by D. D. Chance
Liam had no such issues. He rocked to his feet, his long, lean body turning, and he bounded over to one corner of the room, then the other. Finally, he liberated a portable speaker from behind the raised labyrinth.
“I can figure out who you are just from this,” he yelled into it as the unit started to smoke. “You know that.”
“I do know that,” the voice taunted. “Fortunately, I’ll be long gone before you get that chance. But do me a favor and at least own your birthright, will you? Your mother is an arrogant fool. She should know how badly she was duped. And you should know how much you’ve been made to suffer for your family’s misbegotten fear. Fools, every last one of you. But fools are easily led. That part won’t change, and I thank you for it in advance.”
The speaker poofed into fragments in Liam’s hands, turning to ash.
28
We dressed quickly and reclaimed Liam’s pack, making sure the fire over the oiled labyrinth was out. Then we headed for his rooms. As soon as we got high enough in the subterranean passageways to have cell service, Liam contacted Frost. The response was immediate, demanding our presence in Lowell Library as soon as we could make it there, promising a full update on the aftermath of the attack in the ballroom.
We made our way out of the caverns and back through Liam’s bedroom. Liam was too keyed up to change, but I insisted we needed to detour to my room long enough for me to switch out of my ridiculous dress and into a tank top, jeans, and tennis shoes—and I strapped on my iron knife again for good measure. Then we exited Fowlers Hall and headed for the library, Liam texting the entire time with Frost. The more he worked his phone, though, the glummer he got.
“I don’t like any of this,” he muttered as we hustled through the shadows. “He says dampening rods aren’t unprecedented among the families of Wellington. There’s such a need to not be embarrassed that any rogue magic outside the lines of expectations for a family’s given station gets suppressed.”
I eyed him, aghast on his behalf. “How does anybody think that’s normal?”
He lifted one shoulder, dropped it. “I don’t know what to tell you. If the illusionist, whoever the fuck he is, is to be believed, my mom didn’t know. My dad died when I was a kid, but I do remember him being an asshole. He just wasn’t there one day, and I was too young to really understand it. But he’d left very specific instructions that I’m sure my mother followed to the letter. I think he probably would have left her destitute if she hadn’t. That’s just the way my family rolls.”
I shook my head. “That’s so horrible.”
He sighed. “You’re not wrong. I know you think you had a rough upbringing, and let’s face it, you did, but your mother at least seemed to love you, to do what she could to keep you safe.”
“Maybe,” I allowed. “Or maybe she was part of the whole screwed-up group you have here. I can’t say I would have blamed her for wanting to escape the Hallowells if that really was her family, or honestly, anyone we saw in that ballroom tonight. They all sucked.”
Liam laughed. “They all had their issues, that’s for sure.”
By the time we reached Lowell Library, it was nearing midnight. From what Frost had told Liam, the Wellington first-family aristocracy had managed to quell the hornet uprising once we’d left the building. The entire group of illusions had winked out with the departure of the master illusionist who had been their ringleader. That was still a major point of confusion, though, because nobody had ever left the room—no one was missing but Liam and me.
Frost himself had conducted a census of the entire guest list, Liam said, and according to his data, the same number of people remained after the fight that had been there before it—apparently, the giant hornets had all been brought in for the night’s entertainment. But we knew that wasn’t the case, because somebody who hadn’t been a monster had gone into the subterranean passages, leading Liam and me on our merry chase. The illusionist had to have been one of the guests…but who? And how had he left without anyone noticing? We argued that point back and forth as well, but came up with nothing useful.
“I mean, think about it. Somebody made themselves look like Grim, and we believed it was Grim. How hard could it be for them to create the illusion that they were there until they were able to return and take up their position again. Answer? Pretty damn easy,” Liam finally said. “They beat us at every turn.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, because he was right. As much as I hated to admit it, whoever was behind these coordinated monster attacks on Wellington’s campus, they knew what they were doing. Not only in this particular case where they’d hired a magician of no small ability, but they also had monsters at their beck and call. Who did that? Monsters, by their very nature, weren’t easily controlled. Even the ones on campus, who were held in the monster quad, to the eternal dismay of Merry and her friends, were not domesticated. They may have been a little old and tired, but they were still monsters.
And monsters weren’t meant to be controlled. I believed that in my heart of hearts.
Frost was waiting for us in the war room, along with Zach and Tyler.
He lifted a hand as we entered. “Before you ask, I don’t know where Grim is. We’ve put the alert out for him, but he’s in the wind. I think he got cut up in the attack, and that never sits well with him.”
“He’ll be okay,” Tyler said staunchly. “He was a little banged up, like Frost said, but he’s tough, and he’s pissed. I think he wants to work through all that on his own time.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Liam agreed, and I felt another surge of pride for my team. They were all willing to accept Grim for who he was, even if he didn’t behave in a way that was traditionally acceptable. These were good guys, and I was glad to be on their team.
“So where are we netting out?” Liam asked.
Frost eyed him. “Honestly, my biggest concern is with the issue you raised in your text. Liam, you’re one of the biggest assets that the team has, and we’ve always stood with you. The idea that you could have been kept from understanding and accessing your true strength is abhorrent to me, regardless of the reason. We need to get to the bottom of that right now.”
Liam nodded. “How?”
Tyler stepped forward. “The easiest way is an X-ray device, to identify the tuners you have in you and remove one of them for analysis. That’s kind of like major surgery, though, so not something we want to enter into lightly. Plus we don’t have time for it, which leaves us nowhere. Then again…”
Liam turned to him. “Then again, what?” he asked, a flare of excitement in his voice. “I know that ‘then again.’ I’m a big fan of that ‘then again.’ What are you thinking?”
Tyler blew out a long breath. “Well, Frost was telling me there’s this spell of, I guess you would call it revelation. It wouldn’t take the tuners out of you on its own, but it might show their true nature. And if we found them, we could maybe get them out on our own. It’s pretty arcane stuff—”
“But we’re a pretty arcane group,” Liam ended for him. “I’m in.”
“All right, then.” Tyler grinned. “I think we should stay in here. You guys maybe stand back a little bit. Commander Frost over there, Zach at the door just in case any spiders or hornets or other asshole insects show up, and Nina…”
I reached for Liam’s hand. “I want to stand with him,” I said.
“You don’t need to do that,” Liam began quickly, but I shook my head.
“I’ve always known that there was more magic in you than you gave yourself credit for. This just lets me be the first person to get to see that I was right.”
I didn’t look at Liam as he glanced toward me, but the flow of electricity through our linked hands was enough for me to know how my words touched him. I hadn’t needed the bodiless voice of the illusionist to call Liam out on the horrible acts of his family. I knew in my bones that this was the truth. Now he would know it too.
Without further preamble, Tyler pulled a thick, heav
y tome toward him across the table, and opened it to a marked page.
“This passage is way too long even for me to memorize, and I pray to God I’m not going to have to memorize it for repeated use. But here we go.”
He nodded to Zach, who killed the lights in the room, dropping us all into shadow. Then he began speaking, his voice measured and resolute, weaving the pattern of the spell layer upon layer. I felt the push of magic against Liam, against myself too, forceful enough to lift me onto my toes. It didn’t hurt, at least not me, but Liam hissed out a long breath, a telling sign for someone who had as high a tolerance for pain as he did.
I felt a biting pain in my side, then wondered if that was the faintest echo of what Liam was feeling, transferred over to me much as I’d been able to share in Zach’s pain. Either way, I stood with my hand locked around Liam’s, both of us bracing and leaning slightly forward, as if being buffeted by an unseen wind. A light built around us, and I whooshed out an unsteady breath as Tyler’s voice faltered a little.
“My God,” Zach said from behind us, and I turned to look at Liam. His hand still remained in mine, but his other hand now spread wide, his chin lifted, his face tilted toward the ceiling. His eyes were unfocused and his breathing had gone shallow. And his body was lit with an unholy fire.
In that fire, we saw the truth. And the truth was flat-out horrifying.
Liam was plugged so full of insertables, he practically vibrated off the floor under the influence of Tyler’s spell. In addition to the devices that lined his collarbone, half a dozen other metal shards made their presence known, glowing incandescently at his waist, his thighs, his forearms, his ankles. And as to their nature, they coated his body in an inky wave of pressure.
“Suppression,” Commander Frost said, and Tyler nodded, even while lifting his hands to forestall any other commentary.
“Liam?” he murmured.
“Can you get them out?” Liam asked tightly. His body quivered with pent-up energy, making the tuners shimmer beneath his skin.
Tyler stiffened, and Zach stepped forward, but it was Frost’s turn to lift a quelling hand. “This isn’t the time for that,” he said.
“But we can do it,” Tyler protested. “That’s the very next spell, and we just need someone to keep Liam from stroking out.”
There was a sudden movement at the door, and I turned to see Grim standing at the threshold, his brows drawn together in a furious scowl.
“What is this?” he asked sharply, sounding genuinely alarmed.
Tyler lifted his hands again. “Looks like Liam’s parents were assholes. They’ve been suppressing his magic this whole time.”
“Then we free him.” Grim announced. He strode forward. “What do you need?”
“I need you to back up Nina,” Tyler said. “I’m going to make cuts over each tuner, and they should come out on their own. But they’ll be fiery hot, so brace yourself to go all barbecue tongs if you need to.”
Grim grunted, but I was glad he was here. It felt right for him to be with us in solidarity, especially as Liam began to tremble in earnest. I was shaking too. The stitch in my side throbbed insistently, only an echo of what Liam was no doubt feeling that took my breath away. What must Liam be enduring, if I felt this bad?
Tyler began the spell. He wove the Latin around Liam with a haunting melody that made me lean into it, reveling in its beauty and grace. Then he stepped toward Liam, and with a speed I could barely follow, he lifted a knife and sliced along Liam’s collarbone. The tuners shot out with an angry hiss, and Liam convulsed, crying out in pain.
Zach put his hands on either side of Liam’s temples, his own body going rigid as he attempted to take on some of Liam’s pain. I gripped Liam’s hand tight, but beside me, Grim pulled his own dagger free as more tuners glowed beneath Liam’s skin. He whirled toward Liam, slicing deep against his rib cage.
Liam staggered to the side, blood gushing as new tuners spilled out, and I watched in horror as lights flared at other points in his body. Enough holes had been rent into his skin that these hideous machines could make their way out on their own, and they sought those paths eagerly.
Electricity crackled around the room as more devices spilled out of Liam, making everyone shout—and Liam flat-out scream. Frost surged forward, Zach clamped his hands on Liam’s temples, and Tyler bent into his makeshift surgery, his blade flying.
In the cacophony, a fiery pain exploded at my waist, and I jerked away from Liam and slapped my left hand down, feeling the thick ridge of scar tissue—the scars I couldn’t remember receiving. Beside me, Grim hissed, his face unreadable, and as he lifted his blade toward Liam one more time, he instead turned and thrust it toward me in a cruel, slashing arc.
I watched in horror as the blade sliced down, cutting through my tank top, laying open my skin, and then the small silvery curve of a strange device spit out of the wound and clattered onto the table.
“What the hell?” I gasped as Grim scooped up the device and shoved it toward me, closing my hand around it. The entire operation had taken less than three seconds, and with Tyler, Frost, and Zach converging on Liam, no one had even noticed what Grim and I were doing.
“Liam’s parents weren’t the only ones who were assholes,” Grim grunted, his pale-gold eyes drilling into mine. “Tell no one.”
29
Chaos surged around us. Liam’s hands went wide as he tried to brace himself against the table and nearly collapsed. Tyler stopped shouting in Latin, and Frost and Zach shifted to Liam’s side to hold him up, while Grim pulled me away and braced me.
“I didn’t realize I had that many inside me,” Liam finally managed, while I squeezed my own tuner tightly, never mind that it was still covered in my own blood. The idea was sickening, but not because of the ick factor. More because I’d never known something had been inside me. I felt the heavy weight of the device, one side sharp and pointy, the other jagged. How could I not have known this thing had been inside me? And more to the point, how could my mother have never told me? She had to have known, right?
Granted, the device had been buried beneath the absolute worst of the scars I couldn’t remember receiving. Even now, I pressed my hands tight to my side, surprised to feel the skin had already merged back together, the wound closing up now that it had revealed its secret. Hell, Grim’s slash to liberate me from the device had been so pinpoint accurate, the rip in my shirt barely showed. Breathing out a careful sigh and making sure no one was paying any attention to me, I slid the half-circle tuner deep into my jeans pocket. I’d have time to figure out its crazy later.
“How are you feeling?” Tyler asked, patting Liam on the shoulder as we all stared at the pile of tuners on the table. “Besides about five pounds lighter?”
Liam laughed. “You know, I feel pretty good. I don’t feel like I’ve just been mortally wounded, I’ll tell you that much. I feel good.”
“Your energy is seriously strong,” Zach said, his hands still lifted. “When those things came out of you, the overriding emotion I felt from you was relief. Apparently, the burden of trying to keep your own energy down was taking its toll on you, and you weren’t going to put up with it anymore.”
“You got that right.” Liam looked at me with a grin. “You leveled me up despite those friggin’ tuners. Imagine what I’m capable of now. Or what we could do together next.”
The fire in his eyes kindled something deep inside me, as it always seemed to. Even having had these devices ripped from him, the evidence of his family’s betrayal laid out for all to see, Liam was already on to the next adventure. I wondered if he’d ever stop long enough to truly consider the danger he put himself in, to process all the lessons he seemed to learn at a breakneck speed.
Then I thought about the harness that hung from the wall far beneath Fowlers Hall, intended to trap him in place until he had the ingenuity to break himself free. Those few minutes, trapped and in peril, when nobody knew where he was and nobody could save him if they wanted to,
were probably the equivalent of days’ worth of contemplation for an ordinary person. Liam would never be ordinary. And we were bonded, an answering fire in my own blood stirring as his gaze intensified.
“What was your mom thinking?” Tyler muttered, leaning over the table. “These are top-of-the-line. I’ve never even seen technology like this.”
“Neither have I,” Zach agreed from the other side.
“I don’t think it was Mom, actually.” Liam glanced over to me, and I nodded.
“I don’t think so either. I think it was your dad. Still, there had to be a reason why they wanted you suppressed.”
Frost grunted in disgust. “There is a reason. I told you that already. It’s shameful, but it’s part of the dark history of Wellington Academy—of all those magicians who first gathered in these hills. The Grahams have always been known as magicians of great renown, but they’re not the highest echelon of the first families. They’ve been allowed their position in the hierarchy of Boston’s magical society because they’ve known their place and haven’t sought to rise above it.”
Liam shook his head. “Yeah, you said that, but I still call bullshit. Why wouldn’t we try to be the best we could be? We’ve had some of the most extraordinary magicians in the city in my family—those guys didn’t exactly try to hide their light under a barrel.”
Frost nodded. “And again, the Grahams have performed well within the parameters you were allowed. Even your Great-Uncle Spencer channeled his magic for the amusement and entertainment of ordinary Bostonians and the other magical families. Imagine if, instead, he’d tried to make real magic? Imagine if you did, free as you are now from suppression. That would make the Grahams a threat to those families who sought to remain at the top of the magical hierarchy.”
“But it would make our family awesome,” Liam protested.
