I hadn’t told him, not wanting him to feel as if he needed to remove the coin from me. Besides, like Jean-Pierre, I had a sense I needed to be a part of this, though I didn’t know what that part would entail.
“How long do you think will have to—“ My arm surged with cold, and Barden looked over at me.
“What is it?”
I shook my head slightly. “Something is coming.”
“Are you sure?”
“I can feel it.”
Barden made a single motion with his finger, and all around us there came a steady buildup of power. It was subtle, soft, and were it not for the bracelet I wore, I wasn’t sure if I would even have been able to detect what they were doing. As it was, the sense of power that flowed outward from the Dark Council mages surrounding us was little more than a tickle against my senses. Without that bracelet, I would be clueless.
How long would we have to wait? I worried about what it meant that there was such power building around us. If the others coming were all-powerful like Matt, then I had to hope we would be able to defend ourselves.
“What if they go to the other warehouse?”
“I doubt they will. We have shifted the nature of the protections around it.”
“How so?”
Barden looked over at me. “I’ve removed them.”
“You’ve removed them?”
“As your friend has proven they were ineffective anyway, I decided we might as well remove them. Instead, I shifted the focus to this warehouse. That way, they won’t destroy anything that matters to me.”
“Such as your computers?”
“You have no idea.”
I smiled. “I have some idea. I’ve seen the way you covet those computers.”
“It is the key to my operations.”
“I think when this is over, I’d be curious to learn more about your operations.”
“Considering your thoughts of the medical world, Dr. Stone, I don’t think you would be too interested in moving to a different type of work.”
“I just want to know what you’re using all of that horsepower for.”
“As you know, I—“
The door to the warehouse exploded inward. I was standing inside a circle formed by Barden, power flowing from him into the circle and protecting us. Without that circle, the fragments from the door would’ve gone flying, and likely would have slammed into me. As it was, I was thrown back, but Barden grabbed me, holding me in place.
“This is going to get fun, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Now you’re sounding more like Dr. Michaels.”
“She liked fighting?”
“More than she should.”
“I have the sense she was powerful enough.”
“She’s not gone, Dr. Stone.”
She was gone enough that it might as well not matter. It was the last thought I had, and I focused on my magic, pushing forth that sense of pain and helplessness and loss, using that to power a connection to my magic. It took a moment, but I was able to reach into it, and when I did, I pushed outward, holding onto my power. It was all I could do.
For now, Barden and the other mages around me would be responsible for ensuring my safety. If anything else happened, I knew what I would do, what attack I would utilize, but if I did that too soon, I ran the risk of revealing the secret to our success before we were able to end things. From what Barden had said, my natural talent might be that of a trigger. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but the fact that I had been able to trigger Matt’s spells—along with some of Barden’s spells—suggested to him that it might be my natural ability. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but in this case, I felt it might be the key to keeping us alive.
Three figures slid forward into the warehouse. They moved on shadows, and were it not for whatever Barden was doing, I would have thought they were made up of shadows entirely. Whatever spell he was holding—or possibly, what I was holding—allowed me to see through their shadows, and make out the figures at the heart of them.
Magic built, and someone tried to encircle the nearest attacker with power. With a flick of the person’s wrist, that spell disappeared. I heard a grunt from somewhere overhead, and didn’t have a chance to register whom it came from or where they were, when spell after spell struck.
I looked over at Barden. “Is this what you were counting on?”
“This is not what I was hoping for. I was anticipating a little bit more of a delay.”
“Only three of them?” I asked.
“Perhaps that’s all there is.”
That didn’t seem right. If there were others involved, and if they were trained and as powerful as Matt, I had a hard time believing there would be only these three. Unless they didn’t view the Dark Council as much of a threat, which was possible. Having seen the level of power Matt was able to overcome, they likely had a certain level of confidence about their abilities and how easy it would be for them to overcome anyone.
Barden turned slowly, and as he did, I noticed another circle forming. This one was different, and it appeared to be formed out of a band of light, almost as if Barden formed it from magic itself. He included me in the circle, and I wasn’t sure whether I should be more concerned or more reassured.
Fighting took place all around us. I couldn’t see most of it, but there were members of Matt’s organization sliding around, attacking, targeting one after another, and as they did, I heard mages cry out, and felt magic silenced as it ended. Each time it did, there came a surge of cold that disappeared. It was sudden, and it was painful, and it left me worried.
The type of magic Barden used was incredible, but he wasn’t it drawing upon too much. It felt as if he were holding back, though why would he be holding back, other than he was concerned? And I had to believe he was concerned. Considering the type of attack we were dealing with, and the force of these attackers, I had to believe Barden wasn’t sure he would be able to survive. For that matter, I wasn’t sure we would be able to survive.
“This isn’t going all that well, is it?” I asked Barden.
“Unfortunately not.”
“Do you have anyone else we can call?” He had engaged only the Dark Council mages so far, and given Barden’s connections, I had to think he could easily call upon the Mage Council, but maybe there was a reason he hesitated to do so.
“I have reached out to others, but they felt this was the vampire business. It appears the shifters haven’t made it to us yet.”
“The Council won’t get involved?”
Barden glanced over at me, shaking his head. “The Mage Council won’t.”
“You are the Mage Council.”
“I am but one member of the Mage Council.”
Power continued to flicker around us, but it was slowing. I had no idea how many attackers we had here, and I was refraining from pushing outward, wanting to draw our attackers in as close as I could. That was the plan, and it involved waiting here, trusting that Barden could protect me.
If he couldn’t, if there wasn’t enough power, then what would I do?
“They won’t even help, knowing this is something more than just vampire business?”
“As far as the Mage Council is concerned, this is entirely vampire business. I reported that it is all about the Council of Elders, and while there is interest in learning who sits upon the Council of Elders, there is also no interest in getting involved.” Barden shook his head. “It’s part of the reason I have been so frustrated by the Mage Council over the years. They have trained so many for dangerous attackers, but we can’t access any of them. It is a shame I wasn’t able to reach Dr. Michaels.”
“You tried to?”
Barden glanced over at me. “This was the first time I felt there was a real need. I have an asset working with her, and I had thought if it came down to it this, I might be able to get word to her of our need, but…”
Power continued to flicker, surging and then retreating. It came from all aroun
d us, and yet, as much as I wanted to move, I didn’t dare do so. “I haven’t detected her in a long time,” I said.
Barden rested a hand on my forearm. “That doesn’t mean she’s gone, Dr. Stone. It just means she’s far away.” Far away meant the other side of the Veil. There might be a way of reaching her, but that was beyond my ability.
As the magic slammed into the barrier, I looked up. Barden clenched his jaw, holding his hands at his side, palms facing outward. “Be ready, Dr. Stone.”
He whispered it, and I nodded. There was nothing else for me to do. There came the flickering of movement all around us, and then one figure stepped forward. I recognized him… only he was dead.
John Adams.
“I saw you,” I stammered, unable to help myself.
He smiled. “Did you? I found it intriguing Matt would call you in. I thought I would have to work harder to get access to you, but he still holds onto his attachments. It’s why he has never been able to become everything that he should.”
This meant everything Matt had said to me was true. I was relieved by that, but at the same time, there was a part of me that also hated the fact I had questioned him. It didn’t matter now. All that mattered now was that we were here, and worse than that, I didn’t know if I would be able to overpower John Adams and his spells. Matt had said John was more than a hedge mage.
“You have the mark,” John said.
“I do,” I said.
“Interesting.”
“Why?”
“We had not expected it to leave the vampire compound, but unfortunately there was a failure there.”
Did he know what I had done? “What do you want with it?”
“Leverage,” John said.
“Why?”
“You aren’t really a part of this world. This is beyond you, Dr. Stone. Hand over the mark and I will allow you to return to your practice. If you don’t, then another colleague might suffer.”
Anger built within me. He was responsible for what had happened to Brad. Either him or someone like him. Either way, it didn’t matter. Because of them, Brad had been injured, nearly died, and as far as I knew, he still might. “The mark belongs to the vampires.”
“It did, but now it belongs to me.”
“I have it.”
“How long do you think Barden Leifan will be able to protect you?” John Adams ignored Barden completely, looking at me. There was heat in his gaze, and I couldn’t look away. “He grows tired. I can feel it.”
I looked over to Barden, and the tension at the corners of his eyes was evident. I had seen Barden growing tired like this before, and I wondered how much longer he would be able to withstand this onslaught. I couldn’t see how many other attackers we had around us, but there had to be enough that he would struggle against. Even if there were more than a few, it meant more of these paramilitary people than we could deal with.
“So your entire organization is dirty?”
“The entire organization?” John Adams said, smiling to himself. “No. Matt made the mistake of trying to bring word to those higher than me. Unfortunately, he won’t be sharing anything any longer.”
“What did you do to him?”
“As I said, he won’t be doing anything any longer.”
Had they killed Matt? “Why?”
“We have hidden in the shadows too long. It’s time we take what is ours. As a proof of power, we will eliminate the vampire council. Then we move on to the Mage Council. Then we move on to the shifters. It’s a consolidation, as it were. A necessary step, given what exists on the other side.”
“The Veil is intact,” Barden said. He spoke through clenched teeth, and his voice was rough.
“The Veil tatters as we speak.”
“Who hired you?” Barden asked.
“Ah, Barden Leifan. Always about acquiring information with you, isn’t it? I’m afraid it won’t be quite so easy this time. And unfortunately for you, the fact you are here with Dr. Stone is going to be unpleasant. Seeing as how you have managed to find your way onto the Council, you have a completely different role to play in all of this.”
“No,” I said.
John Adams looked at me, shaking his head. “I’m afraid you don’t have enough strength to do anything about this.”
“Now?” I asked Barden.
He nodded. “Now.”
I pushed outward with my power. There was a ring of magic all around me, and I borrowed Barden’s circle, drawing from his strength as I did—that had not been my intention, though I suspect it was his.
I pushed outward. With that magic, power exploded all around us in a tight circle. I let it wash over everything in the entire warehouse. The attackers were trapped, held by the various layers of circles Barden had placed, and as I pushed outward, they were pushed against those circles. Barden’s touch had been subtle, faint, but enough that it trapped them within it.
Explosion after explosion struck. Spells were triggered, each of them blasting through the various attackers. I lost track of how many times the spells ruptured, ripping apart whatever mage carried them, until they were no more.
I breathed out, afraid to release my connection to magic. I held onto it tightly, clinging to it, thankful I was able to do so. It was faint now, but it was still there. Barden had collapsed, and he lay on the ground. Every so often, he tried to look up, but he couldn’t. I had drawn too much power from him. It meant I would have to be the one to protect Barden. Somehow. I still had a connection to magic. If I could use that, if I could draw upon that power, I could find a way of protecting him. Did I have enough strength remaining?
I poured it out from me into the circle around us, using my own strength to create a barrier. It was there, the barrier solidifying, forming all around me, and as it did, I looked past John Adams, searching for signs of the others here.
A dozen people lay fallen on the ground around us. I couldn’t tell how many of them were members of the Dark Council, but I suspected few of them were. Most of them had the paramilitary look to them: the closely cropped hair, the tight T-shirts, the muscles. Unfortunately for Barden and his people, muscles weren’t common.
“Interesting,” John said. He was still standing, and didn’t seem at all concerned about the fact I had somehow leveled all of his people.
But it wasn’t me who had done it. All I had done was triggered the magic they were holding. It had taken a lot of strength, but at the same time, I had borrowed a lot of strength in order to do so.
“You’re not going to get the token.”
“And you’re not going to leave here with it.”
20
As I stood there, feeling the weight of power pressing upon me, I knew I wouldn’t be able to withstand him for much longer. Now the others were down, if only Barden were still okay, it might be more of an even match, but with him down and it leaving only me with John Adams, I didn’t like the odds. I stepped toward him. Barden reached for me, but I shook my head.
“You can have it if you bring me to Matt.”
John studied me for a moment. “I didn’t take you for the type to care for him.”
“Like I said, you can have it, but first you need to take me to him.”
John looked around the warehouse, his gaze skimming along the fallen figures of his people, and I suspected he was taking in much more, looking at the bodies of the dark mages who littered the warehouse. I wasn’t able to see those. I suspected that if I were, my confidence with this would change. I’d then have changed my mind and chosen a different path. But then, what path was there for me to choose?
“How about you just give it to me and then I will release him?”
“You see, the Mark of the Elder has been bound to me.” I fingered the coin in my pocket, feeling the edges, feeling the warmth as it radiated through it, and knew I was right. I wasn’t sure what Jean-Pierre had done to somehow tie me to the coin, but that was what he had done.
“They would not have.”
&nbs
p; “Are you sure? I have saved his life more than once, and…” I shrugged.
“You saved his life by chance.”
“And how many times have you saved it?”
John cocked his head, studying me for a long moment. “You don’t want to do this, Dr. Stone.”
“I don’t want to do a lot of things,” I said. “Unfortunately, there are times when I don’t have a lot of choice.”
“This is going to be unpleasant for you.”
“It already is.”
I took another step, and Barden took hold of my leg. I crouched down. “I have to do this, Barden.”
“You don’t. This isn’t your fight.”
“This has always been my fight.”
Stepping through the power of the circle around me, I held it in place, not wanting John to be able to harm Barden. I wasn’t sure how easy he would find it, powering through my barrier, but I doubted it would be a great challenge to him. Despite that, I fully intended to hold onto that barrier until we were gone from here.
As I stepped over the barrier, John grabbed my arm, and with that we transported. The suddenness of the spell was jarring, and we moved with as much speed as I had ever experienced. When we stepped free, we did so in a place familiar to me. It was his office.
“Matt said he couldn’t travel here.”
“He could not.”
Power still flowed through me, though my hold on magic was tenuous at best. How much longer would I be able to maintain that grip? How long would it be before that hold slipped and faded into nothingness? I had to act quickly, but even when I did, I was not sure where I would be able to go.
“Where is Matt?”
John released me, and he made a small circuit of his office before taking a seat at his desk. The dark smile on his face troubled me, as did the constant sense of power I felt from him. There was a secret here I hadn’t discovered. Not only was he powerful, but he didn’t need the same supplemental spells as the others. That mattered in some way, but how?
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