Alec crossed the ward without a thought, embracing his college friend. Davin hugged him back with genuine affection but didn’t look away from Alena and Zar. They remained just inside the wards.
“It’s been a long time,” Alec said. “Thank you for coming.”
The big man nodded. “I came as quick as I could. This is Jenira, my partner.” The way he said partner made the woman’s lips tilt upwards. Alena wondered if it was a contested title, but she thrust her hand out anyway for Alec to shake. “This is my college friend, Alec, and this is…” He waited, and Alena felt guilty for appearing so standoffish. Although the mages were heavily shielded, they didn’t seem to have evil intent. Zar agreed.
“I’m Alena,” she said shortly. “I run this safe-house for mages that are on the wrong side of the border. Forgive me if I seem suspicious. I don’t usually invite people to our home because there is so much at stake.” There was a deliberate warning in her words. Davin acknowledged it, his golden eyes shining with respect.
“We come with no ill intent and will keep the location and identity of those within a secret,” Davin said and cocked his head at Alena. “I’ll offer a geas if that makes you feel better.”
Alena’s eyes widened. Geisan was a tradition among mages that hadn’t been used for nearly a century. She considered his words seriously. A geas would ensure the safety of the people inside her house; it might give her an upper hand, but it would come with a price. Davin had his own secrets and might ask for the same in return.
“I accept your offer of a geas but will decline. In return for your promise that the house’s secrets will be kept, I offer my own. Your secrets are safe with me.” Davin’s brows rose and he shot a deadly look at Alec. Alec studied the dusty ground, avoiding the look on his old friend’s face. Davin looked back at Alena.
“A fair trade.” Davin’s tone was dark, and Alena understood why Alec had been so reluctant to tell her his secret.
“Davin, you and Jenira are welcome within these wards.” The wards shivered. Davin and Jenira stepped through, and Davin pushed the motorbike beside him. Jenira was very quiet, but her eyes noticed everything. Alena imagined she was searching the underbrush for enemies at that very moment. Jenira physically fought evil while Alena fought with subterfuge. At least, she hoped the dangerous woman only fought evil. She wouldn’t want to cross her.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve met a mage with a familiar,” Jenira said finally, glancing sideways at Zar.
“The other mage you are about to meet has one as well,” Alena murmured. The men were walking beside them, talking about old friends and catching up on general life events. Jenira raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment further. Alena wondered what her story was. She was powerful, similar to Eden but in a different way. Jenira’s magic was bolder, although better trained, more cultured, and probably more specific.
“Nice place you have here,” Jenira said as the house came into view. There was wistfulness in her voice, and Alena connected the dots.
“You grew up in the West,” she guessed. The house reminded all Western mages of the land across the border. Alena shrugged when Jenira sent her a questioning look. “Every mage who has ever lived in the West is reminded of home when they visit here.”
“I can see that,” Jenira agreed. “It’s very in-tune with the land around it. There aren’t many places in the East that have managed to stay the same since the Civil War.”
“This house has been in the same family since a century before the Civil War. I believe it burned down and was rebuilt at one point, but the land and the home have an exceptional connection. It’s because of this connection, and its history, that the home remains off the radar, even with the extensive surveillance that the East employs.”
Jenira nodded and looked around thoughtfully. Alena waited. “We might be able to help keep it off the radar,” the warrior said after several minutes. “My sister specializes in making places and people disappear.”
Alena’s brows rose. That was a useful skill. “Your sister is a mage?”
“No; a techie,” she responded quietly, and her voice made it clear she wouldn’t appreciate more questions regarding her sister. Alena felt the overwhelming protectiveness and love for her sibling that no amount of shielding could hide.
“We’d appreciate any help we could get,” Alena said honestly. Alec did what he could, but his techie skills weren’t advanced enough to erase their presence entirely.
“It’s a good thing you are doing here,” she said, and Alena flushed. She wasn’t accustomed to receiving praise for doing work she considered her personal duty.
“I agree.” The masculine voice spoke from her other side. She hadn’t realized Davin and Alec were listening to their conversation. “I know many mages who could have used a place like this.” A wealth of information infused Davin’s words, information Alena didn’t understand until she looked at Jenira. Sadness haunted the woman’s eyes. Alena wondered what the woman had done because she’d been forced to survive in a techie society. As curious as she was about Davin and Jenira’s story though, her primary focus was Eden.
“The woman you’re about to meet was just awakened into her powers. Please, keep that in mind when we meet with her.”
Curtains fluttered in a second-floor window, and Alena’s lips pressed together. The front room was Charity’s, and she was confident the younger woman had been spying on them the whole time. Thankfully, Charity’s magic didn’t allow for super hearing. Davin nodded, but Jenira merely looked interested. She wondered just how much Alec had told them.
Chapter Twenty-One
Eden
Eden paced the small sitting room, attempting to calm her nerves as she waited for the man Alec thought could help them. She spat out her braid and slung it over her shoulder. She justified her bad habits, telling herself she gnawed on her lip and her hair because she didn’t have hands to wring and fidget like normal people.
Although most of her focus was on the strangers, she couldn’t help but think about Alena’s admission. She was confused. She’d always liked both men and women, but usually not at the same time, and those men and women weren’t dating each other. She shook her head physically, trying to clear the thoughts. Alena had said it herself. They had more important things to think about than attraction and relationships. But still…she couldn’t help but wonder how Alec and Alena managed their relationship. Didn’t they get jealous?
Calm down, Edania. Breathe. Your magic is erratic. Gideon fluffed his feathers, and Eden glanced at him nervously. She’d asked him to call her Eden, but he’d ignored the request. She was very grateful for his help. He had aided her in the shielding with Alena because he could tell how she was feeling and thinking internally. Sometimes, though, his actions resembled those of a fussing mother hen. He chirped indignantly at her observation, taking offense at being compared to a chicken.
She listened to him and focused on taking deep breaths. She visualized the box to stuff her magic into, but it went unwillingly. Gideon told her that she had been suppressing her magic for so long that it objected to being contained, even for a short amount of time. He believed it would adjust and compared it to earning trust. Once her magic thought she was not going to permanently suppress it again, it would cooperate more willingly.
The front door opened, and Eden’s efforts at calming herself meant nothing. Her heart increased its pace and her breath panted from her as her magic skipped along her nerves like sparks of electricity. Alena entered first, looking at her with a concerned glance. She was followed by the mages she could feel from outside.
When their feet crossed the threshold, Eden nearly fell to the floor. She held out her good arm, propping herself against the wall. She hadn’t realized how much the sitting room had protected her. The two mages were so powerful together it was like being blinded by the sun and blasted by its heat all at once. She whimpered, holding her head. The newcomers stopped just inside the door, staring at her. Alena
propped herself under Eden’s whole arm; the pleasing buzz of her magic eased the pressure. Alec’s presence, the calming gray energy she associated with him, also helped soothe her anxiety. She stepped toward him involuntarily, and he propped up her other side.
“Eden, are you ok?” Alena asked with a frown. When Eden didn’t respond, Alena turned to the mages. “Maybe you two should…”
“No,” Eden gasped. “Just need a minute.”
Alena and Alec helped her to the settee, sitting on either side of her. Though it made her slightly embarrassed, Eden stole comfort from them. She didn’t let go when Alena grasped her hand, and she was only partially aware of leaning against Alec’s shoulder. He didn’t pull away.
The two mages stayed just inside the door, and Eden knew they were waiting for her to recover. Breathing deeply, she sought security from Gideon’s unwavering calm, Alena’s familiar hum, and Alec’s soothing blanket of energy. After several minutes, she squared her shoulders and inhaled unevenly.
“Sorry, I’m better now.” She blushed as she realized she was crowding her companions. She removed her hand from Alena’s and sat up straight, but she hoped neither of them would move. She was relieved when they seemed content to stay in their places. Zar lowered himself to his belly at her feet, and she nuzzled him with one stockinged foot. Gideon watched her calmly from his perch on the back of the armchair. Her eyes were wide when she finally looked at the mages, seeing more than just their blinding power.
“You two, you’re like the sun. You’re both so strong. I’m ok now, I just needed to get used to it,” she explained. The man she assumed was Davin Rennert and the fierce woman at his side shared a look. The woman cleared her throat, and Davin looked into the hallway before shutting the door.
“The room is spelled,” Alena assured him. “No one can hear what happens in this room.” Davin’s shoulders relaxed.
“We’re both heavily shielded,” the blonde woman said, staring at Eden.
“It doesn’t seem to matter to her,” Alena explained. “The room itself shielded you until you stepped across the threshold. She wasn’t ready for your combined power.” Alena sounded both sorry and uncertain. Eden flinched, feeling like a sideshow freak. She’d always looked like one; now she acted like one, too.
Eden felt the disbelief and curiosity emanating from the strangers. She also felt suspicion but wondered if that was always present. Alena was concerned and frustrated, and Alec was just worried. He cleared his throat. “Eden, this is Davin Rennert and Jenira. Davin and Jenira, this is Edania Eidahl; she prefers Eden. The black beast is Zar and the owl is Gideon. Please sit. No one will bother us while we’re in here.” Alec motioned towards the loveseat. They sat but still studied Eden and her familiar curiously. He acted indifferent to the drama, cleaning under his wing with his beak. Eden knew he listened to every word carefully, however.
The moment the pair sat, the empty coffee table exploded with items. A teapot of steaming water, cups, and tea bags materialized. There was also a pitcher of ice water and glasses, a bowl of chopped fruit, a plate of cookies, and an assortment of small sandwiches. Eden stared at the bounty. She still hadn’t gotten used to things appearing out of thin air. Davin seemed shocked, and Alec sighed at the dramatic display.
“You have a House Brownie.” Jenira smiled with genuine pleasure.
Alec and Alena stiffened next to Eden. “Not Brownie,” they said at the same time. They shared a glance behind Eden’s back before Alena continued. “She doesn’t like to be called a Brownie. We have a house mage.”
Jenira nodded, perhaps understanding some strange nature of Brownies that no one else did. Eden was starting to feel a little light-headed, and the meeting had just begun. Had she woken from her earlier nap or was this a dream? The sudden thought sparked a realization. She hadn’t dreamt since the locket was removed. No wonder she felt so happy. She hoped it would stay that way.
Eden grabbed a cookie, occupying her mouth so she didn’t blurt out something stupid, and studied the two mages. Besides their magic and their equally fierce countenances, she didn’t think they were all that spectacular. Davin was a man used to getting what he wanted, and he oozed wealth. Eden had occasionally encountered men like him passing through town, but only once or twice. She studied his magic more thoroughly and saw the faint glow of gray that echoed Alec’s tech. It was stronger than Alec’s but not as soft or inviting. It had an edge to it, just like his face and his magic.
She’d heard Davin Rennert called handsome by some tabloids or news media, but she didn’t think he was. He was too frightening to be attractive; his golden eyes were too fierce. Eden had thought Alec’s muscles impressive, but they were nothing compared to Davin’s. She personally didn’t find it appealing, but Jenira did. Though they were distracted by other things, she could feel the simmer of lust beneath each of the mages’ emotions. Unlike the desire she’d sensed from Alec and Alena, it was plain the emotions were directed at each other. It was evident in how they sat and how they looked at each other. The feelings still held the tang of newness, but it didn’t weaken their connection. Their magic twined and mingled, merging together in a way Eden hadn’t considered possible. Neither of these mages did anything halfway, and she couldn’t decide whether that boded well for her situation.
“Well.” Eden broke the silence when no one else spoke. “Shall we get to the point? I’m sure you have more important things to do than sit here all day.” The sooner they handled this, the better everyone would feel. Everyone was wary of setting her off or overwhelming her again, and it only increased her nervousness.
Alena took a deep breath. “Right. I’m not sure what Alec has told you, but I’ll just start at the beginning. Please, help yourselves to the refreshments. Bette would be upset if you didn’t.” As if the ire of a House Brownie was something both of these warriors feared, they reached for water and sandwiches simultaneously. Eden nibbled another cookie as Alena spoke.
“My familiar, Zar, noticed Eden a couple weeks ago. He thought she was a mage and brought her to my attention. I could sense something, but not a shield and not magic. It was a unique sort of concealment.”
“You’re a Sniffer,” Jenira interrupted.
“I’m a sensor; Sniffers usually hunt mages. I can follow them, but I don’t like the connotation that comes with Sniffer. I’m a consultant with the police department in Canton. It’s my cover and how I find some of the young mages who need my help. I was called to Eden’s apartment earlier this week for a break-in. An individual had broken into her apartment physically, not with magic. They made a mess of the place, but only stole a dreamcatcher and a sketchbook.”
Eden watched the two mages as Alena told her story. At the mention of a dreamcatcher, Jenira looked at Eden sharply, but she didn’t interrupt. She chewed on the cucumber sandwich which looked dainty in her capable hands.
“The perpetrator wrote the word mage on Eden’s wall in black paint. Going back a little, Eden was raised as a mundane. She was tested for magical and technical aptitude like all children and was found to be lacking in both. She has lived as a mundane for her entire life, according to the information we have gathered. I didn’t want to scare Eden, so I didn’t say anything then. I gave her my card and told her to call me if anything else happened. The next day, she spotted a man staring at her through her window when she returned to her apartment. She called me, and I came over immediately. She told me she’d seen the man before in a dream.”
At this point, Alena paused and looked at Eden. She nodded. “Several dreams,” she murmured and couldn’t help a slight shiver. Alec, smelling of honest concern, leaned his shoulder into hers and smiled softly. She returned it, ignoring the flutter in her chest his touch caused. His arm rested alongside her half arm, but he didn’t seem bothered. She didn’t sense the slightest disgust or discomfort from him. The reassurance soothed her, and she relaxed further between Alena’s soft green magic and Alec’s gray techie cloud.
“I brought
Eden here. I told her what the purpose of the house was. Eventually, I told her I suspected she had magic as well. She was very disbelieving at first. She was wearing a necklace that locked down her magic, to her and everyone else.”
“A necklace?” Davin asked. His indecipherable look made Eden squirm. She smelled suspicion on him, and she didn’t like it. She swallowed hard against the sudden fear in her throat.
“Yes, a necklace,” Alena confirmed. She looked hard at Davin. “The necklace was spelled so specifically, Eden wasn’t aware of its purpose and barely aware of its presence. She couldn’t think or speak about it without a spell cloaking and redirecting her thoughts. The necklace had to have been placed on her at a very young age, or she wouldn’t have failed her testing and got labeled as a mundane.”
Davin’s suspicion eased but didn’t dissolve completely. “There could have been a spell on her that cloaked her magic. If the person was close to her, they could have done it before the testing,” he argued.
“Maybe,” Alena said, still staring at Davin. “That might have hidden her magic, but it wouldn’t have cloaked her tech. Only the necklace could have done that, as it is comprised of magic and tech.”
Davin released an explosive breath and sat back hard on the loveseat. Jenira resembled a statue, her face and form unmoving as she looked between Davin, Alena, and Eden.
“Magitech?” Davin's voice was blank.
Alena nodded. “Both the necklace and her,” she replied with a small sigh. Eden tried to decipher her emotions but couldn’t sense anything other than sympathy. Alena felt sorry for her. Eden didn’t know whether she liked that or not. Davin’s intense eyes studied Eden, his thoughts and emotions such a whirlwind she couldn’t distinguish any specific feelings. After several tense minutes of scrutiny, he looked at Alec.
“You tested her?”
Magic's Divide Page 17
