by Antara Mann
“You blacked out when you touched that ring.” He held out the little, peculiar item whose strange vibe had attracted me in the first place. I seized the opportunity and took a good look at it — it was amber in color and oval in shape. My mind recalled the sick, dark feeling I’d experienced when I touched it, and I recoiled.
“Drop it! You shouldn’t touch it!” I said to Kagan and my voice echoed around the room. I was surprised to hear myself yell at him. There was no need to, since he stood next to me. I was obviously too agitated to control my emotions. Without any further prompt, Kagan dropped the ring.
“You are right. The ring’s energy is quite twisted and dark. I also felt a bit nauseated,” he said and took out a magical container — a small box designed to neutralize dangerous types of magic; demon magic and dark sorcery, mostly. The Council used magical containers, too, and all the investigators carried some with them in case they had to deal with magical artifacts or unstable objects.
“I’ll take the ring with me to examine it in a lab. This must be one of the alleged sorcerer’s super-power items. Or rather, drain-power items.” He winked at me and I flashed a smile at his wordplay. “I’ve stumbled upon one or two in my life, but I really want to learn more about them — this one in particular.”
“I know about sorcerers’ power items from the books we studied back at the Magica Academy,” I said. Basically, they were rings or necklaces which sorcerers wore, and they activated and channeled their innate magic, tapping into it. “But I have no first-hand experience with them. Up until now.”
“It’s probably for the better.” Kagan grinned at me.
Sorcerers weren’t as common a type of supernaturals as shifters, mages, witches or fairies, if my recollections were correct. They were deadly powerful, and the fact that they could steal, tamper with and manipulate the powers of others through tokens and objects like this ring made their kind greatly disliked and even hated in our community. While some supernaturals had found ways to protect themselves to varying degrees from the effects of dark sorcery through spells, runes or other means, their techniques were not foolproof, nor were they available to everyone. Of course, good sorcerers did exist, though they were rather a minority.
“So you say this funny little ring stole our magic and power?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I cannot vouch for it, but it’s my wild guess.”
“Oh, good fates! No wonder we both felt ill.”
“I am not a hundred percent sure, though. The effect it had on us could have been our own defense mechanisms against our magic being stolen or something. We’ll know more when we examine the ring.”
Kagan walked around the tidy apartment once again. He checked and looked into the other rooms. While he did that, I rifled once more through the bookcase and Derek’s desk, which was empty except for an unused notebook. I reconnected with my magical radar to see if there were any hidden messages in his notebook. Alas, nothing.
We went out of the building onto the street. It was late evening and my stomach was already rumbling when the fae tugged on my sleeve.
“Sweetheart, I have an idea. Let’s stay put here and watch the building’s entrance, and the apartment, of course. This sorcerer is our only real lead for now. I feel some lingering magic around here, and my gut tells me he will return home soon.”
“You think he is waiting for us to go away? Why would he come back here anyway, now that the safety of his home has been compromised?”
“I don’t know, but he’s surely figured out we’d come check it out once his boss has given us his address.”
“It makes sense, but how long do you want us to stay here and wait? It could take forever. He could be watching us as we wait for him. And what about the ring and the third missing mage — that Hendricks guy?”
“Ah, I’ve just received an update from my friend at the Council. Samuel Hendricks is missing, too.”
“Shit!” I cursed. The mages’ disappearances were getting on my nerves. I, myself, was a half-mage. My father had been killed because long ago he’d looked into mages’ disappearances, too. There was something very unsettling about this whole issue. “We’ve lost another mage, and we could have saved him…”
“No, don’t feel guilty. My contact told me Samuel’s relatives have reported he’s been missing for nearly two days. Even if we’d known, it’s very likely we couldn’t have done anything to prevent it.”
“It bugs me that Samuel Hendricks is the most powerful of the three mages who won last year’s contest.”
“I know — that is indeed worrisome,” Kagan agreed and sighed. “I also asked my contact to check if Derek has a criminal record or has ever crossed paths with the Magic Council. It turned out he did. Derek has committed mild offenses more than twenty years ago. He was charged with indecent behavior and habitual vandalism. He insulted one of his professors at the Boston Magica School when he was a student there at the time, and assaulted a few fellow students by setting their cars on fire.”
I raised my eyebrows and whistled low. “So Derek wasn’t a good boy — not much of a surprise, anyway.”
“Not only that. His behavior also shows a pattern. I believe he is dangerous, a non-conformist, unlikely to care about the rule of law. Plus, it displays a willingness to abuse and misuse his power.”
I pondered Kagan’s words. He had a point. “When did the Council report Samuel Hendricks was missing?”
“A few hours ago at the most. That’s why it took my contact so long to track the mage down.”
“Okay, wait here if you are sure you want to, or if your magical sense compels you,” I said, but Kagan interrupted me.
“I’ll call my PA, the ogre you are familiar with, to watch this place. He is now busy. I tasked him to check at Derek’s previous employer’s, but he’ll be done with that soon. Until he comes, I’ll watch this place myself.”
“Okay. In the meantime I’ll visit Awen. I want to consult with him about this ring and ask him a few things about sorcerers.”
“I can tell you a lot about sorcerers, as well, you know?”
“I know, sweetheart, but I need to talk to Awen about other things, too.”
“Okay, as you wish.”
“At any rate, as I see it, we found a key piece of evidence. Maybe the key to crack down on sorcerers,” I suggested and quickly added, “I am taking the ring for a little while.”
Kagan placed the magical container with the ring inside on my outstretched hand.
“I trust your mentor — he is a wise man. You ought to listen to him more.”
I gave him a big smile and took out Naomi’s fairy dust, the one I used as a teleportation charm. I sprinkled it around me, and the familiar silver cloud appeared. Before it took me to another space, Kagan shouted at me, “I’ll see you soon!”
I certainly hoped he was right, though the jolt in the pit of my stomach as I became airborne told me otherwise.
Chapter 14
The cool late November breeze cooled the heat burning my body and soul. It had been a hell of a day, and the most recent events had boiled my blood.
It was already past eight p.m. when I teleported to my hometown of Ivy Hills. The landscape was shrouded in darkness and only the far-away lights of our small town twinkled in the night sky. Occasionally, the distant howling of a coyote pierced the silence.
The charm had taken me to the narrow road leading to Awen’s house. I approached it and tentatively unlocked the front door, hoping he was at home. Awen would often shift into one of his two inner animals — a hawk and a coyote — and go wander in the woods, hunting prey, especially before snow fell. With magic’s help, he’ll have returned by now.
I entered his house. The warmth wafting from inside engulfed me and warmed my limbs. The sharp contrast between the bitter cold outside and the cozy atmosphere inside was so striking it made me dizzy. It felt as if I had stepped inside a magical portal. I closed the door behind me and went into the living room. Just then I hear
d distant steps. They grew louder, and soon enough my mentor’s deep voice reached my ears.
“Alex, is that you?”
I sighed, relieved, and grinned like a teenager who’d just found her crush liked her back. I shouted, “Yes, it’s me, Awen.” Who else could be?” Thank magic, fate was benevolent to me… umm, to the investigation. If by some sick joke of the universe Awen hadn’t been home, I’d have to waste precious time finding him.
“How are you, my dear?” He walked into the living room, dressed in a silvery buttoned long shirt and white cotton pants. Runic symbols were inscribed on the shirt’s sleeves, and an amber pendant was hanging loose on his chest. He’d once told me the pendant was a present from Brighid, the Celtic supreme goddess. Needless to say, it was very dear to him.
“I’m fine, I guess.” I shrugged. “It bothers me that the number of missing mages is increasing. We are already tracking three of them. Kagan is lending a helping hand in the investigation.”
“Hmm… Do you have a lead or a suspect?” Awen asked while he tidied up the living room table. Not that it was messy, just piled with his regular books — volumes on mythologies from all over the world, his favorite bedtime stories.
I grinned. Awen had once told me that George Eliot’s fictional character Mr. Casaubon, who searched for the key to all mythologies, had been inspired by him. I had to admit to feeling a little envious. What wouldn’t I give to meet some of the more interesting historic figures Awen had been on first-name terms with, like the legendary Queen Semiramis, Merlin the Wizard or even King Solomon.
I cleared my thoughts and said, “Umm, we sorta do have a suspect now, but he got away. But we found a key piece of evidence.” I sat down in the armchair behind the table and put the magical container on my lap. It was important, and I wanted to keep it within my reach.
“Would you like a cup of herbal tea?” Awen offered. “It will soothe your nerves and clear your thoughts.” A friendly smile brightened up his face.
“Yeah, that’d be great. Thank you.”
He went to his kitchenette and in a few minutes returned with two steaming cups of tea.
“Here you are, darling.” He handed me the tea. I sipped it — it had a very pleasant taste of ginger, mint, various wild fruits and probably chamomile. An interesting combination, I noted to myself.
“So, you were saying…” he prompted me and sat down on the couch next to my chair.
“Our only lead right now is a lone sorcerer named Derek Matthews. We also figured out how Garrett and his inferni ally targeted the mages: They picked the winners from last year’s Magica of the Year contest. Yet, unfortunately, we couldn’t warn the mage who won first place — they’d already hijacked him,” I said, furrowing my brows. I felt miserable about it. I knew it hadn’t been my fault, yet it troubled my conscience.
Awen cut through my internal thoughts. “You shouldn’t blame yourself. You cannot save the whole world. Neither are you a superwoman. Or a time traveler,” he added with a smile. He then pointed at the magical container in my lap. “And may I ask, what is that?”
Still feeling distressed, I managed to say, “Ah, this is a magical ring — our key evidence. We found it back at Derek’s apartment, the sorcerer I just mentioned to you. Kagan, umm… we believe this ring unleashes a sorcerer’s abilities. When we fought that Derek character he tampered with our own powers. He blocked and stole mine and Kagan’s, and used our magic against us. It felt surprisingly unsettling, not being able to rely on my own magic. Even worse, seeing it being used against Kagan was heartbreaking. Sorcerers are evil!”
Awen thought hard and scratched his chin. “May I see this ring?”
“Mmm, yeah, but keep it in the box. When I touched that ring I felt drained and nauseated then blacked out. Kagan also felt ill, but he dropped it quickly.”
“I think I’ll manage, love. Thanks for the concern and warning, though.” He smiled at me.
Reluctantly, unsure he took me seriously, I handed him the container. He carefully opened the lid and took the ring in his palm. Upon contact with Awen’s skin, the item glowed in dark purple for a few seconds and created a colorful magical wall around his hand. Then the shimmering light grew bigger and bigger until, suddenly, the light sizzled and snapped out with a low hissing sound.
“Whoa! What was that?” I asked as I stood from the chair. I came level to my mentor and examined his hand. It was intact. His skin too. Derek’s ring, though, had changed. It had been amber when I gave it to Awen, but now it’d turned into dark smoky gray. It looked as if it had been set on fire.
“This, Alex, was a showcase of a very practical skill — neutralizing sorcerers’ rings.”
“Wow! Too bad they didn’t teach us this stuff back at the Magica Academy.”
He smiled at me, warmth flickering in his eyes. “Don’t feel sorry. You make up for your knowledge gaps with a natural talent.”
“And how do you know that stuff?” I shot the question and almost immediately regretted asking it; he was as old as the hills and had to know things I didn’t even imagine possible.
“A sorcerer friend taught me how to do this many centuries ago.” He took a closer look at the ring, turning it around with his fingers. “It’s a powerful object, though I’ve encountered much deadlier sorcerer rings in my life,” he said and handed me back the ring. “You don’t need the magical container anymore; the ring is devoid of any magic.”
I gasped. “But Kagan wanted to examine it in the Magic Council’s labs. I don’t think he’ll be happy to find out you wiped it clean.”
Awen laughed out loud — one of the rare times I heard him laugh like that. Usually he was reserved and composed. “Darling, the only way to beat magic is through magic itself; science is a marvelous thing, no doubt, but it still cannot put up a fight against sorcery. Besides, you don’t need laboratory tests on this ring. I’ll tell you everything I learned about it.”
My face lit up. “Okay, sir, please enlighten me,” I said with a touch of playfulness. Awen was like a walking encyclopedia and I loved his practical lessons. “Who did this ring belong to? Garrett, his inferni ally or that new sorcerer guy we were chasing today? So many choices.”
“Well, that I cannot know for sure, but this ring hasn’t been used for a long while; the touch of the magic inside it came to me kinda rusty. However, its owner was most definitely a sorcerer.”
So it had to have belonged to Derek. During our fight his magic had also felt rough, and I was sure he hadn’t used it for quite some time.
“You say this thing hasn’t been used for a while, but we had a fight with this Derek character only this afternoon, and somehow, with or without this ring, he blocked the magic inside Anumati’s necklace. Also, during the fight, he used skills such as telekinetics and teleportation. Can you tell me, was it this ring that he used for enhancing his abilities?”
Awen knitted his brows, thinking over my questions. “I’m certain he has another ring and uses it more often. At any rate, I’m positive he couldn’t have used this one.”
“And why did this ring affect us — Kagan and me — when we touched it? I mean, you yourself said the magic inside it was rusty and old. Was it a protective mechanism against stealing or unfamiliar touch? Ugh, I am sorry for all those questions, Awen, but apart from Garrett, I haven’t fought or even met another sorcerer.”
A smile danced on Awen’s lips, and warmth glowed in his calm blue eyes and spread over his face. His body radiated unconditional love — this was the Awen I looked up to, the mentor figure who gave me strength and courage.
“It’s okay, Alex. I’m glad you came to me. I wanted to talk to you ever since I spilled the beans about Brighid’s prophecy. I wanted to make sure you weren’t mad at me or something.”
I sighed. “I thought we’d set the record straight about that.”
He looked at me thoughtfully. “I hope so, too. Now,” he clapped his hands, “to answer your questions. Sorcerer rings remain powerful even
when their master hasn’t used them for quite some time. The ring affected you and Kagan because it can never allow another supernatural, more so a non-sorcerer, to touch it. Unless you know how to neutralize them, of course.” He stood up and went to his bookcase. From the top shelf, he pulled out one of his thick, black volumes and began leafing through it. When he found what he was searching for, he placed the tome in my hands. “I want you to read this — it briefly describes sorcerer rings. You can read it out loud.”
Briefly?! It was one long small-type column! There was also a painting of a magical ring between the columns. I cleared my throat and read aloud, “Sorcerer rings are catalysts through which sorcerers materialize their innate magic or metaphysical energy and use it in the physical world.”
I skipped a few long sentences explaining in detail the conversion of the inherent magic inside a ring into actual magic that sorcerers could use. The text also mentioned electromagnetic energy, but I skipped that, too, because frankly I didn’t quite understand the connection or the purpose.
“All sorcerers,” I resumed reading, “except for the few prime sorcerers need rings on a varying basis. The more sophisticated a sorcerer is, the less they rely on magical rings.” I looked up at Awen. “I don’t remember seeing a ring on Garrett’s hand, though at that time I didn’t pay much attention to his jewelry; I was too busy fighting for my life.”
Awen nodded. “It’s also possible he used a concealing charm and made the ring invisible. I think we both prefer this idea over the possibility that Garrett is a prime sorcerer.”
“Oka-aay, now that you mentioned it, what’s a prime sorcerer? I don’t recall having seen an explanation about it. Not in your books, at least,” I asked, although I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer. This whole prime sorcerer thing screamed bad, very bad news.
Awen sipped his tea and touched his hands together before his face took on a philosopher’s pose. “In the beginning of creation, millions of years ago, there weren’t as many supernaturals as there are nowadays — of so many kinds. So, basically, there were only gods and demons, and of course, humans. A handful of humans. That is what all mythologies unanimously speak of.
