Awakened Spells

by Logan Byrne

  “I’m not saying it’s not him, it could be, but it could also just be a small-time gang that’s trying to make it big,” Charlie said, grabbing a drink.

  I wasn’t as convinced as he was. Maybe if there was an ounce of evidence in that direction, I would go for it, but there wasn’t. A small-time gang, or any gang, really, would leave behind at least one mistake, one tiny mistake that would lead us to them. There was nothing, though. Not even a random hiccup that would give us a hint. Somebody who was versed in cover-ups and who had the connections to make them happen was behind this. Who better than Kiren?

  “We heard you guys got paired with a vampire,” Faus said when Charlie and I came back.

  “Yeah, she’s pretty all right,” Charlie said.

  “Wait, you’re fine with it? You, a shifter, who told me a year ago you despised vampires, are cool with it?” Britta asked, in complete shock.

  “You’re changing, and I like it,” Blake said.

  “Okay, calm down. I’m not changing, I’ve just evolved, let’s say that. She’s only a half-vampire, anyhow,” Charlie said, biting into his very rare steak sandwich.

  “She has ways of persuasion, that’s for sure. You should see the way she gets answers out of suspects. It’s beautiful, and scary,” I said.

  “We got paired with a mage, Shira,” Blake said.

  “At least you guys get to have fun. While you’re out fighting crime, I’m messing around with computer systems and electronics,” Faus said.

  “But you love that stuff!” Britta said.

  “I know! But I still want to be able to go out and kick butt too, you know. I’m stronger than you all put together,” he said, laughing.

  “Just hang in there, it’ll get better. We’re in training for the month,” I said.

  “I wonder what happens after the month is over,” Blake said.

  “What do you mean? Everything will keep moving,” I said.

  “Yeah, but without the help we’re getting now. It’s weird, at least it feels weird, to go out and do all this on our own. To track down leads, interview people, make arrests. I know it’ll get better and easier with time, but it’s a little scary to think about it all happening in a few weeks,” Blake said.

  “I understand what he’s saying. We have somebody to rely on now, to show us the ropes, but what if we become too reliant on them and can’t swim on our own?” Charlie asked.

  “I think this place is changing these boys. They used to be wild, and now they’re philosophical,” Britta said.

  “Are you going to eat that?” Charlie asked, pointing to some French fries on Britta’s plate.

  “Some things never change, though. Go ahead,” she said, and Charlie snatched them as quick as could be.

  The five of us sat around laughing, the way we did at camp, before I started to drone out and think about how they were doing back there. Mirian hadn’t had much contact with us since we came here, and we were mainly left to our own devices. What if there was an attack again? I was sure they’d tell us, but anything could happen and we’d be in the dark. Had they found anything else on Kiren, or were they drawing blanks? I wished I could find out these things.

  15

  “The mind is a very valuable tool. It holds our emotions, our memories, and the very essence of our existence on this planet. What if I told you that you could harness the power of your minds by penetrating another’s?” Mirian asked, standing in front of the small group of mages I’d been recruited with.

  “I’ve heard of that,” Asher said, looking excited.

  “I’m sure you have, most have. It’s a very valuable tool that only mages can use, but a very dangerous one at the same time. The art of invading a mind is sometimes intoxicating, like a drug, and the power that comes with it is enough to drive any sane man or woman completely crazy. What we are going to learn today, though, are the basic tenets of the skill and you will test it out on one another,” Mirian said.

  “Is it the same as mind control?” a girl asked, raising her hand.

  “No, Shara, it’s not. This is simply reading another’s mind and trying to get past them shutting down or kicking you out. Mind control is strictly forbidden and illegal, and mind-reading is only available to police officers in controlled settings,” Mirian said. “Now, I want you all to partner up.”

  “Lexa,” Asher said, getting to me before Britta could. “Will you be my partner?”

  “Yeah, that would be nice,” I said, smiling, even though inside I really wanted Britta to be my partner. My mind was messed up, corrupted, and I didn’t want Asher even having a chance to get inside it. I thought about preventing him from getting in, shutting down and making him think he couldn’t do the skill. Did I dare?

  Britta looked at me, shrugging, and found a different partner. “We will take turns with our probing. One of you will begin while the other first lets the person in willingly, and then actively tries to push you out. You’ll feel them in your mind, like an itch you cannot scratch, and your goal is to scratch that incessant itch and clear yourself of your partner. Pick who is going to go first,” Mirian said.

  “I don’t have a preference,” Asher said.

  “I’ll go first,” I said, unsheathing my wand and holding it firmly.

  “To penetrate a mind, your own mind must be impenetrable, or it may cost you your sanity. Point your wand towards your partner’s skull and repeat the following: Cranius Redundo. You will then be transported, and your trial will begin,” Mirian said.

  With Asher gulping, standing still as if I were holding him hostage, I confidently said the spell. “Cranius Redundo!”

  Reality warped around me as I saw what was in Asher’s head. My own reality was gone. The room around me and the people in it had seemingly disappeared as I was thrust into a myriad of sights and sounds from deep within Asher’s mind. I saw people, his parents, presenting him with a birthday cake as they sung to him. I saw his old school, his friends waving at him. It was all so overwhelming, and more than I could bear.

  “Calm your minds, focus on a single event, control what you seek,” Mirian said, his faint voice coming straight through the fog of the spell. I calmed myself, focusing on his school, the last thing I’d seen.

  The lockers were blue. There were no magical creatures around. Everything looked mortal, the kind of school I’d pictured in my head as a child. There was a strong sense of normalcy, not books flying around or people on broomsticks. There were no goblins, no elves, no trolls, and no magic. It was just, well, people.

  I walked through the halls into a class and I saw a girl sitting across the room. She looked at him, smiling and waving quickly before he sat down next to her. She was beautiful, with red hair, blue eyes, and flawless porcelain skin.

  “To those whose minds are being penetrated, hear my voice and attempt to push out your partner. Give yourself strength and take back your memories,” Mirian said.

  I could feel Asher squeezing against me. He was trying to push me out. The picture got blurry as I tried to stay in. I didn’t struggle, didn’t try to muscle him out, but instead just let him do his work and learn the skill. The girl faded away, the porcelain being broken, and my vision returned. I was back in the classroom I’d been standing in the entire time.

  “Good job, everyone. How did that feel?” Mirian asked.

  “Exhausting,” I said.

  “Are you okay?” Asher asked.

  “Yeah, it was just kind of a lot at first, but I dialed it in,” I said.

  “I could see what you did,” he said.

  “It looked nice—the school, that is,” I said.

  “It was,” he said.

  Neither of us mentioned the girl, me because I didn’t want to be nosy, and him probably because things didn’t work out with her. I figured he would come to me if things got serious enough that he felt he could trust me with that kind of information.

  “Now it is time for the reverse. The probers are now the probees, and you will all expe
rience what it is like to have your mind penetrated,” Mirian said.

  I put away my wand as Asher took his out, and after I took a deep breath, he raised his wand and incanted the spell. My eyes opened wide as Asher delved deep into my mind, and a rush of memories flooded around us. I could see them so clearly, even if they moved quickly, but I could feel Asher wasn’t having a good time.

  It was a lot for me to see everything again, let alone for somebody who didn’t experience those things. I kept my mind open, though, letting him dial in and try to gain control. I didn’t want to, I wanted to push him out of my mind that instant, but I knew it wasn’t a part of the lesson yet. These were skills that all mages needed to know, even if I didn’t like him going in.

  His mind soon dialed in to a memory I didn’t want him to have control over. He saw my parents being murdered, just as I saw it that night many years ago. I could feel his fear as the events played out in what felt like real time. The only time I ever felt this was when I dreamt, but now it seemed more real, maybe because I was awake, or maybe because there was no dreamland to alter events. This was it, exactly as it all went down.

  I felt sorrow overcome me, my stomach sinking as I heard my father thump to the floor. My mother begged me to hide, to not come out. I saw the man push her against the wall, the memory not even playing out any longer but instead just flashing in and out as my anxiety built up. I couldn’t take it anymore. It was bad enough dreaming about this, I didn’t need to have it happen again in real time. I pushed Asher out. It was easier than when he tried to get me out of his mind. When my vision came back I looked around, tears in my eyes. Mirian noticed. Nobody else was out yet and they all looked like zombies. I ran out of the room, not even caring about the rest of the lesson.

  I pushed my back against the wall, sliding down until my face was in my knees and crying. I heard footsteps near me. “Lexa?” Asher asked.

  “Go away,” I said, not bringing my face up. I just wanted to be alone.

  “I’m sorry I picked that memory. I guess it just fell into me. I never want to hurt you or make you upset in any way. I like you, and I’d never try to do anything that would cause you harm,” he said.

  “It’s not your fault, Asher,” I said, bringing my tearstained face up. “I just don’t want to relive that right now.”

  “Hey, it’s okay, I understand. It was a traumatic event, I could feel it just being there,” he said, sliding down the wall to sit next to me. “But I want you to know that you have somebody here who is a friend and who cares about your feelings if you ever want to talk.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t think I’ll take up that offer,” I said, wiping my nose with my sleeve.

  “And you don’t have to, but at least you know it’s there,” he said, patting my shoulder before standing up. “I’ll tell Mirian you just needed some air. Remember, I’m always here if you need a friend,” he said before walking back into the room.

  I took a deep breath, trying to collect myself as the tears slowed down before coming to a stop. This training session made me realize how not in control I was about my feelings or my past. I knew it was traumatic, but I never got a hold of myself and never let it go. I just buried it deep, almost pretending it didn’t exist, but then things like my dreams would happen and I would wake up sweating and crying. It wasn’t healthy, and I knew it.

  Luckily only Mirian and Asher saw me cry, not the other mages, and thankfully nobody else in the precinct did either. Crying felt weak to me. Even though I knew it wasn’t a sign of weakness, spending so long alone throughout my life meant that I didn’t always let people in or let them see my emotions like this. I had to be strong in the orphanage, and I definitely had to be strong when I was out on the streets.

  I met up with Charlie later, after he had classes for shifting and using his skills responsibly, which he said was boring. We then met up with Xelia, who was hard at work in the office. “Anybody home?” I asked, walking inside.

  “You two have fun this morning?” she asked.

  “Not really, no,” I said.

  “It was a little boring, but we’re here now. Any new leads?” Charlie asked.

  “I have something from yesterday. We need to stake out the location tonight if you both are available, which considering you’re new recruits, I know you are,” she said, flipping through some papers.

  “What are we staking out? Just the bakery?” I asked.

  “The bakery and the area around it. We need to keep eyes on all entrances and exits, to try to find out where, if anywhere, people are going in. They likely aren’t bringing customers in through the front entrance,” she said.

  “You never know, they might be that stupid,” Charlie said.

  “These are seasoned criminals running a crime ring, they aren’t that stupid,” Xelia said.

  “What about until then?” I asked.

  “We go over our plan. Here’s an aerial view of the bakery and surrounding buildings,” she said, rolling a map out on her desk. “There’s a door in back, and Charlie can keep an eye on it from this building over here. Lexa, you’ll be taking the front door, and I’ll scout the area for satellite entrances.”

  “What are those?” I asked.

  “Entrances that aren’t attached to the building but lead to it. Maybe a sewer grate or another entrance that could go underground. They likely won’t want to attach the entrance to the place they’re under, so it might be farther away. That’s why we need to make sure the entire area is canvassed,” Xelia said.

  “And what happens if we find what we’re looking for?” Charlie asked.

  “Then we gear up and plan our infiltration. Like I said before, we’ll need to get ample evidence before we can go in with a team and make arrests. It’s imperative, if we get in, that we keep it simple and not cause any problems or bring any attention to ourselves,” she said.

  “Understood,” I said.

  “Understood,” Charlie echoed.

  This wouldn’t be the first time I went in somewhere acting like I was somebody else. I did it all the time at bars, clubs, stores, you name it. I kept my identity hidden and made sure nobody was the wiser. This was going to be a breeze.

  •••

  I sat in a car in front of the bakery that night as I scoped it out. We got there early, before it closed, though the sun was setting and dusk turned quickly to night. There were large windows out front with lettering on them, though I could still easily see through. So far it looked normal, like a family-run bakery. An older man walked through wearing a white apron with stains on it, cleaning up. How could this be a front for an illegal casino? It didn’t make sense.

  “Lexa, have anything?” Xelia asked.

  “Just the same. The man is inside cleaning up, that’s about it. How about you guys?” I asked.

  “There’s nothing out here,” Charlie said, perched out back watching the rear door intently. “Wait, something—somebody is coming.”

  “What is it? You have to give us more,” Xelia asked.

  “Nothing, it’s just a guy in a hat and apron taking out the trash. It’s pretty quiet, otherwise,” Charlie said.

  “I haven’t been able to find anything yet. I don’t get it, I don’t think Pokeshi was lying to us about this place. Something in my gut tells me it’s here,” she said.

  “I have an idea,” I said, thinking back to my class earlier. “I learned how to read minds, kind of. I’ve only had one lesson, but what if I use it on the old man? Surely his mind would be easy to tap,” I said.

  “I thought you weren’t allowed to use that kind of magic,” Xelia said.

  “Only cops can, and only for official police business. I think it would be okay,” I said. Actually, I had no idea if it would be approved or allowed, but I wanted to try it anyway. I had the mark, and my powers were stronger than they should’ve been. I was able to get into Asher’s head so easily, much more easily than he could get in to mine, and I knew an old man who wasn’t a mage probably would
n’t be able to resist me.

  “The only problem is that he’d see you. That exposes you later on when we try to infiltrate, if it’s here,” Charlie said.

  “I agree. We wouldn’t be able to use you undercover, and we need you in there,” Xelia said.

  “What if I froze him first? I could do it from behind, and he’d never see my face. I’d be in and out, and we could find out if that stupid elf was telling the truth or if we have to pay him another visit,” I said.

  “I don’t know, it’s still risky,” Xelia said.

  “Just let me try it. It’s not like we’re getting anywhere with this,” I said.

  “Fine, but you cannot be seen by him or anybody else, Lexa. Put up your hood and pounce once he goes outside. You aren’t allowed to go into the shop or knock on it,” Xelia said.

  It was another twenty minutes before the man came out the front door, the lights off inside. He turned and locked the door, then hobbled down the front steps and started to walk towards me, past my car. I slipped out, my hood up, before silently traipsing across the street.. The old man was none the wiser. I unsheathed my wand, my head tipped down, before pointing my wand towards him.

  “Pacificate,” I said, turning my wand. The man froze like a statue, standing straight on the sidewalk.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” he begged, not able to turn and see who was doing this to him.

  “Cranius Redundo,” I said, the tip of my wand pointed straight at his head. I was transported, a long lifetime of memories passing by me before I calmed my breathing and tried to find some that were more recent. I saw a man with slicked back hair, a soul patch under his bottom lip, and a threatening tone in his voice as he grabbed the old man.

  He pushed him around, pointing downwards, demanding that he give up his building for the greater good. The man said it would be an unwise decision to disobey him, though I didn’t think by his tone he was referring to himself. He was talking about another man, somebody who wasn’t there. The old man conceded, wanting his life spared. This place was here, we just hadn’t found it yet.