Lost Cause

by S A Magnusson

  Power built from Cynthia and flowed into the doorway, releasing a series of spells. It was like how my condo was protected, and yet, these spells were hidden, concealed within the wood themselves, and preventing anyone else from detecting them.

  When she pushed the door open, a darkened room greeted me. There was faint light, but it was muted, and it took my eyes a moment to adjust. I suspected that was part of the purpose. It was almost as if Cynthia and Veran had wanted to throw me off, making it so I wouldn’t be able to see who was inside the room particularly well. I didn’t think mages had any enhanced eyesight, but maybe it was something as simple as having a spell or a charm allowing them to see through the darkness.

  The room was enormous and occupied a good portion of the main level of the house. There was a table taking up the center of the room, and Barden guided me over to it, pulling out a seat for me and waiting for me to take it. As I did, I looked along the length of the table at two others who sat across from me.

  One, a young woman who had to be about my age, stared down at her hands, and glanced up briefly at Barden, smiling nervously. The other was a heavyset young man, and he leaned back, looking at everyone who entered with a look of distrust.

  There were no other members of the mage council, at least as far as I could tell. It was just the three of us—the hedge mages Barden had brought—and now Barden along with Cynthia and Veran. I couldn’t help but feel as if there was something taking place beyond what Barden had claimed.

  4

  “Is this it?” I whispered to Barden when he took a seat next to me in a plush office chair. They were incredibly comfortable, and made of supple leather. They would be more fitting in an office than the inside of someone’s home. The walls of the room were blank, paneled with a darkly stained wood, and everything had a formal air to it.

  “No. I suspect they will want to make an entrance.”

  “How long do you think we’ll have to wait?”

  “Not long. The moment we arrived, Cynthia would have sent word. It would be considered disrespectful to the rest of the council for her not to have done so.”

  “Even to you?”

  “Even to me.”

  “Why do the two of you still not get along?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “It has to do with more than just your connection to Kate.”

  “Of course it does,” Barden said. “If it were just about Kate, then there would be no reason for her to dislike me as she does.”

  “And it’s more than you being a dark mage?”

  “I don’t think Veran and Cynthia view dark magic users quite the same way as others within the mage council, but there is something to that.”

  He fell silent, and sat with his hands clasped on the table, watching Veran and Cynthia. Neither of them spoke. Cynthia stood behind a chair at the head of the table, watching Barden, seemingly ignoring the other three of us in the room. For his part, Veran made his way along the table, and took a seat. I hadn’t realized he was a part of the mage council, and maybe he wasn’t, but his presence here suggested he had a role and a level of authority I’d not expected.

  I fingered the spell coin, flipping it between my fingers, waiting. I was somewhat uncomfortable, and it reminded me of waiting on attendings when I’d been in residency. The same hierarchy of power existed within the magical world as within medicine. In medicine, you went from aspiring student to student to resident and then to attending. Occasionally, there was a stop as a fellow along the way, and in my case, I was more than happy to take that year to gain additional experience and confidence before moving on to attending.

  Within magic, there was the same thing. Aspiring magical user to trainee to full mage to council member, it seemed. Perhaps there were other layers to the magical world I didn’t fully understand, but those were the ones I knew about. And I didn’t fit in. I wasn’t a trainee—not the same way as those who had real magical potential work, and yet I would never be a full mage. I wasn’t sure what the medical equivalent of my status would even be.

  When the door opened again, Cynthia nodded, and several dark-robed individuals entered, quickly taking seats around the table.

  “Barden Leifan. Seeing as how you are the one who instigated this, I think it’s only appropriate that you be the one to share with us why you thought it necessary to summon the entire counsel together for this.”

  Barden nodded and got to his feet. As he did, Cynthia took a seat, and Barden stepped behind his chair. It forced me to crane my neck so I could watch him, but there was something of a spectacle to what Barden was doing, and I suspected that was his entire point. He wanted to put on a show, and in doing so, he drew everyone’s eyes to him, forcing them to pay attention and give him the opportunity to have that authority.

  “We have come today at my request to discuss the practice of working with hedge mages,” Barden said.

  There came a soft murmuring along the table, and I looked to see who might be the most distrusting. There were three other mages who had arrived. One of them had dark black hair, and it was combed back, almost slicked down, and he had a lean, wrinkled face, making the darkness of his hair almost seem unnatural. Another was a black woman with her hair in thick braids. She had a youthful face, though that didn’t mean anything. The last newcomer was a short Asian woman, with a flower brooch pinned to the lapel of her robe. Rather than watching Barden, she kept her gaze on me.

  “As many of you might know, I have experience in working with and training hedge mages. Within the Dark Council, we have never excluded any who had the potential to work with magic.” He waited for another murmuring to dissipate. It came at the mention of the Dark Council, and I wasn’t terribly surprised there were still those on the mage council who struggled with his dark magic. “The same could and should be said about those with the other type of magic. As far as I can tell, their connection to magic has been neglected. This despite all evidence pointing to many of them having incredible talent.”

  “We have seen no sign of talent within those we don’t train,” the black woman said.

  “Perhaps not, Karen, but that’s not because they don’t possess it. It’s more about your willingness to look and see what potential they might have. As I have known, there are times when that potential doesn’t develop immediately.” He paused, and I could feel him directly behind me. He was going to use me as an example. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. “Take Dr. Stone here. She was nearly thirty when she realized she had magical potential. Had there been no one present—or willing—to work with her, that potential would’ve been wasted.”

  “At that age, any potential would already have been lost,” the Asian woman said.

  “You would think so, and yet she has developed a specific knack for a particular magic.”

  “Having a tendency to be able to perform a singular type of magic does not warrant additional training,” Karrin said. “As you have now observed, Barden Leifan, the intensity of training is significant. For us to devote resources to those who don’t have the necessary talent—”

  “I understand the nature of the resources you’ve utilized with training in the past, but I’m trying to tell you that you have missed out on opportunities. Considering what I’ve seen, and the nature of the power I’ve seen, there are plenty who have potential you have neglected.” He squeezed the back of my chair. “Dr. Stone. I would like you to demonstrate the nature of your potential.”

  “Me?” I looked across the table, wondering why he had brought the other two hedge mages. I suspected they had some specified power, something similar to my specialty, but Barden was using me as his demonstration. There had to be something about what I could do that would be the most compelling.

  “Trust me,” he whispered.

  “What do you need?”

  “I would like you to go out into the hallway.”

  “Why?”

  “To make a point.”

  I got up and headed to the door.
When I was nearly there, Barden turned to the others. “When she’s on the other side, any of you on the council may seal the door off.”

  “And what will this prove, Barden?” Cynthia asked.

  “You of all people should not need to question this,” Barden said.

  She glared at him, and I paused with my hand on the door and could feel magic flowing throughout the room. How many of the mages were using various spells at this point? And I still didn’t know why Barden was trying to use me in this way. There had to be a purpose, though I didn’t know what he was trying to accomplish, so I wouldn’t know how I could assist it.

  “I will place the spell,” Karen said.

  “Perfect,” Barden said. “When it’s done, Dr. Stone will open the door.”

  “A hedge mage?” Karen asked.

  Barden tipped his head, looking at me with a gleam of a smile in his eyes.

  I stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind me, and I waited. As I did, I couldn’t help but feel a hint of nerves. I wasn’t sure I would even be able to open the door, though if it was a matter of triggering the spell, there should be no reason I couldn’t do this. The real question was whether or not I should do it.

  As magic began to build, the cold washing along my arm, I could feel the spells solidifying. When it abated, and the cold was retreating, I stared at the door. There was a series of patterns, a series of runes, and when Cynthia had opened the door previously, I had felt the nature of those runes and the magic she was using. I remembered the sequence she’d utilized in order to add those spells. The sequence was often the key, and I suspected this was no different.

  The only potential I had was in triggering spells. That was what Barden wanted to use now, and I wondered if I would be able to trigger the spells the same way I could do other things. I focused on the power within the runes and realized they were part of the magic I was detecting. There was potential there, and all it would take would be for me to trigger it. When I did, what reaction I would have on the other side of the door?

  Focusing on my potential for magic, and on my way of using it, I sent power surging into the runes, following the series of them as I’d seen Cynthia do. If I could trigger in the same way, I would be able to unlock it—and what I wanted was not just to unlock it, but to prove myself. I might be a hedge mage, but I also had demonstrated I could and should be a part of the magical world. There were times when I questioned it, but the more I learned, the greater a part of it I felt I could be. Besides, I was the one who had helped ensure the vampire elder had survived. I was the one who had helped ensure they weren’t able to draw Kate across the Veil and use whatever they might do to harm her.

  As the spells were triggered, the door energy shifted. And then I opened it. I stood in the doorway, looking at the others. Barden flashed me a triumphant smile.

  Karen gasped. “She should not have been able to open that unless she is a full mage—and member of the council.”

  I frowned at Barden. What was he trying to prove?

  “Exactly. She should not have, and yet she did. A hedge mage. Think about what others might be able to learn,” Barden said.

  Cynthia got to her feet, leaning over the table, resting her palms on it. “This is more than just your attempt to prove that hedge mages have more talent than we give them credit for.”

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  “You have been trying to convince us of the need to fortify our defenses in a different way.”

  “You don’t think it’s necessary?”

  “I understand we have confronted the organization, but at the same time, we have seen no sign of threat coming from them.”

  “Yet,” Barden said.

  “There has been no sense of movement,” Cynthia said.

  “Yet,” Barden said again.

  “If they were going to pose a danger to us, then they would’ve done so by now.”

  “Are we so certain?” Barden looked at each of the mage councilors along the table. “Most of you are accustomed to feeling safe. Let me tell you I am not. I have spent my entire life fearing the mage council and the possibility someone on the mage council might find my people and harm them. Because of that, I have a unique experience and understanding of the dangers that exist. Therefore, I recognize the need to be prepared. When it comes to the organization and the threat they pose us, I can say with certainty it’s unlike anything you have ever experienced. Even those of you who have dared cross the Veil.”

  I now realized what this was all about. Barden hadn’t brought me here so I could convince the mage council to begin to work with hedge mages. If it were all about that, he would have been able to provide the training, though there had to be value in learning from members of the mage council. The other two must have had some potential as well.

  “I suppose you would have your people help with those protections?” Cynthia asked.

  “My people have experience in placing protections about themselves and about places where they want to hide. How long has the mage council occupied these premises? Decades? Centuries?” He looked around the table. “In all that time, there has been an agreement between the other magical factions, and because of that, you have lived in relative safety. You haven’t had to fear the vampires or the shifters, and you haven’t even feared the Dark Council because we have never attempted to attack the mage council.”

  “That’s not quite true,” Cynthia said.

  “Fine, we’ve rarely threatened to attack the mage council. But what we have encountered recently,” Barden said, focusing on Cynthia and Veran now, “is unlike anything I’ve ever known. There is power we must be prepared for, and unless we are, there is the real chance others will be able to overwhelm the rest of the council.”

  “What sort of protections are you talking about?” Karen asked.

  “Karen,” Cynthia said.

  “I think we need to consider all options,” Karen said.

  “I concur,” the heavyset Asian woman said.

  “And what about you, Harry?” Cynthia asked, looking to the older man.

  “There has been no threat to the council other than what we have experienced recently, but even then, we were underprepared.”

  “Which is why we must do whatever it takes to ensure the safety and integrity of the mage council,” Barden said. “Look, you have made progressive changes already, including me and others in planning, but what I’m asking now is for you to be even more inclusive. Protect these buildings. If something were to happen to the rest of the mage council—”

  “Something has already happened to the rest of the mage council,” Cynthia said.

  “And how prepared were you for that?”

  “You know the answer to that,” she said.

  “I don’t. I wasn’t part of the mage council then. All I know is what has been done since then. And unfortunately, what I’ve seen is precious little. There is more to fear than just the other side of the Veil. We have to be prepared for all possibilities, and even though you might not believe there is danger from others on this side of the Veil, I have seen that we need to be prepared.”

  Cynthia clenched her jaw. I wondered why she was having such an objection to this. It made sense to me there would be no reason for her to refuse what Barden was asking, but at the same time, I also had a sense from her that she was accustomed to being in charge, and therefore in control. It was the same thing I’d seen from some surgical specialists, especially the attendings. Often they had a hard time listening to someone they viewed as beneath them. Even if such people had good ideas, the specialist might simply hate the idea not coming from them. It surprised me that Cynthia Michaels, Kate’s grandmother, would be so similar.

  “We will take it under consideration,” she said.

  “That’s all I ask,” Barden said.

  “And you have nothing further to say about the desire to train hedge mages?”

  “I think it’s so important to train them. As Dr. Stone has
proven, even someone with a few years behind her has the potential to do far more than you would have expected. Look at what she has accomplished in the short period of time she has known magic. How many others are there like her who would also have that connection to magic?”

  “A few years?” I whispered.

  Barden flashed a hint of a smile. “None of us is getting any younger.”

  “You know women don’t like to be reminded of their age.”

  “It wasn’t a reminder for you.”

  “That might be even worse,” I said.

  “I think we should work with any who are interested,” Harry said. “After having seen the effect of the last attack, I for one don’t want to confront it again. I fear we will be underprepared if it comes down to it.”

  “How do you propose we find them?” Karen asked.

  “Trust me,” Barden said, smiling. “If there’s a willingness to work with magical users, there will be plenty who come forward.”

  “You understand the risks,” Cynthia said.

  “The risks? Do you fear us exposing ourselves like this?”

  “I think we all should be afraid of exposing ourselves.”

  “I will ensure we screen them, and we offer only to those who have some potential,” Barden said. “And if there are any mage council members who so desire to train potential hedge mages, then we will ask, but we will not require it. Otherwise, the training will come from my end.”

  Cynthia frowned, staring at Barden, as if trying to see what he was getting at. And yet, I thought I knew. Barden was clever. This was even cleverer. He was seeking for the mage council to sanction him working with hedge mages, and not only sanction it, but to give him authority over it. In doing so, Barden would build up plenty of people with potential skill who might be needed to resist the organization. It was adding to his reach, and he was doing it right before the entirety of the council.