“You can keep trying if you want, but the charm’s pretty strong and Lucien will be back soon. He wanted to talk to you.”
Lucien…Lucien…why did that name keep sounding so familiar?
“I bet he does,” Aspen said warily. “Listen, if you help me out…”
“I can’t, Aspen.”
Aspen paused. “How do you know my name?”
Tana blushed. On her pale skin it was like her face had caught fire. “Oh, uh…I might have…looked at your things…”
Aspen turned back to the house. Her stuff was here. If she could get her charm gloves and Charlotte she could maybe figure out a way to escape.
“Aspen, hold on just a second!”
Tana planted herself firmly in front of her and placed two strong hands on her shoulders. Aspen bristled, resisting the urge to throw her off.
“Just…I know you tried to steal from him, but he’s not mad, I promise,” Tana said.
“Good, I’m going to keep it that way—”
“You’re probably still a little tired. I can show you where you can clean up and then you’ll feel so much better. Then if you still want to leave, I’ll get your things and…well, yeah, you can go.”
Aspen brushed Tana’s hands off and crossed her arms. “And what about Lucien?”
“I’ll think of something to tell him. It’s not like he wouldn’t be able to find you again…”
Aspen snorted. Once she was gone, there was no way some half-rate magic user could pin her down. She had a dozen hiding spots she’d prepped over the years, spread all over the city. Granted, she hadn’t checked on them for a while. Or even knew if they were still safe…
But she was still a little tired. Whatever magic Lucien had used on her must have taken more out of her than she thought. And an actual bath…
“Five minutes,” she said and Tana beamed. “Then I’m out of here.”
Tana led her back inside the house and toward the source of the singing Aspen had heard earlier. Aspen’s mind warred with itself the entire time.
This was stupid. She was bigger than Tana and it didn’t look like anyone else lived here. She could overpower her, demand she tell her where the rest of her gear was, then split.
But it was just five more minutes, and she’d been sleeping for who knew how long. And Tana had been the first person in a long time other than Brune who had treated her like an actual person, not just some Norm to be scorned or ridiculed. It was…nice.
They took the wraparound corridor past more large, empty rooms, the fusuma panels all slid back. Aspen had to admit, the place was beautiful.
“What’s up with the architecture?” she asked.
“Lucien really likes it,” Tana said simply. “Doesn’t exactly fit, but whatever.”
She pulled back one of the fusuma panels and led her across the room to a large pane of frosted glass in the back: the bathroom. It was already occupied. Aspen could see the outline of a figure splashing in the tub, belting that horrendous opera even louder.
“Hey!” Tana pounded on the sliding door. “Get out! And don’t come back for at least an hour!”
The singing cut off just as the light inside went out, plunging the bathroom into darkness. Tana pulled back the door and flicked it on again to reveal toilets, towel racks, and an enormous sunken wooden tub in the center. The entire place was already filled with steam and pleasantly warm.
“That was just one of the ghosts,” Tana said like it was no big deal. “He likes the bathroom the most so if you catch him in here while you’re bathing just throw something at him. It’s what I always do. I don’t mind Lucien letting all these spirits live here, but there’s a line, you know?”
“Uh…”
“Anyway, I’ll grab your clothes. Go ahead.”
The second Aspen sank into the warm water, all her earlier worries faded away—immediately replaced by new ones. Brune, for one. Probably realizing she hadn’t gone out early to grab breakfast or something. But mostly…
“Who’s this Lucien guy?” Aspen said when Tana slid back the door just enough to place Aspen’s clothes inside. No weapons. Or gear. Of course.
“He’s…the owner of this house,” Tana said. The door slid shut. Aspen could see her silhouette lean against the glass.
“Yeah, I got that. I mean who is he? Has to be pretty important to get a place this big in the boroughs.”
A horrible thought struck her. “We are still in New York, aren’t we? I heard the traffic earlier but...”
Tana laughed. “Yes, on the edge of Ember’s Landing. It’s kind of his territory.”
Territory? Aspen filed that little tidbit away for later. Tana was clearly reluctant to share much about this guy. Was he a shifter, maybe? Wolf-shifters had territories. As did Vamps. Orcs did too—not that the guy she’d seen last night was an orc. Maybe an Incubus? But none of those could use magic like Lucien had, except for Orc shamans. Shifters could change and gain enhanced speed and strength like the Vamps, and Incubus had more subtle powers; they could incite intense desire and wanting in their victims, even manipulate their perceptions to a certain extent; whatever they needed to get their prey.
Aspen shuddered. Still, none of that looked like the kind of magic Lucien had used.
“So who is Lucien to you?” she asked, trying a different tactic. “He your boss or something?”
“Um, no,” Tana said. “He gave me a place to stay. Most people…it’s not easy for me to find lodging. Anywhere, really. I help out around here along with Caretaker. You’ll meet him later.”
Okay. More points for this Lucien guy in the non-existent game in Aspen’s head. He let spirits and needy people stay at his place. He could still be a total creep, but a nice total creep.
Aspen washed the dirt and blood out of her hair until the water ran rust-colored. She let out an involuntary sigh of relief as she sank into the warmth. Hugo’s job seemed like a lifetime ago. Through the steam, she spied a pair of ghostly eyes peering at her from the corner. She threw a bar of soap at them and they vanished.
“Is it true magic doesn’t affect you?” Tana blurted out.
Aspen’s fingers slowed as they finished untangling the last of the knots. “Is that what Lucien told you?”
“He said his stunning spells barely worked. And he’s, like, one of the strongest Mages—”
Aspen dropped the second bar of soap. There was dead silence for a full half minute. Any sense of calm she’d had vanished in an instant.
“What did you just say, Tana?”
“Are you all done?” Tana said quickly, her silhouette leaping up. “I put your clothes inside—”
“What is Lucien’s full name?”
“Was the water warm enough? Sometimes it takes a few minutes to get the right temperature—”
Aspen was already out of the tub, yanking the towel off the nearby rack. “What. Is. His. Name. Tana?”
A pause. “Lucien Dunadine,” Tana said in a small voice.
Aspen laughed. She couldn’t help it. That figured. Everything had gone so wrong so fast. A Mage. Another flippin’ Mage. No wonder he had this crazy big house and knew so much magic. No wonder his name had been familiar. Everybody had heard of Lucien Dunadine, the Council of Mage’s youngest member, the one who presided over the supernatural races of Ember’s Landing. He was supposed to be arrogant. Check. And powerful. Double check. Not that Aspen was going to stick around to figure out exactly how powerful.
“Aspen?” Tana said, worry in her voice, as if she’d scared Aspen into silence with her answer. “Are you all right in there?”
Tana tried the door but Aspen had locked it before hurriedly pulling her clothes on.
“Aspen, I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner. Lucien just wants to talk, and he thought—well, I thought—you’d be scared if you knew who he was…”
“You think?”
The door rattled again. Aspen slipped on the familiar weight of her jacket. Her shoes were last. Then it was t
ime to blow this popsicle stand.
“But I was afraid if I told you…well, you’d do this.” Another rattle. “He’s a really good person, and he just wants to talk—”
“Well I don’t,” Aspen said. “I’m the last person who wants to see a Mage. Especially that one.”
Exit. She needed an exit. Like the rest of the rooms in the house, each one was broken apart by more sliding panels that could be rearranged to open and close to redefine the space in each room. Aspen slid open the nearest one, leading into an empty room beside the bathroom.
“Aspen!” Tana’s voice was nearly frantic now. “I can break down the door but can you please, please open it?”
Aspen stole across the room, keeping her steps silent. She felt only a little guilty. Tana did seem nice. She’d been kind, taken care of her, even washed her clothes.
But a Mage? No way. No, no way. Mages were bad news whichever way you looked at it. And with her less-than-stellar record, running into Lucien would be a one-way ticket to lock up.
As silently as she could, Aspen snuck through another room, then out into the wraparound corridor to the courtyard. She didn’t have time to search for the rest of her gear; her spell gloves would have come in handy right about now. But she’d have to try the front gate again. No time to find another way out. With any luck, the one who cast the charm hadn’t covered the entire wall. Perhaps there was a charm-less space she could squeeze through.
Not a chance, if a Mage is the one who cast it, a voice in her head said.
Shut it, Aspen answered.
She sprinted for the gate, slowing only a brief moment to check whether there was any part of the wall lacking a shimmer; any weakness she could make her way through.
“Aspen!”
Aspen glanced back to see Tana running towards her, frantically waving at her to stop.
Aspen took a step back. Think! She needed to get out. Where—
Tana had almost reached her. She looked terrified. With some confusion, Aspen realized she wasn’t looking at her. She was looking behind her.
“Watch out!”
Aspen spun.
A massive hand gripped her throat, lifting her feet off the ground.
“Hello, little snack,” a rough voice crackled. Rank breath made her choke. Or maybe that was the fingers closing around her windpipe.
A ghoul. Aspen couldn’t believe it as she met his ice-cold eyes. They were pretty universally hated and rarely ventured out of the Necropolis, especially during the daytime. If their watery, pockmarked gray skin and horrendous stench wasn’t enough, then their taste for flesh and bad attitude was.
The ghoul drew her close. His tongue was missing bloody chunks. “She’s a pretty one.” He sniffed. “And a Norm! Not a lick of magic on her! Bet that’ll make her taste even better…”
“Drop her!”
Tana charged in, hands swiping. Her jagged fingernails caught the ghoul in the arm, splattering blue blood on the ground. Before she could attack again, two more ghouls surrounded her. Tana moved again—she was fast, faster than Aspen had expected—and flipped out of their reach. Her teeth had grown sharp, her fingers curled in, almost like claws. When one of the ghouls tried to grab her, Tana brought her fangs down on his shoulder. The ghouls roared.
Aspen used the distraction to slam her fists down on the crux of her ghoul’s elbow. He dropped her with a grunt and, before Aspen could take a breath, she kicked as hard as she could against the side of the ghoul’s knee, making it give way with a sickening crack!
“Grab her! Grab her, you idiot!” the ghoul howled.
Aspen rolled beneath the lumbering ghoul’s grasp and connected another kick to the back of his other knee. One enemy was partially incapacitated, but she felt practically naked without her weapons or gear. If Tana wasn’t here, she’d be seriously considering retreating.
She whirled as the second ghoul launched itself at her, jaw unhinged and flapping. Aspen let it hit her, then used its momentum to roll over and kick it off. Tana launched herself after him, shredding the arm put up to block before sinking her teeth into his other shoulder. The ghoul yelled and gripped her with one spider-like hand, slamming her to the concrete.
“Filthy little half breed! I’ll teach you to—”
Tana squirmed from his grip but the second ghoul raised her up and slammed her again, pinning her to the ground. Before Aspen could help, the third ghoul wrenched her hair back into his cold chest. He caressed a single claw over her throat.
“I can smell your blood, human. I can spill it all right here and lick it up slowly…”
“That’s enough,” a curt voice commanded.
The ghoul snapped its head up, back toward someone Aspen couldn’t see.
“Aw, come on. We was just having a bit of fun—”
A bolt of magic slammed into the ghoul’s back, throwing him away from Aspen. She scrambled up, expecting to see Lucien returned from whatever errand he’d run. Instead, a boy her age stood there, a half-amused smirk on his face. For a second, the battle seemed to pause.
He was handsome in a rugged, rough sort of way. Maybe the kind of fashion model that’d be showing off all-weather outdoor gear instead of the latest city trends. He was only a little taller than her, but broad-shouldered, his chest filling out a black T-shirt as raven dark as the hair that slashed across his eyes. His arms looked hard as a golem’s. A sharp, jagged, claw-like tattoo swooped from the left side of his forehead, ran down his cheek, his neck, then vanished beneath his shirt collar. Tattoos she knew she’d seen somewhere before.
And then it hit her: he had been there the day her parents were killed. He was the boy in the alleyway, the one whose shadowed eyes watched her, who had finally stopped the others from hitting her.
The boys’ eyes brushed over her as he stood there, commanding, confident, hands casually resting at his sides as though it had been no big deal blasting that ghoul away.
Tana began to choke as the ghoul over her stepped down harder on her chest.
“I said enough,” the boy said, attention snapping back to the fight. But Aspen had already taken a running leap and planted both feet into the ghoul’s side, sending him stumbling off.
“T-thanks,” Tana gasped as they both faced the newcomer. For a moment, he appeared uncertain at what to do. Then he began to slow clap.
“Fancy moves. I can almost see why he picked you. But this.” He gestured to his ugly sidekicks who were limping to his side. “This was just a message. A message to stay out of where you don’t belong.”
“News flash, I’m not the one who came here looking for a butt-kicking,” Aspen spat. “But you look like you could really use one.”
The boy frowned. “I’m trying to help you, idiot.” He pointed at her and Tana tensed as magic sparked from the tip of his finger. “You can’t even beat these three morons without using magic. What makes you think you have a chance against me?”
“I feel like I’m missing something,” Aspen whispered to Tana.
“Yeah…about that,” Tana said. Aspen glanced over at her.
“Am I missing something?”
“It’s what Lucien is supposed to talk to you about. Actually, he’s what Lucien is supposed to talk to you about.”
Aspen glanced at handsome-yet-annoying dude.
“Why?”
“Consider this a friendly warning,” the boy said. He dropped his hand. “Enter the competition and I will beat you. There will be no place you can hide. No place you can run.”
“Before you do that, why don’t you try making a bit of sense?” Aspen said. “Or is all you can do threaten girls and grunt out riddles?”
The boy’s face twisted in anger. He planted one foot in front, his hand thrusting towards her. Aspen saw the jagged lines of a runic symbol flare to life beneath him. He was a druid. A user of earth magic, one of the oldest of the arcane arts, adept in healing and natural charms.
A bolt of fiery orange sizzled just over her head.
And apparently attack spells.
Aspen rolled aside as the guy launched another bolt. Without her guns she was down to close range. She ducked in beside him, swiping one arm across in a right hook that he blocked with his muscled forearm.
Crap that hurt.
But Aspen didn’t slow, delivering punch after kick, driving him back. As they exchanged blows, the guy’s face grew more and more confused.
“Attack!” he demanded. “Why don’t you attack?”
Aspen’s next punch barely missed his oh-so-punchable face by an inch.
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“Where’s your magic? Show it to me!”
He crouched and pounded a fist into the ground. The cobblestone beneath Aspen’s feet split, throwing her off balance. Before she could recover, a bolt of stunning magic slammed into her chest. She dropped, body twitching.
“Aspen!” Tana cried.
This time hadn’t hurt nearly as badly as the other two Lucien had hit her with. As sad as it was, maybe she was getting used to punishment. She could already feel her arms.
The boy knelt beside her. He brushed her hair from her eyes, almost tenderly, so she could see him better. “I’m doing you a favor. Keeping you from getting yourself killed. When Lucien gets back, tell him that Xavier suggests picking somebody actually worth his time—”
Aspen snapped her palm into his nose, feeling the satisfying crunch of cartilage giving way.
“There’s my magic,” Aspen said, rolling up.
The guy caught himself as he stumbled back, one hand holding back the gush of blood. He poked at his nose. Then looked at his bloody hand.
Then he laughed. The ghouls exchanged worried glances and even Aspen frowned. Clearly she’d done some brain damage.
“It’s been a long time since somebody’s managed to hit me,” the guy said. “I’d almost forgotten what it’s like.”
“Really? I’d be glad to do it more if you want.”
There it was again, that infuriating smirk. “I’ll pass. It’s a shame, it would have been a treat to beat you.”
“Again, no idea what you’re talking about.”
Mage's Apprentice (Mages of New York Book 1) Page 6
