by Susan Harper
Roderick was now telling Brian, Isaac, and Holly a story about a recent capture of his. He was trying to sound very impressive, and Monica suddenly found him to be a bit annoying. “He really catches you?” Monica asked, giving Roderick a hard look.
“Well, with the help of the Sorcerer’s Council,” Abigail said. “He’s kind of an idiot from what I remember, but he is good at his job.”
Soon they were arriving on the streets of Boston. Monica could hardly believe her eyes. They were in an entirely different world from the one that she knew—a single world in which mystics and mortals lived completely separate. Now here they were in Boston, a mortal town, and goblins were walking up and down the streets, taking in the wares, window shopping. It was a whole new world for her, and not a world that she disliked. “Whoa,” Monica said under her breath. “So this is the sort of world you lived in, huh, Abs?”
“Boston is a mortal town,” Abigail said. “But that didn’t keep a handful of witches and wizards or the occasional goblin to show up occasionally.”
“I mean, you were in Boston at this time,” Monica said. “And you were a witch.”
“A witch in hiding,” Abigail said. “I was running from the Sorcerer’s Council and the Huntsmen.”
“Welcome to Boston!” Roderick called to them. He spotted someone he knew and waved. There was a handful of authorities currently making an arrest on a street corner. The man they were arresting looked absolutely terrified.
“Please, don’t take me to the Sorcerer’s Council… Don’t take me to the Sorcerer’s Council…” the man was pleading as they swiped him up on a broom and zoomed off.
“What was that about?” Holly asked as they watched them disappear.
“That would be an immortal,” Roderick said. “They found a handful of them hiding around here in Boston. They’ve just been rounding them up for extermination.”
Monica cringed. “But what did that man do?”
“Do?” Roderick asked, brow furrowing as he tried to understand the question. “I don’t know if he did anything at all. Does he have to have done something?”
Brian froze. “So, you’re just rounding them up to execute them? And they didn’t do anything?”
“Well, they’ve proven to be far too dangerous in the past,” Roderick said, voice becoming a little defensive.
“How can you live with that sort of thing?” Monica asked. “How can you work with the Sorcerer’s Council after a decision like that?”
“It’s the world that we live in,” Roderick said, and he stopped walking. He was no longer smiling a big, goofy smile of his. He looked quite serious. “You must look back on your time with disappointment on the decision that was made during our time. I must assure you, though, that it was a decision that was not made quickly nor lightly. It has been a very long time coming, my friends. The existence of immortals could lead to Ibeji. And that cannot happen.”
“What’s wrong with Ibeji, though?” Holly asked, a dangerously telling tremble showing in her voice.
Roderick didn’t seem to notice the way Holly’s voice shook. “They are dangerous beyond comparison,” Roderick said. “Immortals are not much better. They must be taken care of. Even the mortals agree with us that they must go. It’s sad, I agree, but it has to be done.”
“It’s sick,” Isaac said, disgust showing plainly in his voice.
“Maybe,” Roderick said, shaking his head. “Come, let’s not worry about politics right now. Let’s get you folks something to eat at the market. I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit famished after that walk.” Roderick smiled at them, trying to lighten the otherwise dark mood.
They followed him toward a group of shops where he pulled out some mortal money and began making exchanges with some of the shopkeepers. There was a nervousness about the mortals dealing with a wizard. They exchanged furtive glances amongst themselves at the magical beings. Monica could see that there was annoyance on many of the mortals’ faces that mystics had made their way into their market, but Roderick didn’t seem bothered by it. This was the way of the world in which he lived.
Once they had their fill, Roderick began leading them through the streets of Boston once again, but he paused in front of a small business office, an investment firm. A pretty mortal girl was chatting with a man in a suit outside the shop. “And how long are you in town for?” the man in the suit was asking her. “Another couple of weeks, I hope.”
“Oh, Edward,” she said, blushing. “I’m sure I’ll be here a tad longer.”
“Edward!” Roderick exclaimed, and the man in the suit jumped slightly in surprise.
“Don’t mind him, Roderick,” another man said with a wink.
“Alexander, Edward,” Roderick said politely to the two men. “Good to see you both. Who is your friend?”
“This is Sarah,” Edward said. “In town visiting the big city.” He nudged Roderick. “Pretty face, eh?”
Roderick rolled his eyes. “Where is your partner, Edward?”
Edward glanced at Alexander with a foreboding gaze—as if warning him to not mess with the woman, Sarah, while he was gone. “I’ll grab him for you,” Edward said, entering the investment building for a moment.
Roderick smiled at Sarah. “What brings you to Boston, Miss Sarah?” he asked politely.
Sarah nodded toward the investment building and giggled slightly. “Edward.”
“Yes, until she met me, of course,” Alexander said with a wink.
“Terrible, terrible,” Roderick said, shaking his head, but chuckling slightly at the ongoing joke between the men.
“I’ll be on my way, boys,” Sarah said. “Do tell Edward I will see him later, Alexander.” She inclined her head toward the two men, smiled, and hurried off.
Alexander laughed. “I like the lady, but she would not be interested in a warlock.”
“Oh,” Brian said. “Didn’t realize you were one.”
“I don’t like to dress the part,” Alexander said. “Not when I’m here in Boston. Lot of anti-mystics around here. It’s a mostly mortal town.” Alexander looked them all up and down. “You folks don’t look like you are from around here either. Pretty sure they don’t dress that way in New York either.”
“No, not in this time anyway,” Monica said with a laugh.
“They’ve lost their time coin. They come from the future,” Roderick explained. Alexander nodded understandingly and gave the group an apologetic smile. Edward returned shortly with another man in a suit. Roderick smiled and stuck out his hand. “Cornelius, old friend. Good to see you.”
Edward looked around anxiously. “Where did Sarah go? Did you scare her off, Alexander?”
“She said she couldn’t get away from you quick enough,” Alexander joked, giving Edward a friendly punch in the arm.
“I’ll beat your head in,” Edward warned, balling up his fists in an imitation of menace.
Cornelius chuckled and shook hands with Roderick. “What can I do for you, Authority Roderick?”
“Hoping you had more information on that new group of Remembrance members,” Roderick said. “This group here with me had a run-in with them, and they stole their time coin. Now they’re stuck here with us.”
“What on earth is a time coin?” Cornelius asked. “You know I’m mortal, Roderick. Edward and I don’t know much about that nonsense.”
“Sorry. It’s a coin that allows for time travel,” he explained. “But they can’t get back home until we get it back.”
“I’ll ask around,” Cornelius said. “But I’m afraid I haven’t heard much about the Remembrance group hanging around. They’ve been pretty quiet lately with the Sorcerer’s Council coming in and out of the city lately.”
“Well, thank you anyhow, Cornelius,” Roderick said, sounding rather disappointed. “You’re certain you haven’t heard anything useful lately?”
“You’ll be the first to know if I do,” Cornelius promised him. Roderick shook the man’s hand and gave a cordial nod to
Alexander and Edward.
Roderick waved them all on, and they left Edward, Cornelius, and Alexander behind. “So how do you know them?” Isaac asked as they followed Roderick up the street.
“Nice group of mortals, that Edward and Cornelius,” Roderick said. “Not a lot of mortals around here are friendly toward mystics. You saw Alexander hanging around with them. They’re friends. Cornelius has a niece or something who married a warlock, so he’s always been friendly with us. Cooperates well when authorities are doing investigations. He’s got a foot in both worlds sort of thing, so I can usually count on him to get me information.”
“And he knows Remembrance?” Holly asked.
“No, not exactly,” Roderick said with a shrug. “He’s just on the streets a good bit. Hears things. He’s been useful from time to time, though. Provided good information.”
“But he didn’t seem to have anything for you today,” Brian said. “So what now?”
“Now I’m going to ask around to some of my other contacts,” Roderick said. “I’m sure someone has seen something. We’ll find your time coin soon enough, I’m sure.”
“We appreciate all of your help,” Monica assured him.
“Yeah…” Abigail murmured under her breath.
“Hush,” Monica warned her, shaking her head. She whispered as she spoke. “You don’t need to let Roderick know who you are. I think it’s probably best you keep that to yourself, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, probably,” Abigail muttered. “It’s just very weird being back here. I’ll be glad when we find that time coin so that we can go home to our own time.”
“Agreed,” Monica said, and she and the others continued following Roderick through the streets of Boston.
4
Monica sat with Brian, Isaac, Holly, and Abigail near a group of public benches. Nearby she could see Roderick speaking with several mortals. “I’m hoping he takes us to the inn soon,” Holly said after a while. “I’m getting tired of walking all over the city talking to people. No one seems to know anything about Remembrance. Those who do act like they haven’t seen them in ages.”
“They’re here,” Abigail said with a grim smirk. “Believe me, I remember. They had gone a bit quiet when the Sorcerer’s Council started showing up, though. I guess we’re smack dab in the middle of that. Authorities, Sorcerer’s Council, Remembrance, anti-mystics… The whole place is going up in smoke right now. You can tell everyone is on edge. This is right before the Split, after all.” Anger, frustration, and a deep sadness all showed in Abigail’s voice. Monica felt for the witch-turned-familiar. This couldn’t be an easy time to be in. Well…be back in.
“How did they even manage to do something like that? I mean, obviously with magic, but I’ve never seen such magic that they could create an entire new world. That’s crazy,” Holly said. “What did they do to create the Split?”
“I believe it had something to do with the immortals,” Abigail said. “It required blood sacrifices—some seriously dark and powerful magic—to create the mystic realm and to eradicate the mortals’ memories of the truth.”
“So that’s the real reason they were hunting immortals?” Holly asked, a shiver running up her spine. “Because they needed their blood? That’s messed up.”
“I don’t think it started out that way,” Abigail said. “But it certainly was useful to have a bunch of immortals. It might have even required Ibeji. All the more reason for you to lay low, Holly.”
“So a lot of this was done behind closed doors, then?” Brian asked. “The plan for the Split. People were out here voting and being in favor of it, but didn’t realize exactly how they were going to do it.”
“Pretty much,” Monica said. “People like Roderick probably have no idea what the Sorcerer’s Council is really doing with those immortals.”
“How could they make such a decision?” Isaac asked. “If it meant killing an entire race of people?”
“The fear the mortals had for the mystics was overwhelming,” Abigail said. “They were killing mystics left and right just a few years before this now. I mean, think of what happened in Salem. I know I was the one pointing the finger and calling people witches, but they were the ones freaking out and hanging people. The Sorcerer’s Council were trying to protect the mystics. Not the immortals. Just their own kind.”
Roderick returned, shaking his head. “I’m afraid I’m not having any luck today around town. No one seems to have heard a peep out of Remembrance in weeks other than their little ambush on the hobbit holes. It’s probably best I find a place for you lot to stay. There is a local inn not far from here who is friendly toward mystics and mortals alike that should be good for you all.”
They heard a crowd shouting a short distance off. Roderick pulled out his wand, Monica did the same, and they hurried down the road with Brian, Isaac, Holly, and Abigail on their tails. A crowd of civilians, mostly mortals, were gathered and shrieking in front of the investment firm. Sarah, Alexander, Cornelius, and a handful of others were all gaping at a body lying flat on the street. It was Edward.
“Oh, Edward! Oh, Edward!” Sarah was wailing. Alexander held her, trying to hold her face against his chest and away from the view on the street.
“What happened?” Roderick shouted over the crowd.
“Back up, wizard!” a man snapped. “Edward’s a mortal. This is our jurisdiction.”
Abigail whispered to her friends, “He’s part of the Night Watchman; Boston’s early police force.”
“I don’t know,” said another man. “Look at that wound! Might be a wand blast!”
This statement got everyone worked up even more. People were screaming and shouting about witches having killed someone. “Calm down! All of you!” Roderick roared, still holding out his wand, which seemed to make everyone even more uneasy.
“Look at his chest!” someone was shouting. “Someone blasted him with a wand!”
“It’s Alexander!” someone else shouted. “He was jealous of Edward!”
Alexander took several steps back. Sarah pulled away from him. “You were, weren’t you?” she cried. “Wait, are you a wizard, Alexander? Did you do this?”
“No! I wouldn’t! I wouldn’t!” he exclaimed, panic showing plainly across his features.
The mortal police were all looking quite anxious. Alexander reached for his wand, but Roderick stopped him. “Don’t you dare, Alexander,” Roderick warned. “Let’s not cause trouble.”
“Burn the wizard!” The cry came from somewhere in the crowd and a murmur of agreement followed it.
“Hang him!” a man with rage in his eyes shouted from the edge of the crowd. A cheer rose at this. Monica’s stomach flipped. How quickly the mortals turned to murder.
“Enough!” Roderick shouted again. His eyes were blazing. “Alexander is cooperating. We will team up on this investigation, won’t we, officers?” Roderick asked.
The officers looked at him angrily. One of them at last nodded. “Yes, I suppose we will have to, won’t we?”
Roderick turned to Alexander and held out his hand. “Hand me your wand, Alexander,” Roderick said. “I mean it. Let’s show the mortals we’re cooperating here. A man is dead. Show some respect.”
Alexander looked anxious. He dug around in his clothes, at last pulling out his wand and handing it over. “I didn’t do this, Authority Roderick,” he swore, his voice shaking as he assured Roderick of his innocence.
“We will see, won’t we?” Roderick announced to the crowd. “Everyone stand back, would you? This a crime scene, for crying out loud!”
The men began pushing the crowd back. A woman in the crowd pointed up. “He fell from the rooftop. I saw him. I didn’t see what happened and why he fell, though. Obviously something to do with that mark on his chest.”
Brian cleared his throat. “Roderick, I’m an officer in my time, and I’ve seen a few crime scenes in my day. Perhaps I could help?” Roderick gave Brian an appraising look and then a quick nod. Brian
slowly kneeled before the body.
“Who are you?” one of the officers exclaimed. “You oddly dressed fellow. What do you think you’re doing? This is a crime scene!”
“I’m aware that it’s a crime scene,” Brian said. “I’m an officer of the law just like you. One with a bit more knowledge on this sort of thing, I imagine.”
“Trust him,” Roderick said. “Come now, sirs, I do believe we have good enough relations that you can take my word for it.”
The officers rolled their eyes, clearly not liking how Roderick was rapidly taking over this investigation. Monica stood over Brian as he examined the wound. The front of Edward’s shirt had been burned away from whatever blast took him out. He looked closely. “There’s burn marks on the chest, but this is a stab wound…”
“Very similar to a wand blast,” Monica had to admit. “Certain spells. A killing spell, that is. Maybe a lightning spell of some sort, but that wouldn’t have made a cut.”
Sarah was sobbing and shaking. Holly went over and put her arms around her. “It’s okay, Sarah, you’ll be all right.”
The officers began interviewing witnesses, trying to find out if anyone saw anything, but other than the one woman in the crowd who said she had seen Edward thrown from the roof, it did not sound as though there were any witnesses to the crime.
Sarah, an out of town traveler, had no one to talk to, it seemed. Holly invited her to go with them to the inn. Sensing them to be friendly, Sarah took up the offer and followed them there in hopes of getting a warm meal there.
5
They at last made it to the inn. Roderick had sent them ahead with his name that they were to give to the innkeeper while he handled things with the officers who had responded first to the crime scene. They took Sarah with them as she was awfully fidgety and near faint, and she was quite thankful for their friendly nature despite what she called their “boorishly unusual attire.”
The innkeeper granted them two rooms, and as they were all rather tired from their journey through the woods and all over Boston that morning, the ladies and men went their separate ways. Abigail had been unusually quiet, but Monica suspected it was because of Sarah, who was mortal and clearly already uncomfortable after watching a man she cared about tumble from the top of a building—quite possibly due to a wizard.
