With a reluctant sigh, she picked up her phone and called Mark Sorenson.
NINETEEN
The phone had barely rung before Mark answered. “I was hoping I’d hear from you.”
Sage collapsed on her bed, staring at the ceiling, not sure how to begin. Anger was at war with sadness. He was her last true link to the past. To home. Mark might not have lied outright, but omission was just as bad as a lie, and he had failed to tell her what was happening. He might have saved her from a lot of trouble if he’d convinced her to stay. Anger won the battle, sharpening her voice. “Why didn’t you tell me when I was there in Phoenix?”
“It’s quite normal to be skeptical during such a new transition period,” Mark replied flatly. His usually friendly voice betrayed no emotion. “A breaking-in period is often necessary. If you recall, I did extend multiple offers of employment.”
That was a lie. He’d asked her once. He offered her a place to work, as he always had. But that was hardly more than small talk. Had he really wanted her to stay, he could have given her a reason. And as she’d found out, in the worst possible of ways, there were plenty of reasons; yet he’d remained mute. He was being strangely distant. Even the tone of his voice was off. Lacking personality, he spoke to her as if she were a client.
Maybe calling was a bad idea, but she needed answers. Truth. Understanding of what was real and how she fit into it all. “What am I supposed to do?” Sage huffed.
“You’ve been contacted by the Las Vegas office, correct?” he asked, though he had to have already known the answer. Grey had told her earlier that he’d been given her file by the Phoenix office in order to locate her.
“Oh, they rolled out the welcome wagon for me.” Sage countered his neutral tone with snark.
“Miss Cynwrig!” Mark said her name with impatient annoyance. That tone was familiar. Mark had pulled rank on her many times during her youth.
“Yes?” She threw the word back at him. She was not his daughter. Nor would she allow him to talk down to her. He’d relinquished that right–as far as she was concerned–when he’d failed to reveal the truth to her in person.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. The sudden shift in his tone made her wonder what was going on at his end of the conversation. “You’re right to be angry at me. I should have sat you down and told you, but…”
Sage held her breath in anticipation, but Mark left the words hanging in the air.
“But that’s…in the past now.” He sounded like a man itching to say something while at the same time struggling to bite his tongue. “Ava’s got an excellent team in the Las Vegas office. You’ll be well prepared for duties in due course.”
The cryptic shift in conversation only added to her confusion. “What happened to coming to work with you?” He’d asked her every chance he could to come work for him, even before she’d gone off to college. It had always been the family business.
“Unfortunately, Miss Cynwrig, you’re out of my jurisdiction.” His answer came swiftly, and as cold as any she’d received from Ava back at ASSET.
That wasn’t like Mark. “What are you not telling me?” she demanded.
“I assure you, they’re a topnotch agency with an excellent record. You’ll be well protected there.”
He had to be speaking in some kind of code. She believed he was concerned for her safety, but there was a lie in his delivery. What was he not saying? “And I wouldn’t be safe with you?”
“As I’ve already said, you’re out of my jurisdiction. Your concerns have been noted, but at this time, you will have to report to Ava Williams, the director of the Las Vegas office.”
“Vegas or bust, eh?” she asked, trying to decipher his message, searching for the clues in his ambiguous answers. It went against everything she’d ever known of Mark to push her away, when he’d kept her safe all her life. If he thought she was better off where she was, then there had to be some reason for it.
“Educating yourself is a very good place to start. Perhaps you should take some time to research Terras and the beginnings of ASSET,” he suggested. “It might lessen the concerns you’re having during this transition phase.”
“Aren’t you Terra as well?”
“Of course.” His business-like tone faltered for a moment. “And the library within the ASSET facility is an excellent resource–”
“Has something happened there? What are you protecting me from? I need the truth, Mark. I need real answers. From someone I can trust.” She couldn’t hide the desperation in her voice. In the long pause that followed her outburst, she heard her roommate fumbling around the hallway. She’d have to choose her words carefully too from this point on.
“I heard that the ASSET facility in Vegas was hit.” Mark dropped his voice to barely a whisper, as if he too was trying to ensure his words were not overheard. “I’m more relieved than you can know to hear you’re safe. Our facility did not fare as well. Do not come back here.”
“Then nowhere is safe,” Sage said to herself, remembering the sirens and the dark things pouring in from the elevator. She’d never felt so scared in her life.
“There is no better place for you right now than within their protection.” Mark loudly touted ASSET’s security. “Ava’s office is known for having skilled agents, capable of handling any situation.”
“Is this normal? Being attacked at the office? I don’t remember Mom ever–”
“No,” Mark cut her off with another whisper. “We’re in the midst of a war with the magical factions the likes of which have not been seen since the dawn of time.”
“Bad time to be awakened,” she replied.
“It’s why you were awakened! These skirmishes are only the start of the devastation that could spread across the globe. Their attacks are targeting the best of our agents.” His voice remained low, but she caught the desperation in his tone. “Agents with centuries of experience have been mowed down in the field, turned dark, and sent right back after their own people. And when one Terra dies, the next in their line awakens. As you were. Leaving us with nothing but trainees to protect the world from the battles to come. If this continues it will cripple us. You aren’t ready–”
“Because no one trained me,” she snapped back at him. “If I had been told what my destiny would be, I might have been prepared to fight.” Secrecy was screwing the agents of ASSET, not newbie Terras being awoken. If they had any sense, they would at the very least train their children so if they were awoken, there wouldn’t be this transition period, as Mark had called it.
“The Las Vegas office library has copies of our training manuals for you to peruse.” Back to business again. “You could benefit from reading The Great Tree, The War of the First Race, and The Mother’s Cure.”
“Reading. Got it,” Sage grumbled, still gaining two more questions for every answer she got. At least he’d given her some place to start with research. Reading she could do. And Devon had already given her some books to start with.
“Open your eyes as well as your mind,” Mark insisted. “You see the truth in front of you. Now you must take your place within the organization.”
“But what do I do about my life here? My friends?”
“Protection is the duty of all our agents at ASSET.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“By returning to ASSET and completing your training!”
“That’s not fair! I have a life.”
“You have a duty that goes beyond what you’ve already experienced.”
His cryptic answers were really beginning to grate on her nerves. “You know that’s not fair. Seeing Mom. And then watching her die.”
“I heard about that.” He sighed loudly into the phone.
“You didn’t even bother to tell me the truth about her.”
“I hadn’t been given complete intelligence on that agent’s whereabouts. She failed to check in after an assignment. Her last contact reported her missing. We assumed the worst and followed pr
otocol.” He lowered his voice again, whispering so quietly she almost couldn’t hear. “You wouldn’t have been awakened if your mother’s light still burned within her. The fact you were experiencing the changes and starting to see the real world around you was proof of that.”
“So when I came down there, you didn’t know for sure?”
“I had it on good authority when I called you, and then seeing your mark begin to change proved it.”
“And you still couldn’t tell me the truth when I was right there? Face to face.”
“I truly didn’t want to believe it myself. For that, I’m sorry. You deserved to hear it from a trusted friend.”
“Instead, I was lied to and manipulated by the person I needed most.”
“You’re right to be angry at me. And I hope in time I can earn back the trust I’ve lost. You’re like a daughter to me, Sage. I never meant for this to happen to you. Miranda was the kind of warrior who should have fought for centuries. You should have enjoyed a normal life and married and started your own family. That was what we wanted for you. Not this. We never wanted to involve you in this world’s troubles. But now that you’ve been awakened, you must understand what you are.” His sudden shift back to being the company man nearly gave her whiplash. But she understood the need to sound like business as usual if there were potentially untrustworthy ears nearby. “There are dangerous elements out there, Miss Cynwrig. All Terras must band together now to protect each other and fight for the greater good.”
“Who’s good?” Sage huffed.
“Peace. No good comes from war. Our people are the bringers of peace. You’ll learn that as you read the Mother’s Cure.”
“And yet we’re warriors?” Sage clarified.
“Peace often does not come without some struggle, which is why our people need to be well trained.”
“Has there ever truly been peace?” she asked.
“Yes,” he replied, a little too swiftly to be believed.
“What happened to change that?” She hoped if she kept prying, she’d finally get to the bottom of it.
“I wish I knew.” Mark whispered more urgently this time. “Darkling armies are a great concern at the moment. Especially since they used them to gain access to the facility.”
“And you still think I’m safer there?” If what he said was true, then the answer would have to be no. If Darklings could make it into ASSET facilities, then she was no safer with them than on the street.
“ASSET has the resources to protect its people and the magical archives held within,” he proudly boasted, and the sudden shift in volume made her pull the phone away from her ear.
She was ready with a snarky retort to what seemed was another one of his vague replies, but she caught the fact he had volunteered the words magical archive, and held her tongue.
Mark paused long enough to justify his next statement as a reply to her unasked question. “Things that might be dangerous for other magical creatures to use have always been held safe within the hands of our people.”
“Because we are the peacekeepers?” she asked.
“Who better to store and protect the most sensitive of magical artifacts than those who are immune to magic?”
She lost the train of thought, realizing he was pointing her to an answer but not exactly sure what the right question was to make his direction clear.
“The Great Tree is an excellent read if you’re looking for a basis in our history. The Mother’s Cure as well. Those two books will help to clarify your place at ASSET,” he finished.
“Okay, then.” She’d asked for truth, and what she’d gotten was homework. Though vague, he had given her a few important clues on what to research and possibly what was in the magical archives that would be worth sending in an army of Darklings to retrieve.
“Shall I alert Ava of your return, then?” He sounded hopeful.
“Don’t worry about me, Mark. I’ll be safe.” She ended the call.
TWENTY
The Mother’s Cure.
Blood joins all creations great and small. The forgotten gods, whose names cannot be uttered by human tongues, were known as the mother and father. They splashed their blood upon the earth, and life sprang forth. The air, the land, and the places the sun had not yet found defined the form each creation took.
The dawn of magic shaped the earth for all the creatures that followed. The forgotten gods smiled upon their children, giving them dominion. The father turned his eye toward the great beyond, but the mother kept a distant watch over her children.
Through their magic, the first lords of the earth shaped the world: fertile lands, crystal clear waters, shimmering rainbows that danced between clouds. Beauty was the gift of those of the Ethereal magic. All that they laid eyes on was to be made glorious to look upon. Not to be outshone by the creations of their brothers, Elemental magic shaped the land, raising mountains of fire and ice and infusing the ground with minerals that hardened into stones of beautiful color. Magic of the Shades turned the earth so that where there was light, darkness could exist, and revealed the twinkling starlit sky as the sun gave way to the moon.
Magic and blood created life, and so too did the first lords of the earth. Like the mother and father before, they shared that blood, passing down gifts to the next generation.
They filled the newly created lands, each claiming their right of dominion. Wars soon stretched across the earth. Waters that once ran clear turned murky and undrinkable, polluted by the dead. Magic shattered the land as battles raged on with no end in sight. All the beauty of creation turned to ruin. Blood and magic destroyed life just as easily as it had once created it.
The great mother could not stand idly and allow her children’s squabbling to ruin the world she had given them. From each branch of magic, she made a sacrifice, binding their blood to a lone fruit tree growing among the ruins of a recent battleground.
With her careful tending, the tree grew strong and tall. Drinking in the blood-drenched soil, its bark hardened to a deep crimson. Its deep green leaves turned brown, but fortified by the mother’s care, the tree bore fruit the likes of which had never been seen. Sweet nectar, clear as pure running water, plumped the pulpy fruit. Skin so pale yellow it almost looked translucent allowed a glimpse at the nourishment just below its tender flesh. The fruit tempted any who happened across the great tree.
Water washes the blood clean, and so too did a bite of the fruit.
Rendering powerless those who had eaten it, each hungry warrior was marked by the tree so the mother could see who had been changed.
Only once did the tree bear fruit, but from that single harvest, thousands of enemies were neutralized.
The mother plucked the last of the fruit from her great tree, saving it should she need its magic again. The tree withered and returned to the ground, and the mother gathered her newly changed, fashioning them into her own army to fight the destructive forces of magic.
Sage yawned and set the book aside wondering how much of what she’d read was the imagination of whoever had written the story. Mythology and fantasy often ran in similar veins. She half expected to see mention of a dragon fighting in the magical wars.
Powerful magic creatures ending the wars instead of fruit. Though she couldn’t ignore the parallels to modern religious mythology either. Special fruit. Was that the thing they were looking for? Was that what was hidden in the archives? Magical fruit? Doubtful, unless it was petrified.
Her stomach growled. It had been hours since her last meal, and if she waited much longer, she’d soon look like a withered old piece of fruit herself if she didn’t get something to eat.
Sage was two steps from the front door when Matt called out, “Where do you think you’re going?”
She’d excuse his tone this time. He had a right to be annoyed with her. And what better way to make amends than with a night out? “Want to join me for a greasy burger down at the pub?”
“Not really.” He waved her off, returning h
is attention to the TV. “I deal with enough barflies at work.”
What Sage wanted most was to be around someone she trusted, but she wouldn’t push Matt. She’d find other ways to get back into his good graces. At least at the bar she could be around people and not feel so alone. Julie always looked out for her, and no doubt her favorite waitress would be interested to hear about how her night out with Zack had gone.
“When will you be back?” Matt asked, with a hopeful edge to his bored tone. He didn’t make eye contact, she noted. He was playing her. Pretending to not care; but she had no doubt he was desperate to make sure she would return.
“I’m not going to leave you hanging like that again. If I decide to run off into the sunset, I’ll at least leave you a Dear John letter.”
“Don’t even joke like that.” His voice soured.
“It’s just a burger and maybe a beer…or two.” Sage shouldered her purse and opened the door.
“Hey.” Matt called her back. When she turned, he was standing holding his hand out. “It’s dangerous to go out alone. Take this.”
Always looking out for her. She smiled and accepted the pepper spray. “I’ll be back… soon.”
“You’d better.”
“Allons-y!” She winked and made her retreat.
The night felt a little less friendly as she stepped outside the confines of her home. Knowing what she’d learned about the world hidden within the one she thought was real had her jumping at shadows. A sense of unease quickened her steps as she took the short path to the outer gate of her apartment complex.
She’d always known there were bad people lurking in the shadows, but now the shadows themselves could be evil. The persistent nag of hunger drove her forward. The pub was no more than a five-minute walk; two, if she ran.
Setting her pace with the promise of a hot meal, she reached into her purse and gripped the small bottle of pepper spray. She’d rather it be one of her mother’s daggers, but short of a real weapon, this would do. If nothing else, she’d make anyone who dared come at her scream in pain.
A Weapon Of Magical Destruction Page 14
