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

by Carly Hansen

  Cold slowly coursed through her. It invaded her entire body. She stood, numb and frozen.

  Yet, she wasn’t standing frozen anymore.

  She was light, very light. It felt as if she had no weight and was floating.

  She was now in the dark room with Micha as he stood and spoke. Before her was a long table with twenty-five figures.

  What was she supposed to search for exactly? What did she have to do to get the information to help her get to Catelyn?

  None of the vampires seemed to be aware of her. They were focused on Micha, except one who stared at his fingernails, and two others sitting on opposite sides of the table who exchanged glances.

  Micha was the only one speaking, but his was not the only voice ringing in Fenix’s ears. The vocalized thoughts of the twenty-five made for a riotous cacophony.

  She swirled about the room, touching each vampire on the shoulder. No one even noticed her hand as it came down and rested on them. She tried to drown out the noise of all the voices, trying to focus on each individual’s essence. It felt as if she slammed up against a wall of violence and brutality.

  Some in the room had fed not long before and were relishing the delirious pleasure they’d taken in the kill. Others had murderous thoughts of dealing with enemies, and one had resolved to slay a young female human companion who’d betrayed him with a human lover.

  The two who exchanged glances were definitely not impressed with what Micha was saying. The thin one with a drawn face was determined to stop him at all costs, even to the point of killing him. The older one with a shock of white hair was even more determined to ensure that Micha’s experiment would not spread outside the Eastern Region, but wanted to bide his time.

  None of the faces and nothing in this room seemed connected in any way with Catelyn.

  Fenix feared that what she was looking for was in here somewhere, but she just didn’t know how to find it. Or was it that there nothing to find and she had just wasted precious time and energy chasing a false lead?

  Whatever the answer, she couldn’t stay here a second longer.

  She had to get back.

  A moment of panic flickered as she wondered how to return. It weighed her down, but she tossed it off as her entire being concentrated on one thought: She had to get back to find Catelyn.

  The next second, she was back in her body, standing before the light box. Her head was spinning. Every inch of her was aflame with intense pain. Her knees buckled under her, and she fell against Gaius’ chest.

  He stumbled back, but he wrapped his arm around Fenix to brace her.

  “It didn’t work,” Fenix said, her throat tight. “I didn’t find anything.”

  “Nothing at all?”

  “Maybe the information we needed was right there before me, but I couldn’t see it. I didn’t know what I was supposed to look for exactly.” Feeling miserable, she grabbed her head and pulled her flat cap down around her ears. All she wanted to do was to curl up in a ball and howl.

  “It’s okay, Fenix,” Gaius whispered.

  “It’s not okay.” Fenix tried to push him away, but she was too weak to do even that. “I’m no good at this. I failed to get anything useful. I failed Catelyn…yet again.”

  Her mind was still swirling, and the lingering pain in her body made her feel as if she would throw up any second. She couldn’t keep upright, even with Gaius’ arms bearing her up.

  “Come, sit for a while,” he said.

  He led her to a little alcove in Micha’s office where three leather armchairs were arranged on a rug.

  “Rest here,” Gaius said. “You need to regain your strength.” He lowered her into the chair closest to a black door.

  As soon as the back of her thighs touched the soft leather, a white light flashed across her eyes, blinding her. The lower half of a face appeared in front of her closed eyes, and a tremor of recognition rippled through her body.

  Fenix dug her fingers into Gaius’ flesh and held on tight.

  “I see him,” she gasped.

  Chapter 34

  From behind a mirrored glass, Micah watched the two men in cheap suits enter the conference room. They were clearly unaware that they were being watched and listened to via a microphone built into the large, gray metal conference table. The men surveyed the original artwork on the walls and the ancient vases that stood on pedestals. The younger man ran his hand along the leather executive chair before pulling it out and sprawling into it.

  “So, they’re federal special agents, are they?” Micah said.

  “Yes, Packard and Runcey,” Dr. Prentice said. “They insist on speaking with the person in charge. They haven’t explained what for. Said it’s a sensitive matter.”

  “I don’t like law enforcement sniffing around Angelo Labs.” Mica clapped his hand down on the doctor’s shoulder. “I’ll listen in. Keep your mind open just in case I need to interject in the conversation.”

  The doctor nodded and left. Shortly after, he walked into conference room and shook hands with the men. Micah folded his arms and watched on.

  “How can I help you, gentlemen?” the doctor said.

  “Are you in charge of this company?” the older man said.

  “No, but I’m Dr. Edward Prentice, chief researcher on duty tonight. I can answer your questions, or note them if I don’t have an immediate answer.”

  Packard held up a tablet with the police sketch. “Know this individual?”

  From behind the mirrored glass, Micah’s narrowed his eyes and looked at the screen. He was startled when he recognized the features of the person being sought. The face in the sketch looked very masculine, but there was an unmistakable resemblance to Fenix.

  He decided he would have to take charge of this interview. He focused on Dr. Prentice’s mind and projected his thoughts to him. Tell them you can’t say that you do.

  “Can’t say that I do,” the doctor said.

  Packard shifted in his seat. “This person traveled to Tresmort on the bullet train a night ago.”

  “And?”

  “The security cameras show him exiting carriage number twelve in the company of a young man who we believe is one of your employees.”

  Packard scrolled through photos of four people disembarking the train and walking through the station. The figures were small. When the agent enlarged them, they were fuzzy.

  But, viewing from behind the mirrored glass, Micah recognized himself, Fenix, Twain, and Java. He projected an attitude of indifference into Dr. Prentice’s head.

  The doctor looked at the agent and shrugged. “So?” he said.

  “We understand that’s a private carriage leased by Angelo Labs.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “We’re hoping you could help us identify and locate that individual.”

  “What’s this all about? Is this person in some kind of trouble?”

  “Not at the moment. We just want to talk with him about a crime scene in Birstall. We have reason to believe he was there the same night that he took the train.”

  “Sorry, but I can’t help you there.”

  “But this individual traveled in this company’s private car. Surely you have a record of who this person is.”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “How so, Dr. Prentice?”

  “For one thing, I can tell you that the person in your sketch is not a member of our staff.”

  “So why was he was traveling in your private car on the train?”

  “Angelo Labs develops a wide range of medications, and we run hundreds of clinical trials. That means we have a huge demand for test subjects that we’re almost desperate to fill. If someone from out of town is interested in becoming a test subject, they can simply inquire. We provide transportation to get them here to come check us out. But until they actually sign on for a clinical trial, they remain anonymous.”

  “You don’t require them to provide a name to board your private car?”

  “We don’t requi
re ID. But they do provide names in order to be issued a pass to get into the private car. We get everything from Daffy Duck to Venus Mars, so you can understand that we don’t take any info they give us seriously until they sign on as test subjects.”

  “Where do you do your tests?”

  “Right here at Angelo Labs.”

  “If the individual we’re seeking became a test subject, he would likely be here, right now?”

  “I make it my business to be familiar with all our test subjects, Special Agent Packard, and I can tell you the person you’re looking for is not one of them.”

  Packard rapped his fingers on the metal table and pursed his lips.

  Micah rummaged through the silver-haired agent’s mind. Once he got past the lawman’s craving for a shot of whiskey, his anger at being transferred from his old job to the Eastern Region, and his excitement to finally have a chance to break a paranormal case, Micah found little there.

  He was pleased. The agent had no search warrant, and all he could do was throw out questions during this fishing expedition.

  With his mind, Micha told the doctor to look down at his watch and Dr. Prentice complied.

  Packard cleared his throat. “All the same, would you do us a favor and check your records to come up with a list of everyone who came off the train the night in question. We may want to speak with them.”

  “Not a problem. I’ll do that right after our meeting.”

  Micha commanded the doctor to get to his feet.

  “Well, if that’s all, gentlemen,” Dr. Prentice said, “I’m sure you can understand I must get back to work.”

  Almost reluctantly, Packard also rose from his chair, and Runcey did as well.

  “Oh, there’s one thing,” Packard said.

  The doctor had his hand on the door, but stopped and looked at Packard. “What?”

  “That employee, the one who’s in the suit in the photo at the train station, exiting in front of the boy we’re after. Can we have a word with him?”

  Micah signaled to Dr. Prentice exactly what he was to say.

  “I can assure you, gentlemen, that was no employee of Angelo Labs.”

  “You’re telling me he’s one of your freeloaders?”

  “I don’t recognize him as a test subject. But I’ll check to see if he’s on the list, too, all the same.”

  Chapter 35

  “Who do you see?” Gaius asked.

  Images flashed through Fenix’s mind at lightning speed, crossing up and forming a mosaic of terror and savagery.

  Cold eyes stare mercilessly at victims. Bared fangs sink into flesh. Brutal lips suck on the profusion of blood that flows from unkind wounds.

  The lips part in cruel glee as heads are shaved and bodies are mauled.

  The same lips part to utter harsh words. The lips come close and almost touch a small, feminine ear.

  The listener reaches up and covers her ears…and pink locks fall across her fingers.

  “Who is it, Fenix? Who do you see?”

  Gaius’ voice jolted Fenix to the present.

  “The bastard who has Catelyn.” A shudder ran through her body. “He’s the same one who killed those girls in Birstall.”

  Just then, Micha walked into the room with a phone to his ear.

  “Yes, I’ll need a new vehicle,” he said. “Have it ready within the next fifteen minutes.”

  He looked down at the picture of Packard and Runcey, which he had captured on his phone, and shook his head. “We have a spot of trouble with two special agents. Fenix, they know you were in Birstall at that crime scene. And they have photos of us leaving the bullet train.”

  He slid the phone into his pocket and shrugged. “But it’s nothing to worry about. I believe we can send them away empty-handed. Still, I’m taking a few precautions on this mission.”

  Micha looked up at Fenix and suddenly went quiet. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You don’t look well.”

  Fenix answered almost without thinking. “I’ve seen who has the girl.”

  The trail of the killer vampire’s essence was strong. Fenix felt it grating against her bones. She shot across the room, following it.

  The trail led her right to the tall, black door.

  Images kept flashing before her eyes, but only of the face from the nose down.

  “Which one of the Council members is it?”

  “None of them.”

  “None?” Micha widened his eyes.

  “None?” Gaius also asked. He held Fenix steady as she placed her hand on the door.

  The energy of the trail banged into her bones. She focused on what she could see of the face. “He has a deep cleft in his chin.”

  “A cleft in his…” Micha let his voice trail off as he furrowed his brow.

  “And there’s a dark scar on the left side of his nose.”

  “A scar?” Micha said. “Did you say a scar on the left side of his nose?”

  Fenix nodded, and Micha dashed across to his desk.

  The energy of the trail jackhammered into Fenix’s hand. She looked at Gaius. “The essence is strong here,” she said.

  “You think there’s something behind this door?”

  “Has to be.”

  Micha returned, holding the tablet. He scrolled through photos, and then stopped. He turned the device to Fenix.

  “This him?”

  The photo showed a tall, distinguished-looking man in his fifties wearing an expensive suit. It was a full-body shot, so Fenix enlarged the image on the screen to get a closer look at the face.

  “This is him!”

  “Impossible!” Micha pulled the tablet from Fenix’s hand and scrutinized the photo.

  “It’s him. I’m sure of it.”

  “You couldn’t have seen him in the hologravid. He wasn’t even at that event.”

  “I didn’t see him in the light box,” Fenix said.

  “Where did you see him then?”

  “In a vision,” she blurted out.

  Too late, Fenix realized Gaius had been shaking his head to get her to keep quiet. She wanted to recall the words immediately after they left her lips.

  Micha stared at her. “You saw him in a vision? What do you mean by that?”

  Fenix had to think quickly. “Alda gave me a charm that allows me to see into the past and the present.”

  “Well, Alda’s magic seems to have gone wonky over the centuries.”

  Fenix glared at Micha. “This is the vampire who has Catelyn, the kidnapped girl. And he’s the one who fed on those girls in Birstall.”

  Micha slipped his fingers through a tuft of hair and yanked at it. “What you’re saying is crazy.” He stared at the photo on the tablet. “It’s impossible.”

  Gaius stretched out his hand for the device.

  Micha looked at him stonily for a couple of seconds, but then slapped the device into Gaius’ palm in disgust.

  “Who is this?” Gaius said, surveying the face.

  Micha exhaled. “Baldwin, my second in command.”

  Fenix leaned against the black door, feeling wasted. “What’s behind here?” she asked.

  Micha looked at her with bewildered eyes. “That door connects Baldwin’s office with mine.”

  “Where’s Baldwin now?”

  “I can’t reach him on the phone. But I’m sure he’s on the way.”

  Fenix nudged her head toward the door. “Can you let me in there?”

  “What for?”

  “Maybe I can find a piece of clothing or something that belongs to him that can help me get a clearer vision.”

  Apparently exasperated, Micha jostled past Gaius to stand in front of the door. He raised his palm, and it slid open.

  “You don’t know what you’re saying.” Micha shook his head. “Baldwin has been with me for centuries. He fought alongside me to defeat the evil monster who created me, and he’s been with me through all manner of battles ever since. When I went dormant for over a century, he took care of my affai
rs for me. He’s the most loyal servant and friend I’ve ever known.”

  Fenix stepped into the office. The air was thick with traces of the owner’s essence. She walked across the room to Baldwin’s chair at his desk.

  She held onto the backrest, her body freezing. An image rolled before her eyes.

  Baldwin’s on a plane or train, heading back to Tresmort. He’s speaking, communicating with someone who isn’t in the same place. Not on a phone. There’s shimmering light in front of him. Somehow, whoever he’s conversing with can reach him through the hovering square of light.

  “Kidnapping wasn’t in the plan,” he says angrily. “I don’t like this one bit. I signed on to exterminate those you believed might be the girl your master is after.”

  He paces back and forth, wringing his hands. “What is it to you whether I sated my thirst or not? I got rid of the three candidates on your list, didn’t I? That’s all you need to know.”

  He straightens his tie, scowling as he listens. “How I executed the job is my affair,” he breaks in. “Your master isn’t the only one with a score to settle. This assignment suits my own purposes nicely. Allows me to take care of something that should’ve been done years ago. And right now, after a long time of quiet, painstaking work, I’m in the best position ever to do it.”

  Baldwin sighs and nods. “Yes, I’ll get the girl you think is the sister,” he says. “But if I have to take a live captive in order to lure your peacesmith to her death, tell your master I’m quadrupling my price.”

  Unable to stay upright any more, Fenix slumped forward on the chair.

  ********

  “Are you all right?” Micha asked, walking over to Fenix.

  “Your longtime loyal friend and servant now has a new master,” she said.

  Micha stared at her with unbelieving eyes.

  “Oh, and by the way, he’s not loyal, nor is he your friend.”

  Micha exhaled sharply and turned his head away.

  “Don’t believe me?” Fenix said. “You might want to check up on his work records, because he seems to have been up to something for a while now.”