by Sierra Cross
Of course I remembered. My reckless, young aunt blew into our lives for Thanksgiving or Christmas or when her latest biker/dealer/con artist boyfriend broke her heart and then was gone again. She spoiled me with exotic candy from Mexico or Australia or wherever she’d been traveling lately. She whispered shady but thrilling stories about poker games, tattoo parlors, motorcycle gangs. As a little kid, I lived for those visits from my wild aunt. “Oh yeah.” I refused to let those memories cloud my vision. “That was back when you used to tamp down your dark magical signature. So you could lie to our whole family.”
“You mean the family that had no use for a second-born who actually had talent?” My aunt’s anger ran deep. “It was no different for Masumi. A smart, ambitious woman born to a Fidei family has no prospects.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Bullshit, I’ve met female Fidei agents. Leading investigations.”
Aunt Jenn snorted at my naivete. “You see a token woman or two and think there’s gender equality? Window dressing. But at least they’re trying to fake it. Can’t say the same about witches.” She seemed to swallow a lump of frustration before continuing. “Her parents were willing to let her be a Fidei secretary until she met an upwardly mobile Fidei husband.” Aunt Jenn’s eyes lit up. “No way Zumi was going to settle for that.”
“Uh, it was the nineties. The glass ceiling had already been shattered.”
“You’ve been awake to magic for what…a month now? And you think you’ve got it all figured out. Please.” She might as well have two-snapped-up me. “The magicborn community is still in the dark ages.”
“If you say so.” Was I too quick to dismiss my aunt? After watching Matt suffer because of antiquated vows and irrelevant laws, could she be right?
“It took guts to do what she did. She defied her family, put herself through school, and got several advanced science degrees in subjects that I can’t even begin to understand. She scored a job in Fidei Archival Science. Those first few years on the job, she was on fire. Elated. But then she was promoted to the most selective research department, Amalgam and Deviant Analysis Sector.” Deviants were what the Fidei called Omnis, Amalgams, and other blends they deemed “unholy.” “After her last promotion…” Aunt Jenn paused. What was she trying to prepare me for? “Let’s just say she’s never been the same.”
We turned off Burrard Street, and Aunt Jenn pulled into the parking garage of Pinnacle Towers, one of the glass high-rise condos that stretched up to the grey sky overlooking English Bay. The parking garage elevator zipped us up to a crisp, modern lobby that smelled of money. Aunt Jenn gave her name to the guard, and he let us onto the elevator.
The doors glided open and we rode up to the sixteenth floor, where an enormous mirror reflected our likenesses back to us. The family resemblance was unmistakable. We could be a business woman and her black-clad rebel daughter. Our dark hair shone with the same cherry highlights, though hers was now dyed to match the color of her younger days. Our large brown eyes were obviously from the same gene pool too. If Mom were here, we’d look like a matched set. I turned away. The reality of what was not reflected was too painful.
It surprised me that Aunt Jenn looked nervous as she rang the bell. Her arms were down at her side like she was ready to call her dark magic up at a second’s notice—classic defensive pose. I must be reading that wrong. Masumi was her friend, why would she need to defend herself?
The door opened and a tall, athletically built woman of East Asian heritage stood there wearing a fashionable cream-colored tunic top with leggings.
“Zumi.” Aunt Jenn’s voice was full of warmth, but she didn’t lean in for a hug.
“Ha. No one’s called me that in fifteen years.” Her amused smile fell flat at the sight of me. “Jennifer, what have you done?” Masumi’s voice was low and commanding, but her face had seized up with fear. Not waiting for an answer, she tried to slam the door, but Aunt Jenn forced her Jimmy Choo-clad foot in the jamb, her forearms on the flat of the door. My aunt grimaced but wouldn’t relent.
What the hell was going on? As Masumi’s terrified gaze kept coming back to me, I realized Aunt Jenn hadn’t bothered to tell her friend I was coming. And that was a problem. I’d spent hours in a car having my skin grated by dark magic, and now I might have to leave with nothing? Fan-flipping-tastic.
“She’s my niece!” Aunt Jenn yelled but didn’t call her magic to her hands. “Masumi, I swear I wouldn’t put you in any danger.”
“You told me you were driving up here alone. For a conference.” Masumi didn’t open the door, but she stopped trying to smash the bones in Aunt Jenn’s foot. “What did I expect from a dark witch.” Resignation seeped into her voice.
“You know I’m not dumb enough to ever try to betray you, right?” The door didn’t budge. “Zumi, come on.” My aunt was all softness and warmth. “And if I’d told you about Alix, you wouldn’t have let me bring her.”
“Yes, exactly, there’s a reason for that!” Masumi sounded exasperated, but the wind was all but gone from her sails.
“Masumi, this is bigger than just us,” Jenn said. “I think this might be the break we’ve been waiting for.”
My stomach lurched. What break? This trip was just to get info to help Matt. What had my aunt dragged me into now?
“Are you trying to get me killed?” Masumi’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Lower your voice.”
“You’ve been looking for a way to disseminate the info for a decade. It’s time.” My aunt obliged and took her volume down several notches. “I think I’ve found the perfect vehicle. And you’ll be safe. You won’t even have to be identified.”
“Wait? What? Am I the vehicle?” Damn it, I couldn’t believe I’d let my aunt dupe me again.
“We will not be having this conversation in the hallway.” Masumi paused, holding the door as her internal debate raged.
“I’ve missed you so much.”
Masumi shook her head at Aunt Jenn with an expression that mixed fondness with deep exasperation. “You don’t deserve it,” she said, “but I’ve missed you too, you scheming witch.” To my utter shock, she opened the door. “Come in. I’ll pour you each a glass of iced tea.”
“I knew it.” I whispered in my aunt’s ear as I followed her into Masumi’s apartment. “You wouldn’t have done a favor for me without some ulterior motive.”
Aunt Jenn made an impatient huff. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
The wall of windows overlooking the bay made Masumi’s large room even more expansive. Sitting on the white leather sofa, I pulled my limbs close to my body in an effort to take up less space, pissed at my aunt for putting me in this position.
“So.” Masumi walked out from the open kitchen and handed us each a tall glass of iced tea. “Since you’re obviously not here for girl talk, spit it out.”
My aunt does girl talk?
I didn’t want Aunt Jenn to hijack this anymore than she already had. “Look, I’m sorry that my aunt put you—put us—in this position.” Aunt Jenn put her hand on my arm to get me to stop talking, but I shrugged her off. “I’m not here to be some kind of…vehicle. But the information you have is important to me.” I swallowed a sea of emotions. “A life depends on it—”
“Hold on. You came to me to save one life?”
“Matt…is an extraordinary person, and he’s in a bad way. And I’ve got to—”
“You came here to save your boyfriend?” Masumi’s cynical tone stung the air. “I can’t help you. Go school-girl crush someplace else.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” Why did people keep saying that? “He’s a man of honor who has been duped to believe—”
“You need to grow up.” Masumi’s hand clenched the arm of her chair. “Our entire system of government is built on lies and unfounded claims.” She shook her head in disgust. “Thousands of lives hang in the balance, not just the one you happen to care about.”
“He’s a guardian and a coven witch.” I snapped back. I didn’t need to
be convinced that the system was broken, and that people were suffering because of it. But right now, I had another fight on my hands. My battle may be smaller, but lives still hung in the balance. “Without him, the Demongate could fall. The Spelldrift would be in danger—”
“Masumi’s right.” My aunt cut me off. “It’s not about one man.”
“I’m not saying it is.” Were they even hearing my words?
“I have a plan.” Ignoring me, Aunt Jenn turned to her friend. “You’ve been collecting proof for fifteen years that Mals and Deviants aren’t the threat they’re made out to be. If you show it to Alix, she’ll get on board.”
“This is my life’s mission we’re talking about.” Masumi folded her arms across her chest. “I think I’ll wait to find someone whose commitment doesn’t need coaxing.”
“You’ve been waiting. And waiting. Every possible ally has some flaw you can’t overlook. Every window arises at the wrong time for you. There’s always an excuse to say no. I think your fear is paralyzing you.” She looked into Masumi’s eyes. “Don’t you think it’s time?”
“Time for one love-struck crusader to get me killed?”
My anger flared. “Damn it, this isn’t about my personal feelings! I am a member of the Coven of Fire. It’s my sworn duty to uphold the legacy of that coven. It may not be saving the world, but it is saving my little piece of it.” I slammed down the glass on the table and golden magic leaped to my hands, engulfing them with a lack of control I thought I’d grown beyond.
With practiced speed, Masumi pulled a light grey carbon fiber handgun from the underside of the coffee table, aiming it dead center at my chest. Though in theory an academic and office worker, she had obviously taken advantage of the Fidei firearms training.
Domino effect in action, once Masumi and I drew our weapons, my aunt followed suit. She threw her arms down, red magic flaring in sharp swirls at her fingertips. One hand pointing at Masumi, one at me.
Masumi’s gaze darted from my gold magic to my aunt’s red, as if she was noting the difference. “You’re a light witch,” she said, surprised, but kept the gun leveled at me.
Ordinarily a gun wouldn’t worry me. But this was the alchemic cutter weapon that Matt had shown me pictures of. Its bullets would pierce any magic field I throw. We all held our positions like statues, caught in a stalemate. The golden magic that heated my hands showed no sign of relenting.
“Both of you, deep breaths,” my aunt said, breaking the fraught silence. “Masumi, I know you’re frightened.”
“Frightened?” Masumi said, voice tight. “That’s the understatement of the year. At any moment, I could be discovered. And all those lives I hold in my hands would be lost.”
“Those lives aren’t being helped by your hunkering down in this apartment.” The weight of her words filled the room. I couldn’t imagine having such an immense responsibility on my shoulders as Masumi did. I didn’t want to think about it. The thought of what was ahead for Matt and my coven and the Spelldrift was hard enough to handle. “What are you waiting for?” Aunt Jenn asked gently. “You’ve got enough evidence by now to more than prove—”
“And do you think I’m the first one?” Masumi said, without lowering her weapon. My arm muscles were fatiguing from holding my magic-covered hands outstretched, but Masumi’s hand didn’t waver. “Three guesses what happened to every whistleblower who’s tried to get this info out.”
A look of compassion crossed Aunt Jenn’s face. Genuine or manufactured? I had no idea. “I’m worried,” Aunt Jenn ventured, “that keeping this to yourself is killing you slowly.”
“And you’d prefer I kill myself quickly?” Masumi’s eyes flashed with contempt, but she seemed at odds with herself. “No. The timing’s not right—”
“The time for turning the world upside down will never be right,” Aunt Jenn said softly, lowering her hands, letting the red wisps slowly recede. “But look at us. This alliance is the best shot you’ll get.”
A tremble ran down Masumi’s practiced gun hand, and the weapon wavered ever so slightly. A single tear rolled down her face, not in sadness. Her lips pursed in frustration or fear, and she let her arm drop heavily to her lap. “I thought I’d have more time.” Was Masumi implying what I thought she was? That releasing this info would lead to her death?
My lungs released their hold, and I exhaled in relief that the grey gun was no longer trained on me. At the same time, I was struggling with a dilemma. Aunt Jenn was presenting us as some kind of crusaders for justice for Mals. Whether a lie or her own wishful thinking, it simply was not the case. “I really need that information, but I won’t mislead you,” I said to Masumi, knowing that what I was about to say might screw up the chance I had to get her information. “There is no alliance.”
“But there could be,” Aunt Jenn cut in. She was working me. “Alix, you haven’t had the chance to think this through.”
I shook my head. “This isn’t my fight. I just need to get the information to Matt.” Again, frustration and contempt flashed in Masumi’s eyes. “Look, I get that the problem you’re confronting is huge and severe and all encompassing. I’ve seen things in our magicborn world too, things that aren’t right. I know an Omni who’s on the run for his life for crimes he didn’t commit, and a whole family of innocent Omni kids wanted dead or alive for the crime of being born.”
Masumi looked up at me with renewed curiosity. “And you were okay with watching that happen?”
“Hell no. I didn’t have much choice, though I made sure they escaped.”
Aunt Jenn looked at me with a bemused fascination. I hoped I hadn’t just revealed information she’d use against me later.
Masumi cocked her head. “You, a light witch, defied the law to help Deviants? Why?”
“Because after what I saw…” Tears came to my eyes at the memory of the Omni children huddled together in their safe house. “Just because it’s the law doesn’t make it right.”
“And yet you still believe that this isn’t your fight.” Masumi seemed to be musing. “You remind me of my younger self. Thinking I could pick and choose what battles my spirit needed to fight. Thinking I could reign in how deeply I’d get sucked into the war.”
“I’m not you,” I said simply. “There’s no alliance. But I do need your help. Will you give me the proof I need to put my coven back together? I’ll destroy whatever evidence you give me after I’m done with it,” I added. “Your life won’t be in danger.”
Masumi gave a half-laugh like I was a dumb kid who didn’t get it. She reached her long thin arm behind her back and tucked the weapon in her waistband. Her once graceful moves were now stilted and robotic.
“I’ll do it by myself then,” Aunt Jenn said. “I have contacts—”
“A dark witch releasing this to the world would taint everything,” Masumi said. My aunt backed off, we all knew Masumi was right on that. The Fidei agent stared at me. “But you’ve made me realize, maybe I’ve been holding on too long. Maybe it is time.”
“I hope you find someone who can help you with this fight.” I was pretty certain I’d blown my chances of getting this information to Matt. Should I have told her what she wanted to hear? I guess if I could’ve done that I already would’ve.
“You think what you saw with those Omnis was as bad as it gets? That some Mal thinking he’s evil is the worst damage they can do?” Masumi let out a wild high-pitched laugh, that morphed into a hyena-like fit. “You know nothing.” Masumi regained her composure and gave me a sad knowing smile. “You think it will be that easy to unsee what I show you?” My heartbeat quickened. Had Masumi decided to show me the proof after all? “To forget that thousands of men, women, and children are being persecuted? To go on with your life like the knowledge you’re keeping from the world doesn’t rot your soul?”
I swallowed. I already knew the world was an unfair place, and bad shit happened to good people. I’d seen that with my parents. With the Omnis. With Matt. And so many more. “
It’s the way life is. I can’t change that. But saving this one man will save lives. It is for the greater good.”
“I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll give you a tiny piece of the info I’ve collected. If after viewing you can walk away…” Masumi paused. “Tell me how you did it.”
The three of us rode the elevator down to the lowest level. Each high-end car in the parking garage glistened under the daylight-toned lighting.
Our heels striking the floor was the only sound as we crossed over to the far wall. Masumi unlocked a door marked Maintenance Crew Only. Neat rows of aluminum ductwork lined the ceiling above us. The beast of a machine that heated and cooled this building churned as we passed it. What looked like a dead end at a series of metal panels turned out to be a hidden door. Masumi started down a steep set of stairs and motioned us to follow. The lighting dimmed, grime crept in, and we entered a maze of narrow utility tunnels. We were under the belly of the city now. Masumi didn’t slow as the way forked and turned. No air circulated, the dank musty smell coated my nostrils making breathing a challenge. It occurred to me that this would be the perfect place for her to shoot us and leave our bodies never to be found.
All the switchbacks and twists in this maze-like route had me turned around. We must have walked half a mile from Masumi’s apartment and were now stopped in front of a battered metal door sporting a biohazard warning sign.
Masumi raised a rusty metal outlet cover to reveal a biometric lock. She positioned her eye in front of the panel. With a click, the lock released, and the door popped open to reveal a ten by ten bunker with metal shelves and file cabinets covering every inch of floor space. My jaw dropped. There must have been thousands of files stored here, some on paper, some on portable drives. There were evidence baggies and binders and items I couldn’t identify. How the hell did she get this all here? I guessed fifteen years was a long time to accumulate documentation.
