The Leira Chronicles- The Complete Austin Series

by Martha Carr

  The Wizard who escorted him into the room was standing against the far wall with other Witches and Wizards and Toby quickly caught on to a certain hierarchy in the room that started with the most powerful sitting at the table and gradually went around the room till it stopped squarely at the crowd where Toby was standing. Toby let out a defeated sigh, garnering a few looks from the young Witches and Wizards right around him. He looked across the room and noticed the beefy Wizard staring at him and straightened back up, determined to get this right. You can do this, Toby. Hell, you belong at that table! Be the observer… be the observer…

  Sirius Pickering lifted his hand and a silence fell over the room. He raised his wand high over his head. “Extemporius.” The sound of water pouring down could be heard from outside the walls.

  Every head turned toward him as he lowered his hand and let out a deep breath, waiting. “The time has come to push back against the Silver Griffins,” he finally said. A spell had been cast so that his deep baritone easily filled the room as he rested his hands on the table. “The time has come to make our presence known to the human population.”

  A small murmur of voices went around the room but harsh looks from others quickly silenced them. Toby watched eagerly, pressing his lips together, determined to make a good impression or at best, no impression at all.

  “It’s time we used our newest talent to persuade others that we are not passive players anymore and it would be in their best interests to bring us to the bargaining table.”

  “We should not have to bargain with anyone!” Agnes, an older witch with long, blonde hair that was caught up in a neat low bun slammed her fist onto the table. Toby shook and wanted to let out a gasp but was too afraid. He dug his nails into his palms and watched, eyes wide to see what would happen next.

  Sirius was breathing harder, his chest rising and falling but he did nothing to silence the Witch. “We have everything we need to gain the advantage. The beasts are ready! Time will not always be on our side. If we wait till magic begins its return to Earth…” she shook her head, “it may not be as easy as it is right now.”

  “Have you forgotten who sat in this seat not too long ago? Your own brother served this council for over twenty years before he was swallowed by that dark menace.” Sirius’ voice was gradually getting louder till it was booming and echoing off the walls. “To this day we still do not know what that was that ate his essence and absorbed his magic from the inside out.” Sirius raised his fist in the air, shaking it with fury. “His body still walks among us but none of us can say he still exists in any realm or what the hell took him from us!” The crystals in the chandelier over their heads shook gently making a tinkling noise as the banners swayed.

  An older witch with long, jet black hair hanging straight down her back took a sip of tea from a pale pink bone china cup, gently setting it down. Juliana Pickering looked unruffled by any of the drama. “Sirius, my darling, Agnes makes a valid request.” She arched a carefully manicured black eyebrow. The only sign of impatience the gently tapping of her red nail against the fragile china cup. “We have managed to get the mortality rate down to a respectable fifty percent and have created enough shifters under our power to at least make a statement.”

  “Not enough of them to stop an army.”

  “We don’t need that, my dear. We just need enough of a demonstration to let them know what we’re capable of doing. Let their own fears come up with the rest.”

  A young Wizard with dark hair, slicked back against his scalp spoke up. Toby recognized his older cousin, Emerick. “Are we certain that these new shifters will obey us once they’re out in the field. They may just run off, back to their families or worse, not survive even a skirmish.”

  “Don’t doubt your mother, dear. It’s not a good look for you.”

  “None of them will return to their families,” said Sirius. “They’re too afraid of their new powers and ripping their own flesh and blood to pieces.” Sirius let out a deep throated laugh. “I expect we would lose some in a fight, but we’d learn from the experiment. Perhaps you are right, Juliana, as ever.”

  Agnes frowned at being overlooked but held her silence. No one at the table ever pressed a point but so far for fear of the consequences.

  “These are strange times we’re in. Even the suggestion of power returning is upsetting the balance of power that we have quietly enjoyed all these years.” Sirius sat forward in his high-backed upholstered chair. His face grew sour as he spoke. “We are being challenged from every side and it’s not in our nature to sit back and quietly take it. The Silver Griffins would tie our hands and at one point, we might have listened…”

  Toby saw his uncle glance over at him, but he stared back blankly. The Wizard across the way gave him a nod of respect.

  “But some dark mist is hunting our kind.” Sirius looked over everyone’s heads at the table, off into the distance. “My oldest friend is a bag of flesh for some unknown host and two other Wizards and a Witch have disappeared without a trace. Even some of our younger ones, teenagers have gone missing.”

  “You still haven’t mentioned our greatest enemy.”

  Sirius snapped his head around, anger returning to him. He raised his wand and shoved Juliana’s chair backward away from the table, surprising everyone.

  “Do not test me. Not even you. I’m well aware of the bitch that is out there, growing stronger all the time.”

  Juliana stayed where she was, saying in a low growl, “Say her name.”

  “I’m not afraid of her. This mongrel who’s part Elf, part human and even has some trace of Witch in her. She surrounds herself with amateurs. We have defeated worse!”

  “Say… her… name…”

  “Leira Berens! Leira fucking Berens!” He shook his fist as the banners swayed overhead.

  Juliana looked up at the Witches and Wizards ringing the large room standing near the tall windows. “Learn this name and get to know your enemy.” Her voice was low and icy.

  “She holds the fucking light inside of her and is learning to bend the very essence of magic to her will,” said Agnes.

  Juliana shrugged, not bothering to look at Agnes. “Leira Berens is one very young being against thousands of years of a strong alliance and a new army of shifters. This may not be easy, but we are used to struggle. We will get what is ours, in the end. The bitch is only another obstacle in a long line of them and like all that have come before her, she will not survive what’s coming.”

  “You sound sure of yourself.”

  “Well, of course Sirius. That dark mist that hunts us, hunts her as well. It even seems drawn to her and to that same light. We will meet her in battle but perhaps we can draw the darkness there too and just get out of the way.”

  Chapter Four

  Leira stood outside the Arab Coffee on 24th Street waiting for Correk to catch up with her. “What was that about?” She called to him as she watched the morning sky lighten against a slate grey sky. Love a good Texas morning.

  Correk ran the short distance across the street, crowded on all sides by clusters of students from University of Texas, streaming back and forth across the nearby campus. “A Witch had her phone snatched. I managed to retrieve it for her.” A young woman smiled up at Correk and gave him a long look from head to toe as she passed by.

  Leira gave Correk a crooked smile. “Sometimes I forget about that Elven charm and then that happens.”

  “Not always Elven charm. That was a young Light Elf. Sometimes, they just like me.”

  Leira elbowed Correk as she started to walk faster down the street. “Sure, big guy. It’s all you.”

  “Hey, I thought we were going in that shop back there?”

  “That hookah shop, not hardly. That’s not where the magical mystery tours start in these parts. Way too on the nose. The general population would notice if too many average looking middle-aged people kept going in and out. Probably think it was a drug stop. I would have in my old job.”

&nb
sp; “Then where are we going where no one would notice?”

  “There…” Leira pointed to the Starbucks still a block away. “Our way to get to Chicago and this time without the long drive. That coffee shop is like the magical community’s version of a bus stop. Finally, an answer to why we needed a Starbucks every few blocks. I have it on good authority the whole thing is owned by a Wizarding family. Apparently, Seattle is a hub for that kind of thing.”

  “I’m surprised I didn’t know more about this. I know everything about the kemanas and the cities.”

  Leira looked both ways and didn’t see a car coming as she scooted across against the light with Correk in tow behind her. “Lacey said the transit system is hush, hush. Those are her exact words. It’s more vulnerable to sabotage and too many dark players are out there. The whole thing is covered in spells and there are absolutely no humans allowed. They can’t even touch anything without going poof!” Leira threw her hands up in the air as they got to the door of the Starbucks.

  “Poof… you know, we could make all of this simpler and take a portal. I’ve learned a few new things from Turner’s books.”

  “No portals on Earth. It’s too risky, especially when there’s something cool that will get us there in just about the same amount of time without the threat of eternally hanging in Jello. Oooh, I’m getting coffee before we head out.”

  “Get me that lemon cake and a grande cappuccino with a half shot of caramel and soy milk.”

  Leira turned around and gave him a pained look. “How do you even know all of that? I’m getting you black coffee and you can add cream if you want. Okay, the lemon cake as well but only because we’re hitting the road.” The line moved forward quickly. “I thought I’d miss Hagan more but it’s like having his soul mate along with me. I appreciate that the Universe saw fit to fill the void.”

  “What’ll it be?” A frazzled young woman looked up as Correk leaned in and said quickly, “a grande cappuccino with a half shot of caramel and soy milk and a piece of that lemon cake.”

  Leira gave them both a dead fish look. “A large black coffee for me.”

  “Name?”

  “Correk.”

  “Are you paying for it too?” Leira pulled out her wallet from her purse and dug around for her credit card.

  They went and waited with the crowd of students and people on their way to work, easily blending in with the crowd around them.

  “Check out the beings around us…” whispered Correk, leaning toward Leira.

  “Your breath smells faintly of burnt Cheetos. You eating your feelings today?”

  “I ate the last of my supply looking through one of those spell books. Accidentally started a small fire in Turner’s trash can. Minor issue. Nothing important was harmed. Take a better look around.” He gave Leira a nudge as she let the smallest amount of magic flow through her and saw the energy light up, dotting the crowd all around her. It was an even mix. A Wood Elf right next to her sensed Leira’s energy and gave her a wink. “How you doin?”

  Leira frowned and shook her head but before she could answer a young man in a green apron came and set two cups down with a slice of cake wrapped in wax paper.

  “Core Ick? Your order’s up.”

  Leira slid through the crowd, stepping in front of a large woman with a feather boa around her neck and a backpack full of books. Leira saw the tip of a pecan wood wand poking out between her books.

  “Core Ick?” asked the young man. “Cool name. Sounds like a band.”

  Leira pressed her lips together and grabbed the coffee, handing Correk’s cup back to him, with the cake balanced on top of the lid. “Thanks,” she said, taking Correk by the arm and leading him toward the restrooms.

  “Please tell me the entrance isn’t in the bathroom. We’re not getting flushed down something? If you say yes, I’m opening a portal and leaving without you.” Correk slipped the wrapped cake in his pocket and sipped the hot cappuccino as he looked around for another door.

  “I can see we dipped into the Harry Potter of it all somewhere in your past. This isn’t a fairytale, and no one gets flushed. If you’d relax you’d see where we’re going.” Leira took a deep breath as the cement block wall at the end of the narrow hall became wavy lines and a woman standing by the ladies room door looked right through them, no longer able to see them as a spritz of chocolate filled the air.

  Leira pulled Correk toward the wall just beyond the bathrooms and kept walking without pausing, heading right into the wall. Correk suddenly got a strong whiff of chocolate as they slipped through to the other side. “Not at all what I expected the bathrooms to smell like. Not bad…”

  Leira rolled her eyes as she pulled him through. “There’s a glamour there that keeps out the humans. Feels like a solid wall to them. It even puts out a mist that erases what they see or hear by the bathrooms so no one’s ever seen vanishing into thin air. Probably for the best by a bathroom where everyone’s drinking coffee.”

  “That smell of chocolate.” Correk looked around at the cavernous opening and the commuters hustling to get to different parts of the globe. Different Elves, Witches and Gnomes rushed past him clutching children’s hands or briefcases or shopping bags as they climbed stairs to even higher tracks, or descended down a maze of stairs into the depths below.

  In the distance were another set of stairs heading in every direction with lines of commuters heading up the stairs to a different Starbucks just a few blocks away, always near a train or bus line.

  Leira took a sidelong glance at Correk, giving him a crooked smile. “You know, for once it’s kind of nice to see you in awe at anything magical. I didn’t even know that was possible. You’re having a time with magic this week, aren’t you? Blowing things up, setting things on fire and finding out there was still a lot left to learn.”

  Correk’s head was tilted back and he was looking up at the artificial blue sky and clouds passing overhead giving everything a much cheerier facade. “Reminds me of the post office back home.” He turned around and was startled to see a stand selling newspapers, magazines and candy in an alcove where the Starbucks had been on the other side.

  “Yeah, I don’t get that whole time and space thing with that one, either,” said Leira. “I’ve just decided to let some of this go for now. Maybe one of Turner’s books will explain it to you. Come on, these steps take a while and you’re in the way.” Leira pulled Correk toward the staircase as more commuters continued to come in and stream around them, some of them giving Leira a dirty look or a loud ‘tsk’ as they hurried on to their destination.

  They fell into line behind a tall, lanky Wizard who was wearing pants that left his ankles bare and a jacket that ended just before his wrists. They went down two twisting flights as the Wizard made a left turn and headed off in another direction and they found themselves behind a small Gnome woman wearing purple Crocs and jeans, carrying a large HEB shopping bag, muttering to herself the entire way.

  “If I don’t get home by lunchtime, I won’t get the roast in the oven on time. If that doesn’t happen dinner won’t start on time and then the presentation will have to wait. Oh, bother. Maybe if I take the number two line I’ll get home a little faster. But then I’ll have to walk a few extra blocks. Of course, I could use just a teensy amount of magic and move the roast along a little faster. Who would know? What’s the harm?” The small Gnome realized she was talking too loud about using magic and looked up suspiciously to see who was around her, smiling at Correk even as she continued to nimbly descend the stairs. They all got to a juncture with a sign pointing to the right that had a large red two on it and another pointing to the left with a blue B on it. The Gnome hesitated but only for a moment before rushing off to the right.

  Leira took Correk by the hand and pulled him further down the stairs.

  “How do you know your way so well?” He looked over the edge at the open space on every side of the stairs. “What is holding up everything?” Everywhere he looked were different stai
rcases and walkways humming with activity but no signs of a berm or a wall or even a beam stretching into the darkness.

  “Full of questions. Lacey Trader gave me a map. Those other routes are headed to other places,” Leira said over her shoulder. “Some of them cross oceans and go under mountains.” Leira was easily taking the stairs, keeping in time with the other fast-moving commuters. “All of it was created the last time the gates were open and kept hidden all this time. Look, there’s where we’re headed.”

  At the bottom was a string of rail cars all polished and shiny with the number 58 painted in gold on the side, shimmering and vibrating. They took the remaining steps down as Leira hurried toward the rail car and grabbed the last seat, holding a place for Correk. Commuters crowded in until even the aisles were packed.

  “Do you mind?” A short, round older Gnome with a brushy brown moustache rested his briefcase by Correk’s feet and pulled out his hat and gloves, putting them on. “Might as well get ready,” he said, smiling.

  Correk leaned toward Leira. “Tell me again why we needed to meet with Lacey in person and a phone call wouldn’t do?”

  “I would have preferred that too. Mom’s bridal shower is tomorrow and there’s a few things left to do. But Lacey Trader thinks there may be traitors among the ranks. She’s not sure but she wonders if someone is feeding the old families bits of information. Everyone is related to everyone else somehow, anyway. The old families have filtered into a lot of places over the years.”

  “Like the phones, I take it.”

  “Or worse and would it be that hard to use a little magic to listen in when you wanted to? Lacey has made it a new policy that she won’t say anything outside of the walls of the Silver Griffins headquarters where the spells can ward off eavesdroppers.” Leira leaned forward to get a better look at the Gnome whose face was level with Correk’s. The Gnome gave Leira a nod and held onto the pole as the train gave off a loud thrust of steam and started moving forward, pressing Leira back against the seat. Everyone in the aisles braced themselves and leaned against the poles or the seats, familiar with the lurch. All of it was a routine part of their day.