by Sonya Clark
“Madame Mayor, please.” Lizzie would gladly apologize if that’s what it took to have the floor again.
Hardy jumped in. “I move for an end to all comments and debate and to let the vote take place.”
“Madame Mayor, let me speak,” Lizzie said. “This is too important to cut off debate so quickly.”
The mayor raised the gavel. Before it hit the podium, Sheila Copeland jumped from her chair. “Let her speak!”
The crowd in the gallery quickly turned it into a chant. “Let her speak! Let her speak!” It reverberated through the circular room, growing in volume. With it came a wave of energy, even stronger than what she’d felt during the henge sunrise. Magic vibrated through every part of her being. Normals might not have been born with magic in their blood, but the emotional energy they raised could be channeled. It wasn’t something Vadim had told her, but she felt the truth of it in her bones, in her heart, deep in a cellular level.
What she couldn’t figure out was how to do anything useful with that knowledge. There was really only one thing she’d had the time to master.
Carger stood in the back, staring with a flat, reptilian look on his face. He would own her or he would expose her. Either way, her life was in his hands.
Unless she took it back.
The crowd grew louder. Police had entered the gallery. A woman screamed as she was wrestled to the ground.
Lizzie said to Nate, “I don’t know if it’ll do any good but I’m going to end this meeting.”
“What?”
She climbed on top of her desk with Nate’s assistance and faced the gallery. With pleas for quiet, she got them to settle. Then she spoke.
“I know why this law is being proposed. There’s still a lot of fear—of magic, of the Magic Born themselves. But the time for fear has passed. The Magic Born live here too. They are our neighbors. Our business associates and coworkers and employees.” She glanced at Nate. He gave her a supportive nod. “They’re our friends and our lovers. Our siblings. They’re our children.”
A woman screamed from the gallery, “We want them back!”
“In the end, there’s not much difference between Normal blood and Magic Born blood.” Lizzie raised her arms and focused her will. “There’s no reason to be afraid of the Magic Born, and there’s no reason to be scared of magic.”
With flawless control, she filled the room with swirling fractals of witchlight. Magic surged through her. She’d never felt so powerful, so like the witch she’d always been too scared to become.
The gallery exploded with shouts and cheers. Behind her, Lizzie heard the incessant banging of the gavel. Council members and staffers were fleeing the lower floor as police rushed in. Someone called her name, either Nate or Duane—she wasn’t sure. Light danced from her fingertips in showers and sparks, giving the chaotic scene an unearthly glow. The electric arc from a stun gun crashed through a ball of orange witchlight, creating even wilder patterns that split off from the collision of two different kinds of energy. A man cried out, and then came the sound of a heavy thud as a body hit the floor.
Lizzie closed her eyes, knowing she was next.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Vadim sipped orange juice as he eased into trance and cyberspace. He checked local headlines first. The news was still full of crap about the ordinance. Passed in an unannounced meeting on the second day of the year, it had gone into effect immediately. The bazaar was shut down. Rockenbach and Midtown businesses that had dealings with the Magic Born were already feeling the pinch. Worse, Magic Born who worked as domestics for wealthy Normals were getting fired in rapid succession. There were rumblings of the same happening for those who worked at the biofarms, the most lucrative job a Magic Born could hold.
Business at Sinsuality had dropped into a hole. Not only had he lost Normal clubgoers who could no longer enter the zone, but FreakTown residents suddenly felt the need to hold on to every dime they had. They had no money for partying, except for the junkies of course. Vadim would sooner shut the place down than let it turn into a nightshade den. Fortunately a bit of mad scrambling on his part had allowed him to change course with the club. There was still a dance floor but a good bit of the space was now taken up by gaming cubicles. He’d managed to convince Lewis that an arcade might be the best way to keep some of the kids from going stir-crazy now that they were penned up inside the zone. A persuasive argument and a shit ton of bribery money had sealed the deal. The consoles were still being installed. Vadim had to do the work himself since he couldn’t bring in a Normal contractor. He’d thrown enough cash at the administrator that the hurried shipment of games, consoles and other equipment wasn’t inspected too closely.
Tuyet had helped him smuggle in some state-of-the-art equipment. There was enough to go around for every trancehacker in FreakTown he knew, not that there were many. Hopefully having the games so close at hand would help him find more. He also wanted to do something about the Magic Born attitude about tech. Computer hackers and the internet had revealed their existence decades ago. There was a lot of hatred still there, and fear. He understood it, but he didn’t have time for it. Not anymore. They were going to need every advantage they could get. People were just going to have to get over their hang-ups about tech and cyberspace.
Tired of local news, he moved on to the darknet and one of the new chat rooms he’d set up for the underground. Tuyet was waiting for him there, her multicolored fractal-lotus avatar spinning. She was still in Rockenbach, where she would remain. The underground no longer moved people through FreakTown. New routes had been carefully chosen. Tuyet would help facilitate getting people out of New Corinth. The list for that was growing practically by the hour. Vadim wasn’t sure how many of those people they could help. Police and local DMS were on alert for any trouble from FreakTown. It was simply too dangerous to do much right then.
That was one reason Vadim and Tuyet were meeting in a chat room instead of in the tunnels. He didn’t want to give the authorities any excuse to go exploring in the city’s old subway tunnels and sewer lines. That was another advantage the Magic Born needed to hold close to the vest.
He greeted her with a flash of his own avatar’s bright colors.
“I still can’t believe you’re a unicorn,” she said.
“I’m not a unicorn, I’m a Pegasus. There’s a difference. Did you get my email?”
Tuyet’s other main job was to manage the supply lines to FreakTown. With most of the zone’s jobs having disappeared overnight and the rations not enough to live on, other zones were helping to make sure they didn’t slowly starve. “I’m working on it. The food will come first. The medicines, that kind of stuff, it’s going to take a little more work.”
The first shipment had yet to arrive. “I just want to be able to show people we’re doing something. Keep the panic at bay. Whatever you can get, bring it in.”
“Copy that. Is today the big day?”
He ignored the question, too nervous to answer. “Copy that? What is that, some sort of military speak? Copy what?”
The lotus spun in a riot of color. “What can I say? Even I get a little nostalgic from time to time.”
“In the mood to tell war stories?” He knew she wouldn’t, but it never hurt to ask.
“Nope.”
“What’s it like on the streets?”
“Copeland’s organizing. She’s got Mendoza on her staff now too. Some of the things they want to do will be useless, but it might get some attention. I guess that’s better than nothing.”
“You picking up any chatter on what the feds think of all this?”
“So far the governor is keeping them hands-off. I’ve been trying to trace links between him and Jennings, other than the public campaign contributions. So far I’ve got nothing.”
“Eh. The governor’s not dirty. Not that di
rty, anyway. Just a run-of-the-mill coward.” In realspace he glanced at the clock above his desk. Almost time.
“You know chatter’s a military-intelligence term, right?” She showed her amusement by flashing the petals of her avatar one at a time.
“So I saw a movie once. We can’t count on the feds stepping in, can we?” He knew the answer already but he voiced the question anyway.
“Other than hearings and general hand-wringing, no. States’ rights and all that. They’ll keep their hands clean until New Corinth falls apart.”
“By then it’ll be too late.”
“Oh, hey. That hacker that messed with underground accounts? I have it on good authority she’s been shut down.”
Well, that was something good at least. “Do tell.”
“She was busted pilfering the wrong corporate account. Got raided while she was in the middle of moving the money around. Bye-bye, Kiku.”
“Did you find her and turn her in?”
Tuyet’s avatar shimmered in a way that made him think she was laughing. “No, but I know who did. And no, I’m not telling.”
“You have far too many secrets. Share one. Come on, just one.”
“Only because I’m in a good mood. We used to sing this on runs during training: I wanna be a Magic Ranger. I wanna live a life of sex and danger.”
Vadim laughed so hard, he choked on his orange juice. But gods, it felt good. He needed a laugh and his nerves needed a break.
Tuyet’s avatar spun again. “You owe me one, comrade.”
“For that, I surely do.”
“One more thing. When you were setting up the arcade in your club, did you get Silver Wheels?”
“No, I got a bunch of old games the kids never heard of. What do you think? Of course I got it.”
“Good,” she said. “Take a look at it as soon as you can. You’re going to want to talk to me after you play.”
“You think we need to talk about an arcade game? What are you not telling me?”
“Many things, comrade. Play that game and level up to cyberpunk and I’ll tell some secrets that’ll knock your socks off.”
Any other time he would have pressed for information right then, but he had an appointment. “I love it when you’re cryptic. See you soon.”
“Over and out.”
A minute later he was fully in realspace again. He set the tablet and his stylus wand aside and drained the last of the orange juice. The shit was awful and practically cried out for vodka. He had to save his money for other things. Funny that looming abject poverty might finally be the thing to make him dry out completely.
He’d splurged on a bottle of chardonnay though. It waited on the kitchen table with a pair of wineglasses.
His phone beeped the alarm he’d set. Time to go. Excitement spread through him with every heartbeat. By the time he got to the street he was nearly running. Calla met him three blocks from Admin and they walked the rest of the way together.
* * *
The heavy steel door of the cell creaked open. Three guards armed with shock batons stood on the other side. Lizzie faced them impassively. One of them, a short, stocky woman, gestured for Lizzie to follow.
She was led through a maze of dank, institutional concrete hallways. A chill seeped past the thin, scratchy material of the black jumpsuit she’d been issued. Her feet were shod in ill-fitting sneakers. She’d been issued a cheap brush for her hair but not allowed any makeup. The stylish dress she’d been wearing the day of her arrest had been confiscated. She doubted she’d see it again, or any of her things. The young, skittish public defender assigned to her had gamely filed a request for her to be allowed to keep at least some of her possessions. Clothes, personal items, things of that nature. A judge had denied it. Lizzie had nothing. A sentence of time served and parole rather than prison for using magic off the zone had cost the last of her family’s fortune. They seemed afraid of martyring her, but they still wanted to punish her.
She knew there had to be more out there like her. Wealthy, powerful citizens hiding their true Magic Born status behind fake DNA tests had a lot to lose. Consigning her to the zone as quickly and quietly as possible was the best outcome for her case for them. It wouldn’t surprise her if the story had been shunted out of the headlines almost immediately. The police had shown little interest in questioning her. She could only guess at what that meant.
They reached an office marked Badge Issuance. Inside, a bureaucrat stared at her while giving curt instructions. She was photographed, fingerprinted and had yet another blood sample taken from the tip of one finger. By the end of it she had a new ID badge. This one labeled her as Magic Born.
She stared at it, running her fingers over the bright-red letters that announced her status.
The stocky guard nudged her toward another door. “Straight through there.”
“I’m done here?”
“Yep.”
“Where do I go? What about living arrangements?” The public defender had fled once her case was settled. She’d spoken to no one since, had not been allowed any visitors. She had no idea if Vadim even knew she was there.
“The other one said he would help you with that. Go on.” The guard was impatient and not remotely sympathetic.
“What other one?” Lizzie did her best to curb her frustration. The last thing she wanted to do was break down again.
She’d handled the initial arrest with calm. Done a good job of maintaining that calm too, until days later when she was told the ordinance had been passed. It wasn’t a total surprise but it still hurt. She couldn’t help but feel she’d thrown her life away for nothing. The tears had come hard and bitter. Worse, she’d lost control of her magic. Thanks to that she now knew what being hit with a stun gun felt like. She’d been locked up in a cell but they did it anyway, just because they could. When she woke the next morning, bruised and aching and heartbroken, Lizzie had determined to never let anything like that happen again. Ice was an old friend and she could wrap herself in it at any time, if she just had the presence of mind to protect herself.
“The one that was in-processed right before you.” The guard raised her baton toward the door. “Now go before I decide I’m bored.”
A stun baton had more power than the smaller stun guns. Lizzie headed for the door.
“Oh, hey, Councilwoman.” The guard sneered Lizzie’s former title. “Welcome to FreakTown. Hope you like it, because you’re never seeing the outside again.” She laughed, the sound ugly and high-pitched.
Lizzie turned with a deliberate swing of her hair. She flashed a dazzling smile. “Thank you! I’m sure it’ll be lovely. And that I’ll be right at home among my own kind.”
The guard drew her eyebrows together. “Huh. Yeah.”
Lizzie looked her up and down. “Just like you must feel right at home with slovenly, illiterate gutter rats.”
It felt good to take a little piece of her own. She had to admit, she really had a gift for disdain. The guard’s face boiled over into rage and she raised the baton.
The door opened and someone grabbed Lizzie’s arm. Nate Perez greeted her with a familiar, sardonic grin. “Got your badge? Okay, let’s go.” He pulled her into a dingy foyer, retrieved a duffel bag from the floor and hurried to the exit.
They burst through the double doors and into bright sunshine and winter cold. He said, “That wasn’t the brightest move.”
“I know. She pissed me off.” Lizzie crossed her arms and tried to huddle into the jumpsuit for warmth. It didn’t work.
“We’re going to be targets for guards and DMS agents like that. And most of them are like that. Just watch yourself, okay? Pick your battles.”
The wind picked up her hair and blew cold across her neck. “Thank you.”
He regarded her silently for a moment. “
You okay?”
She nodded. “You?”
“I’m fine.” He hoisted the duffel over his shoulder. “Where’s your stuff? I’ll carry it for you.”
“I don’t have anything.” Or any way to buy anything. All of her assets had been confiscated, including her bank accounts. She tried not to think about it. “I’m cold. Can we go?” She gripped the new badge tighter, the edges pressing into her palm. It was the only thing she had—that and the awful jumpsuit.
“Of course.” He held out a hand to indicate what direction and they walked.
It was killing her not to ask but she didn’t know how. Did Vadim know she was in the zone? Did he want to see her? They’d walked away from each other because they thought they had to and that it was for the best. But now...even if he loved her, what did that mean? She’d made the decision to reveal herself at the city council meeting for a lot of reasons. To show that there was nothing to fear from the Magic Born. To keep her life from being controlled by people like Carger and Jennings. To finally rid herself of the lies she’d lived with her whole life.
And yes, to be with the man she loved.
Every day and long, endless night in custody had been a war between despair at losing everything and hope that she might have gained so much more. With first little and then no outside contact, she’d had no idea what was going on in New Corinth, in FreakTown or, most importantly, with Vadim. She worked up the nerve to ask Nate just as they turned a corner.
Vadim and Calla were walking toward them. Then Calla was running, joy lighting her up from the inside. Nate dropped his duffel and rushed to meet her. She jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. Lizzie thought she spotted tears but the younger woman’s face disappeared as the couple continued their greeting with a scorching kiss.
Butterflies tap-dancing on her nerves, Lizzie turned her gaze to Vadim. A smile split his face. Relief washed through her. To hell with the city council seat and the inheritance and the comfort of wealth and everything else. Losing it all was worth it, just for him.
