by J. R. White
Caught by Nightfall
By J.R. White
© J.R. White 2018
Terms and Conditions:
The purchaser of this book is subject to the condition that he/she shall in no way resell it, nor any part of it, nor make copies of it to distribute freely.
All Persons Fictitious Disclaimer:
This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter One
There were a hundred and one other things Meredith could and should have been doing. Contracts needed reading. Phone calls needed returning. A damn book that needed reading. So many other countless things that she should have been doing instead of sneaking through the halls of a massive library. Not just any library. No, Meredith Blackburn, head of a well-known and well-respected magical family, was walking around the basement of the world’s oldest library, the Lacuna Library. In its halls it held thousands of years’ worth of knowledge that most people would never even imagine still existed.
The ancient library had been kept a secret from most of society after its supposed destruction at Constantinople. Silently, Meredith breathed a prayer of thanks that the old pagan priests had thought ahead enough to save the bulk of the knowledge. They had also kept adding to it over the years as the world went through turmoil, creating the most extensive collection of historical knowledge known. It wasn’t just full of magical secrets. It held true histories that had been forgotten over the long expanse of time.
Of course, getting access to that library hadn’t been easy. Meredith and her family had spent years working through red tape just to get her access to the main areas when she was in college.
That morning, however, it had only taken Malcolm Blackwood five minutes to convince her to break in and disregard all of that red tape. Holding up the magical orb of light and walking her fingers over the spines of countless books, Meredith chided herself for giving into temptation. To think that a map of the ancient dragon lines would drive her to breaking and entering.
It agitated Meredith now that she was standing in the silent and dark hall. Glancing over at Malcolm, she asked, “What the hell are you looking for, anyway?”
Leaving his fingers on the aged spine of a thick book, Malcolm looked back at her through his own magical light and smiled. “A set of tracking spells.”
Stopping, Meredith lifted her hand to her hip and stared at him. “Really? All of this for a few tracking spells? You’re already one of the best magical trackers,” she pointed out. Still, that crooked smile and the light that sparked in his crystal blue eyes was enough to put her at ease.
Shrugging, Malcolm turned back to looking over the various labels. “These are special.”
“Why?”
His finger sliding down the spine of another leather bound book, Malcolm countered, “Why are you looking for a map of the ley lines when you already have them memorized?”
Clamping her mouth shut, Meredith bit her tongue. Malcolm had a point in his own way. The ley lines were a widely-known set of magical pathways. Even he, slacker in his studies that he was, knew most of them. She didn’t really want to share why she wanted to compare the current lines to ancient ones. She’d much rather work on that project on her own. Throwing up her hands, she gave in and said, “Okay. Look for whatever you’re after. I’m going to go find that map.”
As Meredith turned to leave, the light of her magical orb lamp was joined with his and Malcolm’s hand came around to rest on her waist. His lips dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. Looking back at him, she saw him wink. “Go find what you need, Babe, and call if you run into any trouble.”
His hand slipped away, and Meredith watched him drift down the dark hall. Malcolm’s confident strides down the narrow aisle gave the impression that he’d traveled those paths a hundred times before. Anything he did, he did with the same swagger that only he seemed to possess. Shaking her head, she turned and started her journey to find the ancient maps that had caught her interest in the first place.
She could still see the sly look in Malcolm’s eyes and the cheeky half smile on his lips when he’d brought up the maps. He knew just how to trigger her reckless side and he knew how to look good doing it. Bringing up the dragon lines had been a good idea. Even with all his masculine charm she still wouldn’t have helped him get into the library without that leverage.
The dragon lines, as the ley lines were more commonly known, were the rivers of magical power that circled the earth. Every wizard, sorceress, witch and warlock that ever used magic could feel the pull of the lines. They also drained power away from those rivers. Static wards were used to dam up some lines and others were just siphoned from. The use of the dragon lines were highly negotiated between the large magical factions.
Meredith was still new as the head of her family, but she’d been preparing for the Dragon Line Negotiations for years. The ancients had charted the lines long before treaties and negotiations started. She had always assumed that having those maps of the original lines might help her find the best angle to take during the talks. Her family didn’t rely on the magic. Her goal was to free it up for the less powerful factions and groups in the magical community, restoring some of the balance that had been lost over the centuries.
The library was alive with scents; sandalwood mingled with a lingering sage. Meredith had the distinct feeling that following the sandalwood would lead her just where she wanted to go. After a lifetime spent honing her divination skills, she’d learned to follow her gut instincts.
It didn’t take Meredith long to find her way through the winding hallways. Her hunch about the sandalwood had been right. The scent tangled in the air, leading her right to a wooden box displayed on a shelf below a large framed map.
The frame itself was unremarkable and most people would see the plain, aged parchment as useless. Meredith knew better though. Pulling a polished quartz crystal from her jacket pocket, she stared at the outline of the faded writing. Twitching her free fingers, she drew the glowing orb through the air closer to the framed piece and its faded ink.
Meredith could make out the shapes of the landmasses clearly. It wasn’t quite like modern maps. It was missing so much of the detail. But the rivers made it easier to locate other landmarks. “Just what I was looking for,” she said, palming the crystal and touching it to the old paper.
As the quartz began to glow, Meredith felt the magical energy of the map copying itself. The stone was slowly filling up and etching out a duplicate. As she moved it slowly over the map, she lost herself in tracing out the lines and committing them to memory as well. Already she could see large redirections in the lines. There were new lines that had formed over the centuries and others that had disappeared.
Meredith’s eyes were just starting to travel across the Atlantic Ocean when a tingle in the air made her shiver. Lowering the crystal from the magical map, she turned and searched for the source. It pulled at the energy around her, tugging the empty space towards the darkness beyond the shelves. A fearful urge to run bubbled up and before she could stomp it down, she was backing away from the magic amassing in the darkness.
Keeping her eyes trained on the spot beyond the shelves, Meredith retreated from the map and tomes she’d come looking for. Malcolm was only a few turns away, but the path was dark and the tiny floating light that followed her did little to push away the edge of f
ear. Taking a slow, deep breath, she let out a whisper. “Malcolm.” It was both a warning and a plea for help.
As his name left Meredith’s lips, the scar on her shoulder prickled, pulling at their invisible connection. She could feel her magic rushing the word through the darkness and racing towards its intended. Backing around a corner, she saw the dark mass start to swirl with a dense red mist. Her heart nearly stopped at the sight. Chills raced through her, causing tickling goosebumps to rise.
With a thought, Meredith put out the light of her orb and stared into the brightening void. Her fear began to boil over as the red mist tightened and thickened. A human body was taking solid shape and a worried shout started to work its way up her throat. Before his name could erupt from her lips, Malcolm clasped his hand over her mouth. “Shh. I got you,” he whispered in her ear, and instantly some of the terror drained away.
Carefully pulling his hand away, Malcolm glanced around the corner and Meredith watched his eyes go a little wide. Then he took her hand and started pulling her deeper into the dark hallway he’d appeared from. “We got to get out of here,” he said quietly.
“No shit,” Meredith hissed as they made a turn. The darkness was so thick that she couldn’t really see him, but she knew he was focused on getting as far from that red mass as possible. She wasn’t sure how Malcolm was maneuvering through the hall without his own light, but she was thankful for his lead.
Around one last corner Meredith saw the glow of his magic orb. Malcolm was quick to pull the light closer and whipped a candle out of his shoulder bag. “Alright. We’re outta here,” he said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close to his side.
It was all a part of traveling by candlelight. Meredith had to be close, really close, to move through the flame with Malcolm. Tucking her quartz back into her pocket, she wrapped her arm around his waist and pressed herself to his side. Then with a snap of her fingers she brought a spark of fire into being and lit the candle.
****
With the blaze of the candlelight, Malcolm traveled across the world in a single breath. He held Meredith close and they flared back to life inside his apartment. She was still trembling a little from her encounter with the surprise guest at the library. Blowing the candle out, he held her tighter and comforted her with a kiss on her forehead. “We’re home. No worries,” he whispered, trying to calm down the last bit of her fear.
Meredith let out a shaky breath and held onto him for only a moment longer before pulling away. She flexed her hands and looked around his cluttered apartment. It was clear to Malcolm that she was trying not to pace around in her confusion. Finally, she looked at him and asked, “Was that the security? I never saw anything like that before.”
Moving to drop his shoulder bag on the half-covered loveseat, Malcolm shook his head. “That wasn’t security. That was a transportation spell. Someone else was breaking in,” he explained, leaving the candle behind with his bag.
Not stopping Meredith from making her way around the stacks of books and papers, Malcolm made a beeline for the small kitchenette. He needed a drink. While he’d found the books he’d been looking for at the library, he’d been just as scared when he realized someone else was sneaking into the place too. Meredith’s fearful call for help had nearly made his heart stop. He’d practically run all the way to her before he realized he hadn’t pulled his light along.
Then Malcolm had seen the red, misty magic that had scared her. No one working in the library would be using that type of magic. They’d have no need for it. Pulling out a short glass and a bottle of whisky from the back of his cabinet, he said, “I don’t know what they wanted, but I didn’t want to hang around to find out either.”
Pouring himself a few swallows, Malcolm turned to watch Meredith on the other side of the counter. She was still pacing around, circling behind the loveseat and around in front of the padded rocking chair. “That’s crazy, Malcolm. The Lacuna Library is one of the most heavily warded places on the planet. Besides, what are the odds that someone else would break in on the same night you just happened to want to go?” she asked, not looking at him, but waving her hand around.
Staring down at the whisky, Malcolm shrugged. “I don’t know who else would want to break in, but I do know what I saw.” It was the truth and the telling sign that the other person had been breaking in, just like them.
Meredith stopped walking and looked at him with confusion. “I’ve never seen a spell look like that.” It was a rare thing for her to not know or understand something, but her magical talents had never leaned towards travel or tracking spells. It infuriated her to no end when she found something she didn’t know, but still, she looked adorable when she was confused. Her eyes had a flare of flickering magic and her relaxed but somehow strained posture made her look so innocent and lost. It was a beautiful sight.
Finally taking a swig of his drink, Malcolm tried to find a way to explain it to her. Letting out a sigh from the mild fire of the liquor, he said, “That’s exactly what it looked like when we appeared there.”
“No it didn’t. I’ve never seen a red mist surrounding you when you travel,” Meredith said defiantly.
“You would if you saw me traveling into a heavily warded place. Different candles for different travel. That library is, as you said, one of the most heavily warded places on the earth. So, I used a spell and tool that would cloak us from those wards,” Malcolm explained.
Meredith’s hands moved up to her hips, and she glared at him. “Show me.”
Malcolm stared blankly at her for a second before letting out a sigh. She always was the kind to ask for proof. Putting the glass down on the counter, he pointed at his bag. “Hand me that candle.” He knew it should make sense to her, but he also felt that her magical training in travel had failed as much as his had in divination. That was still a magical art form he couldn’t grasp.
Meredith didn’t waste any time in swiping up the bit of wax and handing it over. “Alright. Go look in the bedroom,” Malcolm said. He waved her away and waited until she disappeared down the narrow hall before digging a match out of his pocket. Unlike Meredith, he had to use a non-magical source to light the wick. The magic he’d fused into the candle had to be sparked with a fire source disconnected from him.
Once Malcolm heard his bedroom door open, he envisioned the messy room and struck the match to life. In the instant he held the light to the candle he felt himself swish through the cramped apartment and appear beside his bed. He didn’t have to see the red mist to know it was there. He’d made this candle especially for traveling through wards. The magical energy he’d poured into the wax made it hard for wards and barriers to spot him.
It was clear by the shocked expression on Meredith’s face that she’d seen the red mist swirling in the darkness. Blowing out the candle, Malcolm said, “I told you.”
Meredith rolled her lovely eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine,” she said and turned to march back into the living room.
It was a shame. Malcolm would have loved to distract her from the troubles they’d run into, and there weren’t many places better for a distraction than on a bed. But he pushed the thought away and followed after her. “Someone else was just trying to get in to snoop around or grab a few copies, just like us. I doubt it was a big issue. I mean, getting in there is pretty easy.”
“Then why haven’t you done it on your own yet?” Meredith asked over her shoulder.
Once back in the living room, Meredith started straightening up the counter. That was a task he found down right annoying, but Malcolm knew she was doing it just because she was thinking too much. Grabbing up his whisky before she could dispose of it, he answered, “I told you before that I need to be able to see a place before I can travel there. I’d never seen the inside of the library before, but you have. So with our powers combined, my dream came true.”
Meredith shot him a look that made it clear that she didn’t like joking with the topic, and Malcolm took a qu
ick sip of his drink. She had a point. Messing around with the Lacuna Library could have very real and very strict consequences. Trying to take on a more calming and reassuring tone, he said, “Don’t worry about it. If anything was going to happen to either of us, it would have happened when we first got there.”
Moving forward and leaning over the counter, Malcolm reached up with his free hand and ran his fingers over her cheek. It brought a small smile to her lips and he could see the worry start to drain from her eyes. “Okay. You’re right. Can you take me home, Malcolm? It’s been a long night and I want to get some sleep,” she asked and pressed a quick kiss to his palm.
That request put a damper on Malcolm’s plans of waking up in the morning with her, but he couldn’t really blame her. She may be an adventurous vixen with a wild streak to match his own, but Meredith was also held to a much higher standard of behavior than him. “Okay, but did you at least get what you were after?”
Smiling at him, Meredith reached into her jacket pocket. Pulling out a quartz crystal, she nodded. “Yeah, I did, but I’m not sure if it’s a good copy. I had to stop in a hurry. Did you find what you were looking for?”
Malcolm’s heart stopped and he cut his eyes over to his shoulder bag on the loveseat. Clearing his throat, he straightened up and nodded. “Yeah. I managed to find a few books.”
Pocketing the crystal, Meredith asked, “Were you able to copy them?”
Guilt flushed Malcolm’s face, and he shook his head. “No. When I heard you call, I just shoved them into my bag and rushed to find you.”
Her eyes went wide and Malcolm was sure she was about to roll straight into a rant. He felt lucky there was a counter between them to keep her at bay. She surprised him when she calmly asked, “You stole them?”
Nodding slowly, Malcolm kept his eyes on her. Meredith was a wonderfully understanding woman who could blow a fireball through his kitchenette in half a second. Running his tongue over his bottom lip, he answered, “Yeah, but I’ll make copies of them tonight and find a way to get them back to the library after. I won’t keep them.”
