Armageddon's Ward

by T J Kelly

  There was a bench beside an enormous lavender bush. I inhaled its sweet and spicy scent as we sat.

  “I wanted to get you alone so we could have a chance to discuss your magical training without interruption,” Mort said. My spine stiffened. I caught myself before I wrinkled my nose, but it was close.

  “What do you need to know?” I asked. I was ready to answer all the usual questions. I had been interviewed and examined so many times it was a wonder I didn’t start screaming and throw a tantrum in response to his request. I was sick and tired of discussions about my magic, and it was going to be especially bad after the Ascension Ceremony disaster.

  Mort’s high-pitched laughter caught me off guard. I actually chuckled a little in response.

  “Lia, I’m not an examiner. I’m not a quack, either. I promise not to throw any spell-bursts at your feet,” he said as if he knew my fears. That exact thing had happened to me before. I cocked my head to the side, studying him. Literally every person on the planet must know every single thing about me. I was spared the need for a response when he continued. “I just want to get to know you. I’m in charge of your combat training. We’ll be spending a lot of time together since it’s not yet possible to work on spells with your uncle. Ged has a reputation for training the very best apprentices because he uses a comprehensive plan that strengthens all areas, not just active magic. There’s no way he’ll stand by and let any of your talents go to waste.”

  Most of my former classmates complained about the work the senior apprentices dumped on them, but I loved learning new things. I found there were clues and patterns in magic that once discovered, unlocked some fascinating secrets. Revelations like that were well worth the time it took to perform a few extra tasks.

  “That sounds great, Mort. Thanks.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Most said. He looked surprised at my quick agreement. “I’m not sure how much you know about your aunt and uncle, but Laurus Commodities isn’t the primary work of the Laurus family. They make a good profit from their standard spells and products, but that isn’t the work that most occupies your uncle. That honor is reserved for the Irregulars, which, as you can imagine, takes a lot of attention. Even without your active magic, we’re grateful to have you here. We need all the help we can get.”

  I bet they did. The Council ordered the Irregulars to handle every tricky assignment. The stories about their work were so confusing that nobody could make heads or tails of what it was they actually did or whether or not they even won. I got the sense that the Irregulars were generally successful, though. I mean, they were all still alive. That had to count for something.

  Mort continued. “The Irregulars flourish when many different types of magic is involved. Your uncle specializes in finding the oddest - but the best - people. Diversity makes us the strongest the Irregulars have ever been. Ged also convinced the Council to allow him to hire apprentices before their final majority. Many were reluctant, but in the end, the Council approved Ged’s plan so they could keep an eye on them. The Council has been known to make judicious use of assassins when they feel threatened. The Irregulars reporting to them gives them a sense of control, which keeps the rest of us safe.”

  “I understand,” I murmured through numb lips. I hadn’t realized that the Council would be another enemy of mine. I probably should have, but it was hard to keep up.

  “Ged was going to ask you to sign on after you trigger your magic, but he’s working to add you to the roster even before that. You’re too strong for them to ignore for long. It’s best that you’re nominally under Ged’s authority even after your training is complete to protect you from the Council. Your uncle said that they seem more suspicious of you than they are of him because he uses Light.”

  I sighed. My family’s ability to use Dark and control dark magicians was both our greatest asset and our worst disadvantage. The Rectors had always been eyed with suspicion. Even after hundreds of years, other magicians still couldn’t believe my family wasn’t just biding our time before enslaving the rest of the world or destroying the planet or something. Just because we were able to harness the power of Dark. It was ridiculous.

  “I understand,” I said. “Sounds like a good plan. I wish my parents discussed this with me. They had been trying so hard to help me reach the future that I guess they forgot to make a plan for once I got there.”

  Mort patted my arm. “Lia, they spoke with your uncle about this many times. Your mother insisted that we didn’t make any agreements without your legal consent. I think they were waiting for you to reach your first majority before presenting you with your options.”

  I remained silent as I thought about my parents. They had always been so distracted and busy. Their lives were focused on me tapping into my magic. I had no idea they had other plans for me outside of that. Options they discussed with others. That they wanted to give me a choice and a future.

  To my horror, I burst into tears. It was like somebody had turned on a faucet and they just came pouring out. Mort pressed a handkerchief into my hand, and I tried to mop the moisture away, but the sobs kept coming. Even though they believed that I might need to live my life as a magical mute, my parents still managed to find a way for me to be successful. A way for me to contribute to a prestigious organization and be respected, not mocked or hidden away like something shameful and wrong. They loved me, of course they did, but they loved me more actively than I ever realized. It was bittersweet to find that out.

  “Goodness me, girl, it isn’t like I said you’d have to take up alchemy.”

  I choked on my sobs and started laughing. Alchemists were the bottom-feeders of the magical world. The thought of my parents allowing their daughter to practice alchemy was absurd. Mort might as well have suggested that I join a commune and learn how to pull a rabbit out of my hat.

  “Oh, Mort, I’m sorry,” I said, acknowledging that I was acting crazy.

  “None of that, my girl. I expect you’ll erupt into waterworks several more times before the next month is up. It’s all right. You’re with family now. Nobody will hold it against you.”

  As Mort patted my arm, I realized he was right. I could break down and embarrass myself five times a day, and they would accept it and move on. Because we were family. And family meant you had to suck it up and deal with the drama. It came with the territory.

  I blew my nose. “Thanks, Mort. So what’s first on the schedule?” Now that I knew I wasn’t going to have to go through the same ordeal I had endured over the last several years, I was eager to begin training.

  “The apprentices will show you around the rest of this rabbit warren this afternoon. Until then, you can familiarize yourself with your workshop.” We rose from the bench and began the trek back to my chambers.

  “I sneaked a peek yesterday,” I admitted. “It’s amazing! I can’t believe how huge it is, or how well-stocked.”

  Mort nodded. “Peony doesn’t fool around. Peter and Chas have no idea how good they have it here. Not that they aren’t grateful.”

  I looked at Mort out of the corner of my eye. “How did they end up being apprenticed to Uncle Ged?” I asked.

  Mort’s face changed into one of those horrible adult smirks. I chose to ignore it because I wanted to hear about Chas and Peter more than I wanted to storm off in annoyance.

  “Peter was orphaned when he was five. He had some distant family left, but Ged fought for guardianship. He’s the reason why Peter was orphaned. Your uncle is the one who defeated the Makennas, and he felt responsible when they chose to fight to the death. He knew that Peter wouldn’t stand a chance if he were left in the remaining family’s care and Peter’s magic is too powerful to allow him to be trained in the Dark. It took several years, but eventually Peony and Ged were allowed to adopt him as Close Family.”

  Magic was a bloodline heritage. There were different levels of adoption to enable magicians to forge close ties even when an adoptee can’t inherit. Since the Makenna clan had a diffe
rent type of magic than either Peony or Armageddon, Peter obtained their protection through adoption even though he wasn’t a legal heir of Laurus Commodities.

  I had heard of the Makennas. Their reign of terror ended before I was born. It was impressive that my aunt and uncle saw something of value in their enemy’s son and took him in. They had raised him well, too - even I could feel there was no lingering darkness in his magical signature. It made me feel hopeful about my own situation.

  “I’m glad you shared that with me,” I said. “What about Chas?”

  Mort’s smirk came back, and I gritted my teeth. Sometimes, adults could be so annoying.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t recognize him,” Mort said. “Chas is Oberon Taine’s youngest son.”

  I stopped right where I was, halfway up the stone staircase nearest my chambers. “Oberon is his father? Chas is Charles Taine?” I was appalled. Magicians studied the major family bloodlines. Our success and safety depended on it. But even though I knew the names of all the Taine clan, I had never seen a picture of Chas. “That must be so horrible for him!”

  I stomped the rest of the way up the stairs. I couldn’t stand Oberon Taine. It wasn’t just because he was evil through and through. It wasn’t even because he had just witnessed my humiliation and laughed when I failed to ascend. Oh, no. I couldn’t stand Oberon Taine because he was so foul his magic oozed off of him like a nasty, stinking mud that threatened to drown me whenever he was near.

  The Taines had always been a thorn in my family’s side. They were members of the upper class, too, and their whole creepy family went everywhere we did. They even attended the same schools. But I couldn’t remember ever seeing Chas before.

  No wonder he had looked so familiar, though. At least he was lucky enough to resemble his mother. I had met her several times, and I had to admit that she was beautiful, even if she was as cold as ice and her heart was a black pit of despair. Or whatever it was that pumped the blood through her veins. I wasn’t sure if I could actually call that a heart.

  Mort sighed. “It’s been difficult for him. Ged brought Chas to Castle Laurus when he was fourteen. You see, Chas was with his father when Oberon attacked one of their many enemies. He didn’t care that they had their children with them. Chas stepped between his father and a woman who was holding her three-month-old baby. Chas never told us how he stopped his father, but we’d love to know. Chas hadn’t ascended yet, but he managed to stop the attack anyway. Oberon turned on Chas because of it. When Ged and I arrived, we witnessed Oberon trying to curse Chas with a spell that would have killed him. Ged stepped in between them. We took Chas home with us and apprenticed him to your uncle.”

  My mouth was dry. My stomach felt queasy. At that moment, I hated Oberon more than I ever had before and I didn’t think that was even possible.

  We reached my chamber door, and I turned to Mort. “I guess what you’re telling me is that Uncle Ged has a habit of collecting orphans and rejects.” I smiled weakly.

  Mort shook his head. “Lia, your uncle is the best of men. He believes that people can rise above their circumstances and change their destiny if they truly want to. Look at Peter. Centuries of evil that had been bred into Makenna blood rolled right off of him. Peter is loyal and strong. He’s smart. He’s good. And even though Chas didn’t get here until he was fourteen, he is more light than dark, too. There’s a place for both Chas and Peter here at Castle Laurus, and in the Irregulars.”

  “Yes, but they can do magic.” The words popped out on their own. I swore that I wouldn’t pout or complain, yet here I was.

  “So can you,” Mort said. “We simply need to find your trigger. You’re just a late bloomer. There isn’t any shame in that.”

  I huffed. Mort was a sweetheart to try to comfort me, but really? “Late bloomer, eh? How comforting. Let me guess. Now you’re going to tell me the story of the ugly duckling. Fantastic.”

  Mort ruffled my hair. I hated when people did that. My age and the fact I was only a few inches taller than five feet always made them think they could treat me like a little kid and mess with my hair. It was annoying.

  Mort laughed at the look on my face. “Storytime is later. For now, it’s time for us to explore the wonderful world of magic that Peony managed to shoehorn into this workshop of yours.”

  I couldn’t help it - Mort made me laugh. Here I was trying to be all discouraging and crabby, but he obviously wasn’t going to let that happen. I shrugged and decided to let him win the battle. My day would be a lot more fun if I didn’t throw a fit, and I knew it.

  I bet I could have thrown an excellent tantrum, too. Or burst into tears again easily enough. That would teach him to call me a late bloomer.

  All thoughts of tantrums and tears flew right out of my mind as I looked around the enormous two-story workshop again. Peony truly was amazing. My future suddenly looked a whole lot brighter.

  SIX

  Rings of Magic

  Peony joined us shortly after Mort and I arrived in my workshop. I think she wanted to see my face when I took it all in. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I already took a peek, but I was still so awed by what I was seeing that I didn’t need to pretend I was amazed for her benefit.

  Sunbeams streamed in through the windows, highlighting the floor. I hadn’t been able to see everything clearly the night before, and I was awed at the impact of the workshop’s design.

  My eyes were drawn immediately to a finely-woven set of metal rings in the center of the workshop. They had darkened with magic, black covering the silver, but they were fashioned with extreme precision. The entire design was based on the tarot’s Wheel of Fortune with a compass rose at the center, spun in exquisite detail. The rings were obviously ancient and reeked of power. So much so that I could feel the magic rising even though we weren’t standing in the center of it.

  “Aunt Peony, I hope you didn’t spend your entire fortune outfitting a workshop for me.” A set of silver rings was rare and precious. It was also expensive. And many other things in the room looked even more expensive than the rings did.

  “Nonsense, my dear. Most of these items were already here because they belonged to your mother, and I expanded the workshop up into the top floor of the castle when I received the items from your father’s estate. Nobody was using the rooms directly above your workshop anyway. I hardly spent a dime. But even if I did, you’re worth every penny.”

  My heart squeezed when I studied the objects more closely. I recognized many of the items near me, including a small set of scales on the table to my left. I used to play with the weights when I was a little girl. Each of the little blocks of pewter had been cast with small figures of people and animals on them, and I used to pretend they were real and enacted stories about their lives for hours at a time while my father worked nearby. My breath caught in my chest as my heart ached at the memory.

  I glanced at the floor again. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen magic rings like these before.”

  “No, you wouldn’t have. They were commissioned over a thousand years ago by one of the Laurus ancestors. Your mother chose to focus her magic on supporting your father’s business and told Armageddon to keep them here. He has his own set, as do I. They’ve been waiting for a new owner for a long time. Fortunately, it made everything so much easier that the room was already oriented to the directions on the Compass in the center. I followed the same alignment upstairs since their magic radiates up that high.”

  “Amazing. And convenient. I’ll be able to find anything in here.” I loved how magic was so precise. Each section of the room was focused on specific types of activities and tools, making it easy to locate what I needed in the least amount of time. It also enhanced the magic.

  “I certainly hope so,” Peony said with a wry look on her face. “You’ve inherited so much, it may take you the rest of your life to discover it all. If you ever do.”

  Peony shifted her attention to the area on our left as I wandered over to check out
some of the items stored there. It was the western section, which controlled Self and Personal Vision. The shelves held tools and books that focused on internal magic. Anything related to divination and prophesy was stored there. I would mostly ignore that section until I tapped into my magic since the spells required direct magic to work. On the floor above, a telescope and large bronze astrolabe were visible over the rails lining the second story balcony. Both tools would see some use regardless.

  Rectors spent a lot of time in the north, so that was my next stop. It was the place of Destiny. Not my own, but the destiny of my foes. I had so many enemies that I would probably spend a bulk of my time there planning what to do about them. It was a grim reality for most magicians, and Peony brightened up the north with white gauzy panels that gently swayed in the breeze coming through the open windows. The entire wall was made of leaded glass and rays of light cast rainbows on the floor and walls.

  “I love the stairs,” I said. Black wrought-iron lined the spiral staircase that was located at the back of the workshop near the windows.

  “Thank you, sweetheart. Your uncle and I have been experimenting with the embroidery we use on our fabrics and the designs inspired me. The rails on the stairs and surrounding the mezzanine match. I hope you don’t mind that I created a partial second floor so the sun could reach every section of your workshop through the middle of the room.”

  And touch every spell I would perform. She didn’t say it, but the words still lingered in the air between us. Apparently, my uncle wasn’t the only one who knew a lot more about Rector magic than anyone else ever had. The best way to oppose the darkness within me would be to let in as much sunlight as possible. It didn’t bother me, though. I already trusted my aunt and uncle, and I loved how open and airy my workshop looked. Better than a cramped and dank hovel, which was probably what a hopeless case like me deserved.