Magic Reborn: The Peacesmith Series: Book1, A New Adult Urban Fantasy Novel

by Carly Hansen

  “This isn’t about Angelo Lab’s research. I’ll have you know that we’re already beta testing the serum, and it’s working just fine, thank you.”

  “Well, if all is well with your little experiment, what do you need me for?”

  “Do you know of a place called Birstall?”

  Fenix’s heart skipped a beat just at the mention of that name. She’d spent the last five years trying to erase all memories of it, along with her entire past, from her mind.

  She leaned against the pillar to try to steady herself. Too many painful images of her last moments in that place threatened to come flooding back.

  “I’ve heard of it,” Alda said. “Small tourist town on the coast, near the border with the Northern Region. What about it?”

  Micha lowered his voice. “I’ve just received a report about three deaths there. Three humans.”

  “Well, I can’t help you there. I can heal the sick, but if someone’s already dead, there’s nothing I can do. And besides, human laws and those of the Academy forbid casters to work with humans who are not their helpers.”

  “Don’t try to hide behind the Academy’s rules with me, Alda,” Micha said, knitting his brows.

  “The rules are what they are. I don’t make them.”

  “You go against those laws when it suits your interests.”

  “What you’re talking about?”

  “The Academy forbids casters to have dealings with descendants of Eurus Angelo. If you followed that rule to a tee, you wouldn’t be in this building.”

  “I was in this building years before you bought it from the previous owner. And you and I never signed a contract concerning my staying on here. So, technically, I’ve never had dealings with you.”

  Micha smiled, revealing brilliant white teeth. “That’s one way of looking at things.”

  Alda said nothing.

  “Listen, Alda,” Micha said. “If it works to your advantage to interpret the rules as narrowly meaning that casters are forbidden from helping Angelo Labs in its research, then you can’t refuse to also narrowly interpret the rules when they come out to my advantage.”

  Alda folded her arms closer to her body and remained silent.

  “But…” Micha now spoke in a softer voice. “This isn’t about me personally gaining any advantage. It’s much bigger than that. It can affect the balance of power among supernaturals.”

  Alda snorted. “I’m not a supernatural. I’m just an old woman who casts a few spells here and there. I don’t see how I fit into this business of maintaining the balance of power among supernaturals.”

  “I need help in collecting evidence to find out how those humans were killed.”

  “So why come to me?”

  “You and Carpetha have the last two space-bending wands. Since I’ll have nothing to do with Carpetha, you’re the only one who can help me get to those bodies quickly enough.”

  “Why are the deaths of three humans in a far-off city so important to you?”

  “I have reason to believe they were killed by werewolves.”

  “Werewolves?” Alda said. Her hand immediately reached up and tugged at a chain around her neck. Fenix knew a white, pebble-like pendant hung at the end of that chain.

  Micha’s blue eyes gleamed as they followed the witch’s gesture. He seemed to become a bit more agitated.

  Alda composed herself, then snorted. “There are no werewolves in this region.”

  “There aren’t supposed to be,” Micha said. “At least, not according to the treaty signed by the League of Supernaturals. That’s why we must get to those victims before the humans. Their clumsy methods of handling bodies might destroy any evidence related to supernatural activity.”

  “Did you say ‘we’?”

  “Actually, I meant you,” Micha said, lowering his voice somewhat. “I can’t go to Birstall myself, nor can anyone under me because that border region is supposed to be neutral territory.”

  “Just what, exactly, are you imagining I would do for you?”

  Micha dipped his hand into the inner pocked of his jacket, then displayed three small tubes to Alda. “These should be used to collect blood from as close to the wounds as possible.”

  Alda stared at the tubes.

  “You just need to get the samples and bring them back to me,” Micha said. “Angelo Labs will do the rest.”

  Micha moved closer to Alda, stretching out the small containers to her, but she remained immobile.

  “We need to hurry, Alda,” he said, sounding irritated. “We’ve already lost a lot of time.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t help you.”

  “Why not?”

  “I have a very sick patient upstairs.”

  “Since when have you brought patients here?”

  “It’s one of my helpers. I can’t leave him now. He could take a turn for the worse at any moment.”

  Micha paced before Alda as he stared at the floor. Suddenly, he stopped. “Well, if you can’t go, then use your wand to send your other helpers to Birstall.”

  “I’m not lending you my crew. They work for me alone.”

  Micha folded his arms and leaned into Alda. “You’ve refused to cooperate, so you’ve left me no choice but to get tough with you, Alda.”

  The witch gave the stranger a nasty stare.

  Micha narrowed his eyes. “Either you help me collect this evidence or you’ll have to clear out from this building before the night is over.”

  “You can’t do that!” Alda’s eyes blazed with anger.

  “Oh, yes I can. I own this building, remember?”

  The stranger’s arrogance made Fenix’s blood boil. How dare he threaten to throw Alda out of the place she’d lived in for decades?

  Anger raged fiercer inside Fenix as she realized any move to evict Alda would also abruptly end her own existence here as well. She scowled at the stranger. How dare he rob her of the one place she’d come to think of as home?

  Fenix pulled out the knife from the sheath at her side. She held it in both hands, flicked her wrist, and envisioned a long, heavy Viking sword.

  Properly armed, she charged toward the stranger. “We’re not going anywhere,” she growled.

  Alda turned and shouted. “Fenix, what do you think you’re doing?”

  The stranger opened his eyes wide and stared at Fenix.

  She was taken aback by Alda’s angry tone.

  And she hadn’t anticipated the strange feeling of giddy happiness or the weakness that would suddenly come to her knees when Micha’s eyes fell on her.

  His arrogance still enraged her, though, and she fought against the strange, new sensations in her body.

  “This man can’t just waltz in here and threaten to throw us out.” Fenix raised her sword so that it pointed right at Micha’s throat. “Let me show him what it’s like to face a real threat.”

  Alda pushed the sword away.

  Micha’s eyes roved from Fenix’s flat cap, to her military boots, and then back. It annoyed her that he seemed more amused than terrified.Suddenly, the amusement drained from his face. Fenix observed how Micha’s body stiffened as he pressed his lips together, forming a hard line. He narrowed his eyes, which seemed to reflect…what? Disdain? Maybe. Fenix was surprised that she was even more bothered by this than she’d been when she’d thought he’d been amused.

  “Leave this to me,” Alda shouted.

  “But—” Fenix protested.

  “Go to your quarters and stay there until I come upstairs.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing. Go upstairs, now.”

  ********

  Fenix lay on her bed, thinking about how much she hated the way Alda often shut any protest down by shouting “but nothing.” What did that even mean? she thought grumpily as she watched the witch walk in.

  “What did you think you were doing?”

  “I was defending you.” Fenix sat up. “I was protecting our home.”

  “You didn’t think
I could handle matters myself?”

  “Well, from what I overheard, it didn’t exactly sound like you had that guy eating out of the palm of your hand.”

  “And a fine job you’ve done in saving the day.” Alda propped her fists on her hips in her usual sarcastic pose. “I’m sure I could’ve turned him away empty-handed—eventually. But now that he’s seen you, he insists on having the three of you help him get this evidence.”

  Alda’s last sentence sent Fenix’s heart racing. She didn’t quite understand what Alda meant when she said “now that he’s seen you,” and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.

  “Who is this guy anyway?” Fenix asked casually. At least, she tried to make the words come out that way.

  Alda raised her hands in the air and let out what sounded like an exasperated breath. “Micha Angelo!”

  “Yeah, as if that’s supposed to mean anything to me.”

  “Fenix Graystone, you’re such a child.” Alda sighed and shook her head. “You know so little about this world.”

  “What? I’m supposed to know who this character is?”

  “Micha Angelo is the most powerful surviving descendant of Eurus Angelo of the Umbra Region. The only one to have come over to this continent. There’s a handful of them still in the Umbra Region. Thankfully, that branch of the clan is no longer quite the force to reckon with as in the old days.”

  “What’s so special about these Angelo people anyway?”

  Alda drew closer and lowered her voice. “Before the Academy of Casters was formed, Eurus Angelo was the chief mage with authority over all witches and wizards across the world. But then he went power crazy. We casters tend to live longer than most other humans because the magic we handle slows down the aging process, but living for centuries wasn’t enough for Eurus. He didn’t want to age. Worse, he craved immortality. So, he kidnapped a young vampire and had her convert him.”

  “Wait a minute.” Fenix jumped off the bed. “When you say the guy downstairs is a descendant of this Eurus Angelo character, are you talking about a human descendant or a vampire?”

  Alda raised her eyebrows.

  “You mean vampire, don’t you?” Fenix said.

  Alda nodded. “Micha is one of the strongest there is anywhere in the world.”

  “What?”

  “Eurus was trying to make a race of super vampires to be his slaves. He would shower himself in every magical ability he could muster before he went hunting for subjects to convert. He failed to transfer magical abilities to them. But what did happen was that his converts had more strength, speed, and sensory powers than the average vampire.”

  “You’re kidding me.”

  Alda grabbed Fenix’s arm. “Why would I do that?”

  The expression on her face told Fenix the witch was dead serious.

  “Descendants of Eurus Angelo are dangerous,” Alda whispered. “They were made to dominate, by all means necessary. Subjugation of others is their sport.”

  Alda squeezed Fenix’s arm tighter and threw a watchful eye toward the door. “That’s why I’m worried for you.”

  “Me?” Fenix tried to pull her arm away, but Alda’s grip was vice-like.

  “You’re not like the others,” the witch said.

  Fenix’s heart banged so hard against her chest she thought her ribs would crack.

  Alda must have seen the horror in her eyes, because the witch released her grip somewhat.

  “I’ve called you ‘boy’ and gone along with your game,” Alda said. “But I’ve known that part of your secret all this time, my dear.”

  Fenix was glad now that Alda was holding on to her so tightly, because the witch’s words made her legs suddenly inadequate for the job of keeping her upright.

  She felt naked and foolish. All her lies and pretenses had been totally transparent to Alda all this time. Often, just after she’d awoken, she’d look at herself in the mirror and rejoice at how she’d succeeded in tricking everyone around her for so long. Now, she realized, where Alda was concerned, the joke had been on her as the witch had only been humoring her all along.

  Alda looked Fenix deep in the eyes. “What I haven’t been able to figure out is what you are. I can sense that there’s magic inside you. But what exactly are your powers? And what’s their source?”

  Fenix swallowed hard, unable to say anything.

  “You don’t even know, do you?” Alda shook her head.

  Alda released her grip, and Fenix dropped to her bed, landing on her bottom.

  She stared at her boot, wishing she could scream.

  No, she didn’t know what the devil it was that would so often come over her. She didn’t know what kind of creature it made her. Power? Was it a power, or a curse, that flowed through her?

  Whatever it was, she didn’t know how to control it. It had destroyed her life once already, and she felt like she was losing the battle to prevent it from doing so again.

  Alda paced in front of the bed. “Micha apparently doesn’t know what you are, either,” she said. “But he senses something. I can see it in his eyes. And that’s why I can’t send you out there to work for him.”

  Alda stopped pacing, and the two stared at each other.

  “Descendants of Eurus run on an instinct to seek out and destroy other supernaturals, casters, or even humans for that matter, who threaten their position,” Alda said. “Micha has been working on a serum to try to counter that nature. He says it’s working. And from what I’ve heard, it has been successful for him and lesser vampires—so far, that is.”

  “What are you afraid of?”

  “Who knows if that serum will be effective forever? The scent of some supernatural he was made to destroy could trigger the worst in him.”

  Fenix didn’t even have a chance to process that thought. A commotion outside the door caused her to jump to her feet.

  Chapter 4

  Alda and Fenix rushed into the hall, just as Micha burst through the door.

  Java and Twain tumbled in behind him.

  Java stretched a hand out toward Micha, missing him and grabbing thin air as he cried out, “No. Stop. Stop.”

  At the same time, with his other hand, Java fought off Twain, whose peg leg banged against the frame of the door as he jostled his way in.

  “What is this?” Alda hissed.

  “We have no more time to waste, Alda,” Micha said. “You must send your helpers to Birstall immediately.”

  His eyes burned with determination. Fenix couldn’t help noticing that they were almond-shaped and quite attractive.

  Observing the way he narrowed them, though, Fenix could see the point Alda had been making about this guy wanting to dominate those around him.

  Twain held up a vial. “He said he would pay us good money just to fill this little bottle.”

  Java pushed Twain back and looked at Alda with his big, innocent eyes. “I tried to stop him from coming upstairs. I told him you wouldn’t like it.”

  “Oh, shut up, Java.” Twain thumped Java in the back, causing him to stumble forward. “When did we ever have such an easy chance to make good money? I know you want in too.”

  Fenix shook her head. This wasn’t good. Twain was usually quite protective over Java. The whole gang was since Java was the youngest at just fourteen years old.

  Alda glared at Micha. “How dare you come in here and sow division among my crew?”

  “What division? They came downstairs, so the three of us had a nice little talk. Just say the word and both these brave young men will happily join this mission.”

  Fenix circled Java.

  “Is that true?” she said. “You really want to do what he’s asking us to do?”

  In the time she’d spent under Alda’s roof, one thing she’d come to be sure of was Java’s loyalty to the witch. As the older crew members, she, Ivan, and Twain could be a rambunctious bunch sometimes, goading or resisting Alda. It was almost always in sport, and it helped ease the tension after they came off some
hairy enterprise. Java, though, never did. He’d been disowned by his family, and Fenix figured his boyish need for a parental figure prevented him from showing anything other than loyalty to Alda.

  Java shrugged.

  He looked at Alda with eager eyes. “Right now, you barter your services for food and supplies. I’ve never complained because I’m happy here. But Twain’s right. This is the best chance—the only chance—for us to make good money.”

  Fenix’s jaw almost dropped. Maybe Alda had called it right, after all, when she’d moaned about the gang beginning to unravel.

  Alda narrowed her eyes. “Has Ivan been talking to you about money?”

  Java let his gaze fall to the ground. Twain fidgeted in his spot.

  “You fully understand what this mission of his involves?” Fenix said to Java, nudging her head in Micha’s direction.

  “We just need to get some blood samples,” Java said.

  Micha slid his hand under his jacket and pulled out three thin bands. “And I’ll need you to capture everything you can with these.”

  “What’s that?” Java widened his eyes.

  “Recording bracelets.” Micha dangled what looked like thin, silver wristwatch straps. “Packed into each of these is a tiny computer. It takes high-definition photos and video. There’s a night-vision mechanism, too, so these can be used even in total darkness. It’s new technology. Angelo Labs is one of the few companies to have these devices.”

  This guy was not just domineering, but rather boastful too, Fenix thought.

  “You’ve got some nerve,” Alda said. “You do realize my crew will have to go behind police tape to collect your evidence, don’t you?”

  “When I got wind of this, the police hadn’t yet arrived on the scene. If you’d gone as soon as I’d asked, you probably would have beaten the police to the bodies. However, it is possible the crime scenes will be cordoned off by the time your helpers get there.”

  “When it comes to casters,” Alda said, “the policy is to arrest first and ask questions later. At best, my boys could be detained for weeks before the police figure out they work for someone with a license to practice magic. At worst—”