Allie Beckstrom 09 - Magic for a Price Read online

  “I’ll come back for seconds if it isn’t,” I said. I scooted to one side so Zay could get his share. He went for a double helping.

  Stone, Dad said again.

  “Cody,” I said, “have you seen Stone?”

  He pushed the eggs in the warmer over to one corner. “Who’s asking? You or your father?”

  “Both.”

  “He’s here. Sleeping back in one of the storage rooms. Why?”

  “I don’t know why Dad wants him, but I wanted to make sure he’d made it through all this unscathed. Does he seem okay?”

  Cody smiled and nodded, a little of his younger self shining through. “He’s fine. Still just Stone.”

  “Good.” I picked up a piece of bacon and crunched through it as I walked over to one of the long tables.

  I paused, looking for a couple of open seats. Then noticed Hayden. He was a bear of a man, so really, pretty hard to miss, but I had not expected him here. He pointed his fork at the chairs next to him and Maeve, and I smiled and walked that way.

  “You finally out of bed?” I asked as I took the chair next to him.

  “No infection, everything’s healing fine,” he said around a mouthful of pancake. “And damn good painkillers.”

  Hayden’s arm was wrapped in thick gauze, especially the stump where his hand had been severed. He wore a sling, braced tight to his wide chest. Even though his eyes were a little bloodshot, he looked a hell of a lot better than when I’d last checked in on him.

  For someone who had been so severely wounded just a couple of days ago, he looked amazing.

  “Also, I’m a part of this,” he said. “Don’t have to be front line, but not going to be in bed when the battle hits. Understand?”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Zay came up beside me. Paused before sitting. I glanced over to where he was looking. Shame and Terric walked into the room, both of them with their respective dark and light on full throttle. More than one head turned to look at them.

  But they didn’t seem to notice that.

  There was a long moment while Zay stood there, and they stood there, looking at each other across the room.

  I touched Zay’s hip. “Sit down. We’ll figure it out after food.”

  Zay broke eye contact and sat next to me. He didn’t say anything, just started in on his food.

  I didn’t say anything either. I had a new rule. I would not deal with the apocalypse, or arguments between men, before breakfast.

  Zay, however, was keeping an eye on where Terric and Shame were in the room. He surreptitiously watched them make their way through the breakfast line, then tensed as they walked between tables, coming closer and closer to where we sat.

  Since there were several open chairs next to us and Maeve was sitting here too, I assumed they’d sit with us.

  Shame took a couple of steps past our table, but Terric stopped. “Mind if we sit with you, Maeve?” he said.

  “Of course not,” she said, her sharp eyes weighing the situation over her cup of tea. “Shamus. Come sit with your mother.”

  Shame paused midstep. Then turned and sat next to Terric, who was sitting directly across from Zay. That meant Shame was sitting directly across from me. He set his coffee down, and forked an entire pancake into his mouth.

  Hayden slurped down some coffee, looking at Terric, who was quietly eating his eggs; to Zayvion, who was doggedly working his way through a piece of toast; to Shame, who was glaring at Zay.

  “You boys fighting?” Hayden asked.

  “Not yet,” Shame said.

  Terric shook his head. “How are you feeling, Allie?”

  “I’m good. Are you two okay?”

  “We’re fine. Well, I’m fine. Shame is angry at Zay.”

  “Really, Ter?” Shame said. “You’ll stoop to honesty so quickly?”

  “Shame,” Zay said. “Can we talk?” He stood.

  Shame glanced up at him. Maybe weighing his mood. Maybe weighing his own mood. We all looked at the both of them.

  “If it’s going to be a fight,” Hayden said, “there better not be weapons involved.”

  “No fights,” Maeve said.

  Shame pushed up to his feet. “I’ll be right back, Mum.”

  Zay turned and walked off, and Shame followed.

  “What are they fighting over?” Maeve asked.

  “Zay threatened to beat Shame if he didn’t do something about the Veiled,” Terric said.

  “Zay’s been threatening to beat Shame for one thing or another for most of their lives,” Hayden said. “What got him riled up this time?”

  “He threatened to hurt me.” Terric sat back and took a drink of his coffee. He stared out the door, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

  “Ah,” Maeve said as if that explained all.

  “You can handle yourself in a fight,” Hayden said.

  “I know,” Terric said. “That wasn’t what made Shame angry.”

  “I do not understand that boy of yours, Maeve,” Hayden said.

  She just nodded. “He’s a curiosity at the best of times.”

  I knew what had made Shame angry. She probably knew it too. Zay had pointed out that Shame was vulnerable in a new way. He had pointed out that he knew if Terric suffered for Shame’s choices and actions, it would make Shame angry.

  Shame had once told me it wasn’t the fact that Terric was gay that kept him from wanting to know if they were Soul Complements. It was that if they were Soul Complements, that meant Shame belonged, in some way, to someone. And someone belonged, in some way, to him. Which put him in the very vulnerable position of having someone tied to his life, and tied to his actions.

  Shame didn’t want to be the kind of person someone else relied on. I thought he might have spent years making sure that people didn’t expect too much of him.

  And Zay had thrown that very new, very fresh vulnerability in Shame’s face.

  I finished my food and got up to get a refill on my coffee.

  Most of the people in the room were nearly done with breakfast; only a few stragglers were helping themselves to seconds.

  I looked around for Nola, but didn’t see her or Cody. Maybe dealing with the kitchen. I thought it would be better to wait for Zay and Shame to come back before I opened up the discussion of how we were going to stop Leander and Isabelle.

  Violet was sitting in the corner of the room, in a comfortable chair I figured Kevin had dragged in here for her. She had little Daniel on her lap, and was holding him up so he could stand on her thighs.

  Kevin stood beside her, alternately looking like he would mess up anyone who came too near and making goo-goo baby faces at Daniel.

  Since I had a little time to kill for once, I walked over to them. “Hey,” I said. “How’s my little bro?”

  Violet looked up, smiled. “Slobbery. Want to hold him?” She turned him so that he was facing me. He had his entire fist shoved in his mouth, his eyes blue and bright. Drool coated his cheeks, chin, and fist, and made the cuff of his shirt soggy.

  “Um…sure.” I put my coffee down on the closest table and picked up little Daniel. “You are such a goofy little thing.”

  He smiled, forgetting his fist for a minute, then started sucking on it again.

  Violet took a deep breath and let it out, sitting back more comfortably in the chair. “He has developed a superpower in the last week,” she said. “He is immune to naps. Mind if I get a cup of coffee?”

  “No, that’s fine,” I said.

  Kevin touched her shoulder. “I’ll get it.” He walked off and Violet just looked after him with curiosity knitting her brows.

  “He’s been different the last day or so,” she said. “I think there’s something on his mind.”

  “Has he talked to you?” I awkwardly shifted Daniel so that he was lying in my arms, with a minimum of baby slobber coating me in the process.

  “We’ve spoken. About the situation with Leander and Isabelle.”

  “Has he
brought up anything personal?”

  She frowned. “No.”

  “Well, you’re right. There’s something on his mind. Something personal he wants to tell you. You should ask him about it.”

  “Do you know what it is?”

  “Yes. And it’s not my place to say.” I looked away from the slobber monster and met her worried gaze. “It’s nothing bad. Nothing dangerous. A more mundane sort of thing.” I smiled.

  “I’ll talk to him,” she said. “How is…how are things with you?”

  “I’m good,” I said, avoiding the rest of her question. She wanted to know if Dad was all right. Maybe even wanted to talk with him. I’d told her I’d give them a chance. Later. When the fight was over.

  It wasn’t later yet. “He’s fine. Dad,” I said. “Resting from the magic work. He’s been…amazing.”

  She smiled.

  Kevin chose that perfect moment to walk up with the coffee and hand it to Violet.

  “I think everyone’s here,” he said. “Are you going to call the meeting to order?”

  “Just waiting for Zay and Shame.”

  Kevin pointed across the room. Zay and Shame were walking in. Didn’t look like either of them were bleeding or sporting any new bruises that I could see. So apparently they did know how to talk things out like adults. Who knew?

  “Sure,” I said. “Here, have a baby.” I handed Daniel over to Kevin, who handled the transition with a lot more grace than I did.

  I retrieved my coffee and took a drink trying to think this out. All of these people were members of the Authority. Well, except for a few people like Detective Stotts, Nola, and Cody.

  Really, we all knew what was going on. I just needed to make sure we were covering our bases, and had a plan in place for when the Overseer showed up.

  Or at least that’s all I hoped I needed to do.

  Stone, Dad said softly again as if working hard to drag himself out of a fevered sleep. There is one more thing we need him for.

  I stepped up on the small stage at the end of the room. Tell me later.

  You need to know this now.

  It can wait a few minutes.

  There is another source of magic in Portland.

  All the people in the room turned to look at me, quieting their conversations.

  Except now I had no idea what I should say.

  What?

  There is another source of magic in Portland. A secret source. We will need to make sure it hasn’t been poisoned and make sure no one is using it.

  Secret? How secret?

  There is only one other person in Portland besides myself who knows about it.

  Apparently I had been quiet long enough that it was looking unusual. Zay got up and walked over to me. Dr. Fischer was on her way too.

  I held up my hand. “I’m fine. Hold on a minute.” I walked over to the side of the room so I could get my head around what Dad was saying.

  Who? I asked.

  Mama Rossitto.

  “What’s wrong?” Zay asked. “Are you hurting?”

  I shook my head.

  “There is no magic in St. Johns,” I said. Yes, out loud.

  “There’s no magic in any of Portland,” Zay said.

  “Dad,” I said.

  Dr. Fischer raised her eyebrows. “Are you talking to him?”

  “Yes. Give me a minute.”

  I grabbed Zay’s wrist and dragged him with me out of the room and into the hall. Then back a little farther so I could talk to him and Dad uninterrupted.

  “He said there’s another source of magic in Portland.”

  “Other than the networks and wells?”

  “He said it’s in St. Johns.”

  Zayvion shook his head. “We would know.”

  Mama knows, Dad said. She is its protector.

  “Why tell me now?” I asked. “All this time you couldn’t have told us?”

  I am only telling you now because I feel that I must. I gave my word to her, years ago, that I would never reveal it to anyone. But we must be sure all magic is guarded. If Leander and Isabelle know of it they will use it against us.

  “Do they?” I asked. “Do Leander and Isabelle know about it? Or the Overseer? Did she know about it?”

  I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I can’t be certain.

  “Allie?” Zay said. “Tell me.”

  “Okay. He says there’s another source of magic in St. Johns and that Mama Rossitto knows about it. He doesn’t know if Leander and Isabelle or if the Overseer also know about it. We would have known, right?” I said. “All those times we ended up in St. Johns? We would have known if there was a source of magic there, wouldn’t we?”

  “Let’s talk to Victor and Maeve. Maybe they have some idea.”

  We walked back into the meeting room, and everyone stopped talking. Right. Still needed to make a plan. Well, no time like the present.

  “Here’s where we’re at,” I said, heading to the front of the room so Zayvion could go talk to Victor and Maeve.

  “We know the Overseer is possessed by Leander and Isabelle. The gates have been sealed by Roman Grimshaw’s death. They can’t get here by magical means. But they’re moving. We just got word that they’re possibly headed to Nebraska. That puts them a few hours away by conventional transportation.”

  I was pacing, trying to think this through. “We’ve closed down the wells and the cisterns, and put out a restriction so that no one in the city is using magic. The cisterns are inaccessible. The wells, which only members of the Authority know about, will kick back if anyone tries to use them, so that’s inaccessible too.

  “There is one last report of a magic source we are going to investigate and shut down.

  “If we can stop Leander and Isabelle by nonmagic means, and not engage in a magical fight, that would be best. Do we have forces on the ground to carry that out?”

  Detective Stotts took a couple of steps away from the wall. He looked well rested and sharp, his light jacket unzipped to reveal a nice button-down shirt.

  “We have police, fire, and National Guard at our disposal,” he said. “All the roads are covered; all flights in and out are being monitored. We’ll know as soon as they are in the area. Since this is a matter of national security, we will take them into custody immediately, unless lethal force is necessary.”

  “Good,” I said. “With magic in Portland blocked and locked, they will not be able to use magic to defend or attack. That gives us an edge. They should be considered armed and dangerous. Treat them as such. Detective Stotts, is there anything else?”

  “We have fail-safes in place on all the hospitals and emergency services,” he said. “Businesses have been encouraged to stay closed; the majority of the city is at home; the streets are relatively clear.”

  “Excellent,” I said. “Detective Stotts, please continue to coordinate our resources along with Hayden Grimshaw and Dr. Fischer. I volunteered to help us figure out what to do with the magical side of this attack, but you are far better suited to deal with guns and bullets and the people who use them.”

  “Maeve and I will also stay to assist and coordinate,” Victor said.

  Bless him. Just the sound of his voice calmed a lot of concerned mumbling. These people were used to seeing him as a figure of authority, not me. Which was great. Right now I needed to get myself and Dad to St. Johns to see if there really was some source of magic we hadn’t accounted for.

  Maeve and Victor were already surrounded by people asking them questions. So I nodded to Zay.

  “Coming?”

  “Of course. St. Johns?”

  “If there’s magic there, we need to close it.” I headed out of the room.

  Shame and Terric were waiting just a short way down the hall, and so were Cody and Nola.

  “Hi,” I said to Nola. “I need to go check on that magic source. We’ll catch up when I get back.”

  “We’re coming,” Cody said.

  I thought about it, made a decisi
on. A part of Cody had been connected to Mama out in St. Johns. Maybe he’d be able to get her to listen to us if things got dicey. And since Mama always had guns on her premises, it might be best to have any bargaining power available.

  “I’d rather you stayed here, Nola,” I said.

  “You said it yourself: This isn’t a magic fight right now.” She pulled her shotgun and a box of shells out of a hall closet. “I know how to use a gun, and I’m not afraid to.”

  “I like her,” Shame said as he and Terric continued down the hall.

  “Sweet hells. If you get hurt—”

  “I won’t. Let’s go.”

  Stone, Dad said. We’ll need him. Don’t let him stay behind, Allison.

  Crap. “Anyone know where Stone is?”

  We crossed the main room and stepped out onto the porch. Stone was sitting on top of the van, his ears perked up, sniffing the wind.

  At least it wasn’t raining. The sky was a patchwork of blue and clouds, but promised to be warm and dry.

  Cody laughed. “Get down,” he said. “You’ll break the roof.”

  Stone burbled and took a step. The thunk of metal denting under his feet popped through the quiet morning air.

  “Wings,” Cody said. “You should use them.”

  Stone did so, pushing up into the air, and landing down the driveway just a bit. He folded his wings and trotted over to us.

  “Why is he still working?” I asked.

  “What do you mean?” Cody rubbed Stone’s head; then Stone came over to me and walked a tight circle around my legs.

  “When magic was shut down back when the wild magic storm hit, he sort of…wound down.”

  “He probably wasn’t fully activated.”

  “Is he now? Fully activated?”

  Cody had made Stone. I figured he knew a lot about him I didn’t. Cody paused, and held my gaze, his eyes bluer than the sky. “Have you talked to your father about Stone?”

  “I think so.”

  “Well, then you know Stone is a very complicated construct. We’ve only seen some of what he can do.” Cody stepped up into the van.

  That was kind of…mysterious.

  “You don’t mean stacking blocks, do you?” I asked.

  Shame stopped beside me to toss a cigarette on the ground. “Weren’t you in a hurry just a minute ago?”