“She’s okay!” I cried.
Even as my relief that my cousin was alright coursed through me, I knew what it meant. TS had a third soul-packmate; one nobody talked about. She was a non-magic. Which mean that someday…
Dani let out a stream of curses, then grabbed his phone from the table. His eyes went so gray it made me shiver. “Char,” he said tensely. “It’s Delilah.”
Chapter Eight
Ember
For the first time, I felt like I hated my job. I had wanted to work for MES for as long as I could remember and honestly couldn’t say when the idea of becoming a hacker got into my head. I wondered when that was; oh well. I was so close now. My five-year internship was finally over, just a few more years in IT and I’d be able to officially start work as a hacker! Sometimes the job was boring and tedious. Sometimes repetitive. But I never hated it.
Today though, it seemed so… meaningless. Unimportant.
“Soggy-tinder-brained moron,” I muttered to the sender of my latest complaint, fingers flying over my keyboard. “There’s no floppy drive in your new computer because they’re as obsolete as your dumb dehydrated ass.” I barely remembered to double-check and make sure I hadn’t actually cursed him out in the email before hitting send. Some of these older magics…
I pulled up my internal chat window and typed one to my papa.
E_Pelagos: why do all u old guys keep ur floppy discs?
D_Pelagos: because they make great coasters, frisbees, and maybe i may need them
E_Pelagos: for what???
D_Pelagos: drinks and throwing?
E_Pelagos: and needing them?
D_Pelagos: to access whatever I saved on them
E_Pelagos: you didn’t back them up???
D_Pelagos: Of course I did.
D_Pelagos: On my zipdrive
D_Pelagos: wait hey who are you calling old??
I rolled my eyes and checked my next ticket. This time someone was having trouble getting her trackball to sync with her new computer.
“Oh my god,” I groaned. “Why did they have to push out new computers this month?” I should have been reviewing those stupid park files. Not that they turned up anything. I had probably looked them over a dozen times now and couldn’t find anything new. Where did I leave off anyway, did I finish a pile? Was it in my room or out in the living room?
“Are you okay, Ember?” Charlotte asked. She kicked the floor and rolled her chair from behind her desk over to mine. “Can I help with anything? The log got a little backed up while you were off but I’m happy to…”
“I’m fine,” I said shortly.
“You’re friends with him, right?” she asked. “With Te… uh… Tet… Agent Conall?”
“You can just call him TS,” I muttered. “Yeah. I’ve known him pretty much my whole life.”
Charlotte nodded. “I figured that’s why you were off all week. I’m sorry about… what happened.”
I offered her a weak smile, but noticed she was still eyeing me curiously.
“What um… what did happen?” she said hesitantly. “I’m not really sure… everyone is saying something about a non-magic woman or something?”
I sighed. “Yeah, she’s his soul-packmate.”
“I don’t… know what that is…” Charlotte admitted.
I suppressed another sigh. So not a conversation I wanted to have. Of course it was better than troubleshooting Trackball Lady or Floppy Disc Dude. Maybe not better. Different anyway. Then again, Charlotte clearly needed a friend. Every once in a while, when she wasn’t overthinking being a dhampir, she was nice to be around. I thought maybe we could be friends. We were certainly going to be coworkers for the foreseeable future. And she was the only other IT girl.
“Do you know anything about weres?” I asked.
Charlotte shook her head. “I know about shifting? But not… whatever a packmate…”
“Okay.” I didn’t even know where to start. “So, wolves have packs, right? Like, real non-magic wolves I mean.” Charlotte nodded. “Werewolves have this magic bond they can form with people, like close friends and family. It’s not… anything too crazy. They just feel like this uh, powerful loyalty to those people. And if someone in their pack dies, they just… know.”
“And that’s what happened?”
“No.” I shook my head. “If that happened TS would probably take a day off or something, but Delilah, that’s her name, she’s in his soul-pack. That’s different.”
“What is that?”
“It’s a lot more powerful and a lot rarer. Soul-pack bonds usually happen between a werewolf and someone they don’t know very well, when that person does something super um… big?” Charlotte looked confused by my not-so-great explanation. I decided that how TS and Delilah met probably wasn’t a huge secret. “So, TS was on a MES job, chasing another werewolf who was attacking people. He caught up with the guy and stopped him right before he could attack this non-magic girl who was out. I was told she was taking a shortcut home after a softball game. They were fighting and TS was still sort of new at things and it wasn’t going well. Anyway, instead of freaking out, this non-magic grabbed a rock and hurled it – I guess she was a pitcher – at this guy’s head and stunned him long enough for TS to get the upper hand and…” I shrugged.
“And?”
“That’s it. He soul-pack bonded to her.”
“Just… because…”
I nodded. “It happens that fast.” I remembered how quickly he soul-pack bonded with Shannon and sighed at how different the outcome was. “Anyway, since she saw them shifted, her memory had to be erased.”
Charlotte made a face. “They’re so strict.”
“It’s to protect us,” I said.
She shrugged. “Yeah. I guess. So, then what? Couldn’t he have gotten a permit?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he could have applied for one. And they would have restored her memories, but it could have taken months, which would have been hard for her. And… see, the thing with soul-pack bonds is that the werewolf senses everything. How they feel emotionally, what they feel physically, where they are…”
“Isn’t that like familiars?”
“Yeah, exactly. And when a werewolf’s soul-packmate dies…” Her eyes widened and I nodded, then went on. “There’s a chance the werewolf will too. So, TS didn’t want a permit because he wanted to avoid contact with her as much as he could. It won’t break the bond, but people think it increases the odds of surviving their death…”
“Jeez,” said Charlotte. “So… the other day…”
“Delilah was in a car accident,” I said grimly.
“Is she dead?”
“No. But I guess she’s in a coma and things don’t look good.” I swallowed hard. “TS is… okay. I guess. He said he’s always known it was coming. Someday. Even then, I don’t think he was totally ready.”
“If she dies instead of waking up…”
I turned back to my computer, hoping she wouldn’t notice I was trying not to cry. I raised a hand quickly, acting like I was brushing my hair behind one ear, but I was actually fanning away the steam part of a tear. “Yeah,” I said flatly. “He might die too.”
“I… heard he’s back at work today?”
He was. Mainly to distract himself from the inevitable and, more depressingly, to wrap up some things and get all of his current projects lined up in case someone else had to take over… I didn’t want to think about it, much less explain it. If TS died, Thomas probably would too. I’d hate to lose them both; I had never lost anyone, much less two people who I had grown up with. I was finally old enough we were becoming real friends; I wasn’t just the little girl tagging along with them anymore. And I knew losing them would destroy Dani. I sniffed and fought back another tear.
On the bright side, Charlotte hadn’t noticed I was ready to cry otherwise, I assumed, she wouldn’t have asked. I wished I could stop uncomfortable conversations in their tracks as well as Dani could. I tried to th
ink of what he did when I tried to pry too deep.
“Like you said.” I took a deep breath and put on my best customer service voice. “there are a lot of tickets backed up in the log. Let’s get back to work!”
I couldn’t tell if she was hurt I was ending the conversation or if she realized I was upset. At the moment, I didn’t really care either way.
Not that I could concentrate now. I thought again about the files stacked up somewhere at home. Oh, maybe I left some out in the shop… I snapped my fingers above my keyboard and sparks rained down. A couple caught on the notebook next to me and I held my hand over it, letting it flare up a little. Ashes, I had my notes on the park files in there. I quickly closed my hand over the small flame and put it out.
I opened it and checked to make sure I hadn’t singed anything important. Nope. I sighed and sat back. What to do?
The next ticket popped up. Someone was accessing an account, which locked it to other users, and didn’t seem to be in the office today. I verified the agent was off, then went into the backend and force closed the profile. Easy enough.
While in the backend, I thought again of the altered files. What if the missing piece was in one that I somehow missed? I opened the report generator and put in all the criteria from before, followed by what I needed to find the ones that were different on the frontend. Was there anything I was missing? Something else to filter by?
Nothing.
I decided to generate it anyway. Then, I could have copies at work and another set at home. I sat back idly, trying to see how far I could flick a spark. I bounced several off a nearby wall before checking the status. Several different windows, including a spreadsheet with the names of every profile popped up. I skimmed over the list of names, so familiar now, looking hopefully for new ones as it slowly populated.
None of them stuck out. Nothing new. I sighed.
Greyson Turner.
Why did that one catch my eye? Oh, right! He was the agent TS was going to call the day… I swallowed hard. I wondered if TS ever called him. I supposed I could ask, but wasn’t sure “Hey, do you remember calling some guy the day your soul-packmate was in a horrific accident?” would be welcome.
Instead, I opened the file myself to see if TS was the last user. I was surprised to see that TS wasn’t the last one in the file. In fact, nobody was. The last user input was blank.
That wasn’t right. I switched over to the backend and pulled up the log of everyone who accessed the account and gasped. I was the most recent person to access it, before me was a deleted name, and then Tethys Conall; both opened the file the day Delilah was in the accident, but based on the order in the log the deleted user opened it after TS did. I quickly copied the information down into my notebook and closed the window.
For a moment, I just sat there, trying to figure out what was next. Even more questions. And yet, I had gotten something else. One more piece of the puzzle.
The report was finished, so I went back to the spreadsheet of names and kept scrolling. Looking for… I don’t know… I flicked the mouse a few times and accidentally zoomed out. Rolling my eyes at myself, I started to correct it, when something in the status column stuck out.
ACTIVE
ACTIVE
ACTIVE
DECEASED
“What?” I whispered. This was either the CVLR or the Miami group. None of them were dead!
I looked at the type column: elemental, air. A non-human. That put him in the CVLR group. Were there more? I scrolled down, hardly daring to breathe, looking for more. And found one. Weretiger. And then a third. Dhampir.
I double-checked. Just three.
Three of the CVLR group were dead. Why? How?
Nothing else in their files on the front or backend seemed to have changed. The details of their missing status were still deleted, but instead of active, they were dead. Were they really dead? Had something happened?
“What are you looking at?” Charlotte asked from behind me.
“Nothing!” I almost squeaked, minimizing everything. Smart, Ember. Really smooth there. I turned to give her an innocent smile.
She looked skeptical and possibly hurt.
“Just fooling around,” I lied. “Letting the log get longer.”
“Oh.” With one glance over her shoulder, she returned to her desk.
As soon as I was clear, I wrote the names down in my notebook. I couldn’t wait for the day to end. I tried to focus on work and slogged through a few more IT requests. I couldn’t stop thinking about the potentially deceased people, struggling to figure out how it all fit together.
I started packing up several minutes early, eager to get going. I turned off my computer, grabbed my notebook, and headed for the parking garage. I knew I’d be waiting there for ages, but couldn’t help it.
“Bye Charlotte,” I sang.
“See you tomorrow,” she said, still sitting at her desk.
I poked my head into my manager’s office. “I’m going home!”
He nodded and sort of waved, absorbed by whatever he was doing. I grinned. He was a pain in the ass when I first started here, but now that he knew I could handle things, he pretty much gave me free rein.
I got off the elevator in the garage and headed for my dad’s car, absorbed in my thoughts. The top was down, so I tossed my purse into the seat and started to climb in, not bothering to open the door. Just as I was about to swing my leg over, arms wrapped around me from behind and yanked me down.
“Hey!” I started to laugh, then one hand roughly clamped over my mouth and the other closed around my throat. My laugh choked into a gasp as the person behind me began to squeeze.
Oh hell no! I focused and a fire burst into life all around me. Someone had just gone after the wrong girl!
My attacker didn’t even flinch. Instead, he moved his hand and locked my neck in his elbow. Stars danced amid the flames and I struggled to free myself. He was a fire elemental too!
The flames around us flared higher as I started to panic. I could feel my self-control slipping as I flailed frantically. And I knew, I knew, that if I erupted he was going to kill me. I couldn’t lose control. That wasn’t an option.
Wasn’t an option?
Like a cold splash of sanity, I could hear Dani’s voice. “When threatened, fire elementals erupt and set shit on fire. It’s your go-to. And usually pretty effective. But there are going to be times when fire isn’t an option. It’s what they’ll expect. Maybe even what they want. You have to learn how to stay in control and do something unexpected. That’s the best way to defend yourself.”
I took a deep breath, well, tried to. I will not panic. I will not erupt. It was hard considering I couldn’t breathe and my head was pounding, but I forced my hand up and fumbled on my attacker’s face. He recoiled in surprise, loosening his arm just enough for me to suck in a breath through my nose. My thumb found his eye and I jabbed and dug in as hard as I could.
He cried out and twisted his head away. I had a little space and pulled to the side, then slammed my elbow into his stomach. He gasped and I felt his grip weaken. I slipped out of his arm and shoved him away from me, then spun and kicked him with all my might square between his legs. The man didn’t make a sound. He dropped to his knees, then doubled over in pain.
For some reason when people find out I’m a blacksmith, they always say “Wow, you must be great at arm wrestling!” Nope. Blacksmithing and arm wrestling are completely different motions. I’m pretty average at arm wrestling. But I can swing a hammer. Really. Damn. Hard.
So, I balled up my fist, raised my arm, and swung down as hard as I could into his head.
He dropped and lay still.
I backed away from him, trembling. Holy shit. For a moment, I just stood there, trying to collect my thoughts. I heaved a sigh and took a couple of nervous steps further away, terrified he’d get up again. For a few moments, I just stood there, staring at him.
“Ember?”
I shrieked and spun to fac
e the speaker, fireballs flaring up in my palms. It was Agent Fletcher. He raised his hands in front of him.
“Whoa! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you! Are you okay?” he asked.
“That… that guy…” I pointed. “He attacked me!”
Fletcher whipped out his wand and moved protectively in front of me. “Do you know him?”
“No.”
“Did he hurt you?”
I shook my head, knowing how close it had been.
Fletcher gently put a hand on my arm, wincing a bit at the heat. “Come on,” he said softly. “Let’s get you somewhere where you can calm down.” He tugged lightly, just enough to encourage me to follow.
There was a rush of wind and Thomas skidded to a stop in front of us. “What happened?!” he demanded.
I pointed to the fire elemental still on the ground. “He grabbed me and… and… I think he was trying to kill me!”
“Can you sedate him?” Fletcher asked. “I’ll get Ember inside, she’s pretty upset.”
He was answered by a voice, trembling with barely suppressed rage. “I’ll take care of Ember.”
I flung myself away from the agent and crashed into my dad’s arms. They tightened around me and I buried my face in his shoulder.
“Are you okay? What happened?” he asked, crackling softly in Sadehic.
I told him and could sense his temperature rising as I did. When I was done, he hugged me tighter, then pushed my back so he could get a good look at my face. His eyes were dim with worry and hardly flickering at all.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nodded.
“What happened?” gasped Mariana.
To my surprise, several other people, including her and Jen, had joined us. Someone must have sounded the alarm. I wasn’t sure I could bring myself to repeat the story and was grateful when my dad did for me. Everyone listened grimly as he translated.
“Glad I came a few minutes early,” Thomas said darkly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here even sooner.”
“Seems like Ember took care of it quite nicely,” came Dani’s voice.
Rise of the Arcanist Series: Books 1 - 6 Page 11