The Outcast

by Patti Larsen

  Simon stopped typing, turned to face me as grief struck again. He was brilliant, and this was how he was spending his life?

  “What kind of money?” The flat question made me pause, but I answered.

  “Family fortune,” I said. “Stolen by a corporation called Coterie Industries.” No way was I dragging him into the magic world further. I had no idea how much he remembered from his time with the Star Club, but I wasn’t about to make matters worse. I figured it was safe enough using Belaisle’s old cover.

  I needn’t have worried about protecting Simon. “The Brotherhood.” He turned back to his screens. “Who’d you piss off that they targeted you?”

  How much did he know? Apollo looked hopeful, nodded at me to continue, so I shrugged.

  “Liander Belaisle and I go way back,” I said.

  Simon stopped typing again, turned to face me. This time, there was shock and a bit of respect there. “When Coterie fell,” he said. “That was you?”

  I did my best not to grin. “I had a hand in it,” I said.

  Simon sat back in his chair, long fingers laced over his chest, elbows on the arm rests. He’d really grown, was probably taller than me now, with that lean and lanky geekboy look so many girls fell for these days. “Okay, I’m impressed,” he said. “I’m expensive.”

  “I can pay,” I said. “Once the money is returned.”

  “How much are we talking?” His expression didn’t change.

  “I don’t know exactly,” I said. “In excess of a billion, thereabouts.”

  Apollo whistled low, eyes huge. “You’re kidding me.”

  Simon nodded once, turned away, focus back on his computer screens. “I’ll do it,” he said. “For twenty percent.”

  Apollo grunted, opened his mouth. I knew this probably should have been a negotiation, but it was just money to me. And, even if his present life wasn’t my fault, I owed Simon.

  “Done,” I said. “How long?”

  His fingers paused, then resumed. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Apollo led me away while I glanced back at the serious, hurting young man I used to know, one more burden for my heart to carry.

  Simon’s face still hovered in my mind as I exited the mirror and came to an abrupt halt inside the main hall of the Stronghold. No longer was I thinking about him, about the council members. About anything. Not while a small knot of furious sorcerers, Enforcers and one raging Erica Plower stared at me from the other side of a shimmering rainbow bubble.

  I stared up at them in shock, Mom striding smoothly to my side with a small smile on her face. Her arm hooked through mine, voice bright as the witches of my family—and some of those rescued—came to gather and glare, their mood decidedly dark while Mom led me forward.

  “Sydlynn, dear,” she said in a bright, cheery voice. “Look, we have visitors.”

  I almost choked on my mother’s evil delight because I wanted so much to laugh in Erica’s furious face. Belaisle wasn’t with her, more’s the pity. I could have ended everything right here and now if he’d been stupid enough to come with her. As it was, she’d offered me a wonderful opportunity.

  “Welcome to the Stronghold,” I said. “It would appear he’s not happy with your presence at the moment.”

  ***

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Indeed, the Stronghold grumbled while I grinned at Erica, the stone hall rumbling with his discontent. I am not pleased to see her or feel the taint of her power. But I waited for you, Syd. In case you had instructions.

  How kind of you. I gestured at Erica. “So, your little warning about me not coming into your territory clearly was a one way threat.” It was hard to decide if I was more amused or furious. “Classy.”

  “This Stronghold is the property of the North American Enforcers,” Erica said, words crackling with power and anger.

  Actually, the Stronghold boomed through all of our heads, though from the wincing and cries of pain from those inside the bubble, I could only assume they took the brunt of volume, I belong to myself. The giant circle of shielding began to compress, forcing the group closer and closer together. Erica’s desperation made me sigh. She’d brought this on herself, but I wasn’t feeling vengeful anymore. Just sad for her and for the rest of us.

  The other witches in the hall weren’t so forgiving. “Let her go.” Karyn came forward, the Barrett witch’s finger jabbing at Erica. “We’ll deal with her personally.” The angry mutter from the others sounded dangerously like a mob. “Show her what we think of her new laws.” While I hardly blamed them, I wasn’t interested in turning them loose on her.

  “You’re not exactly welcome here,” I said. “But you knew that already. So, why did he send you, Erica? And not come himself? Hmm?” I glanced at a few of his sorcerers, their fear dominant. “He threw all of you at me to see what I’d do. To test my resolve.” Or… did he? “Is it power he’s after?” I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest. “I guess that means the souls of all the witches he’s killed so far aren’t enough for him.”

  Erica quivered, for the first time since this began showing a flicker of remorse. “You don’t understand,” she said.

  “Try me.” Mom pushed forward, stepping in front. “Erica, tell me. You’re my oldest friend.” Sassafras snorted at my feet and I looked down, surprised to find him there, watching. I knew Mom didn’t mean it, that he was my mother's oldest friend, of course, but he held still, obviously understanding she was trying to reach the woman being slowly crushed by the bodies of the magic users she brought with her. Power flickered inside the bubble, blue shields pressed together as the Enforcers circled her, trying to keep her safe while the sorcerers laid hands on the inside of the wards only to be thrown back again, crying out with hands singed and blackened. Mom ignored all that, eyes locked on her former second. “Tell me why you’ve betrayed us all.”

  She didn’t get to answer. The Stronghold grunted at me.

  I’m sending them away, he sent. The sorcerers are trying to siphon my power.

  Can we keep her? I wanted to talk to Erica more closely.

  I’m afraid not, he sent. Either they all go, or they all stay.

  I reached out, laid my hand on Mom’s shoulder. As much as I hated missing the opportunity, I needed to protect the family. “Mom.”

  She half turned to me, tears on her cheeks, just as the bubble burst and Erica and her people—sorcerers included—were gone.

  Mom flinched, hands over her open mouth, but I hugged her tight.

  “She’s still alive,” I whispered into her hair. “The Stronghold sent her back. That’s all.”

  Mom turned and hugged me back. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know I should hate her. But, Syd…”

  “I get it, Mom.” I kissed her cheek, leaned away. “I really do.”

  The gathering grumbled, began to disperse, but not before I blocked off the exits. They turned to me as I raised my voice to get their attention.

  “Listen up.” I didn’t mean to take my anger out on them. That wasn’t my intent. But I’d had enough crap in the last little while and my family wasn’t going to turn into some mindless mass of vengeance on my watch. “We will not—and I repeat, will not,” I stressed the last “not” with a burst of power that made them jump, “become them.” I jabbed a finger where Erica and the others had recently hovered in their prison. “We cherish life. We protect it. And if one of us is found guilty of a crime against the rest, we hold a fair trial and we let justice prevail.” Yeah, I was a good one to talk, right? Still.

  “She killed our families.” Karyn choked on a sob, supported by one of her people.

  “I know,” I said. “And I wish I could go back and save them all. But I can’t. And hate will only eat you up and turn you into someone who can’t ever think of rebuilding.” I raised my voice again. “And we will rebuild. We will destroy the Brotherhood once and for all. But we will not turn against our own until they have been tried and sentenced. Agreed?”

  Mu
rmurs of ascent. “So the sorcerers are fair game?” That was Quaid. Why wasn’t I surprised my husband had a bloodthirsty streak? But as I saw the others turn toward him, their anger easing as he spoke, I realized how brilliant he was.

  “The Brotherhood,” I said, “will never recover.”

  The cheer that met my little pep talk brought tears and laughter among the watchers. This time when I dropped my shields and they moved to leave they were smiling and hugging each other, grim though the situation was. I might have taken Erica from them—a clear and present danger—but they still had a group of enemies to focus on.

  Best I could do on short notice.

  Quaid came to my side, kissed my mom, then me. I leaned into his strength, the warmth of his arms. “I take it things didn’t go as planned with the council.”

  I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Don’t even want to go there.”

  Mom brushed tears from her face. “Stubborn and useless as usual?”

  I booped her on the nose. “Get the woman a cookie.” I waved to Apollo and Owen who joined us. “At least, we may have solved the family fortune problem.” I left the boys to fill Mom and Quaid in, a thought passing through my head I needed to explore before I forgot.

  Stronghold. I passed into the hallway on the right, hopping up into the windowsill and looking out over the lush green scape. Do you know who I mean when I talk about Ameline Benoit?

  I do, he sent. The Dark One.

  The former Dark One, I sent, feeling oddly protective of the soul I’d encountered. And quickly explained what I found out about her so I didn’t have to think about why I felt that way.

  Interesting, he sent. But what does this have to do with me?

  She told me to ask you a question, I sent. To ask you about Creator. Does that mean anything to you? His sudden silence shook me, making me sit up, tense and afraid. Not just quiet, but as though he’d run away, gone from my mind. Stronghold? She said the maji are afraid.

  His voice was soft and distant when he answered, presence retreating from me. As they should be.

  Okay, that didn’t sound good. I need to know, I sent. Just in case.

  I can’t tell you, Syd. Real regret under the sound of grinding stone as he pulled further away. My deepest secret, one I’ve held since my birth. No one can ever know.

  Clearly, someone does, I sent, not wanted to get pissy with him, but seriously. The maji must, right? Or they wouldn’t be afraid.

  They might know the generalities, he sent. But not the specifics.

  I sighed mentally. You do realize secrets and half-truths are part of the reason we’ve almost fallen in the past, right? If I know what to expect, maybe I can plan for it.

  I’m sorry, he sent. And was gone.

  Well, that went about exactly as I figured it would. Considering my track record and everything.

  I hopped down from the ledge and tried to let it go. I’d chase him down after, see if I could persuade him to help me when this was over.

  As usual, one giant mess at a time, thanks.

  Mom came looking for me, composed all over again. “Your grandmother wants to talk to us,” she said. I joined hands with her, crossed to the hall and down to the cafeteria. The room was huge, massive ceiling of stone lit with wide rock chandeliers glowing with witchlight. I sank onto a bench, accepting a plate of spaghetti which I attacked with a sudden ravenous hunger. Giant bites entered my mouth while I stuffed garlic bread after it and chewed myself into bliss.

  Gram slid in across from me, Demetrius at her side. Charlotte and Sage joined us, Dad and Quaid, Piers and Zoe, while Sassafras hopped up and helped himself to a meatball from my plate.

  Shenka finally tacked on the end, looking drawn, but offering me a little smile. I gulped down my food, suddenly remembering Tallah.

  “How is she?” I sloshed a drink of milk while Shenka’s smile deepened. Good news, then.

  “She’ll recover,” she said, picking at the muffin on her plate with no obvious intention of actually eating it. “The Kennecotts are fabulous.”

  They really were. We were lucky to have them.

  “Syd,” Gram said while Sassafras pawed free another meatball, “I was talking with Sass about the numb feeling.” Funny she mentioned that.

  “Had the same conversation with Femke, Sunny and Danilo,” I said. “That we were afraid it was worldwide and not confined to North America and Europe.”

  She nodded, glancing at her husband who looked grim for one of the first times ever. Even in terrible situations Demetrius managed to maintain his cheerful, cherub look. Right now he seemed ashen and very worried.

  “We think we know how Belaisle is doing it,” she said.

  I stopped chewing. “How?”

  “The world is a vast network,” Demetrius said in his soft voice. “Connecting all living things together.” His fingers made a webbed circle, fingertips touching before sliding together to lock in place. “Sorcery is the glue that binds us as one.”

  The first magic. I knew that already.

  “That’s what he must have used,” Gram said. “Somehow tapped into the very energy that holds us all in a circle.”

  Piers frowned. “But how? That network is vast. It would take a ton of power to control it.”

  “Not necessarily,” Gram said. “Not if he wasn’t trying to control it per se, but to influence it. To bend it slightly.”

  “You’re saying Belaisle coerced the whole plane,” I said. Unfreakingbelievable.

  Demetrius nodded, leaning around Gram to smile at Zoe. “It was Miss Helios who gave us the idea,” he said while Zoe tilted her head in surprise. “Consider this. Belaisle had access to a maji, correct?”

  Zoe nodded. “Gaia,” she said with sadness.

  “The power of the maji would be enough,” he said. “To infiltrate and influence.”

  “But she was almost drained,” Zoe said. “By the time I found her.”

  “Not the strength of her power,” Gram said, patting her hand. “The source.”

  What was it Liam had said about the maji all those years ago, when I’d first met Trill and Owen, first encountered Iepa? “They are outside spirit,” I whispered.

  Gram nodded. “Exactly,” she said. “Outside everything. Having that kind of power at his disposal could have given Belaisle the in he needed to influence the entire network of magic on this plane and nudge it in the direction he wanted it to go.”

  “And with Gaia gone,” Zoe said, “he needed a new power source to maintain it.”

  Demetrius met my eyes, his sad. “Which is what we think he’s really after,” he said. “Why he’s draining witches. To maintain what he’s begun.”

  “And when he has enough momentum,” Gram said, “he’ll sweep across the plane and no magic race will be safe from him.”

  A dim figure flickered behind Gram, drawing my eyes. I stared in shock at the sight of Iepa appearing and disappearing, face drawn and afraid. Zoe let out a little gasp of fright, turning to look at what caught my eye.

  “Iepa!” The Oracle spun on me. “Help her!”

  My power locked onto the maji, but she wavered as though someone fought her presence here. I could guess it was her own people, as usual. They despised any kind of interference.

  Syd! Her mental voice barely reached me. The drach!

  Iepa’s face twisted and she vanished.

  I didn’t even realize I’d stood up, my friends and family rising around me. “Max is in trouble,” I said, shaking suddenly. Quaid slipped his arm around my shoulder.

  “Can you help?”

  I shook my head, sinking back down while the others joined me, but we were all jumpy.

  “I don’t know how.” I wrung my hands. “No one can find them, including the Stronghold. And there’s no sign of them in the veil.” How could I just abandon them, though? I needed to try.

  As I looked around at the sad, worried faces at the table, I let myself sag, exhaling.

  “They’ll have to fend for them
selves for now,” I whispered. Coughed softly. “The family comes first.” Sharp need, the pressure of sudden hurry boiling in my stomach, drove my head up, my eyes catching Gram’s. “Can you prove any of this?” If she could show the Council, it might make a difference. And the faster I cleared this up, the faster I could go looking for Max and the drach.

  Gram paused before nodding sharply. “I’m sure I can show them,” she said. “He has to be preparing to move into a new territory shortly. If he leaves this hanging too long, he’ll lose his advantage.”

  I stood quickly, gesturing for her to follow me. “Then, let’s go see if we can do the impossible and make the witch councils work together for once.”

  ***

  Chapter Thirty Four

  The European Enforcers standing outside the meeting room door knew better than to get in my way. In fact, one of them, grinning under his thick beard, opened it for me, half bowing while his companion struggled not to laugh, both of them sending me a gentle nudge of approval.

  Nice to know someone’s Enforcers were good guys.

  The circle of Council Leaders looked up as I entered, but before any of them—Erica included from her place at the table—could interrupt, I stopped them with a raised hand.

  I hadn’t expected Erica to be here, not after threatening everyone like she did. Aside from Femke’s tense expression, they all looked like one big, happy family. I was, however, about to show them the black sheep they had in their midst was a wolf in disguise.

  Danilo crowded in behind me, Gram on my right, Sunny sweeping forward with her perfection shining ghostly white. Demetrius held back, but I could feel his sorcery against mine and knew he was preparing to help Gram in whatever way she needed. I just hoped she could be convincing, because if this didn’t work we were screwed as a race.

  “Welcome, Coven Leader Hayle,” Femke said, rising and gesturing for me to join them. But Erica was already scowling in protest.

  “She needs to be arrested, not welcomed.” At least none of the other council leaders had the courage to agree with her. And who knew? They might only have been hobnobbing to gain information or to try to stay on Erica’s good side. A pathetic attempt to be the last to fall?