an amalgamation of my conscience taking over as my deepest fears festered, but there was no way I could make this up. I had no way to know what his office looked like, down to the fabric on the chairs. I was in shock.

  “You have to get moving, Lexa. He’s about to start his speech,” Charlie said.

  “Right,” I said, shaking myself before taking the flash drive out of my garter. I plugged it in, turning on the button as it turned red, the light a progress bar around it. “It’s on.”

  “Great, now look around while you’re there. See if you can find anything damning,” Faus said.

  There was a folder inside his desk titled “Mark,” which I couldn’t help but ope
n. Inside there were pictures of past mark-bearers, including red stamps that said “Deceased” and the dates they died. I looked on in shock, seeing a massive dump of data about the mark and what the powers could do. I tried to scan through them, my heart racing as the vein in the side of my neck started to throb.

  He wanted to wipe out the world with this power. He was going to take it for himself and use it to wipe out bloodlines that weren’t pure and rich with magical power. Any mortals who didn’t have magical genes would either be executed or enslaved, and he didn’t care that much about the magical creatures and beings either. Nobody was safe.

  I searched for any trace of my name, but there was nothing there to indicate he knew about me or my powers. I sighed a little, knowing I was at least still under the radar, which was where I needed to be after discovering his plans for domination. He didn’t know anybody else with the mark, and it needed to stay that way.

  “Lexa, is it done?” Faus asked.

  I looked at the drive, the ring just turning solid, before I pulled it out of his computer. “Done,” I said.

  “Get out of there before it’s too late,” Charlie said. “He’s in the middle of his speech.”

  I ran outside, the guard still fast asleep, before Faus opened the elevator door for me. “Levio,” I said, my body turning into a feather, before I hopped off. I tensed my stomach, the velocity still enough to make me wince from this height, until my feet almost touched the ground. “The lamp,” I said, my eyes going wide.

  “What?” Faus asked.

  “The lamp, the lamp in his office! I forgot to turn it off! I have to go back.”

  “There’s no time, he’s done with his speech. You have to get the hell out of there, Lexa, he’s walking towards the elevators,” Charlie said.

  Panicked, I hopped off the elevator cab and through the door from which I came. As I walked around the corner, I saw him, and he looked at me, with a confused look on his face. I realized there was a little grease on my hands and dress. I kept my head held high, acting like nothing was amiss, before reuniting with Charlie in the crowd.