by T J Kelly
They laughed again.
“Whatever you say, pipsqueak. Do you mean now, or after we eat?” Seth cocked his head to the side and gave me his quirky, mysterious smile.
Oh, yeah. Food. I was about to tell him to show me when my stomach growled. “How about after?” I suggested.
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s go inside before everyone thinks you’ve been kidnapped and they send out the guards.”
I snorted. They probably would, too.
◆◆◆
Somebody knocked on my bedroom door. I glanced at the clock on my dresser and knew my aunt had arrived to hustle me along.
“Come in,” I called. I was standing inside my closet near the mirror, trying to tug my dress zipper up all the way. I heard her shuffle closer. “Can you help me? This thing is driving me nuts.”
“Sure,” Peter said as he walked up behind me. I jumped. Wow. I read that completely wrong. I couldn’t sense his magic at all, or Peony’s, but I assumed she was the one who entered my bedroom. I shook my head slightly to reset my train of thought.
I met Peter’s eyes in the mirror as he rested his hand on the small of my back to hold the dress in place. As he tugged the zipper, the warmth emanating from his fingers trailed all the way up until the zipper stopped at my neck. I guess guys weren’t totally worthless in the dressing room after all.
Peter smiled as he stepped away, and I turned to face him.
“Thanks. I thought you were Aunt Peony. I was hoping she’d help me pick out shoes. I want everything to be perfect when I go to Rector Enterprises. It’s funny, but I can’t seem to make any decisions. I didn’t even choose this dress. Aunt Peony helped me decide weeks ago, but I just got a whole new batch of shoes shipped here from my house. Now I’m starting to wonder if the ones we picked out earlier are too plain or something.” I was babbling. I felt awkward, maybe slightly shy, which was so weird, because it was just Peter. It wasn’t like Chas had come back to me and I was awestruck by his gallantry and bravery and dedication.
Peter nudged my arm, and I blinked.
“Earth to Lia. Snap out if it.” Peter walked over to the white velvet bench in the center of my closet, more properly called the dressing chamber, and plopped down. He leaned back on one elbow and stretched his legs out, crossing his ankles.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous. If you’re going to agonize over shoes, I’m going to get comfortable. Peony has done this a thousand times, and she takes forever. I can help, though. Go on, grab the top picks and I’ll tell you which ones rock it.”
I burst out laughing. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. I’ve got style and class, Ms. Rector, and I can prove it. But get a move on because Peony sent me up here to get you to hurry.”
Shrugging, I opened the shoe closet, which I thought was hilarious since it was a closet inside my closet. I wasn’t sure anyone else would think it was as funny as I did. When I told Mort about it, he just stared at me like I was crazy.
I was wearing a power suit. Well, power dress. At least, that’s what I called it. Within the variegated brown fabric, golden threads were woven throughout glittering and glimmering, and surging with protective magic. I had a pair of low-heeled nude pumps picked out. But now that I had so many more gorgeous shoes to choose from, I was second-guessing my choice. I was at a total loss.
I grabbed three of my favorites and held them out for Peter.
“Oh, heck no Rector. What’s up with all the brown and nudes? You’re supposed to make a lasting impression, but does it really need to say you’re boring and stodgy and can’t wait until you’re sixty to prove it?”
“What?” I tried to say more, but I was laughing too hard.
“No, no, no. Here, sit.” Peter jumped up and placed his hands on my shoulders, turning me around and pushing gently until I was seated on the bench. His behavior bemused me enough to follow along. “Let me handle this. At least your closet has potential.”
Peter skimmed the shelves, each lined with light-crystals. Another Rector specialty - closet lighting for the rich and famous. My mother used to laugh when my father grumbled about it, but it helped to pay the bills and made us enough profit that we could match each crystal sold with light and heat-source crystals to donate to the poorer countries around the globe.
“Not bad, Lia. I take it back. You’re not stodgy. You’re just trying too hard to impress the people who are trying to impress you. They all watched the competition and know what you can do. No need to worry. Ah, here we go.” Peter turned to face me, but his hands were hidden.
“What?” I asked again. I guess I wasn’t all that eloquent after all.
“Close your eyes and don’t peek. I’ll put them on so you can get the full effect when you look in the mirror.”
My mouth quirked up. Peter was acting silly. But it was distracting me from my nervousness which I was sure was the point. “All right, fine. But hurry in case I need to do more searching if they’re lame.”
Peter made a face at me, and I closed my eyes, holding out my foot. His hands really were quite warm.
A short while later I had my heels on and stood. They were likely the ones with four-inch heels and if he thought I wanted to tour my company wearing those stilts, he had another thing coming.
Peter positioned me in front of the mirror, and I opened my eyes.
There I was, just like normal. The tight bun in my hair was for the office environment I was about to visit, with a couple of battle braids on one side to denote my status as a working apprentice and agent. My hazel brown eyes glittered with amusement. Peony continually encouraged me to wear browns and golds, and I did it to humor her, but it was funny to see myself wearing it all the time. In the end, I didn’t care what I had on, as long as I still looked like myself in there somewhere.
My gaze slipped down to my feet, and I chuckled. It shocked me that my legs looked killer. Four inches of heel and three little straps in varying shades of gold practically glittering on my feet made a huge difference.
“Okay,” I said. “That’s not half bad. But I’m going on the obligatory official tour, and my feet will kill me by the end of the day.” I laughed as the image of me hobbling around while trying to look dignified and capable crossed my mind.
“Wow. You have access to almost infinite power, and you haven’t figured out how to walk on Air yet?” Peter asked. That shut me up. Huh. I never thought of that. “Ha! I knew it. You need serious help.”
“Fine. Whatever. I don’t have time to change them anyway,” I said. I wasn’t going to admit he had fabulous taste and make his head grow any fatter than it was.
“Sure, sure. Now come on, we’ve got to meet Peony downstairs for the security briefing.”
We couldn’t wait any longer for me to take my introductory tour of the company even though I basically grew up there. I used to run through the corridors and hide from the apprentices who all could do something I couldn’t figure out how to do myself. Magic, magic, everywhere. But not for me.
The two of us walked carefully while I gripped onto Peter’s arm. He steadied me while I kept playing with the Air until I worked out a way to negotiate the action of walking while simultaneously taking pressure off my feet. Not easy. I preferred the way Peter practically flew through the Air, but it would look too juvenile and like I was incapable of walking like an adult. Some capable CEO I was.
Fortunately, by the time we reached the bottom of the stairs, I finally figured out the knack of it and was ready to walk all day in six-inch stilettos if needed. Not that I owned any shoes that insane. But I was that comfortable.
“It’s okay,” Peter teased. He was still holding my arm in case I slipped, and gave me a gentle squeeze. “You can just owe me one.”
I huffed some air out of my mouth to indicate my disgust at his bragging and then entered the study where my aunt was waiting.
“My dear, you look gorgeous!” Peony rushed to my side. She wore a cher
ry-red dress with black heels and matching black buttons marching down the front like she was fresh out of some movie made in 1940.
“Nobody will notice me with you around. You're so beautiful,” I said, hurrying forward to give her a hug. Ever since I came to live with her and Armageddon, I was a tactile junkie. I held everyone’s hands and hugged them every chance I got. My parents loved me, but they were more formal and anyway, I spent a lot of time in different boarding schools. Touch was a new and wonderful way of expressing myself and I had seventeen years of being a solitary little girl to make up for.
“As if anyone will care about an old married woman with somebody as fresh and lovely as you standing beside me. Besides, this is your moment to shine. Speaking of which, I love your shoes.”
Peter raised an eyebrow and gave me a look.
“Fine,” I said. “I admit it. You’ve got good taste. Happy now?”
“Definitely.” Peter looked around. “Where's everybody else?”
“Harris and Seth went to check the protection spells on the limo again,” Peony answered.
“The limo? Oh my gosh, that’s awesome,” I said. “I thought we’d have to take Uncle Ged’s carriage again. You’re not old at all, Aunt Peony, but Uncle Ged is ancient.”
She laughed. “My dear, Ged is an old coot. He just hasn’t gotten enough gray hairs yet. It’s misleading. Besides, I love the limo and never get the chance to take it anywhere.” Peony grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the cabinets lining the walls. “Come on, let’s find some interesting things to stuff in your pockets.”
She opened the doors that hid the Scatter-bursts and Fog-blinders. I took five of each.
The absolute best thing about the fancy dresses created by magicians was they had pockets, and the pockets were deep. Almost bottomless since they expanded inside to hold anything yet remained hidden from the outside.
I didn’t really need mechanical spells anymore, but in our line of work, we never knew what would happen. Anyone could use mechanicals, even a mundane, if one was nearby and willing to help. Most ran when they saw a magician was about to have a showdown. Not that I blamed them. It was terrifying to be in the presence of magic with no way to protect yourself.
Mechanicals also couldn’t be traced the way spells could be. I popped a couple of Shields into my pockets, too. And some Flash-bangs. I might need time to get away.
“Ready?” Peony asked. Her blue eyes met mine. Something was there, buried inside. I wondered for a moment if she saw something I couldn’t. It was entirely possible she did. My aunt was a powerful seer, but seers couldn’t reveal their visions until the time came. Whenever that was.
“As ready as I can be,” I said. “Let’s do this thing.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Field Trip
Peony slipped her arm through mine as we walked out of the study together. It was just the two of us. I had been so preoccupied I didn’t even notice Peter had left while I chose which spells to bring with me. We headed down the hall to the foyer to meet the guys.
Harris and Seth waited in the foyer, leaning against a column right inside the front door of the castle. They were dressed up like Peter had been, and I nodded in appreciation. Nothing brought out the handsome in a guy like a nice suit.
“Wow, Lia. You sure clean up well,” Harris said. Seth stayed silent but tried his smoldering look on me again.
My lips twisted with amusement. “Thanks. I bet it isn’t nearly as shocking as you two looking presentable for once.”
Peony laughed.
“We’re ready to go when you are,” Peter said as he joined us. He held his arm out with a formal bow to my aunt, which she accepted. That left me with the brat brothers, but they were surprisingly gracious and escorted me like the gentlemen they were.
I slid into the limo, sitting next to my aunt and Peter, facing forward. Seth and Harris positioned themselves on the seat across from us.
“Are you nervous?” Peony asked. I was, but I didn’t want to say that out loud in front of everyone. My various schools had trained me for various social interactions. But this would be new for me. Even though I had known the officers and employees at Rector Enterprises my entire life, becoming CEO at seventeen hadn’t been a part of the plan. Ever.
“Maybe a little nervous,” I admitted begrudgingly.
“I’d think there was something wrong if you weren’t. Focus on the fact they want to see you, are happy for you, and have faith in you. You’ve got three years as a figurehead to prepare. No big deal, right?”
“Right,” I agreed hollowly. I didn’t think it would affect me that way, but I was missing my parents more than ever. They spent tons of time on the road, traveling the world and trying to do good for a lot of people. They had also been seeking a way for me to ascend into my magic on my seventeenth birthday. And I was beginning to wonder about that. It only mattered that I ascend on my exact birthday if one special law came into effect because my parents had died. Which they did.
But why did they think that?
Did they know they were going to die?
And why didn’t they spend more time with me if they thought they wouldn’t be around for long?
A tear leaked out of my left eye. For some reason, I was glad it was on the side where Peter sat. Probably because I suspected he would find a way to discretely wipe it away for me so nobody else would notice. Which he did.
I cleared my throat and smoothed imaginary wrinkles in my skirt. The driver called back, indicating we were about to transport the rest of the journey using the transition spell. I closed my eyes and braced myself, shrinking into the seat.
The world tilted inside my head. It was like suffering from the worst case of car-sickness ever. Right when I was about to throw up, we were there.
Blinking rapidly, I heaved several deep breaths to shake off the effects. Nobody else seemed as bothered by the transition spell. Or maybe they were just better at hiding it.
My gaze drifted to the window, and in the distance stood Rector Enterprises.
When I was little, I loved visiting my father’s company. It looked more like a castle than our manor house did, which was basically a rectangular box made of brick. I thought castles were cool. It didn’t occur to me back then to marvel at the amount of magic it must have taken to move the group of buildings from the United Kingdom to the hills south of San Francisco in the seventies. When my father was young. Before he had even met my mother.
I had been too young to comprehend the nature of magic on my many visits. But now I had finally ascended and was old enough to understand. I bet every magical family who worked for Rector Enterprises was needed to shift the bulk of a rectory, stables, and a later-period regency mansion from their original resting place to California.
The main building came into view from where it had been hidden by the gentle slope of the nearest hill, grass already brown from the dry summer. A sigh escaped despite bracing myself for the sight. My father had it built years after the move to California. Although he used solid gray cement blocks to match the color of the other buildings, the newer facility was still an eyesore.
Sure, it was huge and modern, innovative and industrial. An acre-sized building with entire walls made of mirrored glass. But it also looked like a giant cement box with weird things sticking out everywhere - satellite dishes and solar panels, a helicopter landing pad and odd cement angles created for decorative purposes.
There was nothing about it that held the charm of the old country. I caught myself once again wondering what on earth my father had been thinking when he approved the design.
With a snort, I fell back on counting my blessings, grateful it didn’t have those weird cut-out circles and pod chairs like other buildings from the seventies. Or worse, those terrible green, yellow, and orange accent colors. Oh, my gosh. Or shag carpet.
Nobody said anything, but Seth and Harris both bit back a smile. They were used to seeing companies and magician housing compounds of questiona
ble taste. By comparison, Rector Enterprises really wasn’t that bad. At least the colors on the outside of the buildings matched. If the main facility weren’t surrounded by so many picturesque buildings, it would have been impressive and intimidating.
That’s what I kept telling myself anyway.
The limo pulled up to the gate, and we stepped out of the car while security looked us over and prowled around under the vehicle. The guards were even more thorough than the ones at Castle Laurus, where my uncle had placed so many protection spells it was practically impregnable. But Rector Enterprises had way more strangers coming and going than the castle. When they were done, the sergeant on duty shook my hand and welcomed me back.
Everyone climbed back into the limo and drove to the main building. We entered through the massive front doors, giant sheets of crystalline glass that sparkled and shone. I wondered if the others could tell they were so bright because of their foundation of Dark. None of them look puzzled, or like they realized something might be odd about the spells. I bet Armageddon would have noticed. He could sense the darkness in me in a way nobody else could, and the building spells were no different.
“Ms. Rector, it’s wonderful to see you,” Caeli Cael said as we entered. Like many Rector employees, she chose to wear the traditional clothing of her culture during ceremonial occasions. That meant she greeted us for my official tour wearing an ice-blue kimono. She wore modern make-up, though. I made a mental note to ask her the trick she used to draw attention to her stunning, dark brown eyes. I used to always ask her for advice. She had grown up working with my father like most of our employees had done and was like an aunt. Her name meant “Starry Heavens,” and she was probably the nicest lady I had ever met. It was wonderful that she was the one who greeted us.
“Thank you. I’m so happy you're here,” I returned with warmth in my voice. Caeli used to slip me cookies and tell me I was pretty. My parents had been focused on my education and always said being smart was more important than being pretty. They were right, but I felt being both was better. They thought I was too cheeky and rarely gave me compliments. Somehow, in my mind, being without magic made me think the sight of me was unbearable. Caeli helped me feel that I wasn’t the ugly duckling I feared I was.
