Forge the Path of Sorcery

by NAK Baldron

  "Who is backup?" Kandice asked.

  "Other families that are here, Stateside."

  "Are they good?"

  "Very. Some have taken out targets this large before. The Mortons have a daughter who's great with technology. When they took out a high-level target last year, she was the one who disabled the security system. Her brother and father are better fighters than me too."

  "Damn. I wouldn't ever want to face them."

  "No, and neither would any Aether Walker. The problem is, they move around and only accept messages through the mail at their estate in Scotland."

  "You've been to Scotland?"

  Lance shifted in his spot. "Yes. A few times. We used to travel around Europe when I was young."

  "I've always wanted to see Scotland and Ireland," Kandice said. "Maybe one day."

  Kandice's phone rang. Her butt felt awkward as it vibrated underneath her. She stepped into the kitchen to answer it and hung up after a short conversation to sit back down on the sectional.

  "Was that Blake?" Lance asked.

  "It was my apartment hunter, David. The apartment I wanted has a unit open. I need to call to set up a time."

  "Oh, okay." His mouth had a slight frown as he formed the words.

  She went to her bedroom to pull up the email David sent on her phone. It had the contact information for the complex and someone answered within the first ring. She spoke with a receptionist and set up a time to meet and look at the property in the afternoon.

  Kandice hung up and jumped with her hands in the air. She hadn't expected to move in until the end of the month and being able to move in earlier would be great.

  Living in proximity to Lance and Slava for the constant updates had shown its perks, but being alone with Lance was still awkward. She couldn't deny a desire for him within her, but it was uncharted territory. They needed space before something happened. Something that they might regret. Besides, long term, having an apartment for Blake to move into would be best.

  She picked out clothes and took them with her into the bathroom to get ready.

  * * *

  The apartment complex was only a mile away, taking the back roads through her old neighborhood. Location had become the least of her worries. Everything was out of her budget in the North Austin area, so her search bubble expanded to the whole city. It was a lucky break to have gotten into this place. It was close to Lance and less than ten minutes from Blake.

  The leasing office was tiny compared to the rest of the complex. When she pulled in, she paused a moment to take in the area. It was an inviting complex, built out of white stone, and looked like it would last for years.

  Susan was waiting for her when she walked in through the front door. "I'm guessing you're Kandice."

  "Yes." Kandice smiled.

  "Great to meet you." Susan extended her hand, which Kandice shook. "Please, come into my office and we'll get you all set up."

  They spoke for about twenty minutes, going over all the rules of the complex. Kandice decided she needed a covered parking spot. With the parking, her one-bedroom apartment came to $785 per month. More than her original budget, but by far one of the cheaper options in Austin. There had been a few within her desired price range, but they were way south, and a quick crime report search convinced Kandice it wasn't worth the affordable rent.

  Once they agreed to everything, Susan gave Kandice a copy of the contract. "You can look over that tonight and bring it back. Now why don't you come with me, and I'll show you the complex, along with your apartment."

  Kandice followed Susan out of the office and onto a golf cart. As they drove, Susan pointed out the swimming pool, which was a decent size, and right behind the leasing office. After two apartment buildings, there was a tennis court with a basketball court behind it. Kandice didn't enjoy sports that much, but any place that had tennis would have to be clean and safe.

  Her building was the last one in the back of the complex. It seemed like the reduced drive through traffic would mean less noise.

  "Your unit is on the bottom and your parking spot is over there." She pointed to the covered parking in the middle of the parking lot, but not too far from Kandice's building.

  "Now, please excuse the mess. We're having a full cleaning crew come in tomorrow, and then painters the day after."

  When she unlocked the door, and they walked in, Kandice's mouth almost fell open. The apartment was more than she could ever hope for. The kitchen, dining, and living room all flowed together. The only thing dividing the three spaces was a floating island that had the kitchen sink and cutting area. There was even a sliding glass door with a small porch.

  In the far back was another sink, with two doors on either side. One led into a small bathroom, but it had a full shower, bathtub combination. The other door led into her bedroom. It wasn't large for a master bedroom, but it was much larger than the room she was in or had been in at her aunt's. Kandice was in love with the place.

  "It's amazing," Kandice said. "When can I move in?"

  "Provided everything goes well, you'll be able to move Friday, if that works for you."

  "Yes! I can't wait."

  Susan drove Kandice back to the front office, and talked the whole way there, but Kandice didn't hear a word. Her mind was racing with ideas for her new place. From how to decorate the apartment, to having her brother over for dinner, and even Lance and Slava. In her mind, it was the moment she became an adult. Getting her own place was always the plan, but with Blake getting out of the hospital, it was easier to stay with her aunt.

  Blake might be ready to move out of their aunt's house now with all the new developments. He could stay on the couch for a while until he got his own place, or they could get an apartment together after a year. They would both need jobs to move up to a two-bedroom. Kandice could only afford the apartment by herself for two years with the trust and her savings. After that she would have to get a job or get one now and have longer before needing a full-time career.

  On her drive back to Lance's, her mind was racing with all the future could hold. There had to be a job out there that would give her the free time needed to continue to fight Aether Walkers. That was her end goal. No matter what happened, fighting them was all that matter. If Lance kept training her and taught her to become an oboroten, she'd be okay once they defeated the mayor and moved away. There was so much to work through and many plans to make, but it would work itself out with time.

  After getting home, she realized Master Monroe had been expecting to hear from her yesterday. He was still wanting an explanation about her decision to quit school. He expected her to re-enroll, but that would never happen. She didn't feel like getting back out, so she pulled out her phone and called.

  "Thank you for calling Monroe's Gym. This is Chris speaking. How may I help you?"

  "Hey Chris, it's Kandice. Is Master Monroe around?"

  "He's in the back doing inventory," Chris said. "Let me go get him."

  After about a minute, Monroe picked up the phone. "Kandice, where are you? I expected you here yesterday morning."

  "I'm sorry about that," she said. "I had to sign for a new apartment."

  "Oh. Well, congratulations are in order, I guess. Are you back in school?"

  "No. I'm not going to re-enroll this semester."

  "Why?"

  "Because, I'm handling personal things, like I told you," Kandice said, a little more pointed than intended.

  "I see."

  There was a long moment of silence. He must have wanted her to explain, but there wasn't a good excuse, and it wasn't his business anyway.

  "Well," he said. "I need a good reason for why you dropped out of school if you're going to continue here."

  "That's the thing . . ." She hadn't thought about dropping Taekwondo until that moment, but it became clear it was the next step. "I'm not going to continue training."

  "Now wait. I only want what's best for you. You took fourth in nationals. There is no reason to
quit. With focused training, I know you can take first this year."

  "You're right. But I don't care. I'm not interested in continuing. I'll pay for this month, but I'm stopping the payments after that."

  "Kandice, think about this for a second."

  "I have. Goodbye, Master Monroe."

  With that, she hung up, even though he was still talking on the other end. A few seconds later, her phone rang; Master Monroe was calling her back. He didn't want to lose her because of her talent, but regardless, there was no point in continuing Taekwondo anymore. Training with Lance was going great even if he hadn't shown her how to use the seals. The time would come when he would, provided she kept improving and pushing him.

  Her phone dinged, Master Monroe left a voicemail. Kandice deleted it without listening to it. It was time to move on with her life. She needed to push her previous life behind her to make room for the new skills needed to fight Aether Walkers.

  Despite feeling bad for cutting ties with Master Monroe, and her rude tone, her mind felt free. For the first time her life made sense—there was a plan—and she was moving in the right direction.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Texas, Earth

  Friday, September 16th

  7:00 AM was far too early for Kandice to be up and about. Her feet dragged as she packed her old room into cardboard boxes.

  Jackie had thrown a fit when Kandice pulled a box truck in front of the house—but after Kandice made it clear she'd signed the lease and moving out was happening—Jackie stormed out of the house and drove away.

  After an hour of sorting, Kandice sped through the packing process. Wrapping anything fragile in clothes before filling the box and taping it shut. Blake helped carry the boxes down, while Lance loaded the truck. With as much moving as they did, he had plenty of experience loading trucks. He would be able to pack the truck in such a way as to where nothing would move around.

  Luckily, Kandice owned zero furniture. Jackie bought each piece of furniture in her and Blake's room with their trust funds—so in some way she did own it—but Kandice refused to take it. It would only give Jackie another reason to pick a fight, and Kandice was determined to get her stuff out as fast as possible and only take what was hers.

  They used the ramp to pull Kandice's moped into the back of the truck. She insisted on renting a truck the night before—it would ensure she could move her moped and everything else in one trip. There wasn't a chance in hell she was returning to Jackie's house.

  While she had a license to drive it, she hadn't driven a full-size vehicle before driving Lance's SUV a few days ago. This morning Lance grabbed onto the 'oh-shit' handle more than once as Kandice took turns too fast, heading to her aunt's.

  "How many more you think?" Blake asked Kandice.

  "I've got three boxes left," she said. "So, I hope no more than that. I think it's maybe two more, and then the rest of my clothes I'll throw into a trash bag. They'll all need to be washed anyway."

  Blake acknowledged her and grunted as he carried the box down the stairs. It was full of books related to her Aether Walker information search. Before meeting Lance and starting college, she would keep herself occupied by combing through shelf after shelf at bookstores around the city. There hadn't been a single book that described what an Aether Walker looked like to her. But a few mentioned what may have been an Aether Walker. It was always a second-hand account. Many late 19th century books on psychiatric patients often mentioned beings that could be Aether Walkers. But given the source, she hadn't given it much credence. Now that she knew her brother was in a psych-ward due to what he saw, it was worth revisiting some of the books. With the last box packed, Kandice went into the kitchen to grab a trash bag.

  Blake walked through the front door.

  "There's only one more on the bed," she said. "I'm getting trash-bags for the clothes."

  "Okay," he yelled, as he climbed the stairs.

  She met him in the middle of the stairs. Rather than walk back down, she hopped over the side rail—holding on—to let him pass with the large box. Once he passed, she hopped back over—her heart raced. Moving into her own place was sinking in.

  After gathering the final trash bag full of clothes the room looked sad and empty. It had never felt like home—more like an extended stay hotel room—but still it was where she'd lived for the past year, and that was something.

  She threw the bag into the back and closed up the box truck. Lance climbed into the passenger seat, and Blake followed on his moped.

  Doing her best not to hit anything, she slowly pulled out of the driveway and took a right onto Anderson Mill. Her biggest fear was the truck would take a sharp turn and fall onto its side.

  They were off. She was on her own for the first time.

  * * *

  After a long day of packing and unpacking, they needed a rest. There were still a few boxes in the living room, but they acted as pillows for them to lean against.

  "First thing on my list is buy furniture," Kandice said.

  "You've got the truck," Lance said. "Let's go right now and pick some out."

  She stretched and snuggled her back into the box she leaned against.

  "No," she said. "The last thing I want to do right now is move furniture. But I do need to take the truck back tonight."

  "I'll follow, so you have a ride back," Lance said.

  The repetitive lifting made Kandice a little stiff in the back—Blake had mentioned his legs burning. Lance however, didn't seem to have broken a sweat despite lifting most of the heavy boxes. He picked up the bottle of vodka he'd brought and poured a round.

  "To your new home." Lance lifted his glass into the air.

  They all clinked glasses and drank. Even Kandice emptied the double shot in one gulp. After getting used to vodka over the past weeks, it helped take the edge off any situation. The tension in her back released.

  After a couple more toasts—this time with Blake and Kandice both slowing down—Lance brought up the issue with the mayor.

  "I don't see how we can get past the security system and guards," Lance said. "At least not before the police arrive. The Mortons still haven't responded to our requests for help.

  "Slava is worried that if we don't move quickly, he'll increase security to where we won't get in even with their help."

  "What's the security?" Blake asked.

  "I'm not too sure," Lance said. "We've not been able to get a view of the actual system. All we know is there are motion detectors and four to six men on duty at all times. Slava also thinks there is always an Aether Walker inside with him."

  "The two of us can take on the guards," Kandice said. "Especially if you'll teach me to shift."

  "You still think learning to shift is the best idea?" Blake asked.

  "Yes," she said.

  "I've told her," Lance said. "It's dangerous. She could die if it goes wrong. Besides, you'll never be the same. Just look and me and Slava. Do you want to end up like us?"

  "I'll take my chances, if it means I can fight."

  The toll shifting had taken on Slava was obvious, but without taking the risk, there would be no way to avenge her mother.

  "I think he's right, sis. If you can die, it can't be worth it."

  "I'm an adult!" Kandice said, raising her voice louder than intended.

  She lowered it back down before continuing. "If I'm willing to take the risk, that's on me."

  "What would mom think?" Blake asked.

  "Mom's dead."

  She regretted it the moment it left her mouth; Blake's face lost its color.

  "What I mean is, she's not here. So, we don't know. I think she would tell me to do what I thought was right. It's what she always told us when we didn't know what to do."

  "Yeah, in school and shit," Blake said. "But I doubt she would want you to risk your life just to fight these Aether Walkers."

  "I want to learn, so I can hunt down and kill the one who got mom. You even said you wanted to kill it too if you
could."

  "Yeah, but this Aether Walker isn't that one."

  "But he's a killer, too."

  Lance sat still. He wasn't even holding his glass of vodka. He took a deep breath that Kandice could hear over her own mind racing in anger.

  "Kandice," Lance said. "I've already told you I'll show you how to shift with the seals."

  "What?" Blake asked.

  "When?" Kandice demanded, more than asked.

  "We can continue tomorrow, but you need to take the training serious," Lance said. "We've got to get into the mayor's house sooner rather than later. With the minions he's gathering, he'll be too insulated by the end of the month."

  "This is fucked up," Blake said.

  He finished his drink and reached for the bottle. Lance passed it to him, and he poured another tall glass. Kandice wanted to stop him but thought better of it when she reached her hand out and Blake glared at her.

  Blake took a deep drink—finishing about half the glass—and breathed out.

  "If you're going to risk your neck on this, I have to help." Blake's eyes were bloodshot.

  "What?" Kandice asked. "You've not even trained in Taekwondo in over a year. You're in no shape to fight."

  "So?" he asked. "I'm good with computers, and it sounds like that's exactly what you need right now."

  Kandice had no clue about computers or security systems. Blake was their only option at that point if he had the knowledge he claimed to.

  Lance spoke first. "Do you think you can disable a motion sensor and erase any cameras that might be on the property?"

  "Yeah," Blake said. "Cameras will be easy. As for the motion detectors, I've never done anything like that before. But, I doubt they can be that hard compared to cracking my school's grading server."

  Kandice laughed. "You didn't?"

  "Well," he said. "I may have added a few points to help me pass the classes I didn't feel like trying in."

  Lance was smiling. "Why are you smirking?" she asked.

  "I'm just impressed," Lance said. "I'd have never figured you'd be a talented fighter while your brother over here is a computer wizard."