The Voice in His Head (Original Urban Fantasy)

I woke some hours later in a cell. My wand was gone, as were all of my clothes except my underwear. I still had my pentacle. I tried tapping a ley and found nothing. Some of my magic had returned, but I was still drained from that telekinesis. There was a runed bracelet on my wrist that glowed a soft red.


"Voice, do you know where we are?" I asked.

"As far as I can tell, that she-devil teleported us somewhere. That bracelet has some kind of magic inhibitor on it." He said.
I cast my senses towards the bracelet. It felt slick, like blood on my skin, and I shuddered.

"It looks like the little brat has woken up." I heard a voice from the shadows say, and the woman walked up to my cell.

"You!" I snarled.

"Temper, temper." The woman said, and made a clicking sound with her tongue. She held a diminutive black box in her hand.

"Fuck you!" I said. And she recoiled like she'd been slapped. Then she smiled.

"We don't use that kind of language here." She said, and her thumb twitched. Then pain like I'd never known shot out of the bracelet.

Suddenly my world was pain.

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain that set every nerve aflame. Pain that felt like my teeth and nails were all ripped out at once. Pain that shot stars across my vision and caused the world to ring with an unseen high pitched whine.

Pain that Voice screamed from, and pain that tore my own scream from my throat and swiftly turned that into a whimper. Dimly, I realized that I'd pissed myself. The woman made another clicking sound.
"The little street rat has pissed himself." She said.
"F-fuck you." I said, spitting blood filled saliva out of the bars and hitting her in the face. I realized that at some point, I must have bit my tongue. She snarled and wiped it away. Some were flung to the floor. Some soaked into the jacket she was wearing.
"You little shit! Do you know how expensive silk is?" She said, and pressed the button again. This time. I fell to the stone ground.
"Kid. S-s-she has your blood." Voice said.
I didn't respond. I don't think I could have spoken if I wanted to.
"Blood and fire. Set fire to your blood." Voice said, and it took all my will power to form a coherent,
"What?"
"Blood and fire. Sanguinem. Ignis. Silk. It catches fire easily." Voice ground out.
I looked at her.
"You're going to burn." I said. And she let out a laugh that was like jagged glass against my ears.
"I'd like to see you try." She smirked.
With a shaking hand, I reached towards her.
"I wouldn't try it. Those bars are warded." She said. It took every bit of will power I had to utter those two words and throw my magic behind them. There was a sudden spark, and the sleeve of her coat caught fire, emerald flames rapidly climbed up her arm. The puddle of spit and blood on the floor did as well. Then finally, her screams intensified as the bloody residue from my spit ignited her face. I felt my power drain away, saw spots at the corners of my eyes, and then felt myself fall forward. The next time I woke, I came to consciousness slowly. I heard voices first. They were speaking in a different language, and I wasn't sure what they were saying.

"El está despierto." One of them said. I felt someone grab my face, and slap me a few times. I opened my eyes, and tried to wince away from the bright light hanging above me.

"When my guardian finds you, you're all dead." I said, and the two men laughed.

"I think not." A third voice said, and the hands holding my face up to the light dropped away. I blinked the spots out of my eyes. I was in a small, square room that looked like it was part of the townhouse. Even the table looked like it was taken from one of the studies. What wasn't part of the townhouse, were the two chains keeping my hands at my sides. My wand was on the table in front of me. I closed my eyes, looking for my magic. It was there, and had recharged slightly. I wasn't quite at full, but I had some magic back. The third voice belonged to a rather dapper looking man. His features looked youthful, but his eyes looked old, and his voice had a thin rasping quality to it. Like wind rustling paper.

"Allow me to introduce myself, young street rat, I am Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca, Master Vampire of Rio de Janeiro, and who might you be?" He asked.

"None of your fucking buisness." I replied.

"Such rudeness in today's generation." He replied, and shook his head ruefully.

“Well, my young friend, I'm not sure what Señor Luciano wants with you, but your guardian has made a few poor decisions the last few weeks. I'm afraid that you are going to be on the receiving end of that comeuppance." He said. I noticed for the first time we were surrounded by mages.

"Kid. Ever hear of a bigger fish?" Voice said.

"What?"

"Say exactly what I tell you to." Voice said, and I decided to go along with it.

"When my guardian finds out who you are, and where you took me, you're all going to die." I said.

The man laughed, a rich, full laugh that sounded like he'd heard the funniest thing ever.

"Your guardian doesn't scare me." He said.

"Doesn't he?" I asked.

"Bethany Andrews is your guardian." He said.

"Is she?" I replied, and a flicker of uncertainty crossed his eyes.

"Why would Bethany Andrews adopt a child?" I asked. He stopped.

"Why would Bethany Andrews take a child on what must be an expensive journey. What day is it?" I asked.

"It is almost the Summer Solstice."

"When summer fades into fall." I replied.
\
"Tell me, Señor, and I'm sure you can answer this. Since you seem to have been following us. Who else boarded our train when we left Dublin?"

"I'm afraid I don't know where you're going with this." He said.

"Well, in addition to Lady Andrews, there were two other very important people on that train. Two delegations of the Fae Courts. The Queen of Summer, and the King of Fall. I'm sure you know their Names. Shall I Call my King's Name to confirm?" I asked.

"You expect me to believe that some street rat has the ear of the Lord of Fall?" He asked incredulously.

"His name begins with an A and ends with an R. I'll gladly say the rest. If you don't release me." Indecision flickered across his face again.

"Bethany Andrews deals in favors. I am such a favor. We will end you, vampire." I replied. I grinned smugly. I had won.

"I would believe that. Fae kind do assume all ages and shapes, and only someone with great skill could kill someone as powerful as my Consuela." He said, and I smirked.

"Yes, it would take someone with great power to defeat a vampire such as her. Or someone with an enormous amount of luck." He said, returning my smug grin.

"There is one detail you have forgotten, street rat." He said and grabbed my hand.

"You wear the heir ring to House Andrews. You are just a gutter rat. One that idiotic woman has raised above his station. But at the end of the day, you are a street rat, adopted by Bethany Andrews, and I'm not afraid of Bethany Andrews." He said.

"You should be." A voice said. Bethany's voice.

Bethany wasn't there, and then suddenly, she was. A whirling dervish of death and leonine grace. She had a strange silver box in each of her hands and she spun around the room, firing on the mages surrounding us. A wave of her hand, and an intoned, brutal Gravitare! and one of the mages slammed to the ground and stayed there. Her wand appeared from somewhere, as one of those boxes vanished, and a blast of golden eldritch light shot from her wand, and one of them dissolved to ash.

Amy came next, wand in one hand, box in the other, a hellish cascade of crimson flying from wand and box, striking targets left and right.

Finally, in a flash of light, Vincent arrived, wand in each hand, white spellfire hurling out spells and chains. In less than a second's time, the entire room had been bound, dropped, and killed aside from Cortés, who hand me at wand point.

My wand was on the table in front of me, and my hands were chained. Bethany was the first to speak.

"Hernán, let my charge go, and we won't have an issue. I don't have any interests on this continent aside from you. Let him go, and it will be like none of this happened."

"That's twice said, mage." The man said.

"I can't believe you're that stupid, Hernán. Thrice and done. Do we have an accord?" She asked, one of the strange boxes in her hand trained on a point just behind him.

"Tell your bitch to stand down." Amy said, her wand pointed in the same direction.

Several things happened at once, someone behind Cortés unleashed a spell, and I unleashed a pulse of unrestrained, unrestricted, telekinetic force. This blast of force shattered the cuffs tying me to the ground, spraying Cortés and I both with razor sharp shards of metal. The room whirled, and Cortés flipped me over unto my back with a snarl and I shrunk back against his fangs. I activated my shield with a thought, and he pounded against it, black taloned fists sparking against the construct. In a couple of blows, cracks had already appeared.

"Kid, knockback spell!" Voice said.

"Fuck that." I replied back.

"Iactus!" I screamed, throwing power out into the world.

My wand sent out a wave of explosive emerald energy that didn't so much slam into Cortés as it did disintegrate him, showering me in blood.
I scrambled to my feet and I ran towards Bethany. I felt a spell lance into my shoulder, cold pain cut into my back, and since I was already off balance, that impact sent me forward and at an angle. Somewhere behind me I heard a sudden scream that cut off almost instantly, and I felt heat run down my back.

Bethany made a grabbing motion with her hand. I tumbled toward her, and she grabbed me. She yanked something off her neck, and then the world went fuzzy. Suddenly we were back in the apartment. It had been repaired. There was no trace of the kidnapping. Bethany immediately began walking the perimeter, bringing our wards to life.

I felt a wave of vertigo and idly wondered where it was coming from. Everything seemed loud and buzzy suddenly. Then I felt pain again, just as Voice spoke.
"Kid, your back. Someone tagged you with a spell."

"Beth, my back." I said, and the world tilted forward The last thing I knew before I fell was Bethany running towards me.


///
BR
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What did everyone think? If you liked this chapter, please consider giving me an upvote, or a like if you're reading this on SpaceBattles or Questionable Questing. This is an already completed work, and each post will be a chapter (or half chapter) of the first book in the Aether Cycle. I'll be posting these chapters every week. If you like what you read, and want to support the author, and don't want to wait for updates, please consider purchasing The Voice in His Head from Amazon or Audible, or supporting me on Patreon.
You can discuss this chapter below, or in the Discord. If you're a Troper, the Aether Cycle TV Tropes page can be found here. This needs Wiki Love, so if you like doing that, and you're a fan, be my guest!
Finally, I'm going to be starting a newsletter shortly, and you can find the signup form for that here! Anyone who signs up for my newsletter will gain access to an exclusive short story from Bethany's point of view.

 

“Up and at them kid.” Voice said. I woke up on my back, it was daytime, and I was in the infirmary at home.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You were hit by black magic. Hernan Cortés's partner did it. Were it not for your shield you would have been cut to pieces.” Bethany replied.

"That man! I killed that man!" I shouted, bursting into tears. Regret sunk its claws into me. I had killed someone. I was truly a demon, just like the Nuns had said.

"That man was a master vampire. It takes more than a disintegration to kill him." She said, and that gave me consolation. Then the portal opened. Bartholomew was the first one through, and I could feel the anger pouring off him. He wore armor, black armor that seemed to soak in the light. He had one wand raised towards the portal, and Amy came out next, followed by Vincent, who made a slashing gesture with his hand, and the portal closed with a pop of displaced air.

"Well, this just seriously escalated." Vincent said.

"What happened?" Bethany asked.

"Hernan is dead. He apparently didn't have a phylactery." Amy said, and I felt a fresh wave of emotion cascade inside me.

"So, I really did it. I killed him." I said, attempting to get out of bed.

"Oh no you don't. That cut nicked a vertebrae and you are very lucky it didn't hit your spine. You aren't going anywhere mister." Bethany said.

"Let's go to my study."

"Why? Let the boy know what he's wrought." Bartholomew said.

"What did I do?" I asked.

Bethany gave the man a Look that made one of mine seem tame, and he returned it with one of his own. After a few minutes of this, Bethany finally ground out a harsh.

"Fine." In a tone I could tell meant anything but.

"You killed the Master Vampire of Rio De Janeiro. Since he lacked common sense, and phylactery, he is dead. Congratulations, not even fourteen and you've already killed several hundred. Not even your namesake managed that level of carnage until he was much older." My mind short circuited.

"H-How?" I asked. He sighed.

"You've taught him nothing." He said, turning to Bethany.

"I have other matters to attend to. Please try and go at least a few months before I have to save you yet again, sister." He said.

"I have absolutely no patience for you right now." Bethany said.

"Nor I for you, sister." Bartholomew said, ripping a portal into existence and walking through. I left out a ragged breath, and Bethany turned to me. She gave me a potion, clear and silvery and oh so calming. I downed it, and after a moment, I felt my wits return.

"What did I just do?" I asked.

"You've just killed a centuries old vampire and his entire branch. About a thousand in all, and set off a power vacuum which created a situation we need to leave."

"The Majeure is going to lose their minds." Amy said after a long moment.

"Fuck the Majeure. He's one of Silas'. Elijah cannot help us out of this, Beth. Rio is Summer's." Vincent said.

"I know. I need to think." Bethany said, and she began to pace. She seemed so tightly wound, like a sudden move would make her snap.

"How? How did I kill him? How did I kill so many?" I asked. Amy looked at me. There was something resembling pity in her eyes.

"Vampires, when they turn someone, gain a link to them. If a vampire is killed, their progeny is killed as well. You got off a lucky shot."

"Some luck." Voice said.

"It will look suspicious if we leave officially before the tournament is over. " Vincent said finally.

"His aura is all over that compound." Bethany replied.

"We could have it cleaned."

"I'm not trusting Rodrigo." Bethany said.

"We may not have a choice." Amy said.

"What about Callidora? She's in town, and she owes us a marker." Vincent said.

"What if we used Callidora to hire Rodrigo?"

"He'll know it’s us. I didn't shield my aura." Bethany said.

"That's a rookie mistake." Vincent said.

"I know Vincent! I was trying to save my br-" She stopped suddenly, and took a deep breath.

"I was trying to save Stephen." She said finally. Vincent nodded, as if that was all the explanation in the world.

"Bethany, stay here. Amy and I will take care of this." He said finally. She nodded after a long, tense moment.

"Callidora, and glamours for two of our most trusted." He told Amy, who nodded. They vanished.

"What just happened?" I asked.

"I medevac’d you back home. Amy and Vincent are cleaning up the aftermath of your kidnapping, and when they return, we'll discuss what we do from there." She said, her tone was measured, even, and completely at odds with the look in her eyes.

"Why was I kidnapped?" I asked.

"An enemy of mine saw an opening and they took it. Stephen, I know you're injured, but there are things I need to do in the townhouse. To ensure our safety. Phobos." She said.

"Yes, Mistress?" The imp said, instantly appearing.

“Guard Stephen until I rearrange assets. Don't let him out of your sight. Kill anyone except Vincent or Amy, or myself who enters this room. I'll be sealing it when I leave." Bethany said.

"As you wish." He said, and Bethany vanished. The imp gave me a look.

"Young master did well today." He said. He settled on my bed's headrest.

"Is Europa okay?" I asked. The Imp was silent for a few moments.

"When my sister's body was destroyed, her essence returned to the Infernal Plain. She was obeying the terms of her binding. Should Lady Amelia choose to summon her once more, she will be more powerful than before." Phobos said after a long moment. I was silent at that. Phobos sat there, still and silent, and I was left to my thoughts. Suddenly static covered my skin. This had an edge to it. Like whatever was creating the static was hungry. Soon Bethany returned. She had changed out of her armor. She looked tired, and for the first time that I'd known her, almost old. Weary. She had an exhausted look about her I'd never seen before.

"You're going to be on potions for the next few weeks." She said finally.

"Why?" I asked. I felt fine now that I was dressed and away from those vampires.

"You were tortured Stephen. Magic can heal about anything, but your body underwent something even adults would have trouble recovering from. I want you to try refraining from casting for a
week or so." She said.

"What about the Dueling tournament, and Paris?" I asked. I was eager to explore the wider world I found myself in. Suddenly my leg twitched and trembled, and I fought against my body to stop it.

"You are in absolutely no shape to attend the Tournament. I’ve canceled my meetings in Paris, and we’ll be spending the summer here. The next time you are to appear in public, I want you well armed. I know you were excited about summer, but these recent events have put me on edge. I’m moving our assets, and arranging for guards to be stationed here.
I'm not sure about you, but I absolutely hate being cooped up in a hospital bed, and you're going to be here a couple of days. If you like, I can bring up a few books on runes, and a couple of puzzles that go along with them. It will at least keep your mind occupied." She said.
I nodded. In a few moments she returned with a rune primer, and a small square cube.

"To beat the puzzle, you have to identify the rune and merkstave, or reverse it." She said.

"Do you want me to sit with you, or do you want me to go?" She asked.

"You can go if you want." I replied.

"I'll stay here." She said. She called the chair over to her and took a seat. A book soon found its way into her hands, and we sat for a while, me with my runes, and her with a book, an easy silence between us. Despite what I had just gone through, all was right in those few moments. That night, I was still confined to the hospital bed, but it was comfortable, and I drifted off.

The dream began pleasantly, but it soon morphed into a hellish parody of the last few days I’d just lived. I was back in the cell, and this time, I didn't manage to burn the vampire to ash. She tortured me until my limbs refused to move and my lips wouldn't work to cast the spell that would stop my torture. Cortés broke my shield, and ripped my throat from my body.

Or, my shield held, and I used my spell. But, instead of him on top of me, it was Bethany I killed or Amy or Vincent. As their blood covered me, I woke screaming, covered in a fine sheen of sweat. I looked around the Infirmary. It was empty.

"Phobos?" I called.

"Master calls?" He asked.

"Can you bring me a glass of water? And maybe something to help me sleep?" I asked. The imp nodded, and soon reappeared with a glass of water that I chugged down and a vial of milky white that I drank, ignoring the sour taste. I soon fell back to sleep. I did not dream again that night.

<BR>
What did everyone think? If you liked this chapter, please consider giving me an upvote, or a like if you're reading this on SpaceBattles or Questionable Questing. This is an already completed work, and each post will be a chapter (or half chapter) of the first book in the Aether Cycle. I'll be posting these chapters every week. If you like what you read, and want to support the author, and don't want to wait for updates, please consider purchasing The Voice in His Head from Amazon or Audible, or supporting me on Patreon.
You can discuss this chapter below, or in the Discord. If you're a Troper, the Aether Cycle TV Tropes page can be found here. This needs Wiki Love, so if you like doing that, and you're a fan, be my guest!
Finally, I'm going to be starting a newsletter shortly, and you can find the signup form for that here! Anyone who signs up for my newsletter will gain access to an exclusive short story from Bethany's point of view.

 

The next day, Bethany returned with breakfast. She was escorted by two guards that wore the same black armor Bartholomew favored, each had a silver rifle hanging from a shoulder strap.​

“I’m posting guards here for as long as I need.” She said.​

“How long will that be?” I asked.​

“As long as it needs to be.” She said.​

“I’m glad the guards are posted now, instead of when I could have used them.” I said, and she frowned at me. I was in a foul mood. My wounds from the fight were mostly healed, and I was getting restless. I got out of bed.​

“Where are you going?”​

“Since I’m so well protected now, I figured I’d go to the library, if that’s okay with you.” I said.​

“I would absolutely love to know where this attitude is coming from.” She said.​

“I just got kidnapped and tortured by a bunch of leeches! Where do you think it’s coming from?” I asked, I began walking out the door.​

“Stephen, get back here. Right now.” I heard her say. I ignored it.​

“You ungrateful brat!” She said, and I gasped. Something broke inside me, and I ran, ran towards the library. Towards the safety of trustworthy leather and faithful ink, and away from that betrayal. Instantly, Bethany called out after me.​

“Stephen! Wait!” I blocked out the sound of her voice and increased my speed. My back hurt from the sudden exertion, but I ignored the burn too-tight freshly knit skin, and ran into the library. I wanted to vanish, and so I did.​

A wave of emerald light flashed from my hand. This wasn’t a spell. This was my need to change the universe, and the universe stepping aside and acquiescing. Bethany walked into the library a few moments later. I held my breath.​

“Stephen, where are you?” She asked. She frowned, and drew her wand, murmuring a spell as she did. A wave of gold light flared as the spell swept away from her in a circle. When the energies of the magic she called to life vanished, she frowned.​

“Stephen. I’m not sure if you’re in here or not. If you are I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you that. I-.” She stopped suddenly.​

“You remind me a lot of my brother, you know? He was just like you. Always ready to jump into a fight, looking to prove himself. Gods knew he didn’t have to, mum and dad acted like the sun shone out of his arse. You remind me so much of him, and when you were hurt. It was like-” She stopped suddenly; I could see tears in her eyes.​

“It was like watching him die all over again.” She said finally, taking a ragged shaky breath.​

“If you’re here. Just let me know you’re okay. Please.” She said finally. She sounded exhausted, and I felt my own tears prickle at my face.​

“Look, I know you’ve had a bad life so far, and these last few days haven’t helped. Give me one more chance. I promise you you’ll be safe.” She said. I sniffed, and broke the power granting me invisibility. She startled. Then she ran towards me. I cringed back, and she stopped.​

“I’m sorry.” She said. I nodded.​

“Did you mean that, about your brother?” I asked.​

“If there was any doubt you were the child of Alexis Bonaparte and your namesake, that is gone.” She said, and she took another step forward, and I walked away from the shelf, meeting her in the middle. She hugged me tightly, and I returned it, after a moment, we broke away.​

“We’re going to figure this out. The prophecy, Voice. Everything. I promise you.” She said, and I nodded.​

Maybe, just maybe, I had actually found a home.​

<BR>

What did everyone think? If you liked this chapter, please consider giving me an upvote, or a like if you're reading this on SpaceBattles or Questionable Questing. This is an already completed work, and each post will be a chapter (or half chapter) of the first book in the Aether Cycle. I'll be posting these chapters every week. If you like what you read, and want to support the author, and don't want to wait for updates, please consider purchasing The Voice in His Head from Amazon or Audible, or supporting me on Patreon.
You can discuss this chapter below, or in the Discord. If you're a Troper, the Aether Cycle TV Tropes page can be found here. This needs Wiki Love, so if you like doing that, and you're a fan, be my guest!
Finally, I'm going to be starting a newsletter shortly, and you can find the signup form for that here! Anyone who signs up for my newsletter will gain access to an exclusive short story from Bethany's point of view.

​

 

June 26^th 1925- September 25^th, 1925.
Andrews’ Townhouse
London

The nightmares continued, and I quickly learned to raise spells of silence around my room at night.

The duels and casting drills Bethany and Eli subjected me to gained intensity. Now, in drills, I was blindfolded. In Duels, he began throwing actual spells into the mix. Mere splashes of aurically colored paint became a thing of the past. Eli submitted me to conjured daggers, blasts of frost, and shards of ice that I was forced to shield or counter.

Finally, there were runes. My instruction with them consisted of memorizing the tomes that Bethany gave me, and then I had to solve certain puzzles such as what rune was missing from a script, or what would best represent a certain concept. These days continued, until the last week of September. That was when they performed the ritual to adopt me into the Andrews’ bloodline. The ritual began with me receiving the tools that Bethany had gotten made at the dwarves forge. Then I had to say an almost prayer-like spell over them, that left the gems in each of the swords’ pommel glowing with my magic. A latin chant that eerily reminded me of the catechism I was forced to memorize for so long. The dwarven smith had carved runes and sigils along the length of four of the blades. The fifth was unadorned aside from a single rune that I knew as Mannaz. Bethany explained that it meant the blade could only be used by me. The two blades or athames I received also had runes inscribed along the length of the handles and blades.

I learned that the white handled knife was for herblore and cutting ingredients. The black blade was for carving runes into circles. Neither of these knives were meant to hurt someone, and they were tools, not weapons. The ritual began in late dusk. The three of them, Bethany, Amy and Vincent were present. Bartholomew was there too, and he had a permanent frown on his face.
I had learned much in the past month, and since this was my adoption ceremony, it fell to me to cast the circle and inscribe the runes that would power the spell. The ritual required five runes, one for each of the participants of the ritual.

I chose Othala, the rune representing inheritance. Jera, a rune that propelled endeavors to come to fruition. Thurisaz, to promote change. Sowilo, to promote success, and finally Berkano, a rune that symbolized birth and renewal. I carved the pentacle in the dirt of the island I had spent so much time on. At each point of the Pentacle, I drew a rune in the salt. In the center of each rune, I placed one of the four ritual blades, aside from the tip, or the focus of the Pentacle. The five of us were dressed in white robes tied with white rope. The setting sun painted the scene in brilliant orange and red, and I felt a hum in the air that night that I’ve only felt a few times since.

“I call this circle together, in perfect love, and perfect trust.” I intoned. With a bit of blood that was given by each of them, along with a few drops of my own, I touched the edge of the pentacle. It sprang together with a hum of magic.

“I call thee, air! I call thee, cunning! I call thee, wisdom! I invoke your power for this rite!” Amy spoke. Her sword glowed with power, and an unseen wind whipped up around them.

“I call thee, fire! I call thee, strength! I call thee, power! I invoke your power for this rite!” Bethany said. I felt warmth caress my skin, and the sword shimmered with heat.

“I call thee, water! I call thee, fortune! I call thee, dreams! I invoke your power for this rite!” Bartholomew said, and ice grew out from the ceremonial blade.

“I call thee earth! I call thee, fettle! I call thee, steadfast! I invoke your power for this rite!” Vincent yelled. The earth rumbled, and it was then it was my turn.

“I call thee spirit! I call thee, awakening! I call thee, rebirth! I invoke your power for this rite!” I screamed into the night, and I felt magic itself pour into my core.

“Why do you call this circle, supplicant?” Bethany asked.
I closed my eyes and took a breath, recalling my words from the ritual.
“I call to be granted entry into the Andrews’ line. I ask for clothes on my back. A roof on my head, and food on my plate. I give to them my oath as a mage, to stand steadfast in the interests of my family.”

"As Knight of our House, I ask you, do you swear to uphold the name of House Andrews above all else, to raise the wand in its defense and the sword in its protection?" Amy asked.

"I so swear." I said.

“As Heir Primarius, I ask you, do you swear to stay true to our house words, and stand by our allies?” Bartholomew asked.

"I so swear." I said.

"As Matriarch of our House, I ask, do you swear to forsake the name you hold, and to accept your place in this house until Death calls you to the Great Beyond?" Bethany asked me.

"I so swear." I said.

"Thrice and done. The ring is given. The contract is signed, and our bargain is brokered. Our accord is complete, and your supplication has been granted. As Matriarch, I grant thee entrance. May my hand comfort thee. My teachings guide thee, and my loom cloth thee.” She replied.

“As Patriarch, I grant thee entrance. May my gold feed thee, my hearth warm thee, and my house shelter thee.” Vincent said.

“So mote it be.” The three of them said in unison.

“Stephen Bonaparte, no longer shall you be called as such. Henceforth, you will be known as Stephen Andrews, of my house. Of my line. Of my coven.” Bethany said. Magic recognized the bond and the invocation, and the circle glowed with power. I felt it surge through me, like a live wire. I felt a thread to Bethany, Bartholomew, Amy, and to a lesser extent, Vincent, snap into place.

The ritual complete, we dismissed the powers we invoked. I gathered my ritual swords, and then I scattered the salt that was used to form the runes. Finally, Bartholomew spoke.

“I resign my claim as Heir Primarius. Stephen Andrews, I name thee my successor.” He replied. His family ring flashed silver. My own ring flashed emerald, and magic accepted my entry into House Andrews.

“There’s one thing left for us to do. We need to tie you into the family source.” Bethany said.

“Source?” I asked.

“What’s that?” Voice asked.

“Each House builds their Covenstead above a font of magic. Think of it as a way to augment our magic. We power our wards with these fonts and can call upon them in times of great need.” Bethany said.

We left the island, and Bethany took me downstairs, past the dining room, into the basement and the kitchen. She opened a door, and we walked down several flights of stairs until the air grew almost stale, and even the bright magically lit sconces seemed dim in the gloom. Eventually, the stairs ended, and we came to a room. In the center, there was a crystalline tree, a great oak growing from the ground glowing with magic, and shimmering with power.

My breath caught in my chest, and for one eternal second, the only beings in existence were me and that tree. I walked towards the tree, my feet moving of their own accord. One and a dozen steps later I stood in front of the tree. I had never felt something so pure in all my life. Just standing close to it felt like all my worries were washed away. Like my cares were gone, and the traumas of the orphanage ceased to be. I felt hot tears run down my cheeks, and then I placed my hand against the oak. A storm of memories assaulted me.

Men died around me to fight for one more second. Giving me time with their life’s blood. I was on a silver-blue ship floating through the void. The ship and I were both mortally wounded. I had a sword in my hand, and heavy armor weighed my wounded, broken body down.

Then I was standing in front of a hospital bed. A family that I knew, but somehow, were strangers to me, surrounded a woman. They were standing vigil for the reaper that was sure to come in wee hours when only prayers and dark deeds were welcome. A week of endless tears and narrowly held sanity followed.

Then, I was in a plain wooden room. A dimly burning candle and a book of poisoned scripture my only companions, desperate prayers to anyone or anything that would listen to end the hell I was caught in. There were a half dozen more memories or reflections that I only recognized a few of.

Then, suddenly, the assault on my senses ended, and I found that I had sunk to my knees. My throat felt raw, like I’d been screaming, and the tree was glowing emerald aura green.

The light pulsed once, and I felt the magic surround me. It felt like safety and home. Like the first warm day after bleak months of gloomy, sludgy winter. Then the glow receded, and the tree changed. The stout oak changed.

The change morphed into three separate intertwined trunks, linking together like a celtic knot, and growing until they almost reached the cavernous ceiling above.
I stood up, and turned around. Four equally shocked faces stared back at me. Bartholomew was the first to speak.

“It appears the House of Andrews lies in Rowan once more.” He said, and he walked away.

“Are you okay?” Bethany asked, and for a second, I saw what looked almost like hope in her eyes.

“I’m fine.” I said, and then inexplicably, the hope vanished.

“What happened?” She asked.

“What did you see?” I replied.

“You dropping to your knees and screaming bloody murder.” She replied, her voice careful, guarded. I paid attention to my senses. Half truth. I didn’t press.

“Why did the tree change?” I asked.

“The font reflects the birthwood of the Heir. Yours is Rowan. I’m not sure why it’s twined like that, usually that means there’s three heirs of the House.”

“Could it be counting Voice?” I asked. A look came across Bethany’s face and was gone just as quickly.

“I’m not sure. I’ll add that to the growing list of topics I need to research.”

“Voice, are you okay?” I said. I felt something from him that I’d never felt. Loss. Sadness, an overwhelming sense of Grief that swept across him like a wave.

“Voice?” I asked aloud, and the four of them each gave me looks.

“I’m fine kid. I-” He stopped, and let out a mental sob.

“Kid, those were my memories. At least part of them were. It kicked up a lot of dust that I thought had settled. I need-”

“Give me time.” He said finally. I gave him the mental equivalent of the nod. I had to wonder. If those were an amalgam of both of our memories, who did the third set belong to?

<BR>

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June-September 1929.
Andrews Townhouse.
London.


The days flew into a blur, and soon three years had passed since I had arrived at the townhouse. After I learned the librum spell, I had devoured the library. Well, at least the books that weren’t spelled away, locked behind wards that I had tried to break unsuccessfully. This earned me several conversations with Bethany.
I devoured all I could get my hands on about the magical world. I gained a solid understanding of rune magic, and all sorts of spells for defense and offense. As I learned more about runes, I began slowly carving spells into my staff by creating runic scripts with my white-handled knife.

It now contained a couple of force spells that I could trigger with a mental pneumonic. Bethany wouldn’t let me dabble in ritual magic, or darker magic, but I knew a lot of theory behind it. How different metamath properties lead to different inflections and results in the preceding spellcraft. I learned the fundamentals of spellcrafting, although I had yet to invent any spells of my own, besides the happy accident that was Iactus

Another six months passed, and I felt as though I had a good grounding on the basics of magic, as well as swordplay.
The summer before I was slated to enroll in Coventry, as had become our custom, Bethany took me shopping again. This time my wardrobe included several sets of the jacket, pants, shirt and tie that all Coventry students wore. These, my vast collection of books, and the tools I would need for the upcoming year, were held in a trunk with about the same square footage as my room at home, and had been similarly kitted out with a small alchemy lab, a sparring room, and my personal library.

We met with the dwarves, and I was pleased that my pencils were finally turning me a profit. Wraithgrip, who had used his portion of profits to deage himself, had put off retirement for a few decades more. I sold him the idea for something Voice called a “Bic Pen”, a pen enchanted with endless ink, and that promised me even more tremis to spend in the future. I had kept the original terms of Bethany’s agreement, and the House had started to gain even more wealth.

From what Bethany had told me, with the end of Prohibition, some of our business in the States had dried up, as it were.
The summer passed, and in the last week of August, Bethany took me back to London’s marketplace, and through a grand silver mirror. We found ourselves on a platform that had hundreds of other children and parents saying their goodbyes. Bethany hugged me tightly.

“I’ll see you at Yule, don’t forget to use the mirror to call me.” She whispered, and I nodded. She teleported away with a twist. I took a deep breath and then exhaled. Then I looked toward the line of students and the array of mirrors that they were lining up in front of. I found the line that said new students and walked with my classmates into the portal.
We exited into a great stone hallway. There were dozens of large wooden round tables scattered about, and thirteen square pillars turned the room into a twisting maze-like area. Each table held seats for about fifty students. There was a long rectangular table at the front of the room. A few adults sat at it, conversing among themselves. A series of stained-glass windows on the walls depicted scenes of magical history. Alongside these were glowing orbs of light housed in sconces.

“First Form Students!” A big cheery banner floating above one section of the room read. There were over a dozen older students, at thirteen of the wooden tables. Each had a glittering golden badge pinned to their lapels. They stood around the tables. They all had silver slates in their hands. There were hundreds of students in the room already, the room had to have already been half filled, and still there were children pouring in from the mirror and older students slowly filing in from two massive wooden runed doors that had been flung open. I felt my anxiety rise, and with it my magic.

“Simmer down kid.” Voice said, and I reigned in my magic.

I walked over to them.

“Tap your wand on this.” One of them said. I did, and it glowed.

“Alpha Squad. Interesting. Alex!” He yelled.

“What is it?” One of the male students asked.

“This midgie is one of yours!” he said, and the male student nodded. He walked over to me and extended his wand.

“Heir Alex Roman, Seventh Form in Charge of First Alpha.” He said.

“Heir Stephen Andrews, Heir Primarius of House Andrews.” I replied. We tapped wands, our auras flared, and he led me to a table.

“Welcome to Coventry, Heir Andrews. Take a seat over there. The other members of your pod will be here shortly.” He said. I moved to the table. In the center, inscribed in gold, was the roman numeral one, and the greek letter Alpha.

I took a seat, and soon a black-haired boy took a seat at the spot next to me. His raven hair had deep blue streaks throughout, and his eyes shone with the lamplight glow all mages had. Then we were joined by a boy with icy blue eyes, and a girl with eyes that were so dark purple they were nearly black. Soon our table was filled.

“Heir Stephen Andrews, you may use my given name.” I said, drawing my wand, and turning to the raven-haired boy. He had a serious look on his face.
The boy drew his own wand.

“William Lowe, you may also use my given name.” He replied seriously. We tapped our wands together. Deep blue aura bled into vibrant green. For an eternal second, we shared each other’s gaze. I felt protective. I saw a vision of four children, two boys and two girls, all raven haired and fair skinned playing in the summer shade. One of the children, the younger boy, suddenly fell from the tree he was climbing with a terrified scream. A nimbus of blue light surrounded him, and he landed. William stood; his hand outstretched. A look of confusion on his face. William receiving a visit from two professors at the school. A thrill running through his bones as he realized he wasn’t alone. Then, William, dressed as a knight of old, astride a unicorn. Sword in hand, wand raised. A look of determination on his face. The vision ended, and I took a breath.

“Does that happen with every mage you meet?” The boy asked. A look of worry, and slight fear on his face. He had scooted away. I took a breath, and wiped sweat from my suddenly sweaty palms. He abruptly looked away from me.

“So far.” I said.

“What did you see?” I asked him.

“Do you know a gold haired lady?” William replied.

“That’s my guardian.” I said. William nodded.

“Have you ever fought a dragon?” He asked.

“What?”

“I saw you, dressed in armor. Fighting a dragon. The dragon was winning.” William replied.

“No, I can’t say that I have. I’ve fought a vampire before. Have you ever ridden a unicorn.”

“Lies don’t become anyone.” The girl said, she gave me a pointed look.

“I’m not lying, and who might you be?” I asked, wand outstretched. The girl was wearing tattered clothes, second or third hand clothing I’d been all too familiar with. She had strawberry blond hair, streaked through with purple that was nearly shorter than my own. You can tell a lot by someone’s hands. Most of the people I’d met in the magical world had soft ones, from lack of hard work, and magic doing that for them. Her hands were red and raw. Hours of dishes, and endless sewing.

“Emily York.” She said stiffly, her own wand in her hand. We tapped, and our auras flared.

I saw her, roughly five years younger. A look of pain on her face. Tears in her eyes. I felt pain between her legs. A pain not unlike some of the older boys described when the priest that ran... I cut that chain of thought off, pushing those memories down deep. I took a deep breath. That was done. I was safe. I’d never return to that place.

I saw her in a garden. Kneeling in the grass. She was talking to a snake of some kind. Whispering in a harsh language. A thrown rock. The snake’s head caved in. Older boys laughing. A dam breaking inside of her, and one of the older boys, nearly a teenager grimacing in pain and blood running down his nose and eyes. He fell to his knees. Blood foaming at his mouth, his face going purple. A dark blue glow surrounding Emily’s hands. A satisfied smile.

She was older, now an adult. Dressed in black leather armor that I recognized as dragon hide. A wand in one hand. A glowing ring that hummed with power on her other. I was standing beside her. My own magic called up. To my right, a grown version of William. Sword aloft, bloody from a battle. We all had the same grim, determined looks on our faces.

“Well met, York.” I replied.
The vision ended as abruptly as it began. I returned to reality.

“You’re an orphan too?” She asked. I nodded. I wondered what she had seen in her vision of my past, and of my future. By mutual unspoken agreement we turned away from each other. Each of us was unwilling to share what we had seen. I introduced myself to my other tablemates.

I turned to the boy next to me, offered my wand, and made my introduction.

“Reginald Coldwood. Of House Coldwood.” The boy next to me said. He had an outgoing bubbly demeanor. He was a bit round in the middle and had brown hair and sea-green eyes. His ears, while not completely almost sharp like Eli’s, had a soft tapered look to them. We tapped wands. There was another vision. This vision was of an adult Reginald surrounded by plants, happily teaching a class of Coventry students.
Theodora Chrissenbloom was from a family of well-known alchemists. Calumn Thorne was a family from the Ontario Thornes, and I mentally designated him as trouble, if they followed the tradition of the United Kingdom Thornes.
Juniper Robbards was a mundane born, and Calem Robére was a quiet boy. I remembered his amber eyes from Matilda’s shop. I thanked the powers that be Tanya Brennan wasn’t seated at my table. Soon the hall was filled with the buzz of new and returning students, and Roman had seated himself at our table. I noticed the older students sat around the perimeter of the room while the younger students sat closer to the center. That was smart. They could protect the younger ones if anything were to happen. Suddenly there was a loud bang from the front of the room. I turned. There was an older man standing behind the staff table. He was dressed in the black jacket, trousers and shirt of Coventry staff.

“Welcome to another year at illustrious Coventry!” The man said, a jovial look on his face.

“My name is Aaron Blackwood, I’m the headmaster here. I welcome our first-year students to the annals of learning, and welcome back our returning students. There are a few announcements before we begin the feast. First Form Students, you will receive your schedules in the morning. Please consult with your student advisor if you have any questions about your schedule when you receive it. As always, we’ll begin classes on Monday to allow for students to adjust for the extended day Coventry has. Third form students, your elective classes will be added to your schedule following your alignment ritual on Samhain. Sixth and Seventh form Students, wandless flight classes will not be held this year due to our instructor suffering an accident. If you wish to seek outside instruction, please inform Dean Maple or Dean Coldhollow as soon as possible to allow for your schedule arrangements. Finally, and as always, we stress the dangers of Chronosickness, and if you find your fellow student exhibiting strange behavior, report it to your pod leader or a member of the staff immediately. I believe that’s the end of the announcements.” Headmaster Blackwood said, and with a snap of his fingers, the tables were laden with an enormous feast. There were gallons of steaming soup in silver tureens, Bowls of mashed potatoes with great shimmering pats of butter. fragrant brown gravy hovering in the air in flying gravy boats. Platters of perfectly pink roasts. Succulently roasted chicken and turkey. Steaming heaps of vegetables. Baskets of golden-brown bread. An entire smorgasbord of desserts that practically made my teeth hurt.
I filled my plate and soon we settled in. There was water and tea and juice. I saw bottles of wine and sparkling champagne being passed around by one of the older tables.

“Coventry always has amazing food.” Roman said, choose a few slices of beef that looked perfectly pink. I grabbed a few slices before the tray was suddenly whisked away by a fifth form’s spell.

“That was Coldwood Beef! I wanted a slice of that.” Reg said with a yell.

“What’s Coldwood Beef?” I asked. Reg sighed, as if searching for an answer.
“It’s beef that’s always perfect. How do you see the beef?

“It was just this side of rare.” I said.

“I saw it with just a hint of pink. I’m sure Roman saw it as almost mooing, knowing about his family.” Reg replied.

“I’d take ten for your cheek, if we were deducting points.” Roman said, taking a satisfied bite of the beef. I held a hand out, and gave a soft tug on the platter, swiping it away from the fifth form who gave me a glare. I set the platter down on the table.

“Enjoy.” I replied, and Reg looked at my telekinesis in awe.

“Good show for a midgie, I do believe that earned you the right to call me by my given name.” Roman replied.

“That’s pretty damn altruistic of you, kid.” Voice said.

“I’m just following The Plan.” I replied. The Plan was, of course, to elevate ourselves to the Thirteen, or the Seven. It was Bethany’s Plan, and Voice’s follow through. The first stage of the plan was to look for potential allies. If there was an established group, I would leave them alone and wouldn’t try to take them on until I had established a group of my own. If they're a group of newly formed friends, as in, they looked like they still didn't know each other that well, then by all means, I would worm my way in and subtly establish myself as a leader.

In all seriousness the orphanage had probably prepared me better than the luxurious solitude the townhouse afforded. There were certain skills useful to future politicians that could be picked up in childhood, especially when one was constantly surrounded by large numbers of other children. Of course, adults usually turned a blind eye to these little antics. Adults tended to ignore children until they reached the same lofty status. Then those new adults would compare notes and realize who they owed their allegiance to. I was a wolf among sheep, and from this rabble, I would find my own pack.

My pod would be the first members of my clique, and then I would start picking off stragglers from Beta and Delta Squads. Anyone Gamma and below were practically useless anyway. They’d be good employees, but nothing more. Certainly, too inept to stand in the inner circle I wanted to form. Dinner soon slowed to an end, and Alex led us out of the small castle that made up the teacher’s quarters and great hall, through six rows of dull grey structures and into a pod. It was sparsely decorated. Seven rows of bunkbeds and desks, and a king size solitary bed with a desk by its side.

Somewhere along the way, a female seventh form student had joined us.

“This will be your home for the next thirty-six months. Make of this space what you will, but there are morning inspections, and we will perform deductions based on your performance.
Cleanliness and hygiene are a must. Yes, boys, that means that you must wear deodorant. All toiletries are provided by the school. To the few mundane-born girls in our number, Leanna here will be going over those spells when I have a session with the boys here. That will be sometime this weekend.” Alex said. The girls seemed to know what he was referring to and I did as well, but most of the other boys looked confused. Bethany had been quick about teaching me those spells. Especially when who knew what the Brennans attempt.

“Tonight, we will get to know each other better, and help you adjust to the different schedule Coventry has. We run on a thirty-hour day because we are a mixed curriculum school. Please save those questions for magical theory class. For the first few days you are here, you’ll experience a change in your sleep patterns and possible insomnia as your body gets used to this. Part of the reason why we reconvene on a Friday is to allow us to adjust to this. Your Dean is Professor Crestwood. For an ice breaker, we’ll go around the room, and have everyone introduce themselves. Everyone get into a circle, and we’ll start.” He sat where he was at, and we formed a rough circle around the two older students.

“Alex Roman, of House Roman. I’m a Journeyman battle mage, and I’m a Seventh form student.” He said, and to his right, the other seventh form student spoke.

“I’m Leanna Michaels, soon of House Roman. I’m a Journeywoman Warder.” To her right,

“Alicia Calhoun, of the Belfast Coven. I’m a summer changeling.” Alicia was a willowy redhead who spoke with a slight Irish brogue. Where Reg was well filled out, like a bear cub, Alicia was thin, waifishly so.

“Heir Alexei Valmont, Novitiate Enchanter, of House Valmont.” Alexei was a sturdy looking boy with dark brown hair and glinting purple eyes. That drew murmurs. “Stephen Andrews. I drew a false positive on the affinity test.” I said.

“A false positive?” Alexei asked.

“My magic reacted with all of the bowls. We’ll be retesting me this summer.” I replied. There were scattered looks around the room.

“Of the London Andrews?” A prim looking boy with nearly platinum blond hair, and white aura-colored pupils said. His clothes were cut from the same cloth as mine, meaning he had money.

“Yes.” I replied. The boy smirked, “Malcolm Grey, Heir to House Grey.” He replied, extending his wand. I glared at him for a moment. House Gray was certainly below House Andrews. They didn’t even have a seat on the Vox. For him to extend his wand first was an insult, disguised as friendship, wrapped in a power play.

“Well met.” I said, dragging the words out into a bored drawl. Which meant, fuck off, I’m not playing your game. He slowly withdrew his wand, the moment passed, and the game resumed.

“William Lowe. My dad’s in the service.” William said.

“The mage reserves?” Alex asked.

“I’m mundane-born.” William replied nervously. The air suddenly gained a slight edge.

“Well met, my parents are as well.” Alex replied, and the tension suddenly left the room.

“Emily York, mundane-born. I like books.” Emily replied.

“Reginald Coldwood, of the Northumberland Coldwoods. I have my own greenhouse.”

“The Coldwoods are known for their farming, aye?” Alicia asked, and Reginald nodded.

“Well met, Summer’s child.” He replied. She nodded to him after a moment and spoke.

“Well met Winterbourne.” She replied.

“Clarissa Penhallow, Journeymen Enchantress.” The next girl said. She was a quiet slip of a girl. That caused a few whispers around the room. Usually journeymen weren’t selected until the end of our second year.
The prim looking boy was Aloysius Moon, a line going back six generations. Selena Lovelace was a serious looking girl who had bright yellow streaks of aura coloring her hair. Tyson Savage was a boy who had his growth spurt early. He had gangly limbs and an infectious laugh. Tiberius Lockwood was from a family of politicians who held a seat on the Ruling body of the Council Majeure. He was directly in line for the hereditary seat on the Council of the High Seven. He had a twin sister, Olivia. Finally, Jocelyn York, of the Brighton Yorks was the last to be introduced. Then Alex stood.

“Now, as tradition, there are an odd number of beds in this room. Coventry runs on a basis of Power. Each of you were selected for Alpha Pod because you scored the highest of your cohort on the Wheller-Rosen scale. I’m sure the mage born among you have already studied their curriculum in advance. I’m sure one of you mundane born has as well. Your first trial in these hallowed academic halls begins tonight. The last left standing will be the one to sleep in that bed. No dark magic or permanently harmful spells are allowed, and nothing that can’t be easily repaired. You may begin.” Alex said, and stepped away from the circle, raising a shimmering soft green spell. There was silence for a moment. Then, hell was unleashed in the dorm. My quick thinking and almost instant scuto stopped three spells from colliding with me. I felt the binder coming from behind my head and dropped to the ground. Aloysius Moon was the first to fall to a jelly binder.

“That could have killed us!” Voice said, and I agreed. I rolled up, and spun on my heel, to see Malcolm Grey staring at me. I unleashed a binder, shielded from a stinger, and conjured a dagger I’d sent hurling towards him. He ducked the conjured steel and it hit the wall behind him, he came up, leading with another jelly binder, as silent as my own spells, and I broke that. I threw out a nail ripper, painful, and more Grey than Dark, but still healable.

He countered with his own Gray throat constrictor and I blocked and parried with a trio of conjured daggers. A very angry and bound with rope Juniper Robbards dropped in front of me, and I dodged a second binder coming from Calem Robére. This hit William, who fell to the ground.
My duel with Gray continued for a few more seconds, until he fell to a binder, and I searched for another opponent. By this time, half the class was down, and there were only six of us standing. Calem Robére and Reginald Coldwood were trading spells from the cover of bunk beds.

Selene Lovelace and Clarissa Penhollow had claimed a set of bunk beds and had raised shields so that each of them was guarding a side, and Emily York was looking for an opponent.
As she raised her wand, I made a gesture with my head towards Reginald and Calem. She quickly caught my meaning, and we swiftly bound those two.
Then we turned our wands on each other, and it was all I could to block and deflect as she fired off spells at a rate I found staggering. As I blocked and shielded, I tripped Grey with a yelp and found myself on my back. I flipped over, and suddenly it was Cortés approaching me.

“Ia-” I began speaking, ready to unleash my full power out and destroy the specter.

“Kid! Kid! STEPHEN! Stop!” Voice yelled. I froze.

“You’re at school. You’re safe. She’s a kid. Don’t do this.” He said. I shook my head, and reality reasserted itself.

“I yield.” I said, and she stopped in her tracks. Confusion on her face.

“What’s the matter, Andrews, won’t hit a girl?” She asked with a sneer.

“Fuck off, York.” I said. I chose a bunk and took a seat.

“Well well, the crawler girl has moxie.” Leanna said, and York spun and a shot a bone breaker in her direction. Leanna blocked this easily.

“We’ll be watching you, York.” She said.
The two of them went and undid and healed the spells we had thrown at each other, while the other repaired bunks. When it was done, Reginald and Calem chose a bunk.

“Can I take the top one?” William Lowe asked me. I’m not sure why, but a sudden blush worked my way into his cheeks.

“W-what?” I asked.

He gave me a look, like I had done something particularly stupid.

“The top bunk.” He said with an upward flick of his head.

“Is it taken?” I asked, and he nodded.

“No. It’s not. Unless you want to take it.” I said quickly. He shook his head and tapped the topped headrest with his wand. With a pop, his trunk appeared under the bed, joining mine.
Finally, Alex walked up and down our bunks.

“Can anyone tell me what this exercise did. Heir Andrews, maybe you can, since your House Motto so appropriately explains this.” He said.

“Fortune Favors the Strong.” I said.

“Exactly. Coventry is a school for the strong. To even think about entering it, each of you had to score high enough on the Wheller-Rosen scale. This is Alpha Pod. The strongest of thirteen squads this year. By the end of the year eleven of you will remain. By the end of your academic career. Seven of you will remain. The rest won’t be expelled by any means. You’ll be shifted down to Beta, or even Delta or Gamma, and someone will take their place. Outside these walls, Alpha is to have a unified front. Just don't kill each other when you're not. But, make no mistake. Coventry will test and try you like nothing else. My only job is to make sure you lot don’t not take care of yourselves or go missing. It is not my concern if you miss meals, don’t do your homework, or lose your possessions. I fully expect you to look after yourself. Next week, I will be shadowing you to ensure you know where your classes are and how to navigate the campus.
After that, unless one of you is bleeding out, expect no help from me. The lights will turn out automatically. Try and stay up till then. I will see you all tomorrow morning for a mock inspection.” Alex said, and the two seventh forms left the pod. An hour or so after that, the lights in the pod slowly began dimming. Until they extinguished themselves.
The next morning, in the early hours, I was woken by the lights turning on. I rolled over with a groan and buried my head in the pillow to try and block out the noise of the other inhabitants of my pod getting up.
A few hours, or minutes, I wasn’t sure, later, A loud bang woke me up again. I whirled unto my back; my wand was in my hand. Alex Roman strode through the door.

“Good morning midges!” He said cheerfully.
He looked around the pod. The ones who were magically raised were up, freshly dressed and showered. They were dressed in crisp Coventry uniforms, and stood at the end of their beds, which were freshly made. Each stood in a typical parade rest stance.

“Andrews, Lowe, Robbards, York! Out of bed! Now!” Alex barked. With a wave of his wand our beds dumped us out of them.

“Get up! Get up!” He said.
I stood grumpily.

“You’ve had two hours to get ready, and you slept. Get moving.” He said. I stood groggily. I hadn’t changed out of uniform the day before. I began making my bed. My skill at this was sloppy. I hadn’t had to make my bed in almost four years.

“Starting Monday, if you are still in bed during inspection, you will be punished. I expect your beds to be made, and you to be dressed.” He said. The next hour was grueling as each of us struggled through a quick shower and dressed. Then we were chivvied out to the grounds and made to run the length of the island. We were escorted back to our Pod. We were each given a map.

“Breakfast will run until noon. Lunch will follow immediately after. Make sure you eat today.” Alex said, and left. I grabbed my backpack; it was already stocked with school supplies and books. I put that over my shoulder and left to finally grab breakfast. There were already a few older students drinking tea and talking quietly over breakfast. Alongside one wall a small buffet had been set up. I grabbed a plate and helped myself to eggs and toast. There was a carafe of tea at the table when I came back. I filled a cup and put two lumps of sugar and a squeeze of lemon in it. I waved my wand over it while murmuring a cooling spell and took a sip. It was delicious.

I had pulled out a book on runes and was reading it when three of my classmates joined me.

“William and Reginald, right?” I asked. They both nodded.

“I’m sorry, but I forget your name.” I told the raven-haired boy standing just behind them.

“Calem Robére.” He replied, there was just a trace of France in his voice.

“Why aren’t you at Lumière?” I asked.

“My father was French, but my parents died in the Great War. My mother’s family is raising me, and they’re British.” He said.

“So, William, you’re a mundane born, right?” Reginald asked.

“And what of it?” William asked gruffly.

“Nothing really. I’ve never met one. I’ve been on the books for Coventry for ages. Mundane are usually thrown into a day school. They usually aren’t admitted to Coventry. The last one was in my sister’s year. They’re both at a school in the states right now. I personally don’t care about your origins. If you managed to pass Coventry’s entrance exams, then you’ve earned your place here.” Reginald said. I grabbed a book on Runes out of my bag and began rereading it.
William was silent for a moment. He was writing something on a piece of parchment, there were a few ink spots here and there. I took a few sheets of paper out of my bag, and a refilling fountain pen, and handed it to him. He took them with a nod of thanks.

“Who are you writing?” I asked.

“My brother and sisters.” I nodded and went back to studying.

“Do you have any siblings?” He asked, and I felt a strange wave of nostalgia from Voice.

“I’m an orphan.” I said and sipped my cooling cup of tea.

“Oh.” He said, lost for words.

“It’s fine mate. I am too.” Calem said softly, and I sent a grateful look in his direction.
Emily York wandered into the hall. She spotted us and made her way over after grabbing herself a plate.

“What are you lot up to?” She asked amicably.

“Commiserating about our parents, or lack thereof.” I replied. She made a small smile and nodded. William and Reginald looked uncomfortable.

I gave them both a soft look.

“It’s fine. I am at least. The orphanage was shit, but my guardian is amazing.” I replied and gave them a smile. They looked at ease.
Emily, who had bitten into her toast, gave me a look. She sat her plate down and swallowed her toast.

“I wish I could say the same.” She muttered.

“Which school did you say your sister and her friend were at, Reg?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the elephant in the room.

“The one in upstate New York, Fairchild’s I believe. Her friend is at Miskatonic.” Reginald replied, and I nodded. I recognized the name, and it caused all manner of alarm bells to ring in my head. I needed to ask Bethany about that as soon as possible. Voice chimed in with his own alarm. The name sounded dangerous.

“It’s very fucking dangerous kid. We need to mirror her about that.” He said, over time, he had managed to lower the tone of his voice from a conversation tone to a whisper in my ear.


“My family lives in Mundane London.” I told them. Even though I wouldn’t really call my living situation a family. I barely saw Vincent. Amy and Bethany sometimes vanished for days at a time, only to reappear battle worn and tired.

We ate in peace. Soon, the hall was filled with students. I put away my book and then began getting up. I wasn’t in the mood for hundreds of loud voices and the clamor of crowds.

“Where are you going?” Emily asked.

“To the Library. I want to see what books Coventry has on enchanting.” I replied.

“Sounds interesting, I’ll come with you.” She replied.

“Aren’t we a little young for that?” Reginald asked.
I shrugged.

“Well, you three have fun in the library. I’m going to the greenhouses. My uncle says that Coventry has plants from around the world. I really want to see Brazilian strangling vine.” He said. William and Emily gave him odd looks. Calem was finishing his toast.

“I’ll have to check this out when class isn’t in session.” I thought.

“Do you three want to come with me?” I asked the others.

“I’m going to go for a broom-flight. It’s a nice day out.” Calem said. He finished his toast and left.
We left the hall. William trailed behind Emily and me. We walked as we talked.

“I’ve already finished reading most of the first form books. They’re all quite interesting. I’m really looking forward to Invocation and Magical Theory.” She said.

“Invocation is such a beginner class. It’s just easy spells.” I replied.

“They do seem easy, but if we’re going to participate in the National Circuit, we need to gain a thorough grounding in our basic spellcraft.” She replied.

“Do both of you plan on dueling?” William asked.

“You don’t?” I asked.

“I’m not even sure if I want to stay in the magical world just yet.” He replied, and we both gave him looks.

“Why wouldn’t you?” I asked.

“My entire family is mundane, and both my parents are religious. It took some talking just to come here for a trial year.” He said.

“But your magic would be stilled!” Emily protested.

“You can’t miss something you don’t really want.” He replied.

“So why did you come here?” I asked. He stopped and stared, and looked at us, like we had each grown a second head.

“Surely you know.” He said, and we both shook our heads.

“Attendance at a school is compulsory if you're as powerful as I am.” He said and resumed walking. We each shared looks. I had definitely scored high on the Wheller-Rosen Scale, but I had no idea that mages with high scores were forced to attend.

 

September 15th, 1929- December 21st, 1929
Coventry Academy
Unknown Location
United Kingdom


Sunday passed uneventfully aside from that discussion with Alex Roman
Monday morning dawned, and I let out a groan. I was still getting used to the extra hours in our day. I managed to grab a shower. I was kind of weirded out by the showers. Instead of the shower of the townhouse, our bath was a pool that wrapped around us, and almost instantly, and retreated in a whirl of soap that left me clean, but slightly red. The smell was nearly intoxicating, in a good way. In the last couple of days, my trunk had gotten messy, and our schedule would be outdoors until after breakfast.

“Hey Reg, do you happen to have a spare cloak I could borrow?” I asked. He nodded.

“Yeah, no problem, mate.” He said.

“Thanks.” I said. Alex Roman walked into our Pod; A tray of books was following him.

“You have until the end of the week to memorize these spells, and ensure you use them.” He said. A copy of each book floated to us, and I looked at the title.
Twenty-five every-day invocations for the busy mage by Amanda Blair.

“Chrissenbloom. These sheets aren’t straight. Ten from.”

“Sir?” Chrissenbloom said.

“Fix your bed novitiate and make that fifteen.”

“Andrews, organize your trunk properly. Take five.” He walked to the end of the row, and then backed up.

“York, excellent organization.”

“Coldwood, five from and fix that blanket.” He walked up to Calem, and picked a piece of lint from his shirt, flicking it away.

“Five from Robére.”

“Lockwood?”

“Yes Sir?” Two voices rang out and he winced.

“Olivia.” He said.

“Perfect sheets.” He said.

“Those who have imperfections, the point loss will be doubled tomorrow, and double again the day after that, until this is fixed. Now, fall in.” He said, and he led us out of the bunkhouse, and to the trail where we were joined by the rest of the first-form students.

The jog that followed was hellish. We were forced to run, and as we did, second-form students would shoot at us from the bushes at either side. The spells they used were mostly humiliating in nature and were forced to dodge and shield against them. Overhead, the sky above the island was filled with different years of students fighting running aerial practice duels, making the still dark sky explode in blasts of aurically colored spellfire like an eldritch firework shower. Occasionally an upper year would swoop down, powered by their own skill with unaided flight, and terrorize us.
Emily was the first to reach the finish line and earned fifty points. The second was Calem, he earned twenty-five. I was third and earned ten. After our morning run, we came into breakfast. Because of our year group, we ate last.

Our first class was Magical Theory.
Our teacher was a tall, thin man with tapered ears. His voice was soft but carried because of a spell.

“Welcome to Magical Theory. My name is Doctor Leopold Coldhollow. I’m here to teach you about what magic is. This class is a two-year program. Successful graduation is required to pursue apprenticeship in every spell-based field Coventry teaches. Just because there will be minimal magic used, does not mean this class is easy.” He said, and he began pacing.

“Bored to tears.” Voice said, and I had to agree.

“If anyone can tell me what Magic is, I will release them from this class for the entirety of the semester.” Dr. Coldhollow said. Emily’s hand was in the air before he finished his sentence. He gave
her a look just shy of patronizing.

“Do tell, Miss York.” He said.

“Magic is the act of bending the universe around you.”

“That’s quite a textbook answer. Can you elaborate?”

She stopped, and cocked her head, then she answered with a smile.

“Magic is a Power that mages tap into when they perform spells. It’s composed of ten different forces that combine into a gestalt and allow you to force the world to confine to your whims.” Professor Coldhollow stopped for a moment, and with a small smile, spoke. He made a motion with his wand,

“Take ten, Miss York, and continue your exposition.” He said.

“Magic is Energy, Motion and Magnetism. Magic is your Thoughts and Will thrown through Space and Time. Magic is Matter. It’s a prayer from your soul, spoken in a forgotten tongue and thrown out into the void to affect the world around you.” She said, and she had a wistful air about her.

“That last part was a bit poetic, but that does encapsulate what magic is composed of. While I won’t give you the remainder of the semester off, because the definition of magic and a complete understanding is something that could take lifetimes to find. I will give you twenty-points.” He said.

“Can someone please tell me what the two terms of magic are?” He asked. There was silence.

“Magic is cost, and magic is volatile. The first cost could be something relative. Usually this is mana, or thaum usage. Most spells are powered through this. Magic can also take its toll. Can someone give me an example of a cost that isn’t mana?” He asked.
After a minute passed, I raised my hand.

“Heir Andrews?” He asked.

“Blood, like the sanguinem consecrae spell.” I said. He nodded softly.

“I’m assuming that your pentacle and wand are both blood bound.” He said, and I nodded. He smiled.

“Take ten, Heir Andrews. Now, can anyone tell me the cost of the temporal dilation spell that Coventry uses?” He asked. No one spoke.

“The spell preserves your body. You’ll find, despite the fact the days are longer. That you will not age as much at Coventry. But the mind will pay for this. Roughly one in a thousand mages suffer from Chronosickness. This results in psycho- and sociopathic insanity. We have almost fifteen hundred students, and nearly two-hundred staff. It stands to reason that two of every year will fall to this disease. If at any time, one of your pod-mates begins acting oddly, inform a member of the staff immediately. One last thing I must warn you about are shades. Does anyone know what those are?” He asked.
I did. Bethany had subjected me to a lecture about them shortly after a solo attempt at wandless magic.

“A shade is your magic realized. It’s what happens when you perform an improperly learned spell wandlessly.” I said, and he nodded.

“Ten to, Heir Andrews.” He said.

“Even our graduates are warned against wandless magic practitioners. If you do not completely know the spell completely and utterly, do not practice wandless magic unless you are in a supervised environment. Anyone unqualified doing such a thing will be expelled, immediately.”

Then suddenly, a loud Ding chimed throughout the room.

“On that cheerful note, our first class is dismissed. For homework, I want a thousand words on mana, and the Latin phrases for the subjects we discussed today. You’ll find the word counter spell in the book that your prefect gave you this morning. I’ll take this homework Thursday.” He said and dismissed us for our next class.
The following class was also dreadfully boring. Introduction to magical society was something anyone who has spent time in the magical world could teach. I quickly penciled that in as free time in my calendar.

The class after that was Herblore. I liked working in the rooftop greenhouse we had back home and enjoyed tending the plants along with the imps. This class, this was annoying, in a way working in our greenhouse never was. Working with plants was supposed to be pleasant, and peaceful, and quiet.
Working with plants alongside twelve other children, some of who didn’t have a shred of knowledge about the meaning of words like “listen to the teacher” and “Why yes Alicia, a Brazilian Strangling Vine, will in fact attempt to strangle you.” made Herblore a special kind of hell. Honestly, I thought Summer Fae had an instinct for that kind of work. After that hour-long exercise in patience, we were dismissed, and Alex Roman chivvied us off to Alchemy. In Alchemy, the budding rivalry between Emily and I continued.

“Can someone tell me what components we put in a potion? Miss York.” Journeyman Brennan said, and gave Emily a look I disliked.

“Where most things magical rely on three or seven, potions use five ingredients plus a catalyst.”

“Ten points to, Miss York. For this class, we’ll be brewing the “perfectum medicamine” potion that is a key agent in the colognes and toiletries in your dormitories.”

“First however, I’d like to rearrange the seating chart a bit. Miss York. Mister Andrews. To the front.” He said. Tapping his wand twice on the seating chart. As we walked to the front of the room and took the first table. He began rearranging the seating chart. Reginald and Calem were situated at the table to the left of us. William and Robbards were situated behind us.”

“Juniper, love, do me a favor and trade seats with me.” Emily said.

“What for?” Juniper asked.

“Because he’s a nightmare.” She said, rolling her eyes theatrically.

“Bitch.” The voice and I breathed at the same time.

“What did you just call me?” Emily asked.

“What?” I asked.

“Journeyman Brennan! Heir Andrews just cast aspirations on my parentage. I understand that I’m an-o-orphan, but he didn’t need to remind me.” Emily said, a hitch in her voice when she spoke the dreaded “o” word, and Professor Brennan fell for it.

“Robbards, switch seats with Andrews. Andrews, twenty-five from you for profanity in the classroom.” Journeyman Brennan said.
He tapped his blackboard, and it switched to the ingredients of the potion we’ll be brewing. First however, a couple of spells. The first, is the fastener spell. This will magically fasten your clothes and hair to you. Imagine, you are brewing a keyable potion, and a stray hair from you falls into it, and the potion, representing a tremissis worth of work and ingredients is rendered useless.

“This incantation is adfigo.” He said, twisting his wand just so. We all quickly learned the spell, along with a spell that would shield us from any alchemical mishaps.

When we were all properly shielded and fastened. He began the lecture on the potion we would be brewing that day.

“This potion requires an ounce of fairy dust for the eyes part of the potion. What does that say to the nature of the potion?" Journeyman Brennan said. I raised my hand.

"Andrews?"

"That the potion is ephemeral and would need to be reapplied for it to have a continuous effect."

"Good work, take ten, now, the next. Breath from a unicorn foal for sound. York?" He asked and he began walking in our direction.

"Purity, new or renewal, and since both of these are ephemeral, this potion can go stale quickly."

"Take 10. Now, the portion for smell. Ground white rose petals, freshly dried, gently tended. Mr. Andrews." He was in front of us, both of us trading glares and moves in a game of intellectual ping pong.

"Truth, purity, and love."

"What would this mean the potion smells like?" He asked.

"Your true love?" I asked.

"Take 20." He said.

"The next ingredient is ground sunflower seeds. Ah, Miss York, it has been so long since I called on you. Do tell us the answer."

"Sunflowers are a symbol of vitality and happiness, these elements will awaken the user, making them almost euphoric."

"Take ten." He said.

"Now, the final touch. Mr. Andrews, I'll save the time we would have spent with you waving your arm in the air. Do tell us what the properties of silk thread is."

"Sophistication, Confidence. This potion will give the user a confidence and ego boost."

"Ten another ten."

"I'm going to end this absolutely enlightening intellectual battle by telling the class the final ingredient, and magical catalyst to this potion. Green Aventurine. This acts as a confidence booster. The gem acts as a magical catalyst to soak in ambient magic and empower the potion.”
William’s hand was in the air.

“Sir, could mundanes brew potions?” He asked.

“To an extent, Novitiate. Now, everyone begin brewing. Come grab your ingredients, follow the steps on the board, and let me know if you have questions.” He said and took a seat at his desk.
William and I quickly gathered our ingredients, and in half an hours’ time, we had mixed and poured them into the glass cauldron at our station. The odd goop had a pink sheen to it at the end, and we waited for the rest of the class to finish. When everyone finished, and Journeyman Brennan had found each of our mixtures to be satisfactory, he had us perform the next part of the alchemy lesson.

“Now that your base mixture is complete, it is time for the distillation process. I want you to weigh your mixtures, subtract the weight of the glass cauldron, and then add that much water to the mixture, then stir vigorously until it is well mixed.” He said. We weighed the mixture on the scale at our workstation and added the three cups of hot water to the cauldron from the spelled faucet.
We took turns stirring this until it the water gained the same sheen as the mixture had. There were still odd floating bits, and the occasional fleck from fairy dust or a sunflower husk. He walked us through straining this mixture into the second cauldron at our workstation, and a clear pink liquid remained.

“Now, the next part is distillation. The spell we are about to use slightly ties into the temporal distillation field Coventry uses, but instead of ageing your mind, this spell ages your body. Point your wand at the cauldron, and say, distallatum unus hora.” I did, as the emerald wash of aura flared over the cauldron and mixed with William’s aura bright blue aura, I felt as though I’d just stared at the cauldron for an hour.
But it had distilled to a thick mother of pearl paste that slightly resembled the soap we used in the dorms.

“The cost of using Time comes from the mind or body.” Journeyman Brennan said.
William’s hand was in the air.

“Yes, Novitiate?” Journeyman Brennan asked.

“Could mundanes use these kinds of spells?” He asked. Nearly everyone at Coventry used the term mundanes instead of untouched for nonmagical people.

“Yes. If they found a way for a focus to work for them or gained the mental discipline that this spell would require for wandless use, there would be no reason for them not to work.”

“So, Mundanes do have magic?” He asked. Journeyman Brennan frowned, and then he smiled.

“You’ve just raised an excellent question that isn’t usually raised until fourth or fifth form. Twenty-points to. It’s not the mundanes don’t have magic. Anyone can create and invoke a circle. However, that’s the extent of most mundanes magical abilities.
They lack the power to see through the veils and glamours we use, and the mental discipline required to use wandless magic that draws on sources other than magic. Much like anyone below the power of an Archmage can only use ambient or familial sources, mundanes lack the ability to interact with ambient magic.
This is diving into advanced theory, but it’s why latents use imps and walking canes to interact with the magical world. Without this access to ambient, the magical world appears strange. I’ve been told it’s almost like walking through a piece of abstract art.” He said.

Well, that was interesting. The remaining class was spent discussing how this paste would be incorporated with lye and parabens to create the soap we used. Of all the classes we had attended that morning, alchemy seemed the closet to mundane science. We were dismissed to lunch.

At lunch I begin the next stage of the Plan. If I could gain the favor of the upper years, then that would raise my standing among our pod. The Fifth-year alpha pod was seated near the outer edges of the room, and I went to take a seat with them. Hyperion Grey and Rosalyn Thorne were they leaders of the Fifth Form Dueling Team and the Prefect for Fifth Form respectively, and they were arguably the most well connected of that cohort. As I took a seat, someone yelled at me.

“Oi Midgie! We’ve already got one of your lot here. Go back to the rest of your pod.” I looked. He looked like a younger clone of Alex Roman. Emily smirked at me from her seat, and I stalked away. I grabbed a sandwich and decided to eat outside.
Emily was already surpassing me in academics, and apparently, I wasn’t the only one with aspirations to rise in magical society. That girl was going to give me a run for my money.

“We have a rival.” I told Voice, and he agreed with me. I finished my sandwich and waited for the day to resume and began mulling over the problem I had found.
After classes reconvened, we were escorted to our next one. This was the one I was looking forward to the most. Dueling. I had just spent the last four years learning at the knee of a champion, and I planned on taking Coventry’s Winter All Ages Tournament by storm.

“Right, welcome to introduction to Dueling. My name is Galena Crestwood. In addition to teaching this class, I'm the Dueling Team’s head coach, and Dean of the first forms. Over the next few weeks, I'll be meeting with each of you, and at the end of your second year, I'll be determining who to place on the school dueling teams. Tell me, who here has received formal instructions in dueling?” Dean Crestwood was the opposite of what you’d expect a dueling instructor to look like.

She wore a glamour, or at least one attached to jewelry. She was small. She couldn’t have been more than five and a half feet tall, and willowy thin. Her cockney accent had all the rough edges taken away. Her hair was dark, like her features, and bunch up in a stiff no-nonsense bun. Her eyes were the only indication that she was a mage. They were purple and shown with the lamplight glow all mages did. I raised my hand, and so did Reginald, Calem, and half dozen others.

"Well, that's a great showing. Heir Andrews, would you like to participate in a practice duel?" She asked.

"Certainly." I said and walked to the front of the classroom.

"Now, let’s see, Heir Robére, your father was quite the duelist. I'd quite like to see if you've inherited that skill." Dean Crestwood said, and Calem approached the front of the room.

"Enter the ring gentleman, if you would." She said. We both walked to the center line.

"Now, a duel is scored on the variety of spells an opponent uses, and how far back he is forced. Both if you know the disarming and shield spells I take?" We both nodded.

"Professor, I am fluent in all of the junior league's accepted spells." I said.

"As am I." Calem said, his voice a bored drawl.

"Well then gentlemen, I believe you'll be able to put on quite a show. I'll even be raising the dueling shields. First to disarm will win?" She asked.

"That works for me." I said, jovially.

"Kid, he has a ring on his left pointer. That's a backup focus. it's gotta be." The voice said, and I sent a mental nod. They had recently relaxed regulation, and one secondary focus was now
allowed.

"Ten steps, or to the center, gentleman." Dean Crestwood said, and I stood in my spot, but turned a half circle so that my back was towards Calem. I couldn’t see it, but regulations demanded he
did the same.

"Turn and bow." She said, and we did as we were told, bowing deeply to each other, our wands stiff at our sides, our other hand crossing our torsos.

We came back up, and then she counted to ten, as soon.as she stopped, our duel started. Calem fired the first shot off, a disarmament spell that I deflected and sent one of my own off in the same gesture. He deflected that and was forced to step out of the ring to dodge my cutter.

"Now, class. Hair Andrews is currently in the lead. He has fifteen points for the three spells he's performed, and another ten for forcing Heir Robére backwards a court."
Calem shot me a glare and sent a jet of sand in my direction. I ducked under the spell and sent a binding spell towards his legs. He easily countered by side stepping and sending a silencing spell spinning towards me.

I was forced to jump up and sidestepped backward to avoid the spell.
Calem drew first blood by sending a cutting spell that glanced my arm and reclaimed his spot in the same maneuver.

"Oh, good show Heir Robére! Halt!" We both stopped, and I took the opportunity to knit my arm.

"Class, Heir Robére has caused a five-point loss to Heir Andrews, and gained twenty more, can anyone guess why?"
Emily York raised her hand.

"Heir Robére landed a spell, and then he reclaimed his position, while forcing Mr. Andrews to vacate his own." She said. I glared at her intentional disregard for my title, and she flashed me a quick grin.

"Great job Miss York, Ten points for correct analysis. This means that Heir Robére is in the lead. Let's see how this duel plays out, shall we?" She asked.

"You may begin." She said.

"Kid, I think we were underestimating Calem." Voice said.

"I agree." I sent.

"Trudo!" I said, jabbing my wand at Calem. He blocked my knockback spell, and I deflected the disarming spell he sent spinning towards me. I sent out another in quick succession, and he was forced to step backwards under my onslaught. I continued until I had regained my place at the center of the arena, earning myself points from Calem having to backtrack.
He hit me with another cutter, and then conjured a piece of paper from somewhere. Then with a grin, a jab of his wand, and a loud, showy, Animato Draconis! The piece of paper turned into a small fire breath origami dragon that flew swooping towards me, pushing me backwards until I was at the edge of the ring.

“Duplica trio!” Calem said, and one paper dragon became three.

"Voice help!" I thought.

“Uhhh, null-spell? I don’t know!”

I turned to the dragons and sent power out into the world with a yell.

"Magicae Fractae!" I shouted, and emerald light blossomed. In addition to destroying Calem's shikigami constructs, it caused the dueling wards to pulse and became a solid white barrier for a second, before they absorbed the energy of the spell back into their lodestone. I took advantage of Calem's shock and sent a disarming spell towards him. His wand was ripped out of his hand, but the ring remained, and it took on the glow of his aura. He summoned his wand back from the ground and sent a fireball towards me with a murmured

"Ignis Orbis!" Almost instinctively I reached out to grab the fireball, and it landed in my hand. I gave it a look, and gave Calem a look, and then the Voice shouted.

"Kid, throw it back!" He said, and I did. Calem caught the ball on his arm, and his shirt promptly caught fire.

"Yield!" Calem said, immediately, and Dean Crestwood dropped the wards, and entered the ring. She promptly extinguished the fire and treated his burns.

"That was a great exhibition duel. Aside from the end. Mr. Robére, ten points from, for using a spell you don't know the counter for, and another ten for using pyromancy without knowledge of extinguishing spells. Now, this was a split victory duel. Can anyone tell me what that means?" William raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Lowe?" Dean Crestwood asked.

"The duel’s victory was split two ways. Calem won because he was ahead in points, but Stephen won because Calem yielded."

"Excellent summary, Mister Lowe. Ten points to. If this was an official duel, Calem would be moving unto the second chance bracket, while Stephen would be moving up. Now, for points. Stephen, 105 points for the duel. That would be the number of points you scored. I'm giving you another 10 points for that amazing bit of wandless pyromancy, and ten more for that power you put into the Magicae Fractae spell. Calem, one-hundred fifteen points for the duel, and thirty points for a novel approach to using paper in a duel.”

“Now, this was a practice duel. We will have a few practical demonstrations throughout the term, and before we leave for Christmas break, you’ll all have a chance to participate in Coventry’s Winter Open. Dueling is a practical class, as such, the studying will be kept to a minimum. I expect you to improve on your own, and the entire first through third form library is open to you. At the end of your second year, the school begins recruiting for the dueling team, and at the end of every year, there is a dueling tournament that you will be allowed to participate in. I’ll be taking signups further on in the school year. Most of your classes are theory heavy. Dueling is going to your most practical class until you reach the Upper Years.” The loud bell signaling the end of class sounded and we were chivvied off to the next.

Roman escorted us to the Transmutation classroom. Like Alchemy, this was taught by one of the Apprentices that was studying for mastery at Coventry. Unlike the classrooms that had a small dueling ring, or a warded area for practical demonstrations, the transmutation classroom looked positively mundane. Josiah Steele was a tall weather-worn looking man. His suit looked almost second hand, and he had a serious air about him. His eyes had an almost haunted look about them.

“My name is Josiah Steel. First things first, wands away.” He said, giving us all looks.

“Transmutation is one of the most dangerous things you’ll learn here. This class will be strictly theory until you take your Circle Tests at the end of Second Form. You may learn a spell here or there, but I won’t have someone accidentally turning the air to phosgene or something equally horrible by a bunch of Novitiates. Now, let’s see who has done their reading. Can someone tell me what the three controlled substances are?”
Theodora Chrissenbloom’s hand was raised.

“Yes, Miss Chrissenbloom?” He asked.

“Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Or Pyropus, Argenti, and Aurum.” She said.

“Succinct and to the point. Your father is the Master of the Alchemist’s Guild, correct?” He asked, and she nodded.

“These three metals form the base of the magical economy, and as such, require licensing from both Midas and the Council Majeure to create. However, Miss Chrissenbloom, can you tell me the substance that is expressly forbidden to create?" He asked.

"Tremissis, Diamonds." She said instantly.

"Exactly, Miss Chrissenbloom. Tremissis and Tremisimancy is expressly forbidden from individual by the Council Majeure, and Midas International. Fortunately, Tremisimancy is an ability a mage must be born with. Can someone tell me the name of a known historical Tremisimancer?" He asked.

This time, Calem's hand was in the air.

"Heir Robére?" Journeyman Steele asked.

"The Romanov line." He said, and the room fell silent. The Romanov massacre was relatively recent, and while it was definitely considered historical, there were a lot of old wounds from the War that were healing. The death of that line had serious financial repercussions for Russia, and they were just now starting to pull out of the economic slump of no longer having a state Tremisimancer. The classroom was silent until Journeyman Steele spoke.

“Right, now that we’ve covered what you’re not allowed to transmute, could anyone tell me what you can’t transmute?
Reg raised his hand.

“Heir Coldwood?”

“Living flesh. Fleshcrafting and healing is Biomancy, not transmutation. Transforming a nonliving thing to a living thing and vise versa is Transmogrification, which is an entirely different field of metaphysics.” He said. Journeyman Steele nodded his head once sharply.

“Aside from the incident with the Void, which magicians are still scratching their heads over, it’s also impossible to transmute something that has never lived to something that has lived. You won’t be able to change rock to food, but you would be able to turn wood to raw meat. You’d still need to cook it, and it would have whatever nutrients and toxins the wood has, but it’s still possible to do. Transmutation is permanent. Water turned to ice would stay ice until it melted. Air ignited into fire would burn you and behave like real fire. Lead, when treated with a Philosopher’s Stone, will stay and become gold permanently.

Should you choose to take an affinity test at the end of your second year and find that you’re capable of one of the various types of mancery that we’ve subdivided the various types of transmutation into, you’ll learn how to do this with ease. However, these next two years will be spent teaching you the basic theory behind transmutation. For your homework assignments this week, I’d like a thousand words on the various types of affinities someone can have, and what their abilities would entail when they have reached Journeyman stage.

We’ll be covering the various types of mancery this week. We’ve already covered part of Tremisimancy, but there are eleven other fields we still need to cover. Now, turn to page thirty-five in your texts and you may begin copying the list of mancery that is found there. This is a good basis for the beginning of your essay, but if you turn in a list simply detailing the various types instead of a well-worded paper, I will deduct points from the assignment.” He said. We spent the remainder of our class time copying that list, and I began refining my paper. The bell chimed, and Alex Roman escorted us to our final class of the day. Conjuration was also taught by Doctor Coldhollow.

"Now, can someone please tell me the difference between conjuration and transmutation?" Doctor Coldhollow said, and my hand was in the air instantly.

"Miss, York, I believe?" He asked.

"Yes Professor?" Emily’s voice asked. I rolled my eyes, and wondered why didn't he call on me.

"Good question." Voice said.

"What is the difference?"

"A conjuration is a magical construct. Where a transmutation is rearranging physica. May I cast sir?"

"You may." Coldhollow said, and I turned to look up where she was sitting.

"Aquae orbis!" She said, swirling her wand in a jagged ripple I realized was the glyph for water. A round orb of water appeared on her wand and hovered in the air.
Leopold called the orb to himself, and it hovered in front of him.

"Fifteen to you, Miss York. I'll let your classmates vie to answer my next question."

"Now, class, is this orb of water real?" My hand was in the air seconds before everyone else.

"Mr. Andrews?"

"The orb of water is fake, sir." I said with a smirk.

"How so Mr. Andrews. It certainly feels like water." He said, running his hand and wand through the orb.

"Tell me Mr. Andrews, what do you think?" He said, sending the water towards me in a spray.
Quick as a whip my wand was out, and I said
"Magicae Fractae!" I said, and the water vanished.

"Sir, the water is fake because it's conjured from our minds and made real by the incantation we speak, the vision we have, and the magic we use. Real water can only be created by transmuting it from the elements we have around us or summoning it from a place that has water. May I cast, sir?" I asked.

"You may, and ten points to for excellent explanation of the theory, and a further fifteen for use of a third form spell." He said.

"Elevationem Aquae. Aquae, Orbis." I said, drawing a raindrop shaped glyph in the air.

A wave of emerald light flared out of my wand and as it touched the air in front of it, drops of water began running down my spell until I had a densely shaped ball of water resting on the tip of my wand.

"Now, Mr. Andrews, what makes this water different from conjured water? Don't tell me, let your other classmates figure it out."

"May I take that from you, Mr. Andrews?"

"You may." I said, and with a whisper of magic, this orb floated up to the front of the class. He conjured another orb of water. Reginald Coldwood raised his hand.

“Water from a true Transmutation is indistinguishable from natural water.” He said.

“Interesting.” Voice said.

“Your family would know about that, wouldn’t they, Mr. Coldwood?”

“Yes sir, our transmutation enchantments have brought us a long way.” Reginald said.

“Take fifteen, Mr. Coldwood. Now, who can expand on that. Mr. Lockwood?” He said.

“You can drink transmuted water. You could leave it in a glass, and the only way it would disappear is through evaporation. You can’t drink conjured water or freeze it. Conjured ice is warm, unlike real ice. Which is below freezing.”

“Fifteen to Mr. Lockwood, and 45 points to whoever can answer my last question. Why is transmuted water better to use than conjured water when dealing with magic?”
Before my hand was halfway in the air, Emily was already being called on.

“Miss York!”

“Like calls to like, professor. If you run into something like cursed fire, the conjured water will feed the magic fueling the fire, whereas the transmuted water will extinguish the flames. However, because conjured water still takes up mass, it would extinguish true fire.” She said. I could feel her smirk.

“This girl is good.” Voice said.

“Excellent job Miss York, and points well earned.”

I looked up at her, and she gave me a smirk.

“Oh, it’s on.” Voice said, and I gave her a grin in return that was all teeth. Then the dismissal sounded.

“Ah, class dismissed. For homework, I want five hundred words on the properties of cursed fire and its dangers, and five hundred words on different types of conjurations and their transmutation counterpoint. Extra credit if you can include the wand movements and incantations of the spells.
Miss York, for your performance in today’s class, you are excused from this assignment.

“Heir Andrews. I need you to stay behind for a moment.” He said, my classmates hurried to dinner, and I found myself standing at his desk.

“Heir Andrews, I’m curious as to where you learned your Water rune.” He asked, sitting at his desk, and giving me an expectant look.

“It’s family magic, I’d really rather not disclose how to use it, Sir.” I said. He smiled.

“I see Beth has wasted no time inducting you in those.” He said with a smile.

“Sir?” I asked, confused.

“What’s this guy on about?” Voice asked.
He smiled at me.

“Just give your guardian this the next time you see her, will you?” He said, and a sealed scroll popped into his hand.

“Yes sir.” I said, taking the scroll and dropping it into my bag. I’d pass that through to Bethany the next time I had a mirror conversation with her.

“Now, I still have an incoming class to teach, so shoo.” He said, and I left the classroom.

“He’s weird.” Voice said, and I had to agree.

Since Conjuration was our last class of the day, we went to dinner, and then to our Pods.
When I got back, I snuck off to the edge of the woods, and took the small silver mirror Bethany had given me. I dialed a series of runes on the surface, and it rippled for a few seconds before her face appeared in the mirror.

“Stephen!” She said, “How was your first day?” She asked.

“It was fine.” I replied, and then I proceeded to tell her about my day.

“And this Emily girl, you think she’s going to be a hindrance to our Plan?” She asked.

“I’m not sure yet. I want to gather more information about her.” I replied.

“I’ve taught you well. Is there anything else to report?”

“Yes. Doctor Coldhollow gave me a scroll for you, can you receive it right now?” I asked.

“Sure.” She said, and I produced the scroll and then pushed it into the mirror. She set the mirror down, and after studying the scroll, she picked the mirror back up. She had a frown on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I had Leopold look at a ward structure I’m studying. His findings are disappointing.”

“What ward?” I asked.

“Nothing you need to be worried about.” She replied, and I frowned.

“I wish you’d tell me stuff.” I said, sullenly.

“I will. When you're older." She replied. I sighed. We'd had this argument half a dozen times. I knew bits and pieces of what Bethany got up to, but I wanted the full picture.

"If everything goes to plan, you'll know what the ward structure is by next summer. Can you live with that?" She asked. I pondered that moment.

"Fine, but only if you tell me more over Yule break." I replied.

"Deal." She said.

"Now, I need to go. I have a Vox meeting to prepare for." She said. I nodded, and she cut the connection. I went back to my pod and did my homework until lights out.
That was my life for the next few months. Days filled with grueling exercise in the morning. As the months passed, and early autumn faded to early winter. The mud on the trail turned to icy patches, our morning runs gained an edge. The spells of humiliation faded to cutters and binders. Those who didn’t know the shield spell quickly learned, and we were forced to band together to make sure our shields stopped whatever hostile magic we couldn’t dodge. Small wounds became commonplace, and a few of us took to running in the afternoon to gain stamina and learning healing spells that we could access.

There wasn’t much to do in Coventry outside of duel practice, and broom flight, and I think that was by design.

Practice duels, and the actual class gained a frantic pace as we all diligently trained to succeed in the winter tournament.
It seemed as everything we learned boiled down to how it would help us duel. It was as if Coventry was training as soldiers instead of students. All in all, my first term was uneventful, aside from the dueling tournament and an incident with Emily.

<BR>
What did everyone think? If you liked this chapter, please consider giving me an upvote, or a like if you're reading this on SpaceBattles or Questionable Questing. This is an already completed work, and each post will be a chapter (or half chapter) of the first book in the Aether Cycle. I'll be posting these chapters every week. If you like what you read, and want to support the author, and don't want to wait for updates, please consider purchasing The Voice in His Head from Amazon or Audible, or supporting me on Patreon.
You can discuss this chapter below, or in the Discord. If you're a Troper, the Aether Cycle TV Tropes page can be found here. This needs Wiki Love, so if you like doing that, and you're a fan, be my guest!
Finally, I'm going to be starting a newsletter shortly, and you can find the signup form for that here! Anyone who signs up for my newsletter will gain access to an exclusive short story from Bethany's point of view.

 

So, we've reached the midpoint of Voice, and it's fitting that I'd like to report I've reached the halfway point in writing the sequel. As such, this is where I start looking for Beta-readers. Is there anyone that would like be a beta-reader, once I finish posting Voice?

 

December 5th, 1929.
Coventry School
Unknown location, United Kingdom.
The incident with Emily wasn’t so much an incident as it was an implicit agreement of mutually assured destruction. It was roughly a month before the dueling tournament. It was a Saturday. Reg, William and Calem had vanished. Something about a massive snowball fight. It’s not that the cold bothered me, I was well used to being forced outside on days like these, and warming spells made that a non-issue. It was the wet. Something about water soaking into my gloves and turning the fabric into a scratchy mess that sent shivers along my skin bugged me in a way few things did. I hated wet fabric, and wet wool was the worst.
I decided to go exploring. I was done with homework for the most part. The library got boring after a while, but the main building of the compound was built hundreds of years ago, and there were dozens of unexplored corridors blocked by spells and untouched for decades that I was interested in. Who knew what was hiding in the depths of the ancient building?
I found a staircase and proceeded to go down for what seemed like ages. This was above the alchemy labs and dueling pits, so it was still familiar territory. I was walking past an empty classroom when I heard Emily’s voice. The door was blocked, but she had neglected to bar against eavesdropping. I heard another voice. The voice had a low, smoky quality to it, and sounded older than any student.

“You’ve done well my apprentice. Aside from that Andrews boy, our plans are progressing nicely. I’m proud of how far you’ve come. Over the winter, we can begin translocation.” The voice said. Translocation was an advanced spell. Bethany refused to even teach me the basics of it until I was much older. Who was Emily learning from? I pressed harder against the door, and it squeaked.
I jumped away from the door, and it swung open. Emily was suddenly there, and she moved with a speed that, even with my magical enhanced reflexes, I found almost blurry. Her wand jabbed and flashed, and I found myself stuck to the wall.

“What did you hear?” She said, her eyes gained an extra glow, and I froze. Fear flared down my nervous system, and my flight or fight kicked in. I chose fight.

My pentacle flared and I dropped to the ground, my own wand in hand, emerald light dancing on its tip. A wave of telekinesis shot from my mind, and she caught the blow. This wasn’t powerful enough to throw someone of her weight. It was more of a love tap. A way to show that she wasn’t the only one with a couple of tricks up their jacketed sleeves. With a sneer, she staggered away. Her wand was still trained in a spot just between my eyes. I didn’t let my grip on mine waver, and it stood ready to unleash emerald hell upon the world.
We stood there for a long moment. Both our auras called to bear, wands at the ready, pentacles gleaming eldritch light. She cocked her head, and I slowly nodded. Then, she slowly lowered her wand, and I matched her movement. This wasn’t a sign of weakness. Not by far. I was certain I could take her, and I think she thought the same about me. This was an unspoken agreement between two mages of equal strength to put possible hostilities aside.

“What did you hear?” She asked, her tone just shy of a growl. She stalked towards me with a lean grace of predator. I caught another edge from her voice. One I was well familiar with. A razor silk blade of compulsion that I parried away.

“You aren’t the only one with claws, little girl.” Voice and I thought, and I was momentarily shocked when I heard a third voice, barely a whisper, add its tone to the shared thought. Finally, I replied.

“Tell me what else you can do.” I said. My compulsion wasn’t a razor’s edge like Emily’s. Mine was very much like my own personality. Blunt, heavy, like a lead weight to the head. Her defenses held, and she gave me an appraising look. A slow up and down gesture of her head.

“I’m not the only one with secrets, it appears.” She said finally.

"So, it seems." I replied evenly, my face a careful mask.

"What do you plan on doing with my secrets?" She asked carefully.

"What do you plan on doing with mine?" I asked.

"Really, Andrews, are we playing this childish game? What are you planning to do with the secrets you have learned this day?” She said, her magic sparked again. This wasn’t the lightshow from minutes ago. This was just a warning. I decided to end the charade.

“I’m not playing games. I’m adhering to the code of conduct while in negotiations.” I replied.

“Very well. Thrice asked and done. Heir Andrews, of House Andrews. What do you plan on doing with or about the information you have learned today?”

“York, I plan on doing with them exactly as you will do with mine.” I said. She was silent for another minute.

“I propose an Incorporate Oath between the two of us. To be ended with mutual release. To keep the secrets, we have learned about each other and any we might learn in the future.”

“I’m agreeable to these terms.” I replied.
An Incorporate Oath was the highest oath you could take. Nothing, not even familial bonds could override it. An oathbreaker would be named Warlock, and their body and magic would fail them if they broke their word. But I would be spending the next several years around her. If she was anything like me, she would never know to leave well enough alone. This also gave me an edge. It meant that a secret instructor and skill beyond her years were only a small part of Emily York’s secrets.
We tapped wands.

“Do you, Heir Stephen Andrews, agree to the terms of an Incorporate Oath. To never speak of my secrets. To never reveal them through word, action, or allusion?” She asked.

“I agree, but only if you will agree to protect my own secrets through the same protections you have just detailed.” I replied.

“I agree. Our wands are tapped. Our words are spoken, and our bond is brokered. So mote it be.” She replied.

“So mote it be.” I echoed.

“In Lumen Verum.” We said as one, and our wands lit.

“York, next time, you may find an eavesdropper who is less amenable to keeping your secrets.” I said and began walking away.

“Prat!” She shouted.

“Bitch.” I replied and continued walking away from her.

<BR>
What did everyone think? If you liked this chapter, please consider giving me an upvote, or a like if you're reading this on SpaceBattles or Questionable Questing. This is an already completed work, and each post will be a chapter (or half chapter) of the first book in the Aether Cycle. I'll be posting these chapters every week. If you like what you read, and want to support the author, and don't want to wait for updates, please consider purchasing The Voice in His Head from Amazon or Audible, or supporting me on Patreon.
You can discuss this chapter below, or in the Discord. If you're a Troper, the Aether Cycle TV Tropes page can be found here. This needs Wiki Love, so if you like doing that, and you're a fan, be my guest!

While Writing Voice and planning/writing the sequels, I did a lot of world building. Would anyone like to see those as supplemental posts?

 

It was a week before the dueling tournament. We were in our dorms, and the brackets had just been posted. I looked at the bracket in front of me and sighed.

“What are you moping about?” Emily asked.

“I have to wait for Clarissa Penhallow and Juniper Robbards to duel before I figure out who my opponent is gonna be.” I said.

“Ugh.” Emily replied.

“Oh gods.” She said suddenly.

“Hmm?” I asked.

“I’ve got to duel either Tyson Savage or Alicia Calhoun.” She replied.

“Calhoun is a bloody idiot. I’ve heard they’re shifting her down to Gamma.” I replied.

“I heard the same thing.” Emily replied.

“Both those matches are gonna be bloody awful.” She said.

“Reg and Calem are apparently going against each other in the first round.” I said, looking at the bracket.

“Oh, that will be interesting.” She said, looking the chart over.

“Oh, poor Will. He has to go up against Aloysius Moon.” She said.

“Well then.” I said. Aloysious was a bit squirrely to begin with, and dueling was definitely not his strength.

♦♦♦

The day of the dueling tournament dawned, and I skipped breakfast. My stomach was upset, and I wasn’t going to be the one to puke all over the dueling floor. Instead I took a run around the campus, and then returned to my dorm for a shower. After that, I got dressed in the leathers that Bethany had given me for Christmas.

For this event, we would be using the exhibition area on the grounds. This was to save time. There were almost three hundred students in first form, and since all of them would be participating, this event would have taken hours if we had just used a single pit.

Bethany had sent word that she would be unable to attend, and I had expected that. I wasn’t expecting to win the entire thing, but I wanted to put a good showing for myself among the first forms. There were thirteen squads in first form, and I at least wanted to come first there. I was going to be Alpha’s leader, and this tournament would prove that.

Emily and William joined me in the stands. William produced a book, and I snuck a peek at the title. It was the third form book on spells.

“It’s far too early for this.” Emily said.

“I agree.” I replied.

“Where are Reg and Calem?” I asked.

“Reg is with his sisters. I just saw Calem in the dining hall.” William said, not looking up from his book.

“Last minute cramming?” I asked, William, and I got a nod.

“Well, I’m going to go watch the competition.” I said.
My mirror suddenly vibrated, and I answered it.

“The two initial duels are done.” Emily said without preamble.

“Who won?” I asked.

“Calhoun on my end. She disarmed Savage, who apparently forgot scuto exists.” Emily said, and I chuckled.

“What about my match?”

“Robbards won against Penhallow. She landed all five of her spells, and disarmed Penhallow.”
Emily said.

“Well then.” I said matter-of-factly

“Get over here, you and Robbards are up next.” She said, and I hurried to the other end of the Arena.
Dean Crestwood was the announcer.

“For our next duel, Juniper Robbards will be facing Stephen Andrews.” She said. We both entered the ring, reached the center, and stood.

“Voice, let me handle this.” I said.

“You're the captain.” Voice said.

Crestwood counted to ten, and we bowed. Then we began.
Juniper began by sending out two knockback spells right after the other. I deflected. I sent out a transmuted fireball that Juniper wasted no time in sending back my way. A flick of my wand starved the fire out.

“Great show to Robbards for easily returning the pyromancy, and excellent follow-through from Andrews ending the transmutation.” Dean Crestwood said

“Tres Scyphi!” Juniper shouted, jabbing her wand towards me, and unleashing a trio of thrown conjured knives that I dispelled with a wave of my hand and a hastily intoned.

“Magicae Fractae!”

“And Robbards leads with a fourth-form conjuration, that Andrews dispels with a nice bit of wandless.”

She threw out another trio of conjured knives that I dispelled. The cutter she followed up with nicked my arm, and she got first blood.

“And Robbards pulls ahead in points as Andrews is caught off guard.” Crestwood said, while I was dealing with that. I began ignoring the commentary and focused on my duel.

I conjured paper, and sent three of Calem’s origami dragons towards Juniper, followed by a knockback spell and a disarmer. She was distracted by the dragons, and the knockback spell hit her chest. Forcing her backwards past her center line.

She managed to shield from the disarmer and sent a bonebreaker towards me that I dodged, forcing me to step backwards, and allowing her to regain ground.
The dragons were still harrying her, so I conjured another piece of paper, and this time, I added mass, and formed it into an origami badger, thrown by a bit of telekinesis, and followed by a disarmer. I was done. The disarmer hit her, and I smiled.

“I yield.” She said, and I quickly dispelled my paper creations.

“Excellent job to both. Andrews will move onto the next round.”

I went to sit back down on the benches and enjoyed the next few matches.

Alexei Valmont was fast, I had to give him that, but Theodora Chrissenbloom was practically a defensive prodigy. He managed to fire off eight spells that she easily deflected while holding her own. With the work of two spells he was disarmed and thrown out of the ring, earning her ninety points for the match.

Reg wasn’t the strongest dueler, but he managed to get four spells off, but Calumn Thorne fired off six, and was able to land two. One of which was a disarmer.

The next duel was between Will and Aloysious Moon. Moon was not a dueler, and William quickly bound and disarmed him.

After that, Emily faced Alicia Calhoun, who tried the disarming trick again. Emily deflected it, sent a trio of conjured daggers, and managed to land Calhoun with negative points as two of them drew blood. I had forgotten how fast Emily was. Despite the knockback spells and force spells Alicia managed to send against her, Emily stayed in her center line and neatly dodged and deflected them. Emily repeated my trick, but this time, conjured a massive paper lion that she sent roaring towards Alicia.

As it came close to her, Emily did something that I needed to learn, and the paper lion lost mass and split into five smaller ones. This small pride of lions forced Alicia backward, and one yanked her wand from her hand.

Malcolm Grey and Jocelyn York were the next to duel, and that battle was definitely one sided. Everyone knew that Jocelyn York was on the Diplomacy track for later years, and Malcolm Grey was a Grey. With three spells he had her bound, silenced, and disarmed, and I knew that he would be one to beat later on. I looked around the stands and found his older brother, who looked at me and softly nodded.

Interesting, someone wanted me to put little brother in their place, and I was one to oblige. If Emily didn’t do it first. The little shadow war I was playing with the older students and Emily was at an impasse. Both of us were slowly starting to earn dividends as older students took notice of us and we curried their favor. Emily and I had agreed to an unspoken truce until the end of the tournament.

Calem’s duel was interesting. Where he favored conjurations, and direct attacks, Lovelace preferred indirect spells. She employed spells of sleep, disorientation, and illusion. Both of them were eventually pushed to the back of their respective rings, and Calem managed to disarm her. The points spread was close, and the final score had him ahead by a mere five points.

The final match of round two was the Lockwood siblings. That fight was eerie. It was like watching someone fight themselves in a mirror. The fight was a double knockout, and with a flip of the coin, Olivia Lockwood moved to round three.

After a few minutes recess, round three began. My opponent for this round was Theodora Chrissenbloom, and was one of the more challenging duels I had participated in.

Theodora was great at defense, and this duel proved she was marvelous at offense as well.

After bowing, I was immediately put on the defense as a conjured vine was sent hurling towards me. I dispelled the vine and countered with a fire spell that Chrissenbloom dispelled, and then she conjured half a dozen circular blades and sent them spinning towards me. I managed to dispel three, destroy one, and lost points as two scored glancing blows off my arms. The dueling leather stopped them, but had I been wearing regular shirt sleeves, both my arms would have had nasty gashes on them.

I was caught on the backstop by some sort of conjured plant thing that looked like a deranged hedge animal.

I set that on fire with a transmutation to hopefully gain back points, and another one of those came rushing towards me.

“Ventus!” I shouted and conjured the strongest blast of wind I could. This emerald haze threw the crazed landscaping creature backward, and I regained my spot in the inner ring. Then I set into a chain of low powered, single syllable blasting spells that Theodora was forced to shield against. I pressed my advantage and threw out lightning that she ground away. A dozen conjured thorns came flying towards me, and I set them alight with transmuted fire, that I quickly smothered.
Secure in my point lead, I went on the offensive, pushing Chrissenbloom backwards until she reached the end of her ring.

“Armus Exorus, Conicio!” I said.

The first spell disarmed her, the second sent her tumbling ass over elbow into the ward shield. The knockout secured my place in the semi-finals and I allowed myself a wide grin as our stands erupted in applause.

“Damn good job, kid.” Voice said.

I returned to the stands so I could watch the rest of the round.

Calumn Thorne, while superior to Reg, had nothing on William.

They’d bickered constantly throughout the year, and William and Calumn’s rivalry fed that energy into the duel, although it was quite anticlimactic.

William drew his wand, dodged the disarmer, and shouted out.

“Iactus!” The spell, my spell, forced Calumn to dodge. Directly into the path of a Conicio that instantly knocked him out of the ring. I smiled in appreciation and was glad I had taught it to him.

“Good for William.” Voice said, and I had to agree.

“Sixty-five to five. That has to be a new record.” Reginald said.

“You would think.” I replied. William joined me on the stands, and as he took his seat next to me, I caught a deep whiff of his cologne, and promptly ignored the warm and tingly feeling that went down my spine. I still wasn’t quite sure what was going on with us. The barely missed glances and stumbling words between us had gained a heat to them. One that left me flushed just thinking about it and I was quite unsure what to do about it. That was when I realized that I would have to face him in the semi-finals, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

Emily went into her match against Malcolm Grey with a fierceness I’d only seen a few times. While he managed to shield from the initial barrage of three spells, her own conjured origami had him on the backstep till he could catch them on fire. This, along with her own use of the single-syllable blasting spells, and he was swiftly disarmed. The final score was a hundred and five to ten.
Calem and Olivia were tied for most of their match, but a last second disarmer from him stopped it from being a tie. After another recess, the semifinals began.

William and I bowed to each other.

“I’m not going easy on you, Lowe.” I said.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Andrews.” He replied. I knew William’s style well enough, and he knew mine. We both preferred shows of force that kept our opponents on the backstep and allowed us to press the advantage. When he began the duel with the one syllable array of blasting spells, I was ready, ducking under where I knew the spells were headed, and unleashing a spell that would cause a wall of earth to erupt along my center line.

This cost me my starting position, and earned him points, but I needed to win this match. Points were secondary if you had victory. As soon as my earth wall was complete, I began breaking and hurling pieces towards him that he was forced to dodge and block. I was doing this blind, except for a bit of telepathy to know where he was.

This kept him on the move for a while, until with a wave of his wand he sent the entire wall hurling towards me.

“Bugger.” I said, unleashing Iactus. This destroyed the wall in front of me, and I almost instantly raised a shield to block a spear of hurled stone. I retaliated with ice and fire, and he blocked this with bits of geokinesis. As we tore apart the battlefield, trading potshots of earth and stone, I eventually found a pattern to his spellwork.

Stone javelin, fireball, conjured knives. The next round that came towards me, I added mass to the stone javelin, used it to block the fireball, and the knives, and then I sent it hurling towards him. He blocked it with a shield, but I was already moving onto a shield piercer followed up by a binding spell.

The disarming spell meant nothing, I knew that, but it would force him to rely on wandless magic.

“Yield.” He said as soon as his wand was ripped from his hand.

Calem and Emily's match was interesting. Both knew each other's strengths, and their weaknesses. Calem preferred attacking from afar, stringing along conjurations and occasionally elemental force that kept his opponent occupied.

Emily preferred wars of attrition, dancing and dodging around spells only to tire her enemy out, and then closing the gap with a barrage of spells meant to disable. She had speed, and cunning, but I knew she wasn't going to give away everything she'd learned, at least not until we got to the final.

She started the match by unleashing a billowing sapphire smokescreen. Calem countered with a furious gust of wind that sent the smokescreen to her end of the field followed by great jets of water he hastily transmuted from the air. Emily, having dispelled her own conjured smoke, easily dodged those jets of water, and the follow up knock back spells that seemed to fly wide.
Interesting. I wondered why he wouldn’t just conjure it.

“Those were less energy intensive.” Voice said, and I had to agree. He had a plan.
Emily shielded against barrage of paintballs hitting her. Then she unleashed a cutter that Calem dodged. He hit her with a knockback spell, and she took the blow. That's when she slipped and felt and went sliding.

"Those weren't knockback spells! He was freezing the ground." Reg said.

"That's a great idea." I replied, trying to figure out how to replicate that trick.

As she stood, I saw the look on her face, and I felt a moment of pity for Calem.

"Uh-oh" I said.

"Yep." William replied.

"He's doomed." Reg said.

"Hope he has insurance." Voice chimed in.

She smiled, and I felt a shiver down my spine. I didn't like it when she smiled like that. Then Emily unleashed hell. A blast of fire Calem had to shield against was followed by a wave of force that caught him on the back step.

Then Emily unleashed a pulse of magic, nonverbally, and all the ice on the field rose, splintered and became icy shards that went hurling towards Calem. His eyes widened hastily as he worked to put up a shield, but his efforts were negated when Emily did something, a weird flick of her wand I didn't quite catch, that turned the ice back to water and wrapped around him aside from his wand hand. Then the water frozen.

Emily regained the ground she'd lost and walked to the center line. Her pose was confident, and smooth, and I pitied him. She walked to the center and made a gesture with her wand. He floated towards her, and she plucked his wand from the frozen hand.

"Yield." She said in a flat tone of voice.

"No." He said, and with a wave of her hand, his hair turned a bright, unholy shade of pink that hurt my eyes.

"Yield. Or I'm turning the rest of your hair that color, permanently" she said, a too sharp smile on her face.

"I yield." He said, and then I realized this meant that I had to face her in the finals.

"Oh, bugger me." I said.

"Sorry, Mate." Reg said.

"Better you than me, I guess. Bronze is nice." William replied, and I gave him a look. Oh, I was most assuredly doomed.

My match with Emily started off on the wrong foot and went horribly from there.

She must have still been annoyed at Calem, because she started the duel with a series of conjured origami birds, set them on fire, and sent them flying towards me.

I dodged the winged fiery beings of death, conjured a few daggers and sent them hurling towards her. She wasted no time in dispelling them and then unleashing a wave of force that I had to telekinetically enhance a shield spell with to block. Her second spell, another wave of force, this one more compact than the first, and twice as powerful slammed into my shoulder, and I winced. Even through the dueling leathers, that was gonna bruise.

“Tired already?” She asked.

“Not a chance.” I said and sent my own jet of water towards her face. That she had to dodge,

“Don’t trip on this one.” I said and sending a shoe-lace entangling spell towards her.

She countered the spell and leapt back before I could press my advantage. She sent acid, a seventh fucking form conjuration, flying towards me in a spray of purple sizzle that I dispelled, only to catch a shoulder dislocation.

As she unleashed a dizzying array of lazily cast schoolyard spells, I got the distinct impression that she was toying me. I frowned and sent Iactus hurling towards her. She blocked it with a shield that I didn’t recognize and sent a bone breaker hurling towards me.

I ducked, lost my line, and was put on the defensive. That was when I realized that Emily had been holding back and had been since the beginning of the school year. She sent out ten spells in an equal number of seconds, and it was all I could do to raise a shield and weather the onslaught she’d sent hurling towards me. Then, she stabbed her wand into the ground, and a deep furrow opened, and went racing towards my position. As I avoided the ground, it seemed to track me.

I dragged my foot in a hasty circle and intoned a hastily yelled.

“Scuto Rhombus!” Emerald light flared, and the only thing that stopped me from dropping into the ditch was my own will. The furrow carved itself around my circle. I threw out Iactus again, pouring power into the blasting spell.

Her pentacle caught the spell, and when it did, the resulting light show dazzled me. My pentacle produced a simple emerald shield. Emily’s was a work of art. Her shield wasn’t a simple purple-blue haze as I expected. It was a solid circular, localized wall of light, projected nearly ten feet away from her.

I saw a flash of interconnected runes and magical formulae that I struggled to decipher. Her shield vanished as soon as the energies I projected against it broke with a shower of emerald sparks.
She unleashed another series of spells. My improvised shield broke, and one caught me. Suddenly up was down. Down was up, and the last thing I saw before being rendered unconscious by a spell was her smug grin.

I was revived. Emily had won our duel, and William won third by defeating Calem. Emily continued to climb through the ranks. She defeated the rest of the First Form winners handily, and in a flurry of duels, secured the championship for herself as the winner of the entire school.

As she stood there on the victory podium, she sent me a smug, almost feral grin, and I inclined my head towards her in respect. In a single afternoon, she had gained nearly a thousand points for herself.

Her position as Alpha of Alpha Squad was cemented. For her complete and utter victory during the tournament she gained a small trophy engraved with her name, an invitation to compete in the United Kingdom’s national competition in London that summer, and fifty tremissis.

I had to respect her, but I wondered how she had managed to perform such a feat. I had been training for almost four years at this point, and she had almost easily defeated me. I reflected to a few weeks prior. Could it be that I wasn’t the only one with a voice whispering advice into my head?

 

The night before we departed for Christmas break, we gathered one last time in the first form common room. There was a corner of the foyer that we had claimed as ours. William and I settled into our chess match. Emily was sprawled on the couch. A dusty positively ancient looking tome was being held aloft in by a hover spell. Reginald was sitting in an armchair just to her left, carefully sketching plants into his journal. Calem was off brooding somewhere. That seemed to be his favorite pastime lately.

"What's everyone's plans for the hols?" I asked and took the rook that was threatening my queen.

"Just Christmas with the family. My dad's not going to be home, but my siblings are home from school." William said, and took my own rook in retaliation. I pointedly ignored the times our hands accidentally touched each other while we were moving our pieces across the board, or the times our eyes held each other's for a few seconds too long.

"My parents are taking me to Honduras. La Ciudad Blanca is holding a herblore conference, Dad is presenting a seminar about raising tropical magical plants in England." Reg said, not looking up from his task.

"Is your sister coming home?" Will asked.

"No, Fairchild's runs oddly. She'll be home in a month or two for their version of Christmas. Mother says that she'll let me mirror home on the weekends when she's home."

"What about you, Emily?" I asked.

"Yet another wonderful holiday at the orphanage. They may even feed us dinner." She replied. I closed my eyes for a second.

"If you'd like, I could convince Bethany to pick you up. You could spend the holidays with us." I said. My voice was low. Her book closed with a sharp thud.

"I don't need your pity, Andrews." She said sharply.

"It isn't pity." I replied, turning away from the chess match.

"Or your charity." She snarled. Then she rose from the couch and stalked away. I sighed. Reg gave me a look.

"I'll go calm her down." He said and rose from his chair. I ended up losing the chess match.

The next day I returned via mirror to an empty manor. After calling Phobos, I ate dinner and returned to my room. I levitated the trunk to my room, grabbed my magical theory homework textbook, and set to work. I had bought this copy a little over four years ago at a bookstore, and it was well marked and read.

I was just proofreading my essay when the mirror hummed to life. Bethany and Amy stepped through. Both were armored, and they had a worn look about them. Bethany stopped when she saw me.

"Stephen, you're home." She said.

"I am." I replied.

"I'm so sorry. I completely forgot. I was busy on the continent. Have you eaten? Because I'm famished, and I'm going to grab a quick bite." She said.

"I ate earlier, but I'll sit with you. Maybe you can tell me what you had my professor try and decipher?" I asked. She sighed and nodded.

"I'm going to shower and change. I'll meet you in the dining room in an hour." She said. I nodded, and she left. I left my homework where it lay and went to the bookshelves. I noticed that she had disarmed some of the wards on a few of the books that covered rudimentary wards.

I took a tome entitled "Introduction to Rudimentary Wards Vol. 1 by Ward Mistress M. Valentine." and grabbed it. I took it down to the dining room, and quickly lost myself in the book. The author really knew her stuff and was obviously a master at their craft. In a few moments a hand gently touched my shoulder.

I looked up. Bethany had changed out her armor and was dressed in a plain pair of pants and a shirt.

"Good reading?" She asked. I nodded, she sat next to me.

"Phobos." She said, and the imp appeared.

"Mistress calls?" He asked.

"Dinner please, and brandy." She said. He nodded, vanished, and appeared seconds later holding a steaming hot dish, and a crystal decanter of brandy.

"Whoever M. Valentine was, she was an amazing ward-smith." I said, and Bethany gave me a fond smile, it had a sad tinge to it.

"She was my mother." She said, "that book was written when she was twenty-one or twenty-two." She finished.

"She was a ward mistress by that age?" I asked, and she smiled.

"She was a Master of Wardcraft by eighteen, my mother was extremely talented."

"Did she design the wards around the townhouse?" I asked.

"No, but her notes were invaluable when I placed them."

"What was she like?" I asked. Bethany paused for a moment.

"My mother was fierce, and kind. She was a contrast of sorts. To her family, and to her friends? There was nothing that she wouldn't do. She was one of the nicest people I'd ever met. To her enemies? She was terrifying." She said, and took a bite from her steak, then she continued talking.

"The day they vanished; our home was under attack. My father and her fought until the last shuttle left. There were only a few soldiers that passed her wards, and when they did, my father was waiting with his own magic, and he was a Lord of some renown. Both of them had skills as a battlemage that even I would be hard pressed to match today. Each of them seemed to have an instinctive grasp of magic. They made sure our staff and soldiers were evacuated. My father and her firmly believed that they were to be the first in every charge, and the last in every retreat. It was a lesson the three of us learned a little too well." She said, a wistful air about her.

"How did they die?" I asked, and for one brief second, I thought I'd pressed too far. But it seemed as though I'd pushed too hard or asked the wrong question. Bethany had always been reluctant to talk about her past.

"I don't think they did." She said finally.

"After the war. Bartholomew and I returned to rebuild our home. We cast every spell we knew, and at that point, we knew a great many, and everything we tried returned nothing. There was no trace of them."

"But you told Bartholomew they were dead." I replied. She smiled again. Her plate had been pushed to the side, the dinner half eaten, and probably forgotten.

"You'll find that sometimes, belief in something doesn't make it real, and that perception can shift your reality into something it isn't. When your namesake died, I felt it. I felt it in my bones. It was like a piece of me had been ripped out with a hot knife. Like an iron claw around my heart. I didn't feel that when they died. For that reason alone, I believe that they're still alive." She said. I was silent for a moment. Voice and I both mulled over what she said, and then I remember the scroll.

"So, what's on that scroll?" I asked.
She smiled again.

"You're full of questions tonight. Aren't you?" She asked.

"Have you heard of the lost city of Kuhikugu?" She asked, and I shook my head.

"A friend of mine, Professor Fawcett, left to find the city a few years ago. I was going to join him as a surprise to you after the dueling tournament in Brazil. But, in the aftermath, was unable to. Before he vanished, he sent me a scroll through mirror, and I've been attempting to decipher it since. I believe that it's the portal formula to enter the city. If all goes well, and your training progresses next summer as well it has in the last few years, we'll be mounting an expedition to find the City during the summer of 1931." She said.

"What's so important about a lost city?" I asked.

"It was once the Brazilian's magical center of government. Whatever cataclysm or incident that lead to the city being lost essentially beheaded their government. The Majeure in exile would reward whoever ever found that city just about whatever they wished." She replied.

"Kid, ask her how badly we did on Black Monday." Voice chimed in suddenly.

She must have recognized the look on my face, or how my head tilted just a touch.

"What does he want to know?" She asked.

"He's wondering how badly we were affected on Black Monday." I said.

"We weren't. Aside from a few key investments and real estate holdings, I've liquidated a lot of our mundane holdings. I'll be reinvesting in steel and manufacturing in a few years, along with a couple of other firms and munitions factories." She said.

"We'll be war profiteering?!" Voice yelled. It wasn't so much a yell, as a loud roar in my brain that gave me an instant minor headache.

"There's a war coming?!" I said and shouted.
Bethany let out a sigh, and then took a long slug from the decanter.

"What did he tell you?"

"What's war profiteering, and why is Voice convinced we're going to be doing that?" I asked.
She was silent for a moment, then she spoke.

"In less than nine years, Germany will invade Austria. Most of Europe will fall before they're stopped. Millions of innocent lives will be lost."

"Then stop it!" I said.

"I tried. The man behind these atrocities is protected, and there are some mages that I'm scared to cross." She said. Her tone was final.

"So, what do we do?" I said.

"We ready ourselves for the future. This entire block is protected by spells. Even if London burns to the ground, we'll be protected. No mundane bomb will be able to penetrate our wards." My eyes went wide.

"London is going to be attacked?" I asked, fear with an undercurrent of panic ran down my spine.

"London will be fine." She said. Half-truth my magic told me. I sighed. I had to trust Bethany.

"Stephen, I am telling you as the Head of your Family, you are not to speak about this. To anyone." She said.

"How do you know this?" I asked. She was silent for a moment.

"The terms I agreed to learn that are still binding." Her tone was careful. She was searching for her words.

"When the term expires. I will tell you how I found that out." I sighed. More questions and less answers. It seemed as though that was typical of our interactions. The clock in the hall chimed suddenly eleven times.

"I had no idea that it was getting that late. Go off to bed. I'll see you in the morning." She said. I was tired anyway. I walked up to bed and reveled in the luxury of a mattress much larger and softer than the ones in my pod. I fell asleep and dreamed of a city floating in an ocean.

 

The remainder of my winter holiday was mostly uneventful. Aside from opening gifts and dinner on Christmas Morning, and the Yule sabbat a few days prior, there wasn’t really anything to do. I received half a dozen books from Bethany. A history of Coventry that I devoured and gave me ideas about exploration. A primer on wandless magic. A pair of daggers charmed to always return to their sheaths. Like with most of my possessions, they were placed in my ever-present bag. The balance of the holiday left me with no goals. I wanted to begin learning about control of other affinities.

Two days before the New Year, I approached Bethany. She was in her study which was locked behind wards that I didn’t even know how to begin picking.
I knocked once. Then once again. Finally, after a moment, the door swung open.

“Bethany, I want to start training in other manceries.” I said, there was no point in beating around the bush. She preferred directness.

“I know that you said I would have to wait until I was older, but I think I’m capable of handling that now.”

“Well, come in Steven, yes I have time to talk.” She said sarcastically and turned aside. The office was in sharp contrast to the rest of the house.
Where the house was your typical manor, all hardwood furniture, deeply varnished floors, and darker walls, this office was airy. The windows showed scenes of a place that was certainly not London. Fluffy cream carpet, a desk that was a marvel of metal and glass, and a floating miasma of light that projected into the air, and across the surface of the desk. There were half a dozen book cases in light wood that accentuated the office. She sighed and sat in her office chair.

“I was wondering when we’d have this conversation.” She said, and I quirked an eyebrow.

“In your research at Coventry, did you ever stumble upon the word Aether?” I shook my head.

“Your mother was one. Where I’m from. Where I was raised, an Aether is a mage who is fully capable of controlling not one element, but all of them. Your mother...” She trailed off.

“I’ve seen her turn perform miracles. Bring the dead to life. Turn aside beams of energy that were meant to melt metals thought impenetrable. Turn a forest to ash and cause a dessert to bloom. She was one of the most powerful people I’ve known. It is quite likely that you have at least a bit of that talent.”

I nodded and leaned back for a second. I knew this was part of the truth, but most likely not the entirety of it. I remembered the conversation I had overheard months ago. Something else was going on.

“So, who do I learn about being an Aether from?”

“There are no Aethers currently living. Well, there are, but they would not be happy to find out that you are around. Plus, I’m not entirely sure how we would reach them. I have a couple of books I can give you, and I can teach you a few things. How to control water, and fire. Vincent can teach you about how to control another element, but we’d need to find instructors for others. I can make inquiries abroad and we’ll find instructors. If you’d like, I can teach you a few tricks.

“I would love that.” We went to the library and took a mirror to the island. We exited the cottage and activated the defenses. Then Bethany made me stand beside her.

“Calling forth flame is the easiest of the elements to conjure. Fire is all around us. It is just waiting to be ignited. It’s simple to draw the oxygen from the air and ignite it with a bit of heat. It’s also the hardest to control. Fire will burn their user as quickly as their surroundings. Fire is an exercise in control. Control of one’s self. Control of one’s emotions. Control of one’s magic. Therefore, pyromancers need to be careful with their gestures when actively calling forth fire.” She said, with a sharp twist of her wrist, she called a tongue of fire into being on the tips of her fingers. That was odd. I didn’t feel the magic of the fireball snap into being, and it wasn’t colored by her aura. It was an orangish-red ball of flame that looked like it belonged on the end of a lighter, not on the tips of her fingers.

She extinguished the flame, and pointed her left hand outward, pointer and middle finger extended, the other digits curled back like a fist. Then with a sharp jab, a lance of true fire shot from her hand. I felt the temperature around us drop as the flame gathered heat around itself. Another gesture, this an open hand, and a blast of flame that encircled us like a half globe.
Finally, Bethany made a twisting gesture with her wrist and hand, and the half globe collapsed in on itself, compacting into less of a fireball and more of a small sun. The orb of flame hovered in her open palm.

Why can’t I feel the heat off it?” I asked.

“Because I’m willing it to not produce heat. I’m actively using my aura and will to shield myself and you from the flames. A master pyromancer can stop their flames from harming whoever they wish.”

With that, she cast the ball of fire upwards in an arc, it flew into the sky, and for a second, hovered before it exploded into a second sun.

“For your first exercise I want you to meditate. Feel the sun shining down on you, feel its heat. Feel the air in your lungs as you inhale and exhale. Internalize your magic and coat the air as it leaves your lungs.” I dropped to the ground, crossing my legs as I did so. I cast out my senses in a wide net, tapping into the leyline beneath me as I did. The magic pooled inside me, running up my spine with a tingle. After a moment, I felt the heat. Even with the ground covered in snow and a bitter wind that was only staved off by our heating spells, I felt the warmth of the sun on my shoulders. Felt it’s heat, it’s warmth. I closed my eyes, blocking out the glow of my aura as it flared from the increase in magical power. After a moment, I rose. Drawing the heat around myself, directing it down my arm, and toward my hand. The air was harder to manage. I knew Bethany said to use the air from my lungs, but it was easier to use the air around us. I reached for that with my magic, and then, I brought them together and then the air exploded in a wash of emerald flame.

I flew backward, and it was only the emergency shield that was stored in my pentacle that saved my life. Still, I felt a flash of heat from the explosion.

I groaned and shook my head and stood on shaky legs. I looked down at my hands, and they were an angry red.

After she completely extinguished the fire, she turned to me.

“You could have killed us both!” She exclaimed. She drew her wand and began waving it over my body.
Instantly I saw the redness fade away.

“How did you do that?” She asked.

“I did as you said, and that happened.”

“No, you didn’t. Stephen Andrews don’t lie to me. Tell me the truth.” I felt power in those words. When she said my name, it was like someone had grabbed hold of my heart and gripped it an iron fist.

“I drew the air from around me instead of my lungs.” With that, the grip was gone. I let out a breath and fell back down to the ground, this time to my knees.

“What did you do to me?” I asked.

“I invoked your Name. If someone has that, and they have the proper bonds, like say that of a family member, they can control you.” She said simply.
Those words gave me a surge of strength. I leapt to my feet, drawing my wand as I did.

“Bethany Andrews, if you ever compel or attempt to control me again, I will end you.” I said and threw every bit of my power into that invocation.
She gave a small laugh.

“Child, mages more powerful than you have tried.” She said. Suddenly there was a long, low clap from the cottage and a small laugh.

“My my Beth, I see he’s getting your habit of biting off more than he can chew.” A voice said from that direction. We turned and looked. Eli was striding towards us. He still looked exactly like he had when Bethany first introduced us.

“Eli.” She said stiffly, and in a blink, she was by my side, her arm was around me, almost protectively, and her other held her wand.
I could feel her magic around me, settling like a cloak and knew she was drawing up her wards, the protective enchantments she kept stored in her pentacle, or on one of the bangles on her wrist.

I drew my own wand and wondered why she was regarding him with such hostility.
He shook his head.

“You’d think I’d have earned a little trust at this point. Bethany Andrews, I agree to abide by guest protocol while I’m in your holdings.” He said, and instantly, the cloak of magic faded away to golden sparks.

“What do you want?” She asked.

“I bear a missive from my Lady. She has an assignment for you.” He said. He produced a scroll from thin air. A thick piece of parchment.
Bethany glared at him.

“Why did I not get word beforehand?”

“This is word.” He replied.
She opened the scroll and scanned it. There must have been a privacy spell on it, because it was a few jumbled lines of text to my eyes.

“You may bring your apprentice if you wish. Selene will understand.”
She gave me a look.

“He can barely conjure fire. He would just be a victim for an Ijiraq. I take it you’ll be joining me?” She asked.

“Of course.” Eli said.

“We’ll return to my townhouse then. I need to armor myself.” She said.

“I can fight!” I said

“Aw, look at him. He’s so young and willing to get himself killed.” Eli said with a smirk.

Bethany turned to me.

“You can hold your own in a duel, but you are not nearly ready to trade spells with a creature of Deep Winter or High Summer.”

“In his defense, he seems to be able to conjure fire, he just has no control over it. Give it time, and I’m sure he’ll be just fine.” Eli said, and gave me a look like he was eyeing a particularly juicy steak. I shuddered.

“Leave my Heir alone, Eli, he’s too young for you.” Bethany said, and we walked into the cottage and through the mirror.

Once we arrived at the townhouse, I was sent to my room, and the pair left for the armory. I had tried to access it before, but I had been stopped by the wards on the entrance.
I was left to my own devices until the morning before I was due back at Coventry. I spent the time studying my book about wandless magic. The Librum spell was a powerful tool, but some books were spelled to block knowledge absorption spells. This was one of them. Wandless magic was interesting. A wand acted as a thaumic insulator and ensured that a mage who channeled to magic didn’t literally burn themselves out or turn into a shade. A shade was a dangerous creature, basically a person stripped away of their emotions until only impulses remained and with the ability to channel an essentially unlimited amount of magic.

The book had a few exercises for wandless practitioners. Meditations, warmup gestures and a chart of how runes translated into the hand and finger movements necessary to call forth magical energy. There was a lack of actual knowledge about spells though.

As I read through the books, I dictated my thoughts to a pen, which wrote them down in a journal. I already had a few of them filled with ideas and notes on magic. At the end of my Second Form of Coventry, when I took the tests to enter an apprenticeship program, I planned on assembling them into my own grimoire. I wished there was a way to shorten the process instead of writing everything by hand.

“Kid, I have an idea.” Voice said suddenly.

“What?” I said out loud. I had taken to the habit of talking to voice aloud when there was no one around.

“Have you ever heard the term computer?” Voice said.

“A what?” I asked. Voice was silent for a minute.

“It’s from my time. It allows for someone to speak to someone in real time and allows them to work more efficiently than they already would. Typewriters exist, and if we combined those with the enchantments that allow for pens to take dictation, I think we’d have a winner.”

“We’d need to go into Mundane London to purchase one.” I said.

“I’m fine with that. Do you have that stash of mundane currency?” He asked.

“I do.” I replied.

“Excellent.” He said. So, I gathered my things, returned to my room, and dressed for a mundane outing. Then I applied my glamour and aged myself up a few years so I would appear to be an adult.

Then I struck out for mundane London, bought myself a portable typewriter. I returned home and began disassembling one of the pens. The pens worked via a series of enchantments and runic circuits engraved into them. So, I’d need to figure that out first. As I took notes verbally, my journal recorded my thoughts.

The morning before I was due back at Coventry, I was attempting to pick the wards of the top shelf. It held the books on enchanting that I would need for my new project.
Bethany ran through the mirror, suddenly. Eli flanked her and they were followed by Amy, walking backward and firing a sleek silver rifle into the portal. She threw a ball into the mirror. There was a muffled boom and a roar of pain.

With a savage wave of her hand, Amy cut connection on the mirror, and shot the mirror, and it shattered.

“Will the Leshi be able to follow us?” She asked. Bethany shook her head.

“Our Paths are well guarded, and that thing won’t be able to breach our wards. I’ll have to replace the mirrors.”

“I thought it was an Ijiraq?” I asked.
Bethany gave me a look and glared at Eli who shrugged.

“Honestly, we thought it was too.” He replied with a shrug.

“This was fun and all, but I’m too sober for this right now, and I need to be going. My Lady needs to know what was terrorizing her constituents, and we need to commission a hunting party to track this beast down and warn others about what accompanied it.” He said. There was a shimmer in the air, a rush of win, and a flurry of snow, and he vanished. As soon as he left, Bethany sank to the ground, exhausted. Both their faces were dusted with soot, and ice crystals glittered in their hair and eyebrows. Amy turned to Bethany.

"Beth, that was a fucking Tindalos! It took us months to lose one of their trails last time." Amy said.

"So, I brush up on my Enochian. It'll be fine!" Bethany said. I heard an eddy of fear from her voice.

"This would be a wonderful time for exposition." I said.

"Tindalos Bad. Mmkay. Ask Bethany." Voice said.
While Amy furiously muttered lines of incantations, a line of runes trailing behind her, Bethany let out a shaky breath.

"Bethany, would you please explain to me what the bloody buggering fuck is going on?" I asked.

"We were ambushed." Bethany said, stripping off her leathers down to the body suit. She turned around.
There was a long diagonal gash in the suit. The cut was shallow, but it was oozing blood.

"Stephen, what does it look like?"

"I'm not a doctor."

"Kid, field medicine!" Voice said.

"Right." I said shaking my head.

"Medicae Revalarae!" I said, drawing the rune that signified medicine. Her aura was gold, and there was a tangled net of purple and black-ish green in the cut.

"Purple, and dark green." I said.

"Dark green how, dark green like your aura, and black mixed in with green?" She asked.

"The second."

"Fuck me."

"Stephen, what I'm going to ask you to do is gonna hurt me. I need you to sterilize that wound and cauterize it."

"Take a pain-killer potion."

"I can't. That will render me unconscious. I need to be coherent, and you need to do this."

"But what about Amy?"

"She's busy shoring up our wards. You are the only one who can do this." She said, I felt panic rise. I was vaguely knowledgeable about healing, but this looked serious.

"Breathe kid." Voice said.

"Bacterium Fractae." I said, and Bethany grunted in pain.

"Cauterize." She said.

"Cautero.” I said, running my wand diagonally down her back

"Now, intone Fractae Nex, Permas. Use Sowilo as the rune invocation, use the cut as the alignment rule. " She said, and I did, the rune glowed green with black lines, and then pulsed once,
turning to white. A grainy black powder fell from the wound."

"Now, reverse the cauterization." She said, and steam rose from the cut. It began freely bleeding again.

"Now, all you've gotta do is stop the blood, and seal the wound."

"Sanguine Soliditeur." I murmured, stopping the bleeding and siphoning away the blood into nothing as I did so.

"Cutis mente unoque consilio." I said, and the skin knitted itself back together. When the energies of the spell dissipated, there was a thin pink line, but other than that, the cut appeared to have healed.

“Good job.” She said. Rolling her shoulders. Amy had returned, and Bethany looked at her.

“We’re clear. The defenses held.” Amy said, and then she looked at Bethany’s back. Her suit had begun slowly knitting itself back together.

“It’s good.” Bethany said. Amy nodded, then she looked at me.

“It’s late, shouldn’t you be in bed?” She asked.

“It’s 10am.” I said flatly.

She frowned for a moment.

“Time zones, Ames. Add 9 to the chronometer.” Bethany said, and then Amy nodded.

“Bethany, I have to be off. Vincent still needs my assistance on the continent. The Russian situation is precarious at best right now, do you mind opening a portal for me?” Amy said.
Bethany nodded, and twisted her hand. A portal sprang to life, and Amy waved and stepped through it. The portal closed.

“Now, what’s a Tindalos?” I asked. Bethany sighed.

“It’s a type of Other.” She said.

“Other?” I asked.

“It’s a type of creature from Outside reality. Some Others are relatively benign. Some think that eating your face is a way to say hello. Quite a few would love to break our reality in two and see what makes it click. Tindalos are vicious creatures. They hunt those who meddle with Time.”

“So, I’d be a target?” I asked.

“No, even with the chronotrail that Coventry coats you with, you would attract a mild interest, but nothing deadly. They want to flat out eat me.” She stood and winced, and then she rolled her neck, and I heard the pop as vertebrae realigned themselves. Bethany sighed and stood, then she walked out of the library.

“Stephen, I had intended to teach you the basics of pyromancy and hydromancy before you return to Coventry. I still intend to do that, but it will be costly.”

“How so?” I asked.

“I intend to use chronomancy to give us back the time we lost. It is imperative I begin teaching you the basics of your power. Follow me.” She said, and I followed. She led me to the door with the long hallway, and to the room with the hourglass. She tapped the door panels in a specific sequence and the door swung open. It was long, about the size of one of the ranges we used when we were working on target practice for archery and spellcasting. There was a line of targets on one wall. There was an hourglass carved in the floor. The room was lit with glowing round sconces.
There was a bookshelf that took up the entirety of one wall, and a small cabinet took the corner of another, along with a pair of couches and a chair. Bethany closed the door.

Then she traced the hourglass on the floor, and it took on a golden glow. Then she called up a few more bits of magic, a ward scheme that I didn’t recognize that flared into existence and vanished just as quickly. The room was cold, and I could see my breath in the air.

“For every hour we spend in this room, a minute will pass outside. I want to at least teach you the fundamentals of pyromancy now. We can spend Easter break covering more of that and start your hydromancy lessons. Now, start your meditation.

“This room isn’t very warm.” I said.

“I know. Since you don’t seem to have a problem conjuring fire from external sources, your goal today will be to conjure from within. When you manage that, I’ll adjust the temperature in the room. A pyromancer is always able to call upon their element, and you will be no exception. Just concentrate on your breathing, and the energy inside of you.”
I focused on my breathing. On the air flowing into my lungs, and then out. On the heat inside of myself. After some time, I drew the heat out of my body. Channeling that heat from my center, up through my arm and until it felt like my fingertips were burning. I opened my eyes, filled my lungs, put my fingers inches from my hand, and breathed.
A jet of true fire burst from my fingertips and danced above them. Not much, only the amount a lighter would produce, but enough.

“Good job.” Bethany said.

“Now what do I do? My hand is on fire!” I said, and the jet of flame jumped a bit. I hastily lowered my arm.

“Keep calm. Fire is linked to your emotions. Surprise. Anger. Stress. Anything that elevates your heart rate will increase the output of your flames. Breathe.”
Bethany ignited her own small jet of flame, and then shot it toward the targets on the far wall. It impacted and burned a small hole in it.

“As you jab your finger forward, release your hold on the flame, settle its target in your mind’s eye like you would with a spell, and then fire.”
That part was simple, and I hit the target with ease.

“Again, and this time hurry.” Bethany said. I went through the mental exercises once more, in a few minutes time, I conjured the jet of flame, and unleashed it.

“Again.” We went through this exercise until I could conjure a jet of flame on my fingertips instantly. Then she had me practice stopping it before it hit my target, extinguishing it midair and making it jump from fingertip to fingertip and hand to hand.

When we were done with that, she had me change the shape of the flame, and from a jet, to an orb, to a half dome that hovered in front of my palm. Visualization played a large part in my control, and it was my will alone that stopped those flames from consuming me.

This continued for hours, and I had to force myself to learn how to shield from the heat as we worked through the katas that encompassed the beginning movements of pyromancy. At the end of the session, we sat and grabbed a couple protein bars, which I hurriedly consumed.

Magic required energy, and that energy came from somewhere. When the energy was burned out of my core, I could release my power, or I could rely on my body’s fat stores and those were quickly consumed. Bethany produced a small lodestone, a diamond orb about the size of a softball, and I drained the magic out of it in a few moments. The magic rushed up my spine in a cold blaze and I sighed at the buzz. We rested for a moment and I sprawled on the floor, mentally exhausted from my exercises. I stared at the room’s high cathedral ceilings and zoned for a few moment’s time, trying to gather the motivation to get back up.

After a few minutes, I must have fallen asleep, and I felt Bethany’s spell catalyze in the air as her will and power combined into a sharp dart of magic. I rolled out of the way, instantly awake and alert, and the spell hit the ground harmlessly.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“You're here to learn, not sleep. Each borrowed second of time I use in this room costs me dearly, and I intend to minimize that cost. Now, stand up.”
I stood. She snapped her fingers, and a trio of books popped into existence.

“You’ve got to teach me how to do that.” I said.

“There will be time for party tricks after you’ve mastered the fundamentals of survival.” She replied.
I took the books out of the air. The first was titled, Invisibility for Idiots: A Beginner’s Guide to Phosphomancy by J. Harrison. The second was A Practicum on Practical Psionics Vol. 2 by G. Cortés.

The third and final book was titled Audiomancy: how to silence yourself and those around you by a T. Cortés.

I chose the Psionics book first. I found that when using the Librum spell, it was less painful if you memorized something that you already knew about. Memorizing this book felt like a small ball of pressure centered between my eyes, and the knowledge poured into my brain. In that instant, I figured out a missing piece to my mind palace, and I wondered if this was the information, I needed to complete its construction. I paused, and then memorized the Phosphomancy book. Since my knowledge of invisibility was nonexistent, memorizing this book like driving a nail into my brain. I bit back a scream, and as the knowledge soaked into my brain, I realized what I had done four years earlier in the library, and how I could replicate it if I bent light around me just so.

I held my wand over the third book and intoned the Librum spell. Where the last was a hot nail, this was like a frying pan to the skull. I crumpled as my brain absorbed the knowledge from the book. I felt my stomach lurch. I fought to keep in the calories I so desperately needed,

After my vision returned to normal, and my brain stopped trying to kill me for defying the natural order of things, I realized that Bethany was holding the usual combination of potions for dealing with such a thing. I took them gratefully and let them work.

“Are you recovered?” She asked, as I stood on shaky knees.

“Well enough.” I replied.

“Work through what you’ve just learned.”

With a minor effort of will, I drew the dagger sheathed to my ankle. It hovered in the air for a second. With my newfound knowledge I opened my mind and closed my eyes. I felt Bethany’s mind and reached out toward it. I was quickly rebuffed.

“That was rude, Stephen. Trying that again will result in pain.” Her voice echoed in my mind. This wasn’t telepathy, I don’t think Bethany was capable of this. It was using a connection I had already opened between us. Like taking a trail someone else had already blazed. I opened my eyes.

“How did you do that?”

“I’ll give you a tome on psionic defenses before you leave for school. Now, try the Phosphomancy.”
I reached for the light around me, and bent it to my will, imagining a black spot where I was. Wrapping it around me like a radiant cloak that bent reality around me.

“Qui revelare.” She said, waving her wand in a wide arc. Then she aimed her wand right at me and fired a spell, I dodged out of the way, and directly into the path of a binder she spent spiraling towards me. I fell to the ground with a thud.

“Perforabit Velum.” She said, and I felt my grasp on the light break.

“That was an excellent first attempt. However, you need to learn to protect from sensory magics. I’d suggest an addition to your pentacle.” She said.

I glared at her.

“Well, get up.”

“Unbind me and I will.” I replied.
She smirked.

“Figure out the binding.”

I growled. Well, two could play at that game.

“Confractus Magicae.” I said and poured power into the spell. I felt it break and stood.

“It was a decent attempt, but what if I had layered my spell to include a backlash?”

“I’d probably have killed myself.” I replied.

“Yes, you would have. Next time, I’ll add such a spell, and you’d better be prepared.” She replied.

“Bethany what’s this about? This whole session, and since I first spoke to you this morning, you’ve been...” I grimaced. This was going to be painful.

“For lack of a better word, bitchy.” I ground out.

“My, Stephen, or Voice, who ever really controls my nephew, that was positively 21st century of you.” She replied and drew her wand carefully.

“Bethany what are you talking about?” I asked.

“Who’s really driving this body. Is it Voice, has he completely possessed you?” She asked, her tone firm.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“He’s a time traveler. It wouldn’t be the first time I had to deal with one. Alexis has sent me on a merry chase since I first arrived here. She’s covered her tracks extraordinarily well. She’s left me nothing but a trail of crumbs that end in smoke and mirrors.

Then there was that idiot boy my nephew got involved with. That was a fun week. Saving the universe usually is. Whatever Voice is, there’s obviously some sort of temporal translocation involved, if not some sort of auric one as well. Plus, the meeting I just had raised more questions than answers.

Now, I want to know. Are you Stephen Andrews, or are you some imposter riding his body? If you are, I’ll remove you, spirit.” This was straying dangerously close to exorcism territory, and that was something I would never be subjected to again. I drew up my magics, prepared to fight my way out.

“Honestly, don’t bother. I would have killed you in your sleep had I wanted. I want to know how this happened. I’ve gone over that orphanage with a fine-tooth comb magically, and I found nothing. Now, thrice asked and done. Who the fuck are you?” She asked. There was something dangerous in her eyes. Something I had seen directed towards the vampires that night in Rio. Something that was now directed towards me.

“I swear on my magic, that I am Stephen Oliver Andrews, Heir of House Andrews, once known as Stephen Bonaparte. Voice has no control over my magic. Does that satisfy you?” I asked. Then I lit my wand, and it glowed. She stopped suddenly, and it was like I’d hit her upside the head.

“Oh.” She said, her aura vanished with a crackle. There was silence for a few moments.

“I’m sorry. I had to be sure.” She said.
We sat in silence, and then she spoke.

“What was that about? What was this whole argument about?” I asked, my tone carefully neutral.

“The people I work for and with have dangerous enemies. They’ve taken a bounty out on my head, and I was informed my apprentice was in danger. I’m attempting to accelerate your instruction in battle magics. You should be safe here and at Coventry, but you are not the first apprentice that has been threatened by bounties, and I want to ensure your safety.”

“That isn’t a lot to work with.” I replied.

“All I have to go on is rumors of rumors and whispers of plans that are as nebulous as smoke. I spoke to a Seer. All I know is in a year’s time, perhaps more, perhaps less, you will be tested.”

“Tested how?”

“I’m not sure, all I know is you and a boy will be present.”

“What does the boy look like?” I asked.

She waved her hand, and a shimmer of light flowed from her hand and coalesced into an image of William.

“Will.” I breathed.

“What?” She asked.

“His name is Will Lowe. He’s a classmate of mine.”

“Curiouser and curiouser.” She replied with almost a murmur.

“Why?”
She shook her head, refusing to tell me more.

“So, when are you from?” I asked.
She gave me a quizzical look.

“You mentioned your parents were from a hundred and fifty years from now, so that’s mid-21st century.”

“When did I mention- the argument? Oh, you are clever aren’t you.” She said, and I smirked.

“We have a year to prepare me for this trial. Let’s get started on hydromancy.” She said, and I dove headfirst into that. This was easier than pyromancy. Water required willpower, not energy. You had to Will it to go where you wanted, and it did. Freezing it, drawing the heat from the water you wanted without rearranging the molecular structure and sparking a flame? That was tough.
I was quickly learning that I had an issue with accidently starting fires. I shuddered to think of what would happen when I began experimenting with Phosphomancy offensive capability.
We spent almost a month in that room. A month of 18 hours of work per day.

Studying, learning hydromancy and pyromancy. By the time we were done, I had a solid grasp on both specializations. Enough to stand my ground in combat using either of those, along with an improved veil and a new enchantment on my pentacle that would block some types of analysis spells. That, and the Audiomancy allowed me to become functionally invisible.

Bethany told me that there were other ways to use Hydromancy. Deadly ways that made even what I knew from dueling seem like love taps. She told me that I wasn’t going to learn those until I was much older.

We departed the temporal chamber. It was early in the evening, and I had to be up early tomorrow to return to Coventry. We parted ways, and I stripped out of my clothes, took a shower, and fell into bed after I set an alarm spell.

The spell woke me up a few hours later. I had packed a couple of days before and added my new books to the bag that I had taken to carry earlier. It was now a small mobile library at this point, along with the few weapons I could claim as mine.

Bethany teleported us to the façade the school used on the mundane side, and we entered the building. Before we did, she turned to me, and gave me what looked like a skeleton key. There was a book on the end opposite the teeth.

“Find the room this key goes into and use it to your advantage. I had to go through a great deal of trouble acquiring that, so I suggest you use it. Keep up with your drills. I’ll be displeased if we have to spend half the summer relearning old material.”

“Okay,” I said, pausing for a moment, and then saying the word with a shaky breath, “Mum.” I finished. She smiled and wrapped her arms around me.

“I’ve been waiting years for you to call me that.” She whispered.
William and his family had already arrived, his brothers and sisters were in tow, and I guided Bethany over to them.

“How were the hols, mate?” He said, offering his wand. I took a long look at his face, and when he returned the look, I felt my face flush. I had missed him during the break. We tapped, and he introduced me to his parents and his siblings. The one closest to him in age, Cassandra, looked like a female version of him down to the eye color, which I realized was not his aura shining through, but his actual eye color. She blushed when she caught my gaze, and quickly turned away. The next, Edward, had William’s raven hair, but his eyes were a chestnut brown. The third and final was Evelyn, who after I asked her name, quickly told me.

“Call me Evie.” She was young, no older than eight or nine. When I took her hand, I felt a spark of power. I knew that this girl had the gift and that it would only be a matter of time before she joined us at Coventry. The other two could use magic, they had a sense of Fae about them, and I wondered if that was where the Lowe family’s children got their magic.
Evie had power. It was untapped, but it was there. Coventry only accepted those with an ability above a certain threshold, and she had it. After introductions were made, I scanned the crowd. The other mundane-born families were also milling around.

I caught a glimpse of Emily on the outskirts of the group and waved, but she ignored me. I saw Calem next to her, and they were in a hurried conversation. Trading looks around the room and holding hands. Frowning I turned back to Will.

“Did you get any letters from Calem or Reg while we were on break?” I asked Will.

“How would I? I don’t have a mirror, and a mundane letter would take too long from Brazil.” He said.

“And what about Emily?”
William sighed, and I raised an eyebrow.

“I’m more your friend, and Reg’s friend than Emily’s. We don’t really speak unless we’re in a group.” He said. I nodded.
Then there was a click and a clunk, like an old key turning in a lock, and a door appeared in thin air.
Dean Crestwood stepped through.

“Welcome back from your Winter Holidays! I hope your holiday was wonderful, and now without further ado, please form a line so I can take roll call. We did, and when Dean Crestwood finished with the roll call, we wished our families good-bye and walked into the door.

 

January 1930-Late April 1930.

Coventry School

Location Unknown

United Kingdom.

My first week back at school was spent revisiting material. Bethany's tutoring had put me ahead of the curve as it was. The temporal chamber had utterly ruined my chances of remembering where we were in the material. My nights were spent in the common room, playing chess with William or Reginald. Emily was still ignoring me. She'd interact with Reg, and Will, but whenever I tried to speak to her she'd act like I didn't exist. Apparently, something had happened with her and Calem, because those two seemed to be stuck together like glue. When they weren't walking the halls together, they were in whispered conversations. I tried using my skill in Audiomancy, to eavesdrop, but Emily must have raised a spell against it because all I heard was a static hiss.

When Calem wasn't hanging around Emily, he had begun hanging around with Thorne and Grey.

It was the second week back, when I finally confronted the two of them.

"What's going on with you two?" I asked. A great blizzard had confined us to our pod.

"We're a couple." Emily said simply. I looked at her. Lie, my magic told me.

"And Calem is suddenly hanging out with the idiot duo?" I asked.

"He's expanding his connections. It's really none of your business." She replied. Lie, lie, LIE! My magic yelled.

"I'll explain later." She sent, and I jerked back. She gave me a slight nod, and I walked away.

The same week, I'd finished another project. I'd snagged a bag from Mundane London. This was a small pouch with two metal clasps which, after much trial and error, and almost a year of trying to figure out the enchantments for spatial expansion, I had finally cracked the spell.

There were no upper limits to a spatial expansion spell, except you needed to ensure the width of whatever you put in the bag was the same as the opening. However, this could be solved with shrinking spells. Essentially, I'd created a pocket of hammerspace. I'd bought nearly two dozen of these pouches. One of them was enchanted with a stasis spell that would keep food in pristine condition until I needed it. I had no idea what kind of trial I'd face, but I would not be without resources. A third pouch would eventually contain survival gear. Another for my equipment and so forth.

Early January turned to late January, and snow still blanketed the grounds. Ostensibly, Coventry was in London, in the same manner that Fairchild's was located in Buffalo, New York, Geijutsu in Tokyo and Great Lakes was located in Traverse City. The entrances for those schools were in those locations, but in the magical world knowing a location's entrance, and knowing where it was located were two entirely different things. Then you added in translocation, spatial distortion and compression, and the dozen or so other tricks mages used to hide their homes and schools, and no one except the upper echelons of the governments knew the exact location of vital places in their society.

Class had just dismissed, and instead of crowding into our pod, I had a better idea.

"Let's explore the main building." I said.

"That's a great idea mate. The noise in the pod is going to drive me barmy." William said.

"Emily, what do you think?" I replied. Aside from the short mental message, she had yet to speak to me.

"I'm in agreement with William." Reg said quickly.

"Well, let's go on an adventure then." I said, tucking away my book.

"Where too?" Reg asked.

"To the lower levels."

"Those are forbidden for us to visit." Emily said.

"Rules are meant to be broken." I replied and began striding towards the staircase at the lower levels.

We walked down into the depths of Coventry, past the dueling arenas, and the archives, and three more levels down. We walked down a hallway that was covered in a thick layer of dust, and the witchlight orbs that seemed dimmer than the ones a flight up.

William and Reginald drew their wands and lit them. The hallway took on a green glow as their blue and yellow auras collided. I snapped my fingers, and a fireball of true flame flared into existence.

"Where did you learn that?" William asked.

"I began training in my affinity over Christmas break." I said.

"I didn't peg you for a pyromancer, Andrews." Reg said.

I shrugged and we continued. We must have walked a quarter of a mile down that dusty hallway until finally we came to a door. This one was locked.

"Looks like we're at a dead end." Reg said. I drew my own wand and murmured a revealing spell. The door's threshold lit up with my neon green and revealed a few runes carved into the floor. I pushed away the dust on the floor. There were a trio of runes carved into the floor.

ᛁᚱᚦ

These runes were woven with a glimmering gold metal that I didn't recognize but seemed to shine somehow.

"Any idea what this circuit does?" I asked.

William crouched down beside me. Reg and Emily joined him.

Emily pointed out a series of mathematical formulas around the border of the runes.

"That's the metamath formula for a locking spell." She said, then she drew a line with her wand to the rune in the center, tracing a fine line that dropped down into the top of the rune.

"That's a Raidho, so, I'm assuming that's the rune and metamath blocking the door from being opened."

"The one on the right is a Thurisaz, it's connected to this formula right here." Reg replied.

"What does that one do?" Emily asked.

"I'm not sure, but I recognize the formula. Stephen, do you have a copy of Cartier's Primary?"

"Our conjuration handbook?" I opened my bag and summoned the text.

"While you're in there, can you get me Markov's Secondary? That's an Isa rune, on the left, and I think I know how to counter it." William asked.

"And the Tertiary." Emily said.

"Why would I have a third form book?" I asked. She glared at me again.

I produced the two of them, and they each opened a book while I examined the runes. I hadn't begun delving into the metamath that allowed spells to be constructed yet. Math was always something that I struggled with.

I examined the area around the door. Aside from the runes there wasn't anything really around the door.

"Can you just blow it open?" I asked and raised my wand.

"No!" Four voices simultaneously said.

"Okay then." I replied.

"I figured out mine. I need paper." Emily said and gave me another look.

"Well, aren't you chatty today?" I snarked and produced a few leaves of loose paper.

She blew a circle of dust away with her wand, plopped down in a cross-legged position, and began scribbling away.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Dispelling a scuto shield without it catalyzing into a tertiary cascade that will disintegrate us." Emily said.

"We're in a school, no one is going to be trying to disintegrate us." Calem scoffed.

"She's right. We might be in the school, but I think this was here before the school was built." William said.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"My uncle is an archeologist. He's taught me a few things. Do you notice the walls?" He asked. I looked around. The walls were smooth, someone had tunneled this place with magic.

"What about them?" I asked.

"The rest of the school is brick. Those tunnels look older than that. I'm not sure how much older, but I think this tunnel was built before the rest of the school. This isn't a security spell from the school, it's one designed to keep intruders out." He replied.

"And I was wrong about the rune. It's a Laguz. It means water. The spell attached to it is a cutting spell. If it activates it would boil the water in our bodies." William said.

"Ouch. Can you disarm it?" Calem asked.

"I think it's tied to the Raidho. We need to disable that." He said.

"The Thurisaz is a reactive force tied to a blowback spell. It will explode if it triggers." Reg asked.

"Could we react the force inward?" Calem said.

"If we triggered the spell inside a barrier, maybe." Emily said.

"Like a telekinetic barrier?" I asked.

"More like a bubble with an inverted curve. I can't exactly map the parabola of the explosion without a lot more time." Emily said.

"How do we trigger it?" I asked.

"A burst of offensive magic directed at the door." Emily replied.

"When I say now, shoot." I said, and threw out a wall of telekinetic force, placing a series of mental anchors around the door.

"Any requests?" Emily asked.

"Surprise me, and fire at will." I retorted.

"Guys is this such a good idea?" Reg asked, hastily walking backward.

"Carnificare!" She snarled. Sapphire power flared, catalyzed and sent deadly force out into the world. The spell flew, inches from my head, through my barrier, and impacted with the door. Magic reacted, runic circuits came to life, and the wards in front of the door blossomed. The explosion hit my barrier, and I heard four voices yell out.

"Scuto!"

Just as quickly as the explosion happened, it vanished from existence. I dropped my barrier and immediately tapped a ley, funneling cold power into my core.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and knew just from that bit of contact, and familiarity with my friends and their power, that it was Will. I leaned into his touch without thinking about it.

"You okay mate?" He said, I bit my lip and nodded, and felt a trickle of wet down my face, and wiped it away. The sleeve of my shirt came away red.

I turned to my friends, and Reg had his wand out instantly.

"Do I have permission to heal you?" He asked.

I nodded.

He murmured a spell over my nose, and I got the scent of wheat I associated with his magic.

"Cessare." He intoned.

"You broke a blood vessel in your nose, that should fix it." He said.

"How do you know how to heal?"

"You'd be surprised how many accidents happen on a farm. Plus, my mum gets the nose bleeds from using her gifts. How are you a Psyker if you're already a Pyromancer?"

"Let's go on." I said, avoiding the question. That bit of power cost me more than I realized, and I fought back a wave of vertigo. I wish I'd eaten more at dinner, because whatever calories currently being digested by my body were gone from how much magic that took from me. We walked for some time down another dusty hallway and eventually Reg spoke.

"Emily, how did you know that spell?"

"I learned it from the library." She replied.

"Coventry doesn't have those kinds of spells." I said.

"We have one of the top dueling teams in Europe. Of course, we have those kinds of spells. You just need to know where to look. What I want to know is where you learned how to use that bit of telekinesis, Andrews." She replied.

"Oh, I'm full of surprises, York." I replied.

"Full of shite, more like it." She retorted. I ignored the remark and we continued our trek. Eventually we came to a fork in the path.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked.

"Well we could split up." Reg suggested.

"Yeah, that's not happening." Voice said, and I echoed that.

"What's the worst that could happen?" William asked, and I gave him a look.

"Honestly, haven't these kids seen a horror movie?" Voice muttered.

"What's a horror movie?" I asked him, I got the mental equivalent of a shocked look.

"It's a movie designed to scare you. They probably haven't even been invented yet." He said.

"That seems like a bad idea." Emily said.

"Andrews, since your psychic, why don't you tell us which path to go down?" She asked me.

I gave her a look.

"I haven't trained for that. Do you think you could magnetize that stick in your arse and turn it into a compass?" I said.

"Maybe I'll use the silver spoon lodged in yours." She retorted, and I drew my wand.

"Come and try, York." I snarled, and she drew hers as well, her eyes glowed with her aura.

"Enough, you two!" William said, and we looked at him.

"I'm not sure what's going on between you two but put it aside for two fucking seconds please." He said, and we stared.

William didn't swear. Ever.

"Fine." I said. Emily began walking down the path on the right, savagely carving lux into the air. A trio of sapphire orbs sprang to life.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I chose a path. Follow me or don't." She said, and we did. Eventually it led to a dead end.

"Great choice, York." I said.

"Fuck off, Andrews." She said and turned back around to retrace her steps.

"What is her problem?" I asked.

"I think it's you, mate." Reg replied, and followed her. We came back to the fork and took the path. This one was much shorter and fed into a chamber. In the center of the chamber, a triquetra was carved into the floor in silvery blue metal. This led to a set of two steps. On that dais, there were three doors. Each of them was carved with a kite shield. The first, on the left, was painted blue. A snarling lioness painted gold with a crown on her head was painted in the foreground. The second, in the center was black. A single bright red Kenaz rune was its only embellishment.

The third, the door was the right, was the one most detailed. It was painted a piercing bright blue. A white pentagon was pointed on the shield. At each point on the pentagon, a seashell was painted. In the center of the Pentagon was a creature with the lower body of a mermaid, and the upper body of a lion.

"God's blood." Reginald said, at the same time as Emily uttered.

"Bloody buggering fuck." With a viciousness that I only usually witnessed during duels.

"I thought these were lost." Calem said.

"What do you three know?" I asked.

"Could someone please tell me what is going on?" William asked.

"What do you know about the history of our school?" Calem asked him.

"Nothing really." He said.

"Well, what do you know about King Arthur?" Reginald asked.

"Just stories my dad would tell me when I was younger. It was Ed's favorite story." William said.

"Do you know how he died?" Reg asked.

"Of course, the Ladies of the Lake took him to Avalon after Mordred mortally wounded him in a final battle. He killed Mordred in the process." William replied.

"Did he tell you what happened after?" Calem asked. He shook his head.

"Lady Morgana, the Grand Sorceress. Merlin's last apprentice." Emily said.

"Lady Vivienne York, Enchantress without Equal. Herald of Glory's morn." Reginald said. His voice filled with awe.

"Leanna Pendragon. The Queen with no throne. The orphan heir. Spirited from the ashes of Camelot that was, hours before Mordred returned to his traitor Queen." Emily said, an almost reverent tone to her voice.

"At their knees, Leanna learned of magic and sword. Of spells, charms, and magics both terrible and beautiful. In time, the foundling grew into a woman, and took her own apprentice, and then another, and then a third. Soon, three had grown into thirty, and then a hundred. A school was formed, and a coven followed." She continued.

"Eventually, the school's origins faded into history, and then myth. It's rumored that when the Sword is drawn again from the stone, Leanna will return, and a new golden age will start." She finished.

"That was poetic." I said.

"You're pathetic." She replied.

"And I think I know how to open these doors." I said and fished in my pouch for the key Bethany gave me. I tried each of the doors, and nothing happened. William took the key and tried the doors. Then Reg and Calem tried the same. When Emily grabbed the key, it dinged, loudly, like a church bell and glowed. It flew out of her hand, and into the door on the left, where it turned in the lock. The door swung open, and we walked into it.

Emily winced.

"This room is hurting my eyes." She said, and instantly the glow subsided to a light grey.

"I wish I had a chair." Emily said, and instantly a wood backed armchair appeared next to her, and she sat.

"It's a magical holodeck." Voice breathed; he was excited.

"What's a holodeck?" I asked him.

"Think of it as the ultimate simulation." He replied.

"Uh, thanks." She said out loud.

"Your welcome." A voice said. A man materialized. He was roughly six feet tall. He had a white beard that was nearly as long as he was tall and was dressed in a dapper black suit. His eyes were a twinkling emerald green, and he held a cane in his hand.

We jumped. Well, four of us did. Emily toppled backward. She quickly stood.

"Who are you?" I asked. The man ignored me.

"Who are you?" Emily asked, and then he spoke.

"I am an impression of Merlin, crystalized from the memories of my three ladies and his journals, and artificed into Genius Loci, before an idiot headmaster decided that he didn't need my input, and locked me away, for, what year is it?"

"1930." she said.

"Ah, yes, seven hundred years." He replied.

"Why won't you respond to my friends?" She asked.

"This room was designed to be controlled by the Heirs and the Headmasters of Coventry. They are neither. Would you like to extend interaction privileges to them?" He asked, looking her in the eyes.

"Yes." She said.

I felt a magical scan come from the man and wrap around me. It vanished just as quickly.

"Interaction credentials created." He said.

"What is your purpose, and what's this room's purpose?" Calem asked

"My purpose is to control the wards of this castle and its exterior defenses. This room is a multi-purpose room designed and enchanted by Lady Vivienne Fairchild. It is designed as an object retrieval and replacement system, a training room, a library, and an emergency shelter in case of attack by hostile forces."

"What exterior defenses? Aside from the wards, Coventry has no defenses." Reg said.

"That's impossible." Merlin said, and he waved his hand in the air. A 3D image appeared in the air. An image of a sprawling walled fortress appeared. The walls of the fortress were bristling with ether cannons and gargoyles. There an entire courtyard of armored golems that looked like ancient Chessmen, the gold automatons that mages used as shock troopers.

He waved his hand and a modern version of Coventry appeared.

"What happened to my school?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, anyhow, back to what you said earlier. What do you mean by training room?" I replied. Merlin waved his hand and a gnoll appeared in thin air and charged me. I dodged a swipe of its claws, that would have decapitated me if I wasn't running on a full charge, and then knocked it backward with a focused pulse of telekinetic power.

Then, I threw out a jet of flame and the creature squealed, and fell to the ground, it's fur ablaze. I smelt cooking meat and heard its flesh sizzle. Without pause I drew my daggers telekinetically and threw one in each eye. The creature died and vanished. My daggers clattered to the floor and I summoned them back to my sheathes. Emily had raised her wand and was already looking for another target. The other three had barely gotten their wands in hand. "What was that? Speak quickly." She said.

"That was a psionic simulation using the knowledge stored within my memory to create a juvenile gnoll. I judged it to be an apt challenge for four first form students. Apparently, I was wrong. We can try that again if you'd like?"

"How about just targets next time?" Reg asked.

"Now, your library functions?" Emily asked.

"Ah, yes. Over the years, due to my object retrieval system being turned off some time during my first century of existence, once again the work of a meddling headmaster, every object a student loses eventually comes into my care. As such, I have a vast pool of magical texts to draw on. What would you like to know?"

"Magical rituals, how to enhance strength and speed. Preferably without using a wand." Emily.

"Well, to do that, you'd first need a ritual and the proper knowledge on how to unlock your chi points so that magic would saturate your body most effectively."

"Okay."

"Before you'd use that, you'd need a text on how to properly meditate and focus on your magic."

"Okay." She said.

"You'd also need a set of ritual knives. The white and black handled blades, enchanted specifically for rituals."

"Just show me the texts I need." Emily said.

"Very well."

Three tomes the size of large phone books appeared in a row and Emily's eyes grew wide.

"Isn't there a condensed edition?" She asked.

"This is the condensed version." Merlin replied.

"I'm never going to be able to read all this." She muttered.

"I have a spell that will duplicate the texts. That way we can all start studying them." Reg said.

"Why would you need to know these rituals?" She asked. Reg closed his eyes.

"I'm the youngest of 8. My brothers are all grown, and I was almost sure I was Ungifted. I need power." He said simply.

"Why would you need it?" He replied. She didn't reply for a moment, and when she did her voice was thick.

"T-Things are rough, at the orphanage. Even more so for a girl. A young girl." She replied.

I closed my eyes. Had it not been for my magic lashing out, and Tommy's cruelty, and Bethany, I'd have been in the same boat.

"They won't be here." I said.

"For a moment Andrews, it seems as though you cared." She replied.

"I have a spell that will allow us to skip reading those texts. The knowledge will just flash itself into our memory. I'll teach you the spell, York. For a price." I replied.

"And what would that be?"

"Tell me why you've apparently decided to hate me." I replied. She glared at me for a few moments.

"You got lucky." She said.

"What kind of answer is that?" I asked.

"The only kind you'll get from me. Now. The spell if you please."

"Okay. I'm warning you. This spell is painful." I said.

I walked over to the book on the left, pointed my wand at it, and intoned.

"Librum Memoriae." A vast wave of knowledge washed over me. Pages upon black and white printed pages swirled through my vision on meditation. On proper breathing and mental focus. On how different meditations on different days prepared your body for the magic that you planned on inviting into yourself and merging with. I breathed a sigh and the room spun. This was mostly material I already knew. Emily had already begun absorbing the knowledge of the first book and had moved onto the second.

Reginald and William were quick to follow, and we all drank the knowledge of those three books. At the end, I had a mild headache. Emily looked pale and stood on shaky legs. The other three were on the floor, curled up in agony. William had vomited his lunch in an arc across the floor and had curled up in a ball next to it.

"Emily, how are you still standing?"

"If I fall, I won't get up." She replied. After a moment I stood and walked over to William. I helped him up and cleaned his sick. Then we both retrieved Reg from the section of the floor he was cuddling with. Emily helped Calem to his feet and took care of the mess he had left behind.

"You said that this room was an object retrieval system?" I asked Merlin.

"Yes, over the years students have lost many objects, or discarded them. The school returns those objects to me, and I use what access I have to leylines in order to fix them. Then I catalog them and store them in a spatial pocket.

"Do you have any gold?" I asked. I had money, Bethany's money. But I wanted access to my own funds besides whatever my deals were bringing in.

"There is currently an estimated nine tons of gold aureus in my stores."

"Are there any expanded shrinking trunks, with feather light spells?" I asked.

"There's five of them."

"Can you split the gold equally between the trunks and retrieve them?"

"I have no use for gold, but that's a tremendous sum." He said.

"If you do this, I swear if it's ever in my power. I will restore your runic array." I said. He nodded, waved his hand, and produced five trunks. We each pocketed one of them after shrinking them.

"Mate, do you have any idea the fortune we just received?" William had a triumphant smile on his face.

"My family's finances were tight because of Coventry. They're going to be thrilled." He said and gave me a hug. I froze. Two sides of me fought. One wanted to run and hide. The other wanted to stay like this forever. I hugged him back gingerly and patted him on the back. He stepped backward and I nodded.

Reg waved his wand then.

"It's nearing curfew. We should probably get back to the common room." He said.

"I wish this room wasn't so far away, we could use it as a place to practice our spellwork." Emily said.

"I take it you used one of the Coventry's Master Keys to open the door?" He asked.

"It was a key my guardian gave me." I replied.

An image of a key popped into an existence. It was identical to the one that was in the door even now.

"There are three of these Keys. Simply put them in any door, think of this room, and turn the lock. The key will allow you to enter any room in school that is connected to the primary ward array."

"Can you produce a door?"

"Yes." Merlin said, and one shimmered into being along a wall. I ran and retrieved the key, then, while thinking of a storage shed close to the pod, I took the key out of the lock, and reentered the room. The door closed, and I placed the key in the lock. It opened to snow. Reg, William, and Calem entered, and then with a pull, I shut the door again, and called the Key to my hand.

"What was that for?" Emily said.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You and Calem. Calem and those two morons. What are you planning?" I asked.

"It's nothing of your concern." She said.

"It's not going to bring harm to me?" I asked.

"No. It's just a play. Calem is in on it. I can't say anything more." She said.

I frowned.

"If that's all, can I leave?" She asked.

I reopened the door. We returned to the pod without incident and went to bed. The next week was boring. At night, I'd used my magic to sneak away to the room and practice my elemental control. That weekend, we went down to the room as a group, minus Calem. The snow had continued and there were at least a dozen feet of white icy powder burying the grounds. We arrived in the room, and Merlin appeared.

"So, what do you want to practice?" I asked.

"I think it would be best if we begin with basic target practice. This room is going to give us a massive edge in dueling tournaments." Emily said.

"Merlin, you said that you can create a training course, right?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Create one for us, or a scenario. Benefitting our skill levels."

"As you wish." He said, and then a half a dozen gnolls came into existence. They were backed by a trio of dwarven archers. Instantly the gnolls charged us. Emily smiled. This time she unleashed that carnage spell she was fond of. One of the gnolls was decapitated and her grin grew wider, only for a crossbow bolt to slam into her shoulder, and she screamed. I was busy with my own opponents. Two gnolls had charged me, and I threw my daggers at each of them.

They dodged the daggers and I backed up, conjuring a half dozen razor sharp spears of ice, and throwing them outward. Three impaled one of my opponents and I smirked, unleashing a jet of flame at the second. This one raised its arm, and the fire washed away on its bracer.

The gnoll grinned a smile full of yellow razors and turned the flame back at me. I jumped to dodge the fire, and it attacked, grabbing me by the ankle, and hurling me before going after Reg. He conjured vines from thin air with a jab of his wand, and they wrapped around the gnoll's spout. Calmly he drew a dagger and sliced its throat and unleashed another binding spell at a second gnoll. William was dueling with a duet of them.

Emily had killed one of the gnolls. The crossbow bolt was still lodged in her shoulder, and she was attempting to take on the archers, but she was pinned down, forced to keep up a shield. William was in the center of the room, fighting a pair of the gnolls with schoolyard hexes. Then something slammed into my shoulder, and a hot breath streamed into my face.

The gnoll that I had impaled earlier held me in the air, and it roared in my face. One taloned arm held me pinned to the wall, the other cocked back. Then it slammed into my gut, and I groaned in pain. The gnoll wrapped its hand around my throat, and I felt my airway constrict. It took every bit of will I had to blast it backward. I called upon fire, and it answered, and I unleashed bright green hell upon the creature. That was when a crossbow bolt slammed into my abdomen, cutting into my stomach, and sending agony shooting through my core.

I fell to the ground, holding the wound as my lifeblood poured outward. Reg was backed into a corner by a gnoll, only his magic keeping him from death. William cornered by the last.

Emily laid on the floor, her body bristling with crossbow bolts, laying in a pool of blood. Then, as soon as it began, it was over. I wasn't bleeding out. Emily wasn't dead.

We'd lasted a couple minutes. We all tapped a ley and recharged our magics.

"That was abysmal." Merlin said.

"Don't they teach you group tactics anymore?"

"We're mages, not soldiers! We're practicing for dueling. Not combat!" Reg exploded.

"Combat is just dueling in an art form. As long as there are mundanes, gnolls, dwarves, and half a hundred other creatures and races coexisting alongside us, then you need to be prepared to defend yourself no matter where you are. We'll run this again. But try and keep each other alive." Merlin said, and the nine opponents reappeared.

"Shields, On me, scuto!" Emily said, conjuring a shield.

"Who made you the boss?" I asked. A crossbow bolt whizzed by my head, and I raised my shields alongside the other three. The bolts began glancing off our shields, and the gnolls ran at us and around us.

"They're going to flank us." I said and threw out telekinetic force that sent them stumbling.

"Stephen, you contained an explosion. It stands to reason you can stop crossbow bolts. Right?" Reginald said.

"Sure." I said, lying through my teeth.

"Raise a shield." He said, and I did.

"Don't let them through." Reginald said.

"I'll do my best." I said.

"Now, Will, Reg, fire off your strongest spells!" Emily said, and she unleashed the carnage spell. Reg fired off a dozen silver spikes. William threw out a bone breaker, followed by a dagger conjuration. The carnage spell deflected off one of the gnoll's bracers. Of the silver spikes, three of them hit their targets, and then one of the gnolls unleashed their own pulse of force that slammed into mine. I barely kept the shield up. Then another unleashed a ball of magical power that caused cracks to appear in my construct.

"Did I mention that your opponents will learn and adapt to your techniques?" Merlin asked. A jolt from a third direction had me looking behind.

"We're surrounded." I said. I wasn't going to lose. I racked my brains. There had to be a way to pull us out of the fire. Without bringing down my shield. Then the four of the gnolls threw out power at once, and my shield broke. I threw out a wave of force to knock them backward, and they quickly ended us.

"So. You're more abysmal than I thought." Merlin said, I sent a jet of flame through him.

"That was rude." He said.

"What battle magics do you four know?" He asked.

"Battle magics?" William asked.

"Spells meant for defense of oneself. Spells to break your opponent. Magic meant for killing."

"Like dueling spells? I guess the entire first and second form of curriculum." William said.

"A bone breaker. The bone-saw spell, a blood boiler, and the nerve shredder." Emily said.

"The vampire and the werewolf killers. The Single syllable blasting spells." Reg said, and I gave him a look.

"Half a dozen ways to snare the mind, break the body, and rend it to ash." Reg said.

"How do you know that kind of magic?" I asked. There were spells designed for battle. Then there was whatever Reg was apparently learning.

"My parents are both Hunters for the Council Majeure." He replied.

That settled that. The Hunters were the boogeymen for the council. Hunters tended to be recruited from certain families.

"Have any of you taken the affinity tests?" Merlin asked.

"I drew a false positive." I said, repeating the lie.

"False positive?" Merlin asked.

"All the bowls reacted." I said, and Merlin was quiet for a second.

"I'll have to research that more, but the rest of you haven't, I take it?" He asked.

"I'm a Biomancer." Reg said.

"Really?" Merlin asked.

"Have you begun training?"

"I'm moderately proficient in healing. I have a better control of plants than anything." He said.

"We're both mundane born." William said.

"And?"

"And our parents, and guardians haven't tested us." William said.

"When they started the school, every new student was tested for that on their first day. Morgana was from a tribe of pure elementalists, and she wanted to test her students for those affinities. If you'd like we can test you three now." He said, and they nodded. Merlin conjured the bowls. The test I'd taken had been different. This had ten bowls instead of twelve.

Emily's aura reacted to the bowl that I recognized contained some sort of memory. William's reacted to the bowl containing earth.

"A psionic and a geomancer. Interesting." He said, and I took a look at the bowls. The ones missing a bone, and a hunk of crystals were absent.

"Well, we need to get your started training in these elements." He said and produced two books that William and Emily quickly memorized. I held William as the aftereffects of the spell ran through him. It took him a long time to recover from that.

"Don't memorize any more books today." I said, and he nodded.

"Did the books settle well?" He asked, and they both nodded. The room shimmered and changed. Two stacks of earthen discs appeared, along with half a dozen targets.

"I want you each to throw those discs into those targets." He said. They both looked at each other.

"Merlin, can I see that text on Geomancy?"

My own copy appeared in front of me, and I quickly memorized the spell. I could see how the principles of moving earth linked in telekinesis. It hurt, but the knowledge increase wasn't as much as I thought.

I, however, had enough on my plate. Another set of targets appeared alongside the first, a pair of unstrung bows, and a quiver of arrows.

"I want you two to practice with these. Stephen, do not use your abilities." Merlin said. I'd never fired a bow before. Bethany had focused on swordplay and using my daggers.

I took the bow and strung it after some struggling. Reg had easily strung the bow and had begun firing at targets and was hitting them fairly accurately. I faced the target, and fired, and completely missed the target. After a few minutes of utterly humiliating myself, Reg took pity on me.

"You're standing wrong." He said.

"What?"

"Stand to the side. Point your feet towards the arrow." He said. I did.

"Now turn your head and pull the string back with one arm as you push the bow forward with the other."

"Now, close your eyes, and aim." I did, and when I opened my eyes, my aim was just to the right.

He nudged my foot back, and I moved it. My aim adjusted.

"Fire." He said, and this time my aim was true, and I hit the target, but it was below where I was aiming for.

"You've got to account for drop, aim just above where you want to hit." He said.

I tried it again, and my target was true.

He went back to firing at his own targets. I noticed the easy grace he had with the bow. He'd have to have been training with it for a while. On the other side of me, Emily and William were moving along swiftly.

They were easily hitting their targets and had taken to seeing who could get the most in a row. We continued our target practice for some time. After a while, Reg, who had been keeping track of time, informed us that we needed to leave, and we wished Merlin farewell, and left.

 

That night, I stole into the room.

"Merlin." I said, and the figure appeared.

"This is the first time during your nightly sessions that you've called me Stephen, how can I help you?"

"Why didn't you test them for the other two elements?" I asked, and he froze.

"Even in my time, society was based on the Tremissis. Tell me child, do you know what that last element is?"

"Some sort of gem?"

"Tremissis. Diamonds. Even when the great twins, Iannes and Membres, along with Apuleius, who we can arguably say was the founder of the current magical system, feared Tremisimancer. Their powers could ruin society. Knowledge of that ability is locked away, and in my times, the Council of Lords, who were the predecessors to the Council Majeure had a kill on sight order for mages who practiced that art. The other is just as powerful."

"What is the other?"

"Necromancy, child. The controls of the dead. To travel down such pathways is folly for three students so young. I refuse to teach them that art."

"Necromancy exists?" I asked, and Merlin nodded. Interesting, and the fact I could use such a tool? I fought back a shiver, whether it was from fear or excitement, I didn't know. That wasn't the purpose of my visit.

"My guardian tells me that in a year's time, I'm going to be tested somehow. I need to learn as much as I can." I said.

"I refuse to teach necromancy. Especially not to one so young. Maybe before you graduate. But that's it." He said. I nodded.
The days and months passed in a flurry of magical research, homework, and socialization. I perfected my typewriter aside from the enchantment designed to link a pair. Winter faded, and our early morning obstacle course resumed. We trained in our room. The days were peaceful, but that ended the week before exams.

Aloysious Moon fell to Chronosickness in early May. It was the middle of the night, and Exams were slated to begin the following Tuesday. I had been up late studying when suddenly a pained scream ran throughout our pod. I was awake instantly, wand in hand. The lights were dimmed, but I could see, someone hunched over Alicia Calhoun's bed. Hunched on top of her. I heard her screaming, and it suddenly faded away with a gurgle.

"Pod, Lights on!" Somebody, I think it was Robbards, yelled. And the Pod's lights flared to life. Aloysious Moon was crouched over her. His face was covered in blood and he had a feral look in his eye. Alicia's throat had been torn out, and she laid limply in bed.
Aloysious looked around, and then with a growl, leapt off the bed.

"Catenis!" I heard a voice shout, and purple-blue chains flew through the air. He dodged them and ran towards the caster. Emily.

"Someone get Roman!" Another voice yelled. It might have been one of the Lockwood siblings. One of them ran out of the pod.
I got out of bed and cast a tripping spell at him. It hit him and he sprawled to the ground. In an instant he was up, and turned towards me, spinning his body visceral. His body jerked, like it was a live wire, and he came rushing at me.

"Adstringo, Allio!" I said. He blocked the bind with a wave of his wand.

"I'm going to kill you Andrews." He said and leapt toward me. Were it not for my Pentacle, he would have leapt on top of me. Instead he swung a magically charged fist at my barrier and threw out a shimmering ball of something that cracked my shield down the middle.
A spell hit his shoulder, and blood flew into the air. Malcolm Grey stood.

"Keep him off guard." He said. A yellow knockback spell hit him, Reg's doing from the aura. Juniper Robbards unleashed a force spell as Calem sent three of those origami creatures he was so fond of towards Moon.
Jocelyn York sent out a sleep spell. But Moon, never the most accomplished duelist, showed an aptitude he had yet to display in class by blocking everything and lashing out with spells that bordered on dark magic.

"Close your eyes!" Dean Crestwood yelled, suddenly there. A flash of light bloomed into the air. I closed my eyes, and bright light flared, and I heard a loud bang, followed by a crackle as a series of spells shot through the air. I opened my eyes, blinking away spots. Aloysious Moon was down and bound.

I turned around. Roman was accompanied by a good quarter of the first form teaching staff. One of the school nurses walked over to Alicia. She murmured a spell and shook her head. Then she conjured a white sheet and gently placed it over her.

"We'll inform her parents." The nurse said, and she gently levitated Alicia's body and left the pod.

"What just happened?" I thought. I went back to my bed and sat. Robbards and Jocelyn York were crying, and the rest of the dorm was nearly silent aside from Aloysious Moon's screams. I heard someone yell.

"No, Miss Robbards!" I looked up to see Juniper Robbards point her wand at Aloysious Moon. A spell flew through the air, and his head was severed from his body, bloody spurted his neck, and the head fell, his face still frozen in a scream. Dean Crestwood bound her. The Pod was silent. Finally, she spoke.

"Mr. Roman, help me move the first forms to the guest wing." She said. It was a joke. It had to be. This was some fucked up end of year illusion. One of Coventry's many tests. How else would a student die? Surely this wasn't real, was it?

"I think it is, Kid." Voice said. His tone was soft, almost gentle.

"Everyone grab your trunks and follow me." Alex Roman said stiffly.
Numbly, I did as he asked, and we followed him through the night towards the main building. The guest wing was lavish compared to the pods.

"Everyone choose a bed. You'll only be here for the night." He said.

"Before you go back to bed. I need each of you to swear a secrecy oath tonight not to speak about what happened."
Instantly we all began yelling in outrage.

"We just saw two of our classmates die, and you expect us to keep it a secret?" Calem shouted.

"Are you mad?" Penhallow yelled.

"Fuck that." Malcom Grey said. Alex Roman looked around at us and realized that upsetting a bunch of teenagers who had been learning to duel and use their magic offensively the last ten months was probably not the best idea.

"Fine. I'll tell Crestwood you agreed. But I'm telling your incoming prefect, and if I hear word of this getting out, I'll ensure your lives are hell the rest of the time you're here. Do you understand?" He asked. We all traded looks, and we agreed.
He left us alone. Sleep was non-existent that night.

The remainder of the term was spent hurried between exams. We didn't return to our pod the next night, or the remainder of the term. After that night, the school was somber. We never spoke a word to anyone, but Coventry's population knew somehow. Maybe it was an overheard hurried conversation between teachers, or Seventh Form Gossip, but by the time we departed for home, everyone knew why Alpha Pod was lacking three students.

 

Summer of 1930

Andrews' Townhouse

London

Summer had been brutal so far, and the news had taken a grim tone. Stories from Mundane Germany about a new political power on the rise, and the Calhoun Coven's withdrawal from the Council Majeure filled the headlines. Bethany had begun my training as soon as I got home, and when I wasn't training in dueling, and sword play, and finally with a pistol, I was studying magic.

Bethany had moved unto battle magics, and my earlier training with Merlin had been thoroughly put to the test. May had turned to June in what felt like a blink of an eye. My nights were equally hellish. The nightmares I had thought I'd dealt with came roaring back; on the nights I could sleep, I woke up covered in cold sweat. Replays of Rio and that horrible night fresh in my head.

In a week, we'd go see Emily compete in the United Kingdom's dueling tournament, and that looked like it would be the highlight of my summer.

I dragged myself to breakfast early one morning, and Bethany was waiting for me.

"What's today's training?" I asked around a mouthful of toast. I fixed my tea with a bit of wandless, a squeeze of lemon. A few cubes of sugar flew into my cup and I stirred it.

"It's a field exercise." She said.

"Oh?" I said, fighting a new wave of exhaustion. I had been drilling until two. It was now six. I had learned quickly that summer what would happen if I had slept in, and it was not pleasant.

"Mmhhmm." She said, taking a drink of her tea.

"When does it start?" I asked. The room felt like it was spinning, and I

"Now." She said. I fought a wave of vertigo again and looked at my tea.

"Did you drug me?" I asked, but the words came out a slur, and the world went to black.

I woke a few hours later with a groan. I looked around. I was in a forest. Judging from the fine sheen of sweat on my skin, and the cloying layer of heat that permeated the air, I was somewhere tropical. I was awake instantly, burning the remaining poison out of my veins. I noticed that Bethany had bound my legs and arms, and I had been stripped to a pair of trousers and a shirt. I didn't even have a pair of shoes on.

I burned the ropes to ash with a growl and tapped a ley-line.

The magic pooled into me in bursts, like static interference from a radio station. Instead of a cool burn, it was like shards of glass rippling across my skin. I noticed a bracelet on my wrists that glowed neon every time I called up power. Bethany had bound me! Nearby, on a tree stump, my wand lay with a note.

It simply read.

"Survive."

It was written in Bethany's hand. I looked around the clearing. The first thing would be to erect defenses, and I did just that. It didn't have my stock of blank rune slates that I had carefully squirrelled for such a time, so I'd need to improvise.

Blood was a magic all of its own, and I used mine. A scarlet trail dripped behind me as I carved runes and murmured spells in a circle. Thurisaz, Algiz and Scuto Rhombus for a protective frame to layer my enchantments. Kenaz and Sensorium Divertae, and Algiz for protection from scrying and to negate the attention of any animal that would happen by. Hagalaz, Ignis, and Sowilo for directed, fiery destruction against any who would try and bring down my defenses.

Finally, I walked to the center of my wards, carved an Othala in the air and shouted, throwing my power out into the void.

"INVOCARE!" My wards came to life in an eldritch bloom of neon aura and settled in the air like a heat shimmer.

With my shelter taken care of, I built a bonfire with the brush in the clearing. I ripped the water out of the foliage and setting it ablaze, I stored the water in a couple of stone jugs I fashioned from the ground. Those done. I turned my attention to the next step of my survival lesson.

The spell I performed next was taxing, but necessary. A quick runic chain of Eihwaz, Mannaz, and Raidho along with the incantation, Spectra Nontium, and a green spectral owl appeared.

"Send this missive to Bethany. To Amy, To Vincent, and ask them to please come get me. Also, tell them the tea was delicious, and that I would like to know where I'm at. Shoo birdy." I said, and the spectral owl took flight after giving me a slightly annoyed look.

My spirit animal wasn't very nice. Maybe it picked up on my rage of being stranded gods knew where. It flew around the perimeter of my wards for a few moments, and then vanished. That. That worried me. It meant that wherever I was, either Bethany was not reachable, or I had been kidnapped.

Now that my basic needs were taken care of for the most part. I wasn't worried about food. A mage could go up to a week without food while minimally using magic before the body started self-cannibalizing. Unless I got into a duel, I'd be fine.

Instead I fashioned myself a spear, and set to exploring the jungle I was trapped in. I fashioned a needle out of stone, used a magnetization spell, and began to navigate. It was when I walked in a straight line for half an hour, and then wound up back at my camp, that I began to worry. The fact that I'd just looped around told me that I was in some sort of non-Euclidean space or an illusion of some kind.

The first thing would be to map it. These constructs had certain rules. Especially since it was a single level. It meant that it had a set diameter before the construct looped back on itself. If I could find the barrier, it would break.

So, I took off again. This time, I marked my location by carving bits of wood with a rune. I'd walked thirty minutes when I ran into my first marker. I smiled and turned around and called my power.

"Magia Fractae! Magicae Dispardorious! Magia Salvis!" I said, and the spells impacted an invisible wall, and the construct broke.

I rode the wave of my enchantments crumbling, focusing that backlash into the bracelets on my wrists, and smirked as they crumbled to dust. Then Bethany was standing in front of me. We were in a small courtyard. The heat, the foliage, it was all gone. Replaced by mild British summer. I drew my wand.

"What was that?" I asked, all but growling.

"That was an experiment in survival. To see how long you would last in a non-Euclidean space, and to see if you could escape. I occasionally find myself in those types of traps, and as my apprentice, I need to know that you'd be safe if we were separated. Plus, it was a lesson in detecting poisons. You failed that portion of it." She said.

"Like someone is going to poison my tea!" I scoffed.

"Moscow, 1917. Were it not for a vial of powdered bezoar I'd kept on my person that I barely choked down; I'd have died from manticore venom. It is clear, and odorless, and the only way to detect it is with an analysis of the blood after the victim has been poisoned or with a poison detect spell. When it is ingested, you have exactly five minutes before you are dying from internal hemorrhaging."

"You gave me manticore venom?"

"Hardly child. It was a sleeping potion."

"Normally, I don't begin training my apprentices in poison detection until they've passed the circles needed to be certified as a journeyman in herblore. You, however, are special. You and Voice are older than my other apprentices and need to know everything you can for this upcoming trial. Now, to the dueling ring. Today, you're only using wandless magic." I groaned, turned on my heel, and teleported to said ring.

She joined me, and without pause, launched into a series of ridiculously fast blasting spells. I dodged and went on the defensive, bringing up a Scuto variant that was designed to deflect kinetic force. She switched tactics and sent out a shield-piercer that broke my Scuto and put me on the back step.

I threw up a stone wall and exploded it, sending the deadly pieces of shrapnel towards her. She transmuted it to air, ignited the oxygen and sent a gout of true flame toward me. I rolled under it and came out of the roll with my own single-syllable barrage of kinetic force.

She used some sort of air-hardening spell and the spells were stopped. Then unleashed a half dozen lances of ice. I melted them with a flammare aegis, A flame shield. She smothered them quickly and I was forced into a corner.

A nerve rip spell came corkscrewing toward me and I spun out of the way. I wish she'd given me my daggers back. Instead, I stomped my foot, and a pillar of stone shot out of the ground under her. She leapt backward, finally on the offensive, and I pushed my edge. I launched into a binding spell, and a series of school yard spells. Nail ripper, color changers. Bowel looseners. Anything to give myself thirty seconds to breath. I wrapped the light around myself, canceled sound around me, and rushed forward. Then I caught a wave of kinetic force in my chest and found myself spinning into the wall.

"Again." She said. Barely five minutes had passed. I unleashed a concussive wave of sonic force, followed by a series of six cutters. Sli, Di, Jul in a loop.

She blocked all of my spells and threw out a pulse of water that wrapped around my arm. I smirked, preparing to turn into ice. That was when I saw golden lighting streaking toward the water. It hit, and I instantly felt it rip through my nervous system. I fell to the ground. She healed me.

"You came close that time." She said.

"Can I just have my stuff back?" I was not in the mood.

"It's in your room. You can have tomorrow off to recoup. A letter came for you earlier, it's waiting with your pouches." She said. I walked upstairs and found my stuff. I opened the letter. It was a mundane post, but there was a small runic script written on the back of it. Basically, the townhouse's magical equivalent to a phone number. I opened the letter.

Dear Stephen.

I need to talk to you soon. I will be in London for the summer at my uncle's. Please respond to this letter through mundane means as soon as possible. Or you may call my aunt's phone number, 23- 20-27-31-0-28-20 +8, and I'm sure my three cousins and I will be grateful for the visit.

Sincerely

Emily York.

I looked at the address. It was in Mundane London. She also listed a phone number. It was not a phone number, and Emily had no family. We had created a code when we were at Coventry. This was to communicate with Emily about magic. It was a simple Caesar Cipher, with an addition to change the letters to numbers. I quickly wrote the code out and solved it. It read,

Help Me.

I quickly wrote a letter.

"Emily, I've received your letter. I'll be in touch soon. Madam Andrew's number is below.

Yours, Stephen.

PS: 30-29-0-28-14-0-12-16-14+8."

I grabbed an envelope, and hastily scrawled the runic code for mundane delivery on the back of the enveloped. I dropped it in my trash can, and it vanished with a poof. I knew it would get to her almost instantly.

I dropped the letter and quickly strapped on my pouches and daggers along with my leather armor. I placed my pentacle on my neck and grabbed the letter. I ran downstairs.

"Mum!" I said. No answer.

"Bethany!" I shouted. I found her in the foyer. She was coming from the direction of the dueling ring.

"What is it?"

"I got a letter from Emily." I said.

"And?"

"She's in trouble."

"How do you know?"

I handed her the letter.

"I take it this is a cipher?" She said, and I nodded.

"She's asking for help." I said.

"Yes, she is." She murmured.

"I take it's some form of alphanumeric substitution." She said, she waved her hand in the air, and then she nodded.

"Plus, eight. That's smart. Elementary, but smart." She said, and then she looked at me.

"You're dressed for war." She said, and I nodded.

A snap of her fingers, and her own rune engraved leathers appeared on her body. A sword was on her hip, and she glamoured both of us. Then she looked at the time.

"It's nine. That's rather late." She said.

"I'll go with or without you." I said and headed out of the foyer.

"Stephen, wait!" I heard Bethany behind me, I ignored her. I'd need to buy a map of London somewhere. Then she appeared in front of me in a swirl of magic.

"Stephen, I let you leave once, and I won't let it happen again."

"What?" I asked, confused, and she recoiled back, like I'd just slapped her in the voice.

"Ignore that. Let's get the car. I'll drive you." She said, and we hurried to the garage. We dried ourselves off with a spell and got in the car. It started, and we drove out into the streets.

"Bethany, what did you mean?" I asked. She didn't answer for a few moments. Then finally she spoke, her voice was tight, and I caught a trail of tears rolling down her face.

"When my brother, when your father died. He wanted me to go to battle with him that day. The war we were fighting had been raging for years at that point, and I was safe, for lack of a better word. Bartholomew had been ambushed a few months previously, and his entire fleet had been destroyed. He had nearly died. If it weren't for Amy, he would have.

Friends we had been raised with were dead. My parents. My aunt and uncle. That war was hard. We'd already lost so much, and every death was like another knife in my heart. He had found a solution to end the war. To kill the opposition's leader, and he wanted me in his hunting party. I declined." She looked over at me and flicked her gaze back at the road.

"You have to understand, Stephen. I was tired of the war. Tired of leading squads and battalions and legions to their deaths. Of laying fiery blossoms on their graves. To fight a war that seemed utterly endless. I'd lost my home. Most of my family. Everyone I knew was scattered to the winds. Vincent's family had been killed around the same time Bartholomew was attacked, and his kingdom was in tatters. Instead of-" She choked back a sob.

"Instead of fighting with my brother, and Alexis. I stayed safe, and he died. She vanished, and the war was won. Morgan was killed, and I let my brother die." She said.

"I won't let that happen to you. Even if it kills me. I will always be there." She said in a hoarse whisper. I nodded. Finally, we arrived at the house.

It was an old Victorian house on the outskirts. It was ramshackle and faded even in the night. We parked on the street, and Bethany glamoured us. We walked up to the house, and Bethany knocked on the door. An older man knocked on the door. He was dressed in a suit, odd for this hour. He guarded the door.

"How can I help you?" The man said stiffly.

Bethany smiled.

"My charge received a letter from his friend, and we'd like to visit her."

"Madam it is late."

"I understand, but the visit will only take us a few moments." She said. I felt something brush against my magical senses. Something cold, and old, like worn leather. I caught a whiff of something musty. I frowned. I'd recognize that anywhere. This man was a vampire.

"Be ready to fight, child." Bethany said. Her voice echoed through my head like a whisper. She must have noticed that magic. The miasma of shadow that was now starting to coat the steps.

"As I said, it is late. I suggest you leave madam."

"And again, I ask for entry without quarrel." Bethany said, her voice had grown icy. It seemed as though shadows had grown around the man. The man almost snarled.

"Let's cut the pretense. Thrice said and done mage. Take your apprentice and leave." He said. His face had changed. Elongated. His teeth had grown, and his eyes had taken on a reddish tint. His skin looked leathery now, like old paper. Bethany went to walk down the stairs.

"Stephen, if you're ready. We can go." She said. I nodded. Gritting my teeth. I readied myself to do just that.

"Thrice said and done, Vamp, we demand entry." She said.

"Demand away, mage. We have dispensation from the Midnight Court, and your own Council Majeure."

"I guess we'll go, if you want Stephen." She said, and I nodded.

"More than ready." I said, she nodded, and threw out death into the world. A wave of force shot out of my palm, dragging the vampire down the steps. I pinned him to the ground with my daggers and a bit of will.

The other vampire flew backward into the house, and Bethany set into a line of blasting spells. We walked into the house.

Another vampire came rushing out of the shadows at a speed faster than a human could track, and I was just barely able to avoid him. I threw up a pillar of earth and used a wave of telekinesis to shatter and throw deadly shards out. It peppered the vampire, and I released my daggers from their sheathes, throwing them out.

The vampire rolled backwards, drew a revolver and fired twice. I smirked, brought up a kinetic shield and then grunted in pain as both bullets broke the barrier with the enchantments engraved on them.

One clipped my arm in a blaze of hot fire, and the other went wide. He fired twice more, and I raised an earthen shield. The vampire took that opportunity to vault the shield, firing the gun in midair. Were it not for a flare of telekinetic force knocking him back, they both would have hit me. The vampire closed in, all pretense of humanity forgotten as it rushed toward me, hands turned to black taloned claws.

"Iactus!" I yelled, and the spell went wide as the Vampire dodged suddenly, blowing a hole into the wall.

"Lux, Lux Aeterna orbis!" I spat out. The vampire killing spell was a ball of directed ultraviolet energy that went careening toward the leech. It smirked, dodged yet again, grabbed me and threw me into a wood paneled wall. Then in the same gesture it fired the revolver twice more. The first bullet buried itself in my shoulder. The second would have splattered by brains across the wall had my Pentacle not deflected the spell.

I directed the earthen shield from earlier toward the vampire and it slammed into him. Then I recalled my daggers from where they were pinned in the wood paneled wall and threw them out. The vampire smirked, dodged, and let out a strangled gurgling as they immediately reversed and changed course, stabbing him in his spine and through his throat in a spray of scarlet heat.

I set him aflame and turned my attention to the second, just as Bethany beheaded him.

Her arm was a shredded mess, and her leg wasn't in much better condition. Then a third vampire flew down from the railing above. This one wasn't as lucky, or skilled as the first two. A ball of mental force pulped its head. We quickly set about healing our injuries. We each consumed a vial Perry's.

Then when we upstairs. There were three bedrooms. Each of them was warded.

"Start on the one on the left, I'll start on the right." Bethany said.

I quickly went to work. It was a simple schema. Three runes designed to lock the door. I merkstaved them quickly, and the door opened. I opened the door, and there was a boy, no older than eight tied to the bed, face up, and naked. His mouth was gagged, and his eyes looked glassy. At different pulse points, he had bite marks. His throat was torn open. I did a quick medical scan. He was a mage. One that young their ether nodes had barely had time to form, and he was dead. He'd never stood a chance. I walked out of the room and turned right to the doorway at the end of the hall. I didn't bother with the runes. I called up my magic and the door blew off its hinges. Emily was tied to a chair, screaming around a gag. She was dressed in a sleeveless shift. I quickly undid her bindings.

"Stephen. I need my wand. I'm going to kill these bastards." She said. I looked around the room. There was a desk along the wall. There was a ledger on the desk, along with a fountain pen.

"They're dead, but where's your wand?" I asked.

"In that desk."

I went over to it. It was a plain wooden desk, there were no drawers or anything. Which was odd.

"Fractae!" I said, overpowering the spell. The time for subtly was gone. The illusion protecting the desk burst into magical shards. I opened a drawer. There had to have been a dozen wands in that drawer.

"There's a few different ones in here. Tell me which is yours." I said.

She looked through them. I turned my attention to the ledger.

I opened it, stripping it of the spells that were contained inside.

"January, '29. Three. Male, five, human. Female, 11, mage. Male, 8, human. -SG 8 Tre."

"March, '29. Two. Males, twins, seven, Mage. -SG, 10 Tre."

"June '29. Five, three humans. One therian. One Fae- SG 25 Tre."

The entries continued down, all of them with an assorted number of humans, or mages. All of them signed SG, along with a number next to TRE. This continued, until I got to the final entry.

"June '30. Four humans. Two males (twins, 8), two females (11, 13). All mage. 100 TRE- SG, PMT Can. Dispose."

I stared at the log in revulsion. Children boiled down to inventory. It took everything in me not to burn the house to the ground right then.

I walked out of the room. Bethany had broken the wards of the last room. She was working frantically. There were half a dozen phials on the ground. I picked them up and read the label. Blood restorative, and a purge potion. This boy was unbound and laying on the bed, naked. He was pale, but I could see some color already returning to his cheeks.

"He was almost dead, but I saved him. Dosed to the gills on morphine, and nearly dead from blood loss. Did you find your friend?" Bethany said. Emily had joined us in the room. Bethany took a look at her and took off her cloak. Emily took it without saying a word.

"Emily, do you know if there are others in this house?" She asked.

"There's a basement. They said something about storage." She said.

"Any other vamps?"

"Just the two."

"You'd only need two if you were dealing in drugged children." I spat. Voice shared my sentiments, and we fed off our mutually shared anger.

"Where's the fourth girl?" I asked her.

"Mildred… Mildred was killed earlier today. We tried to escape." She said. I nodded, then she left the room.

"Emily, where are you going?"

"To the basement." She said. I followed her.

"Come back here!" Bethany said. We ignored her. We practically flew down the stairs, into the foyer, and the kitchen, and into the door that lead to the basement. I blew the door of the hinges and a vampire flew up the stairs a second later.

Emily, in a display of savagery I'd never seen from her, grabbed the knives off the block on the counter, and threw them into the vampire. They hit true, and the vampire continued onward.

"Carnificare!" She snarled, and the spell leapt from Emily's wand and sapphire-purple aura bisected the vampire.

Then she blasted its head with a pulse of telekinesis. The vampire's headless body dropped. We went down the stairs. The basement had stone walls and floors. A rack in the center of the room held a naked man. Or was once a man. His finger and toenails were gone and scabbed over. He was missing an eye. One of his feet was missing its toes, and he was covered in bruises. Bones protruded from his emaciated form along his leg. His torso was covered in long deep oozing cuts, and his genitalia was missing. The floor around the rack was covered in dried and fresh blood. He sobbed in pain.

"Please. Let me die." He said. His voice was hoarse from screaming.

"Just let me die." He said, repeatedly, like a macabre chorus.

"Mum! Get down here!" I yelled. I fished a Perry's from my belt, pouring it down his throat. Then took another. I took a third and sliced a piece of my shirt off, soaking it in the precious liquid, applying it to any wound I could see. I heard the pound of her boots and turned. Instantly she had her wand raised, going through the movements for a diagnostic charm.

"Grab your mirror. Call Amy." She said.

I obeyed without thought, opening the mirror, and rushing through Amy's runic code.

Amy's face appeared in the mirror.

"Stephen, what's wrong?"

"Trace my signal. We went on a rescue mission. There's a man here. He's in bad shape." I said. Moments later, Amy appeared in a swirl of magic. There was a bag on her hip.

"Male, mage. Approximately thirty. Numerous deep lacerations. Severe malnutrition. Blood loss. Ether nodes have been blocked somehow." Bethany said. Amy leapt into action. She undid the buckles that tied the man to the rack and placed him on the floor. Then she drew a series of stones from her bag. Each was a different color.

"What's your name?" She asked the man.

"M-m-Marcus Steele. London Hunter division. Thirty-three-twenty-two-rho-Sowilo-eight." He said.

"Marcus, this is going to hurt, but I need to kickstart your magical nodes."

"Okay M-m-ma'am." He said.

She laid a purple gem at his forehead.

"Sahasrara."

A dark blue one on the bridge of his nose.

"Ajna."

A light blue one at his throat.

"Vishuddha."

A green one on his chest.

"Anahata."

A yellow one on his stomach.

"Manipura."

An orange one on his groin.

"Svadhisthana."

And finally, a red one at the bottom of his legs.

"Muladhara."

"Magic, I call thee, flow back into your child. Course through the seven paths. Live within him once more, invocare!" She shouted the last part. Each stone began glowing in reverse order, until they were lit. Then Marcus screamed like he was on fire. It continued on for at least five minutes, and then he was silent, and a cocoon of multicolored light wrapped around him.

"Bethany, you need to call Eli. Now. Charging into a vampire's holdings could be an act of war. The Majeure is going to lose their minds." Amy said.

"Already done."

"I'm here." Eli said at that exact moment, coming down the steps. He was flanked by a giant purple feline.

"Care to tell me why you had me come to a vampire's blood house?" He said.

"Rescue mission gone awry." Bethany replied.

"Who's the bloke on the floor?" He asked.

"A Hunter. A London Hunter." She replied.

"Oh bloody buggering fuck." He said, and she nodded.

"Bethany, you're the Popularis of London. Aren't you in command of the Hunters?" I asked.

"Yes, and Marcus here was reported MIA three months ago. He was undercover in Undertown." She said.

"It's my fault." Emily said, and she broke. Bursting into tears. I quickly embraced her.

"A few days ago, a man approached the orphanage. He adopted me, and another girl, Mildred. I knew Mildred was a mage. But her gift, it was minimal. They put us under sleep spells. I broke the spells binding me a few hours ago and managed to scribble a letter. I sent it, and they tied me up again. Mildred died trying to use a fireball spell to buy me time. It was like the spell burned her alive." She said.

"There's a ledger upstairs. It's a log of beings they sold." I replied. I'd grown over the summer, and I had some height on her, she curled into me.

"We need to inform the Hunters." Eli said.

"It's why I called you. I'm calling in Winter's marker. That Hunter can never know we were here. I cannot afford the Majeure interest at this time." Bethany said.

"I'll make the arrangements then. What about the girl?" He asked.

"She'll come with us." Bethany said. Her tone booked no argument.

"You realize that these arrangements won't be completely covered by your marker. My Lady will want another favor from you." He said.

"I understand." Bethany said.

"In full transparency, what do you want done with the contents of those chests?" He asked. Emily and I turned. There were a trio of chests. Bethany walked over to them and opened the chest. There were coins made of diamond.

"There's at least five hundred Tremissis in this chest." She said and opened the others.

"Stephen, my gold!" Emily said suddenly.

"You didn't take it to the London Branch?"

"I didn't have time, I was kidnapped!" She replied.

"What gold?" Bethany asked.

"About two and a half tons." Emily replied.

"Gods, how do you have that kind of fortune?" She asked Emily.

"We found it in school." I replied. Bethany's eye twitched.

"We will talk about this later." She said. She went to the second chest. She pulled out a small leather belt. A pair of knives followed by a simple pair of boy's trousers, and shirt, and then a trio of leather pouches along with a pentacle.

"Stephen, these pouches reek of your magic." Bethany said.

"They're mine." Emily said.

"The traveler's purse?" She asked.

"Followed by a standard spatium boundary configuration." I replied.

"Good work." She said. From Bethany, that was a glowing bit of praise.

Emily reclaimed her clothes, and belt. She put her pentacle back on her neck, and her knives back in their sheathes.

The third chest was filled with clothes. Children's clothes.

"Split the tremissis between the two of us, and you can deal with the bounty however you see fit."

"What are we doing with this place?"

"First, I'd like to check that ledger." Bethany said, and we led her upstairs. She read through it. Then she made a copy and gave the original to Eli.

"I'll make sure this ends up in the right hands. You need to go before the cleaners get here." Eli said, and Bethany nodded.

We walked downstairs and exited the town house. Then we got in our car and returned home. First, she turned to Emily.

"I'm not sure how long you'll be here, Emily. But I give you guest rights. May you find shelter in the House of Andrews. My blade is yours, and my wand will be raised against your foes." Bethany said, and the two tapped wands.

"Stephen, show Emily to the guest room across from yours. We'll take her shopping in the morning and discuss the gold that you two have gained. I have business to attend to tonight, but it is getting late. Tap lines and recharge. Then off to bed." Bethany said, and left for her study. I took Emily upstairs. The townhouse had at least seven bedrooms. There were currently five occupied. Bethany and Vincent shared a room. Amy crashed in hers occasionally, and on the very seldom occasions Bartholomew and Eli ended up overnighting at townhouse, then they had their own rooms. Each of them had an ensuite bathroom.

Emily sat down on the bed.

"This is all mine?" She asked. I nodded. I saw a glimmer of tears in her eyes and ignored it. She'd probably punch me. That fact that she was even close to tears spoke volumes.

"The bathroom has a bath and a shower. There should be towels and toiletries in the bathroom. If you need anything, ring the bell by the bed and speak it. It will appear. I'll see you for breakfast." I said. She nodded again, and I left for my own room. After I stripped out of my leathers, I tapped a ley, and felt the magic pool into my soul. I rode that high into oblivion and sunk into my bed.

 

Author's note: Sorry about the god awful formatting, I'm copy and pasting this from mobile.

I woke up early the next morning, as custom. I'd learn to function without a lot of sleep. I rolled out of bed. After a quick shower I dressed in a new pair of trousers and a shirt, this was followed by a vest and blazer. I always wore my pentacle these days. The emergency shield alone was worth it. Bethany had taken to using the guard statues around the town house as impromptu ambush points.

Being attacked by a four-hundred-pound piece of pottery tends to ruin your day, and I'd upgraded the shield from a standard scuto to the more advanced contego shield.

I'd other plans for enchanting. A set of rings that would hold spells ready to go. Maybe some sort of staff that could hold a bit of Geomancy. I had half a dozen ideas in my journal. After I got dressed, I left my room and walked across the hall to knock on Emily's door.

She opened the door almost instantly. She was dressed in the boy's clothing.

"You know that female mages wear dresses, right?" She glared at me.

"I'm aware Andrews, but I'm not going to be living in Emrys, and frankly, I'd rather be able to dress in something I can move in. Besides, these are all the clothes I own." She replied.

I led her downstairs to the kitchen and we quickly ate breakfast. Bethany was already there. She looked worn, more tired than I'd seen her in a while. I went to grab a cup of tea. Before I took a sip, I looked at Bethany.

"It's safe, Stephen." She said. I took a swig of tea and grabbed a piece of delicious looking streaky bacon off the platter, using it to make myself a sandwich, I bit into it. Savoring the crunch of the bacon and the delicious eggs.

"At least the tea is." She said with a smile. I froze mid-chew, and she laughed.

"As I told you yesterday, I'm not going to try and poison you today." She replied. She was reading the Morning copy of the London Eye. In enormous letters, the headline yelled, "Silken Veil destroyed! Silas Goodfellow deceased! London Court Sanguine in uproar!"

I resumed chewing. Emily had chosen a couple slices of toast and some of that fruit Bethany insisted upon serving. She looked at us both as though we were crazy.

"Are we taking the train today?" I asked.

"Not today, we'll be taking a portal directly to Matilda's. After we get Emily's new clothing, I will be escorting you both to the bank. Emily, do you have a proper set of implements?"

"I have my pentacle and wand, along with a set of white and black handled knives I bought from a vendor in Undertown."

"That's a dangerous place for someone your age to go. Anything could happen to you there." Bethany replied.

"Like being kidnapped by a vampire and watching the only mundane friend I have killed?" Emily said, taking a sip of tea. Her gaze was unblinking.

"Point taken." Bethany said.

I had finished my sandwich at that point and was checking my possessions.

"Bethany, are we responsible for whatever the Silken Veil was?" The silence and her haggard expression were everything I needed to know.

"Are you ready?" She asked us, and we nodded.

She took a runic set out of a pouch and arranged them in a line. Then activated them with a bit of power. An arch opened up in the air, and a portal sprang to life.

"Why aren't we using the mirror?"

"The fixed portal network is undergoing maintenance." She said, and she stepped through the portal. I followed behind her, and Emily followed closely behind us.

We emerged into Madam Matilda's plush parlor. She was already waiting for us.

"Hello again Bethany." Matilda said with a smile.

"Hi Matilda. Sorry about the short notice."

"It's no problem at all Beth. Tell me, are you making a habit of finding strays?" She asked

"It appears that way." She replied.

"What will the young miss need?" She asked.

"A full set of junior miss clothing."

"Boys clothes." Emily said.

"Hmm?"

"I'm not wearing dresses. Or those flouncy dresses those legacy bitches wear. I want boy's clothes. Trousers and shirts, and boots." Bethany gave her a look.

"You want clothes you can fight in."

"Always. I will never be helpless again." Emily said.

"It's unorthodox, but it is not something unheard of. I can make the shirts in brighter colors, and the vests the same. For formal functions, a dress is imperative. However, made in the right length, it should be durable, and the sleeves would need to be looser. If you don't lace the corset that tightly, then it would afford a small amount of protection, especially if you have the bone carved with endurance runes. It would be more costly, but if her chemise and pantaloons were made of Arachnesian silk, it would turn away most spells, and catch any arrows."

I really hated the faux Victorian clothing that seemed to be all the rage in magical society. The underwear I had to wear was some weird sort of one-piece jumpsuit. Fortunately, I only had to wear that garbage at school.

"Are we designing battle armor or a dress?" I asked.

"In certain environments, they're the same thing." Bethany said.

"You're getting new clothes as well."

"My clothes are fine." I replied.

"No, they're not. You've grown at least a foot since we were here last. Grab a room."

The next hour was filled with the usual flurry of measurements. At the end, Bethany, when we were done, the bell jingled once, and Amy walked in. It was odd seeing her in the flowing robes that passed as everyday dress in magic society. Normally, she dressed in mundane clothing.

"Do you have the paperwork?" Bethany immediately asked. Amy produced a piece of sealed parchment, and Bethany placed it in her bag.

"Official as of this morning." Amy replied.

"Thank you." Bethany said, she quickly paid, and we left for the bank. We entered the main lobby and after conferring with a teller, a dwarf quickly escorted us back to a wood paneled office.

"Madam Andrews, what can I do for you?"

"I need to meet with Wraithgrip." She said, the dwarf bowed, and nodded, and led us to his offices.

The dwarves, despite myths to a contrary, valued three things. Gold, Smithing, and Gold. They'd gained a reputation over the years. You had the goblins of South and North America. The gnomes of Zurich, but the ones most feared? The ones with the ability to field an army? Those were the dwarves.

"I'd like to open two sub accounts for my charges. They are to have unrestricted access to these accounts, and their allowances are to be deposited into them. Here are the papers from the Council Majeure signifying my adoption of Emily York." She said and produced the piece of parchment from earlier. The dwarf unsealed it.

"Everything seems to be in order." He produced two sheets of paper, along with a fountain pen.

"Have your charges sign these. The fountains are blood pens. That way the contract is magically binding." We reached for the papers, and we both read through them twice. She picked the piece of paper up and took her own pen out of a pocket.

"The exclusivity clause is an utter tripe. Signing that will only allow them to bank in Europe."

"I'd like to raise privacy wards, Master Wraithgrip, if you don't mind."

The dwarf raised an eyebrow.

"Madam Andrews, if you insist upon doing so, then do so."

Bethany raised her wand and waved it like she was conducting an orchestra. A dozen spells flew out her wand and coated the airs and walls around us in defensive magic. She completed the set of spells with a flourish.

"I have it on excellent authority that trouble is brewing in Germany." She said.

"That new political party?" He asked, and Bethany nodded her head.

"You warned us about that business with the Romanovs, despite our failure. How do you suggest we prepare for this?"

"How I suggest you prepare depends on how favorably our negotiations go."

"What would you like?" Wraithgrip asked.

"The transfer fee will be waived between accounts, and the exclusivity cause will be rendered null."

"Done."

"Finally, we come to the issue of aureus reclaimed. I propose a two-percent withholding rate."

"Midas' standard is twenty-five."

"Let's be reasonable. Say, five, percent."

"Eighteen."

"I could just take my business to the Gnomes." "You're being awfully obstinate about this one issue, Madam Andrews."

"7 percent." Bethany said.

"8, and not a dupondos less." The dwarf said.

"I can agree to those terms, on the condition that the initial percentage deposit be waived."

"You're lucky you'rer one of our bigger clients Madam, but your terms are fair, and our bargain is stuck." The contracts vanished, and new ones came into existence. Bethany read over them, and nodded, and we signed them.

"Now, will the initial deposits come from your vaults here or another source?"

"My charges have done a bit of treasure hunting it seems. Children, produce your chests."

We did. Bethany grabbed one out of her pocket as well, and we enlarged them, and placed them on the floor.

"Each of those chests contains roughly seventy-two thousand aurei. My chest contains two-hundred and fifty tremissis. I want that divided equally between the two accounts."

The dwarf waved an orb in front of each chest. "Well played Madam Andrews, may I ask where you got such a bounty from."

"We found it, not her, and you may not." Emily said.

"My charges have been remarkably tight lipped about where they've gotten this gold from."

"It is curious that your two charges, a mundane born, and a legacy all brought nearly identical sums in, all in the same time frame."

Emily and I shared looks.

"Do you think we should tell him." I sent with a bit of telepathy.

"Well, if we fleece Merlin out of the Silver, Bronze and Tremissis the Room has, we'd probably get William's fees knocked down to something resembling ours." She replied.

"I agree. Me or you?"

"You." She said.

"Hypothetically, Sir Dwarf. If four more deposits were to make their way into your coffers. In say, amounts similar to this in Tremissis. In Dupondos, and in Drachma, what impact would that have in, say, lowering the Mundaneborn's rates to, say, those identical to ours."

"If such a deposit were to make their way into the coffers of Midas International, we'd be thrilled to lower our rates for such high-profile clients."

"I would need that in writing of course."

"I'd assume you want five copies of such an agreement?"

"You would be assuming correctly."

"Continuing on with hypothetical situations. I'd say you could expect such a deposit in roughly a year and a half." I replied.

"Is there any other business we have today?"

"I want to commission implements for Emily. She has a pentacle, and the white and black handles. Give her the rest, and have it prepared by day's end. I also want two consecrated bells, on slips of black ribbon."

"I assume you're willing to use the Time you have stored in your vault?" Wraithgrip asked.

"No, I won't. You'll be responsible for that."

"Absolutely not."

"You will, or Selene will receive word that Midas has been receiving payments from the Sanguine Court to provide Fae blood to the late Silas Goodfellow."

"You dare say her Name in our territory?" Wraithgrip said.

"I dare, and do, and will so twice more. It is quite odd how fires have a way of burning away deceit and bringing the truth to light." She said.

"Certain things are better hidden in the dark."

"Like the death of three dozen changelings in as many months?" Bethany asked.

Emily and I shared another look.

"I think an arrangement could be made, and we'll have those implements delivered by courier no later than the day's end." The dwarf replied.

"I'd hope so." Bethany said.

"Now, unless you'd like to discuss any other business arrangements, I'd like to discuss what preparations we'd need to make regarding future tensions on the continent."

"Beginning in a couple years' time, I'd say '33 at the earliest, and '38 at the latest, I would completely pull Midas out of Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy. I'd put those branches into complete lockdown. Then I would consider raising your siege wards in your London Branch, perhaps by Summer of '40. From there? Concentrate on Greece. I understand that Midas Africa is practically a business unto itself, but I would certainly consider having them go into lockdown soon after along with the Grecian branch. In short? I'd suggest a complete pullback of all Midas interests and a lock down of their branches by no later than '33."

"You're talking about a global withdrawal." "Yes. A war is coming that will give humans the ability to rip reality in two. In a decade's time they will surpass mages in combat ability."

"The end of the Perdition is coming then?"

"It is a distinct possibility. Their governments know. Mages make up ten percent of the population. In the upper echelons, magic is well known, and even accepted."

"You've given me a lot to think about. A lot to tell my superiors. Is there anything else?"

"Not that I know of."

"Well, if your business is finished, I can supply a portal back to your residence."

"We have our own transport arranged, but I appreciate the gesture."

"Very well." Wraithgrip said. Bethany dispelled the privacy spells and we left the bank. We went back to the shop, and Bethany supplied another rune set that created a portal. We returned home.

"Is everything you said true?" Emily asked. We'd made a late lunch of sandwiches.

"Yes. Everything I spoke of will come to pass."

"Why don't you stop it then. If you know so much about what's to come, why can't you do something to stop it?"

"I've tried. It's out of my control at this point, I personally have no choice in the matter." She said, and she gave me a look. A chill went down my spine.

Could I interfere with that war? I didn't know if I could do that. That kind of responsibility? Gods, I couldn't, I didn't, even know where to begin with that kind of implication. My brain literally short circuited.

"Regardless of what the future holds, tonight, I'm taking another step to prepare you tonight, Stephen. Emily, I'd also like to include you in this."

"What are we doing?" I asked.

"As the last day has taught us, you particularly Emily, sometimes, the enemy has the upper hand. Sometimes you are caught without your implements. Tonight, I'm giving you a solution to that. We'll begin as soon as the delivery from the dwarves arrives. In the meantime, these are the texts I need you to memorize." She produced a trio of books from thin air. They were the Key of Solomon, The Lesser Key of Solomon, and the Binding and Compulsion of Spirits.

"Emily, I'm assuming that Stephen has continued on with the tradition of not knowing when to keep a secret, and telling you about the Librum spell?" Emily nodded.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"My brother did the same thing, and you are more like him than you know." She replied.

We quickly memorized the trio of texts. These were books on rituals, and I felt pressure built up behind my sinuses, followed by a wave of vertigo. Bethany handed us headache potions, and we took them.

"I'll give you both time to adjust to the new information, and I'll retrieve you later tonight." We both retired to our rooms. I took a quick nap, and then went to the training range to perform my daily drills. The day passed, and night fell. We had dinner, and then met back up with Bethany in the foyer.

"We'll do this on the island. Stephen, you'll find we made some improvements." I hadn't been to the island for almost a year. We traveled up to the library.

"The mirrors are back in order." She said. She walked up to the mirror and activated the series of rune buttons below it. The portal opened and we saw a vision of the island's cottage beyond. We walked through the portal into the cottage, and out of the cottage and into the field.

A dais of stone had been constructed in the center of the island, and at five equidistant points, a diamond obelisk had been raised from the earth. The obelisks were carved with hundreds of runes, and fine copper and gold wire was twisted around them in intricate patterns. Each rune was lit with the pure white-blue light of magic. On a pedestal in the center of the dais, a diamond lodestone softly glowed.

Another smaller stone platform had been erected nearby. This one was like a smaller version of the first, except the runes carved into it were jagged, different than the other, and glowed a black-green.

"What are these?"

"The larger of the two is an ether spire. It charges lodestones and then teleports them to one of our warehouses. Then it retrieves another from the blank warehouse. The smaller is a ritual platform. Today we will be using it to summon a cacodemon for each of you. You read the ritual, and you know how to do this. Once you begin the ritual, under no circumstances do you break the circle. Contain the cacodemon in the bell." She said, and she gave each of us a silver tinkling bell that was attached to a length of black ribbon.

"Which of you would like to go first?" She said.

Emily stepped forward.

"I'll do it."

"The chalk and candles are in the chest."

Emily nodded, and took the necessary tools out. Six candles, a piece of magnetic chalk, a leather-bound book and a ruler. She carefully made a pentacle with the chalk. At each point she lit one of the candles, and the flame was the sapphire of her aura. Finally, when she was done, she carefully sketched out a circle. She stood at the edge of the circle, opened the leather-bound book, lit the last candle, and rang the silver bell in her hand. Her voice was full of conviction, and I felt her power crash against my skin like dozens of hot needles.

"I call upon the four princes! I call forth Egyn of the North! I call upon Amaymon of the South! Oriens of the East! Paymon of the West! Guard this operation! Protect thine operator! With my blood, I bind this circle!" She pricked her finger with a needle and placed it on the circle. I felt the snap of magic as it coalesced.

"I call upon the nameless! The chittering hordes! I call thee up imp! Appear this night, in this place!" The candles flared, magic surged, and a creature appeared in the circle. The creature was six feet tall and covered with a fine down of black fur. Its hands had three clawed fingers each. Its feet were cloven hooves. A pair of leathery bat-like wings grew from its back, and it had the face and head of a man. He looked at Emily.

"Greeting operator, how might I help you this fine night?"

"I wish to enter in allegiance with you. To hold you as a sword against my enemies. Do you agree?"

"Let me out of this circle, and I will ensure your enemies fall as scythe before wheat. Break the spell binding me, and I will protect you till the end of your days."

"Only if you submit willingly to be bound forever to this bell in my hand.

"I will not be bound by some mortal girl. Release me!" The demon snarled and slammed it's tridactyl hand against the barrier.

"Then you leave me no choice. I bind you demon."

"You'll die, you little bitch!" It snarled. "I bind you, by Dawn. By Dusk. By Day!" Emily shouted.

"I'll rip your head off and fuck your skull, little orphaned bitch! No one wants you, not even your barely magical mother wanted you! No one needs you!"

"I bind you by Morgana. By Vivienne. By Leanna!"

"I'll eat your innards and make you watch! I'll tear that boy to shreds. Your world will burn before I am through!"

"I bind you demon, forever and a day! Forever and a memory of forever! Forever and a century more! By the bell in my hand, by the book at my feet, and by the candle that lights my way this night! Thrice by thrice by thrice! Bound be, demon! As I will it to be bound!" Emily said. The demon let out a wordless snarl. An incoherent shriek of anger and rage.

"Fiat. Fiat. Fiat!" She shouted. She dashed the candle to nothing but bits of wax, and slammed the book shut. Then she rang the bell. When she did, the candles extinguished themselves, and the bell glowed green and black.

"Stephen, perform the ritual." I reset the ritual for myself. I lit the candles, closed the circle, and called forth the princes and the imp. My demon appeared, and unlike Emily's this one had the body of a lion, and the head of a man. It had the cloven hooves of a goat, and its fur was whiter than fallen snow. It spoke with a female's voice, a voice of pure seduction.

"What do you wish, oh great operator, who's wisdom is greater than Solomon? Let me free and I shall shower you with riches beyond compare, and the world will bow before you."

For one fleeting second, I was tempted to break the circle. To let this wondrous creature loose. Then my common sense kicked me in the ass.

"I think not. Submit to me, temptress, agree to be bound forever to my hand."

"Foolish boy! I will not be bound! You will be mine!" The demon snarled.

"I bind you demon! I bind you by Dazzling Element! By Royal Blood! By Cascadian Magic!" I screamed, thoughts rushed through my head, and it seemed as I thought I'd done this before. It was remembering a half-forgotten dream, or a dream of a dream. It was like reliving memories long burned to ash, faded to dust and left to settle at the bottom of my soul.

"You don't belong on this plane, and I will cut your souls from your broken body and return them to whence they came!" The demon screamed, like razor blades on a chalkboard.

"I bind you demon! I bind you to my cause! By Time! By Birth! By Sleep!" The words flowed out of my mouth, and it was like walking down a road I'd traveled down a hundred times before.

"I'll lap your blood from your cooling corpse! That boy you are so infatuated with will grovel at my feet!"

"By the holy book! By the eternal flame! By the clarion bell! You are mine demon. Thrice by thrice by thrice, for endless Eons you will serve my cause! You are bound, demon! Fiat! Fiat! Fiat!" I screamed into the void. My own bell rang like a trumpet. The candle was dashed to bits, and the book was slammed shut, and the bell in my hand shown like a second emerald sun that swiftly faded away.

"Now that we're done with the summon. You will learn to use the demon. Ring your bells." We did. Our demons appeared.

"The little bitch rang?" Emily's demon said.

"Emily, the demon is bound to you. It must follow your commands."

"Demon, you will speak to me politely. You will not insult me or my companions."

"Yes, girl."

"You will refer to me as Mistress, do you understand."

"Yes, Mistress." The demon grumbled.

"And you will speak in a polite tone of voice."

"Yes, Mistress." The demon said.

"There, was that so bad?"

"It was as painful as the hundred hot needles I'm going to shove under your fingernails!" He snarled and ran at Emily. She calmly stood her ground and the demon stopped inches from her face. She smacked him upside the head.

"You will behave. You will not threaten me. You will not allude to threatening me."

"Can you change form?"

"Whatever form your heart desires, Mistress."

"I'd like you to look like a cat." The demon smiled and shifted his form into a kitten. That was inside out.

"A normal looking kitten. One that is not deformed in any way shape or form."

An adorable orange and white kitten appeared.

"Aww, who's a cute kitten." Emily cooed

"Will you respond to any name I chose to call you?"

"Whatever Mistress would like."

"In our family, we have a habit of naming our imps after planetary bodies." Bethany said. Emily looked at the imp.

"I Dub thee Gany, short for Ganymede. You'll come to either name." She said.

"I thoroughly hate you." Ganymede said.

"That will be all Gany. Return to your bell." She said. After I set the same guidelines for my own demon, who I named Io, I ordered her to assume the form of a raven and returned her to my bell.

"Now that we have initially bound them, and set parameters for their control, I'm going to bind these bells to your bodies."

"How?" I asked.

"Hold out your wrists, palm up." She said, we both did.

She laid our bells on our wrists, looping the ribbon around them tightly until the bell was flush against our pulse points. She poured a bottle of black liquid over each of us.

"By blood and ink, I bind this bell to their flesh." She said. It burned. How it burned.

When the pain receded, the bell and ribbon were tattooed into my skin.

"A standard glamour will cover that. Shake your hand like you're ringing the bell, and it will release itself from the tattoo, wrap your ribbon like I did, and it will return to your skin."

"It's getting late. Stephen, we'll resume training in the morning. Emily, until you get you up to speed, Amy will be tutoring you in magic."

"She's up to speed." I said.

"She knows everything?"

"She's on par with me when it comes to magical combat. We've been training at Coventry."

Bethany sighed and looked up at the sky.

"We're going home. I'm fixing us all tea, and then you're going explain just what the bloody fucking hell that school has been teaching you."

"Why Bethany, you've gone native." I replied.

"I need you to stop talking for a minute, Stephen."

Bethany said, and began walking into the cottage. Emily followed behind me.

"Stephen is your life always this, odd?"

"This last week has been kind of eventful. I will admit."

Bethany stopped.

"Before I forget, Emily. This is yours." She said and drew a box out of her pocket. It was a signet ring, like mine. Emily placed it on her pinkie finger.

We took the portal back home and went down to the kitchen.

Bethany had already laid everything out for tea, and we each quickly fixed ours.

After a few minutes, she sat her cup down, leaned back in her chair, and said.

"Now, what, the actual fuck am I sending you two into? I thought Coventry was decent. Is it a school for magical assassins?" She asked. Emily and I shared a look.

"Probably." I said finally. So, in turns, Emily and I told her about the school. Our first year. The first few rocky months of our friendship. The discovery of the Merlin Genius Loci, and that room. Aloysius Moon's death. The carnage that night.

"I've never heard of Chronosickness. That sounds wrong." She said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"If Mastery of Time and Space was something given to mages, I would have one. I've never heard of Chronosickness before, at least not in the context you described. I'm not sure what happened to your classmate. If it weren't for the magical contract I signed as your guardian when I enrolled you in Coventry, I'd strongly consider unenrolling you and taking care of your education myself. I thought the key was a way to get into the Graduate Studies Library. Not whatever Merlin is."

"Please don't." I replied. Bethany sighed again, then made a shrugging gesture, and flicked her hand. A pack of Luckies appeared in her hand, she took one from the pack, and she lit it wandlessly. After she took a drag she sat back up.

"Could I?" Emily made a reaching gesture for the pack. Bethany smacked her hand away.

"Absolutely not." "I can summon demons, but I can't smoke a cigarette." Emily said in a flat tone.

"Talk to me again in two years." She said.

"So, your other friends, William and Reginald, they're going through the same training as you?"

"It's not training. We're just practicing a bit. A little target practice, a little spell work. It's nothing really."

"You both took out vampires. Juvenile vampires. Had I known what we were facing when I took you into that house, you would have stayed behind, and I would have taken Amy with me, and you took it out with relative ease."

"It was just some Geomancy, and I got shot. It wasn't easy."

"It's as if you've had a couple years training. Your control in Pyromancy and Glaciomancy have also gained massive strides." Emily and I shared a look. "How many times did I swear our training sessions seemed to last days?" She sent. I sent an agreement back.

"Emily, who are you talking to?" Another voice said. This one sounded like Emily, but older. A woman instead of the half-grown girl I knew. It was the voice I'd heard in the classroom months ago. I yelped, jarring my cup of tea.

"However, I was thinking. We should invite your friends over, after the dueling tournament. We could have a party celebrating Emily's adoption. The Summer Solstice is in a couple of weeks. We should have it then. Prepare a guest list Emily." Then Bethany looked at the time.

"Prepare it in the morning. It is far past bedtime." She amended.

"I'm going to the library before I go to bed." I said.

"You both can browse for a bit. You've got an hour." She said.

I walked up to the library; Emily was on my heels.

"What kind of books are you looking for?"

"Just poison detection spells. Bethany is probably going to try and kill me tomorrow."

"What?"

"Oh, we're covering poisons right now. She knocked me out the other day. She'll probably try and kill me during breakfast tomorrow."

"Will she try that with me?"

"It's a possibility. I might be setting you up for that. I did say we were on the same level of skill."

"This library doesn't have an index, does it?"

"No, it doesn't, but I have a trick. Vocare books on poison!" I said, making a yanking gesture with my wand.

A dozen texts flew off the shelves and flew around me in a whirlwind.

"Okay, settle down. I want books on poison detection." I said. Five books flew to the forefront. The rest turned back to their shelves, almost sulking.

"The spells she expects us to use are in these."

"We'll die if we try to memorize all five. That spell takes a lot out of me." Emily said.

"I agree." I said. I was silent for a moment. "So. Who was that?" I asked.

"Who was who?" Emily asked. Her voice was careful innocence.

"Emily, I'm already under oath to hold your secrets. Please don't lie to me." I said. She was silent for a minute.

"I'm not crazy you know. The voice is real," she said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Since the time I was a little kid. I've been able to hear a voice in my head. This voice said she was me from the future. I call her Oh-Em. Short for Other Emily. She helps me with my studies. She's taught me a lot about magic, and how to use it. It's how I'm so good with dueling and magic. She can feed me information about how spells and magic work. Most of the magic we're learning at Coventry is stuff she already knows." Emily said.

"I have one too." I said.

"What?" She asked.

"I have a voice as well. He's kind of annoying sometimes, and he's from the future. He's a mundane. But he's much better at theory than I am. He's from the future, and he has all sorts of ideas that are making me money. He helped me learn some wandless magic before I was adopted. You're not alone Emily. If you're crazy. So am I." I said.

She was silent for a few moments.

"Do you think the imp was telling the truth?" She asked after a long moment.

"About what?"

"How he threatened me. About. About my mother. How she didn't want me. How no one wants me." She said. I caught a quaver in her voice and looked to my side. She stood there, and I saw the unshed tears glistening in her eyes. The books were forgotten, and I embraced her.

"Oh, Emily. That's the farthest thing from the truth. I want you. Will and Reg want you. Calem probably wants you."

"Probably?"

"He doesn't talk much. I'm not sure what he wants. But you two are together."

"He doesn't want me, at least not like that. Calem doesn't like girls. We're in a play. I told you. We're certainly not together." She said.

I digested the information. Men liking other men wasn't the taboo subject it was in the Mundane world. It was frowned upon in some circles, but so was being born from a family without magic.

"I just... I don't have a family. You have Bethany. Reginald has his. William has brothers and sisters galore. I have no one." I drew back and looked at her.

"What's your middle name?"

"Why?" A mage would never give anyone their middle name. I didn't know Bethany's. She knew mine, but she had adopted me. I caught a flash of something then, almost like a vision. Another version of me maybe, older. Words sprang to the front of my mind.

"Emily. Just trust me."

"My Name is Emily Helena York."

"Emily Helena York, I promise you right now. On my magic. I will always be there for you. Where you go, I will follow. Into battle, or peace, I will be by your side. Where you die, so shall I. Where you are laid to rest, so will that be my resting place. My blade and wand are yours to call on. I am your family. I'm with you, until the very end." I said. She smiled and wiped at her face..

"Your middle name?"

"My Name is Stephen Oliver Andrews."

"Stephen Oliver Andrews, I swear on my magic. On my blade, and on my wand. I accept your oath. Where you go, I will follow. Into battle, or in times of peace, I will be by your side. Where you die, so shall I. Where you are laid to rest, so will that be my resting place. My blade and wand are yours to call on. I am your family. I'm with you, until the very end." She said. There was a snap, and I felt the magic of our oath flare between us.

"While I love being sappy as much as the next girl, we've got half an hour before we have to be in bed. Let's try and find a solution to not dying." After that night, something changed between Emily and I. It was like a stone wall crumbling to dust. Where there was once a source of tension, there was camaraderie. We'd both been alone in this world with just a voice in your head. We knew what it was like to be an outcast. That, and maybe the oath we swore to each other, forged a bond.

 

Jldew

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Bethany did in fact, try to poison both of us that next morning. After our attempted murder, she had Emily create a guest list for the party. Reginald and William were at the top of list. The other entries were surprising.

"Olivia and Tiberius Lockwood? I didn't think you got along with any legacies."

"Olivia is usually a study partner when I'm in the other dorm, and where Olivia goes, Tiberius follows. They're Gemini twins." I grimaced. There were half a dozen other names I vaguely recognized.

"Theodora Chrissenbloom, really Emily?"

"You don't like Theodora because she gets higher marks on defensive magic then you do."

"And you don't like Juniper Robbards because she's your alchemy partner, but we're not going there." I replied.

"She put aconite in the same potion as nightshade. I almost died from the fumes. She's an idiot. Plus, Robbards was expelled, so she's a moot point." Emily said. Our conversation stalled for a second.

"What about Selene Lovelace?" I asked.

"That airhead? No. Her and Penhallow are both barmy."

By the time we were done, there were almost a dozen classmates on the list. Emily handed it to Bethany.

"I'll send out the invitations and contact the caterers today." She replied.

"Now, I want both of you to go to the island, conjure targets, and run through whatever drills Merlin has you perform." We went up to our rooms, grabbed our gear, and left for the island. We spent most of the day drilling.

For the next two weeks, our days were filled with endless practice of our spell work and tutoring with Amy. We did a deep dive into poisons and various venoms. Manticore and Chimera venom. The drought of endless slumber, a combination of banshee's breath, hemlock and toadstool that would put the victim into a catatonic state. Mordred's breath, a horrible potion that would turn the blood into a black sludge that would then eat the victim's organs until they died of systemic shock. We probably wouldn't ever run into these kinds of poisons, and Amy skimmed over them. But Bethany wanted me prepared for whatever form the trial would take.

Since we had access to the vast stores of the townhouse's alchemy lab, especially the toxic ingredients, I secreted away a fair few vial of the venoms and other more dangerous reagents. Along with some of the more explosive potions we kept. I'd placed them in my alchemy kit. My pouches were getting cumbersome.

♦♦♦

The night of the party arrived, and we dressed in our finest to mingle with the crowds. As was custom of these kinds of parties, not only had the children been invited, but so had the families. In addition to these guests I caught a fair few Fae, a couple of dwarves, and a trio of goblins muttering over their drinks. There was even a trio of wild looking men that felt like the earth against my senses. Judging from the yellow streaks in their irises, they were probably therians.

Vincent was present, for a change. Bethany was wearing an extremely fashionable blue ball gown that brought out the gold in her eyes. Magical Society was oddly patriarchal, and Vincent was playing the part of the host. Bethany, Vincent and Emily were essentially holding court in the grand ballroom. A series of wards had been activated that separated the public areas of the house from the private. I'd never been to a magical party, so the spectacle that awaited me had me in temporary awe. Waitstaff carried food, while other trays floated through the air carrying drinks. A pair of swans made of ice cavorted through their display in an endless chase. There were tumbling Fae performers, and a therian fire breather, and a half dozen different extravagant displays.

I saw Amy navigating the crowds. Bethany had given Emily and I each had a small patch under our ears that was practically invisible. These allowed for instantaneous communication. Eli arrived fashionably late.

I spent an hour pilfering hors d'oeuvres from the trays waitstaff passed, playing the part of host. I finally saw a familiar face.

"William!" I exclaimed. We quickly tapped wands.

"Mr. Lowe, Mrs. Lowe, I welcome you to our humble home. Be welcome as guests of my house. For this night, may our roof shelter you, our gold feed you, and our wands protect you." Guest rites were important in magical society. Each person here had received an invitation guaranteeing protection from conflict under our roof for the duration of the event. It was why you could have a therian and a vampire in the same room without hell breaking loose. I knew that our waitstaff were agents of Vincent and Bethany, and would probably put a swift end to any conflict, but to offer guest right to a group of guests individually, would ensure that if any harm came to them, it would be dealt with swiftly. The Lowe were the only mundane attending, and their safety was paramount. The parents stood out. Mages had a certain look about them. An inner glow that paled their skin. Hair every shade of the rainbow from using their magic, and the eyes glowed with power, almost like a cat in the dark. These black haired mundanes would be easy prey in a room full of predators. Bethany tended to dress conservatively, but High Magical fashion, even though it had distinctly Victorian air to it, was flamboyant. Dresses made of flickering flame. Suits made of shimmering diamond, these were part and parcel of the foppish dance magical society wove at each gathering.

"Children go and play. We'll greet our hosts and find you in a while." Mr. Lowe said.

William shot me a look.

"Stephen, is there a place we can talk privately? With my siblings." He said. I nodded and touched the place beneath my ear. Bethany had given me and Emily each a small patch that looked like a clear band-aid to communicate. It had blended into my skin and was invisible.

"Bethany, I'm taking William and his siblings up to my room." I said.

"Don't be long." She replied.

I took him upstairs. The watch I wore acted as a key through the wards. We entered my bedroom.

"What's wrong?"

"My dad's ship has been reassigned. He's on temporary leave right now, but my entire family will be moving to Malta, specifically Valletta. My grandfather owns a flat there. He wants me to transfer from Coventry to Goeteia." Da Luz was an awful school.

"That's a nothing school. Their dueling team didn't even make regionals last year."

"I know, that's why I need your help. I know you have psychic abilities. I need you to compel my father to let us stay with you, or at least stay in Coventry."

"Us?" I asked.

"Show him." William said.

Cass did something, an odd twisting gesture with her hand. There was a spark of dark purple in her hand, a small flick of power, and then there was a large crystal. No, a diamond in her palm. She made a second gesture, and one of my journals began floating from an unseen gust of wind.

William nodded at Edward. The boy closed his eyes, pointed his pointer and middle fingers toward each other, and made a twisting gesture. A small ember of vibrant orange flame hovered in the air between the four points.

Finally, Evelyn made a twisting, flipping gesture with her hand. I felt the water draw itself out of the air and coalesce into a ball of water. Her hand glowed pale, almost white blue.

"What the hell?" I asked.

"I don't know mate. When I came back from Coventry, the first time we were all alone, they had me perform a little bit of magic, and then something sparked in them." I gave them each a second look. I could see small strands of Evelyn's hair turning slowly white, and there was a glint of deep purple and amber in Cassandra and Edward's eyes that hadn't been there before.

I sat down on my bed. This. This was bad. The pyromancy was fine. But if the Italians got ahold of a Tremisimancer? The British? Gods forbid the Germans? Fucking hell. The magical economy was built on these individuals. Wars could literally be fought over Cassandra. Not to mention she had the power of Aeromancy. One elementalist in a family was rare, but four were unheard of.

I tapped the side of my neck.

"Mum, Amy or Vincent, I need you to get up here now. We have a situation." I replied.

"This is Amy. Heading up." I heard a voice say.

She was upstairs and in my room inside a minute.

"What's the issue?" She asked.

I nodded my head toward Cassandra, who still held the diamond, the perfectly shaped, quarter pound diamond in her hand.

"May I?" Amy asked, reaching for the diamond. Cassandra let her take it without a word.

"Did you make this?" Amy asked. Cassandra nodded.

"God's Blood." Amy swore.

"Bethany is on her way up." Amy said. She arrived a few minutes later along with Eli.

Bethany instantly accessed the situation and tapped the side of her neck. I realized that she must have been speaking sub-vocally somehow, because I heard her voice in my head.

"Beta. I want redeployment. Top of the stairs. Shift server duties off to Delta. Gamma. Be prepared to activate kill boxes and deploy auto turrets. Shift all internal and external to yellow. Vincent."

"I've already deployed Epsilon to cover the Lowe family. . We need you back down here, Beth."

"I'm aware. What I wouldn't give for a trio of Khopesh right now." She muttered, out loud.

"Ma'am. We've got an intruder upstairs." A voice I didn't recognize said.

Bethany instantly straightened.

"Where?"

"They're gone. Some sort of shadow walking."

"Run surveillance. I need identification and find out how they picked my wards. Find them, I want a tag and bag."

"I'm the Andrews' attaché. Their right hand. The master would like to be here, but unfortunately, they are both busy with the party down below. Appearances must be preserved. Eli Winters, nice to meet you." Eli said, and offered his hand.

"You're here for your safety Mr. Lowe. There are guests downstairs that could mean each of your children harm. Your daughter is a Tremisimancer. A novitiate one, but one, nonetheless. Do you know what that means?" Eli asked. His glamour was on in full force tonight. He had taken an appearance similar to what Bethany took while out and about in mundane London. Tall, dark hair, deep blue eyes. Utterly mundane.

"No, I don't."

"Your daughter can control and create diamonds. That ability is very much sought after in our society. An ability like that, until a person is well trained enough to defend themselves, will lead to near constant attempts on their life. That coupled with your son's abilities, and the sheer power your other son and daughter will be able to bring to bear, and your family will be sought after as soon as word of these abilities reaches the wrong ears. You've heard the story of Helen of Troy, I assume?" Mr. Lowe nodded.

"She was the first Tremisimancer in history. Troy did not fall because of her beauty. It fell because of her power. She remained in chains and under compulsion in Athens until the end of her days. The Romanovs died because of Anastasia's power. If I were you, I'd allow our men to put your house in Plymouth under watch and allow it to be warded. I'd also send your children here for the winter holidays so that we can try to train young Cassandra in the basic arts of her power. You will do that, won't you Mr. Andrews?" He said. I heard the melodious power of compulsion behind those last few words, and the Lowe parents nodded.

"Excellent. I'm glad we could reach an accord. Now, feel free to enjoy the party. You must try the salmon mousse. It's exquisite." Eli said. The guards returned the family to the party.

"Eli, will they be safe?" I asked.

"Your guardian has excellent guards, and we're dispatching a team of her private warders as we speak."

"Were you telling the truth, about Helen and Anastasia?"

"I am Fae, we cannot lie. I'm sure you've learned about Troy in Transmutation class. As for Anastasia, Bethany and I fought on opposite sides during the Great War. We fought at Yekaterinburg the night the Romanovs fell, among half a dozen other places."

"Then how did you end up on the same side?"

"She ended up saving my life in Sharqat during the last days of the war. In a way, she helped me regain my honor. For that, she has my eternal allegiance. There are two beings that I willingly serve. Bethany is one. And her Grace."

"Her grace?"

"The Fae Queen of Winter. I dare not say her name. That would gain her attention, even a vassal such as myself would be courting folly to summon her forth. Now, return to the party, Stephen. Do your duty as a host. Your friend and his family are safe."

I did, but the evening had been ruined for me. As I threaded my way through the crowd, I filled Emily in what had happened telepathically. I spent the remainder of the party prowling the crowds. Reg and William were on opposite sides of the room, and I went back and forth between the two of them and for the rest of the evening. The night wore on, and the guests began bidding us farewell. Soon the last group of stragglers had left. Bethany's smile vanished from her face. She looked at Amy.

"I want a complete sweep of the premises. Did you ever find out what our intruder was?"

"The Thaumatic signature indicates vampire." Amy said.

"The nearest vampire Master is in Manchester; did we torch him?" Bethany asked.

"Her sire is Evangeline Gray; we didn't want the whole Midnight Court coming down upon us." Eli replied.

"And torching one of the leader's spawn would certainly do that." Vincent mused.

"Well, get our agents inside her headquarters. See what information you can gather." Bethany said.

"Our shadow mage traced the trail to Leeds." Eli said.

"How interesting." Bethany said. She began pacing.

"I thought we'd taken of the situation in Leeds." She said softly.

"As had I." Eli responded.

"It's not like him to use vampires." Amy said.

"No, it's not. There's something going on here. It's like we're searching for a puzzle piece in the dark." Vincent said.

"Would you please tell us what's going on?" I asked.

"Do you remember the creature that Eli and I fought last winter?"

"The Leshi?" I asked, and she nodded.

"The queen of Winter Fae was having us deal with rogue elements in her court. We thought we had dealt with all of them. Their headquarters was in Leeds. Apparently, we were wrong."

"Bethany, you don't think Camille's ilk has aligned themselves with Puck, do you?" Amy asked.

"Doubtful. The Midnight and Seasonal Courts do not align their interests." Eli said.

"It's a coincidence, nothing more." Eli replied. Bethany sighed, and with a flick of her wrist, changed her appearance. Her fancy clothes vanished and were replaced by a comfortable pair of pants and a shirt.

"Bethany, can you change me as well?" Emily asked. A wave of her wand, and our party clothes were switched to night clothes. They'd show up in our closet later, freshly laundered.

The other three quickly changed through magical means.

"We'll be in the study. You don't have a set bedtime tonight. Tomorrow will be a free day, and treasure it. When Monday dawns it starts a whole other level of hell regarding your training."

"When are we going to be allowed in these meetings?"

"When you can fight all four of us at once to a standstill." She replied.

Emily and I, as was our nightly custom, went to raid the library. We'd had some success in picking the wards of the library. I knew I needed to delve into my own Tremisimancy, but I had other things I wanted to learn first. Teleportation. Perfecting my portals, and to expand the rudimentary healing I knew. We didn't speak about a lot that night. The party, Cassandra's newfound abilities. We settled into an easy silence. Both of us knew when the other didn't want to talk, and both of us knew when words were not needed. The bond we had sworn to each other, gave us an intuition about each other.

"Why did you send me that letter?" I asked. She stopped and put her book on runecraft down.

"I don't know. I wasn't sure if William could respond. Reg didn't seem right. But you, despite our differences, I knew you of all people would pull through. I think part of it was the vision I had of us."

"When we met?"

"No, it was a couple weeks after we found Merlin's room. There are four of us. William, I think Edward. You, and I. We're fighting this mage. She had hair like fire and controlled these creatures. They looked like animals. Except. They were twisted somehow. Made of metal, and their eyes glowed with this blue fire that I can't even describe. We were losing. Badly. Edward was bleeding out. William had at least broken an arm. You and I were the only ones still standing. I could hear the sounds of battle all around us. Men and animals dying. I had a dozen different smaller wounds. You taunt her, and throw a spell out, and then my vision goes black. I woke up screaming, and it stayed in my head. It's like a cold I can't shake Stephen. No matter how much I try. It sticks to me, always in the back of my head." We'd both sat at one of the wooden tables that were scattered around the library.

"It might be your psychic abilities kicking in."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, some psychics have clairvoyance. This might be a vision of things to come."

"But we weren't that much older than we are now." She said.

I bit my lip.

"What?" She asked.

"Bethany informed me last winter that one of her seers had a vision about me. That I'd undergo a test sometime in the next year. We weren't sure when the test was going to happen. We figured Yule at the latest. It's part of the reason why we're training so hard. We don't know what the trial will entail, and we're going to be as prepared as possible. Do you remember anything from the vision that could help us?" She closed her eyes.

"We were all dressed in armor that was definitely medieval." She said. I nodded and went to the shelves. I took a pouch off my belt. It was empty. It would not be for long.

"Bethany, borrowing books. Don't know when I'll have them back." I sent off a telepathic message to her and received the mental equivalent of a nod.

"Vocare, books about the printing press. Vocare. Books about wilderness survival."

"What are you doing?"

"Raiding the library for books on the printing press. Blacksmithing. Medicine. Anything that could give us an edge. Anything that will help us in a medieval society." I said. Emily nodded.

"Vocare books on naval warfare." We begin a raid on the library. Books of steel smithing, On gunpowder and firearms. Railroads. On early magical architecture and both types of warfare. On farming and irrigation. on paper manufacturing. Anything we thought of, we took those books and duplicated them. It was well past two when we were done. We both crawled into bed.

It was almost noon when I woke up. I dressed in mundane clothing, after showering and running through my morning routine. After a quick brunch, Emily and I left a note for Bethany telling her we were going out.

Our first stop was London's magical district. We each converted a decent chunk of our cash to mundane bills and went on a spending spree. We bought dozens of live magical plants and seeds for alchemy and food. Along with a dozen animal, and alchemy ingredients placed under stasis that we would need for alchemy. We used my Phosphomancy and Audiomancy to sneak into a mundane hospital where we spirited away morphine, and disinfectant, gauze, thread and needles. A quick jaunt again to East Anglia for seeds. Potatoes. Wheat. Corn. Staple crops. Another portal to the South West for cows and chickens that were shrunk and placed in stasis. All of this was placed in an expanded traveler's trunk that cost us about a thousand aurei. This coupled with the small house we had outfitted the trunk with, and the massive amount of food we stored in it, and we were out roughly a tenth of the aurei we'd taken from Merlin. We withdrew another tenth of the gold we had access to, and placed that in a warded section

When we returned, we spent the better part of the rest of the day had putting our books in the library and organizing our stores.

The next day and our training resumed with a frantic edge that had not existed before. We spent time in both the temporal chamber and on the island. Bethany drilled us in firearms and magical combat. We'd begin in the early morning and continue until the sun had long since set. This left me with little time for experimentation with my typewriters, or really any of the magical designs I had sketched in my journals. It was exhausting, and utterly grueling.

The last few days of June burned and blurred into July. Emily won the dueling tournament with ease and was invited to the European Cup in the Spring, and July turned to August just as quickly. Soon, we embarked on a quick trip to Emrys to gather supplies for school. More clothes, a stationary store. Alchemy supplies. We each bought copies of the remainder of the baseline curriculum for the year. Our shopping completed, we left for home.

Before we left for the fall term at Coventry, I raided the townhouse's armory. If Bethany noticed the missing Thompson submachine guns, or the grenades, or the half dozen lodestones that I'd placed in my trunk, she didn't comment on it. The small house disguised as a trunk was shrunken enough to be small enough to be added to my pentacle as an extra charm, and I hid it with an anchored glamour.

Voice and Oh-Em had managed to learn how to speak to each other, and most of the time, they preferred each other's company over ours. Overall, we were well prepared for the upcoming year, and whatever it brought.

 

We returned to Coventry and settled into an easy routine. This time, we were the ones taking potshots at First Forms. Our dorms had been upgraded as well. They weren't the austere grey. These actually resembled living quarters, and we each had our own rooms. Our first night back, the four of them snuck into my room.

"I'm going to see Merlin." Emily said.

"Whatever he's doing to stretch time?" I asked.

"Among other things. I did some research over the summer. I have questions about Leanna." Emily said. I withdrew the key from the pouch that I had placed it in. I kept most of my possessions on me. Whatever the upcoming trial was. I was being borderline paranoid about having everything I might need at easy reach.

I gave her the key, and she walked to my bathroom door, and unlocked it. The room awaited us.

We entered the room and Merlin shimmered into existence.

"Welcome back, how was your summer?" He asked.

"It was fine, but I have questions about you and Leanna." Emily said.

"What kind of questions?"

"Why are you placing us in a temporal distortion field when you train us."

"To learn the skills, I've been teaching you this past year would have taken roughly five. In the time I'm from, this was not just a school. It was an Academy of War and Magic. We trained Knights and Paladins as surely as we trained Battle Mages and Enchanters. Once, this school was threatened at least once a year, and defended from all who attacked not by the strength of wards, but by the sorcery and swordplay of our students. An archer's arrow can kill as swiftly as a spell. A kite shield can defend as easily as a ward.

You each have so much potential, that I would be remiss to allow you to squander your potential. Should you continue my training regimen over the next seven years, there are few if any mages that will be able to defeat you in combat.

"We'll have just aged thirty years." Reg replied.

"Do you appear to be five years older now?" Merlin asked.

"No."

"See, Mages are a funny lot. We're powerful, magic allows us to experience wonders and change reality on a whim. There is not one magical household that lacks for food, or creature comfort. Not one starving trueborn mage.

There's so much you could do, and know, yet very few of them think outside the box.

Coventry's expanded day allows for students to study more. The wards I wove around this fortress protect and condense the school. But, when you bring up temporal magics, you think you'll age quickly. There is a point of reversion. There are pockets of reality that can be anchored and shifted to allow for temporal dilation. Have you never heard of Fairy Circles? A drunken reveler steps into a circle for a few moments, and when he leaves a hundred years have passed in a blink. Why couldn't the reverse happen? Separate worlds do exist. We've seen it. Chatwin's Theory of Universal Parallels covered this.

I imagine that there are worlds that are just a whisper removed from us. When you are in this room, you may experience time differently, but when you leave, you will return to the age you were before. You'll simply retain the knowledge and spells I've taught you. If you wish, I can stop using temporal dilation."

"What do you think? If it allows us to gain knowledge quicker, I'm game for it." William asked. I wondered if this was his natural curiosity, or a drive to protect his family.

"I'm all for it." Reginald said.

"I agree." I said. I could always change my mind after the Trial.

"We've already been undergoing this dilation. Let's continue with it, on the caveat that Merlin answers my next questions." Emily said, and I gave her a look.

"Calem?" I asked.

"I agree with it."

"What questions?" I sent. She certainly hadn't told me about anything.

"You'll see." She replied.

"Merlin, I did some reading over the summer. Leanna Pendragon, after her retirement as Headmistress from Coventry, moved to York. She had a family. Three daughters and a son. Using Bethany's library, I managed to trace a son from York, through the ages until I hit the genealogical equivalent of a dead end. However, my question is, where is Excalibur?"

"Excalibur was lost to time. It was rumored that one of her daughters took it to a distant land on a mission. Elizabeth died before she could return. Her other two daughters were ungifted, and her son was disowned."

"Damn." She said.

"Since you all are here, do you want a training session?"

"I've got nothing better to do." Emily said. We all nodded in agreement.

"Good, now. I'd planned on teaching you this last spring, but your elementalist abilities got in the way."

With a wave of his hand, he conjured targets.

"Begin." He said. The five of us launched into the spells we knew. The five of us launched into practice. We spent the next few hours practicing our magic against stationary and static targets.

At the end, I carried through with the next part of our plan. It was one of the only things Emily and I had for our goals this year.

"Now that that exercise is over, Merlin. I have a request. I made a deal with the dwarves. I want the rest of the currency that is currently being stored."

"What for?"

"I made a contract with the dwarves for a very lucrative deposit agreement."

"And I assume the greedy tunnelers want the money stored in my vaults?"

"Well, I do." He gave me a look.

"I suppose you want four more trunks?"

I produced one.

"Nope, I've got that! Thanks for offering!" I said with a grin. He growled, and glared, but he produced the money and placed it in the trunks.

"Is there anything else, young mages?"

"When we found you, there were two other rooms. Where do they lead?"

"They don't lead anywhere. One is Morgana's keep. Her final resting place. The other is Lady Leanna's armory. You need a key for that."

"Morgana's body is stored there?" Emily asked.

"Her petrified body. Yes. You see, Morgana was an immortal, and once the school was set up. She left on many adventures. One day, she returned, a curse was burning through her body. One that turned her to stone eventually. It was rumored that it was linked to a curse a certain male sorcerer had placed on her, and only he could free her. To this day, she sits on her stone seat, waiting for the sorcerer to make amends. As for the armory, Lady Vivienne went on many adventures, to different worlds. She stored the treasures she found in that room. When she vanished, Lady Leanna placed wards around the room to stop anyone from attempting to open the door and plunder it. The room was originally for Lady Leanna, but she had married by then, and her interest in the school was beginning to wane."

"I want to get into that room." Emily said.

"You would dare?"

"I would." She replied.

"Produce the door to the bowels of the school." She said.

"Don't do this." Merlin said.

"My name is Emily York, by right of blood. By purview of conquest. By passage of birth. Merlin, I order you to open that door." Merlin froze, his image flickered and twisted.

He spoke in a monotone.

"Heir override, recognized." He said. Then the door swung open.

"Is there anything else you need?" He asked.

"No, that should be all." She said and walked out of the room.

We followed her.

"Emily, what was that?" Reginald asked.

"A hunch." She said and opened the door. It swung open, and she stepped back. Then she walked into the room. It was dusty, but the objects in the room seemed well preserved. A weapons rack taking up the right side of the room held swords, and daggers, and the occasional polearm.

In the center, there were a dozen mannequins wearing leather armor. All of it was enchanted heavily. I could tell from the shimmer and the runes glowing on the armor. A second weapons rack on the left side held bows and crossbows. In the front of the room there was a branching shelf that held at least twenty different pouches. Next to the shelf, there was a wooden desk with a shelf above it. These shelves held plain leather books. Besides this desk, there was a series of trunks.

We looked around in wonder. Reginald looked at the armor.

"This armor, it's Dragon. Styxian black. My grandfather has a set."

"Styxian?" William asked.

"Styx dragons eat magic. They've been hunted to extinction. Each set of this is probably worth a thousand tremissis." He said and wandered over to the weapons racks. He murmured a spell.

"These weapons are enchanted as well. I'm not sure what some of the enchantments do, but it doesn't appear that any of them are cursed."

"No, they wouldn't be. Now, this ledger is quite interesting. It appears to be an inventory of sorts for this room. I should offer each of them a set of this armor." Emily thought*.* She was seated at the desk. I strengthened my mental shields. My mental abilities were growing, and I had to actively suppress my latent telepathy.

"What are you reading Emily?" I asked.

"It's an inventory ledger of this room. It lists the enchantments each weapon has, along with what the armor is."

"Should we take these? We can have Io or Ganymede carry everything." I sent. She made a sharp backward motion with her head.

"They'll find out sooner or later. We don't have to tell them we're bonded. Just act like they're normal imps."

"Good point. Me or you?" I asked.

"You."

"Io." I said, and then thought. "Appear as an imp. Do not give away anything about how we are bound." I said.

"Pack this room carefully in the place you are housed. Do not destroy, damage, or endanger the contents. Keep the organization as it is."

I told him. In less than a minute, the entire room was packed.

"You have an imp?" Reg asked.

"Bethany gave it to me." I said, and he nodded.

"So, now that you have everything packed, what are we going to do with this room?" Calem asked.

"Leave it for time. There's nothing here." Emily said, and we exited it. We returned to our new pod and settled into an easy peace. A peace that Emily and I filled with plundering Coventry's library for everything it had. My newfound skill in Phosphomancy was enough to ensure that we avoided detection. I had some slip on my grades, but nothing that couldn't be made up in the next term. Emily assisted me on the nights we didn't practice in the room.

The books on Mundanes were avoided. I had enough of those already stowed away in my library. I paid special attention to books on alchemy, on transmutation and conjuration. Tomes of runes were joined by treatise upon treatise on enchanting. The few books on Scrying and the mind arts were placed in a specially warded section of the trunk.

By the end of November, Emily and I had thoroughly plundered anything of interest. I wish I'd been able to gain access to the upper years building, but that was on the lower end of the island, and completely off limits to Students below apprentice level. Other than that, nothing of note until the week before Halloween.

After our daily training session in the room, Merlin made an announcement.

"According to my calendar, Samhain is fast approaching. I'd like you each to perform your first rituals. If you perform them in the room, the refractory time will be reduced."

"What will the ritual entail?"

"It is intensive. It requires a ritual drawn in the casters blood. And reagents depending on the runes chosen."

"You're talking about the ritual of Triskelic Harmony." Reginald said.

"You know this ritual?" He asked.

Reg nodded.

"Usually the ritual is performed in my family on their 21st birthday. It's a borderline dark ritual. The council might not condemn it, but they certainly frown upon it."

"What do we need?"

"I happen to have the unicorn hair brushes and gold dust in my stores, along with the silver syringes. but I need seven ounces of blood from each of you so that the runes absorb into your body."

"Absorb?" I asked.

"It's a bit of thaumaturgy in the ritual. A triskelion painted on the floor with four ounces of your blood. Then you grind up the reagents for the runes you are imbuing in an ounce of blood each. Then you use that to paint your backs with an alchemical symbol or rune. You choose three symbol you wish to paint. One rune for the body, one for the mind, and one for the soul, your magic, to absorb. Then you stand in the circle and invoke the rune."

"Absorb?" I asked.

"It's a bit of thaumaturgy in the ritual. A triskelion painted on the floor with four ounces of your blood. Then you grind up the reagents for the runes you are imbuing in an ounce of blood each. Then you use that to paint your backs with an alchemical symbol or rune. You choose three symbol you wish to paint. One rune for the body, one for the mind, and one for the soul, your magic, to absorb. Then you stand in the circle and invoke the rune."

"Mercury, Salt, and Sulphur?" Reg asked, and Merlin nodded.

"Since painting the symbol would be tricky, I can do it for each of you. I am a being of magic, pure magic. I won't affect the spell. You need to consider each rune and reagent carefully. This ritual will change you irrevocably for good or ill." Merlin motioned to the shelves that appeared behind him.

"There are books on rune craft, and gemstones on that shelf. Generally, the ritual is performed with two gemstones, and a plant essence. Choose these carefully. Make your choices today. Write them on a piece of paper and tell me. This ritual has more power if you don't tell anyone what reagents or runes, you're planning on using." From my knowledge of runecraft, I knew which runes I wanted. I quickly scanned books and made my choices. I wrote them on a piece of paper.

"Interesting choices." He said. Then he produced a syringe.

"Draw your blood. You might feel lightheaded, but you'll recover quickly." He said. I drew my blood, fighting back the sudden vertigo that threatened to overwhelm me.

"Construct, I give you this blood for no other purpose except to hold it in stasis until the time I need it." I said, handing Merlin the paper and the syringe. He nodded, the rest handed him their reagents, and we left the room. On Samhain night, we entered the room. Four separate booths had been created.

"This ritual is best done sky clad, with no magical instruments or implements on your person. This will throw off the magic of the ritual."

Emily and I shared looks.

"Should we?"

"I'm not playing with infernals." I replied, and she nodded.

As one we began undressing until we were down to our underclothes. We shook our wrists, and the bells appeared on our wrists. We quickly unwrapped them and dropped the bracelets on the pile of clothes. We entered our booths, and I painted the alchemical symbols on the ground, as I did, they began glowing emerald.

Every ritual required either three ingredients, or seven. This one required the six reagents, plus my blood.

For the mind, I had chosen peridot, for clarity, to prevent compulsions and the Algiz rune for protection. I levitated the brush and fought to not flinch against the soft heat of the mixture of blood and peridot.

The second rune, the one for the body, I chose aventurine for healing, and Sowilo, for the life force. With that set, I was hoping to boost my healing factor.

The third and arguably most important was the runes that would affect my soul. These were the ones Merlin had questioned. The first was ground up leaves from the rowan tree. It was my wand wood and known as the moon tree. I thought it was a nice counterbalance to the runes and gems I used that embodied the sun. The rune I chose was Laguz, renewal, what I would hope would boost my magical strength. As the final rune drew itself into my skin, I felt the air around me gain an almost static charge and felt more power than I'd ever felt before flowing into me. It took my breath away, and it seemed like the world had gained a new edge, and suddenly, I felt a dozen different pops across my body, and fell to the ground. Injuries that hadn't been totally healed with magic suddenly fixed themselves. I felt several pops as poorly realigned joints righted themselves, and then I knew no more.

After waking up a few hours later, I opened my eyes. As I came back to consciousness, reality assaulted me. Everything looked sharper, more vivid. A blaze of color when everything Then my other senses kicked in. My nose was assaulted by half a dozen different scents I didn't recognize, and my ears were assaulted by a cacophony of noises. It was like the worst hangover ever. I immediately closed my eyes, covered my ears, and curled into a ball. But it did nothing. In addition to this, my latent telepathy came roaring forward. In a school of almost two thousand, it was like wrapping my mind in static. I concentrated, trying to bring up my mental walls and block the noise out.

Eventually, I heard a voice cut through the endless noise.

"Stephen." The voice said.

"Go away!" I said.

"Stephen, you need to focus. Your shields are down. Bring them up. Bring your mental wards up. We need to get your telepathy under control first." I dimly recognized the voice as Merlin's.

I felt another mind brush against mine, and it felt familiar.

"Stephen, it's Emily. You need to let me in so I can help you." I heard Emily's voice echo through my head, and I managed to drop whatever one way shield the ritual had erected.

I felt her Ego brush against my own, and she helped me draw my mind back into my own head and rebuild the mental walls that I had built. When it was done, she withdrew from my mind, and I let out a sigh of relief.

The ritual had been successful. I looked down. My blood and the regents had been burned to ash. As I got up from the floor, I noticed a change. My limbs moved exactly how I wanted them to. I hadn't realized how uncoordinated I was until that movement. As I dressed, I noticed I had a sense of balance and grace that wasn't present before.

I gathered my implements together.

The three of them had already dressed and were waiting for me.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked.

"I'm fine." I said and stretched. That was when I noticed another enhancement. I could sense the magic in them. From Reg, I noticed something wild, and untamed, like the sense of an old growth forest, or a wild cat on the hunt.

From William, I felt a sense of steady calm, a whiff of clay and fresh wheat.

From Emily, I felt her mind, a calming presence, the quiet of a library. The smell of old books, and just a hint of rot.

"What's wrong?"

"Stephen, your power." Emily said.

"What about it?"

"It's like sensing seeing the world all at once. Like, a rush of a hundred colors."

"I wonder, if we can sense each other, can we sense what kind of spell is being used?" William asked.

"Merlin, can you conjure a dummy?" I said. He winked into existence. "Certainly." He said and conjured a gnoll that simply stood there.

"Light?" William.

"Possibly." I replied, the magic felt twisty, like just out of place.

I raised my hand, opened my palm, and called forth a ball of light. I noticed then that my mental construct of the orb was wrong and fixed my perception of that. A ball of brilliant green light hovered in my palm, as bright as a small sun. I lessened the flow of power going into it, and it lowered in intensity. Before, my magic was a trickle from a spring, and now it was a mighty river in full flood.

"Not light." William said.

"You're an illusion?" Emily asked.

"Excellent observation Miss York." Merlin said.

"It's Andrews now." She replied.

"Oh?"

"Stephen's guardian adopted me." Emily replied.

"Interesting."

Reginald looked at the dummy. Then he flipped his hand through a gesture. A spear of force flew through the air and bisected the dummy. The force spell felt clean, like a summer breeze across my skin. That would make sense, because force was one of the purest forms of magic. I could also feel the rune and power structure of the spell.

I tried recreating the force spell from the energy I felt Reginald manifest, and it coalesced for a moment before vanishing.

"Your power flow is wrong." Reginald said.

"Can you conjure that spell again?"

He did, and held the spear, I cast out my senses, and I saw where I'd gone wrong.

Then, I conjured my force spear perfectly. It was like I'd gained a new sense. If magic was music, where before I could hear it and then try to recreate it, this was reading the sheet the music was written on and having perfect pitch.

For the next hour or so, we started working on a baseline of how the rituals enhanced us. The ritual had a baseline apparently. We all had increased hand eye coordination, which resulted in better reflexes, and it seemed as our magical senses had been enhanced. After that, we left the room.


What did everyone think? If you liked this chapter, please consider giving me an upvote, or a like if you're reading this on Questionable Questing. This is an already completed work, and each post will be a chapter (or half chapter) of the first book in the Aether Cycle. I'll be posting these chapters every week. If you like what you read, and want to support the author, and don't want to wait for updates, please consider purchasing The Voice in His Head from Amazon or Audible, or supporting me on Patreon.
You can discuss this chapter below, or in the Discord. If you're a Troper, the Aether Cycle TV Tropes page can be found here. This needs Wiki Love, so if you like doing that, and you're a fan, be my guest!
Finally, I'm going to be starting a newsletter shortly, and you can find the signup form for that here! Anyone who signs up for my newsletter will gain access to an exclusive short story from Bethany's point of view.
Once again, thank you for all your support.

 

Three days later, Malcolm Grey and Calumn Thorne decided to escalate their antagonism. We were walking down one of the hallways one day when they bumped into us. Our animosity hadn't faded since our first encounter. Reg and William, and Calem were talking about some sort of plant. Grey bumped into us, and Thorne sneered.

"Have you still not learned to mind your betters?" He asked.

"You bumped into me you wanker!" Emily exclaimed. Thorne looked at her like something he'd wiped off her shoe.

"You know York, you'd get more attention if you stopped dressing like a dyke. Honestly, the orphan finally gets money from doing gods knows what in that crawler orphanage. I can understand that crawler bitch adopting the nameless bastard. But, you? You're just riding his coattails. What do you do, suck him off for your essays?" Thorne asked. Emily snarled, and raised her wand.

"Emily, don't." I said, and she looked at me.

"Yes Emily, don't." Thorne sneered in a mimicry of my voice. I realized that while I'd gotten my first growth spurt over the summer, Thorne was still small. I raised my own wand.

"Let the little dogs yap. It's just bad breeding." I said.

"I agree. If there's something wrong with the pup, there's usually something wrong with the bitch." Reginald said. He had calmly drawn his own wand, and I noticed that William had his own raised as well. Calem had drawn a dagger of all things from his belt. I wondered what he got up to over the summer.

"You're one to talk Coldwood, you and your ridiculously moonsick mother. Tell me, has she set any more houses on fire?" A voice said. Two older
legacies stood behind us. Both of them were at least fifth form. Then the first spell flew, from behind. I felt the dark edge to the spell, and saw it collide and spark against Williams shield, and then the other two Legacies dropped their glamours. Hell broke loose.

Emily lashed out with a wave of telekinesis, and Grey blocked it, firing off a spell with a slash of his wand. Emily could fight her own battles, and I unleashed a bone breaker toward one of the fifth forms, followed quickly by a one-syllable explosion spell. He blocked them both, and I sent out a dozen daggers of ice. A spell hit me, and it seemed like the world slowed to a crawl.

"Fulminas hasta!" I heard Grey yell in slow motion, a lance of lightning shot from his wand and I saw his smirk. I backpedaled, it felt like I was moving through syrup. I know I needed to raise a shield of earth around me to stop the bolt from frying me.

"Contego Duro!" I heard Emily say distantly, and white lightning met the sapphire shield and was stopped.

"Fractae!" I heard a voice say, it could have been William and then the world went back to normal speed. I snarled, drew my daggers with a mental flick and sent death spiraling toward the direction I felt the spell coming from. I heard a meaty thunk. Suddenly Grey went flying backward and then sideways in a curve, where he collided with a statue. He fell to the ground in a boneless heap.

Thorne took a step backward and I pressed my advantage, unleashing one syllable spell after spell. Finally, his shield chant broke, and I shot off a binder. His limbs were bound, and I pocketed his wand.

I turned toward my companions. One of the fifth forms was down, my daggers pinning him to the stone wall. Two were on the backstep, and Emily had the other on the ground, savagely kicking him over and over. Calem's dagger was still in his palm, but it glowed a sickly orange, and he was muttering a spell under his breath.

I rejoined the fray. A wave of telekinesis slammed into them, breaking their shields finally. Reg bound one with thorny looking vines, and William knocked the last out with a vicious right hook. I went over to Emily.

"He's down." I said. She didn't stop. I wrapped my arms around her, and lifted her up. It was no easy feat.

"I'm going to kill them; I'm going to kill them all!" She snarled. Kicking at me, and scratching my arms.

"Emily. Calm down." I said, sending a wave of calm through our bond. She stopped kicking, and almost immediately burst into tears. She embraced me.

"You're safe. No one is going to hurt you." I said, over and over. After a few minutes, she stopped and sniffled.

"We need to go to a Professor. Or a Dean." Reginald said.

"Go, I'll stay here." I said. They left, and they reappeared in a few minutes with Dean Stephenson.

"Oh my." He said. She tapped her necklace.

"Could Dean Blackthorn, Assistant Headmaster Locke, and Nurse Collins please report to the fifth floor. There's been an altercation." In less than a minute, the staff members were present.
Nurse Collins let out a gasp.

"What happened?" She said, drawing her wand and began a series of diagnostic spells. She started with the one pinned to the walls with my daggers.

"Ambush." The fifth form gasped out.

"I saw everything, professor. These five attacked Grey and Thorne. Then they turned on us." He said.

"I think that it would be best if we headed to my office." Assistant Headmaster Locke said.

"Yes, I think that would be best. I'll inform their parents, or lack thereof." Dean Blackthorn said.
In half an hours' time we were seated in his office. Bethany wasn't present, neither were Reginald's parents or William's. However, the two fifth forms parents had arrived, as had an older severe looking woman that could easily pass as an older, female version of Thorne. She was dressed in a suit, and her arms were bare. There was a string of bells tattooed on each arm, along with two hanging from each ear.
Nurse Collins had arrived and quickly recapped the injuries we had inflicted on our classmates.

"Mr. Andrews and company, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"With all due respect, I think we all stand firm when I say I won't be saying anything until our guardians arrived."

"It's a shame about that, you see, my fire message was returned unanswered to your townhome, Mr. Andrews. Reginald's father is out of the country on a sudden assignment from the Council Majeure, and Mr. Lowe's family has been hidden away. No trace of them exists in our file systems. As for Mr. Robére, well, his Aunt told us to deal with him as he saw fit. Simply a shame." Dean Blackthorn said.

"Yes, that is, isn't it?" A voice said. Bethany walked into the room. She was flanked by a severe looking older woman, who I recognized as Agatha Coldwood and a middle-aged bespectacled man. The man stepped forward, and offered his wand to Assistant Locke, who tapped it.

"Terrance Selwyn of Selwyn, Duke, and Hawthorn. I am the Andrews family barrister." He said, offering his wand.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. Now, why would your clients need a barrister? This is an informal meeting."

"This is just a precaution." Terrance replied.

"If they get to involve their barristers, then we should as well." Thorne's mother said.

"Oh, sit down Irene." Lady Coldwood said.

"Agatha, nice to see you, how is your daughter in law?" Irene Thorne replied.

"I wish I could say the same, and she's fine." The older lady said.

"Mrs. Coldwood, I believe we should all sit down." Assistant Locke said. With a wave of his wand, he conjured chairs. They all sat.

"I'll be representing the afflicted parties." Irene Thorne said.

"Now, since your charges attacked first, House Thorne wishes for House Coldwood to withdraw their Heir from Coventry post haste. We want the mundaneborns to be bound."

"That is a harsh demand." Selwyn said.

"Harsh actions demand harsh responses. If you agree to these concessions, along with the forfeiture of the runic schematics for the spatial expansions used on the Emrys train, per House Grey's request we will not press this matter to the Council Majeure. House Valmont is demanding that House Andrews pay for the medical care of their Heir, and that they forfeit a quarter of the gold currently being held in the Andrews vaults." Thorne replied.

"House Andrews refutes these demands. We wish for full memory and analysis of the altercation scene." Selwyn said.

"Should the evidence support my viewpoint, I will press this to the Council." Thorne replied.

"I do happen to have a reliquary on hand. Whose memories would you like to view?" Assistant Locke said.

"I volunteer mine." I said.

"I object, that boy is a telepath. He would be able to alter the memories he offered." Irene said.

"How would you know that, Irene?" Bethany asked.

"That is unimportant. I have it on excellent authority that Andrew's boy is a telepath, among other things, as is the girl. I would like the donor to be Reginald, or my child."
Emily and I shared looks.

"How does she know that?" I sent to Emily and received a mental shrug.

"I agree to this." Selwyn said. Assistant Locke nodded and tapped a spot on his desk. A large cauldron appeared.
The memories were extracted, and the adults watched them. After watching the altercation twice, they stopped the projections.

"This appears to be an ambush." Selwyn said.

"So, it appears." Thorne demurred.

"House Andrews will be demanding a weregild of five hundred aurei per house for our charges and vassals. House Coldwood will be demanding the same." Selwyn said.

"That's quite a lot of aurei for a school yard altercation." Irene said.

"You were just demanding that our Heirs effectively be removed from magical society. We could easily demand the same under the terms Duello. This was effectively an ambush. The Scions of House Andrews and House Coldwood could have been killed. One could almost make a case for destruction of lineage."

"You demand above your station." Irene said.

"Will the council think as much? Will Analise Brennan think that about the attempted murder of her daughter's betrothed? Will Samson Coldwood and Yasmine Penhurst think the same about the attempted murder of their grandson and cousin?" The old lady, Agatha, said. I looked down in my seat. I had avoided Tanya for the entire year so far.

"Make no mistake, with those four votes, the council Mineure will have the necessary attention to force a motion."

"Yes, but you need a majority to push it to the Majeure." Rosalyn Thorne said. Selwyn produced three scrolls from thin air.

"These are signed Letters of Adjunct from the Heads of House Duke, Selwyn and Hawthorn. Should this be pressed. The Council Mineure will have motion approved and motion granted. This will push to the Majeure. The Ether scans will prove that you are guilty of attempt line destruction at minimum

"That Coldwood is the youngest in his family."

"His line has been cursed with the Peril of Sapphic. He is the only male born of the line in his generation. Since it cost my Cavanaugh his fertility in the ritual to break the curse, that would pass to me, dear sister." Agatha said.

"A clear-cut case of lineal destruction is enough to bring the Majeure's destruction down. The Reese purge wasn't so many years ago. You think they don't remember what they dispatched their Hunters to do not even a decade ago?"

"You dare conflate a school yard exchange of hexes with the horrors of Encausse and Reese?"

"I dare and did. The lines are drawn so cleanly, aren't they? Even now you wear the infernal bells like a mark of pride. I would see that town you so cherish in ruin. Agree to our terms, sister, or the Thornes will burn. Apostate will be declared, and your son will be the first to fall under the Coldwood wand."
There was a tension filled pause in the room. I could practically hear the magic crackle as these two entered a staring contest.

"I agree to the terms." Irene Thorne said finally.
Selwyn flicked his hand and another scroll popped into being.

"This is a contract with the agreed upon details. I shall give each party time to return to their barristers so they may have their copies scanned for any irregularities. I shall give it a week before Couriers are sent to collect the signed copies. Madam Thorne. Your barristers are still the Perry's?" He asked. She nodded tersely.

"If there are no other issues, I must take my leave." Irene Thorne said. She and the two fifth form parents swiftly left.

"What just happened?" Emily sent me.

"I think we were just used." I said.

"Samuel, it was nice to see you again. I do wish it was under better circumstances, and issue of weregild aside, if you could give me the mirror script for the Valmont and Davies families, I'll be willing to pay for the cost of their children's medical care." Bethany said.

"You'd do that?" He asked.

"I know this economic downfall the Untouched are experiencing affected the Valmont's interests, and I'm also aware the boy Emily beat is a Mundane-born. From my understanding his father is a banker who is currently unemployed. Were it not for Coventry's scholarship program, Mr. Davies wouldn't even be here. While I am not admitting that my charge was guilty of anything besides self-defense, I would like to extend this offer of peace." She said, Assistant Headmaster Locke nodded.

"And I would like to pay for the treatment for the Falcone and Medici boys. It is only fair. Those four had their loyalties used against them." Agatha said.

"I'm sure you know as well as I do the Medici's and Falcone's do not need charity." Locke replied.

"No, they do not, but this bout of hostilities was directed at our four children. Those fifth forms went along with it, but that was only because of where their familial alliances lay. They shouldn't have to pay the consequences for their superior's failure to plan."

"I agree, and I thank you for the gesture. I will contact the families and make them aware of their offers. I can pass along your contact information if you wish. If that is all, I do believe there is just one more issue at hand."

"What would that be?" Selwyn asked.

"These five defended themselves, but the manner in which they did was brutal. Unrelenting. Such actions need to be punished. You're all suspended from the dueling class until the end of the year. You're all also disqualified from the Winter Tourney."
We were all silent. The points gained in dueling matches were what Emily and I both used to keep our edge. Academics were a non-issue, but that punishment would seriously hurt our standing in Alpha Squad. At minimum, Emily would be losing her position as head.

"I have plans to enter the international junior league potioneer's tournament. Dueling is not where my talents lie, am I disqualified from that as well?" Calem said.

"No, just dueling. If there are no further questions, I believe we're done here." The Headmaster said.

"Stephen and Emily, I'll be seeing you over Yule. Try not to get into too much trouble, and mirror home once in a while, will you?"

"We will." Emily promised. We left the Assistant headmasters office.

"Great job, York." Calem sneered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She retorted. A couple of third forms were staring at them.

"I mean I'm through with you, York. You and your crazy brother can fuck off." He said, I stepped forward.

"Leave it." Emily sent me instantly. I gave her a look.

"That could have gone better." Will muttered.
Emily shot us a look and flashed us a grin. Then she walked away.

"Would someone tell me what exactly just happened?" Reg asked. As I watched Emily walk away, I found myself wondering the exact same thing.

<BR>
To my Patreon supporters; early updates will start next thursday, I promise!
What did everyone think? If you liked this chapter, please consider giving me an upvote, or a like if you're reading this on Questionable Questing. This is an already completed work, and each post will be a chapter (or half chapter) of the first book in the Aether Cycle. I'll be posting these chapters every week. If you like what you read, and want to support the author, and don't want to wait for updates, please consider purchasing The Voice in His Head from Amazon or Audible, or supporting me on Patreon.
You can discuss this chapter below, or in the Discord. If you're a Troper, the Aether Cycle TV Tropes page can be found here. This needs Wiki Love, so if you like doing that, and you're a fan, be my guest!
Finally, I'm going to be starting a newsletter shortly, and you can find the signup form for that here! Anyone who signs up for my newsletter will gain access to an exclusive short story from Bethany's point of view.
Once again, thank you for all your support.

 

As the weeks remaining in the fall term burned away, we spent time outside, enjoying the outdoors before being blocked in by the deep snow, and I found out how the ritual had affected me. The sun, despite it being nearly blocked by overcast skies, seemed to invigorate me in a way it never had before. It was like the sun itself fueled my magic. The first night of a full moon, I found sleep hard to come, and I paced my room restlessly, like a caged animal. Sleep was impossible to find. The next day, despite an entire night of no sleep, I was filled with energy.

After the ritual, I found it easier to focus. My spell casting was more fluid before. Before it was like I was wading through water. Now every spell was motion, and motion that came as instinctual as breathing. Before, even with the Librum spell and the nearly eidetic mind that all Psykers possesed, I had to actively work to recall and memorize knowledge. Now I could read something, even glance at it, and I’d recall it instantly.

Before, my mind was a house, I was outside and there was a door standing between myself and the knowledge within. Now, my mind was an auditorium and the information I was looking for came washed over me like a symphony. This, and the new healing factor we all seemed to possess, meant our training sessions gained a new edge, and our skills seemed to increase exponentially. The days passed in a blur, and soon we were a few weeks away from Yule. We were eating breakfast when Reginald got the letter from his family.

“My dad’s been invited to speak at a conference in Brazil again. This time, they’re going to be gone longer than Yule break. Can I spend the hols in London?” He asked me.

“Let me ask Bethany, but I’m sure it won’t be an issue.”
I took the mirror from my pocket and traced her runic code across the surface of the mirror. She appeared after a couple minutes.

“Stephen, to what do I owe this honor?” She said, and I realized that I’d been lax in communicating to her.

“Reg was wondering if he could spend the holidays with us?” I asked.

“That shouldn’t be an issue, is there anything else?” Bethany asked. She seemed distracted.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“I’m dealing with the repercussions of this summer. The Majeure isn’t happy with how we handled that situation. That, and the incident earlier in the year, means my plate is quite full.” She replied.

“Will we be safe?”

“We should be, if not, I’ve got the wards being refactored every few hours.” Bethany said.

“That’s good.” I replied.

“Stephen, I’d love to talk, but I’m in meetings for the next few hours. I’ll call you when I’m done.” Bethany said.

“Okay, bye.” I replied, and she cut the connection.
I looked up at Reg.

“You’ll be fine. You can come home with us.” I said, and he smiled. Breakfast was almost over, and students were filing out of the hall. As we did, we ran into Calem and the twin idiots.

“Andrews.” He said stiffly.
I frowned; I could sense his magic now. It smelled like loam, and just a taste of iron. I wasn’t sure what that was.

“Calem, how have you been?” I asked with a smile.

“I’d be better if you moved out of my way.” He said, and I frowned.

“Are you okay?” I asked. He seemed different; they all did. Perhaps they had worked a ritual. I stood aside.

“About time House Andrews learns its place.” Thorne sneered.

“Calumn Thorne, I will have words.” Emily said, her tone all venom and bite.

“You wouldn’t.” He said.

“For shallow words, deemed an insult on the Peer and Personage of House Andrews, I find you coward.” You could have heard a pin drop as everyone heard her voice. I frowned. Why was she calling a duel?

“Stop it right now you grimy dyke!”

“As the listener of these words, I call thee craven.”

“You wouldn’t dare you little unbred crawler.”

“As the Speaker of the Peer and Personage of House Andrews, I deemed thee contested!”

“Thrice and done mage, throw thy gauntlet or leave my presence.” He acquiesced. Knowing any other phrase would have branded him a coward.

“As a Member of the Peer and Personage, I demand a duel, to death or disarm, using naught but what magic has gifted us, with no accoutrements, save the wands bound to us. At Noon, December 19th. Name thy second, bitch.” Emily said. The crowd around us gasped.

“Calem Robére, Vassal of House Thorne. Name thy second, upstart, motherless challenger.” Thorne said, Emily smiled, a sharp smile, that was all teeth and glittering purple-sapphire eyes.

“Elijah Coldhollow, Slender and Sworn Vassal of Lady Selene, Ice Queen, Grand Mauwlkin Slayer, Bringer of Wind, Mouth of Darkness, Mother of Rebirth, May her Reign Last Eternal.” She said.

“Such a long reach for such a new family. It’s a nice bluff, liar, but I will call it.”

“Brother dearest?”

“Yes, sister, mine.” I ground out. I didn’t want to play this game, but I would.

“Call Uncle Eli on your mirror and inform him of the challenge that House Andrews has deliver, with the tantalizing bounty of-”
She looked at Thorn.

“What shall you wager?”

“The entirety of my trust fund, for the entirety of yours.”

“Of a trust fund, and shall we sweeten the deal?”

“With?” He asked.

“The victorious house will also surrender Quaestiones in veritate and favors three.”

“Dealt and Done.” Thorn said.

“With that as well.” I sighed and decided to have fun.
I dialed Eli’s code, and his face popped up on the glass.

“My my, Stephen, to what do I owe this pleasure.”

“Uncle Eli, Emily has entered into a contest with House Thorne, for insults dealt, to death or disarm. With naught but wand. The additional bounty will be the Trust Fund on the losing party, in addition to Quaestiones in veritate and favors three from the House of said losing party.”

“Uncle, huh nephew,” I could hear the leer in his voice.

“I hadn’t realized we’ve progressed to role playing. That’s quite a bounty she’d reap, and quite a loss House Andrews faces. Would both of them go for the kill? When would this duel take place?”

“Both parties would agree to this. December 19th.”

“Oh, this will be a show, put me on Projection, would you dearie?” I did, and his visage appeared on the screen, from his circlet, tapered ears and pale features alone, you could tell he was Fae, and somewhere in the line of succession.

“I, Elijah Coldhollow, Ally of House Andrews, Sworn Vassal of the Winter Queen, and her deminese, accept this honor from House Andrews, and my wand shall be theirs for the duration of this contest.” He said and cut the connection.

“What say you?” Emily asked.

“I apologize my lady, for the slight against your second. I accept the duel with the terms agreed. On my magic, I swear it.” Thorne said.

“I accept thy oath and swear one in return.”

“I will bury you alive and burn your house down around your ears,” She thought.

“I will accept thy unspoken oath. Shall next we meet?” Thorne asked.

“Shall next we meet indeed.” Emily said, and they turned and walked away from each other.
Later that night, I cornered Emily in the Room. She had set up a dueling doll, and set it to nearly the highest setting, and Emily easily parrying if not outright disrupting it, with naught but silent gestures, and a few spells flying with nothing but eerie, still silence. She was immensely talented, and had I fought her a year ago in the corridor, I wasn’t entirely sure I would have won.

“Do you plan to kill him, or just seriously maim?” I asked.

“I certainly plan to maim something vital to his ego.” She replied. I noticed for the first time; her voice was slowly changing. The cockney in her voice was slowly fading.

“That could be construed as Line Destruction.” I replied

“It would be fixable, just shorter than before, by half.” She replied.
I winced and reminded myself to never piss her off.

“And?” I asked.

“His salvation is entirely dependent on his courteousness during the duel.”

“Ouch.” I said.

“Now, Stephen, I have practice. Unless you plan on joining me, I want you to leave.”
I grinned, and dropped my stuff into Io’s bell, then I stripped down to my short sleeves.

“Each other or them?”

“I would like some live, thinking, practice.” She said. I walked ten paces, counted to ten, and opened fire. Her shield caught my bone breaker and broke on the emerald dart of a shield piercer. I whirled away from the flesh-eating spell and winced as a flayer caught me on my off hand. An auric purge, followed by hasty nerve-veins-skin and forget hair knitter put my hand in semi working order, though I pitied Reg when he healed it.
I healed, just in time to use a small telekinetic shield to block a burning ball of phosphorus. I took control of it with my pyromancy, ripped away the oxygen, added hydrogen, and flung the heat away from in a shimmering haze of searing air. As Emily blocked that, I shattered the ball into razor sharp shards of ice and sent them flying away from me. She smirked and ordered the heat I’d just sent her way to melt until the ice changed to water. She fed that fireball with the oxygen and hydrogen and sent it spinning toward me.
I knew she had a ploy. We could keep up this game of cat and mouse transmutation all day. Then I felt the small magical signature inside the fiery ball. It was an organ freezer. It flash frozen your organs, and since I was already drawing on the cold, the spell would work that much faster. Add in the fact that I was pushing my inner fire away, to combat the flames already coming my way, and that spell may have well killed me.
I threw out a general-purpose null magic screen, and then spun that into a null magic net, designed to temporarily still magic, followed by a rope to chain spell. It would have effectively caused her to be chained inside her own body by her own magic, a process that would continue until her core was drained. She easily side stepped them, threw a trio of knives and I let out a grin. The game was on again, and we lost ourselves to the dance of the magic inside of us.

<BR>
As always, thank you to everyone that's read so far. In anticipation of the sequel, which is finished, I'm wondering if my readers are more likely to read this if I continued posting on Friday, or if anyone is interested in a pre-order?

 

Author's Note: As we approach the end of the first book in the Aether Cycle, I'd like to thank my readers. There's over five-thousand of you that have read this, and thanks to each and everyone one of you for giving me the motivation to continue posting. I've always wanted to be a writer, and for the longest time I was afraid that my writing was total garbage. You guys are helping my dream come true, and that's the best feeling in the world. I love all you guys

There's about three more chapters left, and then I'm going to take a month and polish the second book. I won't be posting chapters during this time period, but I will be posting artwork and interludes that never made it into the web serial and book.

December 19th, 1930.
Coventry School,
Unknown location, United Kingdom.

A few weeks had passed since Emily challenged that idiot to duel. She should have named me her second. I understand why she chose her second, but it should be me. But it still irked me.
After a barely eaten breakfast, we approached the dueling field.

Emily was dressed in her Onyxian armor. Wand in its holster, dagger sheaths and vial bandolier emptied. In white, on her breast, she had painted the sigil for House Andrews.
Thorn was dressed in something similar. He was also wearing the dragon leather armor, a Netherland Green, but his sigil had a bright carmine rose painted, a line of Summoning bells dripping down the bottom curled petal. They sent in their seconds.

“Calem, we both agree that this duel is unnecessary.” Eli said.

“But we don’t agree that trash should be burned.” He said with a pointed look.

“Another barb like that, Calem Robére,” I said, forcing a touch of magic to my invocation of his Name, using our former bond of friendship, “and there will be two duels this day. Sanctioned or not.” He let out a stiff nod, and I grinned.

“Can we compromise, and let this be a by-gone?” Eli asked.

“Absolutely not.” Calem said.

“Our discussion is over then.” Eli said, and walked away. He stopped by Emily, and she put a letter in his hand, and nodded.”
William turned around.

“Ten paces and go.” I said. They walked their spaces and paused.

“Ten seconds start.”

I counted to ten aloud, and yelled.

“Go!” I yelled.

Emily immediately rolled out of the away and to the left as Thorne unleashed a bonesaw spell with a careful runic script, and a loudly shouted.

“Carnificare!”

Emily spun on her heel, keeping low, and unleashed a blood-boiler and some sort of teeth coring spell that was downright evil, but barely Dark.

“My, my, Thorne, still at novice level with your casting.”

He blocked them both. Then he yelled out.

“Percutio!” With a sharp jab of his wand. She easily dodged that spell.

“You really should get a start on learning that.” She said.

“Emily. Stop playing with your food.” I said.

“Foci Exorus!” He said, sending a disarmament spell her way. She dodged the spell, and smirked. He growled and said.

“Arsenia Sagitta!” A nasty looking arrow shot from his wand and Emily dispelled the magic holding it together. He followed that up by a disarming spell.
She smirked and went with it, allowing herself to be disarmed, and letting her wand loose.

“Yield!” Thorn said, Emily smirked, and unleashed a wave of force that sent him flying backward. She followed with a fireball spell that he blocked. I clicked my tongue, instead of absorbing the energy, he ground it out, wasting both the energy from his reserves.

He sent out a skin flayer that Emily ripped to so many auric shreds, and while she was delayed with that, sent a spell that would cause your bones to explode. She dodged neatly, and then unleashed a trio of wandless, silent spells, that she followed by a gesture-less invisible curse that he must have felt incoming, because he sent out a null-all shield.

She had him on the defensive, and kept up a steady stream of nasty curses, he kicked up the snow in the dueling ring, and unleashed a flurry of icy shards. That took her off guard, and the null-flame area shield blocked her attempts to burn away the storm. She resorted to rolling away from the shards of ice. She was still playing possum. I’d seen her easily block that same maneuver from me. All she had to do was using a magical fracturing curse. What was her game?

She played this cat and mouse game with him for at least ten minutes, always keeping him spinning in a circle, wearing himself thin.

That was when she made her move. She threw out a trio of spectral daggers meant as a distraction. A second spell, a metacarpal fracture, would have broken his dominant hand, and it did. He fumbled with his wand, grabbed it with his off hand, and brought up a hasty shield to block her gangrene spell, which was followed by a series of three slashes of her main hand. Two of the cutters clipped his already injured arm and he bit back a scream.

She yanked her wand back to her hand and intoned.

“Extorquio.” There was a pop as that much abused arm’s shoulder popped out of the socket.

“Catenis.” Sapphire-purple chains ripped their way out of her reclaimed wand and bound his arms together. He had just enough movement to still make sparks with his wand.

“Do you yield?” She asked.

“I do not.”

“Fertilis, sectum.” She said, aiming at his groin. The spell ripped through the dragonhide armor, and he screamed.

“Do you yield? The next spell will take off a limb.”

“I yield.” He said, and Emily released the chain spell.

“I accept your surrender, let the affront against my house be forgiven.”

Eli and Calem began discussing the details of the bounty’s transfer, and I took that opportunity to lightly brush my magic against Calem’s. I still tasted iron, but the smell had turned to old books. Visions of a blue and darker blue checkered blanket, much loved and long frayed at the edges ‘neath an old maple tree. Midsummer, and the sound of children’s voices. I realized that I’d accidently dived into his mind and withdrew. I wanted to know what was happening to my friend, not rummage through his innermost thoughts. Then, as I withdrew, two twinkling stars in the sky. The one on the right just a bit lower than the other. I shook my head.

No, that’s had to be impossible. The implications of that were, frankly, disturbing.

I shook my head. It was hours before Yule Break, our midterm exams had been set. At the end of the year, we’d take our journeyman tests for the next part of our time at Coventry. I was hoping to go into the Alchemy, Enchantment, and Transmutation Circles, but I knew the Alchemy professor didn’t like me. So, I was going to focus on the enchantment circle. My things were packed, and everything was safely stowed away in the Bell. Now we were waiting for our portal to open. Dean Crestwood walked up to where we were sitting.

“All four of you are portaling to the Andrews’ Manor, correct?” She said, surveying the slate in front of her.

“Yes, Dean.” I replied. She nodded and moved to the next group.
Soon, our departure time arrived, and we left Coventry behind.

<BR>
What did everyone think? If you liked this chapter, please consider giving me an upvote, comment, or a like if you're reading this on Questionable Questing. This is an already completed work, and each post will be a chapter (or half chapter) of the first book in the Aether Cycle. I'll be posting these chapters every week. If you like what you read, and want to support the author, and don't want to wait for updates, please consider purchasing The Voice in His Head from Amazon or Audible, or supporting me on Patreon.
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Once again, thank you for all your support.

 

When we arrived home, the first thing I noticed were the wards. Instead of the usual static tingle I was greeted by an almost painful electrical charge, and the feeling that something was downright hungry. For battle, or energy I wasn’t quite sure.

I also noticed that there were more guards. Usually there were one or two of the black armored soldiers prowling around the townhouse, now there was one at every door and stairway. I knew that our security was heightened because of the vampires, but I didn’t realize it was this bad. Bethany was waiting for us, as was Vincent.
She stepped forward, and greeted Reginald first.

“Greetings, child of House Coldwood.” She said, offering her wand. Reg tapped her wand.

“Merry Meet, Matron of House Andrews, I ask for guest right for the duration of my stay.” He said.

“And so, shall you have it. I grant you the guest right, while under my roof.”

“You have my gratitude.” He said and bowed.
Then she turned to William.

“Son of Vassal Lowes I welcome you and yours home.” She said.

“I accept your welcome, and all that it implies.”

“Now that formalities are exchanged, William and Reginald, our staff has prepared a welcome dinner for you two. William, your siblings arrived earlier. If you’d like to go, Master Andrews will show you the way.” She said. Will and Reg took that for the dismissal it was, and Vincent led them out of the library. When they were gone, Bethany secured the library’s door with an anti-eavesdropping spell, a misdirection rune, and an anti-radio wave(?) spell.

“You may cast your own if you wish.” She said, walking over to one of the tables Emily and I had spent so much time at. I drew a few glyphs in the air, guided them with the spells I wanted them to reinforce, and murmured my own suite of security spells. I followed this up with an auditory misdirection spell, and anti-scrying spell.
I looked at Emily.

“Honestly, if I casted anything else, we may as well carve the library its own reality.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Bethany said.

“Can we do that?” I asked, thinking of all the ways I could enhance one of those fancy suitcase apartments I’d seen in Emrys.

“The reality wash spell would be hard to do. You’d need to nest it inside the runes, and make sure it didn’t kick off an Etheric cascade."

“Why don’t we have a reality wash on the manor?”

“We did. We simply don’t have the magic to fund that now.”

“Oh?” I asked. I wasn’t aware of anything we needed that much magic for. The Ether Font in the townhouse’s basement was substantial.

“Is the Font translocating?” I asked. Fonts did move occasionally.

“No, nothing like that. Our resources are currently needed elsewhere. We’re at an even pace right now, we don’t have any to stockpile, but we aren’t drawing on any outside our production.”

“Can we please focus? What did you want to tell us?” Emily said, running her fingers through her hair. She only did that when I was really irritating her.

“Our font’s status is part of the conversation dear. Do try and keep up.” She replied.

Emily flicked her hand, throwing up a turn-away ward, and a sudden nausea spell that would make anyone trying to eavesdrop think they were suddenly violently ill. I smiled and nodded my head.

“Remind me to think about that one next time.” I replied.

“Back off Stephen, it’s mine.” She said, and I put my hands up in a surrender gesture.

“As I was saying,” Bethany said.

“Our stockpile is at a steady pace, and our stockpile has zero addition. So, we redeployed our guards to make up for the lack of security.

“But the wards are stronger than ever.”

“We’ve got a family magical artifact powering them.” She replied.

“And would that family magic possibly be?” I asked.
She gave me a look.

“It’s possibly none of your business.” She replied.

“Returning to the topic at hand. Due to that, and since we’ve got a member of a different House currently staying with us, and a novitiate Tremissis, we’ve ramped up security a bit. There’s also a new magical artifact in the residential floor’s study.”

“What kind of artifact?”

“An unanchored mirror. We’re not sure where it goes quite yet. We found it while dealing with a situation in Manchester.”

“The vampires?” I asked. I’d followed the news, and I knew that Bethany killing Goodfellow’s line had kicked off a power vacuum among the Midnight Court.

“To an extent.” She replied, and I raised an eyebrow.

“We’re taking care of the situation.” She replied.

“So where are Amy and Eli?” Emily asked.

“Since his Lady permanently stationed him here, or at least until the current situation with the vampires is resolved, Eli is off doing what he does best here. He’s draining my wine cellar dry and occasionally appearing to make a witty comment no one wants. Amy is currently in the security room.” She said.
I nodded.

“Why aren’t our stockpiles growing?” I asked.

“We’ve had two of our secondary, and one of our tertiary sources attacked. We’re attempting to reclaim them.” I was only aware of one tertiary source.

“So, the island?” I asked. I had claimed that as a sanctum of sorts over the years.

“Is intact. We had to actually shift it out of phase to prevent capture.”

“Who’s targeting us?” I asked.

“The usual sorts.” She said.

“But, don’t worry, everything is under control.” She said. I bit out a groan of frustration. I’d been living with Bethany for almost five years, and she still wouldn’t tell me everything about what our family did.

“It’s not my house, so I’m not going to answer questions only to receive a riddle as an answer.” I finally replied.

“But it will be, one day.” Bethany replied.

“And when that day comes, I’ll be a lot more older, and far more responsible, and I’ll have Emily to help me, isn’t that right, Em?” I asked.
She didn’t reply.

“Emily?” I asked.

“Hmm?” She asked.

“You’d help me. Right?” I asked.

“Of course. Someone has to do the thinking.” She said, and I shook my head at her snark.

“There’s one more thing.” Bethany said.

“What?” Emily said.

“Irene Thorne is going to address the Vox at the next meeting. My sources say she wants to press charges for your treatment of her Spare. She’s going to push for a sanction. You’ll both be required to attend.” Bethany said.

“She’s pressing charges for her spare? I barely wounded him.” Emily said, and Bethany gave her a look.

“Your conduct in that duel was unprofessional at best, and I think you know that Emily.” Bethany said.

“His entire existence is unprofessional.” She retorted.

“Be that as it may, you still gravely injured a disarmed opponent. There very well could be repercussions for that.” She said.

“In case of an emergency, I’m going to give you each a way to communicate with me that magical scans will not detect.” She said. She pulled a small box about the size of a box of chocolates from the pocket of expanded space anchored to her ring and set the box on the table. The case was black and made of weird rugged looking plastic I’d never seen before. It looked vaguely like a briefcase. She undid the fasteners and opened the case. Laying in the case, in a series of foam nests, there were five objects. The first object I saw was two silvery looking pistols. These weren’t the Colt M19s Bethany had trained me with. Where those were blocky, and black. These looked like strange, slim artifacts. The profiles were the same, in the same a tree branch had the same profile as a wand, or a steel gauntlet had the same profile as a silk glove. The other two objects were small boxes that also had the same silver look to them. These were about the size of a jewelry box, but there were much thinner. The fifth box was about the size of a pack of short cigarettes,
She took two of the clear band-aids from the party, out of the box, and handed one to each of us.

“Before you put these on, I’m warning you. They’re permanent, once you put these on, you won’t be able to remove them.” She said. I took mine; I appreciated a discrete way to communicate.

“Are we marketing these yet?” I asked, and she shook her head.

She helped us place them at a spot just behind our ears, and as she flattened the piece of plastic against my skin, I felt a sensation like cold water soak into it. I touched the spot, and the band-aid was gone.

“Just touch the spot, and think “comm” followed by my name, or Vincent’s, or Amy’s, or each other’s, and the person will hear your voice in their head. It does have a couple of other features, and I’ll show you how to use them before you return to school. Now, go to dinner. Your guests are waiting,” She said.
The small piece of plastic caught Voice’s attention.

“Kid, since these are linked telepathically, ask her if that means me and Oh-Em will be able to communicate with anyone wearing them as long as you are?” He asked, and I repeated the question.

“That’s actually a good question.” Bethany asked, and then touched the same spot behind her ear.

“Stephen and Voice, can you hear me?” I heard.

“Yes, I can.” Voice said, his tone was filled with happiness. In that moment, I felt bad for him. Aside from me, and lately Oh-Em, he had no-one to talk to.
Bethany gave me a funny look.

“Well, this will certainly be interesting.” She sent. With that, I grabbed the box and handed it to Emily. She would spirit it away to the shrunken trunk she held on her wrist. We went to dinner and spent the rest of the evening relaxing. I didn’t plan on unpacking. I had more than enough clothes, and my homework was done. That night, as I drifted off to sleep, I experienced the strangest dream I had so far.
I was in a castle. I don’t think it was Coventry’s main building. The castle was far too dusty, and where Coventry was brightly lit, and airy, this castle was gloomy and long abandoned. I was in a study that wasn’t too dissimilar to the one I had claimed at the townhouse. I caught a glimpse in a dust covered mirror. I was about the same age I was now, maybe a few months older, judging from how much longer my hair was. I was dressed in Coventry’s jacket and pants. I looked around the study. It was empty aside from the mirror and oak desk that had seen too many years.
I caught a glimpse of a woman walking past the door. It could have been Emily.

“Emily?” I asked. She mustn’t have heard me, and I followed her. She was always a few steps to far away from me, and she seemed to ignore my calls. I followed her through the castle. It was dimly lit, and the gloom forced me to walk slower than I usually did to ensure I didn’t trip on the rough stone underfoot. She led me through a maze of hallways, until I came to the entrance of what looked like the entrance of a courtyard of some sort. There was an arch of runes glowing brightly. I recognized some of them, and realized it was some form of protection. I saw a dying tree in the distance. The floor ahead was dirt. A bright orb of light cut through the gloom. It enveloped the courtyard in a wash of bright blue-green, pale yellow, and the emerald of my aura. As I stared at the orb, it shifted and changed, until a woman stood in its place. The woman’s appearance changed and shifted like it couldn’t settle on a single form.

She was young, and then in her twenties, and then wizened and hunch-backed. She held a staff in her hand. This changed as the woman aged and reverted. First from a wand, then to a staff, and finally into a walking stick.
The power coming off this woman brought me to my knees, and I let out a gasp.
She looked at me and gave me a small smile.

“Rise, child.” She said, her voice was childlike. I felt the power fade from an endless wave to a warm caress.

“Who are you? Where am I?” I asked.

“You’ll find the answers you seek soon enough.” She said. This time, her voice was decidedly that of a woman. It still had a youthful tone to it, but you could hear wear age had honed the voice until it sounded like a half-forgotten melody.

“Is this my trial?” I asked. My wand seemed to be missing, and I couldn’t feel the cold silver of my pentacle against my chest.

“Soon.” The woman said, and this time, she sounded old. Her voice had grown ragged and raspy, and it sent a cold shiver down my spine.

“Where is this place?” I asked again.

“You’ll find out in time.” The woman said, speaking with the voice of a child again.

“Why have you brought me here, spirit?” I asked.

“This is a warning Stephen Oliver Andrews.” The woman said, and I felt power wrap around me as she used my Name.

“Your trial is coming, and the golden kingdom looms on the horizon. All your training has brought you here, and you must walk the broken road to find what you seek. I bring you warning, I bring you comfort, and I bring you advice.” She said.

“Your warning is thus. Even kings and lords go to war, and royal blood will be spilled.” the child said. A wind kicked up, flinging up dirt and grit.

“Am I going to have to fight?” I said, and she ignored my question.

“Your comfort is thus. You won’t find him, but he will find you, and what you seek so desperately will be found before your road reaches its end.” The woman said, and the strange wind gained an edge and rose in intensity. I sighed, I was tired of answers wrapped in half-truths and riddles.

“Your advice is thus. Home is not what surrounds you, but what will. His birth is a gift, and time with him will be fleeting. His sleep will seem eternal, but he will awaken.” The crone said, by the time she had finished speaking, the wind seemed to surround me. I heard the crackle of lightning, and the crash of thunder, and felt the lighting surge into me before my vision faded to black.

<BR>

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and if you liked this chapter, please consider giving me an upvote, comment, or a like if you're reading this on Questionable Questing. This is an already completed work, and each post will be a chapter (or half chapter) of the first book in the Aether Cycle. I'll be posting these chapters every week. If you like what you read, and want to support the author, and don't want to wait for updates, please consider purchasing The Voice in His Head from Amazon or Audible, or supporting me on Patreon.

You can discuss this chapter below, or in the Discord. If you're a Troper, the Aether Cycle TV Tropes page can be found here. This needs Wiki Love, so if you like doing that, and you're a fan, be my guest!
Once again, thank you for all your support.

 

I woke from the dream with a gasp and lurched up to a sitting position.

“Stephen, are you okay?” Voice asked.

“I’m fine.” I said, out loud.

“It’s just a bad dream.” I replied.

I could still feel the sudden sear heat from the lightning. I called my wand to my hand and checked the time with a muttered spell. It was near the witching hour. I shook the dream from my head and decided to grab myself a cup of hot chocolate from a kitchen imp.
I exited my room and walked down the steps just as Emily’s door opened. She looked at me.

“Bad dream?” I asked.

“How did you know?” She asked.

“I had one myself. I’m about to get a cuppa from the kitchen, do you want to join me?” I said. She nodded her head. We walked down the steps and saw William exiting his room.

“Bad dream?” He asked. We both nodded. Without another word, he joined us in our journey to the kitchen. It was quiet, aside from a couple of guards on break, it was empty. I walked over to the floor to ceiling cabinet where our food was stored. The room inside was as big as the kitchen and covered in stasis spells. I walked over to the jug of hot chocolate, still almost steaming, grabbed it, and walked back across the tiled floors. I exited the room and closed the door behind me. Emily had grabbed a trio of cups from the shelf next to the sink.
I took a seat at the table, and we each poured ourselves a cup. We sat without speaking for a few moments, just enjoying each other’s company and the steaming velvet liquid in our cups.
William was the first to speak.

“Did the two of you dream of an old castle?” He said finally, and we both gave him a look.

“How did you know that?” I asked. Then Emily spoke.

“I think we all had the same dream.” She said. Her voice was tight.

“The girl?” I asked.

“You mean the woman.” William said.

“No, she was a crone. Or maybe she was all three?” I asked. The dream was already fading to gloomy shadows in the back of my memory.

“So, if we shared the same dream, what does it mean?” He asked. I frowned. I had never studied dreams. My nightmares were a subject I preferred to avoid if at all possible.

“Last year, mum told me I’d be facing a trial. I wasn’t sure what it would entail, and that dream gave me more questions than answers. Emily and I spent most of the summer preparing for just about anything that would happen.”

“So, you think that whatever this trial is, it involves me and Emily somehow?” William asked.

“I know it involves you. My mum told me as much.” I said.

“I’m with Stephen.” Emily said simply, I shot her a grateful look.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, giving me a sharp look, like it was my fault he is getting pulled into whatever this was. I felt horrible, and I felt a blush work its way up my checks.

“I was going to during the first time. I just never got around to it.” I said.

“Well, I’m glad you at least told me.” He said, draining the last dregs of chocolate from his mug.

“So, are you with me?” I asked.

“Until the very end.” He said, and I smiled. We washed our cups and went back upstairs. That was when we saw Cassandra.

“There you are!” She said.

“Were you looking for us?” She asked.

“What do you mean, us?” William asked.

“Edward and I, we’ve been gone for hours. I thought you’d at least been looking for us.”

“Cassandra, what are you talking about?” He asked.

“We left around three. Neither of us could sleep. We went exploring, and I found this mirror. It took us somewhere, and he vanished. I met the nicest man. He was made of metal, like those one of those robot thingies Weird Tales.”

“Cassandra, what are you talking about?” He asked, and then he performed the time spell. It was barely half three. He showed her the spell results, and she shook her head, a look on her face of pure confusion.

“It’s a good joke, you had me for a second.” He said with a smile.

“William, I’m telling the truth.” She said. I expected my lie detector to tell me that she was lying, and it was silent.

“She is.” I said, and he looked at me.

“Cassandra, how did you get to this place?” I asked.

“Through the mirror at the end of the hall.” She said.

“In the second-floor study?” I asked, and she nodded. I gave Emily a look and sent her a message.

“That’s where mum said that odd mirror was.” I sent.

“How did she get past the wards?” She asked me.

I cast out my senses, and realized with horror, that the hungry edge I’d felt early was gone, the wards had been somehow turned off or deactivated.
I smacked the side of my head, just below the ear.

“Comms, Bethany.” I thought. Her sleepy voice answered me.

“Stephen, what is it?” She asked.

“Mum, the wards are down.” I sent back.
There was a brief silence.

“God’s Blood.” I heard her swear, her thoughts echoing through my head.

*“Who’s with you?”*She asked, and I told her.

“Get the rest of the Lowe children, and Reginald, and meet me in the library.” She sent. I wasted no time, quickly I explained what was going on, and we rushed to wake William’s other siblings and Reg.

“Stephen, what’s going on?” He asked.

“Our wards are down. We’re going to our safe-room.” I said, and in an instant, the sleep deprived schoolboy was gone, and the son of two Council Majeure Hunters stood in his place.

“Let’s go.” He said, and I led them to the Library. Amy, Bethany, Eli and Vincent were present, as were a squad of the guards Bethany employed. A hidden door in the library had been blown off its hinges. Inside the door, were the shards of what was once the main lodestone of the library.

“This is what you get for crossing the House of Thorne!” She said, a gleaming crazed look in her eye. She struggled uselessly against his grip.

“Uppity crawler bitch, you’ll finally get what’s coming to you!” She said.

“What do you want me to do with this trash?” Eli asked.

“Figure it out.” Bethany said, she was in the room, examining the lodestone.

“This room doesn’t even have protections on it.” She said and kicked a piece of diamond futilely. That was when the mirror activated, and I drew my wand.

The squad of guards backed away slowly and raised their guns, aiming at the mirror. Then, a squad of Fae soldiers wearing the bright green and yellow of Summer, marched through the mirror, and into the townhouse. They were followed by a massive creature armored in bone. It was at least ten feet tall, and sharp, dangerous looking antlers grew from its head. It let out a roar, and it took every bit of mental discipline I had to stop myself from quivering.
The Fae in the lead wore the odd glassy armor the Fae used. A dripping scarlet cap sat jauntily atop its head, and he grinned at Bethany in a sharp, feral parody of a smile.

“Well, well. Look what the Leshi dragged me to.” He said.

“Puck.” Bethany said in a growl.

“Now now, I don’t think you’re in a favorable position, Andrews. It doesn’t feel so good when someone is barging into your home unannounced, does it? Give me the Tremisimancer, and I’ll let you live.” He said.

“Like hell.” Bethany snarled. Then the doors of the library banged open, and in marched two squads of vampires. Three of them were mages, and their skin was already dancing with scarlet light. I drew my own wand.

“Last chance.” Puck said merrily.

“Go fuck yourself.” She said and threw a javelin of ice at his heart.

“Attack!” He screamed, and all hell broke loose. I raised an emerald shield just as Reg sent a vampire killing spell towards one of them. The vampire’s mage blocked the spell, and the rest opened fire, but a kinetic barrier of sapphire-purple blocked the projectiles, and Emily nodded.

“Get them out of here!” Bethany yelled, making a gesture. A rod of transmuted iron sprang into existence and disemboweled one of the Fae. Eli twitched his hands twice, and his skin rippled. His face elongated, and two wings made of shadow ripped out of his back and towards the Leshi, who blocked it with a yellow-green spell.

Vincent made a clawing gesture with his hand, and one of the vampires erupted in flames. Amy sped towards the vampires, and as she did, her body twisted and elongated, her arms forming and shifting into blades that neatly cut two of them down in half vertically, their blood sacks spilling a gush of crimson unto to white carpeted floors of the library. Emily’s shield faltered, and cracks began running through the construct.

“Mum!” I yelled, and Bethany turned around to look at us. She fired off a blast of golden flame towards one of the vampires and raised a shield of ice to stop the bullets coming our way.

“Bethany, we need to up our game a bit, don’t you think?” Vincent asked, ruthlessly cutting down a vampire with a pull of his trigger.
Bethany nodded.

“Amy, take the kids and go. We’ll hold them off for as long as possible.” She said. Amy nodded. Another vampire rushed forward, and Amy cut it down with one of her arms.

“Stephen, when this is over, I will find you.” She said.

“Mum!” I said. She hugged me close.

“I did it once, and I will do it again.” She whispered in my ear, then she let go.

Then twin suns exploded. Bethany’s gold, and Vincent’s white shone forth. Then where Bethany stood, there was a fiery golden furred humanoid wolf. Vincent’s place was taken by a statue of pure diamond, aglow with white light.

The diamond statue, Vincent ran forward and launched himself in the air, jumping on the Leshi’s back. Stabbing and wrestling the creature to the ground. Bethany rushed forward, grabbed two vampires and slammed their heads together.

She dropped them and let out a spine-chilling howl.

“We’re going. Now.” Amy said, and we ran. A vampire met us at the outside the library and I let loose a jet of true fire. The vampire mage blocked it with a shield and rushed forward, swinging its sword. Amy blocked it with her arm, and then her body flowed down the sword. I was momentarily shocked. The vampire released its hold and Amy kicked the vamp backward, hard. As she did, another blade sprouted from the bottom of her foot and impaled the vampire, and jerked her leg down, bisecting the vamp from stomach to groin.
Then three more vampires joined the fray.

“Stephen, take them through the mirror in the study!” Amy yelled. One of the vampires grabbed her and threw her down the hall. She was back up a second later, and in that time Emily and I had unleashed a wave of telekinetic force that the vampires completely blocked.

“Thrice and done, mageling, give us the girl, child, and we’ll leave.” The lead vampire said.

“Thrice and done, go fuck yourself! Lux, Lux Aeterna!” I shouted and unleashed an emerald blossom of death. The vampire mage threw up a shield, and I heard a snarl of pain.

“Run!” I shouted, and we did. A vampire rushed out of the shadows as we hit the hallway and Emily threw him backward. We took a right and ended up in the study. I swung the door behind us shut with a bang and threw out every locking spell I knew. That mirror stood there, ominously. It rippled, like a stone thrown into a pond, and a soft purple haze covered it.

“Through the mirror.” I said.

“Are you serious right now?” Cassandra asked.

The door shook with the impact of spellfire.

“Deadly! I’ll cover the retreat.” I threw out another wave of locking spells.

“Stephen. We don’t know where it leads.” Reg said.
That mage was good, he was picking my spells almost as soon as I laid them, I layered another series of spells, and pushed back the dizzying wave of vertigo that swept over me. We didn’t stand a chance against these vampires.

“Those vampires are too strong. We need to go.”

Then we ran through the mirror.

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We found ourselves in a forest. I turned around. The mirror’s twin stood behind us. Unlike the one back home, this one was still and silent. Like its job was done. Wherever we were, it had been a long time since anyone was here. We were in a clearing, but the woods were thick, and even here, the grass was overgrown and green in a way that grass back home wasn’t, a grass covered stone path ran through the center of the clearing. I tripped over a rock and fell. I quickly regained my footing.

“Where are we?” Emily asked. William was staring at the ground. He bent down and picked up another chunk of rock. This one was black, and jagged. He looked at it, and his face went white.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, at the same time, Cassandra pointed at something hanging in the trees.

“Look.” She breathed. I looked up and where she was pointing. Nestled in the trees, nearly rusted to bits, was the unmistakable skeleton of a destroyed mundane airliner.

“Mate, this is asphalt.” He said. I looked down, and I could see the rocks scattered throughout the path. It was clear, however, that it was a road that had long ago been overtaken by nature.

“I think, the more appropriate question isn't where we are, but when we are.” I said, and I realized that my trial had begun.

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No promo message for this post. You know the drill. Thanks for reading.

 

Author's Note: This chapter takes place after Chapter Seven.
Lady Bethany Andrews
February 12th, 1925.
Saint Michael's School for Boys
Hampstead, London

As I translocated away from my home, thoughts whirled through my head. Alexis. Stephen, my brother, not the boy we failed who was currently in my infirmary.

I needed to know what happened on that ship. There were three people that could tell me what had occurred. One of them was sleeping down the hall from me, and that was a hope I hadn't discarded. The other was missing. The third I'd buried with the help of Bartholomew ages ago.

Tonight however, tonight was about getting even.

I arrived outside the orphanage and gave the place an appraising look. It had been a country home once. Even in the moonlight, it was evident the plaster or painting coating it's walls had seen better days. A brick courtyard surrounded it, and two large wrought iron gates closed the courtyard and the entire property off. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. As I did, the scents of the mages that had visited this place and used magic filled my nose.

The strongest scent was Stephen's. It was a pungent mix of cedar and wintergreen that made my nose burn. Following that, there was the smell of pine and dust books. That would be Eli. Then there was a wisp of gardenias that I knew was Alexis' magic. I was satisfied that this place hadn't been discovered and placed under surveillance by a different mage. So I called my magic and went to work.
I didn't bother with trivial things like wand movements or motions. As I told my new charge, wand movements, runes and invocations meant nothing to a well trained mage.

Alexis Bonaparte had been many things. Nearly psychotic, powerful, a mage without equal. She was also a damn good teacher.
Space twisted around me, and I stepped through the gap in the wrought iron fence and walked up the driveway. What few lights that were on were dim. One of the bits of advanced technology I had at my disposal that I passed off as magic, a Heads Up Display linked to a contact lense, let me know that there weren't any mundane security measures in place. Not that I was expecting any.
Then I brought the mastery that had served me so well during those first fraught years in this world to bare. I ripped away the oxygen and hydrogen. I rearranged the carbon into javelins, and I transmuted the rest of the elements into energy and used that to place a sleep spell on the children in the ramshackle building. Waste not, want not.

From an outsider's perspective, it appeared that the door ripped itself off the hinges and changed into a trio of projectiles, and a billow of golden smoke wafted into the building. It would put everyone except those I wished into a slumber. I knew at least two of these so called Brides of Christ were complicit in my nephew's torture, and there were only six nuns.

I recombined the hydrogen and oxygen around me into lances of water. I ripped the heat away from that, and they formed a trio of icy javelins. I ignited the heat, and a trio of flaming spears joined the javelins. This gave me nine projectiles to unleash on who I wished, and I would.

"Phobos." I called. The imp must have caught my tone, and my demeanor, because he settled on my shoulder and gave me a cool look.

"Yes, Mistress?" His voice was almost a purr in my ear.

"Hunt." I murmured. He let out a simian screech and leapt into the air, winging towards the opening. I flashed a grin that proved I was Alexis' apprentice, and Jacob's daughter. I'd show these mundane what befell those who dared harm those of my House. I stalked into the orphanage and made my way into the building. The transmuted weapons trailed me like eager dogs.
I translocated to the office, and cursed Alexis under my breath for putting him here. Mother Superior enjoyed a spacious room off her office that was a level of luxury that was closer to my life than a pious nun overseeing an orphanage. I swiftly bound and gagged her. Then I dragged her behind me, and manhandled her into a chair. Ropes sprang into existence with a thought, and wrapped around her arms and legs like a thick serpent.

Phobos grabbed one of the nun's, Sister Agnes. I found Sister Mary Margaret in prayer. I bound and silenced her. I let Phobos have his fun hunting the rest, and took a measure of joy from the screams. I wasn't like Stephen.

My Stephen, not the one I'd just adopted, had always taken intense joy from terrorizing his foes. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, and I had a strong suspicion the war had gone as long as it did because Alexis and Stephen both enjoyed the game of war a little too much. I disliked what I was about to do.

But, I'd learned the lesson my father and mother had taught us well. Nothing came before family, and heaven and hell both help those who crossed us.

If it was Jacob or Monica Andrews who had just seen the after effects of torture? If it had been William or Lana Valentine who saw scars on their nephew's back? If it had been Alexis fucking Bonaparte who had been told her son was molested?

Had any of the old Keepers heard the broken tone in his voice, and seen the skittishness, the avoidance of touch? Small things like the Perdition that kept Magic and Mundane separate would have been trivialities.

Even Bartholomew, for all his harsh words and proclamations, would have burned this world to ash and glass because of the violence they had inflicted on Stephen. Damn confluence, prophecy, and the role this world played. No one harmed one of ours and lived. It took all my reserve to not order that. I'd order worlds ruined for lesser crimes.

When he was done having his fun, I had Phobos assemble them all in the office, gag them, and tie them all to chairs. Then I sat on the desk like the Queen I'd once been.

For those few moments, I let the mask I'd spent the last two and a half centuries cultivating fall away, and the Queen of Ice and Flame lived again. My glamour dropped, and I spoke.

"You harmed one of mine." I said, and the nuns looked at each other. Maybe it was the utter lack of accent, maybe it was the way my aura glowed like a small sun in the room and danced in jagged fractals across my skin. Maybe the molten gold sparks dripping from my hair that were slowly singing the desk made them quiver in fear.
With a snap of my fingers, the gags vanished. All the nuns began talking at once.

"Silence." I said, letting just a bit of Power into my voice. This added a bit of a basso to my voice, a low thrum that caused them all to stop.

"Hail mary, full of gra-" The Mother Superior began, and I interrupted her with a sharp bark of laughter.

"Oh, Mother. I'm god here." I purred, and slid off the desk. I walked over to her, and I began shifting subtly. I allowed my nails to elongate into the sharp claws of my wolf, running a talon in a vertical line down her face. She whimpered as the blood came.

"Saint Michael-" I swiftly cut Sister Agnes off from the exorcism by gagging her again. It would not have removed Phobos from my control, but the prayer would have caused him pain. There would be enough of that tonight.

"Now, tell me which one of you hurt Stephen Bonaparte. Which one of you was responsible for his "education"?" I asked.

"It was Agnes!" One of the nuns, I didn't bother ripping her name from her mind, shouted. I nodded. I knew that, but it was always best to have a signed confession.
I nodded at Phobos, and sent him a mental command. He leapt onto her shoulder.

"Escort her home, would you?" I asked the imp. He shot me a savage monkey grin and translocated her away minus her habit and
clothes. He'd take her to a cell in the basement. Hopefully someone had cleaned it after the last inhabitant.
He arrived back in moments. His forked tail made an infernal scarf around my throat. This intimidation tactic was something we had long since mastered. Fully changed therian and imp stood where a woman had been moments before.

"Who else?" I asked, giving them each a look. They remained silent. I nodded sharply. Phobos leapt off my shoulder and landed in Mother Superior's lap. Then he looked her in the face and unleashed a hungry-sounding screech.

"Mistress, let me eat this one first. She's so plump." He called gleefully.

"Oh, Phobos, you know how I feel about you eating trash." I replied jovially, looking down at her. I was almost seven feet tall in this form, and rippling with golden furred muscle. My voice came out as a low growl and I could smell the fear coming off all of them.

"Mary-Margaret!" Mother Superior yelled, and one of them flinched.

"I told them not to do it. I told them to drown him like all the re-" She stopped suddenly, and looked up to me.

"What, was that, Mother?" I asked her, and licked my muzzle. She whimpered again.

"He isn't the first mage that's come across my door! You lot are all the same. You are all abominations in His sight! Your sorcerous power
will not stand. Repent, witch." She spat, a sudden streak of rebellion in her eyes.

"Thrice and done then." I smirked. I snapped my fingers, all for show. One by one, Phobos translocated the nuns away minus their clothes. By morning, after spending a night at the tender mercies of my imps, each of them would see the errors of their way, or they'd be replaced by my glamoured soldiers and would feed my friend Audrey's greenhouse. This was the last time any of them would even think of harming a child.

This continued until they had all vanished except Mother Superior, who sat in an empty office, surrounded by empty chairs, and matching habits.

"Now, Mother. You have two choices. Tell me everything, and I won't cause you pain. Or, meet the same fate as your nuns." I snarled. She told me everything.

She told me about their crusade against mages. Long experience had taught Mother Superior what a child with a sudden change in hair or eye color meant.

Any child with the gift was always subjected to the torture they had put Stephen under. Eventually, they broke. If they didn't, they were
met with an unfortunate accident. A sudden fall down the stairs, or a mysterious disappearance. If all else failed, there was a pond behind the orphanage, and children were oh so reckless, weren't they?

As she told me all this, I could feel my anger rising higher and higher. What hell had Alexis consigned my so- Stephen to? Why had she chosen this orphanage, of all the places to leave a child?
Who did these imbeciles think they were, playing god?

"Was that enough?" The sister asked. She had finished telling me about their other ventures aside from their crusade against magical society. How they'd lined their pockets by selling the orphans to certain male and female clientele for unspeakable acts, about the money squirrelled away under her mattress.

I looked around the opulent office once more, and remembered the rags Stephen had come to my home with. The messily patched rucksack he guarded so carefully, and the haunted look in his eyes after I asked about the scars on his back.

"Who is Father Murphy?" I asked finally.

"He's the priest in charge of the orphanage. If you'd like, his address is in the book on the desk, along with all of my papers." She said
hopefully, and I nodded. By this point, Phobos had returned and had assumed his perch on my shoulder. I released the spells binding her, and she stood on shaky legs.

I settled a long furry arm on her shoulder, and grabbed her in a soft grip.

"One last question, Mother." I said in a low growl. There was hope in her eyes.

"Did you know that death doesn't need to be painful?" I asked. I let the question settle. I saw the hope die in her eyes. Then I stepped aside, and let the spears fly. She was pinned to the wall in a parody of a crucifixion. She'd died instantly. I kept my word. I dismissed the rest of my spells and sighed. Then I released my wolf form, and let my aura die away. I walked over to the desk and sat at the chair. I had special plans for Mary-Margaret and Agnes.

Stephen needed new target dummies, and the priest would round out a trio of targets.
I fished through the desk and pulled out two very large ledgers. I pursued them for a few moments before using the Librum spell to capture the knowledge and upload it to my brain. Mother Superior kept very good records. Every man and woman in these books had used the orphanage for services that made my stomach churn just thinking of them.

From the little I read of the journal she'd kept, and her desperate confession, the entire staff was in on these acts. I'd dispatch a team to take their place while I searched for qualified people, and Amy forged a paper trail to put the orphanage under my control.

"Phobos, it appears we have some hunting to do." I said. Over the next few weeks, one of our shell companies would begin funding this place properly, and every single person in these books would die and be replaced by my staff. I'd ruin them completely and utterly, and I'd make it look like it was all done by their own hand. I did love it when vengeance was profitable. Everything I funneled away from the accounts held by this scum would be used to fund this place. I'd make sure every child was well treated, and any mages that came here would be trained properly.

When Stephen reached adulthood, I'd give him the choice about what to do with the building.
I had very few morals, but children were a line that should never be crossed.

My work at the orphanage was done, but I still had miles to go before I slept. I translocated back to my study. Amy was lounging on the couch I had off to the right. Her eyes were shut, and she had the appearance that she was asleep, but Amy didn't. She must have sensed my presence, or the wards informed her I'd arrived, because she stood in a single fluid gesture.

"How's Stephen?" I asked.

I poured myself a glass of brandy and went to grab a pack of cigarettes from their drawer in my desk. Amy didn't speak until I was situated.

"He had a panic attack after you left. I gave him a sleeping potion, and his vitals are stable. But, I did do a few passive scans, and those are troubling."

"How so?" I asked carefully. I noticed Amy was choosing her words carefully. She was the most intelligent being I knew, so whatever she was trying to tell me would upset me.

"Amy, I'm a big girl. I can handle it."

"I did a full spectrum scan on Stephen. I scanned for auric, psionic, magic, and tachyon residue. Aside from the spell residue from the magic that's been used on and around him from being present at the town house, and trace residue that matches Alexis' auric and our temporal signature, he doesn't have any active magical or psionic traces.

Both of those would be evident if Voice was a spell or a mental ingram. I did a second scan when Stephen indicated Voice was active, and those scans still showed nothing amiss.

I scanned for harmonic frequencies that would indicate if Voice was a copy of Stephen from an alternate reality or timeline because of the Nova incident in 2023. Because we're so close to the 1945 confluence, and Stephen is a powerful mage, those incidents are bound to start occurring soon.

Bethany, that leaves one possibility. Stephen has had a traumatic childhood. He was sexually abused multiple times. He's been subject to extreme repetitive physical, and emotional abuse. Voice could be a coping mechanism."

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"Without further information or testing it appears that Stephen has a textbook case of dissociative identity disorder." She stated. I gave her a look.

"What?"

"It's a psychological condition where-" I raised a hand.

"I know what it is, Ames. How do we know it's that? Voice, felt metaphysically different then Stephen. I trust my senses," I said.

"Yes, but which Stephen?" She asked.

"My ward." I said carefully.

"Could this be a latent precognition ability?" I asked after a moment.

"It could be. I'll prepare an elementis test, but until he performs that ritual, my working hypothesis stands. There's one more thing."

"His ley nodes are different. While they're the same width as a typical juvenile Lord's, they're thrice as thick, and his biology shows signs of genetic engineering. If I didn't know better-" Amy reclined.

"Broken Bells, I wish I could get drunk." She muttered after a moment.

"My working theory is that someone created a Legionnaire sleeve from Alexis and Stephen's DNA, and altered it to thrice the magical strength of a Lord."

God's Blood. Why? Why would she do that? That wasn't having a child, that was building a weapon. Why would she place such a child in this time frame?

"Is that possible?" I asked carefully.

"She led the Legionnaire project, and she had a copy of Mom's notes. If anyone could, it would be her."

"So I adopted a possibly mentally ill juvenile super-soldier."

"In a word, yes."

"Well. Fuck. Is there anything we can do?"

"Short of desleeving him and transferring his aura to something less likely to be able to lift small vehicles when he's older, no."

I wouldn't desleeve Stephen, that experience was always traumatic. Besides. I didn't have the resources to do that here.

My financial resources were already being repositioned to safeguard us against the impending financial collapse. I'd need tools to build tools, and I'd been focused on magical infrastructure. Even the technologies I was selling to the mundane governments would require at least another two decades before I'd have the technological base needed to build a Cradle.

"And how would consoling work?" I asked. Amy moved her head back and forth, a very human gesture from something that had been pretending to be human for perhaps a bit too long.

"I'm not sure it would. I don't think Stephen would trust anyone enough to speak to Voice about them, and I think any trust we built would be ruined if we got a therapist behind his back. Best case scenario, he never trusts us again. Worst case scenario. He runs away and we have a talented, powerful mage with a complete distrust in authority figures running free researching whatever he wants. He has exactly enough knowledge to be dangerous now.

If it came to that. If he ran away, and was unwilling to return, our options would be limited. If he garnered too much attention, which lets be honest, he would, the Hunters would intervene. We know how they deal with rogue Lords and Ladies in this time."

I briefly flashed back to Yekaterinburg, Vincent's last apprentice, and that god awful night.

"We do," I whispered.

"Fuckin hell, Ames. I never wanted kids."

My parent's political responsibilities left them with three kids that had been raised close by, but by a revolving door of tutors and instructors. I didn't want that for a child, and when Morgan had wounded me in the war, I was almost thankful that my fertility had come at the cost of my life. It was something that could be fixed, but I never did.

Vincent had his own reasons for not wanting children, and even with all our years together, that had never changed. Our fathers had been brothers in all but blood, and they had identical views about parenthood. Personal tragedy that wasn't mine to speak of added to that.

"I know."

I was going to adopt Stephen through a third party. I was going to send him to a far-off family that would keep him away from vampires, and fae, and political rivalries that put my life under constant guard.

Then I'd seen my brother's eyes in a tiny face, and some part of me broke. The last time I'd seen those eyes, it had been the hologram at his memorial. That had been reconstructed from archival footage. It had been almost two centuries since we'd draped that flag over his coffin, and that memory still brought tears to my eyes.

"I need you to shift Mu and Ro-Two to the orphanage on infiltration and espionage duties. They'll find everything they need to know at the orphanage. They have all the information they need. Then contact any Karcist or Nueromancer who wants to make a few extra diamonds and give them the list of people they'll find. You can use your imagination."

"How bad was it?"

I gave Amy a flat look.

"If there weren't children living there, I would have burned that place to the ground. You have two new experiments in your dungeon, and I'll be gathering you one more tonight. Do what you will with them, but Stephen needs training dummies for tomorrow."

"Well. That's fun." She remarked.

"Did you have any luck finding that mirror?" I asked.

"I traced it to 1800, and I hit a dead end. I've got feelers out in the Fae, but who knows when we'll find it."

"It would be ideal to have it within our grasp soon."

"We'll gather as many as we can. We've still got thirty years. We'll get them."

"I know. I just feel like time's slipping through my grasp, and I'm not sure if I like that."

"That's a feeling everyone gets."

"I'm not everyone," I muttered.

"You can't be perfect."

"Watch me try."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

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I'll be posting interludes over the next month while I prep the second book for publishing. If you like this, please leave a comment or upvote/like