by Viola Grace
She frantically shook her head, but Imara placed her hand over the hand clutched to Etta’s chest. The dynamic of power shifted rapidly, and the heat from the stone localized.
“Let go of it, Etta. Push the spirits out of you and give me the stone. This is what I am trained for. I will be fine.”
Etta’s eyes resumed a beautiful cornflower blue. “Don’t. Don’t, it hurts!”
“I know.” Imara took Etta’s hand and turned it over. She was using all of her concentration to subdue the spectral energy, but she needed to keep Etta calm.
She smiled and said softly, “When she is free, pull her out of the way. I am going to need to bleed off some power.”
She glanced around her quickly, and the XIA were ready to take action. It appeared that Etta was on their team.
“Okay, I am taking it in three, two, one...” She eased the stone free of the mage, and the world went white.
Chapter Eight
The roar of her hellcat brought her back, and she looked down at those gathered. Fuck. She was hovering.
You are ours now. You will be our limbs, our eyes, our touch.
Fuck you and your little dead brains. You are going to discover something surprising right about now.
She vented the power through the large feline version of Mr. E. He scrubbed the power and dumped the clean energy back into Etta, who was being held by Iofer a few feet away.
What? What are you doing? We will be free!
You will return to the wave. Congratulations.
Once Etta was returned to stable, Imara topped up the XIA with the spectral energy, and then, she let the rest power off through the open doors of the car park and out into the surrounding flora and fauna.
The scrubbed energy was powerful, but Imara didn’t give anyone else a drop of it. She took the last remnant of twelve mages and left only a vague murmur of their energies so she could identify them later.
With a smile, she made a small kissy noise, and Mr. E shrank and hopped back on her shoulder. “Okay, so how am I getting home?”
Iofer held Etta close, and she was sobbing onto his shoulder. “We will take you back, but it is a four-hour drive.”
She nodded. “Right.”
The older man who appeared to be in charge said, “What just happened here?”
Imara blinked. “Which city am I in?”
“Leobrad Municipality. Where are you from?”
She sighed and rubbed her head with the hand not holding the deadly crystal. “Depford College.”
His eyes widened. “How did they find you?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Do you have a vial or some kind of containment for the crystal?”
“No. I don’t want that thing in my guild.”
She fought the urge to sigh. “Right. Well, can someone get me a coffee, two sugars, two creams? This has been a long fucking night.”
The gathered might of the Leobrad guild offices stared at her.
She sighed and used her free hand to scroll through her phone for Adrea’s number.
“Ritual space, Adrea speaking.”
“Hiya, Adrea. This is Imara.”
“Oh, hi! How did your exam go?”
“Pretty good, are you willing to take on another stone? I have one here in my hand, and no one wants to take it on.”
“Sure? When?”
“Three hours if I can get a lift.” She looked around, and none of the mages would meet her gaze. “Just a moment.”
She looked at the guy in charge. “Can someone take me to the transport station, at least?”
A shadow fell across the door to the garage. “We’ll take you home.” The voice was feminine and amused.
Mr. E bristled. Demon magic.
Not truly. Check it again. It is much a demon as you are an actual cat. If they are willing to give me a ride, I will take it.
I...
Hold your objections until we can get home. Then you can give me your assessment.
Yes, Imara.
She could feel him sulking against her neck.
“I will take that ride, please.”
She turned to Iofer. “She will be fine. I will send you a report as to the construction of this particular stone by the weekend. I am going to have to pull the spectres apart, and that takes time.”
“Thank you, Ms. Mirrin. I am sorry that we can’t take you back, but this crew was heading that way anyway, and they answered while you were floating.”
“How long was I floating?”
Iofer blinked. “About an hour.”
“Dammit. Thanks. Have Etta contact me if there are any side effects beyond trauma. Contact a counsellor for that.”
She kept her fist closed over the stone but tried to keep it relaxed. Mr. E was not going to be in the mood to swallow this one for storage.
She walked toward the female shadow and smiled. “Hiya, I am Imara Mirrin, stranded Death Keeper.”
The other woman smiled and extended her hand, “I am Benny, blended mage and our Mage Guild’s contribution to my XIA team.”
Imara felt tremendous power in the woman’s hand, and the eyes that she looked into were stamped with fey energy.
When they approached the vehicle, the guys were out and leaning against it. They all had the excellent physical tone that most of the XIA sported, and their gazes on Benny were possessive.
“Oh, this isn’t going to be an uncomfortable ride at all,” Imara muttered.
Benny chuckled. “I will sit between you and Tremble. Smith is driving, and Argyle will be co-piloting.”
“Thanks. My familiar is named Mr. E, and he is a little touchy right now.”
Benny chuckled, and she nodded for the guys to get in the vehicle. “Demon hunter?”
“Me? No.”
“No, your familiar. He has the look of an inherited familiar, and those tend to be folks who displeased the Mage Guild. His bristling when he identified me is a pretty good sign that he doesn’t like mages with demon blood.”
The other three settled in the vehicle, Benny slid into the centre of the back seat, and Imara got in, closing the door awkwardly before settling in. Not being able to use her hand was difficult, but letting that power go in this small space with the shifter, the fey, and the vampire wearing shades, was not a great idea.
Buckle up.
“I can’t buckle up without my hand.”
Benny smiled. “I will give you a hand with that.”
A moment later, after the stranger had leaned over her and tucked her in, they were on their way.
“How did you know about my familiar?”
“One of my best friends is a hellhound. She is locked into her servitude, and she was born into it. I am guessing that he is a generated one, which makes him an ancient mage, which makes him one of the demon hunters. Everybody else just went from spectre to flecks of energy.”
“You... you have studied.”
The elf, Tremble, leaned over. “Her family is in possession of the largest library of spells and magical lore in the country.”
She blinked. “You are Beneficia Ganger?”
Benny beamed. “That’s the one. You have done some studying yourself.”
“Oh, wow. I read a book by one of your ancestors. It helped me solve a problem.”
“Really? Which one?”
“Lenora Ganger.”
“Oh, that’s my mom. She’s older than she looks.” Benny smiled. “Was it a textbook?”
“Oh. No. It was a romance and a diary rolled into one.”
Smith was the shifter; he looked back at her in the mirror and grinned. “I think Benny might be willing to trade you for that one. It doesn’t seem that she has it.”
“It isn’t mine to trade.”
Benny smiled. “To whom does it belong?”
“The owner of Reegar Hall. That is where I live.”
Benny’s expression was shocked. “I used to visit Re
egar Hall. I don’t remember who owned it, though.”
“Technically, the college owns it, but Reegar is the spectre of the hall. It is his support, and it keeps him going.”
Tremble piped up, “He was mourned by one of my clan.”
“Liirick?”
Tremble nodded. “How did you know?”
“He comes by, and he and Reegar knock boots now and then. Mostly, when he is doing speaking engagements at the college.”
Tremble looked around Benny in astonishment. “How is that possible?”
Imara wrinkled her nose. “I am a Death Keeper. My passive talent is boosting the presence of the spectres. Reegar is as solid as he wants to be.”
Argyle turned around in his seat, and he gave her a piercing look with his red gaze. “Are you single?”
“No. I have a boyfriend.”
Benny grinned. “Do tell. We have a long drive before we get to the college.”
“Oh, can we stop at Ritual Space? I have to drop this off.” She held up her closed fist.
Smith nodded. “Wherever you need to go. Iofer says that you saved their teammate.” Smith grinned before he turned back to driving. “And we can go very fast.”
The acceleration to the interstate was very tangible.
Benny turned to her again. “So, tell me about your fella or lady, and then, let me know what is clenched in your hand and why is it turning black?”
Imara sighed. “I am holding the spectral amalgamation of seventeen mages who were not pleasant men. There has been a rash of these kinds of stones recently. The right combination of faded spectres can make an incredibly powerful talisman, but this one is just dangerous.”
“And why is your hand turning black?”
She grumbled, “It is trying to take power from me, so I have to deaden the area for containment. It will be fine, I hope.”
Benny frowned. “Well, while we rocket down the highway, I am going to return to the topic I am interested in. How did you meet your boyfriend?”
Imara wrinkled her nose. “We met in class.”
“Aww, did he help you with your homework?” Argyle had a strange singsong to his voice.
“No, he helped me with a skeevy instructor, and I helped him with his homework.” She smirked and checked the stone. There was a little leakage, so she had to change her technique. Argyle was getting influenced.
She pulled in the energy she needed to contain the stone and let the band of black form around her wrist. She watched the vampire shake his head to clear it.
Benny raised her brows. “What was that?”
“Leakage. The technically undead are more susceptible. Sorry, Argyle. I have it now.”
Mr. E crept down her arm. Let me have it. This is doing damage to you.
Are you okay with the occupants of the vehicle?
Yes. My investigations indicate that their link to the demon king who spawned them has been severed. It is a daring and complicated move. I must say, I am impressed, now give me the stone before it hurts you.
Thank you. If it gives you trouble, I will take it back.
“My familiar is going to take the stone. There is going to be a bit of a release of power, and then, things should be fine.” She watched the kitten crouch over the stone, and when he gave her a slight nod, she opened her hand.
A slight flare of energy and the pulse of power shut off. The colour started to return to her hand immediately.
“Thanks, Mr. E.” She smiled, and he walked over to her lap and curled up.
“Wow. Is he seriously a kitten?” Benny’s fingers were flexing.
“Yes, but wait until he has hacked up the stone before you try and pet him. He has warmed to the demon influence in you and your men, but he isn’t a fan in general.”
Tremble laughed. “He picked up on that?”
“Your connection? No, your posture on your vehicle did. You were all equal, and all fixated on Benny’s walk. That indicated intimacy.”
Smith nodded. “Body language is key. What do you and your boyfriend do for private time?”
She smirked. “We find a public place and go to a movie or something. No sex until I finish college. Mr. E is willing to enforce it.”
The entire group was shocked. Imara laughed, and Mr. E started purring. It was interesting. She had never murdered a conversation before.
Chapter Nine
They made the three-hour trip to Ritual Space in ninety minutes. Mr. E was growing cool with his efforts to contain the spectres, and she wanted to get it out of him.
Adrea came out to the parking area with a smile that turned into delight. “Benny!”
Benny passed Tremble and hugged Adrea.
Imara undid her seatbelt and carefully carried Mr. E to the proprietor of Ritual Space. “Hi, Adrea.”
Adrea came forward and hugged her as well, her white hair swinging around her face. “Not again. Okay, come this way.”
“If Blueberry is in, he can lead me to the stones.”
“Of course. I will see you when everything is contained.”
Imara nodded and clutched her limp familiar to her as she entered the space. Blueberry was waiting, and he hopped ahead of her at a good pace, leaving her to stride after him and into the space between realities where it was safe to store this sort of spirit.
Blueberry sat next to the open gateway on his hind legs, and his expression indicated that he was willing to wait.
Imara set Mr. E down on the wide stone bench, and she tickled him. He kicked his legs and opened his eyes.
“Hack it up.”
She petted his fur and held him as he started hacking. For a moment, it seemed that it wouldn’t come up, but then, the small crystal dropped to the stone.
She sighed and picked up Mr. E with one hand while placing the stone into the arc above the bench.
“Right. Gentlemen, I want the bossiest of you to come out now.” She sent a trickle of power into the stone, and a torso formed above the containment band.
“I don’t need to talk to a lowly mage.”
“I am not just a mage, but keep insulting me. I will just do this.”
She grabbed his energy and tore it apart, shredding it into particles so small that they were only good for blending with the next wave.
Sighing, she spoke to the stone. “I will return, I will question all of you, and I want to know who you are. If you give me a satisfactory answer, I will put you into a soul stone and give you a second life as a rejuvenated spectre. Think it over.”
She turned and cuddled her kitten while following the bunny down the trail that only existed when she was moving to that pocket between worlds.
Blueberry led her to the rear patio where the garden was flourishing, and some small tables had been assembled so that Adrea could serve tea. The XIA team was sitting around and eating scones.
“Imara, are you done?”
She nodded. “For today. I will still have to come back to conduct interviews.”
“Aside from the one you dispersed.”
“Yeah, that. He was just an asshole.”
Benny blinked. “You destroyed a spectre?”
“Sure. It’s not tricky.” Imara sat in the empty seat that was waiting for her.
Adrea patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t be smug.”
Imara blinked. “It isn’t being smug. Anyone with magical skills can tear apart a spectre. Being a Death Keeper just means I can tear it up really, really small.”
Benny laughed. “Fair enough. So, you have been here before?”
Adrea snorted. “Every two days for the last six weeks. Hyl has been tutoring her for her class.”
Smith looked at her in genuine surprise. “Hyl has been tutoring you?”
“Yes.” She petted Mr. E with one hand while sipping her tea with the other.
Argyle was sitting in the shade, but he asked, “What is your class?”
“Stealth Magic. He taugh
t me how to move and a few spells to assist in my final project, which—thankfully—was completed.”
Tremble arched his pale brows. “Did you pass?”
“I completed the exam. That is a pass.”
She checked her phone and smiled at the text from Argus.
Etta is doing well, Iofer is worshiping the very idea of you, and his team has pledged allegiance to you. Are you home?
She texted back. Ritual Space. Had to drop off the annoying item.
Benny smiled. “The boyfriend. I can tell by your expression.”
“Yeah. He was just checking in.”
Adrea rolled her eyes. “He checks in a lot. I swear, I was almost hoping for a crime spree just to stop her phone from going off.”
The XIA officers looked at each other in surprise.
Smith asked, “Crime spree?”
Adrea grinned. “Didn’t she tell you? She is dating Argus. He has been hanging around here with annoying frequency while she was training, though he did bring excellent ice cream every time, so that says something.”
Imara started to blush. “I like sugar after a lot of magic expenditure.”
Smith was still staring. “Argus? Our Argus?”
Imara grinned. “Technically, I have dibs on him, but that particular claiming is still six months or so away. I have to get my accreditation from the Mage Guild to be a commercial mage, but I inherited a building from a friend of mine, so my offices are set. No romantic entanglements until I have my professional life in place.”
Benny stared. “How old are you?”
“Twenty. I will still be twenty by the time I graduate.”
“How did you and Argus meet?”
Imara chuckled. “I told you. I met him in class. Ethics class. He had to take a course for work, and he helped me out with my shape shifting course.”
Benny was enthralled. “You can shape shift?”
“Yeah. I passed the class.”
Smith challenged, “What is your beast?”
“You are going to laugh.”
Smith held up a hand. “I promise to try not to.”
“Griffin vulture.”
Mr. E perked up at the cacophony of laughter that surrounded them. What is going on?
