by TR Cameron
The outbuilding had been recently cleaned. The room they were in had doubtless been the main chamber—probably a living room, although it was empty of furniture. It sparkled with the wood polished and any dust eliminated, and even the air held a fresh scent.
“Did you do this?” Cali asked.
Emalia shook her head. “I hired workers. While the people in the dome seem mostly allergic to hard work, the same is not true of those in the surrounding parts of the city. They came highly recommended.”
“Jenkins?”
She nodded. “Jenkins. He’s been an incredible help in numerous areas. I still can’t imagine what kind of personality would want to continue in that particular role beyond their contracted term, but we’re lucky to have him.”
“Family,” she told the woman. “He did it for his family back then but now, we’re his family.”
“I’m sure that’s it.”
“If you can find any way to reward him or his descendants, please do. You know, in your spare time.”
The older woman laughed. “Right. So, speaking of time, we should quit wasting it. Let’s work first on your control of the power inside you and see if there’s a way to stretch the bubble that holds it in.”
The half-hour that followed was mostly meditative as Cali tried to accomplish that goal while the soft voice of her great aunt guided her along each step. More than once, it occurred to her that Emalia’s dedication to family was as substantial as Jenkins’. By the end of it, she’d managed to decrease the pressure a little to the approval of her teacher.
“Good work. Between now and our next lesson, you should try to summon more power from within. The tea will help.”
She nodded and stood with a groan when her muscles protested. The day after the fight had been the most painful but lingering soreness remained that remaining seated for thirty minutes had exacerbated. She bent forward and put her hands on the floor to release another series of cracks from her back. “Ow.”
Her companion laughed. “So, do you still want to work on lightning?”
“Yep. Ever since I fought those lightning lines, I’ve wanted some of my own. Plus, blasting a number of people at once with electricity holds appeal. That would have been good the other night.”
“Well, then, let’s get to it. You’ll recall that it will require a great deal of mental discipline, right?”
Cali stuck her tongue out at the grinning older woman. “Yes, and I also recall telling you I could handle it. So, how about you teach, teach?”
Emalia pointed to the wardrobe that had been selected as a sacrificial target for their practice session. She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, a thin line of power extended from her finger to strike the wood and immediately scored it. Rotation drew a full circle about a foot in diameter.
When she released the magic without any visible effort, Cali sighed. “Lightning?”
Her mentor nodded. “Yep. Very finely controlled. You shouldn’t expect to reach this level of precision for some time, though.”
She released another sigh. “Okay, way to destroy all the enthusiasm I had for this. Has anyone ever complimented your teaching? No? I wonder why.”
The jibe drew a laugh. “When your mouth works, your brain doesn’t. So perhaps you should stop talking and think. Imagine the lightning as a chaotic power that you have to force into submission and confine into the narrowest channel you are able to create. It will increase the impact of the magic as well as keep you from hitting anyone you don’t intend to.”
“Okay. I can do that.” She nodded, closed her eyes, and sought inside for the path that would let her power emerge as lightning rather than force, fire, or muscle magic. When she found it, she released it in a thin stream and imagined it stretching to the wardrobe. She opened her eyes and grimaced at the sparkles that wreathed her hand but didn’t go anywhere else.
“You made a good start,” Emalia encouraged. “Now push. You’re throttling it too much.”
Cali obeyed and forced the lightning out of her fist. It burst free in an unexpected surge and she corralled it frantically into something roughly cone-shaped. It struck the target, the rest of the wardrobe, and the wall above and to either side. She dispelled it in a panic when she felt even her minimal control slipping.
Frustration swamped her and she turned her face to the ceiling and shouted, “Damn it to hell.”
Her great aunt put a hand on her shoulder and she flinched. “It’s okay, Caliste,” the woman said soothingly. “You’re improving. I told you it would take longer than you wanted it to. This is a very challenging magic and you’re learning it at an entirely reasonable pace.”
She laughed and managed to stifle most of her frustration. “Well, given how reasonable the rest of my life is, I guess that’ll have to be enough.” With a shake of her head, she asked, “Should I try again?”
“No. Your brain isn’t in the right place for this. We’ll do more later.”
“Okay.” She strode out of the room and the house, muttering curses under her breath at gangsters, nobles, and everything between.
Her steps took her to the closet-sized room where the wingback chair, the basin, and the rack of ebony rods awaited. She chose a stick at random as she hadn’t had enough time to determine the organization the inscribed runes indicated, other than merely being numbers presumably recorded in order over time. Her father’s image materialized as she slotted it into place, the frozen frame stern and serious, and she pulled it out immediately.
Nope, one parent speaking from beyond death is all I can take right now, thanks. She inserted another and her mother appeared. A moment later, her still form became animated and she smiled at her child.
“Hello, love.”
“Hi, Mom.”
The apparition tilted her head to the side. “You seem troubled. How can I help?”
The whole experience was weird and she struggled to grasp the idea that they’d left pieces of themselves to share specific information but which were also able to interact with her like she imagined her true parents would have. “Which of the houses should I trust most?”
Her mother’s face fell into a frown. “When I created this memory for you, none of them. We sought help when the troubles began and were refused by some, strung along by others, and betrayed by two who pretended an alliance but turned on us. In secret, of course, with smiles on their faces in public.” Her opinion of those people came through in her acerbic tone. Cali couldn’t remember the woman having been that judgmental in the time they’d shared.
“Who were they?”
A look of uncertainty crossed her face. “Are you sure that is an answer you want? Much has undoubtedly changed since this version of me lived. It might be erroneous information by now.”
She shook her head. “Things don’t change that quickly and evil is always evil. Please tell me.”
The apparition shrugged. “House Terriau was the first to reveal themselves. Fortunately, we were suspicious of them and planted false intelligence. They shared it with our enemies.”
“Terriau. Got it. And who else?”
Her mother sighed. “The other was the most wicked cut of all. We trusted them—trusted them all—for generations. But when the moment in which an opportunity to trade loyalty for power arrived, they abandoned us without hesitation.”
Her blood pounded in her ears and filled her with cold anger. She realized her fists were clenched only when the ache broke through her other emotions. “Who?”
“House Rivette.”
A whooshing noise occupied her head as her thoughts crashed into one another. House Rivette. We were betrayed by the house that bore, nurtured, and raised Shenni to the lofty heights of Empress.
Chapter Six
Tanyith had arrived before Barton and held down a corner stool in the dark bar. The space was filled with Russian propaganda posters lit by small spotlights and featured a giant red star that adorned the largest wall. He loved the atmosphere. Eve
n more, he enjoyed the fact that despite its prime location on Decatur, the venue drew almost no one other than locals, especially this late in the evening when they were mostly focused on making fools of themselves on Bourbon Street.
It isn’t great for the bar, but it’s perfect for me.
The door opened to reveal gray night beyond and a silhouette he recognized instantly. Kendra Barton had initially appeared to be an opponent but somewhere along the line, they’d realized the spark between them wasn’t only conflict. While they still had significant differences of opinion, those hadn’t yet overwhelmed the feelings they shared. She was dressed in her normal date clothes—black jeans and boots, a form-fitting blue top, and a black leather biker jacket over it. He knew she’d have weapons on her as well, plus the heavy-duty cell phone her job as a detective for the NOPD required.
She slipped onto the chair beside him and leaned in for a kiss. It was more than a greeting but less than an invitation for more. Her short hair had found its natural state, messy but still purposefully so. She wore only a trace of makeup, a little darkening around the eyes and lips. It was rare for her to go all out as the nights when she got a call outside of her alleged working hours were more frequent than not. They’d been to the bar enough that the man serving the spirits knew what they wanted, and a cherry vodka tonic appeared in front of her shortly after she sat.
Her presence pulled a smile from him, as usual. “Did you have a tough day?”
Kendra shrugged. “Same old, same old. There seems to be a lull in the fight between the gangs, though. Only a few isolated incidents here and there.”
“Surely that’s a good thing?” Tanyith asked.
Her expression somber, she shook her head. “Maybe. Maybe not. If this is the quiet before a storm, that would be bad. And we have no indication at all of what’s behind the change. So, naturally, we assume the worst.”
“Locally or more?”
“More. The FBI is concerned. The staties are worried. And my folks are here on the sharp end of the stick with no idea of what the hell is going on.” Her frustration rose as she spoke, and she finished with a heavy exhale as if to vent the emotions. “But that’s hardly worth discussing since we can’t do anything about it at the moment.” She drained her drink in several large gulps and gestured for a refill. “Is everything okay with you?”
He nodded. “More or less. I’m still looking for damn Aiden Walsh. I’ll give the search another month and then let it go.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You’re such a knight, Tay. You would have fit right in at Arthur’s round table.” She sighed. “I found some things out. About the Leblancs.”
A chill wave swept through him and made his head spin for a moment. It wasn’t only the abrupt change of topic, although that was part of it.
It’s a police interview tactic. I should be used to it by now.
The detective had reacted very differently to the revelation that Cali’s parents had been involved in a secret fight in New Orleans. He’d seen them as good people trying to work against the bad elements but she’d named them vigilantes. Their oppositional views had caused no small amount of stress between them.
Tanyith nodded. “Okay. Let me have it.”
“Aside from a couple who were picked up by the police and are serving terms in jail, every one of the people they had posted is either missing or dead.”
A strange collection of information had covered a wall in Cali’s parents’ bunker like the work of a movie serial killer with papers, highlights, and thick string illustrating the web of connections between items. To him, it had appeared to be an effort to get a view of the big picture of crime in the city during the years they spent in New Orleans before they were killed by person or persons unknown.
“It could be coincidence.”
She gave him the withering look she dredged up from time to time. “No, it couldn’t. Not with the other things we found in there.” She was referring to armor, spy gadgets, healing potions, and other items that would be useful either to good people fighting bad ones or to vigilantes.
“There were no weapons,” he countered.
“Magicals don’t always need them, or so I’ve been told.” Left unsaid was that he was the one who had supplied that information when he described some of the ritual battles he and Cali had been involved in against the Atlantean gang.
Tanyith sighed. “They’re dead, Kendra. Why can’t you leave this alone?”
She growled with open irritation. “Because history seems to be repeating itself. The next generation is working outside the law, too. And while I respect—truly respect—the fact that Cali, you, and everyone else involved is trying not to drop bodies, it’ll happen, and that’s a big line to cross.”
It had already happened. There had merely been no proof left for the police to find. They hadn’t had any other option, but that event would still meet Kendra’s criteria of wrong.
And she might be correct. But someone has to do something, right?
And there it was, the line she insisted he had to choose a side of. To obey the rule of law and let the police deal with everything, or fight for justice outside those boundaries. It was a tightrope with a chasm on either side, and she wanted him to jump in one direction or the other.
He shook his head. “So what do you suggest? Until New Orleans gets an AET force, the magical problem will continue to be one you can’t get a handle on. You know it, even if you don’t want to admit it.”
Kendra sighed. “I do. But there’s a fairly wide space between self-defense and targeting people without the blessing and the protection of the law. And I’m worried—really worried—that you’ll wind up in prison again or worse.” Her emotions were raw and as honest as he’d ever seen from her. Unfortunately, he couldn’t give her the answer she wanted.
He raised his hands, then let them fall. “We’re doing the best we can. If you’re able to find a way to resolve things in a better way, it’s a win for all of us. Until then, Cali can’t stand idly by. Nor can I.”
She took a deep breath and abruptly switched gears. “So, let’s shove all that in a box for now. I need help with a thing.”
“What kind of thing? I’m quite helpful.” He added enough playfulness to it to draw a smile.
“Not that kind of thing. I have a lead on a building that might be harboring gang activity. Unfortunately, the word came from an informant of questionable reputation so I can’t get a warrant. But I still need to check it out and do a little recon—everything the law will allow.”
“And you’re asking me for help why?”
“I’m told it has magical protection.”
He raised a hand with the palm out. “Hold up, now. Maybe you should give me more information. That sounds very much like you stepping onto the line you mentioned earlier.”
Kendra sighed. “I need a drink.” She pointed for a refill for both of them and drummed her fingers on the bar for half a minute, lost in thought. Finally, she swiveled on her chair and met his gaze.
“It’s like this. I can’t stop you and I can’t stop Cali. I understand why, even though I don’t like it. What I can do, within the bounds of my personal and professional ethics, is to turn my attention more toward the threats you face since they’re also threats to the city as a whole. This could be one of those.”
He reached for her hand and she let him take it. “Are you sure that’s something you’re comfortable with?”
She laughed. “If not, you’ll be the first to hear.”
“Okay, tell me what you know.”
“So, with the lull between the Zatoras and the Atlanteans, it’s not a stretch to imagine that one or both is planning something. Now, we get word about strangers going in and out of this warehouse in the middle of nowhere. The informant couldn’t tell me much more, but it seems a reasonable guess that either one group or the other is bringing people or items in.”
“Like soldiers and weapons.” He kept the alarm out of his voice,
but the idea that the gangs were planning to go for broke against each other scared him deeply. “I can see why you’re concerned.”
“Right.” She nodded. “And I don’t want to be fried by a magical defense or whatever on the way in.”
“Doesn’t the NOPD have magical consultants?”
“Sure. They are easily accessible by those with warrants.”
“Gotcha. Of course I’ll help. And maybe you can do more searching for the damned enigma I’m chasing afterward.”
Kendra laughed. “You know, I could be jealous about how far you’re willing to go for your ex-girlfriend. Fortunately for you, I’m aware that you’re merely insanely obsessive about everything.”
He grinned. “Guilty as charged. So, when do you want to do it?”
“I’m free now.”
Tanyith stared at her in surprise, then shrugged. “All right. Let’s take a look.”
Chapter Seven
The warehouse was truly in the middle of nowhere, as Kendra had said. Tanyith walked several steps in front of her, his physical and magical senses focused on the three-story rectangular structure ahead of them. It filled half of a block in the industrial park beside an identical structure in the remaining portion.
Signs of life showed around the closest one. A light glowed in some of the dirt-encrusted windows on the top level, a door creaked, and the bright flicker of a lighter indicated that someone had stepped outside for a cigarette.
Their angle of approach left him feeling vulnerable. He would have preferred to go high and cross from rooftop to rooftop. His human companion was one argument against that, and the strong probability of magical wards ready to knock him from the air was another. So instead, he dashed from shadow to shadow as best he could and closed the distance steadily. Kendra’s stealth skills were more than adequate, and he felt more than sensed her presence behind him.
An instant before he stepped onto the sidewalk that bounded the building, alarm surged through him and he froze and raised an arm to halt his partner. Cautiously, he focused his attention on the ten feet in front of him. The magical wards were exceedingly clever and would have been very easy to overlook if he hadn’t already been warned about their probable presence. He crouched to present a smaller profile as he traced the threads. What he found shocked him, and he leaned closer to whisper to Kendra, who had shuffled into place beside him.
