Primal's Wrath: Book VI of 'The Magician's Brother' Series

by HDA Roberts

  Not one of them doubted that what I’d seen was real, though. That reassured me in an odd sort of way.

  After some begging, and a not inconsiderable amount of pastry-based bribery, I managed to persuade Hopkins to look into the problem for me, but she wasn’t optimistic about breaking through the combined power of two Fairy Queens.

  That left me putting out feelers through Tethys and Price. I had tremendous faith in them, but we were talking about a very specific, very niche field of study that had few human experts. They said they’d try, though, and that was good enough for me.

  I thought that was more or less all I could do, at least in the short term, but then I showed up for my first class on Void Magic, and another avenue of enquiry presented itself.

  It was a very interesting subject, but very complicated. I knew after the first few minutes that I was years from any practical application of the principles I was learning. But all the talk about dimensional folding and refracted Portals drew my mind to my present problem and I felt that it couldn’t do any harm to talk to the Professor about it.

  He styled himself as a Void Magician, but he was really just a Sorcerer with a Space Affinity, though he was a very powerful one. He dressed like a country gentleman from the eighteen hundreds, perfectly attired in tight breeches, high, polished black boots, tailcoat, frilly cravat and a lurid waistcoat covered with some sort of hideous floral pattern, complete with gold pocket watch. He didn't go quite so far as to sport an authentic wig, but his hair was styled into curls at the sides. He looked to be in his early thirties, with a broad, easy smile and terrible teeth that seemed to be trying to escape from one another.

  "Ah, Lord Mathew, how may I be of service today?" he asked as I approached him after that first class.

  "Just Mathew, Professor Gallows. I was wondering if I could ask you about dimensional travel?"

  His bushy eyebrows tried to skitter their way into his hairline. He sat down behind his ancient, leather-topped desk and scratched his chin (the introductory class had been in his over-sized office, rather than a seminar room).

  "That's something we cover in the advanced class. But at the least, you’d need a licence, a travel permit and a whole raft of paperwork before I can even start discussing that stuff with you."

  "Not to put too fine a point on it, but..." I said, letting my voice trail off. He got the point quickly.

  "Ah. Yes, Archon, of course. You don't need the paperwork."

  "No, but I do need to find a way into Unseelie."

  He went pale. "Oh, Mathew, that is an awful, awful idea. Seelie is one thing, they like visitors, but Unseelie... well, they also like visitors, but really more in a culinary sense. And that’s assuming you could even get past the barrier they put up last year."

  “I’m aware of the dangers, but a friend of mine is in some very serious trouble. Anything you could tell me about getting past the barrier would be immensely helpful.”

  He puffed out a breath, tapping his lip as he thought.

  “The barrier isn’t the only problem. Getting to another dimension is... hard. It's not like it is with your bog-standard transit Portal, where you can just use trial and error to find where you need to go. If you try that with dimensional travel, you'll probably end up poking a Star-eater in the face and drawing its attention. You don't want that."

  No. No, I very definitely didn't...

  "So, what would I need?" I asked.

  "The location of a Nexus Point, which is somewhere our world and theirs touches. Those aren’t easy to find. Then you’ll need someone who's been there before, preferably with the power to get there under normal circumstances. In theory, you would combine your power with theirs and 'punch' your way through the barrier. An Archon might, and I stress might have the juice for that, but even if you did, you'd essentially be falling into one of the most dangerous, predator-filled places in the universe with nearly all of your power used up."

  "Ah," I said after a moment.

  "Indeed."

  That was a problem, but it was a step in the right direction.

  A more pressing issue, however, was that Cassandra had heard the whole thing and was now looming over my shoulder in a rather intimidating fashion. Naturally, she was against my going into a dimension both at war and full of human-eating monsters. I did my best not to let her scare me, but it was hard work; that woman’s glare could strip paint off the walls.

  "Any thoughts about where I might find someone that's been to Unseelie? Oh, would a Warp Cat do?"

  "Hmm... I doubt it. An animal mind like that would be incompatible with yours, even if the Magic wasn't. You need to... synchronise with your partner. That probably means a Magician, and I don't know anyone that would fit the bill."

  I hid the frown, and thanked the professor for his advice. It wasn’t a solution, but it was a place to start.

  I asked some general questions about the class before leaving, thinking hard all the while.

  It wasn’t long before my thoughts were interrupted, as the skin between my shoulder blades had started to itch under the force of Cassandra’s volcanic stare. I waited until we were out of earshot of crowds before turning towards her.

  I flinched at the sight of her, I couldn’t help it.

  "Now Cassie..." I started.

  Her eyes narrowed.

  "Alright, let me have it," I said with a resigned sigh.

  "You are not going to Unseelie."

  We would see about that...

  "Okay," I said instead.

  Somehow, the eyes narrowed even further.

  "You think I can't see the evil little cogs turning behind those eyes of yours? You think I don't know when you're up to something?"

  "That hurts, Cassie, since when have I ever been duplicitous- Ow!"

  Okay, I probably deserved that swat about the head...

  She glared some more, but then she just shook her head and sighed.

  "If you are so determined to embark on this stupidity, then I suggest that you speak to Myrddin," she said, her tone grudging, but there was a certain pride in her eyes.

  "Myrddin? Why?"

  "Two reasons. One, he went to war with Adriata, or she went to war with him. Either way, there are no other living Magicians who can claim that. He might know something about her realm, or at least her Magic, that can help you."

  "Good thinking. What's the second reason?"

  She paced a little, looking worried.

  "Fairy Magic isn't like ours; it's tied up with fate and intention, all that emotional, messy stuff that you and I could never understand. But from what you told me of Evelina, how she looked, she's been at war for a long time. So why are you only now having dreams? What changed?"

  I realised what she was hinting at.

  "Myrddin came back,” I said.

  "Exactly. Like I say, I can't explain Fae Magic, but that seems logical, in their odd sort of way."

  I nodded, "So... how does one make an appointment to see a legend?"

  Cassandra rolled her eyes.

  Chapter 10

  That part was actually pretty easy, all I had to do was call Kron. She was actually with Myrddin when I did, and was hip-deep in another debate (which made her a little snippy over the interruption).

  Anyway, she said that we would be presenting Myrddin to the Stonebridge Conclave on the following Wednesday, and that I could see him then (so nice of her to inform me of that well ahead of time, by the way...). I tried to ask for an earlier appointment, but she said that he was booked up for the foreseeable, as if I didn’t know what that meant!

  That left me a little edgy, nervous about wasting time with Evelina on the line. But, funnily enough, I didn’t feel any terrible sense of urgency about it. I felt as if I had time. Not a vast amount of time, but a little. That did not mesh well with my natural tendencies and inclinations, but it did allow me to take my mind off things, at least a little. I even managed, after a fashion, relaxing a bit as the weekend began.

  Un
fortunately, as was so often the case in my life, my brief state of peace came to a screaming halt after far too short a time.

  That Saturday morning, when I staggered into my breakfast room, I discovered a half-naked stranger sitting in my chair.

  I had to admit, she was one good-looking woman. She was tall and leggy, with a trim figure, but soft at the modest bust and hips. Her hair was cut short and buzzed on the left side, her lips were a little thin, but her cheekbones were well defined and her eyes were dark and sparkling with intelligence. She wore a woman’s business shirt, barely buttoned, and little else; it was an effort to drag my eyes from socially-awkward places.

  The stranger took me in with a glace, her gaze lingering on my scarred cheek.

  "Yuk, what the hell are you?!" she said.

  Well, that dropped her perfect ten down to a far more modest two-point-five in no time flat...

  I pulled my dressing gown a bit tighter about my person.

  "A Magician. Who are you?" I asked, trying my very best to be polite. I didn’t need another enemy.

  "Why is that your business?"

  Wow, why was she so hostile? And so early in the morning?

  "Well, this is my house, that's my seat and you're eating my bacon, so... that's why it's my business."

  She snorted and rocked back in the antique chair, making it creak dangerously. I couldn’t keep from wincing.

  "Pull the other one. This house belongs to my girlfriend," she said.

  Ah...

  "Tethys!" I bellowed, more as a distress call than anything else.

  "Coming, coming!" I heard her shout. She wasn't far off and came barrelling in wearing her silk night-things.

  She fetched up against me (nearly knocking me over; neither of us were at our best, first thing) before looking at the stranger, then back to me and grinning broadly.

  "Right. Matty, this is Alexandra Ross, my friend. Lexi, this is Mathew Graves, my... significant other."

  "Significant other?" Ross replied, her lips twisting into a snarl. "I don't date attached girls. Or straight girls."

  I sighed. I loved Tethys, but sometimes her shenanigans could be a handful. Imagine having a conversation like this with three very possessive Werewolf triplets near the full moon, and you’ll understand a little of what I’d had to deal with (and yes, they were in heat. I don’t want to talk about it—such a mess).

  "We're not together," Tethys explained. "We're family."

  Ross looked between us. "I don't see it.”

  I sighed again and picked up a plate, heading for the heated chafing dishes. With so many staff running around the place (not to mention Tethys' occasional friends), Miss Jenkins (the chef) had taken to putting out buffet trays with various breakfast things inside. Cassandra had yet to leave a full tray at the end of a breakfast shift.

  "None the less," Tethys replied, sidling over to perch on Ross' lap. "It would be nice if you got along."

  "Like I give a crap about some guy," Ross replied, wrapping her arms around Tethys. She smiled, and the expression transformed her face into something rather radiant, "You're the only one I'm here for."

  Tethys giggled. I served myself bacon, eggs and toast before carrying them back to the table. Cassandra came in a few minutes later, yawning widely, but immaculately dressed. She paused when she saw Ross.

  "Who's the new girl?" she asked, taking in the Succubus on Ross' lap and drawing the natural conclusion.

  Tethys introduced them and Ross glared at Cassandra. "I don't like the way she looks at you," Ross said to Tethys. The Succubus was busy nuzzling at Ross' neck and didn’t seem to notice.

  I raised an eyebrow at that. Normally the jealous ones didn’t get past Tethys’ version of initial screening, as they weren’t really equipped for a relationship with a Succubus. Apparently Ross had slipped through the cracks. There was no way this ended well, but I couldn’t say that really bothered me too much...

  Cassandra just laughed at the comment and piled up her own plate before joining me at the table.

  "You find something funny, bitch?" Ross snarled once Cassandra had sat down.

  The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees on the spot.

  Cassandra opened her mouth, but I beat her to it.

  "You will maintain a civil tongue in my house or you will be removed from it, do you understand me?" I said quietly.

  It was one thing to be rude to me, I was used to it, but Cassandra had literally not said anything beyond “Nice to meet you.”

  I wasn’t having it, not in my home (and certainly not while I was trying to eat).

  "And just how do you intend to go about that, kid?" she said with a smirk, standing up and dislodging Tethys, who stood back with a frown on her face.

  "Before I answer, let me ask you a question. Have you ever been to New Zealand?"

  "What? No, why?" she asked. "Are you slow or something?"

  "Nope.”

  A Portal opened up under her feet and she squawked as she fell through it.

  "What did you do? Where did you send her?!" Tethys said, sounding genuinely worried.

  "New Zealand."

  SPLASH!

  I winced and looked down through the Portal.

  "Oh... um, a hundred feet off the coast of New Zealand," I corrected.

  I shut down the Portal, cutting off some rather inventive swearing.

  Portals Spells were, as a rule, difficult to do on the fly. That was why any Space Magician with common sense went to the effort of ‘fixing’ some locations in their mind in case of an emergency. It required immense amounts of practice, concentration and power to conjure a Portal quickly, requiring a brute force approach that I didn't really like to employ with Magic, but it was a damn useful skill to have. I had three such 'Emergency Portals' in my repertoire; Hopkins' house (where I'd first learned the technique), Blackhold (for obvious reasons) and the southernmost part of New Zealand, which was about as far away from my home as I could conceivably get while still remaining on the planet.

  That last one I’d mostly learned for my own amusement, more or less precisely for this sort of situation. Perhaps it was a little petty, but Ross’ squawk was rather funny.

  "Matty!" Tethys said with a frown. "It is not okay to banish my girlfriends!"

  "It's not like it's permanent, she'll be back eventually."

  Assuming she could adequately explain how she’d turned up in a foreign country without a passport, money or luggage...

  But before I could even start to gloat, a Portal opened to my left and a very pissed off, very moist, Ross came charging through, her eyes sparking with power as she came at me.

  That was a bit of a surprise, I had to say, and I was taken aback for a moment.

  Tethys always did know how to pick them, and this time she had apparently chosen a pretty talented Space Magician (something I was running into a lot lately, which was odd, because they were almost as rare as Shadowborn), I cast Mage Sight to see what I was dealing with, quickly confirming my first thought.

  She was a mid-range Wizard, not unimpressive, power-wise, but I didn’t need to worry. The mismatch was actually laughable. Hell, it would have been laughable even if we weren't in Blackhold Manor, one of my Places of Power and a building packed with defensive enchantments and controlled by Mira, who was over-protective of me at the best of times.

  That meant that Ross, in spite of being a Magician, couldn’t have known who I was, or she'd never have tried something as stupid as lunging at me in my own home. That might have been a refreshing idea under different circumstances.

  She actually tried to punch me. I expected the house's defences to kick in, but Cassandra kicked faster. My Warden landed her heavy work-shoe right in Ross' crotch, and she wasn't gentle about it (not that I'm sure that there is such a thing as a gentle kick to the groin...).

  Tethys and I both winced as Ross squealed. She was propelled two feet into the air before landing on suddenly shaky feet and collapsing next to the table, double
d over.

  "Now, are you going to behave?" Cassandra asked menacingly once Ross had a moment to breathe.

  Tethys held her head in her hands and I patted her back.

  Ross nodded, and Cassandra stepped back before glaring at me, "And what were you doing? Just sitting there like a lemon!"

  "Huh?" I said, wondering how I'd suddenly ended up in the line of fire.

  "A stranger attacks you and what? You do nothing?"

  "Why would I? The house is packed with defences," I pointed out, picking up my cutlery so I could start my breakfast.

  Cassandra harrumphed, but didn't press the issue, as Ross was getting up.

  "Who the hell are you people?" she gasped, rubbing her aching bits in a way that was not distracting, I promise.

  "This is Mathew Graves, First Shadow and Archon of the Deep. I am Cassandra Vallaincourt, his Warden Commander," Cassandra said, very impressively.

  "What the hell's an Archon?" Ross replied.

  Cassandra blinked.

  "You don't know what an Archon is?" she replied.

  "Should I?" Ross snapped.

  Wow, that was new!

  Cassandra explained. It took a while, as explaining the role of an Archon in society, and how that translated into political, social, cultural and actual power was not something that could be covered in a minute... or so I thought.

  "Oh for the love of- he's one of the five kings of magic," Tethys explained, cutting right through the crap while Cassandra was in the middle of a bit about the legal authorities of local Conclaves as they pertained to their counties' Pureborn populations.

  Ross' eyes had long since glazed over, and Tethys had been growing increasingly agitated (she’d also started to squirm in that way that told me that she was thinking less than wholesome thoughts and wanted to get the whole conversation over with so that she could make them a reality; hence the interruption).

  "What, him?" Ross said. "But he's... he’s so... hideous!"

  Cassandra broke out laughing and Tethys went bright red.

  "That's enough out of you," the Succubus said, taking Ross by the hand and leading her off at a pretty fair clip.