The Council (Darkness #5) (4 page)

“On me.” Mage June leaned back in her chair. The other seven people around the table, two women and five men, shifted slightly.

I took a deep breath as Toa stepped away, giving me the floor and room to work. I did not miss that look of warning; I knew better than to kill one of the Clutch. I only hoped I didn’t mess up and do it accidentally. This slow spell-working under pressure wasn’t really my forté, even though it was an easy one.

I mixed the elements and cast, the spell forming around her in a hazy black box. The man next to her leaned away.

“Is that it?” Mage June asked of me, gaze pinning me to the spot.

“Well, if I make it a denser box, and you touch it, it’ll shock the hel—heck out of you. It’s not pleasant.”

“And this?” She reached a sure hand forward. One finger barely touched the wall.

A loud
zap
filled the room. Her hand flinched back.

“This one also shocks, like they’re supposed to, but it doesn’t hurt as much,” I clarified. “Sorry, should’ve warned you.”

“Uh huh. Give it all you’ve got. I need to see what you are capable of.”

I injected energy and power into my magical creation, solidifying the walls until the room could barely make out the inhabitant. My face started to sweat and magic tore through me, wanting more. Wanting me to reach higher, harder. Wanting to push into my body and blast out again.

With effort, I cut off the draw and sucked in a huge breath.

“Was that spell a strain?” the man across from Mage June asked softly.

“Her magic is different than ours, Mage Marius,” Toa responded. “She does not struggle to draw; she struggles to shut
off
the draw. Once she lays a spell, it will draw energy from her until completed. From her, and whoever is linked to her. This is an extremely rare trait, human or otherwise. I have done research, and the reason it is so rare is because those able to work with such magic are often, at one time or another, overcome with it. They succumb to magic shock—they are killed from it. Survival, then—not the trait itself—is the rarity.”

He had failed to tell me that little nugget of information.

“So, not exactly a gift, then. A time-bomb,” a woman with long blonde hair stated.

“Are you sure of this, Toa?” Mage June asked in a tight voice.

“Yes, Mage June, I am quite sure. And in some, yes, it is a time-bomb,” Toa stated in his lecturing monotone. “However, she has learned a primal, rough control of her magic, learning more control every day. She has had some close calls in the past, but at present, she is sustainable. It is her strength of character that creates this one-in-a-million magical situation. Otherwise, she would’ve been dead shortly after puberty when the trait manifested fully.”

Another nugget that he had not bothered to share.

“But you said others use it until they are overcome,” Mage Marius clarified.

“Many begin training at puberty, which is when the trait is discovered. Precautions are made at that time. But, eventually, most magic workers are overcome, yes. Sasha has only recently had training. She has been surviving since age five, and this trait is no different than any other extensive and life-threatening trials she has faced in her life. She has scaled all obstacles, figuring out how to stay alive in any given situation with what is available at that moment in time. She creates some spectacular spells and chants completely randomly for this reason. Predictability is not her strength, however. She is not someone for a line crew. She cannot be counted on for uniform work. She is the head of a link and not the body. A commander, not a soldier. One must take the good with the bad in her case, and if they do, they will be vastly rewarded. If not, she is impossible to control. This is coming from someone who has tried to control her on numerous occasions.”

I blinked back tears. I had no idea Toa had figured out the real me, internalized it, and found it a positive trait rather than a drawback. It meant a lot that he’d taken the time to understand me, and learn about me, so he could better teach me. I wanted to hug the guy.

“Intriguing,” Mage June reflected from within her box. “Let it be known that I have tried to unravel this spell, and have yet been unsuccessful. It is an extremely simple concoction, as we are all aware, but powerful and tight in the construction. Well done, Toa, for your teaching. It is showing through. Now, Sasha, deconstruct this spell and show us some others.”

I went through my gamut of spells I knew wouldn’t backfire, and then went through some that I hoped wouldn’t. All went off successfully within a roomful of contemplative stares until, finally, Mage June said, “That is enough. You still have much learning to do, but you are entitled to your post. You may go.”

“Oh. Thanks.” I glanced at Toa, waiting for him to walk with me to the door.

“Toa, please hang on a moment. I have some things to discuss with you,” Mage June said.

Toa stared at me silently for a beat, before he said, “Go check in with Tim and his people. They arrived this evening. Stay with them until Dominicous, I, or Stefan comes for you.”

“It almost sounds like you don’t think this facility is safe.” The woman with long blonde hair laughed as she whisked her mane off her shoulder.

Toa’s intense blue glance held mine. The seriousness of that look and the haunted quality of it created tingles up my spine. I stepped closer to Charles and Jonas as I nodded. I defied him as often as I listened to him, but in this place I’d follow his instructions to the letter. If I didn’t know better, I’d say my life depended on it.

Jonas led me out of the room, wanting to be the first in the hallway. Charles followed directly behind, his hand on my back.

“You have your magic all over this bitch?” Jonas asked in a low tone as we started down the hall. “I don’t need anyone sneaking up on me.”

“I’ve got it.” And I did. I wasn’t taking any chances.

After a few feet I asked, “Why was Toa so paranoid, do you think?”

“Because you just showed, without a doubt, your value,” Jonas growled, eyes always on the move. “He tried to lessen your worth, saying you didn’t follow orders, and wouldn’t conform, but the big power players won’t care about that. They’ll think they can bring you to heel.”

“They’ll
try
, anyway,” Charles added, his bearing tense, his thick cords of muscle flexed from head to foot. “Trying without success would probably be worse than trying
with
success. The Boss needs to find a backer soon. Sasha just painted a damn target on her back.”

“Does everyone find a backer here?” I asked, feeling my magic mingle with another. I slowed as we turned into an empty corridor.

“No. Not many do,” Jonas answered, slowing with me. He felt it too. Fire danced in his eyes, a sure sign he was ready to rip someone’s face off. “Which usually doesn’t matter because most leaders aren’t powerful enough to pose a threat. The Boss is, though.”

“So, then, won’t finding a backer be easy?” I whispered, feeling Charles’ hand on my shoulder. My warning tingle started crawling up my back. I wanted to turn around and start sprinting. Where would I go, though? This was a big hotel surrounded by nothingness. I had nowhere to hide.

“He either finds a backer, or he finds the afterlife. The next two weeks will decide.”

“Isn’t it weird that when Toa is all jumpy, Dominicous is calm and jokey, but when Dominicous gets riled up, Toa gets crazy calm,” I wondered aloud. I needed to take my mind off of that magic approaching. Panic and fear were not where my head needed to be right now. It would work against me.

“It’s a great partnership,” Jonas reflected, his muscles flexing. “Where are these—”

Jonas cut off as three men stepped into the corridor a hundred feet in front of us. One guy was slightly in front, his face tilted down in menace. The two behind walked with their chests puffed up, the first guy’s backup.

“Here we go, bro,” Charles growled, turning sideways so a quick turn of his head could have him seeing either end of the hallway.

“Oh God. This is a challenge, isn’t it?” My breath was coming in fast pants. My chest felt tight.

The men stalked toward us. Stefan’s height or more, huge and robust, they were thugs of massive proportions. The front man, eyes for me alone, ground to a halt ten feet in front of me. His lips quirked in a sardonic smile. “We don’t like humans thinking above their station.”

“
Thinking
above our station?” I said back automatically. “Well, I don’t have to worry about you doing that, huh?”

“If more than one of you challenges, we can step in to defend her,” Jonas drawled. He cracked his neck.

“I live here, haus. I know the rules of engagement,” the man retorted.

Thankfully, my guys didn’t mention Jonas’ statement was for me, not them.

“So what’s it going to be?” Jonas leaned in, his eyes flaring with crazy. “Am I invited to the party?”

The lead thug’s eyes flicked toward Jonas, an answer on his tongue. When his eyes hit my bodyguard, though, those words must’ve dried up, because he shut his mouth with a click. The two guys to the back shifted with darting eyes, a normal person’s version of begging to shuffle away quickly.

“I don’t got a gripe with you, man.” The leader nodded toward me. “I got a gripe with a bitch human prancing around with
my
kind at her back, like lap dogs.”

“You calling me a lap dog, bro?” Charles growled.

The leader spit to his side and stepped forward. His two buddies didn’t follow.

“Gross. You just spit on carpet.” Magic flared inside me. I took a deep breath and fought the wave of power.

“Let’s go, bitch human. I need to rearrange your face.”

I rolled my eyes and thought about the spells I wanted to do, because obviously I wasn’t going to physically fight a behemoth. “The rules of engagement? Rearrange my face? Let me guess, you’re a fan of cheesy war movies.”

I felt behind me for Charles’ leg, and then applied pressure, telling him to back off. I was aiming for harm, not to maim and certainly not kill, but the spell was volatile at best and not directional—everyone would get a blast.

“All right, then,” Charles said, pulling Jonas back and then further away.

The leader grinned. “It’s not going to take that much space to have this bitch human weeping for mercy.”

“God you’re tough to listen to.” Wasting no time, I mixed the elements and formed a large red ball. Its sides nearly touched the walls. To get around it, he’d have to crawl under it on his belly. No way was this guy doing that.

Of course, it was red. He’d probably try to disentangle it like a common, low-level spell.

Toa tried that once. But only once. Inverted magic was a tricky, unstable thing.

The ball glowed pale red as it hovered, non-threateningly, in the middle of the hallway. I backed away slowly, careful not to turn my back lest anyone think I was running away. Back with Charles and Jonas, I erected a strong shield, tied off the spell, and waited. Butterflies ate away at my stomach. If I failed at this, it would set a precedent for the rest of my stay here.

I could not fail at this.

“That’s it, human?” the guy laughed. His feet strolled from one side, to the other, underneath the floating orb. “Red? They’re trying to make you mage with red power?”

“No red could do a ball like that,” Charles muttered. “This male is about as sharp as a bowl of jello.”

“What is it, a PR stunt?” the guy continued. His feet stepped backwards. Next he’d try to unravel that spell. I hoped. “Those bleeding hearts that think we treat humans like crap are trying to make a point with you, is that it? Excited you fucking useless bastards can scrape up to a measly
red
?”

“Wow, you have a lot of hate. You seeing somebody for that?” I called.

“I’d heard she was a black,” someone on the other end of my spell pronounced.

“Looks like you heard wrong. Probably
is
a PR stunt.” The leader’s feet shifted. Pale orange encased my spell.