by Rain Oxford
“No magic is evil. John’s magic made him insane because he didn’t have your instincts. I am not innocent either. I have killed people and used my magic for personal gain.”
“I killed John and Gale.”
“And for each, you have paid a price. I will never be able to do enough good to make up for my sins. Furthermore, I will commit more sins before I die. Learn from my mistakes. I thought that you being John’s son meant that you were the same as him. I wanted you to be, because I wanted to hate you. You are the man I could never be; whole. But I couldn’t hate you.”
“Because I remind you of my mother?”
“Because you are the light of her life and because you should have been my son. Even more than that, you have taught me that you are not the sum of your parents. It doesn’t matter that it’s John’s blood inside you; you are not him. You are whoever you want to be. Put your ring on and you will see what you need to.”
I tried to shake off the chills. Vincent really believed I wasn’t his son. He also believed I was a good person despite that. I slipped the ring on and my vision morphed. It wasn’t the wizard’s council or Felicity that I saw, however. Instead, I saw a little boy sitting in a closet. His face was visible from the light streaming in through a crack in the door.
His black hair and gold eyes were familiar, but his skin was pale and only blemished by pinkness on his cheeks. Although he wasn’t crying, he had been recently. He shook, terrified by what he heard, and pulled his blue jacket tighter around him. I heard a woman scream and glass shatter. He put his hands over his eyes and tried not to cry.
Something crashed into the door of the closet and caused the door to spring open. Almost faster than my eyes could see, he shifted from a tiny boy to a young, black jaguar and attacked. In the decimated living room, three men were dressed in black uniforms with big guns, a middle-aged couple was dead, and a little girl cowered beside the couch. The little jaguar lunged at the first attacker before the black-clad man could even scream and bit into his shoulder.
Although it was not a mortal wound, it sure as hell hurt.
The two remaining assailants shot at the little jaguar, but he was far too fast. He pounced on the second one and slashed the stranger’s face with his claws. The man dropped to the ground and cowered. Covered in the blood of two of his foes, the jaguar turned to face the final opponent. Sleek, thin, bat-like wings spread open from his spinal column.
Realizing how very dead he was about to be, the attacker dropped his gun and dived out the window, breaking the glass in the process. Meanwhile, the little girl got out from behind the couch, grabbed a bat from the closet, and tried to swing it at the young jaguar. She apparently didn’t realize he had just saved her life.
After easily avoiding the hit, the jaguar leapt out the broken window.
I took the ring off and the vision slipped away. “Did you see the council?” Vincent asked.
I shook my head. “I saw something much more important. Henry’s son needs help.”
* * *
“You saw my baby?” Henry asked breathlessly.
“Actually,” I stopped packing my backpack. “I’m very sorry to tell you this, but he’s a little bit bigger than when you last saw him. I can tell you he has your talent. The kid might actually be even stronger and faster than you.”
The relief literally choked him. Fortunately, Darwin, Henry, Marcus, and I were in our room. I didn’t think Henry told Addison about his son and this wasn’t the time for it.
“Those guys looked too official to have just been breaking into a random house. I can’t say who or what they were after, but I’m not willing to take any chances. Darwin, use your research skills to track the boy’s orphanages. Henry, do whatever it is you do and help Darwin. I’ll use my instincts.”
“Maybe…” Henry hesitated. “Maybe he’s safer out there.”
“Henry, I know you grew up thinking you’re a monster, but if there is anything I learned since coming here, it’s that nothing is that black and white. I saw that little boy. He’s alone, afraid, and probably has no idea what he is. He needs his father. Monster or not, Scott needs you.”
Henry nodded, but grabbed my arm before I could turn away. “Show me what he looks like. I’ve drawn him thousands of times, but all from imagination. Does he look like his mother?”
I shook my head. “I could show you what he looked like in my vision, but you need to see him in person. We’ll find him. Trust me.”
“So, not to burst any bubbles or anything, but how are we supposed to get out of here?” Darwin asked.
“We’ll go through the shadow…” I stopped. Darwin and Marcus had never killed anyone, so they couldn’t go through the shadow pass. “We’ll go talk to Hunt. Maybe there’s an underground passage or something.”
I was about to grab the doorknob when Henry grunted. I turned to him just as he stumbled and pressed his hand to his forehead. When I reached for him to try to catch him, Marcus passed out beside me.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“Tired…” Henry said.
Darwin collapsed. I couldn’t touch Darwin, so I checked Marcus’s pulse. It was strong. Henry fell to his knees for a moment before passing out. I slapped Henry’s face lightly and shook him, but he didn’t stir. I reached into his mind and found nothing suspicious. He wasn’t having a vision, a magically induced nightmare, or even dreaming. I reached for Darwin’s mind and found exactly the same thing. Neither of them responded to me.
I jumped up, jerked open the top drawer of my desk, and pulled out one of my healing potions. Just as I turned back to my friends, I heard, “Hello, Devon Sanders.” I jumped out of my skin and turned back to see Adesra sitting on my desk.
Adesra was an undine— a water elemental. She was actually my first introduction to the elementals. So far, she was my favorite. Her voice was young and warm, like a child’s. She looked to be in her early twenties, but the fact that she was only six inches tall made it difficult to be sure. Her eyes were light blue, as was her waist-length hair. Her face was rounded and youthful. She wore a dress made of some kind of ethereal, translucent, sparkling material that changed shades of blue with her movement. Large, blue-tented iridescent wings fluttered slowly behind her.
I sighed. “You did this?” I gestured to my roommates and Marcus.
She didn’t even look at them. “They will sleep. I helped you once, Devon Sanders, and now I need you.”
“Now isn’t a good time.”
“Time means nothing to us. Only the balance is important, and it has been threatened.”
“I thought that’s why the fire elementals wanted me to destroy the tower; to keep the balance from… going unbalanced.”
“The sylphs have been turned against the balance.”
“How can I help? I haven’t even met them yet. Seriously, why are you coming to me of all people?”
“You are the only one who can stop them.”
“Bullshit. I don’t buy that for a second. I’m not the most powerful, the kindest, the smartest, or the bravest wizard. My heart is damaged so I can’t take as many risks as others. Plus, saving Astrid is more important to me than fixing your problems.”
“If you do not stop the sylphs, you will never have the chance.”
“Help me save Henry’s son and I’ll help you.”
She sighed, her face filled with sorrow. “You must be quick, Devon Sanders.”
“There’s a magical storm surrounding the university and something inside of it is taking people. How do I get out of the school?”
“The sword of the balance will call a beast to you who can control the storm long enough for you to get through. Please help us, Devon Sanders.”
“I’ll do what I can, but only after I help Henry with his son. Can you help me find him?”
“You have everything you need.”
Yeah, that’s about what I expected. “Wake up my friends and come back when we have Scott.”
She n
odded gravely and vanished. Marcus and my roommates immediately started stirring, but it took a few minutes before they could gather their wits. “What happened?” Darwin asked.
“Adesra, the water elemental from my first semester, was here. She said we needed a sword of the balance.”
“You didn’t make another deal, did you?”
I explained everything that transpired while they slept.
“The sword of the balance? Was she referring to the flaming sword?”
“Probably. At the very least, we can use it in protecting Scott.”
* * *
Five minutes later, we were making our way cautiously across the yard to get to the castle. Halfway there, Henry jerked me backwards a split second before I sensed something moving in front of me. “Can you see what’s attacking us?”
“No. I can smell something and I can see their movement, but not their physical forms. They’re all around us, but only a few are making the dives.” The words were barely out of his mouth before he was shoved forward by something invisible. We ran the rest of the way.
“Why didn’t it get you?” Darwin asked when I shut the main door of the castle behind us. Because the glass door was not exactly protective, I pushed him to hurry down the hallway.
“I don’t know. It could have easily,” Henry answered calmly. As he led the way, we saw deep cuts down his back through his shredded shirt.
We went down to the underground level and entered the morgue, which was right across from the infirmary. I could hear Dr. Martin chatting to himself in German before I shut the door. The lights came on automatically. “We’re in a morgue?” Marcus asked. “You have a morgue in your school?!”
“It’s not my school; I’m just a student here.” I pulled open the bottom door to the cubby furthest from the door. Darwin crawled into it.
“What are you doing?” Marcus asked.
“Well, there are hundreds of secret passages and compartments here, but we don’t know how many other people know about them. So, we made our own,” I explained. I heard Darwin kick loose one of the metal panels. “Only Darwin is small enough to fit inside and maneuver the sword out.”
Henry grabbed the sword handle when Darwin pushed it out, then my youngest roommate slid out and dusted himself off. I took the sword gently, studied the shining, double-edged blade and simple black handle, and thought of fire as I swung the sword slowly. The blade glowed red, then faded when it stilled.
“We need a scabbard for it. What do we do with it?” I asked, looking at Darwin.
He shrugged. “I definitely wouldn’t set it aflame and stick it in the windstorm. The history of the paranormal world suggests we would end up with a fire storm on our hands. She said we could summon a creature that could control the storm, so I’d think we need a beast of the air element.”
“Which is?”
“Anything that flies. Now, if we narrow it down to real-world mythical creatures, we’ve got sixteen beasts that are at least a likely possibility. Of those sixteen, only five have the magic to control the storm. Only one of these exists for sure without being created.”
“Which is?” I repeated.
He grimaced. “You really need to see for yourself. These guys can only be controlled by very powerful wizards. They’re more likely to eat you than help.”
I nodded. “Of course they are. How could anything be easy? So how can we call this creature?”
“You’re the wizard.”
“Yes, but you’re the one who reads all the books.” I grinned at his scowl.
He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Use your instincts.” He walked out then, so we followed.
“We will get expelled if we leave without permission,” Henry said.
“Your son is more important,” I said.
Darwin scoffed. “Hunt’ll never expel us. He loves us! We keep the place jumping.”
Marcus stopped. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for you guys to ask his permission? That way, if he agrees, you won’t get in trouble. If he says no, then you sneak out anyway.”
My roommates glanced at each other. “Your human has a point,” Darwin said.
“Don’t start,” I told him. We went to the headmaster’s office, which was not far from the underground floor, especially when I could actually make the trip shorter by concentrating on finding him. When we reached his office, I knocked.
“Come in, Devon,” the headmaster answered.
I opened the door, but didn’t enter. Hunt was standing behind his desk and reading out of a book while ingredients prepped themselves on his desk. There was a knife cutting roots and bottles pouring out into measuring tools, all without his touch. “Holy shit,” Marcus commented.
“We’re going to save Henry’s son,” I said. “Is that going to be a problem?”
Instead of answering, he waved his hands at the ingredients, which all assembled into a fist-sized, brass sphere that had a tiny hole in the top. The levitating sphere suddenly burst into white-hot flames. This light show went on for nearly a minute before the fire died and the sphere cracked right down the middle.
Hunt reached out, separated the metal casing, and retrieved a dark blue glass ball. “If you need advice, you can use this, but only once.” He tossed it to me, but before I could scramble to try to catch it, it stopped in midair and slowly floated itself into my hand.
“Why haven’t you made this before?”
“Because Vincent did not tell me you would need it before. This will guide you when you are lost, but only you and only once. I cannot make another one for you.”
I slipped it into my pocket. “How do I use it?”
“You break it. Now go.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“Can you tell us where my son is?” Henry asked.
“I could, but it would only slow you down.”
“You know this for sure?”
“Vincent does.”
“How convenient.” I nudged Henry. “We’re wasting time. Let’s go.” We went outside, where the storm was still going strong. Knowing Darwin was probably right about the fire storm, I directed my thoughts away from flames. Instead, I followed my instincts.
I raised the sword up into the air with the blade pointed towards the sky. Wind swirled around it, creating a miniature version of the storm, which grew to enclose me. I felt Darwin reopen the well-used mental link between us. “It’s okay,” I told him in his mind.
When spots of light formed inside the wind swirling around me, the blade of the sword emitted a dim, yellowish glow. Still letting my intuition drive my actions, I opened my mind to the storm.
It was afraid.
Just like Darwin said; the air was upset. Selfishly, I pushed the sensation away and focused on calling something to me. I needed something to control the storm. I sensed it; a presence was approaching. It was just as strong as a dragon and more powerful than most of the wizards I knew. It was a creature of history and wisdom, but not above savagery.
It reminded me a lot of Alpha Flagstone.
As if made of the wind itself, three large beasts took form in front of me. Although I had never seen such a creature in person before, I knew exactly what they were. Three majestic griffins stood nearly as tall as me. Their heads, wings, and front legs were that of eagles with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion.
The wind stopped swirling around my sword, though the blade still glowed dimly. The griffin in the middle made a sharp bird call and the other two dipped their heads in agreement. “This can’t be good.”
“You know, I don’t speak bird, but I’m pretty sure he just said they’re having people for dinner,” Darwin said.
Henry stepped between me and the three beasts. I recalled how nonchalant the jaguar shifter was when we first met him. There was a lot more to him than my first impression, which was a good thing, since I originally thought he was a pompous asshole. One of the griffins lunged at him, but I had been expecting it. I aimed the blade at the beast so he had to
either stop or impale himself.
The beast froze.
“Be respectful,” Darwin warned me.
“I’m always respectful.” I addressed the griffin. “Help us, and we’ll repay the favor. Fly away, and I won’t blame you. Attack us, and we’ll be having fried griffin.” The griffin’s eyes displayed as much displeasure as an eagle’s eyes could. He stepped back. “Leave or help us.” None of the griffins moved. “Can they understand me?” I asked Darwin.”
“I’ve never met a griffin, but they were once one of the three iconic familiars of the most powerful wizards. They should be able to understand you.”
“Good. We need to get through the storm without being attacked.”
All three griffins turned and went towards the storm. Before they reached the tornado, they stopped. “I think we’re supposed to follow them,” Darwin said.
“Sure, because suicide was on my list of things to do today,” Marcus said.
“Maybe you should stay,” I suggested.
Darwin made a sound of disapproval. “Bro, think about that. How long before Jackson figures out he’s human? How do you think the vampires are going to react after being on syntho-blood for a month?”
“On second thought, I’m with you all the way, Dev,” Marcus said quickly.
We went forth and joined the griffins, who entered the storm with no hesitation. The wind parted around them. It took about ten minutes to make it through the tornado, but we weren’t attacked. As soon as we were relatively safe, the griffins flew off.
We started down the mountain for the small field, half covered by the mountain side, that the students’ cars were kept in during the term. “I wonder what kind of payment they’re going to want in exchange for the favor,” Darwin said.
Henry grimaced. “Whatever it is, I will pay it myself.”
“We’re not going to worry about it right now,” I said. The thought of Scott alone, afraid, and having no idea what he was made me sick. “You know what orphanage Luana dropped him off at, right?”
“It burned down.”
“Yes, but you also said she wouldn’t give up that hold over you completely. She would know if he was adopted out or sent to another orphanage.”
