I might have imagined it, but I thought his tone held a little respect. “I’ve never claimed to be sane.”
“No. You remind me too much of myself, eager to prove your worth, wanting to take on all the risk yourself. You’re close in age to my daughter, but she thankfully takes after her mother. Seeing so much of myself in a young mage like you brought out my protective side. I allowed it to influence the way I treated you.”
“So you don’t think I’m incompetent?”
“Hardly. You uncovered our vulnerabilities. I wish we had more like you. We could use them now. The CCS is in disarray. We can’t effectively carry out our mission. We have to secure our organization before we can even begin chasing down the Director.”
“Are you going to be moving from the greenhouse?”
“Most likely.”
I’d been here for less than a year, but it already seemed like the greenhouse was synonymous with the CCS. Without it, the organization lost part of its identity. I could only imagine how the other agents who had seen the greenhouse as home for so long must feel. I pictured Ess down in the crypt fighting off anyone who dared try to move the archives to a new location. “Will the guardian let you leave?”
Thaddeus snorted. “Ess can be reasoned with. She’ll do what she has to in order to protect the archives. Crazy old mage should have retired ages ago, but she’ll protect the CCS with her life.”
“I’m sorry for all of this.”
“No, you don’t do that.” Thaddeus shook his head. “We don’t apologize for doing the job. All it does is slow us down. You look forward and do what needs to be done, hopefully with a little earned wisdom.”
“So what’s to become of me?” I didn’t know if I was even part of the CCS anymore.
“It’s been decided that you may retain your position as a CCS agent on probation. But as I said, the CCS is in chaos right now. You’ll be helping us rebuild and restart. No matter what Calista and I say, there will be people who don’t trust you.”
“But you do?” I couldn’t help the hope in my voice.
“Yes. You’ve continuously shown, even in your errors, that you put the CCS first.”
“I haven’t though. I didn’t want people to know I was a pidge.”
Thaddeus shrugged. “We all have a right to secrets. If that had been known, it would have hampered your work. It still might. Prejudices run deep. What we need is you in the field chasing down the Director. But if you stay here as an agent, we can’t have you doing that. We can’t run any operations until we know the organization is secure.”
“Even though you trust me.”
“Correct. I trust you to do the right thing for the CCS.”
I felt like he was trying to tell me something. “Lilibet told me once that when you left the military, your troops thought it was a betrayal. But you wanted to keep them safe by eliminating the need for them to fight. You thought you could do that by taking your wife’s seat on the Council and working for the CCS again. You didn’t care what other people thought, and some of them still resent you, but you knew what you did was for the best.”
“Yes. I see the same quality in you.”
“And you trust me.”
“Yes.” Thaddeus opened the door, and without turning to me, said, “You’re due to report in twenty minutes. I’ll tell Millhook to come see you.”
“Thank you, Thaddeus.” I don’t know if he heard me. The door was already shut.
Was he telling me what I thought he was? I had to be sure. If I got this one wrong, I didn’t think I’d be welcomed back. After everything I’d been through, I couldn’t return to a desk. It wasn’t just that I wanted to be in the field, it was that someone had to stop the Directorate. The CCS didn’t have the ability to and wouldn’t for quite some time. Once they were up and working at full speed, Marguerite would have an impossible head start.
But was I simply trying to justify what I wanted?
No. As Thaddeus said, I had always put the CCS first. He trusted me. Now I had to trust myself.
A single knock preceded Millhook’s entrance to my room. “Thaddeus said you needed to see me. I couldn’t get a read on him. Did he tell you what they’ve decided?”
“Yes, but first, can you get Alex?” I still hadn’t ported anyone other than myself, and I didn’t need to try now.
“Sure.” Millhook reappeared so quickly that Alex was still in his panther form. “Now what did Thaddeus have to say?”
Alex shifted, his eyes searching my face for answers. “Have they decided?”
“Yes. I’m welcome to stay as a CCS agent, but I’d be on probation. The CCS will be in chaos for quite a while. They can’t run missions until they’re sure their operations are secure.”
“They’re putting you on probation? That’s ridiculous. If it weren’t for you—”
I held up a hand to stop Alex. “It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.”
“You have a choice here, Kat,” Alex said. “Don’t stay here and put up with this. This is their problem. Let them handle it.”
“Thaddeus said he trusts me, that I always put the CCS first, and he’s right. This isn’t just their mess. I know I didn’t grow up as a mage, but I can’t stand by while innocent people die when there’s something I could do to prevent it. But you’re right, I can’t stay here. It would be a waste of time. Marguerite’s got what she wanted, the clock’s already ticking, and we’re several steps behind her.” I took a breath. “So I’m going to leave here and work on my own. It’s the only chance we have of stopping the Directorate.”
“And where are you going to go?” Alex asked.
“Since we’re pretty sure my mother hid all of her talismans on Earth, I figured that’s the best place to start.”
Millhook rubbed his hands together. “Goody. The Millhook Detective Agency will have this solved in no time.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I cracked a smile. “Naming issues aside, I don’t assume both of you will want to take part in this. It’s going to be dangerous, and there’s no end in sight. In fact, the only chance of this ending soon is if we die.”
“And what are the chances you’re going to learn that we’re not going anywhere? If I didn’t come with you, I’d spend all my time worrying. The sooner we get working on this, the sooner we can put it all behind us,” Alex said.
“And I’m on board as long as we form our own agency,” Millhook said.
“We won’t have the resources of the CCS or the Council. It’s just going to be us, and I plan on sending back as much intelligence to the CCS as I can. I want you to know what you’re getting into.”
“All I need to know is that you’re sure about this,” Alex said.
“I am.”
I looked to Millhook. He shrugged. “This sounds like fun.”
“To Earth then.” I grabbed my satchel, the only thing of mine in the room, and nodded to Millhook. “We need to go now before my shift starts.” I wished I could say goodbye to Lilibet and Kellan, apologize for what I’d done, but they were as busy as I was. Time and space would have to be enough to mend our rift for now.
The imp giggled and formed a portal. Alex walked through first, then I took one last look at my room, checked to make sure my satchel was secure over my shoulder, and stepped through. Millhook followed close behind, and the portal disappeared.
I knew this place.
“It’s about time you guys came back.”
I knew that voice.
Nicole stood in her bedroom doorway looking at the three of us in the middle of her living room. “And you,” she said with her finger pointed at me, “you could visit once in a while.”
She ran and enveloped me in a hug. It was as if I hadn’t left her in Vienna months ago.
“She decided to go with our plan,” Millhook said with a little giggle.
Nicole stepped back from me and surveyed the three of us. “So we’re working together as a team?”
Just like t
hat, no questions, no guilt trip, just friendship. “A lot’s happened since Alex and Millhook left you. The situation has gotten more dangerous.”
“Let me order a pizza and you can fill me in,” Nicole said while grabbing her phone.
“Are you sure?” I couldn’t believe she was fine with me waltzing back into her life when I needed to.
She put the phone down and gave me another hug. “Of course. Guildmates for life and best friends forever.” She pulled back and looked me in the eye. “You’re home now. Let’s get to work.”
Thank you for reading Magic Betrayed!
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About the Author
Caethes's writing is influenced by her observations of this imperfect world and the flawed characters who inhabit it. She enjoys playing RPGs and making up complex backstories for her avatar and the characters she encounters. Caethes has lived in seven states and is always looking for the next place to call home with her husband and dogs. She currently resides in Florida where she's often found at theme parks when she's not writing.
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Copyright © 2017 by Caethes Faron
Cover by Lou Harper
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