by T J Kelly
I hastily swallowed my food. “Do you really think somebody will come after me? I’m pretty sure I proved that I’m exceedingly worthless and a non-issue.” I was still cringing from my spectacular failure the day before, but I was trying to be light-hearted about it. Maybe if I openly addressed my failure, it wouldn’t hurt so much.
“My dear, you may not have found your trigger, but you’re still the greatest threat to dark magicians in existence. It’s true that the Council doesn’t officially recognize your abilities at this time. But rest assured that any enemy of the Rector family, including several noncombatant business rivals, know that you’re still a danger to them. The more unsavory characters will attempt to neutralize you while you’re still vulnerable.”
I never heard anyone address my situation so directly before. My parents and the experts had been tiptoeing around me for years. It was refreshing. And terrifying.
“I have no objections to a change of residence. Although I doubt it would matter if I did, considering the all-powerful and mighty Armageddon is my guardian.” I gave him a cheeky grin. It was probably for the best that I had a change of scene. The house wouldn’t feel so empty without my parents if I wasn’t there, either.
Armageddon’s eyes twinkled at me. “Indeed. I do wonder if being my ward is a benefit or detriment. Considering I have quite a few enemies of my own, they will see you as a vulnerability. Unfortunately, that can’t be helped. But I’m not an ogre, you know. If you want to stay here, I could probably cobble together a network of spells and guard staff to keep you safe. It just won’t be nearly as effective as mine.”
I straightened a little in my seat. Technically, as Armageddon’s ward and apprentice, I had no choice about where I lived or what I would study. And regardless of the rumors spread by friend and enemy alike, I could tell my uncle would never force me into doing anything objectionable. It simply wasn’t in his nature.
My mother used to complain about Armageddon possessing a free-thinking personality. She said it could be terribly inconvenient for his family, who also worked with the Council. Their contractors tended to fall on a scale that went from conservative to downright stuffy. Being labeled free, or even as a thinker, was a drawback in the industry.
I was able to make light of our master/apprentice relationship because I knew the rules weren’t going to be a burden the way they were for many other, unfortunate apprentices. But the truth was that by law, he had the right to dictate many aspects of my life. Not that there weren’t checks and balances. Our governing council had adopted strict guardianship and apprenticeship laws hundreds of years ago to stop the powerful families from using the weak or inexperienced as pawns in their magical battles.
There had been few changes to the system since. Contrary to how governments usually worked, the Council hadn’t tried to fix what wasn’t broken. But the magicians in charge could still find a way to manipulate the system if they really wanted to. I was fortunate my uncle wasn’t that way.
“That won’t be necessary, Uncle. I’m quite content with a change of scene. I think hiding my face for a while is exactly what I need.”
Armageddon chuckled as he shook his head ruefully. “It wasn’t as bad as you imagine. Oh, Oberon Taine certainly has a few stories he’s going to tell, but most of the guests were genuinely concerned when you pitched head first towards the ground. Good thing I’m light on my feet, Niece.”
“Thank you for catching me, by the way. I’m forever in your debt.” I winked and popped a grape into my mouth. After a brief moment, I said, “Not to get all maudlin on you, but I have no idea what I am supposed to do now.” I cleared my throat and then took a sip of sweet tea to ease the lump in my throat.
“You’re going to compete for your business in the ring, of course.”
I studied my uncle. He was strong and handsome. Confident. Armageddon was an incredibly powerful magician, and that was easy enough for him to say.
Especially if he were crazy.
“How am I supposed to trigger my magic and learn how to battle magicians three times my age before the Council offers Rector Enterprises on the chopping block?” I heard a tinge of bitterness in my voice and winced. Taking a deep breath, I held myself perfectly still as I tried to settle my nerves.
Since there was no viable blood heir, my family’s business now fell under the Council’s control. They would offer it to the strongest and most capable person ninety days after my father’s death. Anyone with a connection to Rector Enterprises, like subcontractors or rivals, could throw their name into the ring to fight for the right to take over.
The Council had established their need for Rector services and products centuries ago, and they didn’t care who was in charge as long as the spells kept coming. The laws governing corporate takeovers were very clear. Anyone with a connection who had a sliver of a chance could compete to take my family’s company lock, stock, and barrel.
Once a winner emerged, they would be restricted from making any changes to the business structure or services for three years. After that time, they were given full control. They could make any change they wanted, including shutting down our benevolence division. That knowledge made me want to cry again. Rector Enterprises was one of the only companies in the world who provided so much to charity. It was a part of who we were as a family, and I couldn’t stand the thought of what would happen to the people who needed us when my family’s legacy was gone.
“I always have a plan, my dear. Why don’t you finish your meal while I check on the status of your belongings?” Armageddon rose and gave me a bow. He was out the door before I had enough time to nod my agreement. His abrupt departure startled me, but I shrugged and finished eating as directed. Once I was stuffed, I grabbed a change of clothes and headed back to my bathroom to get ready.
Our house was ancient, so my closet had a second entrance leading to the back hallway for the staff to use. It was a throwback to the days when servants were expected to be invisible to their masters at all times. My family wasn’t nearly that snobby, but the other door must have enabled the servants to pack my belongings without disturbing my admittedly restless sleep because my closet was empty.
I was ready to go within an hour since the only delay was when I cried while I was taking a shower. I pushed the tears aside. I loved my parents and would always miss them, but I needed to pull myself together. I had to get myself through the next three months since according to my famous uncle, I was going to find my magical trigger and beat all rivals for my family’s business. And no matter how crazy he sounded, I was going to try.
I had no expectation of victory. But for some reason, declaring my intentions gave me hope anyway. And hope helped fill the hole in my heart.
◆◆◆
“A carriage ride? That’s definitely not what I was expecting.” I turned towards my uncle and stared at him, exasperated. “Who uses carriages anymore? Old fuddy-duddies, that’s who. But we’re young and hip. Surely we can afford a limo or something.”
Armageddon didn’t respond as we climbed in. Instead, he looked through the traveling basket Cook had packed for our trip. My uncle pulled out different snacks and bundles with laser focus, completely ignoring my comments.
I sighed and slouched against the leather-covered cushions. At least the carriage was comfortable. I had ridden in several of them and knew that wasn’t always the case. There were plenty of Traditionalists who accepted nothing less than the pomp and formality of a horse-drawn equipage whenever they went out, but it struck me as odd that my uncle was one of them. It didn’t mesh with the idea that he was a free-thinker.
It was a testament to how much control I managed to gain that I wasn’t weeping as we drove away. I had given every single one of the servants a hug goodbye. They had been around since before I was born. Some had even worked for the Rector family before my father was born. They were almost like family and saying goodbye felt like another loss.
Armageddon left some of his household guards b
ehind to help while I was away. Even though I wasn’t going to be there, it was still possible somebody might attack the manor in hopes of harming me. Neither one of us wanted the staff to get hurt in the crossfire.
Taking steps to ensure my future, even if it was only a small part of it, made me feel centered. Like my equilibrium was back. In spite of the fact that I lost my parents, the family business, and my dignity, I was functioning normally. It was a relief to feel more like myself again.
“At least tell me all about Plan B,” I cajoled. “I’m still a little shaky on the details, considering you haven’t told me any.”
Armageddon hissed “yes” under his breath and pulled out a small red tin.
“Oh no you don’t, Uncle,” I said, and quick as lightning I snatched the shortbread container out of his hand. “This time I get the cookies. Besides, you’re wearing black, and the crumbs will look dreadful when they fall on you.”
My uncle studied me for a moment. “I don’t think that I’ve ever seen anyone move that fast, my dear. Great job. But may I remind you that crumbs are not an elegant decoration for that lovely indigo dress you have on, either?”
“I’m sure I’ll survive,” I answered sweetly. I popped a small piece of cookie into my mouth and sighed with pleasure. Our cook was from Scotland and had a way with shortbread.
“Fine,” Armageddon snorted. “I’m sure I can get your cook to send more later. I’ll tell her you’re longing for home and couldn’t possibly go on another day without some. She’ll send a giant tin, and I won’t share a bit of them. That will be a lesson to you.”
I rolled my eyes and continued to nibble on my snack, waiting for him to reveal the details of Plan B.
“All right,” my uncle said. He sounded exasperated, and I had to bite back a smile. “I can see you mean business. I’ve been studying your family’s history and have yet to find any odd characters. I’m afraid you have inherited your stubborn magical trigger from your Laurus side. In fact, the essence of your magic doesn’t seem all that far removed from my own. The first order of business is to try several methods for unleashing your magic, including trying it my way.”
Armageddon triggered his magic on his seventeenth birthday in grand and spectacular fashion. He had stood completely still and, with a small lift of his chin, blew out all the windows in the entire village. Glass exploded in a rainbow shower, causing the spectators to take cover.
My uncle was the strongest magician on record. He was even more powerful than Grigori Rasputin’s great-grandfather, whose birth name had long been forgotten. But we all remembered his magician’s name. Everybody still spoke in whispers when they said it. Sanguis. Power and blood.
People whispered Armageddon’s name as well. I probably would have been as intimidated as everyone else if I didn’t remember how much I laughed when he tickled me, or how he told me silly stories whenever my mother left the room the one time he visited us. Such vague, misty memories, but happy ones.
Whenever I heard the rumors, I always pictured him crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. It stopped me from being afraid of my own family. I wished we had spent more time together while I was growing up. In spite of the tragic circumstances, I was glad I finally had the chance to get to know him better.
“I’ve already tried it your way,” I said. “I’ve mimicked about a hundred different facial tics, and none of them worked.”
Armageddon laughed. “That’s all for show. I would never let my enemies know the mechanism of my magic. If they capture me, they will cover my face. But I can still strike them down because my magic is activated internally. It’s best to keep that kind of thing secret.”
I nodded, impressed. I wanted to hear more. “Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that I manage to trigger my magic. What then? Surely you have mapped out several steps in between ‘trigger’ and ‘winning Rector Enterprises back.’”
“Without a doubt. But the specifics of your training can wait until we find out how to tap your magic. There are many factors we need to consider. For instance, I can sense much of your magic is tied to Dark.”
Most people couldn’t pinpoint a magician’s source of power, but I was glad my uncle could. That meant he already knew how closely I took after my father. It didn’t matter if Armageddon didn’t know everything. Just the fact that I didn’t have to hide the Dark from him was a relief.
That was one less burden for me to carry.
I didn’t like the thought of keeping secrets from Armageddon, and I should have known it was practically impossible to hide things from him anyway. And I would never be able to get the family business back under my control without using Dark.
“Lia, how familiar are you with the laws of magical businesses?” Armageddon asked.
“I only know the basics. I’m not familiar with the details when it comes to the trials. Nobody thought that would be a factor.”
My uncle nodded. “Well, you know that anyone with a connection to Rector Enterprises can compete. My guards brought a report with them first thing this morning. The Taines have already signed up. The most powerful families do that to discourage the weaker families from trying. It saves time in the ring.”
“Of course they did,” I said. I didn’t even bother to hide my bitterness. “I bet Oberon can’t wait to get his hands on my business and ruin everybody’s lives.”
“Probably true. No matter who wins, though, a three-year restriction against changes will apply. They won’t be able to cancel any contracts or alter the standard lines of business. That allows previously undocumented heirs to make a bloodline claim without finding out that their inheritance has been dismantled before they have a chance to appeal. It also gives the contractors time to come up with alternate arrangements.”
We had studied the three-year law in school. It had been enacted in 1678 when Charles the Wanderer showed up two years after the last of his family had died. Everyone thought he died years before and his family business was turned over to the competition. It was a nightmare to untangle his inheritance. The mess was finally resolved when Charles married Winona, the daughter of the winning clan leader, and he dropped the lawsuit.
The Council created the waiting period to make sure nothing like that ever happened again. They narrowly avoided a magical war, and wars were bad for business. So were lengthy lawsuits. Now, not only did the winner have to wait years to gain full control, but any heir who showed up after the waiting period expired was out of luck. They were disinherited at the end of three years, and there was no going back.
I perked up. “That means I have time on my side, doesn’t it? Say I trigger my magic two years from now. I could just show up, do a spell, and challenge them,” I said, relieved.
“Unfortunately, you have already been disqualified as a viable heir. Natural inheritance laws predate the three-year rule. The original laws apply, and that route is unavailable to you now. You were on record as the sole heir to the bloodline. Blood-heirs have three days to prove they are fit to inherit. Unknown family members and heirs previously thought to have been deceased or otherwise unavailable have three years, not you.” Armageddon was a straightforward and honest man. I liked that about him. But I wished he had softened the blow.
“Then what happens?” I asked. My voice sounded grim, even to my own ears.
“When the waiting period is over, every contract expires too. It’s up to the winning family and the customers to decide if they want to renew them.”
“And that’s when Rector Enterprises changes forever,” I said sadly.
My uncle didn’t disagree. We both knew that the Taines weren’t altruistic. Neither were any of the other families in the position to compete. The charities we ran would end when they took over.
“Look,” he said. “I know this must be discouraging for you. But I have never failed a task I have set for myself, and I don’t intend on failing you now. We’re going to figure this out together. I promise.”
“Thanks,” I said. “
It’s good to know I’m not alone.” I leaned my head back into the seat and closed my eyes to hide my tears.
Of all the things I had heard about Armageddon, him being a liar wasn’t one of them. I believed in him. He would do everything in his power to help me. And that should have comforted me, but it didn’t.
Because I didn’t believe in myself.
FOUR
My New Home
It only took a little fold in time and space to get us from the hills outside of San Francisco to our destination far to the north in Washington State quicker than it took to check baggage and board a flight.
The transition spell that transported us most of the distance between my home and Armageddon’s castle only lasted a moment, but it was a terrifying moment filled with no sensation at all. I couldn’t feel, see, or hear. I knew I was in a carriage, seated across from my uncle and secure, yet the loss of all sensation made me feel more alone than I ever had before.
It also made me feel car sick. After a split second of stark terror, I always wanted to throw up.
We burst back into existence on the road leading to my uncle’s gate. There were no other vehicles around, and trees lined the edges of the road. It was like we appeared in the middle of a forest.
A large gate stretched across the road in front of us, maybe a quarter of a mile away. The guards escorting us rode ahead and had a quick discussion with the sentries. We had to check in at the guard shack before we were allowed to drive onto the estate, a standard precaution on a powerful magician’s estate. Then we crossed the gated perimeter and resumed our journey.
I was looking out the window trying to catch a glimpse of my new home when the carriage rounded a bend. There was a break in the trees, and framed against the sky was the ancestral home of one Victor Laurus, only son of the Laurus family, magician extraordinaire. Otherwise known as Armageddon, the Final Battle. Or as I was thinking about calling him, Breaker of Windows, just to see if my uncle’s humor had limits.
