by Logan Byrne
“No, it isn’t,” I said, feeling power overwhelm me as my hands started to glow. Blake looked stunned, astonished, as the glow drifted across my arms, onto my chest, and blasted Blake straight up ten feet into the air.
I grabbed my wand from the floor next to me as his arms swung through the air and ended it. “Pacificate!” I yelled, my wand pointed straight up. His body locked up, falling down, and I rolled quickly out of the way and let him slam into the ground.
“I hate you,” he said, lying there like a log. When the dust settled Charlie was on top of Britta, hissing at her. She saw Blake and conceded. I didn’t think they’d seen the glow, only Blake. I hadn’t even tried to conjure it. I didn’t know what came over me. This was just a spar, but it was like my body had its own plan and just summoned the power on its own.
“Good spar, you guys,” Britta said after Charlie shifted back and helped her up. “We really need to work on a new strategy if we’re ever going to stand a chance of taking you down.”
I released Blake from the spell. He gasped for air and slowly stood up. “I hate when you do that to me,” he said, stretching.
“Sorry about you falling from so high up,” I said.
“It’s okay, all part of the battle. I should be asking how you even got me in the air, though. Your wand wasn’t on you, and I was pinning you down. You didn’t even incant a spell,” he said.
“Yeah, how did you do that?” Britta asked.
Should I tell them about the mark? Mirian seemed certain that I should keep it between just him and me, but I hadn’t received training since the camp, and I hated the idea of keeping things from my friends. It wasn’t like they were going to tell anybody. They were my best friends, and sometimes it’s nice to just tell people things and get them off your chest.
“It’s…complicated,” I said, letting out a deep breath.
“Is it serious?” Blake asked, looking concerned.
“I learned about it a while ago, but Mirian wanted me to keep it to myself. He’s been training me every so often, but not since we left the camp. He called it the mark,” I said.
“Wait, as in the mark of Merlin?” Britta whispered.
“Yes, that,” I said.
“I thought that was just a myth,” Charlie said.
“It isn’t. It’s definitely real, but I’m not allowed to talk about it or use it. You guys can’t tell anybody, I’m serious, not a soul,” I said. “Mirian would kill me for even telling you guys, and he knows you three are safe.”
“We won’t, your secret is safe, but I still just can’t believe it. What’s it like?” Blake asked.
“It’s weird, like a surge of power that comes over me. It happened when you pinned me down, like my adrenaline pumped so high that it took over to protect me or something. I didn’t summon it, it just happened,” I said.
“Do you know of any others with the gift?” Britta asked.
“No, and Mirian wants me to keep it a secret because he thinks Kiren would try to harness it for his own gain,” I said.
“I’ve heard he’s tried to recruit mages with the ability for years. My grandmother said those with the mark, if they helped him, might be the key to taking over the mortal realm, and we all know what that would mean,” Britta said.
“Well, we shouldn’t talk about it any more, then. I don’t want somebody to overhear us,” Blake said, ending the conversation.
“How are you two preparing for the raid?” I asked.
“I heard Xelia got the proper warrants in place. Shira said she’d approached her to ask for her and us to help, and Shira agreed. She hates Kiren and is certain that he’s somehow behind this. I’m just happy to help the kitsune, like you said. It breaks my heart to think of people abusing creatures, especially intelligent ones like them, for entertainment. It’s sickening,” Britta said.
“Whatever happens, we have to stick together. We have to treat this like that mission we did and watch each other’s backs. I don’t expect these guys to come in easily,” Blake said.
“We’ll be fine. We have to be,” Britta said.
“We better get going before Xelia blows a gasket. The last thing I need is to see those teeth again,” Charlie said.
“We’ll all catch up later and talk more,” I said.
As Charlie and I walked to Xelia’s office, I suggested we take the longer route, which Charlie was fine with. He always looked for an excuse to not work, and taking a few minutes longer to get to work was okay with him. I, however, had ulterior motives, in that I wanted to walk past intake. I knew that guy I saw at the track worked here, I was positive of it, and making that correlation today would only further my intuition that cops were working with these people.
It was lost on me how a cop, somebody who swore an oath to uphold and protect the law, could then go take a bribe or hush money and do bad things for bad people. They were traitors, as far as I was concerned, and I wanted to out them all and make the force strong again. These cops, if you could call them that, were cysts on the force that needed to be surgically removed.
I walked past slowly, standing near the doorway as I looked around the sea of desks for the one man I was searching for. It seemed like a lost cause. Intake was filled with newly arrested criminals, tons of cops, and even a few others, but with a sharp eye I saw him in the middle, hiding in plain sight. He wasn’t as cheerful as when I last saw him, no drinks in his hand, but I was sure this man was the same man I saw at the track last night. I knew I was right.
I walked off with Charlie, not wanting to take the chance of the cop seeing me since I really had no clue if he’d spotted me last night, and then he’d either think I was working with him or that the real police had infiltrated the casino. That would only tip off the organization and they’d be able to pack up before our raid could start.
“Have a good sparring session?” Xelia asked as Charlie and I walked into the office.
“I was right, I just saw the man in intake,” I said, ignoring her question.
“I know,” she said.
“Wait, what?” I asked.
“I know he was there, I verified it myself. There are a few cops that have been known to frequent this place since it opened. I’m sickened, honestly,” she said.
“What are we going to do about them? The commissioner would be thrilled to find out this news,” I said.
“That, I’m not too sure of. We don’t know if the commissioner has been poached yet,” she said.
“How could he be? What would he have to gain from joining forces with these people?” I asked.
“Money always talks for most people, Lexa. Not only that, but if Kiren is behind this, the commissioner would want to keep a certain allegiance with him, and joining his forces would be a good way to do that. It’s not right, but it’s the way things are,” she said.
“So who can we even trust then?” I asked, my face feeling a little warm.
“Each other,” she said, looking at me in the eyes. “That’s it.”
“How are things coming with the raid?” Charlie asked.
“Good, actually. We’re carrying it out in two nights. I have thirteen people, including us three, and I’m hoping to gain a few more before it starts,” she said.
“I’m sure Faus will be able to provide logistical support,” I said.
“Maybe he has some cool gadgets for us to use,” Charlie said.
“Anything helps, honestly. I just hope this all goes to plan,” Xelia said, rubbing her forehead. “We can’t let anybody get away.”
“And we won’t. We can immobilize them, and none of them should even have a chance to escape. There’s only the one portal out,” I said.
“And the one to the track, don’t forget,” Charlie said.
“We don’t know the breadth of the workers’ and customers’ powers, though. Some might be mages and might be able to teleport,” Xelia said.
“So we put a hex on the room, isn’t that easy enough?” I asked.
; “Maybe, but I don’t have those kind of powers. Maybe Mirian can help in that field, assuming anybody there is even capable of that power,” she said.
“I’ll talk to him,” I said.
We spent a few hours sitting around her desk, mapping out the casino to the best of our abilities. We each had been around the entire place, but agreed that the track was going to be the biggest liability. If anybody got out there, especially somebody important, like that soul patch guy, we would be screwed. It wasn’t an enclosed space like the casino, and we weren’t even sure where exactly it was located. All I knew was that it was out in a forest somewhere, but the realm was a pretty big place, so it could be anywhere.
•••
“I was wondering when you were going to visit me,” Mirian said as I walked into his office.
Books covered his walls, not a single piece of the wall behind them showing, as candles lit the space. There was an oaky smell and his desk dominated the room, a large crystal sitting on its edge. His office looked exactly as I thought it would.
“I’m getting worried about the raid,” I said, closing the door behind me.
“What’s there to be worried about? We have a great team assembled so far, and I’m sure Xelia will come up with more,” he said.
“What about mages that might be there? Couldn’t they teleport out?” I asked.
“No, not from the casino, at least as I know it,” he said.
“How so?” I asked.
“Mages cannot teleport from inside portaled areas, or at least normal mages cannot. It’s possible a master, with years of experience, could manage it, but not a normal person, no. I hear there is another area, though?” he asked.
“There’s a track, in the woods, where they race rare creatures. It’s through another portal,” I said.
“That may be the ticket, then,” he said.
“I knew that place was bad news in more ways than one,” I said, sitting down.
“If it’s out in the forest, then that means it’s an alternate exit out of the small dimension that the casino is in. It’s kind of like an escape route, if you will. A mage could teleport in and out of there, and it might happen, there’s no way of knowing. We will try to keep everybody and everything contained, but it’s harder than that. They won’t come in easily,” he said.
“You think they’ll fight?” I asked.
“Wouldn’t you? If you were about to be arrested and spend your life in jail, wouldn’t you at least try to fight back? You’d have nothing to lose at that point,” he said.
“I guess so,” I said.
“You seem not like yourself, Lexa. Is there something you aren’t telling me?” he asked.
“The mark,” I said, whispering. “It came out earlier today during sparring.”
“Who saw?” he asked, seeming more interested in that than the fact that I was upset by this.
“Blake, Charlie, and Britta saw it. I told them about it, I couldn’t help it.”
“I understand. Why does this happening frighten you so much? I can feel the fear in you right now just being near you,” he said.
“I think I’m starting to second-guess myself and my abilities. I’m so scared of showing the mark that I do everything to not get too emotional, but a simple sparring session triggered it. What if something like this happens during the raid, or during any other duel? What if I’m subduing some criminal and it comes out?” I asked.
“You cannot revolve your identity or life around the mark and what could or could not happen if it reveals itself. While it’s certainly best it doesn’t show itself, for now, the mark works in mysterious ways. It’s out of your control, and it appearing is only a sign of your powers trying to break free. Just be the best witch you can be, Lexa. That’s all you can ask of yourself,” he said.
“Why are you being so cool about this? I thought you’d be furious about me telling them,” I said.
“Because I’m your mentor, Lexa, and it’s not my job to scold you for things happening out of your control. The fact that we’re even having this conversation, that you’re sitting in my office, an officer of M.A.G.I.C., is astounding in and of itself. You’ve progressed further than any mage I’ve ever known in such a short amount of time, and if anything I’m beyond proud of you, for both the mage, and woman, that you’ve become since I met you. Mistakes are a part of life, and sometimes it’s better to focus on your achievements rather than the little hiccups that happen along the way,” he said with a soft smile.
A tear ran down my cheek and I wiped it away quickly, not wanting to show that kind of emotion to anybody, even Mirian. I felt a wave of relief over me. The thought of Mirian yelling at me had been skipping through my mind since this morning, but I had it all wrong. There was still so much for me to learn, not only about magic, but also about myself. Here I was, so worried and stressed when I should’ve been perfectly fine.
It wasn’t my fault it came out, I knew that now, and I knew that I would always be safe with Mirian around. I was so happy that he came to me that night. I couldn’t imagine my life not being here.
“Thank you, I’ll definitely keep your kind words close to me,” I said.
“They aren’t kind words, Lexa. They’re the truth,” he said, quickly standing up. “But we have bigger things to plan right now, such as how we’re going to stop a corrupt police force and take down men who aim to harm the magical realm and our way of life.”
•••
There was a sort of calm before the storm feeling the next day. Things seemed quiet, like the sound of clocks ticking was more vibrant now than before. More cops were recruited to our mission, twenty-one so far, and I knew each and every one of them was vetted and safe. They wanted the same thing we did—to not let darkness rule us—and the first step was to cut the head off the snake, which we were to do tomorrow night.
“The portal is still there?” Xelia asked later that night as a bunch of us met in secret.
“It is, I checked earlier today,” a man said, a wand at his hip.
“Good, then they aren’t suspicious of us coming. The first step is going to be taking out the antiques dealer before he can alert them,” Xelia said.
“I’ll take care of that,” Mirian said, his hands folded together in front of him. “He’ll have a nap during the raid.”
“Shifters, you will all have to use force to make sure nobody leaves the casino. There’s also another portal that needs to be fully guarded. I heard last time I was there that the track doesn’t even open until later in the evening, around eight, so we’ll have to strike before they get that area open. It’s the only escape route they have,” Xelia said.
“We’ll make sure of it,” Blake said.
“We better disband now before anybody sees us all together. Thank you all for your help, it won’t be forgotten,” Xelia said. The small group broke up, leaving Mirian’s office. I felt butterflies in my stomach and a newfound yearning to get out there and participate in my first raid.
Mirian’s words stuck with me all night. I realized that I was the best damn witch this force had seen in the past hundred years and I was going to take these people down if it was the last thing I ever did. There was no way I could be brought down.
“Lexa,” I heard from behind me. It was Asher, running up to me, waving. “I just wanted to say it’s awesome that you helped put all that together. It’s very inspiring.”
“Thanks, but Charlie and Xelia did a ton of work, too. I can’t take the credit,” I said.
“I was just wondering, I know we talked about a date or whatever before, and you weren’t into it, but maybe things have changed?” he asked.
“Oh, about that,” I said, gulping, trying to choose my next words carefully. “I have plans this weekend.”
“It’s with Blake, isn’t it?” he asked.
“It’s just that—”
“No, it’s okay, really. I was stupid for thinking I had a chance, but I totally understand. You guys look good tog
ether, and you seem to have good chemistry. I’ll step out of the way,” he said, nodding.
“Asher,” I said, feeling heartbroken that I was hurting him.
“Let’s just focus on the raid right now. Everything else can wait,” he said with a fake smile before patting my shoulder and walking off. Nothing with guys could ever be easy.
Aside from all this drama in my life, I later found out that we had a final type of exam after our first month of training was complete. It wasn’t something you could fail, per se, but rather something to help them place you further into an appropriate role. You could become a beat cop, taking a route every day; a detective; or even an auditor, though that was something they rarely ever assigned to newbies. I knew Mirian would want me to aim my sights high, even though I was happy being a beat cop and just walking around the neighborhoods every day, taking care of petty crime. This whole big, complicated case made me realize how not fun being a detective could sometimes be.
“Going somewhere?” Britta asked later that night as I laced up my boots and slipped on my jacket.
“I think I need some air,” I said, standing up.
“Take your wand,” she said.
As I walked out of the precinct a few cops were standing around outside talking. I slipped into town, seeing children standing outside the window display at the toy store, and I stopped, staring in with them, seeing the joy and laughter inside. Kids of all ages, and of all species, were picking out toys with their parents, laughing, playing, and having an all-around good time.
It made me wonder sometimes when I saw sights like this how my life could’ve played out. If my parents hadn’t been killed, would I have been here right now? I never would’ve met my friends, met Mirian, and I likely would’ve never become a cop, but I would trade those things and those people for my parents. They loved me, more than anybody else ever could, and I’d yearned for their warmth and affection again in some place that wasn’t my dreams.
I looked up to the sky, but the street lamps were too bright, blocking out all the stars aside from two that seemed to twinkle as I looked up at them. I smiled, wondering, just wondering, if there was an afterlife and if they were out there looking down on me. Would they proud that their daughter, once a pilt, the orphan turned thief, had become not only a cop, but a mage as well? I thought they would be proud, and I only hoped that I was doing right by them.
