by Logan Byrne
“When are we leaving?” Blake asked.
“Go pack a bag and be back here shortly. I’ll make sure you gain safe passage myself,” Mirian said, shooing us off with his hand.
“Are you going to be okay? Leaving, and all,” Blake asked, as we left Mirian’s office and walked towards our rooms.
“I don’t think I have much of a choice, to be honest. I’m still confused, this is a huge play by the chancellor to pull both of us out, but she must really need us,” I said.
“Hopefully it’s nothing too serious, I’m not sure I’m ready for another big battle,” he said, dropping me off at my room.
I left a note for Britta, telling her about my mission, though without mentioning anything about the resistance. I just didn’t want her to worry and stay up waiting, and I had to be vague enough that anybody snooping wouldn’t find out we were undercover for the resistance. That would probably be a death sentence for us all.
I packed a few changes of clothes, a small book Britta was bugging me to start, and the garnet necklace I used to block the vampires. I didn’t know why I brought that; it was probably safer sitting in my desk drawer, to be honest, but I figured I couldn’t be too prepared going back to the camp. Chancellor Pote was going to send us on a mission, I was sure of it, because three days was way too long otherwise, and I didn’t want to be caught with my pants down, so to speak.
“Ready?” Blake asked when he swung by my room ten minutes later. I nodded, and we went back to Mirian’s office for our transport. I stole a glance at Blake as we walked, seeing his gaze focused ahead down the hallway. I was happy to be going with him, even if it did derail my mission, because at least I would be with him and getting to spend much-needed time by his side. Dating in this line of work was difficult, and the fact we were still strong and together was a testament to the kind of man he was, because without him, I wasn’t sure I’d have gotten this far.
“Stand inside the circle,” Mirian said, pointing to a circle of powder on his office floor. Candles were lit on the bookshelves around the room.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s a summoning circle. Once the seal is closed, it will allow its current sister, in the camp, to bring you there safely without leaving a trace. The precinct won’t be able to detect you leaving, and they definitely won’t be able to track where you went. It’s an old type of magic,” he said.
We stepped into the circle before he spread some more ash and closed the seal. The black powder turned purple, glowing, and I felt a surge of energy fill my body as Mirian incanted a spell I hadn’t heard before. Within a blink of an eye, maybe even faster than that, Blake and I were standing inside a tent, the smell of pine filling my lungs as I heard horses, or centaurs, or both, trotting nearby.
“You made it,” a man said, smiling, before he broke the seal. “Chancellor Pote is expecting you. I trust you know your way?”
“We do, thank you,” I said. Stepping out of the tent, Blake and I walked outside. The fresh air felt euphoric, the stale stench of the precinct long behind us. The ground was muddy, bits of trampled grass strewn about, as magical creatures of all types walked and worked around us. I couldn’t believe this was where I got my start, that one night finding out I was a witch and being swiftly brought into the resistance to fight the man I was still trying to track.
The mud squished under my feet as I smiled, my body filling with joy, as Blake and I walked towards Chancellor Pote’s tent. A centaur who was blacksmithing nearby, hammering weapons, nodded and smiled as we passed. We were still in uniform, but nobody around us seemed to care, like they knew we were one of them and that we were undercover. It felt nice to not have to hide myself here. I was free to do or talk about whatever I wanted.
Blake pushed aside the canvas of the chancellor’s tent, catching her attention. She smiled and welcomed us in. “It’s so good to see you both. How are things in the precinct treating you?”
“They’re well,” Blake said, hugging her.
“I’ve been keeping myself busy with my cases. Charlie and I are really making a go at cleaning up the streets,” I said, before hugging her myself.
“Mirian told me that you and Charlie were teamed up, and that you were with Britta, Blake. I think those are great pairings and from what I’ve heard it sounds like you four are doing a marvelous job,” she said, smiling.
She walked away from us, back to her map, and her smile turned serious and stoic as she gripped the edge of the wooden table. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I summoned you here today, though. It isn’t often that we pull one, let alone two, of our agents out of the precinct to come back to the camp.”
“We must admit it crossed our minds, but we’re sure it’s for good reason,” Blake said.
“We know your missions at the precinct are important, but we felt we needed both of you, with your experience and particular powers, to take on a mission here for us that we believe to be crucial to our plan of taking down Kiren,” she said, looking up at us.
“What is it?” I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“We believe he is searching for a magical artifact that he has yet to discover. This artifact is ancient and very powerful in nature. We believe we know its general location, though not its exact coordinates, and we need you to retrieve it before he gets his hands on it,” she said, standing straight and crossing her arms.
“Well, what is it, exactly?” Blake asked.
“And why do you need us?” I asked.
“The object is a talisman, an ancient one pertaining to rune magic, which you both know Kiren practices. We believe that with it, his magic would amplify, and his grasp on the magical world would begin to reach its critical mass, meaning he would get enough power to start his assault on the mortal realm. We need you because you have special skills we believe to be essential,” she said.
“My mark,” I replied nervously.
“Precisely. We believe your powers will be able to help you track the location of the talisman in a way that we cannot. It will talk to you, communicate with you, and almost speak to you as if it were a person like me in front of you. Your powers are ancient, the same way the talisman is, and these old types of magic are always connected,” she said.
“What about me, though?” Blake asked, obviously left out of the equation.
“Well, we know you two are dating, and we know you care about her. Not only that, but you’re the strongest werewolf shifter I’ve seen in the past decade, and I believe your tracking skills, as well as your strength and speed, should things get sticky, will work heavily to your advantage,” she said.
“Why would things get sticky?” I asked. “Isn’t this in and out?”
“Like I said, he has his forces out searching for the talisman, though they aren’t in the right place. With that said, they will soon intersect with the right area, and we cannot let them get a hold of it. If you see them, don’t engage unless they have or are about to get the talisman,” she said.
“What if they engage with us first?” Blake asked.
“Do what you need to, but don’t let them know your identities. All I’ll say is that dead men tell no tales,” she said. “I know I don’t usually advocate that, and taking a life isn’t something to take lightly, but Kiren cannot get this talisman, or else we’re looking at the demise of our world.”
“When are we leaving?” Blake asked, arms crossed.
“We will get you supplies and somebody will arm you with a map and brief you on what you need to know. For now, go to the mess tent and get yourselves fed. This journey could take three hours, or it could take three days,” she said.
A heavy weight settled on top of me as we walked out of her tent and towards the smell of roast chicken in the mess tent. This wasn’t just a small mission, like the reconnaissance one we did before with Charlie, Britta, and Faus. This was serious—this could change the landscape of the entire world, if we weren’t careful.
What if Kiren did get a hold of this tali
sman? How did I know his men weren’t out there grabbing it right now? If he got it, his power would amplify and the creatures and beings in the magical realm would fall under his absolute power and control. Not only that, but the mortals, even with their weapons and resources, wouldn’t stand a chance against him. He was dark, and his magic would make them fall to their knees. I didn’t know about anybody else, but I didn’t like the thought of living in a world, a universe, controlled by a madman dictator with a thirst for blood and revenge.
“What are you thinking about?” Blake asked, as we grabbed our trays and piled food on top.
“What do you think? This is serious, Blake,” I said.
“We can handle it, we always do,” he said, as we walked towards an empty table.
“But what if we run into his goons out there wherever it is we’re going? I don’t want to have to fight them, or worse, kill them,” I said, whispering the final bit of my sentence.
“I know it isn’t what you want to do, but the chancellor gave us permission. Not only that, but it sounds like she wants us to. If those people know our identities, and we go back to the precinct, we’re done for. Not only that, but our friends will be taken down as well. The entire resistance effort could crumble because one low-life knows who we are and whom we work for,” he said passionately.
“It’s just all a bit much, and so soon no less. This entire day has thrust itself at light-speed and I feel like we haven’t had much time to process it. I feel that way, anyhow,” I said.
“I’ll be out there with you, don’t forget. We’ll be fine, I promise,” he said, leaning over and kissing my forehead.
•••
“This is your map of the area. It’s topographical, so you can see the elevations. We believe the talisman, from some good information, to be in this area laid out on the map. Where exactly it is, we don’t know, but we want to drop you off here,” our scout said, pointing to the center of the map.
“Because being in the middle is the best?” Blake asked.
“We’d like to think so. If it’s there, great, but if not, you have the most tactical advantage to finding it and spreading out in any direction without much resistance. There’s a small mountain here, but you may not even have to climb it. Anything else you need to know?” he asked, his finger pointed on the map.
“What do we do when, or if, we find the item?” I asked.
“This,” he said, handing me a small red ball. “This is a beacon, and when you squeeze it and throw it on the ground, it will alert us to your exact location for extraction.”
“And what if we’re being pursued when we do it?” I asked.
“Then you’ll have some backup to help out. Anything else?” he asked, as if he just wanted us to get going as soon as possible.
“I think we’ll be okay,” Blake said.
“Your bags have food, water, and blankets to keep you warm should you need them overnight. Keep your wits about you, and remember, Kiren’s agents will be nearby, so don’t draw too much attention to yourselves,” he said.
“They’re ready for transport,” a woman said, grabbing our shoulders.
“Already?” I asked.
“Three...two...one…go,” a man said.
We were sucked into a teleport that clenched my stomach and made my eyes feel like they were so pressurized they were going to pop out of their sockets. We were dropped in a pile of leaves in a woodland area. I rubbed my eyes, making sure they were still intact, before standing up and hearing the rustling and crunching of the dry leaves under me. “Fun, just like last time.”
“We’re on this mark here. Where do you think we should start? Do you feel anything? Maybe it’s here,” Blake asked.
“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel, so I’m going to say no. I wish I would’ve gotten more of a crash course regarding my powers in correlation to this,” I said.
“Let’s walk north then. I’m feeling this bit over here,” he said, pointing to a green wooded area on the map.
I saw the mountain in the distance as we crossed a small hill and stood above our area. The mountain wasn’t huge, though it was menacing enough that I knew I would wheeze hard walking up it. I felt drawn to it, weirdly enough, and Blake had wanted to go that way, which I felt fine with.
It made sense that the ancients would hide something like this in a mountain, or somewhere near it. Mountains are tall, hulking signs of strength and the power of the Earth. What if there was a cave, a hidden entrance, where the talisman was sitting on some stone tablet like a scene in a movie? It seemed like a good cover, better than it sitting in a rotted log somewhere.
I tried to keep my steps short as we descended the hills and peaks we were trampling across. The leaves had mostly fallen, piling on some from last season it looked like, and their dry carcasses made a loud rustling sound with each step. We hadn’t seen any sign of Kiren’s men, even though the day was fleeting and light was becoming scarce. We made it to the bottom, into a thick layer of pine trees that sat like sentinels guarding the base of the mountain. I touched them as we walked by, thousands of them standing straight, like they were all at attention waiting to take orders.
“I think we should stop here,” Blake said, a bead of sweat running down his brow.
“Why now?” I asked.
“We can’t ascend that mountain during the night, it’s too dangerous, and I don’t feel comfortable. Besides, we’ve been hiking for miles since we got here, and we still have no sign of the talisman. I think it would be smart for us to eat and camp out here where there’s a lot of cover and safety from above,” he said.
“I think it’s at the mountain,” I said, setting down my backpack.
“The mark helping you out?” he asked.
“Either that, or intuition, but it seems right to me,” I replied.
“Well, good thing we’re searching it tomorrow. We might not be able to do the entire thing, but good enough,” he said, before kneeling and searching through his bag.
“Should we make a fire?” I asked, pulling out my wand.
“I don’t think we can. The smoke would give us away, and that flame would be visible for miles in the dark. If those men see a campfire, even if they’re three miles away, they’ll make sure to come down here and check it out. They have to know that the resistance is interested in this talisman just as much as they are,” he said.
“So what do you think the resistance, or Pote, are going to do with the talisman if they get it?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Keep it safe, I’m guessing. They’re only after it because Kiren is, and I feel like if they wanted it themselves they would’ve gotten it already because they’ve obviously known about it for quite some time,” he said, pulling out a bagged meal.
“I wonder if it could help us at all, you know, to get the power to overthrow Kiren,” I said.
“A coup of that style probably isn’t what they want, though. The citizens of our realm would just see it as a senseless overthrow of their president. Remember, they don’t know what we do. They don’t know what Kiren is or what he has planned, and overthrowing or killing him without exposing him first would only lead to the new administration coming under fire,” he said.
“You seem to know a lot about this stuff,” I said.
“I think about it a lot. Besides, I was already in the camp for a little while before you came along. You hear stuff, being around and listening in on conversations,” he said, chowing into his pre-made meat stew.
“Do you ever miss it? The camp, that is,” I asked.
“I do, more so the simplicity of it all. Going to class and learning the ropes was kind of easy in comparison to working for M.A.G.I.C. It’s always work, work, work, and Britta works me hard. I think she’s trying to keep up with you,” he said.
“What?” I asked, laughing. “Britta is so much smarter than me. She’s so much more of a capable witch than I’ll ever be.”
“She knows her spells and wand movements,
sure, even more than you, but you have power. You don’t know how lucky you are to have that mark, Lexa. The raw power you can command, or will command when you train it more once Kiren is gone, will open up worlds that a witch like Britta will never be able to command or control,” he said.
“Yeah, but I wish I never even had it, to be honest,” I said, pushing my rice around with my fork.
“You aren’t proud to have it?” he asked, confused.
“I am, I think, I don’t know! I didn’t choose this, and it’s not like I asked to have it done to me. Besides, Kiren wants me, even if he doesn’t know it yet, and the thought of my own body and powers being used to enslave entire hordes of people isn’t the most peaceful feeling to have when I’m falling asleep at night,” I said.
“He won’t get you, so don’t even worry about it. Besides, at least you don’t have to worry about somebody else being taken,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, with you, you have control over it and you can control your destiny in regards to the power and not being captured. With another witch or wizard, you might worry something like what if they got caught and were poked and prodded? You’d have to rest your entire life and existence in their hands, and that’s scary. I’m not worried with you, though. I know you’re capable. I’m dating you, aren’t I?” he asked, smiling.
“I guess so, and I guess you’re right. Better me than somebody else,” I said, taking a bite.
The night wore on, and Blake and I cuddled up together against a tree since we couldn’t afford to start a fire and potentially alert Kiren’s forces to our location. It was hard, the bitter howl of the wind punishing my nose and cheeks as they started to go slightly numb. I drifted in and out, jolting myself awake every now and then, looking around in the dark to see whatever wasn’t actually there, before falling back asleep all while feeling the soft heat emanating from Blake.
“Lexa,” Blake said quietly, sometime in the night.
“Hm, what?” I replied softly, being pulled out of a dream.
“I think somebody is coming,” he whispered.
