Magicians' Reckoning

by H. L. Burke

  Auric’s mouth felt dry, but he managed to speak. “I’ll do my best. What exactly am I facing? What is a Leecher? Does it look human? How do I fight one?”

  “Essentially it is vapor, a collection of Fey energy that forms a vague body. Because of this, it usually only will venture into the human world on dark nights or in fog, when it can blend in. On a sunny day it might look like a dark shadow with no discernible source.” She closed her eyes. “I will leave you notes on how to fight it, but you know the basics of Fey repellent: iron, rosemary, fennel, alder wood—those are the best substances to counter their energy. However, my advice for fighting a Leecher is don’t let it get close enough to touch you. If it puts a hand on you, it will drain your energy. I suggest a containment spell. The good news is, if you can contain it and then expose it to direct sunlight, it will lose its power. That’s another reason they tend to keep to darkness. The sun burns them.”

  “Sounds easy enough.” Auric faked a confident smile.

  “Well, hopefully it doesn’t come near Spellsmith Manor. I will be leaving for Mill River Crossing first thing tomorrow. If I can stop it there, it won’t have a chance to threaten our home.”

  Chapter Three

  Jericho’s eyes fluttered open. Jaspyr’s quiet, mechanical purring resonated from the bottom of the bed, where the fox had curled up the night before. The room smelt slightly of milk, but more of the lilac traces of Rill’s magic. She’d created a spell to rock the twins’ bassinets every time they stirred.

  He stared at the ceiling. Something was off. He felt different. He felt … rested. He sat up. For the first time in almost three months, he didn’t feel tired.

  Rill sighed. Jericho lay back down, facing her. The golden rope of her braid fell across the pillow, her face peaceful in slumber. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. She nestled in, smiling. Savoring her warmth, he kissed her cheek.

  Her eyes snapped open. She blinked several times. “It’s morning?”

  “Uh-huh.” He pressed his lips against her forehead.

  An awed expression overtook her face. “They slept through the night?”

  “It seems they did.” He grinned.

  “Oh, thank God!” Her arms shot around his neck, pulling him down on top of her. They kissed passionately. After months of exhaustion-induced abstinence, the affection sent fire through his veins. He slid his hands under her night dress.

  She laughed. “It’s so wonderful not to be completely exhausted.”

  “Shh, you’ll wake them.”

  “The mood I’m in, I’m all right letting them cry for a while.” She nibbled on his ear. Jaspyr whined and hopped off the bed. Jericho ignored him.

  Making love to Rill was like sinking into a warm bed after a long day, blissful and comfortable. Yes, her body had changed, but she was still Rill, and she still knew how to send lightning through every bit of his being. Finally they lay, sweaty, breathless, but content. He ran his fingertips up and down her back.

  “I’ve missed being your wife as well as their mother,” she whispered.

  “You can be both—you’re amazing at both.” He closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her hair.

  Fussing rose from the direction of the bassinets.

  “It’s Lila.” Rill wriggled away from him and reached for her dressing gown.

  “I don’t know how you can tell.” He rolled onto his back.

  “It’s hard to explain the difference in their cries, but it’s there.” She slipped the gown around her shoulders. “She’s probably hungry.”

  Jericho’s stomach growled. “She’s not the only one.”

  Rill settled beside him again, baby at her breast. Jericho brushed his hand across Lila’s forehead. While he couldn’t tell them apart by their cries, he knew them by sight now. Lila had lighter hair, perhaps more like her mother’s though with how much they changed from day-to-day, both seemed to be an ever-shifting combination of himself and Rill. There was something thrilling about that, about how their love had created two beings who were a combination of their essences. He kissed first his daughter then his wife.

  “How about I bring up a tray for breakfast, and we can eat in, the four of us?”

  She beamed at him. “That sounds wonderful. I’m starving.”

  He swung his legs out of bed and fished on the floor for his trousers and shirt. Jaspyr wormed out from under the bed and gazed up at him reproachfully.

  Jericho rubbed the fox’s metal ears. “I’ll bring extra toast for you, buddy.”

  Jaspyr gave a buoyant, “Yip!”

  Whistling, Jericho practically sprinted down the stairs into the kitchen. Annie stood over the stove, flipping griddle cakes, and, to his surprise, Auric sat at the kitchen table before a plate of eggs and bacon.

  Auric raised his eyebrows. “You look chipper.”

  “Twins slept through the night and Rill and I … celebrated.” Jericho smirked.

  “Oh, gah!” Auric waved his hand in front of his face as if warding off the image. “It’s bad enough that you go seducing and impregnating my innocent little sister. Don’t go flaunting your escapades in front of me.”

  Jericho chuckled, then turned towards their cook. “Hey, Annie, could you get a tray made up for me and Rill? She’s had a rough couple of weeks, and I think breakfast in bed would do her good.”

  The older woman gave him an apple-cheeked smile. “Aren’t you a sweet one! Yes, I’ll put together a spread for her. Why don’t you sit down? The tea’s almost done.”

  Jericho eased into the seat across from Auric. “So, why are you in here instead of in the breakfast nook?”

  Auric shrugged. “With Mother gone and you and Rill always so out of it, it’s just been me and Father for the last couple of weeks. He’s not feeling well this morning. When he said he was going back to bed, I didn’t feel like sitting in there alone.”

  “Ah.”

  “Worries me that Father’s skipping breakfast again, though. I think that’s the third time this week.” Auric scratched at his beard.

  Jericho nodded. Since Hedward’s stroke a year before, everyone in the family kept careful track of his health. With the twins though, Jericho had been too distracted to notice if the older man was acting off.

  A small stack of envelopes rested beside Auric’s plate. The top one was addressed from a “L. Tyckner.”

  “Will already brought the mail from town?” Jericho pointed towards the letters.

  “Last night, actually. I haven’t got a chance to go over them yet.” Auric took a bite of egg.

  “Even the one from Lotta?” Jericho narrowed his eyes at his friend.

  Auric flushed and tucked the letter into his breast pocket.

  “You haven’t been to the Capital since the twins were born. Do you think she’ll be coming out here to see you anytime soon? We have room.” Jericho leaned back in his chair. He liked Lotta. She was steady and practical; the complete opposite of Auric, but that was what Auric needed.

  “It’s complicated. She has business entanglements that keep her in the city. I have obligations that keep me here.” Auric pushed his plate away. “We write when we can but … what would you do if you were only able to see Rill a few times a year, Jericho?”

  “I’d find a way to see her more.”

  Auric snorted. “It’s not that simple.”

  “I’d find a way to simplify it, then.”

  Annie set the kettle and two cups between them, averting her eyes as if she couldn’t hear what they were talking about. Auric sighed and poured himself some tea. He held the steaming liquid under his nose, breathing deeply.

  “Do you love her?” Jericho asked.

  Auric flushed. “I … I don’t know. I mean, we’re not like you and Rill. Things between us are awkward and sometimes tense. We snap at each other. Blast, I’d give anything for things to go as easy for me with Lotta as they do for you and Rill. Rill worships the ground you walk on, for some insane reason. Lotta? S
he questions everything I do and think.”

  “But you like that.” Jericho chuckled. “I know you. You like a challenge.”

  “Sometimes, but other times it would be nice not to have to fight for every step we take in our relationship.”

  Jericho leaned closer. “You’ve known her for less than a year. Do you know how long Rill and I were friends before we became a couple? Almost five times as long as you’ve known Lotta. Maybe it seems easy, but that’s because we took it slow, we got to know each other as people first. And yeah, when we did finally break through that wall, it happened fast, but that’s because we’d already established trust. It takes time.”

  Annie set a tray on the table and loaded it with golden-brown toast, a dish of whipped butter, a jar of strawberry jam, and a plate of bacon.

  “I promised Jaspyr extra toast,” Jericho said.

  Annie held up a basket covered in a red-checked napkin. “I thought of the little blighter. His favorite blueberry scones, even better than toast.”

  “Perfect.” Jericho grinned. He stood and placed his hand on Auric’s shoulder. “If it’s meant to be, you’ll get through this. Lotta’s good for you. Don’t do anything stupid because you’re impatient, all right?”

  He carried the tray to his bedroom. Rill, now dressed with her hair in lavender ribbons, reclined on the bed next to the twins. Dark-haired Ric thrashed his arms back and forth wildly, laughing at his mother while his fair-haired sister sucked on her toes.

  Placing the tray on the side table, Jericho picked up his stylus which he’d left there the night before along with a quire, the sheets of paper he used to write spells. He scratched out a series of magical symbols. Fey energy dashed across the paper which disintegrated into ash in his hand. With a scent of cedar, a small fox made of golden light sprang into the air and frisked over the babies’ heads. Lila squealed in delight.

  Jaspyr wriggled from under the bed, his eyes tracking the fox illusion’s every move. When it faded a minute later, he gave an irritated sniff. Jericho tossed him a scone which he caught midair.

  “What do you plan to do today?” Rill asked.

  Jericho slathered jam on a piece of toast and passed it to her. “I really need to help out in the workshop. I haven’t been as present as I’d like to be, and it’s forced Auric to take on more than his share of the work.”

  “Yes, and he hates working alone.” She held the toast, but didn’t take a bite. “Do you think I could help out, too? I mean, I’m not as far along in my training as you and Aurry, but I know the basics and with a little guidance, I can probably take some of the load off your shoulders.”

  “I’d like that, but what about the twins?”

  “We could place some blankets on the floor, and they could be there with us. They aren’t crawling yet, so how much trouble could they get into?” She gazed at him, a barely perceptible pout about her lower lip. “Please?”

  He kissed her forehead. “Of course.”

  “I’m worried about Mother,” Rill said after a few bites. “I know she’s capable and knows more about Fey than any of us, but from what Auric told me, this creature she’s hunting is truly monstrous.”

  “It would have to be for her to leave like she did.” Jericho nodded. “She’s in love with the twins, and you know how protective she is of your father, making sure he doesn’t exert himself. Hopefully, she’ll find what she’s looking for soon.”

  She dabbed at her lips with a napkin then craned her neck towards the tray. “No tea?”

  He laughed. “There’s only so much I could carry, you know?” He gently pinched the tip of her nose. “I’ll go fetch some, if Auric hasn’t guzzled it all.”

  Stepping into the hallway, Jericho stopped short when he saw Hedward. The old man stood, bleary eyed, looking this way and that.

  “Are you all right, sir?” Jericho frowned.

  “I can’t find Iris,” Hedward whispered.

  Jericho’s brow furrowed. “She’s in Mill River Crossing, remember? On the request of Master Preston.”

  “Mill River … Preston … of course … how silly of me … I need to speak with her. I need …” He staggered like a drunkard exiting a tavern, past Jericho, to the top of the stairs. He put one foot forward as if not noticing the step before him. Jericho’s heart plummeted as his father-in-law wobbled. He crossed the space between them in a leap and grabbed him by the collar.

  “Sir!”

  Hedward collapsed in Jericho’s arms, mumbling incoherently.

  “Auric! Rill!” Jericho shouted. “Hurry!”

  Rill burst from the room behind him, and Auric’s footsteps pounded through the foyer below. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Auric froze, gaping at them. He then turned and darted up the other set of stairs across the foyer: the ones leading to the workshop and Hedward’s private study. Jericho raised his eyebrows.

  “Dad!” Rill knelt beside them. She pressed her hand to Hedward’s cheek. “He’s having another stroke. What do we do?”

  Jericho swallowed, trying to remember the doctor’s advice from the last time. By the time they could fetch the doctor from the village, five miles away, it could be too late. What the hell was Auric even doing?

  A door slammed and two sets of feet hammered down the workshop stairs: Auric and a small, middle-aged man clutching a leather satchel.

  Jericho’s eyes widened. “Doctor Sculpin?”

  The doctor reached them and bent over Hedward. “This just happened?”

  Rill nodded, her lip clenched between her teeth.

  “Not good.” The doctor sought Jericho’s eyes. “Can you help me move him into the bedroom?”

  Jericho lifted Hedward, careful to support his head. Rill hurried to open the bedroom door.

  “Let me have a few minutes to examine him, all right?” the doctor said as Jericho lowered Hedward onto the mattress.

  Slightly lightheaded, Jericho retreated into the hall and shut the door. Rill and Auric stood, shoulder to shoulder, Rill’s fingers clutching and unclutching her skirts, Auric’s face pale as paper, both obviously waiting to hear what he had to say.

  Exhaling, Jericho concentrated on Auric. “How in the world did you get the doctor here so quickly?”

  “Homing spell.” Auric stared past him at the closed door. “After last time, I asked Doctor Sculpin if I could keep the static half of one in his office.”

  Jericho swallowed. A homing spell allowed teleportation to a preset location. “Good thinking.”

  Rill closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking. “I have an awful feeling this time, Jerry. It’s not like the first time when it wasn’t quite real. It’s … it’s awful. This is bad. This is so bad.”

  He swept her into an embrace, squeezing her against his chest with all his might. With nothing comforting to say, he simply rocked her back and forth. Auric huffed out a long breath and began to pace.

  “Is there a way to send word to your mother?” Jericho asked.

  “I could send Will after her, but I’m not sure where she is exactly.” Auric stopped and tugged at his beard. “I mean, I know she was investigating around Mill River, but in her last letter she mentioned she was traveling to remote farms in the area, looking for victims that slipped through the cracks. Perhaps I could find her using a tracking spell, but it could take a while.”

  A wail rose from Jericho and Rill’s bedroom. Rill stiffened.

  Jericho released her. “It’s all right. I’ll get you if the doctor has any news.”

  She hurried away.

  Auric stopped pacing to lean against the wall. “I need to go after her. She should be here.”

  Jericho laid his hand on Auric’s shoulder. “You can’t leave your father right now. Mill River is a six-hour ride and that’s assuming you’ll find her right away.” He glanced from the closed door behind him to the door Rill had just disappeared through. “Look, I can go after Iris. You need to stay here with your dad.”

  “No, I can’t sit still this time. I nee
d to … I can find her. I’ll bring a homing spell so the return trip will be instantaneous.”

  “I could do that just as well as you, and he’s not my father.”

  “Yes, he is.” Auric dropped his gaze. “It used to make me jealous, that he saw you that way, and I know you think he considers you the ‘hired help’ but that’s not even close to the truth, Jericho. Even before you married Rill, you were family to him, and now to me.”

  Warmth spread through Jericho, fighting against the cold grasp worry had on his heart. “Still, you should be here.”

  “Rill needs you more than she needs me. I’ll be quick. You’re good at straightforward magic, yes, but I can bend it to my needs, and she’s my mother. I know how she thinks, so I’ll be able to find her faster than you could.”

  Jericho rubbed the back of his neck. “If you feel you need to do this, then go, but please hurry, Auric. You’ll hate yourself forever if he … just hurry.”

  Auric nodded and took off down the stairs at a jog. Jericho swallowed. Rill was right. This was bad.

  Chapter Four

  Iris fiddled with the cracked cup filled with tea and warm milk. The glum-faced man and the wide-eyed woman stared at her from across the rough wooden table in the dimly-lit farm kitchen. Not wanting to offend them, she took a sip. It tasted like watered-down milk, not her preference, especially on a warm summer evening such as this. Of course, the couple was obviously doing their best, bringing out the only china cup on the shelf of wood and earthenware. Out of habit, Iris had almost asked for sugar, before remembering that it was likely a luxury her hosts could not afford.