A Magical Reckoning: Magic and Mischief Book 1

by N. R. Hairston

  I came to my full height. “Whose fingers did you send me?” I growled.

  She waved a hand toward the door. “Just one of my hoes.”

  The verve had me jumping. If she wanted a fight, I’d damn well give her one. “What do you want, Laurel? What’s your endgame?”

  She snapped her fingers and a door to the side opened, bringing in two men and one woman. They had collars around their necks, and cuffs on their hands and feet.

  The man behind them pushed them to their knees, and they went down hard. Their clothes were matted to them, hair dirty and tangled, like a crow’s nest.

  The sickening crunch their knees made when they hit the floor made my ears pop in despair, as they were already just skin and bone.

  Yet, worst of all was the hopeful look in their eyes that said they thought I could save them. I wasn’t as sure as they were, and that hurt more than anything.

  I swore under my breath. Had I had more verve pills they could have been allies. As it were, they were just three more people we had to try to keep alive.

  Laurel stood taller, sparing only a quick glance at her brother’s battered form. “Leah? You remember that night we hung out?” She walked to the wall behind her desk and pulled down a blown-up picture of me.

  It was the same photo that had been circled in red and I looked at her hoping to finally get some clarity on the issue.

  Wind whipped around her as she stared at it, and I wondered if she was about to lose control. What the hell was it about this picture that made her so angry? “We were talking about Pear Town and you were laughing. Bragging about how many of these residents you’d killed. You’d murdered fathers, sons, wives, mothers, and sisters, and you thought it was funny. How long did you think you’d get away with it?”

  Get away with it? Was she even serious? “Stop being ridiculous. You know it’s a fight to get in here and a fight to get out. Come on, now.”

  She shook her head. “Not for me it isn’t. Twist and I have family here. Spent many holidays and school vacations here. You came down here, killed people’s families, and then you sat in a bar and laughed about it.” Papers flew off her desk and the chair she’d been sitting in tipped over.

  I looked at her incredulously. “Your brother, Twist, who you just assaulted.” Talk about irony.

  I pointed to where he lay motionless on the floor and tried to tell myself that the verve was still working. “Your brother along with us.” I motioned to myself and Xavier. “We were jumped the moment we stepped off the lift. Where were all those friends and family that cared so much about him?”

  She didn’t even look bothered that I’d told her, her brother had had to fight for his life, considering she’d just tried to kill him, I guessed she wasn’t. “Well, he hasn’t been down here in a while.”

  The more she talked, the more I became convinced that she’d truly lost her mind. “Laurel? What is this?”

  She pointed to the chained victims on the floor and then to me. “You four are the worst offenders. I targeted you that night. Had someone watching your every move.” Ah, so the picture taking had been her idea then. Her trying to learn me so she could find a way to lure me down here.

  I shook my head. Who knew it’d be her own brother she’d used.

  She looked back to the three on their knees. “They’ve already been read their rights. Now you will be too.”

  She snapped her fingers, and the doors on the opposite side of the room opened. A group of Pear Town residents filed in. Some looked and smelled as if they’d bathed in the sewer for a week. Others like they’d just stepped out of Sheena’s shop, with varying degrees in between.

  She motioned to a man and woman who stood side by side, glowering at me. “You killed their brother. He was on his way home with groceries when he ran into you.” She pointed to the next group. “You killed their daughter and son.”

  The air became tense as the people she signaled out tried to keep their anger in check. This was a lot worse than I’d thought. I’d never doubted my ability to walk away from a fight. Looking at the furious faces of some of these residents, I wasn’t so sure I’d be leaving this place alive.

  I went for honesty because it was the only thing I had. “Laurel, I never went after anyone that didn’t come at me first.” I’d never once stepped into Pear Town and not had to defend myself. I wouldn’t let her paint me as some crazed person who came down here killing for fun. The whole idea was ludicrous.

  If I’d thought my words would help, I couldn’t have been more wrong. If anything, they only enraged her more. Wind lifted her off the ground, her eyes wild and unfocused. “So you admit you’d do it again? Did you all hear that? Given the chance, she’d kill your loved ones again.”

  Jeers sounded throughout the crowd, and a few residents moved in closer. The tension ramped up tenfold, as everyone seemed ready for a fight.

  Xavier stood beside me, hands unleashed, teeth bared. At least he was on my side. For now, anyway. Good, because I wasn’t going down without a fight. “If challenged I will defend myself,” I let them know. It was a warning, and the only one they were getting because I would never apologize for saving my own life.

  Laurel strutted in front of me, hands on her hips, the wind keeping her off the ground. “Think you can beat us all?” It was a challenge if I’d ever heard one.

  I decided to ignore it. “So you’re the new buyer in town?”

  She glared at me. “What do you know about it?”

  “I know enough.”

  She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.” The wind lifted her even higher. “This is my town now.” Her voice turned low and threatening. “Try to stop me.” She came at me.

  I ducked low and used my TK to slam her against the wall. She hit hard enough to dent it, then crumbled to the floor.

  Twist jumped up, bringing a windstorm with him. He spun in the air and sent many residents flying. He landed on his knees and then jumped full force into the fight.

  I flexed my hands and the chains on the captives fell away. They looked shocked at first, then scurried to the corner, too weak to do anything else. I wanted to shield them, but I had to get back into the fight.

  All around me, residents turned into flies and grasshoppers. So I knew Xavier was doing his thing. I tried not to step on any of them. They’d turn back to themselves later. If luck was on our side, it would be after we were already safely back home.

  Laurel bounced to her feet. She looked around for a minute, hair flying, eyes wild. She spotted her brother, holding his own against a man twice his size. The man thrashed and kicked as Twist lifted him off the ground.

  Laurel used her wind to knock Twist off the man. He rolled for a minute then came to his feet, whipping around to face his sister. Before she could make another move, Twist called out to her, his voice pleading. “Laurel, stop this! I don’t want to fight you!”

  Her eyes flashed hard, and her face contorted to something between painful and resigned. “Then join me, Twist. Join me or get out of my way.”

  His face softened, but his eyes stayed tortured. “They didn’t hurt her, Laurel. Not these people. Not Leah. Stop this.”

  For a minute, she looked like a lost little girl, not sure of her next move. Then her face hardened, her features twisted with disdain. “She was your sister too, Twist, or don’t you care at all?”

  Tears slipped from his eyes and this time when he spoke it was in a painful whisper. “She wouldn’t want this. To see you like this would break her heart.”

  “Don’t you tell me what she would want! They killed her! In the street like a dog! People just like Laurel and these other three.”

  She pointed to the corner where the newly released victims all huddled together. “They come from up top, murder our love ones, and then go back home to laugh and brag about it. They killed our sister Twist! They killed our sister!”

  Rage blurred her eyes, and she shook from the force of her anger. I didn’t know either of them well enough to kn
ow they’d even had another sister, but a lot of stuff was starting to make sense now.

  Two men came at me and I shoved them back, intent on hearing more of the conversation.

  “I remember.” Twist said, voice low like it hurt to even breathe. “I also remember how I’d found you that night. Bloodied and broken. Do you know how hard it’s been thinking I’d lost another sister? Watching Leah every day, plotting my revenge, thinking she was the one who’d killed you? Do you know how hard that’s been?”

  Her face said she didn’t really care. “Then you should have killed her, Twist. How many of us has she killed already?”

  He shook his head. “This is not our home, Laurel. We belong up there.” His finger pointed toward the ceiling.

  This only set to enrage her more and she lifted him in the air and tossed him across the room. “Our father was from here. Our sister lived and died here. Traitor! How could you turn your back on your own people?” She talked as if they hadn’t just tried to kill him.

  Twist came to his feet, but before I could see his reaction, something hard and heavy hit me in the back. I fell forward, but used my telekinesis to stop my fall and then pivoted around.

  A woman with red hair and bright purple eyes stood with a large stick raised to hit me again. I snatched it from her, then telekinetically used it to smack her upside the head.

  The crack of her bones sickened me, and I turned away, my stomach clenching at the sound. She fell to the ground, blood pouring out of her wound, looking a lot like that fake picture Twist had shown us of Laurel.

  That revelation stopped me in my tracks. Was Laurel so wrong in what she’d said? A look around the room saw people fighting for loved ones they’d lost. Didn’t they have the right to avenge them? Wouldn’t I? At the same time, should I’ve just laid down my life and let them take me out? Didn’t I have a right to fight to live?

  I didn’t have time to think on it long, as two more residents came at me. I squeezed my hand, cutting off their breath and dropping them to the ground. My mind was in turmoil, and the only thing I wanted was for this night to be over.

  The door to the left exploded, and Sheena and eight of her girls rushed into the room. They helped the three who’d been chained to their feet, and one of the girls whisked them away.

  Good. At least that’d been taken care of; Now I could focus more on the fight.

  Sheena and her girls joined in, ripping and tearing apart everything around them. I was grateful for the help but didn’t have time to address it.

  The man whose brother I’d killed hit me in the face, his fist hard and solid. I fell back, my right eye stinging. Before I could hit the ground, the sister came at me from the back and busted me upside the head.

  The verve helped me shake it off, and I jumped back, ready for more. I didn’t have to do anything, though, as Twist lifted them both by the neck and slammed them to the floor.

  His eyes locked with mine, and all I saw was sorrow, and maybe a little guilt. We were here because of him. Because he’d been misled. No doubt he thought this was all his fault.

  It wasn’t. We’d each made our own decision to come here. Twist loved his sister and had wanted to know what had happened to her.

  How could I blame him for that? Especially when any one of us would have done the same for those we loved. That’s what this whole thing was about. People fighting for those who could no longer fight for themselves.

  That did touch me, but I wouldn’t be a victim to it. They’d fought me and I’d protected myself. I’d never meant to kill anyone, but in Pear Town it was always, kill or be killed. So I’d always done what I had to in order to stay alive.

  Would I be more careful in the future? I’d sure try. But if it came down to it, I would defend myself. That hadn’t changed. I’m not sure it ever would.

  The verve in our systems kept us going long after we should have expired. All around us the fight raged on. People turned into birds and snails, wind whipped back and forth, and electricity crackled through the air.

  Everyone seemed to be doing their part, but I had no way of knowing if it would be enough.

  Finally, the room thinned and the dust cleared. Most of Laurel’s people had been taken out or turned into small animals. The few who hadn’t were under the control of Sheena and her girls, Laurel included.

  Undoubtedly, Sheena and her crew had taken verve before coming here, which put them at an advantage over Laurel and the others. Sheena had them all hog-tied on the floor. A few tried to break free, but wounded and hurt, their powers barely made a spark.

  Laurel’s eyes promised vengeance, her face hard, and unflinching. This wasn’t over. Not for her, it wasn’t. I could almost see her plotting her escape. Something hard and heavy settled in the pit of my stomach. She may have been subdued, but something told me we hadn’t seen the last of this one.

  That was for another day. Right now, I just wanted to go home. “You got any more verve?” I asked Sheena. I could feel the effects of the first pill wearing off, as we’d probably pushed it to its limit. It usually lasted much longer, but the fighting and excessive use of powers had sapped the damn thing dry in a matter of hours.

  She shook her head like she couldn’t even believe I was asking. “Come on, Leah. I gave you what I could.”

  I nodded. That was fair enough, but we still had to make it out of Pear Town alive. Sounds from the hallway caught my attention, and a hail of Pear residents flew into the room.

  They were with Sheena, as they quickly looked to her for what to do. She turned her attention to me and nodded toward the door. “Get out of here while you still can. We’ve got this. They’ll be no take over as long as I’m alive.”

  Twist had his hands on his knees, his breath coming in short spurts. Xavier had a small wound on his side. He pressed a hand against it, trying to stop the blood flow. I needed to make sure they were leaving with me, as we had a better chance of making it out of here alive if we stuck together.

  Maybe we wouldn’t even have to kill anyone to make it home. The thought of doing so left me cold. Probably for the first time in my life, I vowed to take the passive route and not fight unless I absolutely had to.

  Xavier and Twist made their way toward me, but Twist stopped when we got to where Sheena had Laurel under foot. “What’s going to happen to her?”

  Sheena gave it to him straight. “Jail, for her and her cohorts. My crews are throughout the city as we speak, gathering them up.”

  Which meant this had been planned for a while. I gave her a curious look, trying to figure out how much she’d known, and how much she’d guessed at.

  She stared back at me, unflinching. “Been on this since the beginning, Leah. All we needed was a jump off point.”

  I thought back to what she’d said earlier. The people of Pear Town were smart. I couldn’t help but agree, yeah, I guess they were.

  5

  The streets were full of fighting and vandalism. Buildings burned, causing thick black smoke to pollute the air making us cough and gag. Store windows had been smashed and glass littered the street.

  The verve must have still been working a little as Xavier’s wound had all but closed.

  Bolts of lightning, turbulent wind, and a mix of other powers flew all around us, making our steps rocky and unsure. We walked with purpose, determined to make it to our destination unscathed.

  A rock hit me upside the head and though it hurt like hell, I kept going. The last thing I wanted to do was fight if I didn’t have to. The only thing I wanted was to make it home, uninjured and with no more loss of life.

  This place was in an uproar, and though it looked bad, I felt confident that Sheena and her crew had it under control. It wasn’t my business, and I wasn’t sticking my nose in it. No more than I had to anyway.

  There was a lift on Peach street that would take us back up. It wasn’t easy getting there. Loud booms and screams from the battle dogged our every step, and we had to stop more than once to defend ourse
lves. We didn’t kill anyone, at least I tried very hard not to.

  What should have taken ten minutes, instead took two hours. Finally, we made it, and I’d never been happier. Once inside the lift, I sagged against the wall, glad to finally be leaving.

  We came up in the middle of the woods on the north side of town, more than twenty miles away from home.

  There was no way in hell I was walking that far. I didn’t think any of us could. I picked up a tree branch and tossed it at Xavier. “Turn this into a car and carry us home.”

  He didn’t even blink. A few complicated hand movements and we were on our way. Twist sat in the back, balled up and breathing hard. I climbed back there with him, aiming to offer what comfort I could.

  I reached out to touch his back, then stopped midway, unsure. Telling myself to suck it up, I took a deep breath and put a tentative hand on his shoulder. He tensed immediately but didn’t pull away. “I’m so sorry about your sister,” I whispered. “We’re going to get you home, okay.”

  “I’m okay,” he sniffed, and I decided to leave it at that.

  We dropped him off first and watched as he fumbled with his keys. He finally got them working right, then opened his front door and stumbled inside. Xavier waited until Twist flipped a light on then pulled back into traffic.

  He drove to the end of the street and then stopped. “Where do you live, darlin’?” Oh, yeah. That’s right. I’d forgotten that we’d never actually made it to my house. I gave him directions and then laid back against the headrest.

  What a helluva night. Thank goodness it was finally over. The sun began a slow rise in the sky, daybreak just over the horizon. The world would be waking up now. People would be pouring their coffees and getting ready to start their day.

  Me? Well, I planned on sleeping for the next week and a half. If I could get away with it, which I probably couldn’t. I’d have to hit up another game before long. It just wouldn’t be anywhere in the city limits this time.