by LJ Rivers
Essence of Magic
Ruby Morgan: Book One
L.J. Rivers
Copyright © 2019 by L.J. Rivers and Inspirert Publishing
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to locales, places, actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Any such violation constitutes copyright infringement.
With love,
for Kristiane, Michael, Storm and Embla
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Sentries of Camelot
The Ruby Morgan Universe
Chapter One
Following a MagX dealer around might not have been the wisest choice to get on Mum’s good side. She would have killed me if she knew I was tracking this story. I could hear her now. “Ruby Guinevere Morgan,” she would say, then she would give me a scolding glare, the way only she could, and tell me I was ‘grounded for life’. Not that she could keep me much longer, now that I had finished year 13, though she could certainly try. She wouldn’t like it, but she would have no other choice than to let me test my wings—so to speak. Or so I told myself. Either way, as long as I didn’t involve myself in anything having to do with MagX dealers, or worse—Harvesters—Mum might be ok with it.
Yet, here I was, involving myself.
Well, at least I wasn’t flaunting my Fae powers to anyone, which was what she feared the most. Granted, she had a point, especially with Harvesters lurking around, although I hadn’t heard of any Mags being caught in sleepy Cheshire.
My fingers slid down the camera strap as I narrowed my gaze against the dim light of the early August evening. I looked Craig Hackley up when he had started dealing in Cheshire a couple of weeks back. He was from Liverpool but had relocated down here during summer. There was no way I’d let him go without at least trying to get some useful intel from him. I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that all the dealers from the same place knew each other, or that this Craig guy would know anything of use to me, but if there was any chance at all that his business was connected to something about Dad, then I had to find out.
So far I hadn’t had much luck. I had been following Craig for the past week, and I had yet to come up with how to approach him without the man running away or whatever else a MagX dealer would do to me on account of sticking my nose where it didn’t belong. I was good at that, sticking my nose into things, though I had never had someone actively try to kill me, and I’d rather avoid it if I could. So, I kept my distance and tried to gather the information from afar.
There was a pattern to Craig’s movements, which made following him easier, and though he was careful, he was not so careful that someone who went looking for him didn’t take notice. It made me think he was fairly new at this, which again made him a terrible lead for finding out about Dad.
I inhaled the warm air and turned my ruby ring around my finger, picturing Dad’s gentle smile. Seven years since that horrible night in 2012, and it was still a picture-perfect memory. The ring made me feel closer to him, but his absence was a hole in my heart that I would never be able to mend. If only I could find out the truth, then maybe I could patch myself up enough to live without him. Which was why, these days, I played the part of an aspiring journalist at the local newspaper—out for justice. Only I wasn’t sure if I was after justice for the people or mostly for myself. I hoped I was able to do a little of both.
A few strands of red blew over my face in the summer breeze, and I gathered my thick hair at the back of my head, fastening it with a rubber band. The sky was dark with clouds, hiding the sun that was still up somewhere behind them.
There was movement in the alley behind the bar. I had counted on Craig to come here, and he had. I crouched behind a hedge across the road from the bar and brought the camera up. As I zoomed in, the shape of him became clearer as he moved closer to the UV lights of the bar sign. The bass from the music reverberated up my legs as the door swung open and a pair of girls stumbled outside, arm in arm, steadying one another. I squinted, recognising them. Susan had been in my year at school, she was curvy, medium height with a pair of legs that made her look taller than she was. Haley, on the other hand, was a year younger, stocky, with a cute button nose and a bright smile. Neither of them were close friends of mine—not that I had any of those—but I knew them well enough.
The dealer turned to the girls, his hoodie shading his face, and beckoned with two fingers for them to follow. The girls moved sideways, and walked after him into the alley, disappearing from my line of sight.
“Shoot,” I muttered. I needed to catch him in the act, and I had to get a shot of him getting paid while handing over the drugs. I might be out for my own truth, but I also had a story to write. The words of my editor, Logan, whispered at the back of my mind: Don’t ever let a good story die. As much as I wanted to find out about Dad, I wanted to prove myself and break this story for the Blacon newspaper, a job I was yet to get paid for.
I had written a lot of articles for the Blacon during my internship year, though none as close to my heart as this one. Dealing MagX had become a common thing in the bigger cities, and I wasn’t sure Logan would approve of this as breaking news, but I had a feeling I could spin it. And common or not, it was an illegal business, one which had to stop.
Things had got increasingly worse since Dad died. The number of deaths by magical blood was at an all-time high, while the number of users grew accordingly. It was spreading like a vicious rumour. And now, it had come to Cheshire.
I dashed across the street and peered around the corner into the alley. There were four iron sconces mounted on the brick walls. One was broken, the next two shed a dim light, and the last one was flickering, ready to give out. It was enough light to get a decent shot, however, so I raised my camera again, my finger resting on the shutter button as I zoomed back in on Craig and the two girls. I snapped pictures without pause, making sure I didn’t miss anything.
The girls were giggling, and Susan brought out a pile of cash from her oversized bag. Craig accepted the cash and handed her something in return. It was hard to tell what, though it was an easy guess. I tried zooming in on what I assumed to be blood panels, hoping it would show up clear enough in at least a picture or two. If Logan wasn’t such a cheapskate, he would have agreed to spend a few extra quid on a new camera or at least on a better lens. The camera was ok for beginners, but far from the best fit for this kind of work.
Craig tilted his head at the girls and pulled his hood further down, then turned to walk off. I spun backwards, flung the camera strap over my head and tucked the camera into my backpack. With quick steps, I joined the line outside the bar.
Crap! Why was I still hiding? I wanted to question him. But how? My magic powers were purely defensive, nothing that would intimidate Craig. And if I did manage to hold him long enough to ask him anything, then what? I wasn’t
going to torture the guy, and at some point, I would have to let him go. By that time, he would know what I was. Stupid, Ru!
My pulse quickened as Craig passed the line to The Shade and crossed the street. He wasn’t looking my way, though, as he was busy shielding his face and getting out of there.
Once I could no longer see him, I slipped out of the line again and returned to the alley. I walked straight down the cobbled alleyway to find the girls leaning against the brick wall at the end. They were laughing as Susan slid the pieces of a panel apart, her tongue hanging out.
“Hey,” I said. “You shouldn’t do that.”
“Well, if it isn’t Miss Goody Two-shoes Morgan,” snapped Haley. “Who are you to judge?”
“It’s dangerous,” I called, stepping closer.
Susan waved one hand at me. “Go away, Ruby. We’re just having some fun.”
“It could kill you!”
“So could a car. Try living a little. In fact,” Susan tilted her head at me, “why don’t you try one? I got several interesting samples. How about you try yourself some blood for invisibility.”
“There’s no such thing,” I mumbled.
Haley snickered. “She’s not having my superpower, that’s for sure.”
I wanted to scream at them but took a deep breath instead, and tried my best to compose myself. “My dad died from MagX, so no, I don’t want it, and I don’t want you to lick that blood either.”
The girls stared at me like I was from some different planet, then Susan lifted the panel and gave it a slow lick. She wiped her mouth and shrugged. “What happened to your dad sucks, but he overdosed. We’re just having a small taste, is all.”
“Yeah, just a taste,” Haley agreed, then she licked a panel as well.
I trembled, unable to speak. Before I had time to consider my actions, I hurled myself forwards and grabbed Susan’s bag, tossing out the contents. Six panels lay among the makeup, Susan’s phone and a pack of chewing gum. I stepped on the panels as hard as I could, a wave of satisfaction washing over me as they crunched and broke beneath my feet.
“You bitch!” Susan stood, her body tense. “I paid a lot of money for those.” Her neck craned backwards as she unleashed an earsplitting cry. The ground shook, and a number of bricks fell from the walls, crashing down. I leaped forwards to avoid getting hit, and pinned Susan to the ground. She laughed bitterly, flexing her fingers to make the cobbles crack and shift around us. Panting, I rolled off her and looked for Haley. She was holding her arms above her head, a large metal beam in her hands, the kind they make to support the weight of roofs. Too large for any human to lift as she did. I glanced upwards. Two similar beams supported the housings, and where the third should have been, there were only two deep wounds in the brick wall on either side.
Super strength!
This was getting out of hand. I had to do something, but what? My powers couldn’t stop this. My only hope was that the girls had got short-lived MagX so that it would end on its own, though the norm was for the effects to last at least a few hours.
Susan found her feet again, the ground elevating to lift her up. “You’re missing out, Morgan! This is extraordinary!”
Haley bent the beam into a u-shape. “I’ve never felt this powerful in my life, Suze. Time to go kick my stupid brother’s arse!”
They laughed again, this time more shrilly than before.
My feet wouldn’t carry me anymore as the ground kept shaking, and my knees hit the cobbles. A rain of bricks tumbled down into the alley, and with no place left to run, I crossed my arms protectively over my head. A sensation of warmth flared up in my veins, and the surge of power blasted through my skin. I watched as the bricks crashed into the force field, while I strained to keep it in place. If the girls hadn’t been so preoccupied with testing bought and stolen powers, they would have realised I had magical powers of my own. Real powers. But they weren’t paying attention to me anymore.
The final brick dropped, and as it hit the ground, I retracted the magic back under my skin, keeping it alive and close in case I needed it again.
Susan’s laugh distorted into a cough. She gasped, her chest heaving for air. What was happening?
“Ha-Haley—” Susan croaked.
Haley, who was busy crushing bricks between her hands, looked back at her friend as Susan tumbled down the slope she had created. The ground stilled, but Susan’s body shook, writhing as if trying to fight off an infestation of something that didn’t belong. Her mouth frothed and her eyes rolled back.
“Susan!” Haley cried, running over, her thumping steps decreasing in intensity.
The magic was seeping away.
That was fast, a little too fast compared to what I knew about MagX.
I hesitated. The power under my skin swapped places with something calm, a quiet kind of power that was stronger than anything else I possessed. I had to help, no matter the consequences.
The quake had alerted the party next door, and the music had died down. Behind me, a throng of people tried to push through to get a look at the destruction. It didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. Exhaling in one long breath, I moved towards Susan and knelt next to her.
I placed my hands over her chest while Haley raised her eyes to me, tears painting her cheeks.
“She’s gone,” she sobbed. “Her heart has stopped.”
I balled my hands to stop the oncoming stream of power.
“Are you sure?” I placed my ear over Susan’s heart, then two fingers on her neck. I neither heard nor felt anything. The girl was dead. I backed up, wrapping my arms around myself. It was too late.
“Chief editor coming through,” a familiar voice called. “Step aside, please. Local news.” Logan squeezed between the thick crowd and climbed over the rubble towards us. He raised his camera and started snapping pictures.
“Logan!” I barked.
He lowered his camera for an instant to meet my gaze.
“A girl is dead,” I snapped. “Show some respect, please.”
He raised the camera again and snapped another few shots. “The news has to get out,” he mumbled. “You been here the whole time?”
“I was,” I muttered through clenched teeth.
“Well, then. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a long night at the office to get this story sorted. I hope you got some good shots.”
I shook my head.
“Sorry,” I told Haley, standing up.
I looked over at the crowd. Two policemen were passing into the alley and the sound of an ambulance issued close by. This was going to be a long night.
Chapter Two
I sipped at my fifth polystyrene cup of green tea. The warm liquid left a slightly bitter taste on my tongue that I had learned to love, and I shivered briefly as the remnants of tremors finally began to leave my skin. I was all out of lemons, and not for the first time, I wondered why I never started drinking coffee. The police had questioned me for half an hour before I was allowed to leave the scene. Since then, I’d been stuck at the office with Logan peering over my shoulder every five seconds to complain about my choices of words and phrases, though that was about as far as his contribution went. So, I was stuck writing an article about Susan’s tragic death while I was still shaky from the ordeal. I wrote down the last sentence and punctuated it with a sigh of relief.
“Can you believe Susan Jones OD’d? Right here in Cheshire?” Logan said, leaning over my shoulder yet again, his breath way too close to my ear. He tapped the screen with his fingers. “I think it’s good to go.”
I swung my seat around to face him. “Why does anyone take that stuff? Don’t they get that it’s dangerous?”
“I imagine MagX is somewhat like heroin, Rubes. Only better. People feel like superheroes.”
I hated that nickname—Rubes. Coming from him, it sounded totally wrong.
“But they’re not,” I said. “Susan and Haley looked nothing like superheroes. They both just kind of looked like they had gone mad.�
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Logan shrugged, grinning.
I stared at him, crossing my arms in disgust. “You too? It’s illegal, you know.”
“So was weed.” Logan wrapped a rainbow-coloured scarf loosely around his neck.
“Still is,” I said.
“For now. Besides, it’s all about taking the right amount for your body type.”
“Susan was tiny, and she only licked one small panel.”
“Sure she did. She probably licked a few before you showed up, going for a power boost or something. Judging by that alley, she definitely got her money’s worth. Before she died, that is.”
I stared at him in disbelief as he scrolled through the pictures he had taken. For once, looking at Logan beat looking at anything else.
“We’ll use this one.” He pointed at a picture of Haley weeping over Susan’s body. It left a bad taste in my mouth, but I was too tired to get into another argument tonight.
“Lock up when you leave?” It was more of a statement—or an order—than a question. He shut down his computer and took his sixpence from the lampshade, adjusting it slightly off-centre on his big head.
The door slammed shut and I turned my attention back to my computer. The words in the article didn’t read like my own. And why on earth would Craig, if that was even his real name, be dealing MagX in boring old Cheshire anyway? It was stupid. As I reached to turn off the desk light, I paused. Dad was smiling broadly at me from the single picture I kept on my desk at Blacon. A smaller version of myself sat on his shoulders wearing a red jersey, matching Dad’s.
