I am re-posting my Modern Mage story in full from the story site to the forums here. I have made some edits and correction but not many. I wrote this story as a way of practicing my skills and am currently working in the idea for a book. I am going to include the link to my story list for the site as I will not be putting in the side stories that may grant insight and perspective into this thread. I left the story for the most part as it was posted so that those who decide to read it will get a similar experience to those that followed on the story site without all the delays is posting due to writing or access issues. I hope you all Enjoy it. http://stories.xnxx.com/profile583482/Wolf_Knight

Chapter 1

If I told you Mages truly existed you’d probably laugh at me or think I was crazy. You’d want to lock me up and throw away the key if I told you they are around us here and now, not just legends of the past. Mages do exist, and they are here in the world with us today. I should know, I’m one of them. Now when I say Mage I sure the first though to come into your mind is the Harry Potter novels and movies or the old cartoons where you have people in old laboratories surrounded by strangely labeled jars like eye of newt and bat wings. Where that kind of magic is in the world and there are a few hedge wizards among you mortals, that’s not true Magick. My name is Andrew and I’m going to give you a glimpse into the reality of a true Mage.

I wasn’t born a mage, like everyone else in the world I was born mortal and had a pretty average childhood. I grew up in a small tourist town at the Jersey shore. I did well in school, but I always got in trouble for being a dreamer so my grades weren’t the greatest. Like any other kid I dreamed of being everything from an astronaut to soldier, Knight of the Round Table to any other thing I could imagine. I was about 11 when I first started to notice weird things about the world around me. There were times I knew for a fact that I wasn’t going to get home before dark and would therefore be grounded for a week and rushed to get home. Even though there was no way for me to get home in time I’d get in just in time. As a kid I just chalked it up to rushing and luck and forgot about it. Around the time I turned 13 my mind was becoming sharper than ever. I could read a book once and remember everything in it, and even understand college text books for classes my brothers and sister were having difficulty with.

I’m going to tell you a little about my family because it’s important that you understand a little more about me and them before I explain my Awakening. I came from a large family, my parents of course and 4 siblings. I had 2 brothers both older and 2 sisters, one older the other younger. At the time of my awakening my mother was a stay at home mom, she was one of the nicest people. She would help anyone who needed it however she could. My father was engineer with a government contractor. He never spoke of what he did at work, but you could tell he enjoyed it. My brother Matt and Jake were both in college. Matt was studying Medicine and Jake was working for a PHD in Computer Sciences. My older sister, Arica, was a senior in High School and one of the most popular girls. What set her apart is like our mother she was kind to everyone, and didn’t allow bullying or rudeness to people just because they were different. I was just past 16 and an avid reader, my favorite books were about time travel and other Sci-Fi themes. I was also a science geek, playing with Chemistry sets and learning anything I could get my hands on at that point. Then there was my younger sister, Jamie. I hated the idea of a younger brother or sister when my parents told us they were having another child. I was wrong about how I’d feel. Jaime was a living contradiction. She was a proper young lady when we went out to dinner or movies and a real tomboy when we were out playing in the woods or at the park. She was 8 when everything in my life changed forever.

Now that you have a short history about me and know some of what’s going on I’ll explain what an Awakening is and then we’ll get on with the story. For most people reality is what it is and they can’t do anything to change it. The truth about Reality is this, for the average person Reality is Consensual, meaning what the majority of the world believes is true. In the past people believed in Dragons and Wizards and Monsters. Nowadays most people don’t, science says they can’t exist so for the average person they don’t. Some mortals come to understand that there are more things in the world than science has explained. Some consider themselves lucky and others are haunted by the knowledge that they live in a world surrounded by monsters and knowing that they can do little except survive and pray the monsters don’t notice them. Mages learn of this greater reality, but they also learn that they have the power to change reality by force of will. Learning what you’re capable of as a Mage however comes after this Awakening. Every Mage reaches their awakening differently, for some it’s simply their mind coming to an epiphany realizing the greater truth of the world, for others it’s violent and mind shattering. I fell into the latter category.

It was 2 weeks after my 16th birthday when everything in my life change forever. It was the July 4th holiday and my family took a vacation together to celebrate my Birthday and the holiday together. Being that we lived in a tourist trap we left the area for the Holiday. We were staying at a hunting cabin in the mountains. We had been there four nights when my life changed forever. There had been a string of murders in Cheyenne’s newspapers when we passed through, 5 dead in as many weeks. The murders were ritualistic and the papers were reporting a serial killer. As we were heading a couple hundred miles north-west to the cabin and the murders were all listed in the city we figured we’d be safe. We couldn’t have been more wrong. It was after midnight when I was startled out of sleep by a noise downstairs in the cabin. I first thought it was one of my brothers grabbing a late snack but I could hear both of them snoring across the room. I slid quietly out of bed to check on the sound out of curiosity when I heard a loud thump and my mother scream from the stairway. My brothers both came awake and to their feet as I was running out of the room to see what was going on. What I saw as I came to the stairs is burned into my mind forever. My father was on the floor bleeding from his scalp with a cast iron pan on the floor beside him. I started to run down the steps to him when I heard my brothers and sisters reach the railing and gasp. That’s when I saw my mother and the man. The man was about 6’2” , had long dark black hair and eyes so pale blue they were looked white in the firelight. He was holding my mother by her hair with one hand, and the other was hidden by her body as her back was to us. I saw my mother being hurt and like any overconfident teenager I charged the man thinking I could make him release her. I hit him in the ribs with my shoulder and knocked him away. He tripped over the coffee table and was forced to release my mother. As he fell and she landed I noticed that the front of her nightgown was stained with blood and I moved to help her. There was a strange Glyph in blood on her chest as I helped her up and pushed her towards my Brothers who came to the bottom of the stairs when I rushed the guy. Unfortunately, in my haste to protect my mother I forgot about the guy. He grabbed me from behind and spun me to face him, grabbing onto my neck when he did so. I knew he was going to kill my entire family and that I lost my chance to stop him when I went to help my mother. I heard my brothers coming at him he picked me up by the neck on handed and figured they’d be able to stop him and save the others. I was afraid to die but glad my family would live. Then he looked directly into my eyes and his face changed. His pupils expanded to where they filled the entire eye except for a blood red rim around it. He waved the hand not holding me and my brothers were stopped in their tracks.

In a low almost whispered one that just had the sound of evil flowing through it, “You’re the one I sensed. I am going to have your power for myself.” He reached out toward my chest with his right hand and as it touched my chest I felt it passing through my skin as though it wasn’t there. I screamed as the pain became pure torture and forced my mind to accept that his hand was passing though me like I didn’t have skin and bone. As his hand reached my heart I felt an oily darkness slide through my body. I didn’t understand how I felt or knew any of this but it was there in my mind. I grasped for the knowledge that I knew I never read or studied and tried to pull it into me and fight the feeling or being smother by this oily darkness. It was then that I felt the third presence within me. This one was bright and strong, the darkness not able to cover it. It was joined to me in several places and I felt a power coming from it. It was fighting and pushing back the darkness within my body.
A strange voice sounded in my mind, “You must fight this darkness if you wish to live, accept what your mind is telling you is impossible and fight!!!!” and then the voice was silent as I felt the brightness and energy seeping away from me.

I realized that if I gave up, this man would kill me and then kill my family. I opened my eyes and stared into his. Choking as I said to him in a growl from his hand around my throat, “I will not let you hurt my family!!!” I reached deep into myself for that brightness and just pulled as much of it to me as I could. I shoved the power out of me at this monster, for he was no normal man. There was an intense flash of heat, light and sound as the world shook around and I blacked out. My last thought was that I failed to stop him.

It was hours later when I started to wake up, I could feel rain falling on me and assumed that it was all a dream and that my brothers pulled one of their pranks. As I opened my eyes and stood up, I saw that the Cabin’s upper floor and roof was gone and the walled were crumbling and splintered. There was charring on the edges all the way around. I realized that something had happened last night. I looked over towards the kitchen and could see me fathers leg sticking out from behind the counter. I ran over to him and checked for a pulse. He was alive but he was breathing shallow and there was still a lot of blood around his head. I grabbed the dish towel and wet it placing it against the wound. I checked the drawer for the CB to call for emergency services for him and looked around for the rest of my family. I found Matt still unconscious laying on the floor under where the stairs were. He was breathing normally but looked like he hit his head. I looked to where I last saw Jake and moved over to him. I could tell he was dead before I got to him, his head had be twisted around so far. I started to look for my mother and sisters. I found my mother and Arica quickly. My mother was slumped against the wall by the cabin’s door in a pool of blood. And Arica was outside the cabin with burns all over her body. It took me longer to find Jamie and she was the hardest for me. She had been thrown 50 yards from the cabin into the trees and rocks. When I found her almost every bone had been broken and I wouldn’t have recognized her except for the necklace she always wore, even when she slept. I carried her broken body back to the cabin to find Matt awake and taking care of our father. A few minutes later the Flight for Life helicopter landed outside of the cabin and a couple ranger vehicles arrived via the service roads. The Flight for Life people took my father right away while 1 of the medics stayed to take care of Matt and myself. I kept pushing the medic away as I searched for the man that started all of this. I found his body a tangles mess near the natural gas tank the cabin used for the fire and cooking. He looked as if someone had reached into his body and ripped him apart from the inside. I was numb, physically, mentally and emotionally as I wandered around the disaster that had taken most of my family away from me. When one of the medics approached me again I swung at him and yelled for him to stay away. The Cops that arrived while this was going on tackled me and the medic sedated me.

While I was unconscious, my mind kept replaying what happened that night in the cabin. I still didn’t understand why it happened but I knew that the world was far different than I knew. Somehow that monster had reached his hand through me like the flash wasn’t there and I somehow fought back. I had to know what happened. Every time it played through however I saw the bodies of my family and felt crushed. I awoke in a hospital bed; there was an officer by the door to the room. I pushed the call button for the nurse. An older woman came in past the officer. He made no move to stop her.

“I see you’re finally awake,” she stated with a forced smile. “You had us worried there for a while”

I tried to ask for water but my throat was very dry and soar, it came out sounding like growl. The older nurse turned to face me and I pointed to the pitcher of water. She picked up the cup with the flexi straw and moved it to my lips. “Sip the water slowly; you haven’t had anything to drink in the last few days because you wouldn’t wake. We put you on an IV for fluids and nutrition.”

I took a few sips of the water and let it sit in my mouth before swallowing it. I managed to whisper, “what’s the date?”

“It’s the evening of the 10th and you’ve been here since the 6th. You’ve been asleep the whole time. Now that you’re awake, I need to notify your doctor and the officer there needs to speak with you when you are ready,” the Nurse replied.

“Send him in please,” I stated hoarsely. She left and sent the officer in. When he came in he told me he needed to call the detectives in charge of the case in to see me. While I was waiting for the Detectives the Doctor came in. Her name tag said Dr. S. Grey, she was about 5’1” and 100lb. She had shoulder length read hair, and beautiful gray eyes. Dr. Grey looked to be in her early 20s no older than 24. She looked over my chart and rechecked my vitals. I asked after my father and Matt. She told me that my father had been flown directly to a trauma center and that Matt went to join him two day ago when I showed no sign of waking. She would contact the trauma center to let them now I was awake and to check their conditions for me.

The Detectives arrived about 15 minutes after the doctor and nurse had left and asked if they could get a statement from me about what happened. I told them what I remembered about hearing a noise and then my mother’s scream. Running downstairs to try and help and about body checking the guy. Then I told them about him grabbing me by the neck and picking up. After that I told them I didn’t remember much, it was all strange like a dream. That I didn’t know what happed as I passed out while he was holding me. I left out the strange sense of what was going on and his hand passing through me because I didn’t fully understand what happened and didn’t want to get locked up for being crazy. They told me the officer on the door was for my protection and privacy as the guy was the serial killer that had been in the papers in Cheyenne. They put the officer there in case he had an accomplice and to keep the media away. They explained that what I remembered of the next day was accurate. Stated that the explosion was caused by a lightning strike to the gas tank outside and were amazed that anyone had survived it according to the arson investigator. I was out of the hospital and going to the trauma center to my father and brother the next day. We were there for another week before my father was released and we returned home. My father became distant and withdrawn and Matt stopped talking to me and went back to school. He and my father would talk on the phone but he wouldn’t talk to me anymore. I noticed immediately that the world seemed more real to me, I could sense things before they happened sometimes, I always know the time. I went to the school counselor upon returning as they wanted to make sure I was ok to return to class. I went to the adult education center and arranged to complete my classes and graduated 3 months into the school year. After that I went to work full time and started to put money away. Over the next 18 months I put away around 10 thousand dollars. During this time the strange sense I had of the world kept getting stronger and I noticed more things about what happed around me. I noticed that when I drove I always hit green lights and that my mind and body were getting stronger. On my 18th birthday I drove away from my home. I left a letter to my father explaining that I couldn’t stay there any longer as he had completely withdrawn from me as well as Matt, and without my mother and the girls I couldn’t live there any longer. That was 3 years ago, since then I have found a teacher and learned about True Magick and have gained in power quickly. They say that power corrupts, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. I won’t say I am totally incorruptible but the way I came about my power makes me think before I abuse it. I have used it to make enough money to live comfortable as an investment broker and I am moving to my new home. I drive into Las Vegas, NV on my 21st birthday and can’t wait to have some fun.

I see the signs for the Green Valley Ranch Casino as I’m driving down the freeway and decide that’s a nice enough place to stay. I pull of the freeway and head to the Valet. As I get out of my car and hand the keys to the valet I see a vision of beauty from the past. She is standing alone so I walk over to her, “Dr. Grey?” I ask.

She turns and looks me over, she slowly looks me up and down. I should probably describe myself now as a lot has changes since I started explaining everything and this is where you need an Idea of my appearance. I’m about 5’10” around 190lbs of toned muscle. I have short back hair and green eyes, like a dark emeralds. I dress fairly well; right now I am in black slacks and a forest green silk button down shirt. She finishes looking me over and says “I’m sorry, but how do you know me?”

“Granted, I was only 16 at the time, but I didn’t think I was that forgettable. You on the other hand have only gotten more beautiful. I’m Andrew Graves, you treated me after the incident at the cabin in the mountains.” I tell her. And the compliment wasn’t just idle. She was still only 5’1” but in her heels she came to about 5’7”. She still looked like she was in her early 20, time was being very kind to her. Her hair was now down to her waist and was more of a copper-red that practically shined. She looked to be about 110lbs now, and it showed in her curves. She had a heart shaped ass that was shown off to great advantage by the tall heals and the body hugging dress she was wearing. It was a deep green almost shading to black that ended at mid-thigh and showed off her silky legs. The neckline dipped in front to show off her incredible cleavage and B-cups that I couldn’t see before because of the loose scrubs she wore for work. She was a walking dream come true.

“Of course I remember you, it was such a tragedy what happened. I’m sorry again for your loss.” Was her response with a sad look.

“It’s alright, it was years ago and I’ve learned to live with it.”

She smiled and my heart started beating faster, “I didn’t recognize you because you have grown and changed since we last met, for the better as well. You’ve grown into quite a handsome man Mr. Graves.”

“Call me Andrew please, no need to be so formal Dr. Grey” I replied. As I spoke I infused my works with a little Magick to spark her desire for me, and to influence her to want to spend time with me.

“Certainly Andrew, and it’s Sindee. You aren’t my patient anymore and no need to be so formal.” She flushed as her desire started to heat up within her.

“Would you join me for dinner Sindee, I just arrived in town and would enjoy the company?” I didn’t infuse the words with anymore Magick; I just reached out to her mind to read the surface thoughts as I waited for her reply.

“I’d love to Andrew, let me just call my friends and let them know I’m changing my plans.” She stepped away and made a call on her Cell phone. As she thought about the call I say several women in her thoughts as she talked about changing plans. When she started talking about meeting an old friend by chance, images of her and I entwined and sweaty in a bed were passing through her mind.

As she put the phone away I stepped up to her and offered her my arm. As she put her arm through mine I told her, “we just need to go by the desk so that I can check in, then we’ll go get that meal.” We started up the escalator and headed for the front desk. “How long are you in Vegas for Sindee?”

“I’m actually living here now, moved down shortly meeting you. I came down here to do more good than I could in that small town hospital. How long are you planning to stay?”

“I’m an investment broker now and am moving here. That’s the reason I chose a Casino this far out. I figured I’d be closer to looking for real estate for my home and maybe an office.” She smiled upon hearing that. I got checked in quickly and had my bags sent up to the Suite I checked into while we went to get dinner. We spoke and got caught up on what we did over the last few years. During the talking I used a little more Magick to enhance her Sense of taste and the pleasure centers of the body using the aspect of Magick dealing with life. I only increased these senses a little for now but kept the connection opened between us so I could change the effects as the night went on. We finished the meal and I invited her to my suite for a night cap. We left the restaurant and headed for the elevators together.

Chapter 2

As Sindee and I rode up the elevator I thought about the path that brought me here to Vegas. When most of my family died I thought it was the man that had caused their death and the explosion that devastated the cabin and my life. As I started to learn about what I was and could do I stopped being so sure. When I met the Mage Marcus, who would be my friend and mentor I found out about Awakenings and he explained that my tapping into Magick the first time a just throwing the power at the evil who attack us caused the destruction and deaths of those I loved. It also alerted many other Mages and other beings that a new Mage came into the world. My mentor explained to me that the man that attacked us was another Mage who wanted my power for himself. I took me months to accept that my survival had caused the death of most of my family. From that understanding I came to believe that having the power meant I had to learn to control it and use it properly. I’m not saying by any means that I go around helping everyone selflessly. I just don’t abuse the power I have. I have fun with it sometimes however, who wouldn’t?

The Elevator arrived at my floor and I led Sindee into the Suite. As soon as we were through the door and closed it I turned to her and leaned down to kiss her. When our lips met, we both felt each other’s need and desire. I reach around her as we kissed and lifted her from the floor by her perfect heart shaped ass. She wrapped he legs around my waist and broke the kiss. Sindee ripped my shirt open tearing buttons off as I carried her towards the bed, pulling the shirt out of my pants and trying to slide it down my arms that were wrapped around her. I sat down on the bed with her wrapped round me so she was in my lap. I held her in my lap with my left hand as I unzipped her dress with the other. She stood up to slip the dress off, as she did this I stood and turned her so her back was to the bed. I pulled my shirt off as I turned her. She wasn’t wearing a bra so her incredible breasts were on full display. They were about the size of a grapefruit and her bright pink nipples stood out against her pale skin begging to be sucked on. I stepped back into her and began kissing her again lowering her back onto the bed. I started to slowly kiss down her body and tapped into the Magick allowing me to know what she enjoyed and to enhance the pleasure she received as I started to kiss down her neck and across she shoulder moving down to her right breast as I ran my hands along her soft, hot skin. I got to her right breast and slowly ran my tongue around her nipple without actually touching the stiff point itself. I then sucked her nipple into my mouth and flicked the hard bud with my tongue. Sindee grabbed onto my back and shoulders as her nails dug into my back. While I was enjoying her right breast I used my left hand to fondle and play with the other nipple, squeezing and pulling it gently. I then moved to her left breast with my mouth and moved my right hand to her right breast and nipple to treat it the same way. Sindee began to tremble and spasm as she was push into her orgasm just by having her breasts licked and played with.

Sindee simply moaned in pleasure as I continued to move down her body, running my hands along her silky skin and kissing my way down. Sindee reached down and ran her hands through my hair as I moved along her body. When I got down to her waist, I knelt down on the floor and pulled her to the edge of the bed. I blew air across her wet panties watching the goose bumps spread across her flesh as she shivered. I grabbed her green silk panties by the waistband and slid them down her legs as she lifted her hips to aid me in this. I tapped into the Magick and allowed us each to feel the others passion and pleasure as it built between us and then ran my tongue the full length of her slit. My cock was instantly as hard as it had ever been as her pleasure poured into me and mine into her. I slip my hands up her inner thighs and spread her hips wide; opening her shaved pussy to me and exposing her clit. I slipped a finger into her hot pussy feeling the heat radiating from her as I lick her clit and the lips of her sweet pussy. I took the little button gently between my teeth and applied just a little pressure as I ran my tongue around and randomly across it, never letting the sensation become a pattern and keeping her body reacting to the sensations it was feeling. I continued to finger her pussy and slipped a second finger as she loosened up more. I slipped the two fingers in continuing to play with her until I pushed her into her second orgasm. Sindee screamed out as she came harder than the first time and covered my face and chest with her juices.

As she came down from her orgasm, Sindee sat up and pulled me up to kiss her. She explored my mouth with her tongue not caring that she was licking her own juices from my face. She stood and turned me around so my back was toward the bed. She knelt before me, reached out and undid the buckle of my pants, yanking them and my underwear down together. My rock hard 9in cock was pointed almost straight up as she wrapped her right hand around it and with a doctors knowledge of anatomy began to slide her hand along it she moved her mouth around the head. She sucked just the head between her lips and slid the tip or her tongue into the slit lick and suck the pre-cum leaking out. Sindee started to take a little more into her mouth at a time using her tongue both to lubricate it and drive me insane as she played with the sensitive edges of the head as she pulled back before going deeper onto again. She ran her right hand down the shaft and cupped my balls, starting to massage them while she sucked on my hard cock. She slid her left hand up my leg and slowly pushed me back so that I was laying on the bed. She continued to take more and more into her mouth until she had me in her throat. It was the first time a woman had ever taken me that deep and I thought I was dreaming it felt so good. It was strange as well because I could feel her pleasure in my mouth and throat as well but that just made it that more erotic and pleasurable knowing she enjoyed doing that to me.

Sindee slowly withdrew my cock from her throat and slid her mouth off of my cock, letting her teeth gently and barely scrape along the surface just as I had done with her clit, changing the possibility of pain into the highest of pleasure. I reach down and took Sindee’s hand pulling her up onto the bed with me as we both moved so we weren’t on the edge of the bed any longer. I looked down into her eyes as I positioned myself between her legs and slid the head of my hard dick just into the lips of her soaking hot pussy. Sindee reach out with both arms grabbing my hips and pulling me forward. As my cock slowly slid into her tight, wet, silky pussy we both groaned as our partner’s pleasure flowed between us making everything more intense and exciting. As my cock bottomed out into her cervix there was still another inch not in side of her since she was so petite. I slid out slowly until just the head of my dick was still inside and slid back in. I started pumping in and out increasing my pace as the pleasure built for both of us. Sindee was screaming, “Yes, Fuck me….Harder…faster. OH MY GOD YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!” as I continued to increase my pace and push against her cervix on every stroke. She rolled me onto my back and started to fuck me. Sindee started off rising and lowering herself building the pleasure, just we started to get near the edge she lowered herself all the way so my cock was buried to pushing against her. Sindee started to rock and twist her hips and continued her fucking me, riding me hard. Just as the pleasure built to where it was almost unbearable, Sindee forced herself down onto me until my cock head pushed into her cervix and squeezed with the walls of her pussy pushing us both over. Sindee screamed, “ YESSS!!!!! Cum in me!!!!!!!.” As I pumped my seed deep into her womb her orgasms hit and our pleasure flowed into each other through the Magick. There were no words during this as we were both wracked by each other’s orgasms until we passed out wrapped around each other tangled in the sheets as the image I saw in her mind earlier. As we passed out the spell wore off as I no longer was aware to maintain it.

We woke hours later as the sunrise spread light into the room as the curtains were still open from last night. Sindee was still laying half across my body with her head on my chest, hear ear pressed to my beating heart. When I looked down, her eyes rose and met mine and I realized that I truly felt for this woman. I looked into her eyes and just wanted to continue to do so. “Good morning Andrew, I wasn’t sure you were going to wake up again,” She stated with a smile as she looked at me.

“If I get to see you when I do, I’ll always wake up,” I replied as I remembered once again the reason we first met. For a change, the memory didn’t completely fill me with sadness. It would never be an easy memory to live with, but I now knew that the pain would fade and I’d be able to remember my family without hurting in time.

Sindee got up and said she needed a shower. While she got out of bed and walked into the bathroom for her shower, I got up and grabbed a robe. I called down to room service for Coffee, Tea, Orange Juice and a few light pastries and fruit. It arrived just as she came out of the bathroom in a robe, he red silky hear glowing in the morning sunlight as she walked across the room. I signed for the cart and tipped the waiter generously on the room bill. I pulled the cart into the room and turned to Sindee, “I wasn’t sure want to get so I got some light starters so we could wake up before going anywhere.”

She laughed, and it was an almost musical sound coming from her. “Thank you, the Orange juice and fruit will make a great start.”

“I’m going to take a quick shower, I’ll be right out.” I showered in record time wanting to be done before she could leave. When I came out she was stepping back into her dress from the night before and sliding it up her body with her back to me. I walked up behind her was she slid her arms in, and the straps onto her shoulders. I zipped the dress back up for her and turned her to face me. “Leaving already?”

“No, I just wanted to get dressed before we talked more. I need you to know that I’ve never slept with a patient before. Current or former and I don’t normally jump into bed with someone.” She grimaced as she said this. “Last night was a great experience, but it was new for me and I don’t want you to think I’m some slut who just sleeps around,” she turned her eyes down as she said this.

I reach out under her chin and gently turned her head up until she was looking me in the eyes. “Last night was one of the best in my life. Not just because of the passion we shared, but that I shared it with such a unique woman. I could never think of you as anything other than an angel, you were there for me after one of the worst nights anyone has ever had. I’ll admit I had a crush on you when we first met, but the situation was a lot different than now. Now we are both consenting adults and I hope you don’t regret it, as I want to spend more time with you since we are both going to be living here and you’re the only person I know.” I said this sincerely and let it show in my face, not hiding any emotions so she could see it was true.

Sindee’s smile returned and it out shined the sun coming through the window, “I’d like that as well.” As she said this her phone rang and she answered it on speaker. “Hello?”
There were several female voices in the background as one of them spoke quickly, “Morning Sindee, so how was your night with the hot thing we saw you walk into the restaurant with?” Sindee blushed at this statement and after a moment of silence the voice came back, “Come on Sin, I haven’t seen you out with anyone in months, give me the details. Who is he, how do you know him?”

Sindee finally regained her composure and replied, “He’s a young man I met about 5 years ago and just heard your entire line of questions as you’re on speaker. Thanks for mentioning that I hadn’t been out in months Natalie.”

A gasp came from the speaker as she realized what she said. I spoke up, “It’s nice to meet you Natalie, I’m Andrew Graves. I’m moving into to town and was pleasantly surprised when I saw Sindee at the Valet.”

Natalie sounded surprised as the others in the background started laughing at her. Then she asked, “Sindee, are you still meeting us for lunch today or are you changing plans again?” She paused, “you could always invite Andrew along if you’d like.” I chuckled as she said this. One of the other voices in the background spoke up and we heard he question. “Natalie, isn’t that the name of the patient Sindee said inspired her to move her and she had a cru..” The voice cut off as Sindee pressed the end call button, she was blushing and with her pale skin and copper red hair she looked even more beautiful doing so.

She smiled quickly and said, “Friends, you can always expect them to say just the right thing.” I simply smiled back and acted like I didn’t hear the other one in the background. I knew what it was like to have a crush, I had one on her but wasn’t thinking about it at the time due to everything else that happened when we met.

“I was going to ask you to join me for lunch so we could continue to catch up, but it seems like you had other plans. I would feel bad if I was the reason you stood your friends up again.” I walked over to my pants and pulled out my wallet. I pulled out a business card and walked to the table grabbing a pen. I wrote on the back of the card and handed it to Sindee, “The number on the back is my personal cell.”

She picked up my phone and added a contact to the list, then took a picture of herself. “That’s my number. Make sure you call me so we can get together again.” She then stepped back up to me and kissed me, slipping her tongue into my mouth. I reach up and ran left hand through her hair as my right cupped her cheek and neck. She ran her hands down my sides and pulled on the robes belt. I didn’t notice this as I was caught up in the kiss. When we both needed to breath she stepped back a few feet, snapped a picture with her phone and slid it into her purse saying, “something to tease the girls and get them back with.” She walked over to the door leaving me standing there with a hard on. She looked over her shoulder with a mischievous smile as she walked out and let the door close behind her.

I tried to focus on getting myself settled in to town after she left but my thoughts kept returning to her. I knew it was possible for random chance to bring us back together but after learning that chance a probability were just another part of reality that Mages can alter I started thinking about it more. Since I couldn’t settle my mind on finding a new home I chose a different project. I tapped into the Magick that I could control and back along my personal path through time and entropy. I saw that I was guided to here by the natural flow of time and chance. There was no sign that other Mages had their hands in it. I again thanked the laws of entropy that brought us here together last night. I should have looked towards the future instead; I may have been prepared for what was coming…….

Chapter 3

After looking into my past and seeing nothing but the nature of time and entropy bringing me to Vegas I was able to settle my thoughts and focus on getting settled in. I began by pulling out my laptop and searching for a real estate agent to assist me in finding a new home for myself. After searching and finding a suitable agent I settled down to meditate and work on my next investments. I sat my computer on my lap with my hands on the keyboard. While investors are losing money in the current economy I was doing well by using my ability to look through time as well as to alter probability in small ways. I never tried to make large changes as there was a double backlash for doing so. The first backlash is very mundane; if I do to well I have authorities looking at me and my past. Mages like myself must not draw attention. There are men and monsters out there that would kill us for being what we are, as well as others that would want to use and control us. While this is important to avoid the other has to do with the nature of Magic itself. As I’ve stated before, the nature of reality is that for most of the world it’s consensual, where Mages can tap into Magick and alter the world at will. The problem is that the farther we push what people accept the worse the backlash. My friend and mentor Marcus had told me stories about backlashes where the mage had pushed things too far and had done so where Mortals could see. The backlash caused the mage to suffer painfully, some mages have even died. The worst backlash he had ever heard of was a mage that tried to bring Magick out into the open and it had shredded his connection to the Magick, he became nothing more than mortal who knew the monsters were out there. They also knew of him as he was abusive with his power against them, not hiding it and being careful. Rumors are told that he is now the mindless obedient lap dog of a Vampire somewhere.

Marcus’s first lessons to me were about what the Spheres of Magick were and how to sense all of them before teaching me to actively control any of them. Marcus told me that many mages each believed that one Sphere of Magick was superior to the others and focused their skills there, paying little attention to the others. His opinion was that they left themselves weak by blinding themselves to other areas of power. From the story I told him of my awakening, he said I had a natural talent for what he called Forces. Forces is the Sphere of Magick dealing with energy fields of all types. This meant everything from light and gravity to radiation and even kinetic energy. He taught me to sit and sense everything around me until I could feel the slightest manipulation he made of energy fields that surrounded us. That was how our training sessions went until I could sense each of the 9 Spheres of magic around me. He explained that the limits of my power we’re my own understanding of each sphere hence teaching me to sense all 9, the amount of Magick I could pull through my connection to it at any one time, and as important as the ability to touch Magick, the imagination to shape it. While I am fairly competent in manipulating all the spheres a little, my aptitudes are for Time, Entropy and Forces. Enough of the history lesson for now, I’ll tell you more as the story continues, but you must be getting bored of dry information for the time being.

After sitting there focusing my power through the laptop, I started typing and making a few small investments for my clients and myself. Keeping us all in a comfortable lifestyle, none of us would get rich this way, but this was more a way of showing an income as a competent mage has no need of money if they can manipulate their reality. It was just after noon when I went down to the Valet to get my car and look at a few of the property developments around the area. I wanted to see some of my options before I decide to either buy or build my new home here. I drove through the communities surrounding the hotel and casino I was staying in. I liked the neighborhoods I was seeing as I drove through but the houses were still crowded close, not allowing for the kind of privacy I’d need. I decided to get ahold of the real estate agent I found and arrange to look for properties where I’d be able to build my home; or for a community where the homes had larger plots of land and more space between them. Having made my decision about the property search I headed back to the hotel.

While I was driving back to the casino, my mind kept returning to waking this morning and looking into Sindee’s eyes. I’d never felt a connection to someone like I did with her. I realize only being 21 and having a tragedy dominate my life since I was 16 didn’t allow me to form many connections with others. The major problem with starting a relationship with Sindee, or any sleeper as we call those who haven’t been exposed to the greater truth, is that it would put her into great danger if anyone or anything came after me again. While we Mages are powerful we suffer from what weakness that most of the other monsters out there don’t. We are as mortal as any other human being, we can increase our chances of surviving things that would kill many people but in the end we can be killed. Most Mages don’t die of natural causes or old age. I liked Sindee a lot and knew I could easily fall in love with her if we spent more time together, but was it fair to put her into that kind of danger for my feelings.

These thoughts led me to one of the things Marcus said to me about the nature of having power and the morality of how you use it. Mages are no longer simply human and many gain the power to ignore society and it moral guidelines. This of course brought up the old adage: Just because you have the power or ability to do something, should you do it? The answer is as simple as it is complex; it’s up to the individual who reaches the decision. No person has ever seen themselves as Evil, in their mind and morality what they are doing is the right thing. This applies to mortals, Mages, Vampires and the other beings that exist in the world. This brings me back to the situation concerning Sindee. I could continue the relationship in many ways with her not knowing any more than she does now. Second option is to end it, do my best to break her heart so she never wants anything to do with me again, not an option I like; however, it would protect her from my world. The third option is the most dangerous for both of us; I could work and try to carefully awaken her mind to the greater truth of the world. I mentioned in passing before not all awakened beings become mages. Many mortals have been exposed to portions of the greater reality, survivors or attacks by monsters, witnesses to a piece of Magick work that their minds couldn’t rationalize away. The few real psychics in the world are such awakened beings as well, they were born awakened. The mortals are the most interesting cases because there are a few paths that they choose once they know what’s going on. Most mortals who reach a greater understanding continue with their lives just more wary as they go about their daily lives. Some lose control and wind up in mental hospitals. The last two groups are the most dangerous; the first group tries to work with the monsters to gain power or protection. Those that fail are usually killed, those that succeed become dangerous as most remain mortal and can’t be differentiated from others, acting as spies or errand runners, and others become monsters themselves. The smallest group and perhaps the most dangerous of the awakened mortals are those that become what we call Hunters. The people are usually, but not always, survivors of some kind of attack. These hunters were dangerous because they didn’t accept that these monsters and other beings were just like mortals in which they had their own morality to live with. I have to admit that some Vampires are as helpful to mortals as others are deadly. I speak mostly of Vampires as examples because they are the easiest of the other beings in the world for mortals to accept as a possibility, got to love Hollywood for that.

That explains part of the danger in awakening Sindee or anyone else for that matter. In regard to that possibility my concerns were that she wouldn’t be able to accept the knowledge of the greater world, or that she would reject me just because of what I am. Those concerns aside the second danger in trying to awaken the mind meant that I could suffer a backlash from what I would need to do to open her eyes and mind to this greater reality. This backlash could easily kill me because while the Magick would affect the mind the main Sphere used in this process is what we call Prime. Prime is the Sphere that encompasses the nature of Magick and power itself, suffering a backlash from this Sphere has killed many Mages or done even worse to them. The nature of Magick meant that there were actual worse possibilities than death when one messed up. There was one other possibility that was remote but it was there. As I said before Mages aren’t born with the connection to Magick, when some mortals Awaken they are so ready to accept the greater truth or they have such powerful wills that a connection is made to the Magick itself. I may explain how this connection works down the line but I want to save that until your mind is ready to handle it.

These thoughts filled my head as I drove back to the hotel. I knew I didn’t have to decide now, but the time I would was going to come fast. I know most of you are thinking that I should look to the future and see what happens. Unfortunately it just doesn’t work that way when looking ahead. When looking into the future you see the possible paths that may come about and when using Entropy as I do for investments it lets me see the most like outcome so I can bet in that direction. When trying to awaken a mind however the nature of Magick itself came into play and that is unpredictable. A useful tip about time Magick is that the future is always harder than the past. I dropped the car back at valet and headed into the casino. It was getting to be near time to eat, I called Sindee to see if she would be available for dinner. Unfortunately she started back to work that evening. I had interrupted her “Girls Night Out” the previous evening so she wasn’t able to go out that evening. We made plans to meet up on her next day off as she worked 12 hour rotations as a doctor. I decided to go to the Strip and check out the local nightlife. I guess the best way to put it is that Mages and other Supernatural beings traveled and hid in plain sight. It boils down to the fact that nobody expects their neighbors of being anything else but normal people, while the guy living in the cabin out in the woods id regarded with suspicion. That is how so many of us manage to hide in plain sight and remain unnoticed in the world.

I dressed comfortably for walking up and down the strip and headed that way. Once I got down there I dropped my car off at the valet of the Excalibur so I could just come back and get it later. I started to walk the Strip looking for all intents and purposes like any other tourist. I reach to the portion of Magick always within me and applied this passively to my senses. While this would tire me from the energy it used from my body, I could counteract that by grabbing food and such as I went along. The reason I risked this while it was passive it could warn me of any supernatural threats directed at me. This allowed me to protect myself without announcing to anyone actively searching for magic users of any kind.

I should explain a little more about the difference between Magick and other types of magic. When most people talk of magic they have a couple of ideas of what it is. They think of books like Harry Potter, or Merlin from tales told in family movies and horrors. Those are closer to hedge magic that anyone can learn than to Magick. A Mage’s Magick allows us to alter reality itself and in doing so we change the constant of the world. A powerful enough Mage can change anything limited only by their power, imagination, knowledge both of Magick and what they are trying to alter, and the backlash they are willing to risk for changing it. Other magic is limited in what it can do, for the most part it has a singular area of effect and requires specific knowledge or that you be a specific type of supernatural being. In the end run it is easiest explained as this, anyone can be taught to use magic. All normal mortals can use hedge wizardry, most supernatural beings as well. This is because it only takes knowledge and materials that can be acquired without any advanced knowledge beyond the simple belief that magic is possible. More than anything else all magic requires that the caster believe in what they are doing which is why most other hedge wizardry like voodoo doesn’t work for most people who try to use it. They simply don’t believe.

As I walked down the Strip, I watched the tourists going to and from the different casinos and shops oblivious to the world around them. I could sense several magic users as I walked and there were a couple of buildings that had their own connection to Magick. I didn’t enter any of those; I didn’t know the groups of Mages were or what their views on other Mages were and I wasn’t going to risk getting killed by entering their territory uninvited or announced. Most Mages are like most people, some good others not so much. When I meet another Mage I am willing to be friendly, share information, teach them if they want to learn, learn what they want to teach. There are some Mages out there who have forsaken all of their humanity for the sake of power going to unimaginable lengths to gain more, while dangerous they aren’t the worst and are easier to avoid. The Mages most dangerous are those who the power has driven insane. They have all the powers of other mages but can do anything without suffering a backlash as they exist in their own reality. I have never seen or met one of these Mages and hope to never have the misfortune of doing so.

As I started my way back up the other side of the Strip as night came. I started to watch everything around me as I knew this was the time that vampires would be coming out to hunt and feed. Modern fiction has gotten a few things right and some others wrong. If I had to guess it’s the Vampires themselves writing the books to make their existence more acceptable to humanity as well as make them seem less dangerous. I used my power to protect myself, to try and save others would expose me for what I am and a Vampire would love to get a true Mage under their control. I sensed several vampires in the first 15 minutes after sunset and realized that the strip was not a place for an unprepared Mage after dark. While I’d be able to stop a vampire with Magick, the most effective ways of doing so would create a backlash with this many witnesses around me. I made the decision to get out off of the strip quickly for now so. I wouldn’t normally worry about Vampires but with so many I needed to make sure I was prepared to be in their hunting grounds. I immediately touched the Mind and Prime Spheres and warded myself against mental and emotional powers being used against me. I turned into the driveway at the next casino I came to and walked up to the entrance to grab a cab. As I got into the cab I locked eyes with a woman coming out of the entrance. She was about my height with honey blonde hair and soft brown eyes. She had the trim athletic build of a dancer or model. I felt the push against my mind as she stared at me. I broke eye contact immediately and told the driver to take me to the Excalibur. I got my car and headed back to my hotel quickly. If I was going to live here I needed to find out more about the politics of the city, and I don’t mean mortal Politics. I now knew that there were several Supernatural communities sharing Las Vegas. This meant there was something special about this city beyond money and told me I was guided here for a reason. With the exception of seeing Sindee again, I was no longer thanking whatever brought me here.

Once I got back to my hotel I was able to calm down and relax a little. I decided to grab a late meal and take the time to think things through some more. I had several issues on my mind. First was Sindee, I knew what I wanted to do but wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do. I had feeling for her and doing what I wanted to could put her in danger more than just knowing me already has. Second was this city, there was something coming or so many supernatural beings wouldn’t be here. Supernaturals exist everywhere, but in limited numbers. That I saw several Vampires and felt at least one Stronghold for Mages so close together tells me that most likely all Supernatural races were represented in this city. I was going to need to find out who this Cities mages were, there were at least two groups as well as how many other possible individual mages. Third was finding a home and making my preparations to place protective Wards on it. The wards had two purposes, protecting the home and people in it from outside magic and powers, and creating a place where I and other Mages could practice without any possibility of a backlash.

I guess I should explain how I’ve avoided a backlash so far as you’ve seen me use Magick in the open world. First as you may have noticed all of the effects I produced were either passive or could not be seen such as effecting the mind. Not all magic that affects the mind is passive. If I needed or wanted to; I could communicate mentally with anyone. Doing this with a sleeper would cause a backlash as their minds wouldn’t accept it. For me or the mage who did this the backlash would hit them with an effect from the same Spheres of Magick they were manipulating. For the mortal a couple things could happen. In most cases the sleeper would brush it off and their mind would let it go as a noise they heard from someone yelling or a daydream. Some of those with stronger wills would be made curious and try to look into it but not worry. In a very few normal mortals this could trigger the epiphany that awakens them to the larger truth of the world.

After I finished my meal I went back up to my room for the night to get some rest. I texted Sindee telling her to have a good night and that I’d talk to her and see her again soon. I lay down and went asleep quickly as I was tired from the long day. It was still dark a when snapped awake for some reason. I stayed still as my eyes searched the darkness for whatever had caused me to wake. I felt the bed shift to my right side. I rolled out of bed to my left towards the window of the room. I felt something dig into my right ribs and back as I was just coming off the bed. I was hurting, in a lot of pain when I came to my feet in a crouch by the window. I continued to listen for movement when I heard the springs in the mattress creak. I looked in the direction of the sounds and saw a pale red glow in the darkness and knew what I was facing. I grabbed the curtain with my left hand and yanked it down as hard as I could letting the ambient light from the city into the room letting me see better. A few feet away from me on the bed looking like the dangerous predator that she was, the blonde vampire from earlier in the evening was crouched with her fangs distended. I knew this could go either way depending on what other powers she possessed. Once a vampire get this close all the power a mage has still may not be enough to save him. She dove at me from the bed reaching out with her sharp claws trying to get ahold of me. As soon as she moved toward me, I slid to the left as dove along the floor across the room as far as I could. She caught me on the right side again as I went past her, digging a few chunks of flesh from my side. As soon as I stopped sliding I did my best to focus past the pain to cast an effect to save my life. I reached out into the Magick and cast what I’ve come to call Friction Curse. This effect used Forces and caused kinetic energy to be converted into fire, so it was highly effective against Vampires. She charged at me just as I managed to cast the spell at her. One moment she’s charging at me, the next she’s a cloud of ash and gone. Unfortunately for me, the moment between the casting and her destruction was long enough for her to get another piece of me dislocating my shoulder and tearing my right arm up to match the ribs. She also let out a scream of pain so load I knew security would be coming to the room.

I had to act quickly as I was losing blood and getting woozy. I knew I was going to pass out and had to make sure that it looked like an accident and not like someone was attacked or the police would be getting involved. I grabbed onto the curtain I yanked and broke the glass lamp pulling it to the floor under me to make it look like I passed out and landed on the glass explaining my dislocated shoulder and the cuts along my side and arm. I couldn’t risk healing the damage with security coming so I raised my blood sugar to the point where it would explain fainting when I was found. I finished all this just in time as I heard pounding on the door as blood loss and the high blood sugar caused me to pass out. Last thing I heard was someone yelling security.

I woke up a few hours later and was positive I was dreaming or I was dead as there were two people hovering over me who shouldn’t be there. The first was Sindee who I was looking forward to seeing again soon. I the other was a face I hadn’t seen since shortly after my 16th birthday, and didn’t think I’d ever see again; my brother Matt. Sindee spoke as soon as she saw my eyes open, “Andrew are you alright?”

I looked around to get my bearings before I replied, I knew I passed out and saw from the clock that it had been a while. “Where am I and what happened and how are you here Sindee,” I asked.

Matt stood there silently watching while Sindee replied, “You’re in the hospital emergency room. You apparently passed out and fell on a lamp, you have several lacerations on you right side, back and right arm, and your shoulder had been dislocated. When you came in I recognized you and asked one of my colleagues to take care of you. You’re going to be fine,” she pointed towards Matt, “he relocated the shoulder back into the socket and stitched up the lacerations on your arm and the smaller ones on the back. The Lacerations on your ribs were deeper and required staples.” She smiled and continued, “I know you wanted to see me again before my day off but this isn’t the way to go about it.”

I smiled and laughed a little immediately regretting it as the damage to my side pained me a lot more that I thought it would. I groaned in pain briefly then replied, “It worked didn’t it. Don’t make me laugh though it hurts to move my chest right now.” I looked over to Matt, “Thank you for taking care of my Injuries Matt and congratulations on finishing med school, doing your residency here?”

Sindee got a surprised look on her face, “You know each other?”

Matt spoke up for the first time since I woke up, “He’s my brother Dr. Grey, though we haven’t seen each other in a few years.” He turned to look at me and in a stiff tone said, “You’re welcome Andrew. I have to get back to work.” With that he walked out of the room leaving Sindee and I alone.

“That went about as well as I could have expected it,” I stated to the room with a sarcastic tone. I took a deep breath though it hurt some as the lacerations stretched the stiches and staples. I looked back to Sindee who looked a little unsure of what to say, “We haven’t seen or spoken since just after we got home after the accident at the cabin. I had no idea he was even here in town.”

“I had no idea you were related as you were the only member of your family I met. I didn’t even think about the face that you both were named Graves, and there isn’t really a resemblance between the two of you. And….,” She was starting to ramble a bit.

“It’s alright; it’s nothing for you to worry about. I’ve missed him and my father but they both withdrew to themselves after what happened. I think I remind them of my mother and sisters because I look more like them and I’m the only other member of the family to survive that night.” I reached up to cup her face with my left hand as the right side was torn up, “I’m just glad that you’re here now. How long can you stay, and how long do I need to?”

Sindee cupped her hand around mine on her cheek and looked a little calmer, “My shift finished while you were being worked on so I can stay for a while. I can catch a couple hours here in the hospital before I start my next shift tonight. As for you Andrew, you’re injuries weren’t as severe as the amount of blood you lost. You’re staying here for at least tonight while we replace the blood and depending on what the doctor on duty decides; you may be able to leave in the morning.”

Sindee and I sat there talking for a little while, learning a little more about each other. I told her about my childhood before we met, and learned a lot about her. Sindee’s parents were both in Medicine, though they were researchers while she wanted to help people directly so studied emergency medicine. She was an only child and was curious about what it was like growing up in a big family. After about an hour or so I fell asleep from the pain killers, I wasn’t using Magick for a few reasons, most importantly being in the hospital in the first place. Others included not knowing if any of the staff had any special abilities or were supernatural beings themselves. I was going to need to at least start the healing process as slow as any other mortal.

I woke a few hours later when a nurse came into deliver a meal and to place another bag of blood on the IV hook. Sindee was sitting in the bed on my left side sleeping with her head on my shoulder. Looking down, seeing her sleeping there filled me with a sense of peace and contentment. I knew right then that I would do everything in my power to keep her in my life and protect her from harm. In the last two days my life had changed just as much as it had that night 5 years ago. I knew now that breaking her heart was out of the question, it would be like cutting out my own heart. I smiled at the nurse as she changed the IV bag, and waved the tray of food away. I settled back in the bed content with having Sindee with me. Now all I had to do was figure out what to do next and how to protect her from the world I live in…..

Chapter 4

I woke as I felt Sindee shift beside me. Opening my eyes I saw her swinging her legs over the side and sitting up. I looked over to the clock to check the time, realizing that she had sat there sleeping at my side for most of the day made me feel better than any medicine or Magick could have. “Time to get ready for work now” I asked in a sleepy tone.

Sindee turned to look at me smiling, “I was trying not to wake you; you need to rest and let your body and the IV replace the blood you lost.”

“I think laying here with you sleeping for the last 5 hours counts as rest. I usually ignore orders from doctors from stubbornness; however, since it’s you I’ll listen.” I gave her a crooked grin as I pointed to the tray of covered dishes on the rolling table, “The one order I won’t follow is eating what hospitals try to call food; that stuff is cruel and unusual punishment and therefore unconstitutional even in hospitals.”

Sindee laughed and shook her head, “I can’t disagree with that, but you need to eat. I’ll make you a deal, you eat this and I’ll drive you to your hotel and take you to breakfast when they let you out.”

“With a deal like that, I’ll even eat the napkin. It might actually taste better than the food anyway,” I jokingly replied unable to keep a straight face.

Sindee laughed and shook her head at that. She leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, “Be good and don’t give the nurses a hard time. I’ll be checking in with the staff to make sure you behave tonight. I’d stay but I have to get cleaned up and ready for work. I’ll see you later”

“I’m looking forward to it Sindee. Thank you doesn’t express how much I appreciate your staying with me today when you should have been getting rest. We’ve only started getting to know each other and you sacrificed your time for me,” I let the sincerity of my words fill my voice so that she would know I meant them.

Sindee’s smile grew a little wider at my words, “I have to go before I’m late for work, I’ll see you later.” She walked out still smiling.

The night was uneventful for a hospital. If you ever spent time in a hospital you know what I mean by that. If not, thank whatever deity, chance, or luck you believe in that you haven’t had to stay overnight in a hospital. Sindee came in at her lunchtime and talked some more before she returned to work. I ate and drank what they gave me to make sure I’d get out in the morning.

In the morning the doctor on duty came in making her rounds and going over the charts with the morning shifts nursing staff. Dr. Sindee Grey picked up my chart and looked it over, checking the numbers from my blood work. She decided that I could be released but needed to follow up with my regular doctor in regard to the stitches and staples holding me together for time being. I couldn’t help but laugh as she said this and immediately regretted doing so. I really needed to get out of here so I could at least start the healing process moving a little faster, at least internally. Before Sindee left with the rest of the staff I asked if they could supply me with something to wear out of the hospital as I had been dressed for bed when the incident occurred and couldn’t go walking around town or my hotel in my underwear. I was loaned a set of scrubs and got myself dressed slowly and painfully while I waited for the discharge paperwork to be completed. The paperwork took about a half hour but I wound up waiting for almost two because that was when Sindee ended her shift and she was my ride back to the hotel. Even if I had another option I would still have waited for her. She made me ride in a wheelchair as I left the hospital, “Just following policy,” was her answer to the look I gave her when the orderly came in with the wheelchair.

Once I was outside in the heat of summer in Las Vegas I almost wanted to go back inside even if it was a hospital. We got into Sindee’s car and she drove me back to the hotel. She insisted on taking my up to my room so I could rest. When we arrived back the concierge let me know that another room had been prepared and my belongings moved there so that the damage in the other room could be taken care of. He then led us to the elevator and took us up to a new suite. After receiving the key cards and entering the room, Sindee tried to get me to lie down and sleep more.

“I seem to remember you making a deal to have breakfast with me,” I reminded her as I sat at the table careful to keep my right side away from the edge. “Since I’m underdressed to go anywhere we can order room service and eat here.”

Sindee gave me a look of mock indignation as she sat across from me, “I said I’d drive you to your hotel and take you to breakfast when they let you out. If you order breakfast, that is not me taking you out.”

“Well you brought me back here, I’ll get breakfast today and you can take me out to breakfast another time. That way you fulfill your end of the deal and I get to see you again.” I slid the room service menu across to her. I reached for the phone so I’d be able to call down and order once she decided when I twisted a little too far and stretched the stitches and staples in my side. I was unable to suppress the wince of pain from showing on my face.

Sindee immediately moved around the table and lifted the side of my shirt to check over the wounds. “You need to be more careful while you heal. You could have pulled the staples twisting like that.” She got this stern look on her face and stated, “Breakfast can wait, and I am getting you into bed right now.”

I couldn’t help but grin as I responded to her unintended innuendo with a direct one of my own, “You just said I needed not to be careful and not hurt myself work, but if that’s what you think best I’m sure it will be worth the pain.” I raised my eyebrows and smirked at her as she blushed. I asked, “Freudian slip?”

Sindee blushed and laughed, “I guess you could say that, however until you heal up there will be none of that. I’m not going to be the one to put you back into the hospital, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

I conceded that she was right about lying down and letting myself heal. I let her guide me to the bed and lay me down. Sindee told me to rest and grabbed one of the key cards telling me she would be right back. I was trying to meditate and focus past the pain when she came back in carrying a small backpack. She came back over to me seeing the bag on the floor, then assisted me in sitting up in the bed. Sindee removed the scrub top and had me lie back down and roll carefully onto my left side. She took the bandage off and cleaned up the wounds and reapplied a new bandage. Next thing I feel is a needle prick as the pain fades and I get drowsy.

It was afternoon before I woke up ready to give Sindee an earful for drugging me without asking first. I opened my eyes and turned me head from side to side scanning the room. Sindee was lying in the other bed sound asleep looking for all the world like an angel and any anger just flowed away. While she was sleeping and the drugs were still blocking at least some of the pain I focused in on the Spheres of Life and Time to assist me in healing the wounds so that I’d be able to start moving around sooner. I focused on healing the damage under the surface to that everything would appear normal about the surface healing at least until the stiches and staples were removed and I wouldn’t have someone looking it over closely.

The next couple of days progressed quickly as Sindee came by daily to make sure I was taking care of the wounds and not over doing it. I was hoping it was just an excuse and that she wanted to see me as much as I did her. At the end of the week she took me to breakfast as promised. I spent the next two weeks with the real estate agent looking for property and finally decided on a piece of land at the southern edge of the valley against the mountains and asked her to find me an architect. I told Sindee I was going to go looking for an apartment while I had the house designed and built. As nice as the hotel was, I looked forward to having an actual residence even if it was an apartment. During this time Sindee and I had a few actual dates, spending time in just being in one another’s company. July 4th came that weekend before I started looking for an apartment and Sindee held a party at her house.

The stitches and staples had come out a few days before and I checked the progress of the healing. The scarring would be minimal, a testament to my brothers skill. Even though we didn’t speak I was proud of his accomplishments and appreciate how well he had taken care of my wounds. I was getting ready for the party at Sindee’s and went to the hotel concierge. I asked for the locations of a few stores and headed out. I had a few stops to make before I arrived at Sindee’s.

I drove to her house and knocked, looking at the neighborhood while I waited for someone to answer the door. A woman in her mid-20s answered the door; she was around 5’8”, 140 pounds, hair so black that it looked blue in places when the light hit it and whiskey colored eyes. She was wearing a lightweight blue sundress that ended just above her knees. She looked me up and down, grabbed me by the arm pulling me into the house, “You must be Andrew. I’m Natalie, we spoke briefly before.”

I remembered the phone call from the morning after to Sindee came back into my life and now had a face to put with the voice, “I remember the conversation well, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Where’s Sindee?”

“Sin is in the kitchen trying to get things ready for the party, you arrived early.” Natalie steered us toward the back of the house as we spoke. “Since you’re here, you are hereby drafted to help.”

I walked over to where Sindee was working and place the bag I was holding on the counter, “Hello Sindee,” I leaned down and gave her a quick kiss while I reached into the bag. I pulled out a bouquet of roses, 12 white and one red in the middle handing them to here, “these are for you, and this is for the party.” I reached back into the bag and pulled out a couple bottles of wine and liquor, “I wasn’t sure what everyone drank or what we were having so I decided to go for variety. Now since I am early as Natalie said, what can I do to help out?”


Sindee looked at me, “Sit down and relax, you’re my guest not subject to drafting so Natalie can get out of helping.”

I laughed quickly and looked Sindee in the eyes, “With everything you know about me now, do you seriously believe that I’m going to just sit and relax while you work so hard to get everything ready? I’ve been taking care of myself since I was 16,let me help so we can all enjoy this evening.”

Sindee conceded and let me help with the prep work. As her friends and co-workers arrived for the party I was manning the grill though Sindee explained that everyone would be taking turns cooking so we could all enjoy the parry and the company. The party went well and ran late into the evening. After everyone else left or settled in for the night I was still sitting in the back yard enjoying the night when Sindee came out and sat beside me. She took a deep breath like she was working up the nerve say something; so I turned to face her and waited until she was ready. Sindee finally decided she was ready to speak, “Andrew, would you like to move in here with me instead of renting an apartment?”

I couldn’t keep the emotion from my face or voice when I replied, “I’d like nothing more Sindee since you’re asking. I’ve been trying to find the right way to tell you how I feel. I’m just going to say it. When I was in the hospital that first time and you were so kind taking care of me I had the biggest crush on you, or at least that’s all I thought it was at the time. When I saw you again here in Las Vegas I thanked whatever it was that brought us here at the same time. The passion we shared that night could have been nothing more than a childhood crush showing back up. It wasn’t, I knew this when I woke the next morning looking into your eyes. I didn’t want to let you leave to meet with your friends because I wasn’t sure I’d get to see you again.” I finally stopped talking to take a breath as that all came out in a rush.

Sindee stood up and turn to face me, where I was sitting we were able to look each other in the eyes. She cupped both sides of my face in her hands and kissed me, slipping her tongue along my lips and exploring my mouth as I did hears. While we sat there kissing I wrapped my arms around her, sliding my hands along her petite frame. When we stopped kissing to breath she grabbed me by the hand and led me into the house through the sleeping bodies on the floor. We stepped carefully as not to wake anyone.

Sindee led me into her bedroom, closing the door as we entered, and pulled me towards the bed. She reached down and pulled her sundress over her dead revealing her incredibly perfect naked body. I reach down and pulled my shirt off, while it covered my head she ran her nails over my chest apply only a little pressure so that the feeling rode the edge between becoming painful and remaining pleasurable. I as I finished pulling the shirt off, I felt her hands run down my sides to the waistband of my shorts. Sindee slowly pushed them down as she lowered herself to kneel in front of me. She pushed me back into the bad so I wound up sitting on the edge. Sindee wrapper her petite delicate hand around my cock starting to slide into up and down the shaft, while she used the other hand to cup and massage my balls. Sindee had such a delicate touch as she moved her hand along my hard cock. Sindee massaged my balls and hard dick for a few minutes, the she ran her tongue along the full 9 inch underside slipping the head between her lips. Sindee explored the slit with her tongue licking the pre-cum oozing from it. She started bobbing her head taking more and more of my cock into her mouth each time. She took her time going agonizingly slow, prolonging the intense pleasure as she took my entire length into her throat and held it there letting the muscles surrounding my cock to massage it before backing off again. Sindee would take me to the edge and stop, changing her pace to make me last longer. She took me to that edge 4 times, getting me to the point where I could do nothing but feel the please and focus everything on Sindee. Sindee used her tongue to massage all around my cock as she moved her mouth up and down; she took my cock all the way into her throat one last time. Once she had my cock in her throat she applied a gentle pressure to my balls as her throat massaged my cock. I came harder than ever before pumping hot think cum directly down her throat. I was in ecstasy as she slowly withdrew me from her throat and mouth.

Sindee began to draw herself up to climb onto the bed; I sat up and lifted her onto the bed with me. I pulled Sindee close to me, embracing her. I kissed my way sown her body from head to toe, not touching her breast or hot pussy. I ran my hands along her silky skin, massaging her muscles as I kissed her all over, again not touching those most sensitive places, moving close and closer each time my hands passed over those areas of her body. After I got to her toes I kissed my way back up her legs alternating between them as I made my way to the sweet, musky smell of her pussy. I licked my tongue along the length of her slit, tasting her unique sweetness as I did so. I gently spread her legs wider as I moved my hands up. I continued to slide my tongue along and into her hot pussy as I moved my right hand up above her pussy. I used my thumb to rub circles around her clit, randomly running it across to break the pattern and push her pleasure higher. I kept this attention up until she went over the edge and cried out as she had her first orgasm. I continued to rub her clit and suck her juices as she thrashed and shook her way through her come. I moved my right arm under her leg, licking my way up her slit taking he clit into my mouth. As I was sucking on her clit, carefully taking it in my teeth as I flicked it randomly with my tongue. I slipped 2 fingers from my left hand into her hot pussy, hooking them toward the front of her body searching for the bundle of nerves inside and massaging it. It only took a few minutes before Sindee’s body began to shake and tremble and thrash as she was wracked orgasms. As one would fade the next would begin as I didn’t stop licking or fingering her until she begged me to stop because she couldn’t take any more. I moved up so that I was lying beside her, I pulled her into my arms holding her close as we passed out from physical exhaustion.

When we woke the next morning we stripped the bed and headed for the shower. We got cleaned up; playing a little but more worried about getting cleaned up for the time being as we would be living together soon. I dressed back in my clothes from the night before and went out to find most of the sleeping bodies still on the floor. Natalie was in the kitchen with a smile on her face as I walked in. Sindee was only a few seconds behind me as she simple slipped on another summer dress for walking around the house. Sindee looked over towards Natalie, “Good morning Nat, did you have a good night?”

Natalie smiled at her, “I did, but from what I was hearing last night you had a better one.” Sindee blushed as did I a little at that statement.

“I apologize if we were too loud, but I believe that if I’m going to do something I should do it properly and thoroughly. And since Sindee isn’t complaining, I’ll take that as a job well done,” I replied in a serious tone, holding a straight face for only a few seconds before I had to laugh.

Sindee blushed again and when she blushed it was all over. With her pale silky skin tone there was no way to hide her reaction. “He’s right about the job well done; I decided to contract his services at least temporarily. He’s going to move in here instead of getting an apartment.”

Natalie just laughed and smiled, “I wondered when one of you would actually do something proactive. Sindee, you’ve been spending a lot of time with him, and when you hang out with us you talk about him.” She turned to look at me and continued, “You with all the maneuvering to get to spend time with Sindee was kind of obvious to the rest of her friends, not to mention the way you couldn’t take your eyes off of her all day yesterday. I happen to know that most of us ladies that were here look good and it was like you didn’t see us.”

“I was not just looking and Sindee the…..” I trailed off as I thought about it. I’d been caught and there was no reason to deny the truth of the matter. I smiled and laughed at myself as Natalie and a few of the others who had woken and wandered into the kitchen during the conversation gave me one of those looks that just screamed- Yeah, who do you think you’re trying to fool with that line. I raised my hands and then wrapped them around Sindee from behind to hug her close to my body. “I surrender, you all are right, I lose the argument. What that means however is that I have Sindee in my life.” I lowered my head so my mouth was by her ear and I wisped so only she would hear me, “and having you in my life is worth everything I’ve been through to get here.”

After we had all made and eaten breakfast, those of us who stayed the whole night cleaned up after the party. We went to the hotel to get me checked out. We packed up the two bags I’d brought up to my room. I took the room keys down to the desk to settle the bill. As we were finishing the clerk handed me a couple of envelopes telling me they were dropped off the previous evening. I looked at them quickly, the first was from my brother and I decided to read it later. The second drew my attention as it was a thick paper stock and the writer used an old wax seal. This bore some investigation before I opened it. When I open it, I plan to be somewhere out in the open away from people as it could be dangerous……


Chapter 5

I turned and put the envelopes into one of my bags before heading to the Valet with Sindee to retrieve my car. We drove back to Sindee’s and moved my bags in. Besides the two from my room there were 4 more bags in the trunk of my car. When I decided to move to Las Vegas, I packed up my clothes and personal belongings, sold everything else. Traveling is a lot easier if all you have to carry with you are 6 bags. We spent the rest of the afternoon getting my stuff organized and relaxing. My mind was on the letters sitting in my bag. I didn’t know which one worried me more, the one from my brother or the one with the old wax seal. I hadn’t seen or spoken to my brother since I was 16 until chance brought us together at the hospital a few weeks ago. We barely said anything to each other at that time either. It was unlikely that the letter contained good news.

The one with the wax seal presented a different issue. The archaic seal could have been used by almost any type of supernatural being or even a mortal with a flair for the overly dramatic. The first thing that concerned me about it however was that among the Supernatural races the ones most like to use such a seal were Vampires. While there are many younger vampires in the world; they are usually the foot soldiers and modern face of the species. The older Vampires are much more dangerous than the young lady I fought with. The older the vampire the more time they’ve had in order to gain in strength and abilities; and to make matters worse they have the patience to play the long game. Marcus taught me to avoid Vampire politics at all costs; to not reveal what I am to them. Thinking back to the night I fought the bloodsucker in my hotel room; I had yanked the curtains open to give me light to see by meaning someone could have seen the fight if they were watching her. There were too many possibilities; I needed to stop speculating and do some research.

I also had to tell Sindee about my world and soon before we moved any further in our relationship. If I was going to try to awaken Sindee to the greater reality I needed to prepare a few things and make a couple of calls. I wanted to make sure that if and when I did this, it had the highest chances to succeed without having a detrimental effect on Sindee. What scares me about doing this is simple to explain. Most Mages I’ve met are singular beings. While some Mages form cabals, basically a group of mages working together sharing knowledge, they are still disparate individuals. I have yet to meet a Mage is a relationship other than casual hook-ups. This concerned me when I first thought about why that would be and I came to an answer I didn’t much like. Because as Mages we had the ability to impose our will on the world, including on other people, we tend to do so without thinking about if we should do so. This idea bothered me because of what I did the first night here in Las Vegas. I didn’t actually change her mind as much as lower Sindee’s inhibitions leaning her in the direction of doing what she felt like over what she thought was best. I always saw the distinction as a gray area before. Now, if I knew a Mage or other supernatural being used a power on Sindee I would seek their destruction with the full measure of my abilities and willpower. It’s strange how emotional ties can alter ones perception easier than Magick.

The first call I made an attempt to get ahold of Marcus again. Many Mages, including myself, tend to stay on the move. It gives us more opportunity to learn and makes it less likely that someone will come to know us and accidentally discover our secret. The longer one stays in one place the more complacent and relaxed they become. The measures taken to keep our secret become lax. There are so many dangers in our secrets getting out that we are very protective of them. I’ve spoken of Hunter’s briefly before, I’ll go into a little more detail now. I had been staying with Marcus training for 9 months and was learning how to manipulate the Spheres at this point. Learning to Sense each of the Spheres comes quickly as once you understand that while they are each different, sensory magic is very similar no matter what you’re trying to detect. We had gone into the woods outside of town so he could teach me how to manipulate Life so that I could learn to heal myself and others. He was showing me how to speed up growth and regeneration on plants before we moved up to complex life forms. Never perform Magick on anything unless you understand what it is you are trying to do. While we were working a man stepped out of the woods into the clearing. He was around 6 feet or so, looked to be in his 60’s though he could have been older; it was hard to tell in the shade of the trees. He wore a pistol on his hip and had an old Winchester rifle aimed at Marcus. “Been a while Marcus, you aren’t an easy man to find,” he spoke loudly from across the clearing. “You gonna try to hide from me forever?” There was a trace of southern accent in his voice but I couldn’t place it exactly.

Marcus turned to face this man and spoke clearly, “I told you last time Jackson, stop following me or it will end badly for you.”

“That was 30 years ago, and I didn’t have a clue as to what you could do then. I know now and you’re going to pay for what happened.” I looked closer at Marcus closely when Jackson said this. Marcus looked like he couldn’t be older than 25, even when using my senses with the Life Magick we were practicing today I wouldn’t put him any older. Marcus stood about 5’8” and weighed in around 180. “You’re all abominations and shouldn’t be allowed to live in this world.” As he said this he pulled the trigger, I felt Marcus pull Magick and knew he was doing something. I immediately turned to dive behind the closest tree. As good as my reflexes were, they were no match for that old man’s speed with a rifle. Jackson worked the lever on the rifle as he swung it towards me; guilt by association I assumed. I was in the air as I felt intense pain in my left shoulder from the back. This being the first time I’d ever been shot, I was unable to focus past the pain to help Marcus.

“Jackson stop now or I stop holding back,” Marcus was back on his feet staring down the older man. “You have no idea what happened or why I left. It happened before you were born, and all you’ve been told are the memories of a bitter man.”

Jackson swung the rifle back at Marcus firing as soon as he was lined up in the sights, “You’ve been too long in the world and it’s time for you to die!!!!!!” he screamed as he worked the lever firing 4 shots in quick succession.

They each stopped about a foot in front of Marcus as though they hit a wall. I felt and saw Marcus throw a crackling bolt of Prime energy itself at Jackson. He screamed and fell to the ground curled in pain as Marcus walked over to him. Marcus tossed Jacksons rifle and pistol away and placed his hand directly on the man’s forehead. I had no idea what Marcus was doing and couldn’t concentrate enough to read the Magick he was performing. A few minutes later Marcus stood up and walked over to me. He placed his hands over the wound on my shoulder and I felt the flow of Magick. The pain ceased immediately, but the shoulder started to itch as I could feel the wound start to close. The itching came for torn flesh and tissue stitching back together. When it was finished even the skin of the surface showed no sign that it had ever been damaged in the first place.

When we stood up and I looked around, Jackson was gone along with his weapons. Marcus looked like he was in pain, his joints were creaking and his movements were slow. I understood then what the Prime energy he threw at Jackson was. It’s one of the first active spells of Prime mages learn. It makes you feel as though all of your bones are rubbing against each other, grinding into dust in the body. Nothing is actually happening except the sensation is excruciating to the subject. Because he actively threw the effect it caused a backlash for Marcus. Marcus would be suffering similar effects as Jackson. Marcus could have avoided the backlash by casting the spell in a way that if blending with reality instead of breaking it. The more seamlessly our spells blended into reality and were acceptable to everyone the less likely or severe the backlash. There are other ways to reduce the likelihood or severity of backlashed but those take time and power to learn. I had known Marcus was a knowledgeable and power Mage, I now knew he was a Master of at least the Sphere of Life to be as old as the conversation hinted at.
“Marcus, how old are you in years, not body,” I asked.
“I’m a little over 80 years old and have been a Mage for more than 60 of them. I told you when we met that most Mages don’t die of old age or natural causes.” He smiled, “It’s up to each mage to learn how to extend their life on their own because there are many ways magic can do so. We aren’t immortal as you just learned the hard way. I had known his family before my change and shared my secret with them after. His father was a friend as kept wanting me to bring his the same kind of power I had, not willing to believe that I couldn’t do so. Mages can’t just be made at will. While a mortal can be awakened to the greater reality, it is rare that this becomes the Awakening of a Mage. When I explained this he accused me of betraying him and his family and tried to kill me. I was forced to stop him and it put him in a wheelchair the rest of his life. I didn’t have the knowledge to repair the damage I’d done. That’s what started my wandering. Now you know my sad tale as I know yours. You’re ready to continue on your journey Andrew, as I need to continue on my way.” With that he handed me a simple card that had a phone number on it, “That is so you can try to get ahold of me if you need to. It’s not a direct line, but a point of contact that I check from time to time. Leave no details, just a way for me to get back to you.”

We left the woods shortly after that and parted way at his home. He took a few bags out to his car and headed north as I did the same and headed to the west. We haven’t seen each other spoken since, the only contact we’ve had were the deposits I made into his accounts from the investments we made together. That was the first encounter I had with hunters, there have been others but Jackson was the only “Witch” hunter. Most hunters I have run into were Vampire hunters. I’ve seen many of them die because they were messing with things beyond their understanding. I’ve also seen groups of hunters that were very well equipped both with knowledge and weapons. These groups are the most dangerous as I’ve seen psychics and hedge wizards and others working with them as I traveled. I had a close call or two in my time travels but have so far as I know remained unidentified to them.

The second call I made was to the realtor to check on the purchase of the land and to get the architects number to schedule an appointment with them. I wanted to get the land purchased and include the mineral rights in the deed. I also wanted to get with the architect as a lot of design went into a Mages home. We needed to have all the usual amenities that every home had, but also needed some space to build a Sanctum. A Sanctum sounds so mysterious and I know you just pictures a dark stone room with an alter and strange symbols carved into the wall, or something similar from literature or movies and while some magic users; hedge wizards and Mages alike; go for that kind of gothic or dramatic look as that’s how they were taught a Sanctum doesn’t need to be that. A sanctum can be as small as a closet however I do prefer a little more space. What takes a sanctum and turns it into a Mage’s Sanctum is the time and power expended to place Wards all around the room. Again, I’m not speaking of carvings or spells written in blood or other such materials, wards are protections from each Sphere imbued into the physical construct. When you have a room properly and powerfully enough warded you can practice all forms of magic in there both coincidental, the blending of magic with accepted reality to hide it from sleepers, to what would be called vulgar magick, spells that break the fabric of accepted reality. A good example of this would be if a mage had to fight in the open and had no choice but to resort to using fire to stop their enemy. While a mage of even moderate power could easily throw a fireball down the street after an enemy everyone who saw it would create such disbelief that the backlash could easily kill the Mage as the spell backfired on them. A smarter mage would look for a way to make it blend into reality to be possible, like as the person was running past a utility box or near to maintenance access, having a gas line burst, engulfing the target in a ball of fire. While unlikely this is more acceptable to the masses and the mage may get away with no backlash at all or one of minimal effect on them. Even when there are no sleepers around outside of a properly warded sanctum, Vulgar spells usually cause some form of backlash as it is the break in reality not just the witnesses that cause this.

The next item on my list was to get registered as a student at UNLV. I was already an Investment Broker and Councilor as a profession, that had nothing to do with taking a couple of classes while here in the city. Students have access to the colleges’ library including any special collections related to the classes they take. As I have said before what a mage can do is limited to the Magick they could draw upon and knowledge of what they were trying to do. You’ll find that if or when Magick becomes acceptable to the general world that most of the Mage’s are students of some kind, always trying to increase their knowledge there by allowing them to cast many more spells based upon that knowledge. I still had to choose other classed, however I chose economics as 1 class as it dealt with my profession in the event anyone did look into my while I’m here in town. More than anything I was hoping to find some other Mages to share knowledge of the city with; it was a long shot but still possible.

The next week flew by as I waited to hear back from Marcus and started my first class. Sindee and I didn’t see each other as much as we did before I moved in and I was missing the time we spent together. Between my classes and meeting with the Architect during the days and her working night shift at the hospital we only saw each other in the early mornings when she got home and sometimes for dinner before she left for her shifts. I know I was getting depressed by this, as I wanted to spend more time with her. I decided to surprise at lunch this evening. I picked up dinner from one of the restaurants I knew she liked and took it in to her at work so we could spend sit and talk. We laughed and talked and all too soon she had to return to work. When I left for the evening, I felt better but all the more urgent about trying to arrange for her to be awakened. I didn’t want to lose her, and while that could still happen, it would if she didn’t know about my world and how to protect herself from it when I wasn’t around. I went back to the house after we finished and pulled out the letter from my brother. I’m not going to go into what was in it other than to say two things. My father was still ok, and it wasn’t good news that could bite me in the ass down the road some. Basically, it was for the most part what I expected as well as something I didn’t. We’ll come back to this in the future, say at the time that it bites me in said ass.

When Sindee got out in the morning it was the start of her weekend. We both decided to get some sleep before going out for the day. We took Sindee’s car and went out to Lake Mead, spent some time on the water with rental jet skis. When we arrived back at her house there was someone sitting on the trunk of my car, mostly hidden in shadows. I told Sindee to pull up along the curb and stay in the car. I hit the power locks as I got out of the car, “If any trouble starts call the police on your phone and drive away.” I closed the door before waiting for a reply. I moved sideways into the yard, putting distance between Sindee and I, yet not moving closer to the person sitting on my car. I called out, “Can I help you with something?”

The figure shifted, sliding of the trunk still standing so that the face was still covered in shadow. I called out again, “If you’re here looking for trouble you’ve chosen the wrong place. It that’s your intention, leave now or else.”

“Strong words from someone so young,” was the reply from our shadowed visitor. There was something familiar about the voice, but I was sure I’d never hear it at the same time. Then the figure stepped out of the shadows into the light, “Is that how you talk to all your old friends when you called them, and they drop what they are doing to come see you.”

The young man that stepped out looked to be around 14 to 16, he had short trim black hair, was about 5’6” and I couldn’t give you weight but he looked healthy, not heavy or muscular but he wasn’t skinny either. I was about to tell him I didn’t know who he was and we weren’t old friends when I noticed his eyes, those I knew. You know how they say the eyes are the window to the soul, in some ways it’s true. A person’s years can be read in their eyes if you know what you’re looking for, additionally, even as your appearance can change though many means, the eyes don’t unless you intentionally cover them. “Marcus!!!” my surprise at his appearance filled my voice at first, “How nice to see you again.”

Marcus laughed at me, “that’s at least a better greeting between old friends. Who’s the young woman in the car, and what does she know?”

“Sindee is the reason I called you as she doesn’t know anything yet.” I turned to wave Sindee into the driveway smiling as I did so to reassure her nothing was wrong. I walked over and opened the car door for her. “Sindee I’d like to introduce you to Marcus, he was a neighbor before I moved her. Marcus, this is obviously Sindee.”

“It’s my pleasure to meet you ma’am,” was Marcus’s statement and he took her hand. His body jerked a little as he had to stop himself from kissing the back of her hand. Something of an old fashioned gesture for someone appearing as young as he did.

Sindee took his hand, “Nice to meet you as well Marcus. Please call me Sindee, ma’am makes me feel like an old lady. So what brings you to Las Vegas?”

Fortunately she was looking at Marcus as I’m the look on my face revealed that I had no idea what to tell her. Marcus on the other hand was apparently better at thinking on his feet this evening as he replied, “I’m getting ready to start classes at UNLV. I’ll be staying in dorm on campus; however the room won’t be ready until tomorrow, fumigation. Andy there had sent me an email when he moved into town and then again when he moved here. I can’t check into a hotel, they won’t allow minors to stay alone even if they graduated high school at 15. I came hoping to ask him to get me a hotel room for the night.”

Thank god for Marcus’s brain and Sindee’s heart because her response. “Nonsense Marcus, you’re staying here tonight, and you’re welcome to stay a few days to visit if you’d like. I’m sure Andy would like the company.” She smiled as she called me Andy, so did Marcus as he knew how I felt about that particular nickname.

“Thank you Sindee, I appreciate that. Tell me how is it you know Andy please.” Marcus picked up his bad from beside my car as we continued the conversation.

The rest of the night passed with Sindee and Marcus getting to know each other. Her relating the tale of how we met and then came back together while Marcus told her, and by extension me, about his current back story shortened to match a 16 year old genius instead of the man he was last time we saw each other. I planned to talk to him at length and find out what happened to him soon. Sindee and Marcus hit it off like old friends, which would make things simpler having him around considering their age differences, both their visually disparate ages and well as the years that separated their actual ages.

We all spent the next day together just hanging out, introduced Marcus to some of Sindee’s friends and got him settled into his dorm room. He wasn’t kidding about setting himself up as a current student at UNLV. I still hadn’t had the time to talk to him about any of the many issues I was juggling at the moment, nor about what happened to him when we left him at the dorm that evening. We were leaving the campus when a feeling passed over me that I can’t properly explain. I know it came from my connection to the Magick but had no idea what it meant. My life was getting to be way to interesting even for me. We drove back to Sindee’s, the whole way that feeling becoming more and more oppressive. It didn’t feel like I was being watched either directly or by Magick as I would have felt that; not being able to identify the feeling was putting my nerves through the wringer to the point that I was unable to keep my face from showing some concern.

“Andrew, you look like someone stepped on your grave. What’s bothering you?”
“I’m not sure, you ever just get one of those feelings that you can’t explain? The kind that you know there’s something wrong or coming but you have no idea what it is?” I replied without thinking. “I just got this sense of something …..” I trailed off as I realized two very important things. First, I was very close to talking of Magick and my gifts with Sindee, and second I remembered when I felt something similar to this; the night it woke me up a little over five years ago.

As I went quiet, Sindee looked over at me and immediately pulled over. She put her hand to my neck checking my pulse, “Andrew, you’re very pale, is everything alright?” I didn’t know how to answer that one, my heart was racing at the thought of losing Sindee like I had most of my family.

I knew my heart had to be racing and I didn’t want Sindee to decide I needed to go to the hospital. I focused on my breathing and slowing my heart down. “I’ll be fine Sindee, just an Anxiety attack for some reason. Let’s just get home, have a glass of wine and relax. You’re the only doctor I want to see tonight.” I was sure about the feeling but didn’t know what it meant. Did it have to do with a new Mage awakening, was it something to do with another attack like back then. My heart rate was starting to pick up again so I looked over into Sindee’s amazing eyes and slowed my breathing. I used her eyes for a focus in meditating, thinking of the time we’ve spent together, the stories she told me of her growing up. My heart slowed and my breathing became normal after a few minutes.

Once I had calmed down Sindee reluctantly agreed to drive back to her house and not the hospital. The feeling faded as we moved closer to the house and I was able to relax more, it was still in the back of my mind but felt more distant. It still concerned me a lot as I didn’t know the meaning behind it. Sindee and I decided to go to bed early, after lying down I feel asleep easily with her in my arms but the sleep was restless. I dreamed of the night I awakened and lost my mother and sisters. Dreams and memory usually fade with time; however one of the Mind Magick spells I used on myself was to improve my memory giving me total recall. A very useful gift in most situations but when you have to relive the worst night of your life in horrifying detail, seeing things that you didn’t process at the time like the blood pooling out on the floor from my father’s skull or the look of pure terror in my mother’s eyes when that man grabbed me by the neck. Every second in the dream felt like an eternity and even though I knew it was a dream I couldn’t wake myself. I finally snapped awake after reliving the entire attack, Sindee was leaning over me looking at me face. She pulled me against her and held me tight after seeing the look of anguish on my face.

I’d not dreamed of that night since shortly after getting out of the hospital that first time. After reliving it in such detail I felt raw and drained, like I went through a wringer. Sindee just continued to hold me and whisper soothingly into my ear that I would be ok, she was here for me. I pulled her tight into me wrapping her tightly in my arms and just let the tension leave me. It had been a half hour before Sindee fell asleep. I already knew I wasn’t going to sleep the rest of the night between the strange sense I’d had earlier in the evening and the nightmare of my Awakening. I got out of bed careful not to wake Sindee. I walked into the other room and got a small case out of my suitcases. The case held what Mages call Foci, object used for focusing our Magick. Mages who belong to the organizations that specialize in different Spheres are trained from the beginning to use Foci. Those Mages are unable to cast spells safely without their Foci, the tradeoff for them was that it made learning to cast easier. I never learned about Foci until after I learned to cast. I kept the Foci in the case for use with certain spells and effects. I looked through the case to the Foci I used for Correspondence, the Sphere related to distance and space. I pulled out the little charm I had given to Jamie and brought with me when I left home. It was a gold infinity loop on a necklace. I had to reasons for giving it to hear, first as I used it for focusing my spells I had a connection that would allow me to find it over great distance. The second and more important reason is the infinity loop was a representation of my feeling toward Sindee. Somehow looking at the Infinity Loop I knew we were meant to be together.

I took the necklace and charm in their little box out of the case and put the case back in my luggage. I looked at the clock and knew Sindee’s alarm would be going off in about another hour. I decided to make her breakfast in bed, I know it’s not a grand romantic gesture but I’ve also come to know it’s the little gestures at the right moments that most women remember with the most fondness. I’m no chef but I can cook, so I made her a nice fluffy omelet with sausage, cheese and salsa. A glass of Orange Juice and the all-important cup of coffee as well as some toast completed the meal. I threw a robe on and quickly snuck out back to pick a rose for the tray. I found a small almost dead rose plant poking over the fence. I pulled a bud that hadn’t bloomed from it and went back into the kitchen. I focused on the flower and my feeling for Sindee into the flower. The dry stem turned from brown back to green and thickened as the Magick gave back the life that the desert had been pulling from it. I slipped the stem into a thin vase allowing the stem to pull in the water. The flower itself started to grow and open revealing a perfect white rose, as the spell came to an end a single petal of the rose turned into a copper red color like Sindee’s hair. I carried the tray in just as her alarm went off. Sindee reached over and hit the switch killing the alarm. She reached over to her side finding the bed empty I heard a mumble that sounded a lot like my name before she sat up in bed and looked around the room.

I walked over to her side of the bed when she looked around and spotted me, “Good morning Beautiful, I thought you deserved to be pampered this morning.”

Her eyes lit up as she changes positions letting me set the tray down in front or her, “Thank you Andrew, you know you didn’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I knew that, and you more than deserve it. Last night was hard, and probably would have been impossible if we weren’t together. I have no idea what I’d do without you. I have something else for you as well.” I pulled the little box with necklace out of my robe pocket and handed it to Sindee, “That was something I gave to Jaime when she was six, I told her that the infinity loop symbolized forever and that was how long I would love my little sister. I love you and want you to want you to know that love is also infinite.” I stopped talking and could see the tears in her green eyes as I said all this.

Sindee lifted the tray off her lap setting it to the side on the bed and stood up, “I love you too, I was afraid to say anything about it because we’ve only really know each other for a few months and didn’t want to scare you away.” She stopped talking and stood on her toes as I leaned down to kiss her. This was a slow gentle kiss, with all the passion and attraction we felt for each other tempered by the emotions we shared. I felt something strange in my connection to the Magick, but it felt right, not like the sensation from the night before. When we broke the kiss, Sindee pulled the necklace out of the box and handed it to me. Reaching back behind her head, she turned to face away from me and moved her long silken hair out of the way so I could put in on her. We sat down on the bed and shared the breakfast I made for her. We both wanted to stay in for the day but Sindee had an early morning staff meeting at the hospital today and I had to meet the architect again to work on the plans. Even being a Mage with an affinity for Time Magick there sometime weren’t enough hours in the day to do what you wanted.

Sindee and I got ready for our days, she had her meeting and lunch with the girls before needing to come home and sleep for work that night. I needed to see the architect then needed to go find Marcus and get the real story of what happened to him. Last item on my list was perhaps the most dangerous. I planned to do a Seeking…..


Chapter 6

After Sindee left for her meeting I had to get started on my day. First thing I did was call Marcus and arrange to pick him up after I finished at the Architect’s office. We went over the plans and finalized most of the design aspects. There were still a few details that had to be worked out and some additions that I might be adding before we started the process of finding the builders. I left the architect’s office feeling good about how the design was coming along and headed for the campus.

I pulled up to Marcus’s dorm to find him on the steps waiting, flirting with the freshmen girls shamelessly. I smiled and laughed as I spotted a couple of them following him with their eyes, only Marcus could get the attention of College women when he looked like a high school freshman. He jumped in the car smiling as he waved back at the women he was talking to as pulled out of the parking lot. “So you going to tell me what happened to you, or do you want me to guess?” I asked filling my tone with humor.

“The short answer is I screwed up Andrew.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that statement, “what’s the long answer? Details please.”

Marcus took a deep breath before starting. “I guess it all began right after we parted ways. I’m sure you remember Jackson and what he said about knowing what I am. When I stunned him with the spell, I took the time to heal the damage and make him forget he found me. I couldn’t remove the knowledge he had of me being a Mage as he had related to the rest of his family as he said. The information would have come flooding back the first time one of them explained it to him unless I wiped all of his memory. I wasn’t willing to do that kind of damage to the child of my oldest friends, so placed the suggestion that he had found a clue to my whereabouts down in Florida. I let him think I was after the Fountain of Youth; figured when he didn’t find me he might waste time looking for it. I kept on the move for 6 month following that. At the end of the 6 months I found myself up outside of Seattle hanging with a Cabal, learning from them and teaching them how to work without Foci. Two of them were exceptionally talented with Time and taught me a few new tricks.” He paused here, took a breath like he was gathering his thoughts or bracing for something coming, “You remember when I told you to never try a complex spell unless you were sure you knew what you were altering?”

I nodded and kept my expression neutral, “yeah, so what did do that caused this?”

“I told you once before that every Mage finds a way on their own for extending their life span. Mine worked well enough, except there were a few things that weren’t as effectively repaired as I had hoped. Life Magick can repair the damage that is done and keep you healthy, slow the aging process but you still do age. I combined a few other Spheres into my method; however I had never learned or understood Time Magick as well as I would have preferred to incorporate it. I thought I had learned and understood enough so I altered the spell I use for myself. The spell didn’t backfire so much as I didn’t have complete control over it due to a lack of understanding the nature of Time Magicks. I ended up at 13 years old, so I called in a favor, got an ID and even school transcripts. Jackson and his family won’t be looking for a kid so I figured I’d be safe for a while. I found a state home up there to get me into the foster system and went back to school. I decided I would graduate early as it was easier to be a genius then it was to hide my intellect. I was looking for a school up there when you called the cut out. The number you left was 702, so I knew it was NV, and took a chance it was somewhere in Vegas. Once I got here I traced you through Correspondence. Sindee’s house showed up as the place you spent most of your time. So I decided to wait there. That’s the whole long story.”

“Well Marcus, the only thing I can so to the Magick disaster is you need to learn to follow your own advice. However, you’re probably right that Jackson and his family won’t be looking for a kid. Any other side effects to you powers or anything else?” I asked.

“None thankfully. Now you called me, so I’m guessing you needed help with something. After meeting Sindee and seeing the two of you together, I can guess what you need but I want the whole story as well. Details please.” Marcus’s expression show he was considering what I was about to say carefully.

I took the deep breath this time, settling my thoughts. “We’ve already told you how Sindee and I met originally, and how we came back together. I initially assumed it was just a crush or physical attraction on my part. I’ve never been both happier and scared to have been wrong about something. I’m happy as spending time with her feels right, scared because right now we live in two different realities, and mine puts her life in danger. I called you originally to ask for your advice and possibly aid in attempting to awaken her safely. If you aid me, we can focus the spell through me. I’ll add an additional effect using prime to draw any backlash to me.” I stopped by a drive in and grabbed us lunch. A suggestion for having conversations that you want no one else to hear is to take a drive. “What I need to talk to you about right now however happened last night. First this is that right after we dropped you off, I had a feeling like the one that woke me up the night my family was attacked. It wasn’t identical but very close and it stayed with me to the point where I dreamed of the attack in full vivid detail. The second happened early this morning. I gave Sindee one of my Foci that I don’t use, the Infinity Loop I used for Correspondence when I was doing something complicated. After I put it on her and while we kissed I felt something from my Avatar.” I spoke many times before now of the connection to Magick a Mage has but never gave any detail. The Avatar is the source of that connection. Get any idea of cartoons or online Identities or large blue skinned aliens out of your head. A Mage’s Avatar is a Spirit connecting that exists on another plane. I’ll explain more about the Avatar later. “I’d like your advice and assistance with a Seeking.”

Marcus’s looked me surprised than I had ever seen anyone, then raised his voice as he practically yelled at me, “I’d ask you if you were fucking insane, but I already know the answer is yes.” He calmed down a little after yelling. I drove in silence for a few minutes before he started to speak again. “I’ll assist with the awakening, I like Sindee and think she’s strong willed enough to handle it. The Seeking is another story. You realize that most Mages never attempt one because of the inherent dangers involved. Of the Mages that make the attempt few succeed, some have even completely lost the ability to touch Magick. I know I can’t stop you from trying it so I’ll answer your questions. Convince me of the necessity of doing this Seeking and I’ll assist.”

That was more than I expected and less than I was hoping for but a good start. Marcus started to explain more about the nature of Seekings and Avatars in more detail than before. “What makes a Seeking so Dangerous is that a Mage is trying to communicate directly with their Avatar. As I said the Avatar is a Spirit, not to be confused with ghosts and other restless dead. There are Spirits for everything on this plane from forests and animals to constructs like your cell phone and house, they are everywhere. The old gods from mythology were such spirits in some cases. As powerful as those old gods and spirits are they are part of this plane of existence. The plane of Magick isn’t accessible directly to any except the Spirits that inhabit it. Those spirits while varying in form and power take two form when they come to our plane. Avatars and Familiars, we’ll speak of familiars another time. As you already, Avatars are the source of power and knowledge that a Mage draws upon to use Magick. While the Mage gets the ability to use Magick, the Avatars get a connection to our world and also gain power and knowledge, a very symbiotic relationship. A Mage and their Avatar rarely if ever speak or interact with each other beyond the passing of power and wisdom back and forth. A Seeking allows a Mage to communicate directly with their Avatar. The danger involved come from a few areas, first Avatars don’t actually speak so the communication is in the mind which has to be open between the Mage and the Avatar. No hiding portions of it, no shields because in effect the Mage and Avatar become one being on a journey through planes together. The second area of danger is that the primary purpose of a seeking is to make the bond between them stronger granting the ability to drawn upon and use more Magick at a given time, the Seeking forces the duo to fight and earn the power they gain. This journey and fight differ for every Mage. The fight doesn’t have to be combat, it has been reported by some Mages as a conquering of their inner demons, and others spoke of surmounting their weaknesses of character. Combat both physical and with Magick have been reported as well. Failing a Seeking has resulted in everything from Death to the worse punishment, from a Mages perspective, losing the ability to touch Magick entirely. I don’t know how long you’ll be in the seeking, but while you’re in that state you’ll be vulnerable anyone who wants to take a shot at you so you’ll need a secure place to do this.” He stopped explaining what happened during a seeking. “Now convince me why you have to do this if you want me to help you do it.”

I drove in silence for a few more minutes, gathering my thoughts on how to convince Marcus to help me with the Seeking. “The first reason I need to do this has to do with my arrival in Vegas. After running into Sindee again I looked back along my path here using Time and Entropy Spheres. I found that while no other Mage had influenced me into coming here, I had been guided by the Magick itself. The second reason is because the feeling I got last night, I think it was some kind of warning from the Magick or quite possibly my Avatar. I only suggest this because on the night of my Awakening I was woken from a sound sleep, alerted to the danger before it got to my. Later the same evening after the evil bastard had picked me up by my throat; I heard a voice telling me to accept what I was seeing and fight. The warning from last night may have been about any of us, Sindee, you or even me again.” I paused here for a few minutes to let what I said so far sink in. I continued driving us around town. After about ten minutes I gave Marcus one more reason, “The last reason is the most important one. I love Sindee more than I can put into words and this Seeking may be the only way to get the information or power I need to protect her and anyone else from what I fear is coming.” I drove on in silence, focusing on the road and motion to keep my mind busy.

A half an hour passed as we continued driving, I had taken around the city on the highway while we spoke. I decided to drive towards the land I purchased for my house while I waited for him to come to his decision. Marcus finally broke the silence buy clearing his throat before responding, “When and where do you want to do this?”

I pulled over and turned to face him, “First, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Andrew, I don’t want to do this at all, but you convinced me that it must be done and I’d rather help you than lose a friend because I didn’t do what I could to help. You said first so I’m assuming there’s a second….” He looked at me expectantly.

“Second is simple, thank you. If you ever need my aid in anything tell me and I’ll be there. As for when and where, one night this week out in the middle of nowhere to make sure no one else is around to put us in danger or be endangered. I need a day or two to get some supplies together; I’m going to try a ritual I’ve been working on to possibly aid in the Seeking. The supplies will aid me in focusing the intent of the Magick I put into the Ritual.”

A small look of concern passed across Marcus’s face as he asked, “You’re sure you want to use untested ritual Magick in conjunction with a seeking? I’m just asking as you can see what happened to me when I used untested powers.”

“The ritual itself is untested; however I’ve been developing it for quite some time. I have my intent for how the Magick will work fully set in my mind and it uses Spheres for which I have a talent.” I reassured Marcus. I should tell you now the second secret I learned about using Magick. Intent, most spells that go out of control are because the intent of the Mage isn’t focused. Magick can be used just as any tool; in the hands of an amateur who doesn’t know exactly what they’re doing it’s like a sledgehammer, effective but not precise. In the hands of someone who knows exactly what they intend to do with the spells it’s like a scalpel in a master surgeons hand. Always firmly set in your mind what you intend to do with a spell before casting it. Even in the head of combat, more so, especially in the heat of combat know what you intend or be prepared to die by your own Magick because something went wrong. A focused intent will not guarantee success but it does greatly reduce the chances of a spell backfiring on the caster.

I took Marcus back to the campus so he could continue his flirting and handle his preparations. I went to one of the local occult shops and purchased some supplies. Some of the items Mages and hedge wizards use overlap; the difference comes in how they are used. For a hedge wizards, these items must be used in specific ways and specific amount for their spells to have a chance of succeeding. For a Mage, the items act as temporary Foci for desired effects. Could I have performed the ritual or spells without them, yes. Using them to focus my intent however makes casting the spell easier as well as gives me something transfer power into for maintaining the spell allowing me to concentrate on what I’m doing. Another thing about Foci and Mages is that a Mage can use almost anything to act as a focus; the items chosen usually reflect their training. Fortunately my training at Marcus’s hand taught me that Foci, while not needed, can be useful and need only apply to the Sphere or spell from my perspective. I put the supplies into the trunk of my car and headed toward Sindee’s.

I arrived back home in the early afternoon just as Sindee got back from her meeting. I told her that Marcus and I were taking an overnight camping trip this week while she was working. Sindee made lunch for the two of us and we spoke of how the morning went. Sindee told me that at she would be off of graveyard shifts in a couple of months as she had finished her residency for emergency medicine. This was great news as it would allow us to spend so much more time with each other. I had so much I wanted to tell her and even more I wanted to ask, but until she was awakened I couldn’t do so. After we finished we laid down together so that she could get some sleep for work that night. I waited until she had fallen asleep before getting out of the bed. She looked perfect lying there sleeping so peacefully, I would hate myself if she were to be hurt in any way by my actions. I sat there watching her sleep thinking about everything that has happened in the two months. Things have been getting better and simpler; I should have expected the other shoe to drop before now. I knew that the Seeking could kill me, but I couldn’t tell Sindee that I may just disappear from the face of the earth if things went that way.

I left Sindee to sleep after about an hour and went to my car. I brought the items for the ritual into the house and started to infuse them with Magick to allow them to continue the spell once cast. This was only a temporary process; infusing Magick into objects for one shot spells is easy. Creating a permanently enchanted Talisman was one of the most difficult things a Mage can do. These Magick infused objects allow even normal mortals to use the spells stored inside. After I prepared the objects for the ritual and stored them I went back into the bedroom and lay back down with Sindee. I placed my arm over her side taking the Infinity Loop into my hand. I focused the intent of my Magick and drew power from several Spheres infusing a spell into the pendant. If all went well while I was doing the Seeking the Charm would do nothing at all and I’d remove the spell the next time we were together. If she was put into mortal danger while I was away the Charm would save her through several different means. If she suffered a fatal injury it would heal the damage allowing her to survive and seek medical attention, I also infused a bit of counter magick into it so if a caster threw a spell at her it would fail, unless it was more powerful than the counter spell I put inside. In that event the final measure I put into the Charm would take effect, Sindee would instantly traverse the distance between us appearing at my side. This last effect would create a severe backlash, but to save her life I would accept it. The only downside to that last measure as it would alter Sindee’s perception of reality causing her mind to awaken to the greater reality. We already discussed the possible end results to this which is why I hoped it wouldn’t be needed so Marcus and I could guide her to the awakening. I released the pendant and pulled her close to me, wrapping her small frame in my arms just resting peacefully with her.

After Sindee left for work I set about adding some security to the house. Marcus reminded me that Mages can track people through Magick in a variety of ways; I figured he tracked the signature of my castings. When a Mage alters reality they leave an echo of their power in the area. This echo or resonance can be used to identify an individual Mage if you’ve seen their castings before, and since he trained me, Marcus knew my signature as I did his. The more coincidental the Magick the less of a resonance it leaves behind. In order to make it more difficult for anyone else who may have been looking for my resonance I placed wards around the items I had altered. Wards didn’t change and alter reality as much as bend Magick around them. They left no resonance and were almost impossible to detect even if you knew to look for them. The ones I placed here would only be temporary but should hold up until whatever I felt coming was over and I was able to complete my Sanctum. That evening passed quickly as did the following day.

On the second evening after Sindee left for work I drove to pick Marcus up from the dorm. When I arrived I used sensory magick to look for any trace of mages other than Marcus here on the campus. I didn’t see much and none of the resonance I could see showed a destructive nature to the casters spells. I waited for a few minutes and when Marcus hadn’t come out to meet me as we arranged I sent a text letting him know I was waiting. When Marcus came out it was with one of the freshmen I saw him flirting with a couple days before, both of their clothes looked rumpled. Marcus waved and jumped into the passenger seat smiling. I drove out of town heading for the fastest route out of town. We drove a couple hours into the empty desert so I didn’t have to worry about any sleepers wandering by. I parked the car at the end of a service road and grabbed my supplies from the trunk. Marcus and I walked out into the desert for about a half hour until we were in an area with no other signs of human life.

I stared of by using the Life Sphere to extend my senses and make sure there was nothing else alive out here. I found plenty of plants and insects like scorpions and snakes. I also felt some kind of canine, I figured it was a coyote out this far. I decided this was a good enough area and started to spread the crystals infused with magic into a circle around the area I intended to use for the Seeking. I placed nine to form a ring and a tenth at the very center of the ring and sent my magick into the last one. Immediately a line of sand stretched from the center crystal to each of the outer ring turning the sand into glass as it did so. The crystals in the ring spread a connecting line forming a physical circle in the sand that turned to glass like the lines connecting to the center. Once the circle was fully manifested I stopped the flow of magick for the time being. In each wedge formed but the glass I etched into the sand a glyph representing each of the Spheres infusing magick from each into the matching representation. I finished the preparations for my spell and looked to Marcus who was standing outside the ring, “Last chance to change your mind,” I called to him.

Marcus stepped forward into the circle and replied, “Too late for me, you can still change your mind thought.” I gave him a withering look at that and he continued speaking, “I figured that would be the response. You convinced me this was needed and I agreed to help, you can’t get rid of me now.”

I let my face show how much his aid meant to me, “As this is a seeking and the ritual spell will contain the Magick used within ward against outside Magick, repelling some absorbing the rest, I’ll activate the protection and start the seeking from the Spirit Sphere’s Wedge. After I start the seeking if you need to break the protection of the ritual remove the center crystal. Thank you again for being here.” I sat facing the glyph representing spirit magic. Closing my eyes activated the protection of the ritual, all around us a shield appeared blurring reality. All around the circle and within the fabric of reality that separated the planes would be lowered making communication and travel easier. I dropped all the shields I kept around my mind and drew upon the Spirit Magick to bridge the gap between this plane and my Avatar.

I continued to relax my mind letting the raw power of Magick fill me doing nothing to alter or direct the flow. I felt a pull from my Avatar, no longer sensing the world around me I opened my eyes. The desert and Marcus were gone; the landscape I was seeing made no sense to me at all. I was floating in the sky miles above a cityscape. Looking around there was nothing but gray stone buildings from horizon to horizon; every one of them identical to the rest. This caused a feeling of foreboding that flowed within me. I heard again that voice from years ago, “Stasis, the end of Magick in the world. Without Magick change stops, reality decays.” We were still floating as time seemed to pass backward below in the world. The building began to disappear and life could be seen, animals, plants and people moving around the world. Then the view changed again as time seemed to flow forward again. The world began to speed up, wars started. And the destruction mounted Mages started popping up everywhere fighting with Magick openly, no backlashes keeping this destruction in check, stopping people from changing the world at will. Soon the world was covered in ashes and craters, cities gone, all life extinct and the voice came again, “Chaos, Magick out of control in too many hands, a Mage war fought in the open, all life destroyed, Stasis comes again.” These images faded as I was shown the world again, wars and battles being fought in secret, Mages and other supernatural creatures hiding their wars from the rest of humanity. I was shown this war for centuries in our world, battles won and lost by both sides, neither gaining ground to quickly until the last century as cities and buildings taking over landscape, creatures of mythology disappearing as though they never existed, belief in unknown going away, Stasis taking over. The Voice came again, “Stasis is the end result of the war if either side succeeds in their goals. The point of the war is not to win but to bring Ascension to all people, not to impose the beliefs of one side over the other. Fight for Humanity as you have been empowered to do so, not to gain for yourself,” the voice cut off as abruptly as it started. The idea of Ascension was important to all Mages. As I understood it, a Mage who gained enough knowledge and power could ultimately become a higher being, a god of sorts. There were many theories from as many different sources as to what that meant for the Mage in question. The two most popular being that they did in fact ascend to become th God or Creator of a new plain, controlling the paradigm of that reality, and the second was that they ultimately became Avatars or Familiars for future mages. If the knowledge I just received was any indication; Ascension was not limited to Mages but to all creatures whether Human or other Supernatural.

The world in front of me changed as well as my perspective of it. I was now back in the mountains watching as the man I remembered approached a cabin. I followed him as he closed with the building remaining in the shadows, unseen and unheard by those inside. I knew what I was seeing, the night of my Awakening. I felt the desire to stop this man from going in, using the power I have now to stop him. I started to move silently towards him when I stopped. I knew that Mages have lost their powers during a Seeking and that what happened in here could manifest itself in the world outside this vision. If I stopped him I could save my family before anything happened, I’d most likely never Awaken if I did. The ultimate question of Paradox, can a man invent a time machine, go back and kill himself before he invented it. This situation was a little different, if I killed this man before he entered the cabin and caused my Awakening I would save my family, but with the knowledge I’ve been given since starting this Seeking would be lost. I reached out with Magick sensing those in the Cabin and realized that I was sound asleep with no sign of stirring. I reach into the back of my younger mind, into the primal portions of it and pressed Magick into the danger sense. I pulled back as soon as the mind snapped into consciousness, knowing now where that first warning came from. That more than anything else so far in this journey made me worry as the feeling I had the other night was similar and I had no idea where it came from.

Suddenly the world shifted around me again and I was standing alone in an open field surrounded by trees. Across from me stood another man, the power coming from his was dark and palpable. His face was hooded, and the clothing was covered in blood and gore. His eyes hidden within the hood glowed green in the twilight as we faced each other. He pointed at me and a bolt of energy leapt across the gap between us, by sheer reflex I managed to throw counter magick to stop the spell. “You are the cause of my pain, you failed to protect them all.” A gravelly voice shouted as another bolt of energy flew at me. I stayed quiet, focusing on my defense as the being in front of me was powerful and knew his spells by Rote so he could cast them at will. I dove to the side, going into s shoulder roll as I cast the Rote activating my sensory magick that combine all sphere so I would know what he was using to attack. I felt electricity gathering in the air and threw up my most power counter spell using forces as lightning struck down from the sky repeatedly striking the spot I was standing. I felt every strike as it hit my shield and the last penetrated my defense. I was in pure agony as the raw power traveled though my body burning tissue and nerves as it did so. I dropped to my knees barely able to take a breath with the pain I was in. The man crossed the field to stand over me and pulled back the hood. The face was marked with scars and age. The expression of anger twisted features that I couldn’t have recognized for the years on them, but the eyes I knew. They showed an eternity of pain and knowledge in them, but I knew them, I saw them every time I looked into a mirror. The man continued to yell, “You could have given up the power and saved our family. You chose magick over them. You will make choices in the future that I can no longer live with. I am going to erase us both from existence to stop you here and now.” I hear the insanity in the voice and words and felt him pull upon all the Spheres at once, drawing into himself more power than I any mage could wield. That was when I sensed something that nearly froze me in place, the power wasn’t from an Avatar but a malevolent being feeding on the rage. I reacted by pure reflex and wrapped the consciousness of my Avatar into my own and opened myself as a conduit for Magick itself drawing in any power thrown at me and sending it through us into the Plane of Magick. This would either work or I would die, but I knew killing myself in a seeking was not an option. The power was thrown in its raw for with the only intention of destroying us both. As the power hit and was pulled in I could feel every cell of my body, it was like each cell had an infinite number of nerves each only capable of feeling pain. While a normal nerve could only feel so much before numbing this felt like it went on forever. When the being assisting my other self tried to stop the flow of power I reached out through the pain and continued to drain the power just letting it flow through me. When the power stopped the man before me had no Magick and the being supporting him was gone. The older version of me stood and faced me as I lay there on the ground exhausted from the pain, “Protect her no matter what else happens or you will again become what you saw before you.” As he spoke the last word the world around me went black.

When I came to the sky was starting to brighten, I took a deep breath feeling like I had been on fire and coughed. Marcus’s voice came from my right, “About time you woke up, I think we’re in trouble.”

I sat up, my body protesting the movement and looked around me to see the source of Marcus’s concern. Around us, outside of the circle was a pack of wolves circling. My first thought was to reach out with mind magic and chase them off. I realized immediately that wasn’t an option as I was exhausted mentally and emotionally from the Seeking. The next thing I realized was the large bi-pedal wolf standing behind the others. The next thought to come to mind also came out of my mouth, “We’re fucked…..”


Chapter 7


There we were, Marcus and I, out in the middle of the desert and mountains outside of Las Vegas. I had survived my Seeking; I still didn’t know what I gained from it other than knowledge. Sitting there; in the middle of a protective ring of Magick looking at an entire pack of Werewolves circling right outside the barrier. Now these weren’t the monsters of Hollywood movies and literature. I knew only a little about Were-creatures; the main point being that despite what the myths said, you were either born into a bloodline of were-creatures or not. Surviving as attack was pure chance and you didn’t become a were creature because of it. Second difference was they could shift forms at will, hence the 9’8” monster standing there looking at us at sunrise. Marcus turned and looked at me, “Trying for the understatement of the century Andrew?”

“It’s worse than you think, I’m too exhausted to focus on Magick and the power infused into the crystals is going to run out before I’m ready to help.” I wasn’t joking either; I couldn’t even pull enough Magick to refresh my mind and body enough to move normally. The thing about Magick is that while you are powerful, using too much at once takes its toll on the body.

The look Marcus gave me spoke volumes about his opinion of that, “I’ve never done a ritual like this circle for anything. If I was planning to do anything as dangerous as what you did, I went to one of my Sanctums. How long do we have?”

“I don’t know. You think they’ll have the patience to wait us out?”

“They started arriving right after you cast your spell last night and went into meditation for the Seeking. The first few just trotted out of the desert, sat down and starting howling. After that, several more arrived just appearing like a Mage using Correspondence. I didn’t sense any Magick in use; however there are spirits all over them and this place now. What exactly did this ritual of yours do?”

I had the decency to look chagrined when I sat up and looked at Marcus to explain. “In addition to the protective aspects that I told you about it weakened the barrier between planes. I figured it would make communicating with my Avatar for the Seeking easier.”

For the second time in a few minutes Marcus looked at me like I was insane, “You weakened the barrier between Planes?! How in the hell did you even come up with an idea like that let alone find the power to do it?!?! And what the fuck made you think it was a good idea to do so?!?!?!?!” Marcus voice increased in tone and volume as he yelled those questions at me.

“For one, you taught me that the only limits to what could be done with Magick were imagination and knowledge. I’ve been doing some reading on theoretical physics. You know we can get into this later, we have bigger things to worry about right now.” I said as I pointed out the situation that started this conversation in the first place. Leave it to Mages to lose sight of the immediate problem and focus on the minor issues.

Marcus looked around us thoroughly assessing the situation we were in. While we both knew either of us could simply move us away instantly through Correspondence, after his describing the arrival of our….friends, we didn’t know if that would help. There was the distinct possibility of them being able to follow us through the traveling. I stood and looked at the big Werewolf, what were wolves doing in the desert around Las Vegas anyway, and looked him in the eyes. Right after I made eye contact he looked a lot angrier than he already had been. I broke eye contact; that calmed him only a little. I thought back to what I knew about wild wolves and canines in general and realized that I had presented what could have been seen as a challenge to a 9 foot tall being that could palm my chest in one hand. “Marcus, don’t look them in the eyes. Wolves see that as a challenge and I think it would make them angrier.”

“Could you have remembered that before you pissed off the big one Andrew?” Marcus’s tone was one of pure sarcasm, no way to mistake his meaning. The strangest thing happened next, and I realize just how strange that has to be when you consider the reality I live in, the wolves surrounding us let out low barking yips. And I swear on all that I care for and believe, the large werewolf actually laughed at us. I wasn’t comforted by the reaction. Marcus however was a little faster with an idea than I was, in my defense, I was still exhausted. Marcus turned toward the big werewolf and looked him squarely in the chest, not making eye contact and said, “If you’re willing we’d like to talk and resolve this with as little bloodshed, ours as much as yours, as we possibly can.”

I was impressed by his quick thinking and glad he was here with me, otherwise I don’t think I’d have gotten through this. The wolves spread out, moving a little distance away from the barrier and lay down in the sand. This gave us a better view of the larger wolf, there was a scar running from the right hip across the chest to the left shoulder. It was about 4 to 6 inches wide as it crossed the intestines and stomach area, that wide of a scar also meant deep. That wound would have killed almost anything, yet he stood there daunting in all his glory, the stories about werewolves regenerating injuries quickly must have been true. That was another point against us if this came to a fight. The strangest thing I noticed was the weapon; a huge jagged, ruggedly forged blade that was attached to his side looked to be made of silver. That made no sense to me so I assumed it was some kind of highly polished steel. My energy was returning slowly as we waited to see what would happen when the barrier failed, I touched the matter sphere to sense the blade. When my probe stopped before getting to the werewolf I thought they could use counter magic of some kind. A few seconds later I remembered that my ritual designed to keep us safe also kept Magick in, my brain just didn’t want to get into gear this morning. As I was berating myself for being so slow today three people and 4 more of those large bipedal wolves stepped out of nowhere into the space the others had cleared. Marcus jumped in surprise as he saw this and turned to me, “I didn’t sense anything this time either Andrew. What’s going on here?”

I managed a brief laugh, at least I had realized one thing faster than Marcus for a change. “The barrier keeps what’s inside in and out there from entering, that was the intent. A Mage could cause a tempest as we watched and we wouldn’t feel anything.”

The new Werewolves varied in size, though they were all well above 8 feet, I think one of them topped 10. Of the 3 people who arrived with them, they varied in age and appearance. One of them stepped up to the barrier and spoke, “You asked to speak with us, what are you doing here Mage?”

My fault Marcus was here, my mess to clean up. I stepped up the barrier in front of the one who spoke. She appeared to be around 35 to 40, long dark hair braided, blue eyes so dark they were almost black. She was dressed simply in a peasant skirt and tank top. I asked her, “Who are you and how do you know I’m a Mage?”

She smiled, while beautiful, it somehow didn’t set me at ease. “I am Seeker of Truth of the Desert Moon Pack, since you are wanting introductions, who are you?”

“I am Andrew Graves and my companion is Marcus. I ask again, how do you know I’m a Mage?” I kept my face impassive, trying not to betray me feelings when dealing with an unknown.

Seeker of Truth simply waved her hand pointing at the barrier and sigils etched into the sand, “This barrier I have never encountered before but the Spirits tell me they cannot enter the circle, nor can those inside with you leave. This is not the gifts of my people doing this. I can hear your hearts beat and smell the scents from your bodies meaning you are alive. I know some of the Sigils in the ground represent the Magick of mages as I’ve seen them before. And you spoke of Magick with your companion, as my companions have told me.”

Score several points for her, I couldn’t exactly deny what she had said and I needed to be honest if I was going to try and get us out of here alive. “Fair enough, you are right about all of that. I was here to perform a Seeking, communicating with a Spirit of Magick from another plane. The spell is dangerous to the Mage and if things go wrong to those around them. I chose to come out here into the desert and cast the protection ritual to reduce the risk to other. Marcus came along to aid in protecting me from the Seeking itself. If we are trespassing on your land I apologize, the protection spell will leave no trace that we were ever here once we leave.” I spoke as though I was sure we were leaving peacefully as that is what I wanted. I didn’t posture or threaten.

She laughed at the, but it was friendly not threatening. “You are so sure you’re walking out of here, but not acting as though we are helpless before the powers of a Mage. We may actually be able to be friends. We too seek knowledge from Spirits and wish to know why the barrier between planes was suddenly weak here. If you can help us with this you may leave in peace, we may be able to arrange a way for you to become a friend of our Pack in time, but let us start this slowly. Can you, or will you tell me how the veil became weaker here than anywhere else in the area?”

I chose to continue the honesty, if we could become friends and possibly allies it was important for me to make this happen. I wasn’t sure what she meant by the veil, but I guessed she meant the barrier between plains. “The ritual that I performed to for the protective barrier had other effects as part of it. First was the protection, keep my Magick within and anything else outside of the circle. Second was weakening the barrier between the planes to make communication with the Spirit I sought easier. I bound all my knowledge of Magick into the spell to focus my mind and power into the Seeking, maintaining my body and life while I was not conscious of either. I can drop the barrier at any time from within, however the effect of the spell will also disappear when the Magick stored in the objects I used runs out.” As the last word came out of my mouth the barrier dropped, the glass etchings in the sand turned back into dust and blended with the rest of the sand. “Just like that,” I said, keeping the worry out of my voice.

“Can you repeat the process of weakening the veil, or does that only work with this ritual?” Seeker of Truth asked with some excitement in her voice.

“I can do so most of the time; right now as your companions have no doubt informed you I am tired and unable to focus on Magick. I will give you the information needed to contact me and discuss this further if we can go so that I may rest.” I was just about to fall over and lie down in the sand if this took much longer. I slowly reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet. I pulled out a card with my numbers on it and handed it to her, “Have someone contact me when you wish to speak more and I’ll work on a way to assist you with the barrier and we can go from there, it that is acceptable to everyone.”

Seeker of Truth stepped back from me holding the card, turning to face the other two people that arrived with her. The first was man about 25, dressed like a ranch hand. He has a deep tan as you would expect from someone who worked outdoors, was around 6’3” and 190 pounds. After a brief conversation between them that we couldn’t hear she turned to the other, a young lady no older than 19. She was beautiful, bronze tanned skin with long legs. She stood about 5’11” with a swimmers build. Dirty blonde hair halfway down her back, and cool blue eyes flecked with grey completed the look. She was wearing tight denim shorts and another denim blouse over her tank top. They spent several minutes talking when Seeker handed the young woman my card and walked back over to us.

“You and your companion are free to leave these lands. Do not return here unless invited to do so. My granddaughter Kyra,” she pointed at the young woman she was speaking to, “will contact you soon to arrange a meeting between us. Kyra is a student in Las Vegas so it will be easier for her to call you. I am very interested in discussing how we may be able to work together in the future. Go in peace.” After she finished speaking they all took a step and disappeared. When I say all of them I mean the wolves, bipedal werewolves and even the people. Now with the barrier down I felt the working of spirits in their travel.

Marcus and I headed back to where the car was parked, and though he looked about 15 I handed my keys to him as I was in no condition to drive back into the city. Marcus and I discussed the events of the previous evening with me explaining everything I learned of the Ascension War and Stasis as well as the fact that I warned myself of the attack on the night of my awakening. I felt sorry for anyone trying to figure out that Time Travel Paradox and remaining a shred of their sanity. As with all Magick I accepted that it happened and didn’t try to explain why it was or wasn’t possible. I told him that the warning I got the other night may have been from another version of myself on another timeline or Plane letting me know something else was coming and soon. We couldn’t figure out if it was luck or fate that let us survive the encounter with Werewolves and just agreed it was both. I went to sleep right after this as he drove us all the way back to Sindee’s house. He woke me once we pulled into the driveway. I took him inside with me and made a brunch for three waking Sindee for the day to start he weekend. She was getting more and more beautiful every day I spent with her. I decided that Marcus and I were going to attempt the awakening this weekend. Now I just had to be prepared to lose her because she couldn’t deal with the reality of what I was or the world I live in……


Chapter 8

After we finished eating Sindee and I got cleaned up and dressed for the day before taking Marcus to do the same at his dorm. Today was the day I decided to try and awaken Sindee. This wasn’t something I was undertaking lightly. Awakening a mortal mind to the greater world was as dangerous to them as it was to person doing it. If we were to continue our relationship, Sindee needed to know what I was and the danger that put her in. I didn’t expect to fall in love; it just snuck up on me. I hadn’t let myself feel anything beyond friendship for anyone in the last 5 years. My heart was walled off like a tomb since that horrific night. Sindee didn’t wear away at my defenses; she just entered my heart right past the wall as if she were the air I needed to breath.

I’d chosen to head out of town toward Red Rock Canyon, it was a nice climbing and hiking area on the western edge of the Las Vegas valley. Being late in July, the heat would be keeping almost everyone who may have headed out there at indoor climbing centers so there would be plenty of privacy for what we had to do. When we got there, we drove out onto the scenic loop taking the side road out to Turtlehead Peak to make sure no one was likely to come by at an inopportune moment.

Once we parked I grabbed the water and a couple of camp chairs from the trunk of the car. If I was going to fracture Sindee’s reality I wanted her to be comfortable. The three of us headed into the rocks to find a place to set camp, so to speak. It took only a few minutes to get comfortable before I knew I needed to start.

I took a few breaths to focus my mind and get my thoughts in order before I pulled on the Magick. I spread my senses and touched Marcus’s mind, linking our thoughts to allow us to act as one. Once the link was formed between us, allowing us to communicate silently, we connected to Sindee’s mind just enough to monitor her surface thoughts. We didn’t want to invade her privacy. This happened in the space of a few breaths and I began to speak. “Sindee, I have to tell you something that you will most likely find unbelievable. Despite that, I assure you, everything I’m about to say is true and if you need me to I can prove it beyond a doubt.”

“Andrew, that’s not the most comforting thing you’ve ever said to me. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt for now but speak plainly and quickly,” was Sindee’s reply. I admired her directness. She is such a kind loving woman you forget about the steel in her spine unless she has reason to show it.

I took one deep breath and started, “Magick and Mages are real, they exist in this world alongside all the other Myths and Legends such as Vampires, Werewolves and all the others that are too numerous to name right now. I know from that statement alone you’re thinking that I’m some kind of lunatic or that the trauma when I was sixteen is starting to have an effect on my mind. I assure you that I’m perfectly sane.” Her surface thought were a scramble of mixed emotion, everything from thinking I’m crazy as I said, wondering what she’d do if she lost me, debating on hearing me out and believing or running for the car and taking off for town. Those swirling emotions were a good sign as it showed that she wasn’t closing her mind to the possibility. “I’ve known all of this since shortly after our first meeting. The incident that cost me my family was the trigger for the Awakening of my power as a Mage. Think it through with your brilliant mind, I’m sure you’ve seen things in the hospital or other places that didn’t seem to make sense but you dismissed them as a coincidence or they are still nagging you at the back of your mind.” Her thought shifted again to bodies that disappeared from the morgue, blood supplies missing from the hospital.

The her mind brought up a couple of memories of me, the speed at which I recovered from the injuries that put me in the hospital, the complete lack of scarring of any sort where the staples and stitches had held my flesh together. Another image entered he mind, the single white rose with a petal the color of her hair. These images were all good signs as she seemed to be accepting everything that I had told her thus far. Sindee started to speak, “This isn’t possible, it makes no sense. How can any of this exist without everyone knowing it? I know mentally that everything you say is impossible, but I also can’t deny the memories I’m thinking about.” She continues to babble a bit, arguing both sides to herself.

I decided that now would be the right time prove to her at least some of what I was telling her was fact and hope that he mind accepted it. If it didn’t I would lose her and break both of our hearts as it would be the only way to protect her from my reality. I reached into my own connection to the Magick as well as drawing power from Marcus, using more Magick from the Spheres of Mind, Spirit and Prime. I connected more deeply with Sindee and brought our minds into sync with each other wrapping her mind and mine with the feeling and sense of my Avatar. Once this was accomplished I touched all nine Spheres and shared with Sindee what we only spoke of in the past. I first shared with her my feelings for her, letting her see that my heart was hers to do with as she pleased, that she could crush me at will. I had never left myself so open a vulnerable to anyone before. The next thing I share was my memory, vivid as the day it happened, of my Awakening. I was suddenly cast out of her mind and felt myself flying backward through the air. I sense of motion stopped as my back erupted in pain. Right before my head smacked into the same thing my back had and I backed out, my last thought was that everything went wrong and the backlash was killing me as I heard or felt several minds shouting in my head at once, too many minds.

I don’t know how long it was before I opened my eyes again, but it had been a little while. The sun had moved across the sky a fair distance and my skin felt like it was on fire. I tasted copper in my mouth; my body ached as if I had been crushed under something all day. I tried to connect to the Magick and couldn’t touch it right now. While this was a concern, I was more worried about what had happened to Sindee. I looked around quickly, regretting the hasty movement immediately as my head exploded in pain and my vision filled with stars. I didn’t care how much pain I was in, I forced myself to my feet and moved to find her. I spotted Marcus first, he looked worse for the wear but he was starting to move himself. This told me the backlash must have been worse than I expected as I had set up the spells to drawn any backlash to me. My concern for Sindee jumped threefold as I realized what that meant for her. Most Mages, myself included, who knew enough of Life Magick to heal themselves would either carry something to heal or have a spell hanging in the event they were injured. I spotted Sindee almost immediately after the concern spiked in me. She was still sitting in the chair exactly where she was when I started the explanation, not a scratch on her nor a hair out of place. I’d never seen anything like it when a spell went wrong enough to throw other participants at least thirty feet from where they started.

I staggered over to where Sindee was sitting, needing to check and see if she was alright. The memory of my Seeking haunting me as my alternate-self yelled accusations at me saying that it was my fault, I didn’t protect her, she was gone because of me. Fear was riding me like never before. I had been afraid during the attack at the cabin, but this fear paralyzed me and I reached out to check her pulse. I fought this fear, placing my hand on her neck, my heart was pounding so hard I couldn’t feel her pulse over my own. I was staring at her angelic beauty, hating myself for attempting this with someone as precious to me as Sindee was when her eyes slowly opened. My heart leapt for joy that she was alive before sinking in fear again not knowing how she was going to react to the truth of the world around her.

I saw the color of her eyes had changed to a darker gray, looking like storm clouds on the horizon with little flecks of silver warning of the power stored with that storm. There was a sense of peace and knowledge in her that told me without using Magick that she had accepted the truth, I still was afraid of what that meant for us as a couple. My fears were alleviated as Sindee leaned forward slowly, gently brushing her lips to mine, the doing so again as her right hand reached up and cupped my face. She continued to deepen the kiss gently and slowly. A sense of peace and need for her settled over me as I kissed her back, running my tongue along her lips then both of us deepening the kiss as we explored the other’s mouth. We continued to kiss and I ran my hands through her long silken hair and around her body. I dropped to my knees in front of her and embraced her close; wrapping my bruised and pain wracked body around hers, never wanting to let go again. As I held Sindee I felt the pain flowing out of me, just having her near was enough to allow me to ignore the pain of my damaged body.

It was sometime later as the sun moved toward the western horizon when we finally broke our embrace. I looked into her eyes again and tried to tell her how I felt, how much she meant to me. After making several false starts the words that finally came out said it all in their simplicity, “I love you.”

Sindee’s smile could always light to room, but the one she gave me then outshone the sun and all the stars combined as she replied, “I love you too Andrew, heart and soul.”

We stood and walked over to Marcus, his clothing looked a little worse for wear but the time Sindee and I spent in our embrace he put to good use. His skin was healed to pristine condition, the only sign of anything having been wrong in the first place was damage to his clothing and the bloodstains surround it. This brought my mind back to my body and the damage that had been done to it. I realized that there was still no pain and that I didn’t have the coppery taste of blood in my mouth any longer. We climbed into the car and I drove us back into town slowly. We were all silent as the road passed under us. The sun was down by the time the city lights lit the sky ahead of us.

Sindee has a lot of questions as we drove and I explained as much about the world I knew as she asked questions about it. She was most curious about the Magick and how it worked. I took my time to explain everything I could during the drive. We stopped and picked up a bunch of takeout as we hadn’t eaten anything since morning. Marcus took up some of the explanations filling in gaps where he knew things I didn’t. We all passed the night talking full of energy, from where we didn’t know.

We were still awake and talking when the sun rose. The day passed quickly as some of Sindee’s other friends including Natalie came to visit and it turned into an impromptu yard party. Just friends hanging out, drinking, swimming and eating together like an extended family. Once again I spent most of my time staring in wonder at Sindee, thinking out how lucky I was that I had her heart as she had mine. I decided to do something I’d been planning since waking up that first morning looking into her eyes. When I had a few minutes I made a quick phone call, then thinking about the next day, I smiled and put my phone away. I asked Sindee if she had anything she needed to do during the day tomorrow as well as telling her I wanted to take her out for a proper date. She was excited by the prospect as we hadn’t had much time to go out due to our opposing schedules. Fortunately for me, my business allowed for some flexibility as I worked with all the worlds investment markets and primarily with long term investments.

When the night came to an end, everyone settled down throughout the house, crashing where there was room once the guest room was in use. Everyone slept like the dead, none more so than Sindee, Marcus and I as we’d been up for two days before the party wound down. In the morning everyone got ready for their days and went in different direction. I took Sindee to the Forum Shops just to take her for a small shopping spree. We had hit several store getting clothes and accessories for the both of us. Sindee had come out of on boutique with a sealed garment bag, refusing to let me see what was inside. She told me it was for that evenings date and I didn’t get to see it until then. While we were running from store to store I made a few other calls to make arrangements for the evening. After our shopping spree I dropped Sindee off at home and after carrying her backs in for her I told her I’d pick her up at 7 for our night out.

I wanted to look my best for this evening, more so I wanted to look my best for Sindee. I had chosen a tailored Armani suit in black with an emerald shirt and a black tie. I chose platinum for the watch and tie clip. This look was simple but suited my dark hair and eyes. I couldn’t wait to see Sindee and I nervously paced Marcus’s dorm room waiting to go pick her up. I arrived at her house precisely at 7. I felt nervous as a schoolboy picking a girl up for the first time as I approached the door and knocked. Natalie opened the door and looked surprised at my appearance before closing her jaw that dropped and informing me that Sindee would be out momentarily. I waited in the entry for her to come out.

When Sindee came down the hall into the living room I was struck silent by the vision before me. She had chosen an elegantly simple full length dress that hugged the curves of her upper body, becoming a flowing skirt from the waist down. It was deep blue, dark against her fair skin and red hair. Her eyes seemed to shine silver like a full moon over the empty desert night. The neckline dropped just enough to show off the infinity loop I’d given her resting just above the swell of her breasts. Her silken copper red hair braided down her back with a few loose strands framing her angelic face. I stood there staring for a minute or two before remembering how to move and speak. I handed a bouquet of roses to Sindee from which she handed to Natalie and she stepped forward to tank my arm. I finally managed to find my voice again and speak, “There are no words to express what I feel when I see you other than to call you my angel and even that isn’t enough.” I took her hand, bringing it to my lips as I bent down to kiss the back of it the way a gentleman should. My heart was pounding in my chest again, not from fear or nerves but just from being in her presence.

Sindee smiled and blushed at my words and actions as I lowered her hand between us without letting go, laughing she replied, “You clean up well yourself.”

I walked her to the door to head out. When the door opened I was watching her face as she saw the first surprise of the evening; a black stretch limousine to travel in for the evening. We got into the limo and headed out for the evening. I took her to the City Center resort for dinner before we went out dancing. I was the envy of every guy in the club as no one could keep their eyes of the heavenly beauty that I was fortunate enough to love and have love me. My only concern the whole evening was ensuring that Sindee had an unforgettable night. We caught a late show after dancing for a while. At the end of the evening we returned to the limo and the driver took us up to the Resort at Mount Charleston. They had these cabins with great views on the mountains and the valley below them. When we arrived at the resort a concierge came out with the key to the suite I arranged. Before heading to the room we walked out onto the canyon terrace, once there I could feel my heart in my throat and I was positive Sindee could hear it beating through my chest. Once we walked out to the rail overlooking the canyon below and we were alone as I had arranged to have the terrace closed for the evening I turned so that I was facing Sindee. I slipped my hand into the pocket of my jacket and pulled out a ring box. I flipped it open quietly with one hand and then knelt before Sindee holding the box so the ring faced her.

“I have told you how much I love you, shared with you those feelings in the way I am uniquely able to do. From the first day we came back together I have been in love with you so much that it scared me. After spending the time together we have, I want you in my life if you’ll have me. Sindee Erica Grey, will you do me the honor of marrying me?” As those words left my mouth I felt intense relief and eternal dread as I waited for her reply.

The moment between asking her to marry me and hearing her decision felt like an eternity in a single breath. No more than a few seconds passed as I could see the tears in her eyes and her chest rise as she took a breath in to speak her answer…..


Chapter 9

The tension in me built in the eternity I felt passing. This eternity wasn’t the result of Magick but the natural effect anticipation of an answer to a question that could fulfill dreams or crush lives. Sindee’s eyes were a deep grey like a storm on the horizon; silver flecks, as if lightning, shining in them; tears showing in them giving truth to the tempest they promised in their beauty as I waited for her to speak the words I needed to hear. Her pale porcelain skin glowed under the moonlight and stars as they shone down upon us, offset by the deep blue dress flowing like water along her skin. This moment felt as it would never end, me never knowing her answer. The moment was forever etched into my memory. Just as time felt as it would never move forward again, Sindee spoke.

The tears in her eyes started to flow down her cheeks as her smile bloomed, “Yes Andree, Yes I’ll marry you.” She pulled me to my feet and wrapped her arms around my body as incapable of speech as I was at that moment in time. My heart leapt to soaring heights of joy in hearing her answer, my throat tight. I leaned down as Sindee rose up to her toes, our lips meeting halfway. We kissed, and held each other, hands sliding along each other. We broke the kiss to breath as our lungs burned for lack of oxygen, despite the desperate need for air it felt as though only a second had passed.

I moved a half step back, giving us just enough space for me to take the ring out of the box. It was platinum band with a single flawless diamond. The design was classy and elegant, fitting for Sindee’s natural beauty and grace. I had picked it out some short time back and purchased that morning while we were shopping. Taking the ring from the box I slid it along her finger, my hands shaking with nerves and excitement as I did so. We stood out there on the terrace, just holding each other in our arms. Even with my arms around her and the ring upon her hand it still didn’t feel real to me. If I was dreaming I didn’t want it to end.

After some time just relaxing contentedly in the arms of the other we walked to our room, neither of us letting the other go. I picked Sindee up and carried her into the room as she squealed with laughter. She was so petite it was easy to hold her and I loved the way she felt in my arms. I set her down once we were across the room. She turned her back to me and moved her hair to the side exposing the zipper of her dress so that I could open it for her. I lowered it slowly as to tease us both with anticipation. I kissed the back of her neck, smelling her intoxicatingly natural scent as I lowered the zipper all the way to the bottom. I slid my hands up her back along her soft skin onto each shoulder. I slipped the dress off her shoulders holding the material as my hands ran down her arms. I continued to lower the dress until she could step out of it as the silk pooled around her. I was torturing myself with need and anticipation, but still took my time to step to the closet and hang the dress. When I turned to face her, Sindee was standing before me in her stockings, 6 inch heels and nothing else. My pulse quickened and the rest of the blood flowed away from my brain as I was consumed with need for this seductive goddess before me. I was stunned, unable to move and she walked towards and around me.

She reached up from behind me, into the collar of jacket. She ran her hands around the neckline, pulling the jacket open and sliding it off of my shoulders and me. As she hung the jacket over a chair I reached out to pull her towards me. She slipped out of my grab and stepped in front of me. She reached up to unbutton my shirt, taking as much time with them as I did with her zipper. I reach out to slide my hands up along her sides. She pushed my hands back to my sides giving me her wicked smile, telling me it was her turn to torture me as I did her. It was unbearable standing there not touching her when we were that close together, but I resisted the temptation. Sindee ran her hands along my skin as I did her, as she removed my tie and shirt. She slid her hands down my chest, undoing my best as she reached my waist. I slipped my shoes off as she opened my slacks and pushed them and my underwear off of me. As they dropped to the floor I placed my hands on her hips and guided her back toward the bed.

As we reached the bed, Sindee lay back stretching her form out like a satisfied cat. I kissed her neck and worked my way down her body until I took her right nipple in my mouth. I sucked on her nipple sliding my tongue in circles around it. My hands continued to move along her skin until my left hand reached her unoccupied breast and pinched her nipple causing her back to arch. I moved my mouth away from her right nipple and blew a cool breath across it. The nipple hardened as goose bumps rose upon the flesh surrounding it. I moved to take her left nipple into my mouth, using my tongue to lick around it. I flicked the nipple before moving my mouth away to blow another cool breath across it as well. I slid down her body to kneel on the floor between her extended legs and she spread them for me.

I slid my tongue along the length of her, tasting he wonderful flavor. I moved my hands in to spread her legs a little more, opening her wider for me. I kissed and licked along both sides of her sweet pussy, teasing and tasting as her breathing quickened. I slipped my tongue into her, wiggling it inside of her. I pulled my tongue back out as I slipped a finger inside, sliding it in and out. I moved my mouth to her clit, licking the little button before sucking it into my mouth, holding it here as my tongue flicked and passed over it driving her to the edge. I slipped a second finger into her, increasing the pace they moved. I released the suction holding her clit in my lips and applied a gentle pressure as I took it between my teeth. She arched her back again as every muscle tightened when her climax hit, her juices flowing freely from her, down my chin and chest.

We both moved up further onto the bed as I positioned myself between her legs with the head of my hard cock pressing against her. I slipped the head into her, pushing my entire length in. I met her eyes with mine as I started long slow strokes. As I we moved together she ran her hands up my back, digging in slightly with her nails then releasing. I quickened my pace a little at a time, making this last for both of us as long as possible. I used no Magick because this was about how we truly felt, lust and loved rolled together. After a little time Sindee rolled me as we came together putting her on top and in control. I ran my hands along her sides feeling her soft hot skin. She continued to move her body, pushing up and down, rocking and moving her hips causing muscles inside to tighten. I held back against my own body as she continued to move faster. Just as I reached my limit of control, she drove her hips down all the way, burying me deep pushing the head of my cock against her cervix. The muscles sheathing my dick began to squeeze and massage as she screamed out, pushing me over the edge with her. My entire body tightened as I came, filling her with my hot cum. She came down from her orgasms, laying her body along my chest with her head resting on my shoulder. Neither one of us were able to move or speak, we lay there just breathing and holding each other close.

When we recovered enough to move, we showered and went to sleep in the other bed. Sindee lay on her side with my chest pressed to her back, curled against the curve of her body. We slept soundly the whole night. I woke around 8, in the night I had rolled onto my back, she shifted as well to where she was lying half on my chest head over my heart face toward mine. I just stayed there watching her features completely relaxed in sleep. It was around 9 when she first began to stir and another half hour before her eyes opened and met mine. Once again I was struck with awe that this amazing woman was in my life. We sat up and I leaned in to kiss her good morning, taking my left hand and sliding it behind her to support her neck as she tilted her head back. Her left hand come up and caressed my cheek. As I felt the cool platinum band against my face my heart leaped with joy that she said yes last night.

We got up, showered and dressed before heading to brunch there at the hotel. We took a short walk in the area around the resort while waiting for the Limo to return as planned. We sat close holding the others hand in ours as we rode back to her house. Natalie and Marcus practically ran out of the house when the limo pulled up. I don’t know when or why Marcus came to Sindee’s but was glad he was there because I wanted to share the news with him because I didn’t even tell him I was going to ask her last night. Sindee moved to my right as we got out of the car, hiding her left hand in mine as we walked over to them.

“I waited here all night for you to get back. I want to hear all the details about your date girl, come on dish!!!” Natalie was speaking so fast and excitedly I almost didn’t understand her. Sindee simply released my hand and raised hers to eye level with Natalie. The excited scream she let out as she spotted the ring reached such a high pitch, she stepped forward and wrapped Sindee in a big hug. She was speaking so fast and high that I couldn’t tell you a word she said, her action spoke volumes of how happy she was for us. She took a second and released Sindee from her grip long enough to give me a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before grabbing back on to Sindee.

The reaction from Marcus was a little more subdued and much more him. He extended his right hand taking mine in his and placed his left hand on my shoulder, “Congratulations Andrew, she is a wonderful woman and you two are so happy together I wish you the best for your future.” With this said he pulled me into a hug like family which is how we considered each other.

When we broke the embrace I started to speak, “We haven’t set a date or anything else really, but I have planned one thing already. You’ve been my friend and confidant since we met and you started training me to control my Magick instead of using the raw power of it without direction. I want you to stand with me as my best man when the time comes.”

He was so proud to have been asked that he smiled and though he held them back his eyes watered as though to cry. Having learned more of his history than most people ever would, I knew how much of an honor he considered my request. It took him a moment to bring his emotions under a semblance of control be her replied. “It would be my honor to stand witness for you at the start of your new life as long as you’re sure you want me to. I know you still have some living members of your family who could do this for you.”

I spoke up here before he could continue, “Marcus, you have known me for four years since we started my training. You have been closer to me and know more about me than any of my family let alone those who are left. While I will be inviting them, you are the man I want standing with me when the time comes.”

His answer was as direct as the man himself, “Yes, I’ll stand for you.”

With that conversation done we turned to see that Sindee and Natalie had disappeared while we weren’t looking. The front door was open and I could hear Natalie still talking excitedly. Marcus and I went in to see both of them on the phone. Natalie was talking to the local friends telling them to come over, we were having a party. I didn’t hear her tell them what the celebration was for, just to grab some food, beer and booze on the way. Sindee was a little more reserved as she looked at the display on her phone, thumb hovering over the call button.

I walked over to see what was wrong when I spotted the name on the screen, “Nervous about telling your parents you getting married?” I stepped up to her back, gently rubbing her shoulders, neck and arms to relieve the tension in them. “You can wait to call them until you’re ready.”

She turned her head to look over her shoulder at me, “It’s not about calling them or even getting married. It’s about telling them that I’m not marrying a doctor. They had definite plans for me.” She smiled and continued, “I have no regrets, my heart is yours and much as yours is mine.” With that she pressed the call button. I stepped back to give her space while she talked with first her mother and then father. When she hung up the phone she had the biggest smile I’d seen from her yet.

“I’m guessing from your expression that the call went better than you expected?”

She shook her head and smiled. “They said they couldn’t be happier for me. While they hoped for a doctor, any man that captured my heart and treated me as well as you do was someone they wanted as a son-in-law. They also said they will be out here to visit soon.” I couldn’t completely hide my reaction as my nerves kicked in. My heart sped up causing me to flush and a light sheen of sweat broke out on my forehead. Being a doctor, she saw it without needing to look, “Now whose the nervous one Andrew?”

“Guilty, but it has nothing to do with marrying you. It’s about meeting your parents. I was never really good at that part of dating,” I replied with a nervous chuckle.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the big bad parents,” she replied smiling with laughter in her eyes. Since she knew what I was and the things I faced in my world, it was funny to her to see me nervous over something as mundane as meeting the future in-laws.

The rest of the day and evening passed quickly as the party built up. Everyone saying their congratulations, giving us their best wished and so on. No one let either of us help with the cooking or cleaning, this was a party for us and we were to relax and enjoy ourselves. The party was great and everyone that came cleaned it up before leaving at the end of the night. Every person that came enjoyed themselves, but not one of them went overboard making sure they could drive or had a designated driver and left at the end of the night. Natalie even volunteered to drive Marcus home so the two of us would have the house to ourselves.

When everyone had left, Sindee and I went to our bedroom. We got undressed and climbed into be. We embraced each other and lying close together, sharing long passionate kisses full of emotion. We woke up in the morning when the alarm went off still holding each other in our arms. We both started to laugh at each other hysterically as we realized just how tired we had been to fall asleep from exhaustion.

Once we were up and moving I had to things I needed to ask Sindee. I explained to her why I was building the house and asked her to move in there with me once it was competed. She agreed, so I asked her to come with me to the architect, because I wanted her input and opinion on what I had designed so far and to make any changes that were needed to make it our home. Things proceeded quickly from there as I found an office to work out of and she switched to day shifts putting us on the same schedule. A month passed rapidly as we discussed when we wanted to have the wedding while waiting for her parents to schedule their visit. While we knew we were going to marry no matter what they thought of it, Sindee still wanted us to meet before the wedding. I tried calling and then sending a letter to my father about the engagement. The calls he didn’t answer and the letters came back unopened with return to sender written by his hand on them. I had accepted when I left home that I had lost my entire family the night of my awakening, but it was never demonstrated more powerfully until those letters came back. I also went to Matt at the hospital during this time to tell him. He told me had had already heard and was happy for Sindee. After the letters and this encounter I was felt more cut off and isolated than I ever had previously.

Sindee saw the effect this was having on me and took measures to make sure I knew just how much she loved me, ensuring that I knew I wasn’t alone in the world. She was my family and future. She didn’t do anything directly; she didn’t try to talk to me about it knowing that all that would do is remind me of the whole situation. What she did do was show me every day, with small gestures and looks just what I meant to her. This would make me think about what she meant to me and instead of sliding into depression and pain filled memories of the past; I would focus instead on our future together.

The end of summer was coming quickly when her parents called and told us they’d be in town for the last week in August and first week of September. During this time we were waiting for their arrival, we finalized the plans for the new house and broke ground on the construction. Everything was going right, I still hadn’t heard from the werewolves but that wasn’t a concern right now. The last week of August was here, and we were expecting a call from her parents once they got into town. They had decided to drive in since they were taking a full month off for a road trip before continuing their research.

Sindee was in the kitchen cooking when I heard a knock at the door. I figured it was her parents; that they were able to find the house and wanted to surprise us. I walked over and opened the door.

I felt my chest get crushed as a light flashed right in front of me. I fell back to the floor as my mind caught up with what was happening. A man dressed all in black wearing a helmet stood over me holding a gun. On his hand was a signet ring that matched the seal of the letter I received when I checked out of the hotel. He knelt down over me, flipping the helmet’s face shield up and looked me in the eye, “You were warned and ignored it. This is the fate you chose.”

I reached for my Magick, not to try and save myself but to protect Sindee before I died with this man close enough to kill her. I drew on all the Spheres at once, putting all the life and energy I had left into the spell. I smiled at this man letting him see every bit of malice and hatred I had for him and yelled the two words to invoke the spell, “FUCK YOU!!!!” The spell was taught to me by a Mage who barely survived it’s use, losing his ability to touch Magick at all because of the sleepers that witness it.

The spell is a most dangerous and last ditch option, and even then the Mage should think before using it. All living beings are connected to reality with nine Spheres of Magick. This spell or rote systematically disconnects the target from reality, destroying the being so completely that there are no remains, no residue of Magick, no ghost or any other trace of them. It is the most vulgar Magick Rote every created or wielded by anyone. I chose to use it now to protect Sindee from this man. The spell took effect and worked instantly, the only things left were his ring and his weapon that dropped to the floor.

As I was losing consciousness I heard Sindee scream, “NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and felt Magick being pulled; thinking that my avatar was being freed to find another mage, then the world went black.

When I closed my eyes, I accepted I was going to die. There was no way for anyone to get here fast enough to save me from a bullet to the heart. I was content with the fact that Sindee was safe and alive. I knew without me around she would be safe from anyone else who could have had a reason for coming after me, though I had to admit I still had no idea who had sent that last one either. I knew Marcus would take care of Sindee, transferring my accounts and what few things I had stored in other locations to her. He would stay and support her through the loss as long as she needed him to be there. With this knowledge my mind relaxed and returned to the cabin in the mountains five years before. It was a sunny day, the cabin still stood and Jamie was playing outside when I stepped out of the trees. She stopped running and walked over to me, “Andrew, you don’t belong here, not yet. You need to go back to Sindee and start a family.”

I looked into her eyes, blue with just a hint of the gray in Sindee’s and my heart broke yet again as the tears streamed down my face, “I wish I could, but I used the last of my Magick and time to save her. I wanted to have a family with her, and now I’ve broken her heart as I feared I would the moment I knew what I felt for her.” I couldn’t stand any longer and dropped to my knees looking at Jamie, frozen forever as an eight year old, unable to complete the life ahead of her.

Jamie stepped up to me wrapping her arms around my neck, squeezing me as tight as she could like she had always done when she still lived. I reached my arms up to encircle her when I felt magick flow into me and she disappeared.

My eyes opened, Sindee was holding me in her lap, her head down, tears falling on my face and chest, one arm around me. He left hand on my heart. The platinum band was clean and the diamond glowing while my blood stained the rest of her hand and some of it on her clothing. She was speaking in a voice choked with tears and pain, the words unintelligible to me. I didn’t know or care how I was still alive at that moment, I was just glad I was. I reached up and pulled Sindee into my arms, wrapping her tiny frame in them and refusing to let go.

All this happened in the space of heartbeats. Marcus appeared almost immediately after I pulled Sindee into my arms. I was at least 15 minutes before either Sindee or myself we able to even loosen the grip we had on each other. It was longer before we were able to even think of moving, during this time Marcus managed to close the door before anyone outside saw the blood all over us.

Marcus finally spoke as Sindee and I were getting to our feet, still refusing to completely let go of each other. “Andrew, I felt from across the city the amount of Magick you pulled and a Spell that reverberated with your resonance. What happened to you?”

Before I could draw a breath to speak Sindee started, “I heard someone knock on the door and then Andrew walking across to answer it. I thought it was likely my parents who are supposed to arrive today when I heard the gunshot. I ran out from the kitchen to see a man kneeling over Andrew saying something I couldn’t hear. Andrew yelled at the man and the next second I saw him disappear as though he was simply removed from existence. Andrew’s body went limp and his eyes closed. I rushed over to him, pulling him into my lap when I found no pulse and saw the gunshot to his heart. I couldn’t let him go, we were just starting our lives together. I refused to lose him so soon, I just reached out for him and pulled him back to me…………….”


Chapter 10

Being shot sucks, I know that sounds obvious but it isn’t any less true because of that. This was the third time I’ve been shot in five years. You know of two of them and I’m not willing to discuss the third incident right now. I felt the pain in my chest when the bullet entered, smashing and burning its way through my sternum into my heart. I realized when Sindee started explaining to Marcus what had happened that my chest didn’t hurt at all. I knew healing from a wound like that was extremely difficult to accomplish even for a trained Mage. The bullet had to be removed from the body first. You can’t leave it floating around in there to cause even more damage. The next thing was starting the natural process of closing the wounds and replacing the blood loss. Repairing a major organ of any kind, the heart more so than any others, is a difficult spell in and of itself. This is when my brain caught up with everything that was wrong about our current situation.

Marcus didn’t arrive until after I was healed and opened my eyes so he couldn’t have been the source of the spell that healed me. I had no effects hanging on contingencies in the event of a mortal wound. Hanging a spell is easy to explain, the Mage must be fairly good with Time or Entropy spheres and when they form the spell in their mind place a trigger for when it is to take effect based on a time or possible event. The Avatar is a source of power and knowledge to a Mage, incapable of casting a spell of any kind. Everything clicked as Sindee explained to Marcus that she refused to lose me, reached out and pulled me back to her. I thought of her engagement ring being clear of any blood and the diamond glowing when I first came back.

Marcus and I looked at her slack jawed as we came to the same conclusion about what happened. As we stared at her, she turned her left hand palm upward showing the slug that could only have come from my chest. Sindee had truly Awakened with the powers of a Mage. She was new and needed training, but she was a powerful Life Mage right from the start otherwise I wouldn’t be her any longer. I can’t tell you if she awakened to save my life or if she had been awakened that day out in the desert, all I know is this was the first time she showed any ability with Magick. From my perspective it was a spectacular display of talent and power.

Marcus and I both continued to stare at Sindee; struck silent by the magnitude of this entire situation. She started to fidget under the stares and spoke up, “Will you both stop staring at me at speak.” She squeezed my hand tightly as she said this, doing what she could to keep her tension from showing. “I don’t understand what happened; I’m relieved you’re alive but…..” She stopped speaking as words seemed to fail her.

I quickly moved, turning my body and sliding next to her from my position facing towards her. I slipped my hand out of hers, placing my hand over her shoulders pulling her to me. Having been shot and the other things I’ve experienced have allowed me to handle even life threatening situations calmly. My pulse was racing, and I had a cold sweat on my neck, but controlling these reactions and working my way through this situation with a calm head was important. Marcus remained silent, however he did manage to close his mouth and start pacing instead of staring at her. I realized that it was up to me to confirm what we suspected and then explain it to Sindee. I reached for my Magick, focused on Prime and Spirit to detect the presence of an Avatar and her own Magick. I confirmed my suspicions and didn’t know if I was scared or elated about this turn of events but I had to tell her what was going on either way.

“I’m sure you’re already thinking about this and telling yourself it isn’t possible, but you’re now a Mage Sindee.” I said it straight out like that because there was no way to approach that statement from any other direction. Her eyes widened in surprise and I said this, before she could voice a denial I used the mind Sphere to bring our thoughts in line to show her what I saw with the Magick.

“But how is this possible Andr….” Sindee was in mid-sentence when the doorbell rang and all three of us turned to stare at the door. While we sat and stared, Marcus stopped his pacing, there was another knock. About thirty seconds later, Sindee’s phone rang and we all jumped out of our skins. She and I both recognized the ring tone which made things that much worse, it was her parents. She answered the phone, “Hello mom, are you guys in town already?” I was only getting half the conversation as she spoke with her mom. “You finally got a GPS and you’re at the house now?” My racing heart practically stopped. Here we were, both of us covered in my blood, a ragged tear in my shirt where the bullet ripped through. There was blood spatter all over the entryway wall and a pool of it staining into the hardwood of the entry floor and her parents were right outside. What else could go wrong today? “We’re in the back, we’ll be right there to let you in. Okay, bye.” And she hung up the phone as I now had the answer to my question; we had at most 30 seconds before they decided to come around the house.

This is where I am thankful that my life has been so interesting, even with things going to hell around me I still think clearly most of the time. “Marcus, please clean up the entryway. Make sure you destroy the blood and tissue entirely, I don’t need someone finding even a drop for sympathetic magic. Please put the weapon and ring in my car trunk as well.” I turned back to Sindee and we both stood up. While Marcus drew on his Magick to take care of what I asked, I quickly linked minds with Sindee again to let her see how I drew upon the Magick to cast my spells. I cleaned out skin, removing all traces of the blood and gore from her and me. I chose to simple destroy the clothing we were wearing and redress us in our swimsuits and like we were out by the pool resting. I changed Marcus into his swimsuit as well while he cast his spells. We were all done what we needed with about ten seconds to spare as we headed for the door to greet he parents. This was shaping up to be the longest day of my life, and Marcus was just looking at me trying to hide his smile now that the stressful part for him was over.

When we opened the door and led them into the living room as Sindee made her introductions. Her father was about 5’7” weighed about 140, dark hair graying at the temples. He had a firm handshake and warm smile, the kind that put’s you at ease with the person. His eyes were pale gray, shade lighter than Sindee’s. Her mother was also petite like Sindee, she also had red hair however it was more like a burgundy wine color instead of the copper shine Sindee had. Her green eyes had the same flecks of silver in them that I saw in Sindee’s. She stepped up and gave me a motherly hug, before stepping back and sizing me up. Sindee introduced Marcus to both of them and they greeted him just as warmly, I decided that I liked them both immediately.

We sat and talked with them for a few hours before anyone realized how long we’d been sitting there. I’m sad to admit that I was the one who broke the conversation with a reminder that we all needed food; my stomach growled loud enough to be heard across the room. Since everyone just started to laugh including myself I wasn’t so embarrassed. We threw together a quick lunch and ate, Sindee and her parents getting caught up with what’s been going on in their lives. I got grilled about my past and what I did for a living. They of course had concerns about how quickly the relationship progressed, but after seeing Sindee and I with each other they had no other issues. Of course they had no idea of the reality that she and I faced in our future, and we managed to not let them see how nervous we both were after the events of the morning. They both took an interest in Marcus, after all as her mother observed he was such an intelligent and well-mannered young man. The conversation was easy and the evening stretched until Sindee’s parents decided it was time to go their hotel. We made plans to meet up again over the next few days. Marcus hitched a ride back to the campus with them.

Sindee and I just sat down on the sofa in the empty house once they were gone. We leaned close, bodies pressed into each other side by side. I held her hand wrapped up in mine so that our wrists were together, sitting there breathing feeling our heart beats starting to match pace. It’s was a peaceful feeling, welcome for now. We just sat there, getting comfort from each other’s presence. I knew what was happened that day put me on a clock. At some point, not too long from now, the people who sent that man to kill we would realize he hadn’t come back and there were no reports of murder or deaths in the area. I had to find them first; or at least find out who I was dealing with. In addition to that, Sindee’s Awakening was a shock and now I had an apprentice. I couldn’t let another Mage train her for several reasons. Her safety and mine were among those reasons and with the exception of Marcus; I didn’t trust her safety and training with any other Mage. The safety issue is one of sympathetic magic. Sympathetic magic is when you have something that enhances a spell or makes the targeting of a spell more accurate and possibly more effective; items that are personal to the target or something that came from the target such as blood, hair, or severed body parts. There are ways to ensure that these items can’t be used against you once you have the training to use them. An example I’ve seen was a Mage who carried a Talisman that altered the genetic profile of anything that left his body. I power Life spell we imbued into the object but there was also a drawback, he had have the talisman on him and invoke its spell each day to make it work. I have ways of protecting myself that shall not be revealed to anyone but those I trust most. We fell asleep sitting on the couch and regretted it when morning came.

Sindee had started her vacation yesterday to coincide with her parents visit, and managing my existing clients was minimal work as I haven’t opened my new office her in town yet. This gave us plenty of time to get ready for the day ahead. After our shower which we took our time in, we dressed and got ready to play tourist with her parents. I had a couple of quick things to look into before we went out for the day. I retrieved the ring and firearm from my car and dug the letter I’d forgotten about out of the bag it was still sitting in. I looked at the seal on the letter, comparing with the signet ring. While they were very similar there were a few differences that told me that the messenger wasn’t the man who sealed the letter. Too bad about that, it would have made my life a whole lot easier if problem had taken care of itself. I still didn’t want to open the letter’s seal until I had more information so I decided to put Marcus to work some. I was going to owe him a lot for all he was doing for me. I took pictures of the seal and the ring and sent them to Marcus with a request that he check the school’s Library and Staff for any information her could find. As soon as that was done Sindee and I went to meet with her Parents. I know better than to tempt fate and chance, but the last thought as we locked up the house as we left was; what’s going to go wrong next.


Chapter 11

Sindee and I met with her parents for a late breakfast before spending the day playing tourist on The Strip with them. For those you who aren’t familiar, The Strip is the unofficial name for Las Vegas Boulevard. We visited casinos, did some shopping, pretty much just spent the day with her parents. Letting them get to know me and I them. It was a good day; however I was very distracted by everything that had happened the day before. My mind kept going back to the fact that Sindee could be dead because of me and the fact that she’s in more danger now than ever before. Mages hide that we exist for a multitude of reasons. Not even all the other Supernatural Beings believe we exist, those that do want to kill or control us. I checked my phone for texts, emails or anything from Marcus every time we stopped for more than a few seconds. This behavior did not go unnoticed.

We had stopped in at the Mirage to visit the white tiger habitat when Sindee’s mother stopped me as her husband and daughter entered the hall before us. She turned, tilted her head so she was looking me in the eyes, “Andrew, you seem very distracted today. You keep checking your phone every 20 minutes, and you’ve been looking around like you expect someone to jump out and attack you at any second.” She just stood there staring me in the eyes, waiting for an answer.

“I’m waiting to hear back from a researcher on an important matter in why I can’t stop looking at my phone. As for the wariness or watchfulness; we told you how Sindee and I met initially and it relates back to that. I’ve been a little paranoid in large crowds since then,” I replied in a quiet tone. While not entirely true, there was enough of the truth in that answer that I didn’t feel guilty for lying to her.

She gave me one of those appraising looks that only mothers really know how to do properly before she replied. “I know what you just said is mostly true, however you’ve left something out of what you’ve told me. I don’t expect you to tell me all your secrets, but you best make sure that my little girl doesn’t get hurt.” In her words and tone I realized where a lot of Sindee’s strength came from. I also now knew not to underestimate this woman again.

“Sindee’s life and well-being matter more to me than anything, including my own life. She is also a strong, powerful woman whose love I will never take for granted.” I said this to her without any reservation or attempt to hide any part of my emotions.

She stared into my eyes for another few seconds before replying, “I believe you.” With that we strolled slowly along the habitat. By the time we caught up to Sindee and her father it was as though nothing was said. I made a mental not to find out what field of research Sindee’s parents were in. I’ve never had anyone, even those who knew me well; call me on a lie so casually.

I could bore you with details about the rest of our day, but since you can look up Vegas tours and travel ideas on the internet I won’t. During dinner that evening we spoke about their vacation and when we planned to hold the wedding ceremony which we haven’t figured out yet. Her father was a bit of a traditionalist and insisted on taking care of the wedding despite all my protests. I managed to get him to agree to share the costs, he could take care of the ceremony costs and I’d handle guests and reception costs. This agreement was acceptable to him. I would have preferred, just as I’m sure he would have, to take care of the entire wedding myself; however when Sindee kicked me under the table I decided a compromise was reasonable. I’m willing to bet that her parents had a similar exchange of opinion as well.

When we got home at the end of the day, Marcus still hadn’t called me back on anything. I didn’t expect him to have any information so quickly but one can hope. As we walked to the front door I stopped at my car and pulled out a small locked case, Sindee gave me an inquiring look as we headed in. I walked into the dining room and set the case on the table. I pulled out my keys to unlock it as Sindee stepped up beside me. The case held a few items that could be used for protection, the two obvious ones were a pair pistols that I’ve been lucky enough to have used only at the firing range so far. First time I got shot pissed me off so I purchased my own protection. They were not, however, what I wanted from the case. This was a converted rifle case holding the pistols and a few other useful items, and I was after some of those. Quite often Magick is not the best tool for a mundane situation. I pulled out 2 packets of single use pop alarms. If you’ve never seen them, they are designed for over the road travel to be placed on the door and windows of hotel rooms in the event someone tries to open them. They are a lot like a fire cracker in they have a small charge that does nothing more than make a high decibel noise to warn the person who set them up. I placed a few on the front and back doors and on the door and windows in our bedroom. If anyone tried to get in, we’d hear them. I placed the extras back in the case and relocked it. “I’ve led an interesting life before we met the second time as you heard from some of the stories Marcus and I told you. I’m going to need to take care of the current problem before we start your training because we need to keep the fact that either of us are mages quiet. If they somehow know that the assassin managed to shoot me they’ll assume I had a spell hanging to save myself if they even know I’m a Mage. In the morning I’m going to make sure the letter is safe and open it to read the so called warning. I’m then going to hunt down those who sent him into our home and put you in danger.”

She was still looking at the case sitting on the table, “I understand that you’ve had an,” She paused for a few seconds, “interesting life since our first meeting. I would however like to know why you actually have guns when you can use Magick?”

It was time for her first lesson, the differences between coincidental and vulgar Magick and the need for mundane weapons. “While we have access to and the ability to shape Magick to complete our goals, we have to be careful to hide that ability. Hiding our powers is only related to avoiding the scrutiny of government agencies in a minor way. The prime reality is consensual, meaning that things exist at only because the general population consents that these things are truth. The greater reality is that other things do exist, and keep themselves hidden. The difference between a Mage using magic and the other supernatural creatures using their abilities is that those abilities are still constrained by the limits of the real world. Vampires can control people only so far as reality will let them. As a Mage we can ignore reality to a point, bending it to our will. Doing so has drawbacks, the more you bend or outright break the laws of reality the more likely you are to suffer a backlash for it. Magick should blend with the consented reality as much as possible. What we did yesterday, your healing my wounds, Marcus cleaning the entryway and my changing out clothes are all what we call vulgar magick. Things that break reality instead of blending with it fall into the category of vulgar spells. We were able to use them in here because I’ve been building wards here to allow the practice of Magick without interference from the consensus unless there were sleepers here to see it. Marcus taught me how to use blades while he trained me and I still prefer knives and swords over firearms. As we train you it will not only be in how to use Magick, but how to combine it with mundane fighting and to make that usage invisible to witnesses.”

“Andrew, you know I’m a doctor and that I take my Hippocratic Oath very seriously. I’ll learn to defend myself and help you how I can, but first and foremost I’m still a doctor. I will not intentionally set out to harm others.” She had a determined look on her face when she said this.

“I understand what you’re saying and agree with it for the most part. I don’t go out looking for trouble, but when it comes to my front door and endangers the woman I love I’m going to end that trouble. I’m not looking to kill or main anyone or anything, I just want them to know coming after me or mine is a bad life choice. Learning to use the weapons will aid you in a few ways. Learning to use a weapon will aid in teaching you to defend yourself against it both through mundane and Magick methods. As a doctor, seeing firsthand how they inflict damage will help you learn how to treat trauma cases that come to you with similar injuries. And finally, it will make me feel better about your ability to protect yourself, making me just protective instead of overprotective.”

I started her training on how to use sensory Magick that night. I started her actively using sensory spells from the Life Sphere to get her sure about her senses in a field she had knowledge of. I learned a lot more about living things from bacteria to bed bugs than I think I ever wanted to. Kind of puts a damper on any romantic ideas when a doctor explains the intricacies of dust mites and bed bugs. I didn’t sleep very well that night and now had new spells to work on for the house when it was finished being built. Like I’ve said, being a Mage isn’t all fun a games. Sometimes you learn things you never wanted to know about.

I’d say I woke early the next morning but since I didn’t really sleep we’ll just say I got working at around 4 in the morning. I took a quick shower and dressed for my morning workout which I had skipped since coming to Vegas. Getting shot put me back in the mind set of paranoia, meaning I needed to get back to some of my old routines. Sindee was awake by the time I came out of the bathroom. I walked over to her as she sat up in the bed and leaned down to kiss her, “Good morning my love. I’m getting ready to go for a morning run. Join me?”

She got up and jumped in for a quick shower. Her workout attire was a pair of tight runner’s shorts that fit her like a second skin and a sports bra. She was a gorgeous woman and I knew no one would notice me while we were running together. I’m not going to say that I don’t get jealous, but I knew with Sindee there was no need. We loved each other in ways words couldn’t express and unlike some who say those words; we had the proof from when our minds were linked through Magick. Besides, being a typical guy I knew how much some of the people watching her would envy me and that did stroke my ego some. “I’m ready to go.”

I let her set the pace for the run which was my first mistake. The second was letting her pick the course as well. The pace was quick for her but forced me to shorten my gait to maintain speed with her. While this was good exercise as it caused me to use muscles differently than normal, however it caused them to burn and hurt sooner than my usual runs. As for the course she picked, it started off with a run uphill towards the foothills surrounding the area. Then she started picking a path where her shorter stride and height allowed her to travel easier. I on the other hand kept brushing against decorative trees or tangling my legs up in the brush. I liked this competitive side of her, even if she was trying to kill me. We had been running for about a mile when we turned back towards the house. Both of us were showing signs of exhaustion due to the time it’s been since we last exercised like this. The heat of the desert was new to me as well. I was starting to cramp due to dehydration from the heat by the time we got back to the house. After some cool down exercises and stretching we jumped into the shower again and got ready for the day.

I checked my phone before we left the house and headed for the construction site for our new home. The basement had be dug out and framed and the foundation for the rest of the house had been poured. I spoke to the foreman, getting an estimate of the construction time for the different stages. Marcus finally sent me text saying that he had preliminary information on the ring and the seal. We left and headed for the Campus.

When we arrived it was to see Marcus on the dorm steps flirting as usual. The surprise came when I saw the young woman with who he was flirting, Kyra. I couldn’t say I was totally surprised to see her, we were told she was a student here. Marcus walked over to the car with Kyra trailing behind him. He walked around to the driver side to speak with me while Kyra waited nearby. “Hey Andrew, I found a few possibilities for the symbols. It’s nothing definitive but possible, some of the options much worse than others.”

“How about the short list of the most likely and as it is likely the same list, the worst of the possibilities,” I replied grimacing.

“First two options are the Order of Hermes and or House Tremere.” My face must have shown how much I appreciated this news, which happened to be none. The Order of Hermes was one of the Traditions, or organized groups of Mages that focused on a particular Sphere. House Tremere just so happens to be a Major Clan and Bloodline among the Vampires. What makes the matter of their involvement worse is they are fallen Order of Hermes Mages who were trying to increase their power and became Vampires, and they are Masters of Blood Magic, a practice of Vampiric powers that can mimic to an extent the powers of true magick without the risk of a backlash. If those were the first two options I didn’t want to know the rest.

I dropped my eyes from his face and shook my head, “If that is the first two, what are the rest Marcus?”

I knew the next words her spoke were going to just ruin my day because he took a deep breath before speaking. “Next options come from the Illuminati, the Freemason societies. Your issues there aren’t as bad as the final possibility, the Technocracy.” I knew I wasn’t going to like the answer. The Illuminati was a group of rogue mages, nothing overly frightening, but they had numbers. The Freemasons were a slight issue as we still hadn’t figured everything out with them. We believe they are an organization of mortals and that there are fully mortal, but some of the Templars who left the Masonic tradition are hunters. The Technocracy is the bad one, I’d rather it be the Vampires. The Technocracy is the other side of the Ascension War and they wanted all free Mages captured and controlled or Dead. The thing that made them the worst threat is they had the power to do just that.

“Marcus, you’ll probably never hear these words again. I’d prefer the entire Vampire population of this city to be after me rather than the Technocracy. Here’s to hoping for good luck for a change.” The irony of calling a Clan of Vampires after me good luck did not escape me. The only thing I had going for me at that moment is that the Technocracy was unlikely, they have the power to stop Mages and wouldn’t have used such an ineffective weapon. “Thank you again. I’m going to go check out the letter and open it; I’ll let you know what it says later. You take that girl there and get her lunch as she might just be your type.” With that I waved to Kyra and pulled out of the dorm parking area and headed for the I-15 South. I figured heading out of town to the south would keep us out of the werewolf pack’s territory.

While we were driving I had Sindee work on her sensory Magick. I had her try to focus on forces as driving can cause a lot to sense. There was the kinetic energy from the movement, the heat caused by friction as the vehicles moved through the air, and more. Her aptitude for Life would make training in that sphere easier than the rest, she didn’t seem to have an existing talent for Forces though and that would make teaching her to sense it more difficult.

I drove until we were out in the open between the Vegas Valley and the Stateline area. I didn’t know what to expect from the letter which is why I was treating it like a WMD. Once we got out to the old Nevada Landing Hotel used to be I pulled off into the parking area. As the placed has been closed it gave us a conveniently private location where I could work. I pulled around to the back area of property where the pavement ended and the desert started again. We got out of the car and I pulled the letter out looking again at the archaic seal. Considering all the possibilities of where the letter came from I wanted to thoroughly examine this letter with all the spheres. I knew where I was strongest and my weaknesses, I also knew Sindee was a naturally powerful life Mage. I guess it was time to teach her how to work a spell in conjunction with another Mage. Crash courses in Magick are not recommended, it’s like teaching bomb disposal to a nervous individual with a live nuke. Sometimes you just do what you need to get things done. I told her to focus in her mind a firm image of the envelope and seal, hold the image in her mind until it was as real there as it was to her eyes. Then I told her pull her power through the Avatar connection and wrap the Magick around the envelope and hold it there letting it infuse the envelope’s pattern with Prime energy. As I’ve explained Prime is the sphere dealing the nature of Magick itself.

While she had the envelope wrapped in her Magick I touched my Avatar pulling the power through to prepare for the spell. The energy flowed faster and easier that it had before, a benefit of the seeking I assumed. I reached my mind out for Sindee’s not to connect to her but to connect to the spell she had already woven in her mind. I wrapped my power around her spell using the Prime Sphere to alter the two spells, binding our powers together. I bound my strengths on Time, Entropy and Forces to her senses; then had her repeat what I did with her strengths. As I had already discovered she was a powerful Life Mage and would be a Master of that sphere in short order, she was also talented in Matter and Correspondence spheres. I wove in my knowledge of the remaining spheres and since I had Sindee running the initial spell I told her how to infuse the envelope with the Magick so we could sense any power that wasn’t ours.

As the power passed into and through the letter and seal we found no hint of true Magick beyond our own. We did find that there was old dried blood inside as well as some kind of Spirit bound to the seal. I had only limited knowledge of altering spirits via Magick so I chose a simple spell to release the spirit before we broke the seal it was bound to. The blood gave me a clue as to who I was going to have the problem with but wouldn’t be confirmed until I read the letter.

I broke the seal and started reading the letter; by know you may have guessed that it was written in blood. Got to love the overly morbid Vampires of House Tremere; Blood Magic being their specialty would make my life interesting from here on in. The bloodsucker I killed in my hotel must have been one of theirs. They didn’t name me as a Mage in the letter so I hoped I still had some surprises in store for them. I was going to find the being who sent me the letter and handle things from there. It was time to find a local Elysium, I needed to find some info and it had to be from someone who knew what was going on the greater world. An Elysium is best explained as neutral territory. Using and powers within these places on anyone unwilling was not a good idea. Think of it like some rough bars that had a “You pull it, you eat it” policy on weapons. From my tale and explanation you have an idea of just how powerful Mages and some of the Supernaturals are. Imagine how powerful the individuals who run and enforce the rules in these places must be and you’ll know why the rules aren’t broken very often.

We headed back into town; I called Marcus and asked him if he wanted to come to lunch with us. He asked if he could bring Kyra with him. I liked her when we met and his voice sounded like he would decline to go if she couldn’t join him so the answer was an easy yes. We got back in to town around 2 and headed for the campus to pick them up. We picked them up and headed down to the Carnegie Deli for a nice mean for all of us. The conversation was great and Marcus couldn’t keep his eyes off of Kyra for more than a minute or two at a time. Her tall athletic build with the dirty blonde hair and blue eyes was attractive, her personality was even more so. She had a great sense of humor and was witty. That wasn’t the look he was giving her however. I recognized the look on his face as the one everyone accused me of when Sindee was in the room. I told all three of them who I figured the warning came from, explaining to Sindee and Kyra what House Tremere was. Kyra knew of Vampires and I’ll tell you, judging by her reaction, that Vampires and Werewolves got along better in the Underworld Movies than in reality. Unfortunately Kyra didn’t know where there may have been an Elysium in the city. I had my work cut out for me if I were to try to find one.


Chapter 12

I decided that I needed to find an Elysium like it would be simple. The world Elysium was taken from Greek Mythology referring to the Elysian Fields or their version of paradise. In the supernatural communities it refers to sanctuaries and neutral territories. Most of these places only cater to one kind of supernatural and their locations are a guarded secret among them. On a few rare occasions, mostly in large cities with a diverse population of supernatural races, you’ll find one or two that act as a Sanctuary and Meeting ground to settle disputes where all are welcome. Those places are usually run by very powerful individuals who can keep the peace even if the clientele can’t. Violating an Elysium usually means your life is forfeit, and you’ll get no support from your faction or race’s leadership.

I knew that I could probably locate one of the locations owned by the Vampires but there was little chance of me finding the Tremere that way without leaving a trail of bodies. While that would be effective, it would also make me a target for all of the Vampires in the city. While they fight and kill amongst their own, they will band together to kill a threat to all of them. What I needed to find was one of those location where I could get the information I needed. That meant hoping that a city as large as Vegas had a true Elysium. I figured it would, but I also accepted two simple facts. The first being that it was possible it didn’t exist and second was that there was no guarantee I’d get the information I was looking for if I did find one.

I decided to start off by checking out the city nightlife. When you consider that while most supernatural beings are able to move about in the open during the daylight, the largest population of supernatural creature was Vampires. I figured that working with that in mind would help me find an Elysium easier at night. Another piece of information for those of you who are interested, all of the supernatural races try to blend in with everyone else and most of the individuals tend to be sociable. Human aren’t a food source for all of the races, only a few of them. Of those few, Vampires are the only group that actually feeds directly from the body.

Sindee and I spent the evening with her parents, taking in a show with them on their first visit to Las Vegas. After the show we headed back to her house to get dressed for a night out clubbing. We almost didn’t leave the house once I saw her in the dress she had chosen for the night, thank the world for self-control. She was wearing a Sapphire Blue dress that followed her body as though it were a second skin, the skirt ended around mid-thigh, sheer stockings of the same color sheathed her legs and she wore a pair of six inch stiletto heels. The neckline was cut deep down the center ending between her breasts displaying her Infinity Loop pendant framed perfectly between them. I dressed in black slacks and once I saw her dress a Sapphire Blue silk shirt to match hers. I wore my boots to allow me to carry a couple of knives in them; I wasn’t willing to go around unarmed when Sindee was with me. We headed out for a night of music, fun and searching for the elusive.

I’ll admit that during the first half of the night I was completely distracted by dancing and spending time out with Sindee. I’ve told you in the past how beautiful she is and I’ve gone on about her heart and we all know she’s intelligent or she wouldn’t be a doctor. What made tonight special is the look on her face as she relaxed and let the walls down. When Sindee was out dancing and the music really got her going, looking at her was like seeing an angel made flesh. Her smile was infection and you couldn’t help but have fun and enjoy your life with her around. We had hit three clubs off the strip that night before deciding to head in. The reason I wasn’t looking on the strip is they were to exposed to be an Elysium as the only people that found a club like we were looking for were awakened. In an Elysium vampires would feed in the open on those who were willing and other supernatural beings didn’t need to hide. Most mages still hid what they were or at least the amount of power they could wield because once you left the place all bets were off concerning neutrality.

I was driving us home through an industrial area behind the strip when I passed a place I’d not noticed earlier when we headed out. It looked like a small bar from the front, but the line outside the door suggested otherwise. I pointed the place out to Sindee as I pulled over across the street from it. “You ever see or hear about that place before?”

Sindee looked it over for a minute before replying. “No, the girls and I have been to pretty much all the clubs in town over the last few years and I’ve never heard of a club in this area.”

I was looking the place over more carefully when felt something from my avatar, there was magick in use at the place. Wards and other passive magick can be sensed if you are looking using your mage senses, on the other hand all Mages as well as a few other races are capable of sensing the active use of magick. “I’m going to stop; we should check this place out.” I suited action to words as I pulled into the parking structure next to it.

“You know I’m always up for new places and tonight has been fun.” She gave me her wicked little smile, “besides it’s too early to go home to bed.” I felt another burst, stronger this time through my avatar and Sindee’s look changes to one of concern, “What was that?” Her tone was excited and confused at the same time. This was the first time she had sensed active magick that she wasn’t involved in.

“That was someone actively using some form of magick nearby,” I explained. “You’ll start sensing it more and more in the world and get used to the sensation. Sometimes you’ll feel what I call wild magic which happens when the world corrects something that didn’t went wrong or that a magic user changed from what is consensual reality.”

She flashed that smile at me again, “I never dated any of my teachers or professors before now.” I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was having her fun teasing me.

“You’re the first student I’ve ever had the desire to seduce,” I teased back. The look she gave me almost got me to start the car and drive home. The teasing however was as fun for me and felt we could have more time out. “However young lady, you have more to learn if we’re going to get your grades up.” I got out and walked around to open her car door for her offering my arm. I had to laugh at the game as I was the younger man in our relationship which just made it all the more fun.

We took the elevator down as I wasn’t going to risk Sindee breaking her neck on the stairs with the heels she was wearing. How she even walked let alone danced in them was beyond me, but I loved the way her legs and ass looked in them. I took a fifty out of my wallet on the elevator and folded it in my palm. I walked with Sindee on my arms straight past the line and stepped up to the doorman. I shook his hand slipping the fifty to him, “My names Graves, it should be on the list for me and a guest.”

The doorman withdrew his hand having slipped the fifty back to my palm, “I’ll check the list and we’ll see what is says.” He looked insulted by the attempt to bribe him. I knew it wasn’t the amount because he never looked at it.

I raised my opinion of this man immediately. While he was checking the list I spoke again, “My apologies for insulting you, I should know not to make assumptions about people.”

He finished checking the list before looking up at me. While he had been checking, a stunning woman who could have stepped out of the renaissance era leaned out the door and whispered in his ear. He smiled genuinely as she stepped back into the bar. “Though your name isn’t on the list, it looks like we had a few spaces open up. Since you apologized so sincerely I’ll let you in with group.”

I could tell by looking that he wasn’t human, but not what he was. “I appreciate the consideration, thank you.” We walked through the front doors, the name Existence painted across the inner set and were in a place like none I’d ever seen. The front room area was a typical bar upon first look. It had the required long bar along the back wall lined with stools. Off to the right in a side room was a couple of pool tables. There were some booths along the wall and tables scattered around the room. At the middle of the room was an empty table with a reserved sign sitting on it. There was the usual bar decorations, neon signs and the requisite mirrored wall behind the bar itself. Hanging there on the wall above the bar plainly visible to everyone who entered was a sign:

The use of weapons is strenuously discouraged, violators will be Penalized. For those who don’t have two brain cells to form a thought the above means “YOU PULL IT, YOU EAT IT”, This policy is strictly enforced.

I liked the place immediately. Then I saw the rest of the place. The back wall was made of what I assumed to be Soundproofed Plexiglas, and beyond it was the largest dance club I’d ever seen. It would be better described as a permanent rave with number of people and size of the place. I looked around and two more things stood out to me, the armed guards walking around on the catwalks and a man on the Catwalk between the Bar and Club standing with his hands on the rail looking down. He was tall, and well built. I can’t give you specifics because of the distance and how he was dressed. From the distance I could see how he scanned the room with his pale eyes, he was wearing a pair of worn boots and a full length leather duster. The duster stood out to me because of the heat at this time of year. A coat like that could hide several weapons. As I was taking all this in his eyes met mine for a moment and I felt a chill. Those eyes had seen more than I ever wanted to know.

Sindee drug me through the bar out onto the dance floor, even in this place her beauty and personality stood out. I’ll admit I am biased when it comes to her, but the looks and stare she was getting spoke volumes. I held off using even sensory magick here, until I knew exactly what this place was about I was playing it safe. We danced and drank for a while, just letting loose and having fun which was pleasant after the last few days. I notice a few vampires feeding; however they weren’t killing those they fed from. The look on their dinner’s faces was one of ecstasy and not pain. When done, they withdrew the fangs and licked the wounds. When this had been done the wounds disappeared as though they never happened. I filed that away as a useful piece of information as well as realizing that I may have misjudged Vampires by placing the entire race into the category of Evil.

After a little while on the dance floor we went back out into the bar area to grab a table and get something to eat. We placed out order for some appetizers and sat taking in more of the place. I decided that I would use the opportunity to teach Sindee about using her sensory magick in a passive manner. Most of the time a Mage uses magic to affect the world around them, even when using it to sense things. These are all active uses because you are extending the Magick beyond yourself. The technique I was showing her was commonly referred to as Mage Sight. You drew only enough magick and focused on your eyes overlaying the spheres into your normal view of the world. How this overlay appeared varied between Mages as spells are always shaped by the individual casters mind. Sindee was one of the fastest studies I’d ever met and picked up techniques quickly. Teaching her to access the Sphere she didn’t already have a connection to would be difficult but not outside of my skills as an instructor. She had Life and Correspondence into her Mage Sight quickly; both spheres being important to a doctor after all, knowledge of living things and spatial relations are required skills in that profession. She was having issues with matter because of the unstable nature of even solid materials. I told her to blend it in with her correspondence to eliminate the visual movement of the atoms that make up the mater around her. In order to assist her in this I used a little active Magick on the table to remove a one inch cube from it. I then caused the individual elements that made up the table material to separate into clusters of the element itself. Once she had the matter sight into place I reassembled the original materials pattern and replaced the cube I removed. I used the absolute minimal amount of power and controlled the spell as to keep it from flaring too many people’s senses as I possibly could. I knew some people would feel the active use of magick, but the effect on reality was so minimal it would be almost impossible to pinpoint who used it in this place.

Our food was delivered a couple of minutes after we finished getting her Mage Sight trained. The woman who brought it out was petite like Sindee but that was where the similarities ended. First off she was a vampire and well-armed at that. Using my own mage sight I could see the weapons she had hidden under her clothing, what caught my attention however was the sword on her back. It had the glow of a Talisman, there was a spirit bound to the hilt as well. She placed our plates down on the table along with an additional plate we hadn’t ordered at the seat across from us and pulled out the chair. After doing so she stepped back instead of sitting down. The man I spotted when we walked in stepped up to the table. On closer inspection he looked as though he stepped out of the old west. I had to drop my Mage Sight the moment I looked at him as the images that showed Magick and Spirit put my eyes into overload and almost blinded me with their brightness. I blinked a few times as he sat and pulled the chair in. He looked to be in his late twenties, but his eyes told you he was far older than that.

He tipped his head to both Sindee and me before speaking, “Pardon my intrusion into your meal, however as I’ve not seen either of you in here before I wanted to introduce myself and meet you. My name is Arthur Masters and as is my custom, I welcome you both to my place.” He reach out and shook my hand, he had a firm confident grip and didn’t play any games like testing my strength. After releasing my hand he turned to Sindee and took her hand in his. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the back, taking no more time or liberty than proper etiquette demanded, “It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance my dear.” He released her hand and sat across from us. The woman who brought the food didn’t step more than a few feet from him after he approached.

Sindee was the first to speak, “Thank you Mr. Masters. You have such a wonderful and busy place here. How do you manage to know all your customers on sight?” Sindee was very sharp and asked the question that was on my mind as well.

“First off, call me Arthur as Mr. Masters makes me look for my father. Second, I thank you for the compliment as I think of this place as my home and prefer my guests to enjoy it. To answer your last question, I have many tricks for that, among which is an excellent memory, security cameras in the entryway and a computer specialist with facial recognition software he wrote himself.” Arthur’s expression remained neutral but the eyes despite the years in them were friendly as her turned his towards me.

“Well Arthur, I’m Andrew and I have to agree with my lovely fiancé,” Yes I was acting a little territorial; I’m a guy so sue me, “that this is an incredible place. I almost drove past it as we headed towards home. It’s my pleasure to meet you as well.”

Sindee elbowed me gently in the ribs, “My name is Sindee and I am enjoying the…diverse atmosphere of your establishment.”

Arthur and I both let out a burst of laughter before he spoke, “That is about the most benign and political way anyone has ever described the clientele here.” He reached back over his shoulder toward the Vampire that brought the food out. She placed a small item in his hand which he then sat on the table. I felt magick come from the device as he touched it. My reaction was counter magick from the Prime sphere. While not as easy as using the same spheres that the spell you countering does a general counter spell can be more effective due to the skill it takes to learn how to do it. The only problem was that I was stopped cold in the middle of casting it. I felt the magick within me, but it wouldn’t form into the spell I was using. “Don’t worry about the fact that your spell just failed before you could finish forming it, that was me.”

I gave him a somewhat hostile expression as I replied, “That’s supposed to make me feel better. You were activating a Talisman that I’ve never seen before right in front of us.” As I screamed this at him, I noticed that no one other than the three of us reacted to my raised voice. I reached for my Magick with a shielding spell in my mind when I realized I couldn’t touch the power I’d come to count on as being there.

“You won’t be able to cast any spells for the time being so sit and relax. I’m not here to hurt you, this is a sanctuary and you are under my protection within it,” he stated in a calm tone of voice full of authority. He sat patiently, not saying or doing anything but sit there.

I noticed the woman standing behind him had shifted her body to present a profile to our table. Upon looking around I spotted some of the other staff members watching Arthur with the look of bodyguards. I sat down, “We came here with no intention of causing trouble. What is it that you want?” I let an edge creep into my voice because this wasn’t the type of behavior I expected to find. I looked over at Sindee to see a pissed off look on her face as she stared Arthur down, I took her hand in mine and gently squeezed it.

“You said you wanted to welcome us as guest and yet you try to use Magick on us without provocation.” Sindee’s tone was knife edged as she tore into him. “That is not the behavior of the host you tried to present when you approached. If that is your idea of respect and etiquette we’ll be going and will not return.”

“Please calm yourselves; my intentions with the talisman and anything else are simply privacy.” He took a breath and then continued, “The talisman acts a lot like a white noise generator. Anyone not at this table can’t hear us and we can’t hear them. I have people of all races that frequent this establishment and I prefer to keep peoples secrets when I converse with them. As for stopping your spells, it was necessary as you were about to trigger a response from Sam,” he gestured over his shoulder to the vampire standing behind him. “She is one of my oldest friends and takes my life and safety seriously. Now to answer your first question more thoroughly, I know all the patrons of this club as they have been brought here by someone who was already a guest and I met them when they arrived or they were meant to find this place out of some need or another. The two of you needed to find this place and you have since none of my staff knows of you at all. I came here to sit with you instead of inviting you both to my private table for a few reasons, primarily of which I recognized Andrew’s resonance when he was working with you a few minutes ago.” He turned to look me in the eyes, “the spell you cast the other day was sensed by everyone capable of doing so within at least 500 miles. You have a very subtle resonance which is your only saving grace as not many people would have picked up on it. If you’re here you need something, information of some sort is the common reason people are drawn to this place specifically. While that’s not always the case I’m almost positive it is in yours.”

I calmed myself and sat down in the chair before replying, “Yes I do need some information, I need to find the Tremere. We’ve had a…misunderstanding that I wish to resolve.”

“That is something I may be able to assist you with, however there are a couple of things that must come first. I act as a facilitator and middle man and therefore information and assistance have a cost related to them. There is also the matter of no violence in my place so if you intent to resolve this misunderstanding in that manner you are going to have to leave without your information.”

“I simply want to end the situation peacefully before it escalates any further; there is no need for more violence. As for your price for the information and assistance it depends upon the cost.”

He smiled genuinely before replying, “The cost is not money or anything so boring. I’d like to know the spell that sent such a pulse of power out and what the cause of its use.”

I sure the look on Sindee’s face was a mirror of my own, which was one a surprise. I tripped over my tongue a few times before managing to speak, “That can’t be all that you want, a simple story and rote that if you read the resonance, as you said, you could figure out on your own?”

He smiled and chuckled at me, “That’s all I want. A story is always interesting and provides insight into the person telling it and those involved. I’d rather have the rote described as it also gives insight into how the caster thinks. More importantly, you’re here in my place and see that I have no need for money or influence and my so called staff are more family then employees. Information and oddities are now my preferred currencies.”

I hate to admit it, but what he said made a lot of sense. I didn’t want to like the man but his upfront and straightforward nature made it hard not to. I related the story of how the spell worked any why I used it, leaving the fact of Sindee’s awakening out of it as much as possible. I also chose to tell him about the first encounter with the vampire in my hotel that started the issue in hopes he could use that to help resolve the situation.

He left us to eat our meal while he started looking around for a contact. I watched how the people interacted with him because while I expected he was something other than a Mage I wasn’t sure what he was. The sheer power he held within from what I saw before being blinded was immense combined with the fact that he somehow stopped me from even drawing on my connection to Magick. The people he spoke with seem to either like him or respect him as he moved through the area. I lost sight of him as he walked deeper into the dance club area. I turned to face Sindee, “What do you think of him?”

“I’m not sure what to think. On one hand he is arrogant and rough around the edges and on the other he is charming, friendly and seems genuine. I’ve met doctors like that; those are the ones who usually have the worst god complexes. Most of them don’t have the skills to have any right at having that attitude. I think that Arthur has every right to his complex after using the Mage Sight you taught me to look around. There are so many different types of life in here, more than I thought existed and there don’t seem to be any problems among the patrons here.” She continued to look around trying to determine all the different race and or species she could spot.

“I agree with you on that. There is something different about him and I couldn’t tell you what it is. I say we enjoy ourselves while we’re here and see if things can be resolved without bloodshed and bodies.” We settled into a conversation about the wedding plans while we waited and ate…


Chapter 13

Sindee and I were sitting and enjoying the atmosphere of the Existence while we waited for Arthur to come back. The place was filled with a fascinatingly eclectic clientele. Though I didn’t recognize every type of being in that I saw, there were a few I did. Among those I knew were of course vampires and a few of the shape-shifters. There were a few other Mages; however we were definitely the minority among the patrons. There were also a few fallen among the patrons though they seemed to be relaxing like everyone else so there were no worries. For all that was going on in this place everyone seemed to be relaxed which I attributed to Arthur and his staff. This place is the truest Elysium I’d ever heard of let alone been in to.

We had just finished our meal when he came back to join us with a vampire in tow. The Vampire looked to have been in his mid to late fifties at the time he was turned. He had gray hair and dark eyes. He was dressed in a suit of a more modern cut, but the ring he was wearing had a distinct similarity to the seal on the letter. Arthur sat to the side of the table allowing the gentleman with him to sit across from Sindee and myself. The Vampire made a short half bow to us prior to sitting down, “My name is Alexander Angeletti; Arthur says you wish to speak with me about a,” he paused for a moment to think, “Misunderstanding, I believe that’s the right word?”
I nodded, “That is about as accurate a word as I can think of.” I reached inside my jacket and pulled out the letter placing it on the table between us. “The incident described within was not one I had sought out. I was visiting the Strip for the first time since I had just arrived in town. When I spotted the young woman and realized what she was, I grabbed a cab to get out of the area. She had tried to affect my mind to keep me there, however she was not successful. Somehow she managed to find me where I was staying and followed me there. She had tried to attack me in my sleep; it was luck or chance that I woke up when I did. In the ensuing fight I was forced to destroy her to defend myself. For me it ended there, I’m not here to hunt your people or to start a fight and wish to resolve things. Unfortunately someone else saw the fight and decided I was a threat to your people. I hadn’t opened the letter to read it at that point due to other things in my life I’d forgotten about it until someone came at me in daylight with the intent of killing me and mine. I won’t apologize for his loss; as again I was defending my people. I opened the note and decided to look for information to meet someone of high enough status to find a way to end this without further bloodshed.”

Alexander picked up the note to read it, “I was aware of neither the two incidents you speak of, nor of this letter. I do however know this seal and I’ll handle this issue with the owner. As for any further issues between our houses; I will not allow anyone to seek retribution for the past and in the future I suggest we meet here before starting anything. While I know my people have the numbers, you have twice now survived attacks so you have certain skills that protect you. Maybe in the future we can find a way to benefit each other. If the individual continues to press the issue despite the warning he is going to receive, he forfeits any protection from us. Is this an acceptable agreement?”

I looked over at Sindee and she nodded, “More than acceptable. Perhaps we can work together if our interests ever coincide in the future. Thank you.”

Arthur as well as Alexander looked pleased with the result of our conversation as they got up to leave the table. I looked over to Sindee after they moved away, “That went better than I expected. I won’t say it’s over as he stated that he wasn’t guaranteeing the letter writers behavior. The good news is that if we are attacked again we can defend ourselves without fear of retribution from the entire clan.”

“I’m glad that your mind is at ease. Now why am I sitting here with my fiancé looking hot in this dress instead of out on the dance floor with his arms around me?” She smiled, grabbed my hand and dragged me out to the dance floor which I was all too happy to follow her on to. We spent the rest of the night dancing and having fun together. It was shortly before sunrise that the club even thinned out. It was around 9 am that we finally left and went to get breakfast before heading home. We finally got home and crawled into bed around 11:30. Both of us were unable to keep our eyes open and were out cold within seconds of our heads hitting the pillows.

I opened my eyes and knew immediately that I wasn’t awake; however what I was experiencing was no mere dream. I was standing in an open field, scrub grass and tumbleweed all around me. The moon was high and full, what has been called a harvest or hunter’s moon. The sky was filled with stars, but the constellations I’d known all my life weren’t there. That could mean far into the past or future or the possibility of an alternate plane or timeline all together. While I’ve had visions in the past, they usually weren’t this real to me, usually just a feeling or quick flash of something that guided my decisions like the one that brought me to Las Vegas and Sindee. I didn’t know where this field was, but it was a real landscape not just something created for the vision. I scanned the area around me and spotted two significant things. The first was a ruined cityscape in the distance; silhouettes of crumbled towers and destroyed houses standing visible against the starlit horizon. The second was the being standing between this city and where I stood. Who or what this figure was I didn’t know. I felt power radiating from them as well as a sense of malevolence. Power I was used to feeling, and this being radiated more than I could face on my own at this time. The feeling of evil was new to me, I’ve never been empathic and wasn’t sure how to interpret what was happening here. While facing this being it hit me that I’d seen the crumbled city before. I saw it in my seeking; this is what happened when the ascension war moved from the shadows into the prime material plane. I shifted my attention the figure across the way. I reached out to sense the mind using Magick and hit a wall stronger than any I had faced. The strange thing about the wall was it seen to have two separate signatures to the resonance. I switched tactics and cast Mage sight for the Spirit, Prime and Correspondence spheres. I chose those three in order to get specific information. The first thing I saw should have been the worst part of this situation, he had no Avatar yet his power was Primal Magick. This was disturbing because it meant that this being was what we called a Nephandi. Nephandi are the worst kind of mage and evil all rolled into one. A Nephandi is a Mage who chose to sacrifice their avatar to Infernal Beings for the pure greed of more power. While most mages fight with the goal of Ascension whether for themselves or all beings in the Tellurian the Nephandi aren’t interested in Ascension. They are trying to destroy the Tellurian which is the whole of reality. In the Ascension war while most are fighting for ascension or stasis the Nephandi fight for the Descent and fall of all existence. They have only one goal, to spread destruction and evil into the world. The only thing that saves them from being the worst thing that we have to face is that they suffer backlashes like any other mage. What made this being the worst I’ve ever seen is the plane his infernal benefactor came from. I had only heard the horror stories of the place as it actually wasn’t truly a normal place. It was Todash Space, better described as the eternal darkness between planes, the space between spaces and only the greatest horrors of Cthulhian mythos dwelt there.

If I was to try and fight this here and now I knew I was outmatched and outclassed in the Magick department. The Nephandi stared me down across the distance; I knew visions like this could be as deadly as the reality we lived in if it came to a fight in here. I had to get all the information I could from it this before we started fighting or the vision ended. There was no ambient light from the cityscape, no lights at all that could be seen in the city. I pulled the Magick into a detection spell, spreading out using the Life and Mind Spheres to try and find out if there were any people left there. I was unable to find anyone but it could have been as simple as being too far away or counter magick from the figure. I tried one more thing, I used the Time sphere to locate when I was in this vision and that was the worst of the discoveries. This vision existed inside of a Mobius strip in whatever plane and timeline that had existed. This timeline had fractured and folded in upon itself.

That was the moment that all hell decided to break loose. The figure started to move toward me pulling a glowing sword as it did so. I drew magick into the time and life spheres to enhance my physical endurance and to alter the flow of time around me allowing me to move and more importantly perceive actions faster than normal. This saved my life right there as I managed to move out from under his blade as it sliced through my coat. For a change I didn’t lose any blood this time. As I wasn’t armed in the traditional sense I decided to attempt a rote I’d been working on, one inspired by Star Wars and some anime that I’d seen. I drew on the Forces and Prime sphere, using them to form the energy into a set of swords made of pure magick and charged with gravity, electricity and fire so that they would cause wounds that would heal human slow. Wounds caused by magick can be healed by magick like most other, but there are some types that even Mages have to heal normally or through extensive use of ritual magick that takes a lot of time. I came to my feet facing him with my weapons held at guard.

We started to circle each other, moving to keep the other in sight. You may wonder why neither of us was throwing spells all over the place and trying to rip each other apart with destructive magick. The short answer is that while spells alone are effective, combining them with more traditional combat makes counter spells less useful. I stepped in swinging low with my right hand trying to bisect his knee. His sword intercepted my swing as he reach forward with his left throwing a burst of electricity form forces. I managed to catch the burst on my left side blade, my arm burnt by the electricity flowing through me but less damage than I would have taken from it hitting me directly. I responded by bringing the right hand weapon slashing upward as a distraction while stabbing forward with my left. I got lucky as he caught my right handed slash the left blade sunk into his shoulder. The smell of burning flesh filled the air with his scream. I felt a burst of Kinetic energy from him as I was thrown back across the landscape. I flung my arms wide in an attempt to keep my own weapons from cutting into me as I landed. As soon as I was down I accelerated myself to twice the speed I was moving for a moment, I was going to pay for this move for days. I charged the figure getting a friction burn on all exposed skin as I ran. He dropped into a guard position which is what I wanted him to do. I pulled on matter and the ground rose up around him forming a cage as I leapt, swinging both blades together at his neck. I was millimeters from him when the dream snapped and I was once again looking at my own ceiling. My arm was numb from the electrical burns and my entire body was screaming from the friction burn. Destruction was coming for this world and its harbinger wanted me dead before I could fight to stop it.

I tried to get out of bed, managing only to fall to the floor knocking a lamp over. The noise waking Sindee as I tried move into the bathroom, I tasted copper on my tongue. Sindee came around the bed and saw my abused body, “What happened to you?”

I swallowed a mouthful of blood before responding, “I was fighting with a Nephandi is a vision of sorts. It was more real than any vision I’d heard of. I know there are legends of Dreams where they are as real as the rest of reality and therefore just a dangerous.” I winced in pain, biting down tightly as she helped me to my feet. I stumbled into the bathroom with her support before continuing. “I don’t know who the being was, but they know me and wanted me gone before they put whatever plan they have into action. There is something or someone coming to town and they aren’t going to be friendly when they arrive.” I spit another mouthful of blood into the trashcan. I attempted to draw on magick to heal but wasn’t even able to focus enough numb the pain I was in.

Sindee grabbed a washcloth and wet it to wipe the sweat and little bit of blood from my face and body. She pulled on her own magick, managing to heal the electrical burns and the internal damage. “I was able to heal the more severe damage, but the burn to your skin is resisting the healing spells.”

I laughed at myself more than the situation, “I figured that would be the case as I did it to myself but moving too fast through air. There are more particles in the air than people realize and more so in a field of sand, scrub grass and tumbleweeds.” I gave as mischievous a smile that I could muster and jokingly continued, “Would you want to rub lotion on my burns Doctor Grey?” I’ll admit I wasn’t feeling up for anything other than healing but wanted to lighten the mood as I was feeling concerned about the coming dangers.

Sindee laughed then slapped my arm lightly, “You would think of sex with your dying breath.” I winced in pain from where the slap landed, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Sindee dragged me to the bed making me lay down as she started to rub a lotion from her bag into my burns. Whatever she was using was great as it soothed the flesh quickly, not to mention how good her hands felt running all over my body. I was still going to be laid up for at least a few days before I was anywhere near back to normal.


Chapter 14

I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d be laid up for a few days, the side effects of the electrocution were nasty. The healing took several days even with improvements I made to my body. First problem was the twitching, it wasn’t constant but that just made it worse. I was drinking a hot cup of tea when my arm twitched and then I was wearing a hot cup of tea in my lap. Then there was not going out to see anyone until the marks and friction burns healed as it would be difficult to explain the scarring that occurred and then disappeared to medical professionals like Sindee’s friends and parents. By far the worst of the side effects were when the nerves would just go dead and my arm or another portion of my body would go numb for hours. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I lived through it but I’m going to have to craft a ward against electricity for the future. In the end I was in bed healing for a full week before the electrical burn scars were fully gone. In that time we had no further issues with the Tremere. Actually there didn’t seem to be anything going wrong. I took this as a bad sign of things to come; the proverbial calm before the storm.


The next three days went quickly as we spent them with Sindee’s parents on their last few days in town. It was nice to be able to relax and go anywhere in town with them and not be looking over my shoulder. Sindee’s mother noted the difference in my behavior and took a moment to speak to me about it. I still kept aware of my surroundings; I just wasn’t constantly on edge the whole time we were together. The one advantage about having a Nephandi as my enemy is that he had to hide his Magick just as I had to. Her parents drove out of town the second week in September and Sindee returned to work.


The first time I was alone for the whole day I went out to the construction site on the house. They were making excellent progress on the building having completed the basement and the framing of all three buildings. The house would be completed relatively quickly if they kept up their pace and I would be able to get in and start building the wards around it as a Sanctum. I got back to work on my investments to ensure that my clients and my own finances stayed in good order so I could worry about my new unknown enemy.


I knew from the time of my awakening that my life would never be simple again, however the events of recent months have brought me to the understanding of how complicated it would be. Only 3 months had passed since my arrival in Las Vegas and I’ve almost died 3 times as well. I knew that something could easily happen to me with what was coming. I could have run, taken Sindee with me and start a new life somewhere else that would be safer for both of us. While I could have done that, I wasn’t going to. I was needed here to fight in the ascension war, to stop what was coming this way. I could have left the fight to someone else, but that wasn’t who I am. The only way to protect Sindee and ensure no one ever came after her was to stop them from being able to do so. I’m not the heroic type then again I wasn’t being a hero. I was choosing to defend my home, my family; the result that I would be protecting the city and the world simply was a side effect of doing what I needed to do. I made a decision that could be the end of me so I had a few calls to make. I started with my lawyer, as an awakened individual he would be able to handle the instructions without any issues. I decided it was time to make out a will.


The legal matters were handled quickly with little fuss so that I could conclude the rest of my business for the day. The first order of business was to create a minor talisman warding against electricity. While I have only faced him once, the Nephandi was very quick to use the electricity as a combat spell making me confident in taking the time to ward against it. What I was making really wasn’t a true talisman. I was making an imbued item or charm that was limited in the spells used on it and the magick stored within; it still needs to be activated by any Mage who wore it. A talisman when created is imbued with its own power and abilities including a connection to the plane of Magick. Talismans can be used until their stored power is depleted and can be recharged over time while the charms can only be used until depleted and new spells must be cast to create them again. The final difference between a charm and a talisman is that anyone can use a talisman if they learn what it is including Mages, Vampires and Mortals alike. In order to make the Warding charm I did some research online and found out that the best conductor for electricity was silver which I would use to draw the power in, and then I found a Discover Magazine article about a super-insulator that could be used to store the power drawn into it. I gathered the materials I needed to make the charm and then I just needed to decide on the way I wanted it to work and which spells I would use. I could have made the charm from anything as it doesn’t usually matter with Magick at your disposal. I chose to use specific materials because it gave me an advantage in granting me more options with the material effects. What I had in mind was not just a ward against electricity but a capacitor that would store the energy and allow me to tap into it for my own spells. Another clue about the nature of Magick is that one form of energy can be changed into a different one. I used Forces and Matter to shape and craft the materials increasing conductivity and capacity for storage then applied Prime to change the electricity into quintessence or primal energy within the charm itself. The reason I did it this way was to allow the charm to last longer by feeding off the primal energy stored within. This isn’t a spell I tried before but it should work the way I planned; either way I’d find out the next time I fought with someone using electricity. I’d decided to make two of them which took up the rest of the day while Sindee was working. I made them both into watch bands to replace the ones currently on Sindee’s and my own watches.


I made a nice dinner for Sindee and we spent the night curled up together on the couch watching a few old movies we liked. I needed to accelerate her training as soon as the house was complete if she was going to be able to protect herself when I’m not around and I wanted her to get as much rest as she could before we started in earnest. We did work on little things like more sensory Magick to ensure she had a grasp of what things were before I taught her to start changing what and how they worked. The more she leaned about the nature of anything the easier it is to understand how to change them.


I had a lot to do in the next 6 weeks, training Sindee in all the sensory Magick while waiting for the house to be finished. We went to the construction site together daily because I wanted to check the progress and in the evening make some changes internally where the walls had been put into place. Since the changes couldn’t be seen or detected without opening the walls up so the effects were coincidental and therefore no backlash involved. I had decided that I was going to make this location both as secure and protected as I could as I was going to attempt the creation of a Node. A Node is a place where the tapestry of the Tellurian becomes knotted, becoming places of power for Mages and other beings. Nodes form naturally in the world, and I was going to try and create one. Nodes are one form of power the Vampires have no use for beyond denying them to their enemies. They are however unable to detect them for themselves so they can be kept secret from the kindred. Creating a Node is not a task that should be undertaken lightly. My choosing to do so was for multiple reasons that I felt make it worth the risks involved in the creation and defense of it. First and foremost the vision of a fight with a Nephandi gave me the idea to bring together a group to defend the city and the tellurian. A Node is an excellent place to form a chantry, a school for the awakened to learn and work to improve their powers. Were-creatures also use Nodes though as I understand it they have a different name for them. They seem to be a place where the Spirits they get their gifts from gather. I hoped to work with some of them in order to protect the place from all of the possible enemies we could face in protecting the city by sharing the node with them. If this worked and a Node forms I may not be around to know. I mentioned before that there were worse things for mages to suffer other than death. I’ve mentioned a couple and will explain more as they come but the one that had me worried the most was because what I was attempting was not a simple alteration of something within reality. What I was going to attempt was to alter the fabric of the Tellurian itself and that could put me into a Quiet.


A Quiet is one of the worst possible things a Mage can suffer, being turned into a Vampire and having your Avatar destroyed in a better fate. A Quiet is a deep state of psychosis in which the Mages reality is the only thing to exist anywhere. No contact with anyone or anything. A personal madness created by the Mages own mind that has destroyed more Mages than those that came out of it stronger on the other side. A quiet can cause a Mage to become what is called a Marauder. Marauders are the most dangerous and unpredictable beings that exist. They no longer suffer from paradox backlashes as their mind has become so fractured that they live in their own reality within the Tellurian. Who knows what twisted effects these demented minds will come up with. Think of a serial killer with the power to change reality to fit with their fractured views. I liked to think I would get through any challenge or trial I went through but the possibility of becoming something like that frightened me more than I will ever be able to put into words.


As far as I know, I’ve never met a Mage who has even attempted what I am contemplating doing. It needs to be done and I’m not going to pass the responsibility and danger of my idea onto another being. I had plenty to do in planning it. I needed to contact Seeker of Truth to let her know what I was planning and see if her pack or one she knew as friends may want to help protect it if the effect worked. I wanted to talk to Arthur at his club to see if he might be able to acquire some items I could use to aid in a successful casting. I had a lot to do before the house was completed and very little time relatively speaking to accomplish it. I called Marcus first to see if he could get ahold of Kyra to ask Seeker to meet me somewhere we could talk, I recommended the Existence as it was neutral territory. I also chose it because it would allow me to kill the proverbial two birds with one stone by allowing me to see Arthur while I was there.


I arranged to meet Seeker of Truth on that first weekend coming and decided to make a night of it for Sindee and me. We got ready and went out to the Existence for lunch so I could speak with Arthur before the club got busy. Something I didn’t mention before is the Chef who would look at home on death row is a true gourmet and should run a five star restaurant kitchen, any time you eat there it’s a delight. Just tell the waitress you’ll have whatever the chef wishes to prepare and you’ll never regret the choice. Once we arrived I asked Arthur if he had time to talk as I needed some information that he could be able to provide. Sindee was over by the bar talking to Elayna when Arthur and I sat to talk.


“I’ll come straight out and tell you what I plan to attempt and I’d appreciate any advice or information you can provide,” I stated as a way of opening our conversation.


Arthur’s expression turned serious and contemplating which I have no clue how anyone can show two expressions at once and replied, “I’m listening, however I don’t think I’m going to like this am I?”


“I don’t know and won’t guess how you’ll feel about it. I will tell you that I’m planning to try and create a Node.” I informed Arthur, the silence that followed was tense.


We sat staring at each other until he replied, “I think you’re insane if you think it’s a good idea to try doing that, but you aren’t the first to try it. Are you aware of the dangers involved in what you planning?”


“Yes, the dangers include my death, the destruction of my Avatar causing me to lose the ability to use magick, horrible levels of injury that would be worse than death, and most of all the possibility of a Quiet and the end results of that including becoming a Marauder and needing to be put down,” I replied in an even tone. I asked, “Did I miss anything?”


“That pretty much sums things up neatly. Before I give you any information, tell me why you want to go through with such an insanely dangerously stupid plan.” He said the last like an order not a request and I knew if I didn’t explain he wouldn’t aid me.


“I plan to create the node within a Sanctum and use it for several reasons. The first is because I had a vision in which the city had been destroyed and deserted. In this vision I had a battle with a Nephandi and came out of it with Injuries from the fight. I don’t know when this war is coming here and I know that the vision is as much symbolic as real but a dead and deserted Las Vegas is a bad symbol either way. My second reason is I want to use the Sanctum as a training facility to improve my abilities and to teach other awakened. I also plan to share the Node with at least one of the local Were-creature packs in order to help maintain and protect it; that is if they’ll agree to. Fate and Destiny are playing around with my path in life and as much as I wish it weren’t happening I have no choice but to prepare for what I feel coming and to trust my instincts to guide me.” I looked him square in the eyes and asked, “Now, you said that I wasn’t the first to attempt this insane course of action. How many have tried and were there any who succeeded? If anyone did succeed did they survive said twisting of the Tellurian itself?”


Arthur got a distant look in his eyes as though deep in thought. It was interesting to watch his eyes, the shift around the grey scale of color as he thought looking for all the world like a gray clouded sky, “There have been several attempts I’m sure; however I know of only 3 personally. The first two were abysmal failures. One killed the Mage who attempted it, he was trained in all the spheres but attempted something he wasn’t ready for. I taking hold of the fabric of reality he couldn’t handle the raw Quintessence that flowed from it to him and he was burnt to ash from the inside out. The second failure was from a powerful Mage who became an Archmage of the Correspondence sphere. His hubris was his downfall. He believed that he was powerful enough to change reality where he saw fit, his intent was to force ascension on followers that were barely beginning to understand what is possible and their disbelief put him into a quiet that he hasn’t come back out of yet, that was back in ’92. The one that succeeded was an interesting and unique case. He shouldn’t have had the power to pull it off, however he had prepared for it creating a ritual and having a firm grasp in mind of what he wanted to have happen. The planning and ritual paid off and a Node was created. It was a small Node, limited in power but a Node none the less. He was put into a quiet and managed to come out of it relatively sane. While this mage can still work with magick any spell he attempts is very limited in scope and power, he can’t focus on anything detailed or powerful any longer.” He poured himself a drink from an old bottle, took a good drink and continued, “Now that you know more about the dangers and end results are you still planning to try to do it?”


I looked over to where Sindee was talking with Elayna and took a minute to think before answering. “If I’m going to protect Sindee and by extension the city if not the Tellurian itself I must do this. I don’t intend to try it as a normal spell either. My intent is to create a ritual as your one successful Mage did. I was thinking that if I intend to alter the Tellurian the more representations of the truth of reality I incorporate into the ritual the better chances for success in creating the Node. To that end I am looking for representation of the factions, species and whatever classifications we use for different beings.”


“Sounds to me like you’ve thought this out and despite the dangers; you are intent on attempting it. When you say representations of the various supernatural entities, please give me specific examples of what you mean and I’ll see what I can do about it.” He sat looking at me expectanly, waiting for my response.


“In the simplest terms, I know as Mages we use Quintessence and it has a physical form of Tass of which I have a little. From the Vampire whose blood is both their source of life and the power behind their magic, I wish to get as old and powerful a sample as they are willing to part with. From the Were-creatures I plan to seek a truce and see if they will share the knowledge of their source of power and possible provide some for to purpose of making this node a reality. I know that there are Fallen Angels or Demons and Mummies as well as many Supernaturals I have no idea of what they are or their source of Power and Magic which is why I come to you. As you said, you’re something else and you know enough to be able to run this unique place. I think you may be able to assist me in this goal if you’re willing.”


“I may be willing to assist however there are some terms to work out between us. First is that if you are successful I have full access to the node for my use and for those I wish to have trained. Second is that we share information in this war you feel coming; you are not the only protector of this city and the world. Third requirement is that you will train those I send to you; I will not send many but those I do will also have a destiny upon them. The last is that either way; if you survive the attempt in success or failure you will owe me a favor at the time of my choosing, no questions asked.”


“I’ll agree to the first and second with no qualifications. The third is an issue, the Node will be in my home and Sanctum and while I am willing to train those who need be, I will want to ensure that anyone I train is someone I’ve met and come to trust before allowing the knowledge of the Node to spread to them. I have a plan for shielding its position from being sensed beyond simple wards. The last one is almost agreeable. I will owe you the favor but I will not do something that violates my ethics and code of honor, nor will I let the favor endanger Sindee or my family. Beyond that the condition are acceptable.” I waited for Arthur’s counter offer.


Arthur’s reply was, “We agree then on points one and two. For point three, you will train anyone I send to you for training; however I will provide a location for doing so until and if you come to trust them enough to take them into your home. The final point, I swear to you on all that I hold dear that when I call on you for the favor it won’t be lightly and it may put your family into danger, but no more than not doing what I ask of you will. I have been guarding this world and fighting in the multiple supernatural wars going on, the ones you know of and those you do not. This place is a bastion against those wars and will continue as such for a long time to come. Do you agree to my terms or not?”


I took my time to think this through carefully. I didn’t like all the terms, but I doubted I’d be able to succeed without his assistance and that would make things worse not better in the long run. I decided there wasn’t much choice, “I’ll agree with the caveat that if anything happens to Sindee or my family while I’m away that I could have protected them from, no power in the universe will stop me from seeking out all those responsible. Therefore I require that you arrange for the protection of those dear to me while I do whatever favor it is you call upon me for. If you find that acceptable we have a deal.”


Arthur smiled and while friendly it did nothing to comfort me, “I can live with that. Now while you have the meal you ordered and enjoy the conversation with your other guest today I will get started looking into what I can do to assist with collecting you ritual materials.” He nodded his head towards the door. I turned to see Seeker of Truth walking in the front entrance, Marcus and Kyra coming in behind her. “Go ahead and use my table here, looks like you’ll need the room anyway and no one will bother you while you sit there.” He walked into the back area of the club.


Sindee returned to the table as I stood to greet the new arrivals. I gestured them over to the table to sit. As we sat five plates arrived from the kitchen smelling better than anything I’ve had to date. The fact that there were five plates didn’t get past me and I now knew that Arthur had seen this coming before I spoke with him today. “Hello Seeker of Truth, let me introduce you to my fiancé Sindee. Sindee, this is Seeker of Truth.”


“It’s a pleasure to meet you Seeker of Truth. I heard a little about you and Andrew’s misadventures in the desert and am glad to meet Kyra’s grandmother. She is a wonderful young lady and a close friend to Marcus after such a short time.” Sindee’s tone was friendly and her words came from the heart.


“I am equally pleased to meet you Sindee. As for calling me Seeker of Truth, outside of the pack and our gatherings, please call me Talia.” She smiled and took a bite from her plate. The smile of contentment spoke volumes in silence about how good the meal was going to be. “Now Andrew, you asked to meet with me for a reason, why?”


“In order to answer that I need to ask what you know of Mages, Nodes and the Ascension War?” I replied.


She took a few minutes to gather her thoughts while we all enjoyed our meals be she answered. “In regard to Mages, I know you’re power is more about changing perceived reality by will and Magick. It was explained to me once that mortals and most other supernatural beings share a static reality. Everything we do conforms to a defined set of rules, while some of the rules are outside mortal normality they are still there. To Mages however the easier explanation is that their Perception is reality. They can alter the world to become what they perceive it should be, within limitation based on their own power and how much they try to change at once as well as witnesses to the changes. Is that about accurate?”


“A simplified version of things but very accurate none the less Talia,” Marcus answered before I could.


Talia continued, “Nodes are places of power to Mages and other supernatural races. They are knots or weaknesses in the fabric of the veil between planes where for Mages quintessential energy flows and for Werewolves and other shifters the spirits gather and crossing the barriers becomes easier. These places are usually full of life and are constantly fought for among the supernatural races. The Garou as we Werewolves call ourselves care for the grounds around and protect these places from the Wyrm. Currently my pack doesn’t have control of a Node as there are few in the area around Las Vegas with the major one being the Springs Preserve is under to care and guardianship of a pack of Glass Walkers and Bone Gnawers. They allow us and others in the area to use the area but a Pack is strongest when they have a Node for their totem spirit. Is that enough or do I need to know more about them for our discussion to continue?”


I replied before Marcus this time, “That’s plenty of knowledge of Nodes, and I appreciate the lessons of your people as well Talia. “What about the Ascension War?”


“The Ascension war is being fought between Mages of varying alliances and faction to impose your views upon the world, to bring a higher level or being or consciousness to the people or to deny it to them. This struggle is between the Mages, but is being fought for or against all living beings. We have our own struggle that reflects some of the Mages Ascension War. We fight to stave of the apocalypse, the end of all life. Our battle is with and for the trinity. Gaia is the mother of all and her first children are the Wild, the Weaver and the Wyrm. The wild is life is all its varying forms from mortal to Garou to Mage. The Weaver is the domain of constructs and the artificial. The Wyrm is darkness and strife, death and evil. All of these Aspects create and destroy and balance must be maintained in order to stave off the coming end.” She looked thoughtful, “Now for a question of my own. Why do you need this information?”


“I intend to create a Node instead of finding one.” Marcus’s jaw dropped and he stared at me wide eyed, the kind of look one gives when you offer up a truly bad idea. Seeing his expression, Sindee turned to look at me with concern in her features. Kyra just stared at her grandmother who sat there waiting for me to continue, so I did, “What I am planning is possible and has been attempted before. I have been told of three of these attempts. Two of these failed and the success was not total. I am planning to create a ritual as well as gather some things that may help me in succeeding. Why I asked you to meet in twofold to begin. Would you and your pack like to help care for this node and the land around it with the requirement of sharing it with Mages in the event I am successful? If not could you recommend a pack for me to approach with the same offer? The second thing I need to ask is if you will aid me in the ritual?”


Talia sat quietly eating, taking her time to decide how best to answer I suppose. The five of us sat there eating a wonderful meal waiting for her answer. “If I agree with this plan of yours, I’ll need to take it to the pack to see if they’ll agree to share it with a Mage and your allies. I may choose on my own to help you with it either way, but I must ask what you need from me?”


I stayed with the direct approach as thus far with Talia and Arthur it has worked for me, “In the ritual I’m planning I want to properly represent as many if not all of the supernatural races and power types, tying the fabric of reality and those together. I believe this will increase my likelihood of success and well as make a more powerful node as all of the world’s people will be represented. I’m not going to lie to you. If the spell goes wrong; or even if it goes right I may be out of the picture for some time or even permanently. In either case my properties including the land where the node will be crated fall to Sindee and her training to Marcus. If I am simply incapacitated they will be given custodial rights, in the event of my death it goes to Sindee with the exceptions of what I detailed with my lawyer for my will. My lawyer is awakened and has instruction regarding the Node and Land based on both contingencies. Now as I’ve pretty much dropped a bomb on all of you, I’m going to take my fiancé, play a song on the jukebox and dance with her while we talk about all I just said.” I took Sindee by the hand and led her over to the jukebox.


“Andrew, are you positive you need to do this? I mean we just found each other so recently and I don’t want to lose what we have.” There were tears in her eyes as she spoke, but they hadn’t started falling. It broke my heart seeing her like that.


I leaned down and kissed her, wrapped my arms around her pulling her against me. “It has to be done and I’m the one who came up with the plan so I have to do it. I have more incentive than anyone else to succeed as well because I have you and you have my heart.” We just stood there wrapped in each other’s arms while Talia, Kyra and Marcus talked at the table. “I’m not a hero Sindee and I’m not trying to be. I’m doing what needs to be done because I can do it and no one else is.”


“I know, it’s one of the reasons that I fell in love with you from the start. I read the intake report and got a copy of the police report to find out what happened to you when you weren’t waking up. Your brother’s and you own statement to the police said that you were injured defending your mother and father from the person who attacked you. It said that you risked your life to save them and that makes you who you are. No matter what you say nor what others tell you, you are a hero precisely because of the choices you make. I may not like the possible results but I would hate for you to change and lose that part of yourself. Do what needs to be done and come back to me.”


“There is something you missed in what I said. I want all of you there to help me, you more than anyone else. I want you by my side as my wife and partner in all things. You are yourself a mage, with all the power and responsibility that comes with that. You are far more powerful than me with Life magick. When you awakened it was probably the second greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. Meeting you and coming back together here in Las Vegas was the greatest.” We danced slowly to a couple of songs on the jukebox before returning to the table to see where the conversation was headed there.


I pulled my chair out to sit when I looked more closely at the table. It was about eight feet across, large for a bar room table. It was divided into a dozen edged panels of hardwoods alternating between a dark and a blonde wood. His seat faced the front door with the back directly towards the bar. It struck me as an odd design for a bar, though as he used it for conferences and to meet people who came into the place the size made some sense. “So, do you have any more questions for me?” I asked those gathered at the table.


Talia spoke up first, “I have one. When do you plan to do this and how soon would you need my answer?”


“In about five weeks or so, and I would need your answer as soon as possible in the event I need to search for a different pack to work this spell with. Marcus, do you have anything to add or ask?”


“I’m sure you’ve already been asked if you’re insane and know the possible ramifications of such an action so I have a request. Let me do it for you, explain the spell and ritual so that I can do it.” Kyra looked at him with a worried expression and I knew then that she had fallen for him and I already knew he was in love with her.


“Marcus, as much as I appreciate the offer, you know that I need to be the one to do this as this ritual is one I am creating. Your willingness to offer is more than enough for me. Any other questions?”


“Why do you feel that you need to do this?” inquired Marcus.


“I had a vision in a dream about a possible future in the Ascension War. In this vision, the city was dead and deserted and I fought a powerful Nephandi. I think it was less a vision and more of an attack via time, correspondence and mind by the Nephandi because I woke in this reality with electrical burns and other injuries I received in the fight. It falls to me to stand between this being and the city, my friends and those I love.”


Kyra spoke up at that, “Grandmother, even if the pack refuses to aid him, I will leave the pack to start a new one and aid them. They are more than worthy of the support of a Pack. Andrew’s intent is to defend all the denizens of the city and surrounding area, accepting that it may cost him everything without blinking. He has earned the support I offer him.”


I was pleased and humbled by Kyra’s words after Sindee’s earlier statement. When Talia spoke up I was overwhelmed, “You speak the truth young one and no matter what the rest of the pack decides I will support him as you have chosen to do so. If the pack chooses against this course of action, I’m coming with you and I’ll bring any that wish to follow. The pack will need to find someone to replace me.”


“I haven’t the words to describe how much what each of you said means to me. Thank you isn’t enough but it’s all I have for the moment.” I couldn’t speak another word after that.


The rest of our evening passed quickly, we drank, danced and just had fun for the night because we were planning for a war starting tomorrow. Sindee and I were as inseparable as always, as were Kyra and Marcus. Talia spent most of the night speaking with George whenever he had a few minutes. It was dawn before any of us left and we stopped for breakfast on the way to our respective homes. Talia stayed behind to continue her conversation with the gigantic werewolf.


We met every week at the existence so I could get the information I needed from Arthur as well as catch each other up on what we knew was going on in the war. Arthur was able to procure for me many representations of the different supernatural members of society. Kyra and Talia did wind up leaving their old pack to start another. The split they say was amicable and the two packs would ally and work together, but that the original pack saw the Ascension War as something for mortals and Mages and believed that they weren’t involved in it. I can’t abide willful blindness to the truth but I won’t condemn anyone for it either. Talia said that she would move near the Node once we created it and Kyra was already living in the city so the living arrangements were going to be easy to make. A few members of the pack did follow Talia and Kyra, mostly younger students like her.

When the house was completed and ready to move in I collected the keys. We weren’t going to move into the house until after the node was completed and we had it furnished. Sindee was packing her clothes and personal Items, and the beds into storage. She was going to rent the house out to Natalie to save her some money and since she trusted her to keep the house in good condition.


The days passed quickly and on the last weekend before I intended to cast the ritual Arthur surprised me by coming to the building site I had chosen with most of the supplies he had been gathering. He told me there were three more items that he would bring with him to the casting and would act as a battery and stabilizer for the energy flow of the spell I was about to perform. What he was offering was a compliment and great responsibility. While he was acting as a flow conduit, I would be shaping the spell. In the end, whatever happened to me he would also suffer as a part of the spell. To perform the task he was offering our minds would be linked and he would be as susceptible to everything that I was as the Mage casting the spell. If things went bad he would suffer the dangers as well.


The day had finally come to create a Node. I had spent the entire night in meditation open to the flow of Magick, infusing every cell of my body with stored potential to create and alter all that exist. You feel like a true god when you have that much power within, and this is where most Magi fall to hubris. I knew I wasn’t god and rooted that firmly in my mind to keep pride out of my way in this casting. I wrote the symbols of all the spheres around the sanctum, I sank the etchings into the surface using matter magick. I placed each representation of the supernatural races around the spot in a close circle leaving the North, South and center positions open for the three items that Arthur was bringing.


The group gathered that evening, Arthur even closed the Existence and brought the core members of his staff to aid in what was happening. They all spread around the room, where the item representing their race or faction was placed they stood. Arthur entered the circle with me with a few items in his hands. In the North position he places a small black ball of crystal, perfectly smooth that had an oily evil sense to it. He said that it was Black 13, the most dangerous glass of the Wizards Rainbow. The item he placed at the South position was the sword that I had seen Sam wearing in the Existence that first night, this was a powerful weapon and some form of talisman. Not powered by Magick but by another source, the blood magic of vampires I believe. The last item was in a case when Arthur set it down to open it. I felt nothing special from it until the case was opened, the Magick and Spiritual energies poured from the case were like a sensory overload. Arthur withdrew the sword inside and held it before him, pointing skyward. This was not just a Talisman but one of the few Wonders of our world, created by a combination of Magick and Legend granted power by belief and epic tales. It was a one of a kind item that will never again be duplicated. Arthur turned it point downward and drove the blade into the floor. The was no sound of metal striking ground, just the sound of blade slicing through clean until it was buried to the cross guard. I reached out to each mind surrounding me and brought it into the spell, giving them just pieces of the overall to hold on to. I took my time to shape the spell and set firmly what I wanted to have happen in the end. I had to weave all the spheres into this to ensure that the Magick flowed easily here. I kept working the image and spell in my head as Arthur flowed more energy to me through the link between us. It was hours before I was ready to cast the final portion of the spell and bind the planes together here creating the Node. I gather all the power I had stored in my own cells and wrapped into it the flow coming from Arthur. I drove the energy through the nine sphered braiding the stands together in my mind, forcing the energy into the ground and across the planes. I twisted the Magick into the fabric of the Tellurian mentally knotting the planes together and released the Magick into it. I felt the power flowing through me in a strength I didn’t know was possible, it felt magma in my veins and silk across my skin at the same time. There was a bright glow in the room and then total darkness and silence around me……………


Chapter 15

The silence and darkness were a welcome change from the fire in my blood until that sensation faded. I was adrift in darkness, weightless with no sense of direction. Things slithered and whispered in the darkness. I could feel indescribable caresses along my skin under my clothing. The stagnant oily taste of the air as I breathed; and the air smelled of rotting corpses and other sickly sweet scents I was unable to identify. The darkness was so profound that I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to see what resided in the space around me. There was no sense of time passing here; even my perfect Time Sense from that sphere wasn’t working. That worried me because it meant that I was in a space in which time was a meaningless construct. Most people even many Mages see time as a line flowing in one direction, a theory call Linear Time. To most this is true, however as you learn and work with Time Magick and your understanding of time you realize that it is an artificial construct created to allow people of all kinds to understand what is happening.


My spine crawled under my skin as felt some kind of hard chitinous tendril slither up my leg before it withdrew. My heart was racing as I tried to understand what was happening and where I was. I had a theory that I didn’t want to accept as it meant that I couldn’t get myself out. I reached out actively to sense what was around me with Magick and that is when I realized there was no connection to it. I could no longer feel my Avatar, the connection was there but no magick. That cemented my theory about where I was. Todash Space. The space between spaces where Cthulhian nightmares lived. Now I was glad that I didn’t have the option of shedding light on the situation. I was stuck here for how long I wouldn’t be able to tell as the Tellurian’s rules had no effect on that which existed outside of it. The only advantage to being stuck here was the same disadvantage; they had all of eternity to find me and I would be stuck here without changing. I was going to be stuck here until someone on the other side could figure out where I was and how to get me back from here. All I had to do was hope my sanity remained intact while I was here.


When you exist in a timeless state where nothing and everything is happening at the same time it is difficult to know anything for certain. I’m not sure if I had, am having or will have the thought that I now know how Schrodinger’s Cat felt about the box, but at some point in every when and no when the thought happened. I tried to focus on Sindee and my friends but thoughts and memory are fleeting in eternity. I believe that Hell would have been a better place to be stuck than in this dark nothingness that followed no rules or rhyme or reason. In order to protect my sanity I started to go over the events of my life in order from my youngest memories to my recent experiences. I was thankful that I had cast a Mind Magick spell on myself that gave be perfect recollection from that time forward as well as enhancing those memories I already had.


I drifted there lost in my memories for and indeterminate frame of reference. Going through my memories wasn’t helping as I lost sense of order in them as there was no frame of reference for time here and my mind was adapting to that fact despite my efforts. I worried that my memories weren’t real, that I only imagined everything; that my life was nothing more than a dream in a timeless place. The thought of that possibility filled me with a dread far worse than the whispers in the darkness ever could have. I mentally gripped the image I had of Sindee and held on for dear life, using that as a mental focus.


I focused on the memory of her eyes and the last time I had seen them. The silver flecks inside the grey storm cloud irises. From there images flowed to me or time we had spent together. If this was a dream that never happened I wanted to hold onto it anyway. Then the image of her coming into a hospital room passed through my mind. Then there was an image of her in a white gown, hair pulled up tight into a complicated braid, then the image of her in a green dress standing in the summer evening. The image of her in a sapphire dress under the moon and stars was next. An image I didn’t remember came next; she looked older and was walking with a dark haired young woman through a park talking. After that an image of her younger, dressed in jeans and white shirt. The shirt was stained red with blood flowing down her right side from a wound in her shoulder and chest. Then an image of her fighting some kind of magic user passed through my mind. The images flashed in an ever changing menagerie of possibilities from her with children and grandchildren running around and playing to her alone and angry at the world to her teaching medicine; images of her as a Mage, a Vampire and other things. Then an image formed of her pale, eyes closed and features completely relaxes; peaceful as seen only in death.


I began to hate myself for leaving her alone, with me gone and unable to protect her from the world I exposed her to. I was determined to be the first person to find a way back from Todash. I was not going to wait to be rescued; I was going to find a way out of the space between spaces if it killed me. I was a Mage and just because no one has accomplished something before didn’t mean it was impossible. It just meant that no one was smart enough to think their way around the problem. I tried to think about what Todash was and wasn’t when I hit the proverbial wall of my limitations. It’s is almost impossible to focus one anything this when you perceive an eternity and a moment as the exact same thing. When time doesn’t exist in a place it fractures your sense of the real.


And that thought gave me what I needed to work up a way out of Todash. I told you a while back or was it that I’m going to tell you about how reality works. Reality to most beings is consensual as it is formed by what the Consensus of those in it believe. No one believes in dragons anymore therefore they ceased to exist and any skeletons found are written off as being dinosaur fossils. For Mages reality in conceptual as what they can imagine and conceive they can create with enough power, skill, knowledge and will. I knew what I could attempt to do but thankfully I didn’t have to worry about time. I started to speak to the whispers in the darkness, telling the entities stories of Magick and Avatars. When the whispers quieted I knew they were listening so I spoke more of the planes of existence describing scents and sounds and how this felt and tasted. I spoke nothing of visual descriptions as there was nothing to see her in darkness and they would have no point of reference for the descriptions. I just continued to speak for as long as my voice help out, encouraging the listens to pass along my tales to everything else in this purgatory I find myself in. I didn’t know if this would work but I had to try something. I did everything I could to bring most of the laws of reality to this place leaving out the concept of time so that I would not need to worry about if having its effects on me causing me to age or to starve as the body wasn’t being supported in a physical sense.


I didn’t stop my talking, whispering, pushing the information out to the denizens of this pitch black nothingness that surrounded me in fear that if I stopped talking I would forget the idea. If I forgot what I was doing and why in this place it would be as if nothing had ever happened with no concept of time everything I worked to change would cease. There was no way to say how long I was speaking or what was said to push things to the point I needed and wanted. All of a sudden I felt as though I had never lost my connection to Magick and speaking aloud what I was doing to keep the sensation real in the mind around me as well as my own, I tapped into the magick and used Correspondence, Spirit, Life, Prime and Matter Spheres to yank myself back into the Prime Material Plane from where I left. As there was no sense of time the Time Sphere was useless in Todash. I felt fire along my skin, ice in my veins and though it is hard to describe the best words to convey the feeling is sandpaper on my brain and the inside of my skull as I pulled myself through. I hit something solid and felt gravity and that alone made told me I was out of Todash. Then I blacked out.


I awoke staring at a star filled sky. I was surrounded by trees and mountains as the rain fell upon me skin. I just laid there letting the sound of falling rain and the feel of the water on my skin slowly bring me back into a linear reality. After an eternity and a moment of which I had no idea how long each was I needed to readjust to the flow of time. After the rain stopped I managed to sit up against a rock. I opened my eyes to see the clouds traveling past and the evening sky clearing as the sun set over the ridges bring darkness and a star filled sky. I rested to regain some peace of mind, however it wouldn’t last. I needed to find out where I was and even more importantly when I was since there was still something wrong with my sense of time. My stomach took that moment to growl reminding me that the human body had limitations that I once again had to pay attention to. I drug myself to me feet and started walking toward the east as toward the west and the setting sun I saw more and higher peaks. It took me a few hours to find a mountain stream which would serve for water and a way to get my stomach filled. I crouched on the side of the stream looking into the crystal clear water trying to spot a large fish swimming near me.


I was crouching there for what felt like forever but was not really more than an hour when I spotted this huge trout in the water moving toward the edge nearest me. I reach out with Life magick and had it swim towards me. When it was right near the side and out of the currents I used matter to raise the fish out of the water then used forces to cook it instantly. I felt drained from such simple spells almost right away; I needed to replenish my body and my reserves of quintessence or primal energy to what they used to be soon. The food would help but I needed to find a way to replenish the quintessence. I continued to travel slowly on foot through the mountains for a couple of days. I had some food and access to water but I needed to find civilization soon or I would be in trouble. I stumbled out of the trees into a small town on the afternoon of the third day. I was walking towards a small diner when I collapsed on the side of the street from exhaustion, last thing I felt was my head hitting the sidewalk.


I opened my eyes to the smell of strong coffee and the sounds of classic rock playing overhead. I was sitting in a booth inside the diner; across from me was a sheriff deputy. She was blonde with it tied back in a ponytail, had bright royal blue colored eyes and wore little make-up. She was sitting there staring at me from across the table sipping from a steaming mug like the one sitting in front of me. There were clouds in the sky outside the window so I didn’t know the time, “Hello,” I said to her.


“Hello sir, how are you feeling after the bump to your head?” she asked in reply.


“I have a headache but that’s to be expected. I think I passed out from a lack of proper food and rest. Can you tell me where I am?” I asked her.


She smiled which was nice but nothing compared to Sindee’s before answering. “The coffee and a couple of Tylenol may help the headache. The food here will handle the second part. As for the where; welcome to Wolf Lake, Wyoming.” She took a breath and continued, “Now I gotta ask, if you don’t know where you’re at how did you get here?”


“I don’t quite remember. Around three days ago I woke up in the mountains out there and saw the sunset. I saw that in the west the peaks got higher decided to head east as the fastest way out of the mountains. I walked my way out of the mountains to collapse on your street out there.”


“Well stranger, do you have a name or do you not remember that either?” She asked.


“Forgive my manners,” I reached out my hand across the table. “My name is Andrew Graves, and do you have a name Deputy?”


She reached over and shook my hand, “Jacqueline Depree, most people call me Jaq Mr. Graves.” My stomach chose that moment to growl loudly again. She let out a soft chuckle incongruent with her hard edged deputy appearance, “Sounds like you haven’t eaten a proper meal in days. Doc said he’d be here in a few minutes to check you out from hitting your head and then we can let you eat. Maddie back there is the best cook you’ll find anywhere.”


“Well Jaq, that sounds like a positive endorsement if I ever heard one,” I reached for my back pocket to get my wallet when I realized it wasn’t there. I grimaced and looked at her, “You didn’t happen to find my wallet or phone on me by any chance?” Not that I was expecting her to have them because if memory served they were sitting in the new house on a small table in the basement.


“Sorry Mr. Graves but that would be a no.”


“Call me Andrew; Mr. Graves is too formal for this setting and the fact that you have me calling you Jaq.” I grinned, “I was hoping for a different answer but not expecting one. I’m gonna have to pass on Maddie’s cooking until I can get ahold of someone who can wire me funds for a bus ticket or flight home.”


The doctor took that moment to arrive. In walked a man right out of an old television show. He looked to be around fifty or so, stood about 5’7” and was a little soft and round in the stomach area. He was dressed in gray slacks and a wrinkled white shirt and tie. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back but a few strands were loose on the sides. He wore his stethoscope around his neck and carried a small back bag. “Hello Deputy Jaq, is that the stranger you called me about?”


“Yeah Doc, he just walked out of the mountains and passed out on the street. Cracked his head pretty good in the fall but seems coherent enough,” Jaq told Doc.


“I better check him anyway just to be on the safe side.” Doc walked over and set his bag and paper on the booth’s table and pulled a chair over. He sat facing me as he opened the bag. I looked at the date on the paper to see how long I’ve been gone as he started checking me over. He used a scope to check my pupils for signs of a concussion first which made checking the date difficult until my vision cleared up. I sat patiently through the physical exam as he made sure I’d done no permanent damage to myself during the trek through the mountains. He stepped back after completing the exam which is when I finally saw the date on the paper. It said July 2nd which was fine, but the year was the problem. In reading the last two digits it said 08 and I thought I had been gone for almost a century before seeing it was 2008. I was 3 days before the night that changed my life forever, the night I Awakened and lost most of my family.


The Doc started asking me questions about how I got out into the woods, where was I from and so on. I had to answer that I didn’t remember to most of the answers because my history wouldn’t match up to the reality. The Doc suggested that my memory loss would most likely be temporary and likely a result of whatever trauma put me out in the middle of nowhere. Jaq offered to get my lunch but I offered to do some cleanup or repair work around the place for Maddie to pay my own way. Maddie told me I could wash dishes and take out the garbage for my meal, so that’s what I did. The food was probably the best I’d had in forever.


Jaq had waited while I ate and made a radio call. Around the time I was finished another sheriff’s deputy came in with some paper and an Ink pad. “Going to get your prints and run a search for them, see if we can maybe find more information to help you with your memory Mr. Graves.”

I couldn’t exactly say no, that I didn’t want to know where I came from or how I got here. The only thing that put me at ease is that at 16 I hadn’t been fingerprinted for anything so nothing would come up when they ran the search. “Thank you deputies, I’m starting to wonder if my name is even Andrew at this point. Hopefully you find something.”


After I ate and cleaned up for Maddie to pay for my meal, I walked over and picked up the doc’s paper and began reading it. It was the same article I remember seeing on my way through Cheyenne when my family headed to the mountains. I sat down and tried to figure out a few important items. First was how I got to here in this place and more importantly, this when. I knew that as far as anyone knew traveling back in time and changing the past were never heard from again. This is assumed to have many possible reasons. My personal favorite among these theories is Branching Universe Theory. In this model of time every choice creates multiple timelines, a branch for each possible choice and all these branches have their own branches as more choices come up. We perceive only the timeline for the choice we made, but there are duplicates of us experiencing the other choices we made. Thus a Mage going back and changing anything ceases on this timeline and switches to another branch of reality.


I came to a decision that I might regret but I had to at least try it. Jaq came back shortly before the diner closed and told me that nothing came up from the prints. She explained that it just meant that I hadn’t been arrested or printed for professional reasons such as law enforcement or military service. Since I had no record she offered to put me up for the night since locking me in a cell would be wrong to do to anyone not under arrest. She set me up in her mother’s Bed and Breakfast in town. I meditated that night instead of sleeping, opening myself to the Quintessential energy that existed everywhere in the world, drawing it in to recharge my deplete reserves as I had some serious ground to cover if I was going to do what I felt needed to be done.


Come morning, I got up with the dawn and took a quick shower. I didn’t have anything but the clothes I was wearing to put on so I did so. I walked down the stairs and smelled something good coming from the kitchen. I walked into it and asked the woman in there if she needed assistance with anything. When she replied in the negative I headed outside and went to the sheriff’s office down the main street. When I got there it was to see Jaq sitting at a desk searching on the computer, “Any luck finding anything else about me?”


“Sorry Andrew but no. When I search for Andrew Graves I get an Actor and a District Attorney. You are too young and look nothing like the actor and D.A.s are printed and in the system just like cops.” She said the last pointing to the paper with my prints on it.


I reached out with Matter to the ink used in printing me and accelerated the decay of the ink a paper so that they would be gone by that evening. I didn’t like doing it as Jaq had been nothing but respectful and helpful to me since I stumbled into her town, but I didn’t need a set of prints floating around that boredom might prompt her to pull out a file and run them again. Being the Fourth of July this town planned to celebrate in small town style with a community event at the local park that evening and that is when I would be heading out. When everyone was distracted by the night events I’d slip into the darkness and leave with me as just a memory.


It was a wonderful celebration for the holiday and I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been so distracted with my plan. All the townsfolk showed up for the celebration, everyone wore their summer clothes and there were your farm girl fantasies all over the place. Jaq showed up to the party looking nothing like the deputy she was. Jaq was wearing a twilight blue linen dress that stopped halfway down her thighs showing off her long slender legs. Her hair was hanging loose like waves of blonde silk framing her face. She was wearing a pair of cowgirl boots that looked custom made for her that just accentuated how long her legs really were. In meeting up with her and dancing for some of the night I round she was 5’10 or so and could have been a model. I respected her even more as she chose to protect people instead of living off her looks. We spent the better part of the night dancing and she talked to me about her childhood in this small town.


I felt relaxed and at peace with her as we danced. It was a nice way to spend the evening, in the arms of a beautiful woman dancing. It was a sensation I missed and when she leaned in and we kissed I realized that I needed to get out of there soon. I was letting what I felt and missed cloud my judgment. When we broke the kiss I spoke up, “Jaq, I can’t do this. It feels somehow wrong. I don’t know why, maybe I have someone waiting for me or it could be something else. I wish I knew or that we met when I had my memory.” I stepped back away from her and headed into the shadows outside of the celebration area.

Once I made it into the tree line, I headed deeper into the woods and mountains until I was too far away to even see the light coming from the celebration. I focused on Correspondence and Life spheres and focused on my own DNA to give myself a direction of travel by locating the presence of a second, or I guess the original version of myself. With correspondence it is possible to learn to travel great distances instantly, however this is not something I could risk. If you don’t know your target location perfectly you could wind up in a tree or underground or any number of other unpleasantness happening as a result of the spell. I chose a different approach and use the Life sphere for my next effect. I had always loved wolves and had studied them even before knowing that werewolves and other things existed. I altered my physical form to that of a wolf, keeping my mind intact and human by tying in the mind sphere. I bound time around myself to allow me to move faster and go longer than anyone else could have. I started running on all four legs headed toward where I sensed my other self.


I ran for the rest of the night, racing to get where I needed to be. I stopped at streams and rivers only long enough to drink and continue running. I tapped into the primitive side of my own mind when it came to eating as hunting a wild animal and eating raw wasn’t something I felt comfortable with in my consciousness. I managed to choke down a couple of rabbits and a squirrel as I traveled. I was moving towards the cabin quickly when I came out into a clearing in the woods where there were deer grazing. I jumped as a loud bang rang out and the head of the deer closest to me exploded into a cloud of fine red mist. I turned quickly and spotted the hunter aiming his rifle at me to protect his kill. I jumped sideways left and landed poorly as I wasn’t used to fighting with four legs. I landed on my side and continued to roll that way until my feet were under me again. This clumsiness saved my life as the next shot hit the ground where I was trying to land missing me by a hair. I got back to my feet and using all the speed of my magick I charged the hunter. He was swinging his rifle in line with me as I ducked under it at bit down onto the arm holding the trigger housing. Warm blood flowed slowly into my mouth as he screamed. The rifle fell across my back and hit the ground. I released the hunters arm and reared back on my hind legs using my weight to knock him to the ground on his back. I bared my teeth and growled at him. He froze in place, staring with eyes full of fear. I padded over to the rifle he dropped and grabbed the strap in my teeth. I lifted the rifle the strap and dragging it across the ground I dumped it into the stream where the deer were drinking before he fired the shot that scattered them. I trotted back over to the wounded hunter and placed my forelegs on his chest. I moved my head down so my mouth was inches from his face and neck. I bared my teeth, colored red by his own blood and growled directly in his face. He pissed himself before passing out from the fear. I did a life scan on him using magick and saw that he would be fine and come to in about ten minutes or so. I left him there and continued along my path. I doubted he’d ever hunt again and wouldn’t be shooting at defenseless animals any longer. I’m no vegetarian and ever understand hunters, but I wasn’t big on being shot at as we’ve discussed before. I finally made it through a fight without injury so I was elated and had gotten my second wind. I traveled faster than previously and came to the area around the cabin just a night fell.


I laid myself down under the trees and brush outside the clearing around the cabin to rest. I kept my mind and senses alert even as I rested my tired body. I released the spell holding me in the form of the wolf. I cleaned myself and my clothes before resting. It was getting late when I saw the monster of my nightmares for the past 5 years drift out of the darkness to appear outside the cabin. I had to decide now if I was going to alter my future and past here and now. If I changed the past I could create a time space paradox and cease to exist, or I could ensure that the self-fulfilling prophesy occurred exactly as it was supposed to. It was not as easy a choice as one would think. On one hand I could save my family, causing myself to possibly never fully awaken to the potential of a Mage. Allow myself and my family to live out our lives blissfully unaware of what may have happened this night. I would however lose Sindee forever as our paths were unlikely to cross after this, I would most likely simply cease to exist in this world and any other in my current form. Simply destroyed by the fact that what created me never happened. Or I could ensure things happened the way they did and should again and simply find something to do for the next five years until I could rejoin my friends after I disappeared into Todash. That would force me to let my family be killed, to allow my father to suffer the loss when I could do something to stop it right here and now. Allow my younger self to endure what I went through all over again. However doing so would allow me to be the man I am today, would allow Sindee and I to come together and have the future together that we were trying to.


It was the hardest choice I ever had to make and I knew what I wanted to do, but I also knew from visions and dreams what the right thing to do was. I reached out with Prime and Mind Magick and practically shouted to myself and my Avatar that they were in danger and need to wake. Then I disappeared into the night to stop myself from doing what I felt like and letting what was right unfold. I spent the next five years traveling the world as only a Mage can. I learned a few new languages and studied the arts of swords in Japan and Europe during this time. I learned Krav Maga in Israel over the year I lived there. I traveled and learned and read as much as I could over that period of time to keep me from trying to return to Vegas earlier and creating a Paradox. I figured if I was going to be fighting a war I needed to prepare myself.


During the travels I went to Stonehenge, getting special permission to walk among the stones themselves. I meditated at the alter Stones on the morning of the Summer Solstice and I’ll tell you that Stonehenge is a Node of such immense power that it may be a gate or bridge between all the planes. I used my knowledge of finance and investing to make money and opened accounts around the world setting up homes and safe-houses all over. I made some contact and allies for the future, not all of them above board but you take what you can get when fighting a war. I used Life and Time to keep aging from affecting me during this time away.


I traveled to Hawaii to purchase some land and a beach house on one of the smaller islands in a secluded location at the start of the last six months before needing to head back. I took flying lessons for fixed wing aircraft while there and planned to continue the lessons for rotorcraft and other vehicles in the future. I headed back towards the continental states two nights before my disappearance were to occur using a false identity I had been using over the last few years. Once I landed in Vegas I took a taxi out to M resort and checked in using the same ID. I got a good night’s rest there and checked out early in the morning settling the bill in cash and walking out into the fall morning. I walked to where the house was built and parked myself in the mountains just outside the back of the home to wait for that night.


The evening came quickly and I could feel the power building and being drawn into the ritual I had crafted. I took my time to carefully draw enough magick and slide myself into the spell being crafted so that I could time this right. As the spell built towards conclusion I saw the glow and felt the energy spike as the Node formed. I used Correspondence Magick to step into the place that I had just disappeared from. As the bright glow faded I stood in the basement of my new home surrounded by friends and allies who had no idea what had really just happened.


The Node had formed perfectly and that’s what had drawn me into Todash as it was a bridge similar to Stonehenge, while not nearly as powerful. I didn’t just knot our plane and the Magick one but all planes connected to the Tellurian. I created a Node, but also a crossroads of sorts. It still required the ability to travel through planes under your own abilities but it would be easy to do from here. I did by accident something unintended and useful at once. Everyone relaxed some once the rituals magick faded and the flow of power from the node became a constant steady pulse.


As everyone settle down and cleaned up from the evenings events we headed upstairs for drinks and ordered some pizza to get some food to replenish our bodies from the expenditure of power. Arthur came over to me while we were eating and whispered in my ear, “I know what happened to you. Your mind was different at the end of the ritual and the change was sudden, shifted while we were all blinded from the glow. Come see me when you can and we’ll talk about what happened.” Needless to say I was stunned at the revelation of just what he could do as I felt no Magick from him beyond what was flowing into the ritual. Now I really wanted to know what he was as he had said he was once a Mage and was now something else.


The rest of the evening was relaxed even though there was no furniture in the house yet. We were using camp chairs to sit and the counters for our drinks and food. We were all talking about the future and the coming war. Arthur spoke up as we were discussing the Ascension war and what it meant for everyone here, “The Ascension War must remain a secret to the general public but must also be focused upon by all the supernatural beings because the is another war being fought that must remain hidden from all but those on the front lines of it. Andrew, you and your friends and allies are needed to take my place in the Ascension War here as my friends and I are fighting the Hidden War. I cannot and will not tell you about what we are fighting as the fewer people who know the more advantage we have in that war. We will continue to aid you in this but it’s your fight now.”

Everyone grew silent after this and the mood shifted to somber instead of celebratory of our night successes. We all had a lot to think about considering what has been revealed to us. The mood died down and we all decided it was time to head out and take the time we needed to think about what we were going to need to do for the foreseeable future. There was a knock at the door just as we were cleaning up to head out. I found that strange as we hadn’t moved in yet and were out away from most of the city population. I walked over and opened the door to a disturbingly familiar face. “Hello Mr. Graves, it’s nice to see you again after these last few years.”


“Good Evening Deputy Depree,” is all I got out before words failed me. There was Jaq standing before me as beautiful today as she was that night I left here at the celebration. Her hair had grown longer and was loose down her back; her blue eyes had a hard edge to them. She was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a red silk blouse, and was wearing the same black boots she had on that night. Clipped to her belt was the badge of a Deputy US Marshall instead of a small town sheriff.


Chapter 16

I just stood there in the doorway staring at Deputy United States Marshall Jacqueline Dupree. I had met Jaq as she told me to call her about five years ago after the mishap in Todash space. As I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time and didn’t actually know I had come back into the world five years before I disappeared from it; I had given her my real name. I hadn’t told anyone here what had happened to me though Arthur had said he knew what happened to me and wanted to talk, but back to the problem at hand. I told Jaq nothing of what I was when we met and simply disappeared into the night when I left. That was most likely a mistake considering she was a cop. I had more important issues on my mind such as a self-fulfilling prophesy. My brain finally registered that she was looking at me expectantly while the room behind me had gone as silent as a tomb. “Jaq, I told you before to call me Andrew or is this not a social call?”


“It’s not entirely a social call Andrew, do you have time to talk or am I interrupting something?” she asked as she scanned the room over my shoulder. I could only imagine what thoughts were going through her head at the collection of people gathered here. Obviously there was me, a man who hadn’t changed in five years. Next there was Sindee who was a petite spirited read haired doctor and new Mage. She hasn’t had time to get the haunted look in her eyes that most of us who know about the greater world get from constant exposure to the unbelievable things out here. As the quote goes; “There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Then you see Marcus, a man of at least eighty who looked all of sixteen unless you paid attention to his eyes as the years he’d seen are in them.

Then there was Kyra and Talia, Talia was Kyra’s grandmother and they’re both Werewolves. Due to the unique genetics involved Talia looked like Kyra’s mother at the oldest and was dressed like a soccer mom among the rest of us here. Kyra looked exactly like she was a nineteen year old college cheerleader. Tell me they didn’t stand out in this menagerie of individuals.

Then you had Arthur Masters and his staff members from the Existence. Arthur was muscularly built and next to Talia appeared to be the oldest among us, and in truth I think he was older than anyone knew. He was dressed in denim jeans and a t-shirt with a leather duster over them. He looked like a biker except for the clean shaven face, bright intelligence in his wary eyes and the way he presented a profile target making him harder to hit if things went south. His security head and companion Samantha, who preferred to be called Sam, was as petite as Sindee but looking at her stance and eyes you could see the predator if you knew to look for it. Sam was a Vampire and not someone I ever wanted to be on the bad side of. George rounded out his group and I don’t think I ever met a larger person then him. George was a Werewolf. He was a very quiet person and if he held still you could mistake him for a wall or statue, he was also the best hand to hand combatant that ever lived according to Sam and as such was Arthur’s personal bodyguard when they weren’t at the club. This was one hell of a time for a ghost of a past that shouldn’t have even existed to come into my life wearing a badge. “Come on in Marshall Dupree,” I said as a turned and headed across the room to Sindee.


“You can call me Jaq as this isn’t official beyond me just finding you and closing an old case that was niggling away at me for years,” she said as she scanned the room with cop eyes, taking in the measure of those around her. I saw her pause at George and look him over a couple of times making sure she saw everything.


“Ok Jaq, allow me to introduce everyone here.” I took Sindee’s hand in mine, “this is my fiancé Sindee.” I pointed to each person as I introduced them in turn, “The others are Marcus, Kyra, Talia, George, Sam and Arthur.” I looked at everyone quickly and continued, “This is Jacqueline Dupree, last time I saw her was five years ago on the Fourth of July. I was in Wolf Lake, Wyoming and had to leave abruptly as some of my memory returned and I rushed to handle some personal issues.” I hoped that they understood enough to not say anything strange and make the situation worse.


Jaq looked surprised at the word fiancé but controlled her reaction before continuing, “It’s a pleasure to meet y’all. “ She turned to Sindee and shook her hand, “I only met him briefly and I gotta say you’re a lucky woman. Do you mind if I borrow him for a few minutes to talk?”


I was less than comfortable right now and knew I would be explaining a lot later. Sindee answered her question before I could, “Please be quick as we are celebrating the fact that we got the keys to our new home today.” She stressed the word ‘our’ in that reply.


“Won’t be more than a few minutes on my part ma’am.” Jaq grabbed my upper arm and led be back outside the front door to talk. “So Andrew, you haven’t changed a bit in the last five years, some outfit too I see.”

Needless to say that was an uncomfortable feeling as I didn’t expect anyone to remember what a person wore five years after it happened. “I’m sure it’s just something similar Jaq as I don’t think I have anything that old in my closet anymore.”


I’ve seen looks of disbelief before, but she gave new meaning to the do I look like that big a fool look as she replied. “Andrew, I’ve been coming back to your case ever since the night you left. I ran searches on your name a week after you disappeared. I got a surprise a when I got the news article and the police report from the mountains mentioning a sixteen year old kid who fought an managed to save some of his family from the serial killer that was hunting Cheyenne. That couldn’t have been you since he was only sixteen but the coincidence was surprising. I also recovered your prints from the bed and breakfast when I found that paper the other set was on became discolored and rendered that set useless. You weren’t officially a missing person but your disappearance was as sudden as your arrival so I kept looking into it in my own time. I applied for and joined the US Marshall Service and brought the file with me to the new job. I kept looking at it from time to time because I hate leaving things undone. My last promotion moved me out here to run a warrant team and I decided to have another look at my old case file and ran your fingerprints again. This time I’d got an address here in Las Vegas, strange coincidence again. I ran your name and history once the prints came back and found that you were in fact the same sixteen year old who fought the serial killer. Now as that didn’t make any sense I went to the address on file and found it deserted this evening. I did a check of property records and found out about this place and here you are exactly as you left me five years ago. Now tell me what’s going on and don’t try to lie to me. I may me a country girl from the sticks but you know better than to think I’m a fool.”


Arthur surprised us by clearing his throat by the door, “Perhaps I can assist in clearing this up Andrew.” He walked over to us and extended his hand to Jaq, “Ms. Dupree, my name is Arthur Master. I can explain things and will do so, however, not at this location.” He turned back to me, “We’re going to call it a night Andrew. Come by the club tomorrow night after you explain to Sindee what has occurred for you since Schrodinger’s Cat is out of the box so to speak. I’ll aid the lovely Ms. Jacqueline here in understanding what she’s experienced. Being that she is even standing here tells me more about her strength of will and ability to handle the truth of the world.”


Jaq was looking back and forth between Arthur and me while he was talking, “If you think after working five years to get here I am just going to walk away with you,” pointing at Arthur, “without getting any form of answer….”


Arthur interrupted her mid-rant, “Marshall, you’ll get your answers from me as I am more than qualified to give them. I probably know more about what happened that he himself knows. I also never said anything about you walking away without an answer. If you’ll give Sam the keys to your car she’ll drive it back to my club and you can ride with me.” At that Sam was already standing beside Jaq with her hand out for the keys.


Jaq was being confused by how quickly things were moving and handed her keys over to Sam without thinking about it. Sam Jumped in the car and headed out with it. George and Talia left right behind her. Arthur walked over to his Bugatti Veyron and waited for her to join him. He opened the passenger door for her and they drove off together. Marcus and Kyra headed for the campus dorms together as Sindee came out and locked the new house up behind her, “So Andrew, who is she and how did you meet her five years ago when you were only sixteen?” she asked as we headed for the car. This was going to be a long conversation so I suggested we head back to her house.


Once we got back to the house we would be moving from soon I made a pot of coffee and recounted the tale of my last five years to Sindee in short order. I didn’t go into any details of the training except to let her know that I had learned new things; and that we also had some new vacation properties available now. I told her about my trip to Todash and getting back to her drove me to fight a soul draining eternal darkness to do so. I told her about landing in the middle of the mountains, meeting Jacqueline and the kiss. I admitted to liking Jaq but I didn’t love her as I knew the only woman I loved was the one whom I was with now. I explained about the self-fulfilling prophesy including that I could have changed everything but it would have cost me my life with her and that I knew was an unbearable choice for me. I explained that I had lived five years without her and did everything I could to occupy my mind to keep me from rushing here and ruining everything.


Needless to say the kiss wasn’t her favorite part of the conversation but she said she understood the loneliness from my description of Todash Space. She never heard and could not truly imagine such desolation and darkness. Once I explained everything that had happened I just ran out of words and fell silent. Silence consumed the house around us as neither of us spoke.


Sindee stood and walked across the room to me. Taking my hands in hers she pulled me to my feet and towards our bedroom door. Neither of us spoke as that would break the mood that settled upon us. She led me over to stand beside the bed. We stripped each other slowly, running our hands over the skin in gentle caresses. Tonight was not about animal attraction or wild passion but about slow sensuality of emotion and movement as we were wrapped in each other’s arms and bodies. We fell asleep together, taking comfort in the fact we were here and now despite how close we came to being parted forever.


We woke a little later in the day than we normally do as it had been a long and late night for both of us. Today was the day the furniture and appliances were being delivered to the new house and we had to be there to have it arranged properly. We disentangled ourselves from each other and the sheets before jumping in the shower quickly. We got dressed and spent the rest of the afternoon setting up the new house. Since there were plenty of workers bringing the furniture into the house it went quickly. The house was ready that evening but we’d be moving the clothes and our personal items in with us the next morning. Tonight we had plans to go see Arthur at the Existence. I wish I could have been there for the explanation he was giving to Jaq but I figured it was safer for me not to be there.

We went casual to the club tonight, comfortable jeans and nice shirts for both of us. Sindee chose stone washed denim jeans and a silver-gray silk blouse to offset her red hair and gray eyes, while I chose black denim and a black silk shirt, my emerald colored eyes stood out with such dark clothing. We were meeting up so Arthur could talk to me and I could find out the fallout from Jaq making her appearance. Any aspiring time travelers out there should think before doing it, as an accidental time traveler I’m regretting what has come to pass and I actively avoided changing things.


Sindee drove us down to the club around six-thirty so the sun hadn’t quite set and we’d get a meal before everything got started. When we arrived there was no line out the door, the parking garage was empty and it looked like the normal security was doubled or more outside. This didn’t sit well with me as this place was always packed even near dawn the few times we’ve been here. Sindee was waved into the parking area so she parked the car and we headed in.


We walked into the front bar area and it was the same in here as it was outside. No one other than the staff and security team inside, the catwalks had at least twice the normal team up there that I could see, made me wonder what I couldn’t see. Since the bar area was empty other than security we walked through into the club section and there we got a small surprise. The normal Tables and chairs were removed into the side rooms to open the room up more that it normally was, considering the size of the room. In the middle of the main dance floor a large, long table had been set up under the spotlights.


Arthur sat at the head of the table; he was dressed in a custom cut Armani Suit in a dark grey with a black shirt and no tie. I felt underdressed immediately. Sam was wearing a the classically cut black dress, however I noticed the waist tightened a little high and the skirt was slit to allow full range of motion. Even dressed to the nines Sam was ready for a fight. Jacqueline, and I won’t call her Jaq looking as she did at this time, was dressed in a simple column dress in plum that fell all the way to her ankles. The sides were slit to mid-thigh showing off her long slender legs. Her hair was up in a complicated braid that left her neck bare further accentuating her long form and framing her blue eyes. She was seated to Arthur’s left in the first seat on that side while Sam was buzzing around the room as usual. Arthur and Jacqueline were having an animated conversation and he was being his normal charming self apparently as she was smiling and laughing with him. I took this as a good sign as she wasn’t screaming or trying to arrest any of us. The rest of the staff that were seated at the table already along with my friends who had already arrived were dressed more casually so I didn’t feel as bad about being underdressed. Guido wasn’t sitting at the table as he was running back and forth bringing the dinner to the table from the kitchen. There were two seats left at the table when we walked over. Both were to Arthur’s right, directly across from Jacqueline and Sam’s seats. Yeah!!! This wasn’t going to be awkward at all.

I should have known better than to borrow trouble by assuming the evening was going to be anything but simple. We had a nice meal, quiet conversation and great company followed by dancing. The definition of a party and what we were celebrating was the success of the prior evening and another bastion of defense in the Ascension War as well as another soldier for it. Arthur had explained everything to Jaq and apparently she agreed to aid in any way possible. Having a US Marshall helping us would be an advantage in finding someone if we needed to. I couldn’t tell you if there was anything else going on beyond what Arthur said but he had his eyes on Jaq the entire evening. I had hope for them to get together, Arthur has always had this haunted look in his eyes and needs someone with spirit to breathe some life back into him.

The night went quickly, too much so for me; and now we were ready to start the next stage in the war. I had to prepare and train Sindee, the new pack and any other allies I could gather for the coming fights. The dawn would bring new troubles and planning so I intended to enjoy the night.


Chapter 17

After leaving the existence late that evening I realized that I had a lot to accomplish as quickly as I could. First Sindee and I had to move the rest of our stuff into the new house and then assist Natalie with moving in. Second was the transfer of properties and bank accounts into my name from the ID I had used for the last five years. Third was to continue training Sindee in Magick to ensure her safety. Fourth I needed to set up training for weapons and hand to hand combat with as many of my new allies as I could to ensure their safety and abilities in the coming fights. Most importantly and concurrently with everything else that was going on was to plan the wedding with Sindee. I loved her too much to allow even a war to stop me from marrying her.

The next several months flew past quickly with everything going on. First was the moves, Natalie was ecstatic about moving into the house and threw a large party which of course we had to attend. Natalie was like family to Sindee and as such I took to her quickly as well. While we had to hide our secrets from her we were able to enjoy the time we spent relaxing with her. Nat treated me like family which it had been five years since anyone treated me as such, especially my own father and brother. After the party Natalie and Sindee started the wedding plans in earnest, including me when choices need to be my input such as guest list, colors and food but otherwise left me out of it. I didn’t mind at all as I loved Sindee and wanted the wedding to be special for her. Planning that kind of ceremony and celebration were skills I didn’t have. It didn’t take long to get some of the details settles. We had decided to have the Ceremony on the last week of January as it would allow time to get everything ready and allow all those coming to arrive. Arthur offered the Existence as a reception hall and Guido offered to prepare the menu. After eating there Sindee jumped on the offer and the reception was taking care of with the only remaining details to discuss were the menu with Guido and provide the wedding colors and flower types to Arthur for decorating the club. We send the invitation’s out about two weeks after the planning started including to my Father and brother.

While all the wedding planning was being done I continued with Sindee’s training as a Mage. She was a fast study as evident from her career as a doctor and how well she took care of things. While she was a naturally gifted mage and took well to it she was not strong in the areas of Spirit and Matter Magick. She excelled in Life Magick however and could do things that I hadn’t the knowledge to do. I started to learn from her in Life Magicks as I taught her to manipulate reality in the other areas. I was even more impressed and amazed by her because once she realized that she could change her body however she wanted she had such self-confidence and awareness that she was as happy with her appearance and body that she wouldn’t change it. Sindee is the most amazing woman I had ever known and every day I fell more in love with her. She progressed quickly in most areas of her training and was more than capable of defending herself should the need arise.

I made all of the property and account changes over this time and contacted the allies I had gathered from around the world to update them on my contact information. From a few of the groups I asked them to send a few volunteers who could assist in training my allies here for what may be coming. I wasn’t looking to turn everyone into soldiers, just enable them to defend themselves and each other should it become necessary. Four people moved into the area near the new house and came around daily to train with anyone who was willing. I spent some of my time learning from them with everyone else that was interested. You may have noticed by now that while I am trained and can fight I am not the greatest at it so I spent a few months getting my ass kicked along with everyone else in order to learn to defend myself better. Everyone who intended to aid in fighting the war not just defending the node was required to train with firearms so no one got shot accidentally. I had heard Sam telling a story about JD at the Existence and didn’t want that to happen here.

Halloween came and went with a costume party at the Existence and I have to say a bunch of supernatural beings dressed for Halloween is an incredible sight. There were some who dressed as the clichéd version of what every category they fell into. There were a couple of Lugosi style vampires as well as a few who mocked Twilight with body glitter and yellow or red contact lenses. There were some Old Hag Wicked Witches and Glinda the Good Witch costumes, Warlocks and Wizards the like of Gandolf and Dumbledore types. The werewolf costumes made me laugh after having seen and met the real thing, then again most of the costumes were funny especially as they were being in most cases worn by the real deal. There were plenty of Fae costumes from the nightmare creatures to the winged fairies and pixies. The was no lack of the Sexy Witch, Vampire, schoolgirl or anything sexy really among the mix. It was a fun evening and I took everyone from the property into the bar for the party.

At Thanksgiving Sindee and I were joined by a large crowd at the house. She had invited Natalie over and a few others from the hospital were invited but they were spending the holiday with their family. Arthur arrived with Jaq as his date and Sam came along as well. Arthur and Jaq have been spending a lot of time together and I couldn’t be happier for either of them. Arthur was a very good man even if he didn’t believe it himself all the time and Jaq was such an amazing woman and made him smile despite all that her has to worry about in the world. Marcus and Kyra of course came together as they were growing very close. Marcus was an old man in a young body and Kyra’s influence has brought him around to acting his apparent age instead of his actual one and that could only be good for both of them. Talia and George showed up together as a couple, Sam had given him the night off from protecting Arthur and seemed happy that the lonely wolf was finding someone to spend time with. I think despite her gruff and distant seeming attitude she was the one that held their group together at its heart. Guido came over but we wouldn’t let him in the kitchen, no matter how great a chef he was. Sindee and I prepared dinner for everyone that came. There were about another dozen people there all told, some from the werewolf pack and the four volunteers who came to train my people. The evening was very nice as we all spent time learning about each other as people and not discussing any of our strange realities since there were a few uninitiated humans around.

The first week of December arrived and we started getting responses to the wedding invitations. While it didn’t surprise me, it bothered Sindee that responses from my father and brother were that neither of them would be attending. I sat and spoke with her regarding the situation.

“Why would they not attend the wedding?” Sindee asked with a look somewhere between angry and upset.

“I don’t know how to fully explain it but since the attack that took the rest of our family they and I haven’t gotten along. It could be survivor’s guilt for them or anger at me for failing to protect everyone. I know I did everything I could as a sixteen year old kid, but now after what happened with my trip through time I feel guilty because I know now I could have stopped it easily. I can’t blame them if they are angry anymore because I blame myself for not changing things even though I know I did what was right. I tried for the time I remained at home to rebuild the relationship I lost with them and have attempted to remain in contact since but as you’ve seen it has changed nothing….” I trailed off not knowing what else to say.

“I met you right after that happened and was amazed by what you attempted to do. You were a sixteen year old kid who stood up to what you thought was a killer and who turned out to be more dangerous then you could have ever imagined at that time. It doesn’t matter what else happened you succeeded in saving them.” Sindee stepped up and wrapped me in her arms. She tilted her head up to look me in the eyes before continuing, “As for being guilty about not changing the past when you had the chance, let us discuss that. You have told me that if you had you might not be a Mage now, is that correct?”

“Yes, but..,” I started but she put her fingers to my mouth to silence me.

“No interrupting or explanations, just answers for now. So there is the chance you may not have awakened at all. If you hadn’t awakened that night you would not be around to have made that trip back in time and would all of you would be dead including you correct?” She gave me an expectant stare.

“Probably yes” I replied, fighting the tears in my eyes.

“Even if you had stopped that night from happening you would most likely have disappeared from this timeline on that night if I understand Time Magick correctly from your explanations. You can elaborate a little on this answer,” she gave me a smirk as she finished that statement.

“When dealing with normal Time Magicks yes, I would most likely have ceased to exist on this timeline as I was because what created me now had been changed. However since my trip through time was the result of something other than Time Magick I may have continued to exist here as I did even if I changed the past.” I answered.

“If either of those two things occurred you would not have been in the hospital for me to help you. While I fell in love with you after seeing you again here in Las Vegas, my feeling for you started with the admiration I had for a kid standing up to a serial killer to defend his family. That would mean that we most likely would have never found each other. I know in my heart that I would not be happy never having known you. Your act inspired me to stay in medicine to help people over going into research like my parents; you awakened not just me to the greater truth of the world but also my heart into what true love is about. I wouldn’t trade that for anything and I hope you feel the same way and allow yourself to let go of the guilt. Do you believe in your heart that you made the right choice?”

I was stunned with what she told me. She says that I inspired her, but her words and love have done more for me than anyone else in my life. Sindee’s heart and love reminded me of the way my mother treated everyone and I knew now more than ever that she was irreplaceable to my heart. Wrapped my arms even tighter around her and stared into Sindee’s grey eyes, “Yes, I made the right choice, really the only choice as what happened made me who I am today.” Once I said that I felt the presence of four beings around us and shivered as I felt like four more people wrapped their arms around Sindee and I. Sindee shivered as she felt it as well. I used Mind and Spirit Magick to allow Sindee and I to see who was here with us. We saw my mother, both sisters and my brother wrapping their energy around us before fading and moving on. I won’t say my guilt disappeared because that would be a lie and I know I’d revisit it from time to time, but the burden seemed to be lessened.

Sindee smiled and me and that alone made the world seem a better place, “Then if they wish to avoid the wedding that’s fine. They may be your blood but that doesn’t make them family. You have created a real family with me, Nat, Marcus and Kyra, Talia and even Arthur and his people treat us all as part of their family.”

I had to admit that she was right as usual, I’m not sure if I’d ever come out right when we argued in the future but just being with her made it more than worth it. The month passed even faster with the Christmas shopping and decorating. We made the rounds on Christmas to all of our friends or they came to our house for dinner or drinks. While I had a large family as a child before losing them I had never had so many people as an extended family. I counted myself lucky in that regard as not only did I have the friends I’ve met since coming to Vegas some of the people I’ve met traveling around the world came to visit in the Holiday season. New Year’s Eve was on us in a blink and went to the Existence for the party night. During these months Sindee and Jaq had grown to be close friends which was no surprise as they were both incredibly strong women who worked in difficult careers. The wedding was coming up very fast and I had some additional shopping to do as Sindee decided she wanted Emerald Green as the color for the wedding. I had the Tuxedo already but had to get the right color accessories as well as pick up some items from the jeweler. Marcus was standing as my best man but Arthur was also going to be a groomsman. I purchased Emerald studded cufflinks and closures for myself and all the groomsmen and placed an order for Sindee. I had an earring, necklace and bracelet set made for her. The earrings were platinum with small diamonds surround an emerald. The Necklace was a single platinum chain with a teardrop cut emerald hanging at the front and the bracelet was also platinum with alternating diamonds and emeralds alternating settings. I knew these would be the something new for her to wear and would go with whatever gown she chose for the wedding. Sindee being very traditional when it comes to weddings would not let me see the dress before the ceremony. I planned for a trip to Hawaii for the honeymoon so that we could get away from the city and I could show her the property there. She had confided in me during one of many conversations that she had always wanted to go which was the reason I had chosen to buy it during the five years I needed to stay gone.

Sindee’s parent’s arrived back in Vegas three days before the wedding so we took them out to dinner and caught up with each other for the last several months. We had the Bachelor and Bachelorette parties two day before the wedding so there was no one that would be late or missing come time for the wedding. As much fun as was had at those parties I will not be discussing them for as everyone knows “what happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.” The day before the wedding, Sindee, her mother and Jaq as well as the other bridesmaids went to stay with Natalie in the house so they could get ready for the wedding and arrive from there while the men all stayed at our new place so we could all head out from there. The Ceremony was simple as neither Sindee nor I were overly religious. While it was a simple ceremony it was a large one as many of Sindee’s friends from work and her home came to the wedding and some of the people I met among my travels came too. In addition most of the staff regulars from the Existence that had become friends were here along with most of the pack of werewolves that were staying on or near our land. I never knew how many people I had met and befriended until we had most of them gathered into one room for the wedding. Sindee was wearing a white dress with emerald silk belt wrapped around the waist with the platinum and emerald jewelry I had Natalie give to her that morning. The dress was a simple and classic cut that just made it more perfect for her. When she started up the aisle all eyes were on her, no one’s more intently then mine. I’m sure I stopped breathing once I saw her as I was getting lightheaded until Marcus quickly jabbed me in the back with his finger and whispered into my ear, “Breath Andrew.”

I took a shallow breath and started to bring my racing heart under control and getting my lungs back into working order. I know I am biased but no matter how long my life is, I will never find a woman more beautiful than Sindee on any day let alone how breathtakingly gorgeous she was at on that day. Angels couldn’t compete with Sindee’s beauty as she was the Angel who possessed my mind, heart and soul. The ceremony was also a traditional affair as we spoke the vows as read to us, we had exchanged our own promises with Marcus, Kyra, Jaq and Arthur as witnesses a few days before so that we could speak openly about what we truly were and how that effected our future. While we spoke the traditional vows at the wedding we both held in our hearts and minds the promises we made to one another.

After the ceremony we went to the Existence for the reception and there were even more people there because some of them were unable to come to the ceremony itself. Some of the Vampires that we had come to know had stayed in the side rooms while the main areas were cleared and decorated in order that they could attend the reception and wish us well for the future. As many problems and run ins I had with vampires I have to admit that after coming to know some of them through the club; they aren’t all automatically evil. Many vampires simply wish to continue living and exist off of bagged blood and willing donors. Those that feed from the living don’t go around leaving a trail of dead bodies as they have no need to kill just to feed. The ones who do are usually dealt with by other vampires before they can get out of hand. I’m not saying that I trust them implicitly, just that if you follow a few simple rules you’re fine befriending some of them. All the denizens of the club knew to keep the conversations out of the supernatural as a few of the guest were sleepers and we all preferred it be kept that way for their sake. As the party wound down and everyone was ready to head out Arthur came over to walk us out to the waiting Limo at the door. As we were walking out he told he made arrangements for us to use his private aircraft for the flight to Hawaii and made arrangements for the tickets to be refunded from our reservations. It was one of his gifts to us and he would supply a few others when we returned as they were for use not leisure. Every one of the guest as well as most of the staff followed us out when we left to wish us well.

We flew out to Hawaii where the best week of my life was spent. No, I’m not referring to the sex, while it was amazing, what made the week the best of my life was seven whole days where it was just Sindee and I and not a worry beyond what we were going to do for the day. We didn’t do much sightseeing, after we landed at the executive airfield for private aircraft we went to the docks where I had a seaplane waiting so I could fly us out the home. I had arranged for food to be delivered and the house prepared right before our arrival. Once we landed and Sindee climbed down from the plane onto the dock, I picked her up and carried her up the dock, across the beach and into the house. It wasn’t a mansion or anything large. It was a single story home with an open living room, dining room and kitchen. There was a large master bedroom with windows all around with one of the walls being able to open entirely to the beach. The house was an hour or so away from the nearest town and there were no neighbors closer than a twenty minute drive. There was a gate set out at the road access so there would be no unexpected guests. While we did get out a few times over the week, we decided that we would have to come back for a real vacation when we could make the time. The week past entirely to quickly for both of us. I flew us back to the big island and we took Arthur’s jet back to Las Vegas.

So here it is February first and we were, back home in Vegas. We headed straight for the house to make sure everything was fine there. When we arrived the house was dark and quiet, it was barely seven in the evening but everyone may have just been out for the night. Sindee and I were dropped at the door and the driver followed us with the luggage. We opened the door to shouts of “Surprise” and “Welcome Home” from most of our close friends. It’s nice to be missed. It wasn’t a huge gathering, consisting of Arthur, Jaq, Marcus, Kyra, Sam, Talia, George and Natalie; our closest friends. The celebration was simple and consisted of around two hours of drinks and conversation about nothing more important that everyday life and how we enjoyed the time away.

The next morning things went back to the routine of training and working our respective jobs while planning how to fight a war without the world seeing it being fought. I went down into the sanctum placing myself dead center of where we created the node and sat down to meditate. I closed my eyes and just opened myself to the flow of Magick, not trying to direct it alter the flow. I had done this kind of meditation before and while it refreshes me either way, it has also given me some answers or warning about things. I had even done so near a node. I had never been near a node of this power before and never within the node itself. I wasn’t looking for anything specific, just letting the magick flow. Sometime the world reveals it’s secrets to those willing to be patient and listen instead of trying to force it. I felt the energy flow through my body and mind, through the connection to my avatar, into the portion of my mind where all the knowledge of magick that I knew lay.

I saw several possible futures, some that I would welcome and others that I would fight against to my last breath. None of these showed me how these things came to be. After the view of possible futures I felt the magick flow through my mind into the memory centers of my brain, those associated with emotions. I felt as though the primal energy itself or maybe my Avatar we examining my mind and memories to understand what shaped me into what I am. I relived the night my family died from both perspectives; I went through the loss of my father and brother as they withdrew from me. I felt the loss of home in my heart as a prepared to leave the pain of the loss behind me. I lived through the loneliness I felt when I first started traveling and learning from those I met. I went through every negative experience reliving and reviewing every choice I made. After going through all of that again I started to experience growing up in my close family. I remembered being told that I was going to be a big brother and how that made me want to protect my new sister from anything that could harm her. I remembered every holiday, birthday and family event right up to my sixteenth birthday and the start of our trip. I saw how much fun we had on the trip, spending time with one another and reliving the memories of that last day together. From there it moved to meeting Sindee for the first time and the teenage crush I had on the woman who took care of me after such a horrid experience. How meeting her and feeling that way led me to realize that while I couldn’t change what I happened at the time I could move on and make my life better. There was no option of withdrawing from the world if I were live up to the examples set by those I lost that fateful night, nor by the example Sindee had set in caring for people as a doctor. I relived my travels, meeting new people, finding out what I was and what happened to me that night. I remembered fondly the friends I made in the places where I stayed for a few months. My heart soared when my memories moved to meeting Sindee once again the first night I arrived in Vegas, realizing now that at that moment I knew I could easily love this woman and that my heart wasn’t destroyed when I lost most of my family. How in the short time that I’d known her here, how quickly those feeling grew into love as I learned more about her and the person she made herself into. I felt another connection form from my Avatar connecting it to something else. I let my mind follow the flow of the magick until I found the other end of the connection and realized that it sought out Sindee and her Avatar binding together in a way I had never heard of before.

When all of this passed I continued to sit and let the Magick flow though me more. When I couldn’t take sitting in the flow of energy any longer I stood to step outside of the circle where we formed the node. I turned to face the stairs and saw Sindee standing there. I walked over to her and wrapped her into my arms, holding her tightly. I felt her heartbeat as we stood together both of our hearts started to calm and then to beat in sync with the other. We had been joined by promises made to one another, by the emotions we shared for each other and now by Magick itself.

I now felt like I would be able to handle this war to come. I knew I had the people and the skills; I’d made plans and set them in motion to allow this world to be defended. What I didn’t know was if I had the strength or character and willpower to stand before whatever was coming and stop it. I knew that I said I could do it, but now after reliving what made me who I am, I now believed that I could follow through on what I said.

Things had been too quiet for too long and I suspected that the other shoe was going to drop at any time now. I was thankful for the time we had as it allowed me to accomplish what I needed to do for Sindee and myself. It also allowed me to recruit and train some allies for what was to come. Sindee and I went upstairs after standing there in our embrace for several minutes at least. She went into the kitchen to make breakfast while I took a quick walk outside for air. I had barely stepped out the front door before I spotted the man standing in my driveway ten feet away. He stood a little below six feet, around 5’10 or so, his build was broad shouldered but athletically built. I couldn’t see his eyes behind the sunglasses he was wearing. He was wearing a pair of hiking boots, blue jeans and a flannel shirt. He could have been anyone friendly except for two things. He wore a look of aggression and contempt for me and he was holding a sword unsheathed with the point toward me. He stepped toward me as he raised the sword over his head. I wore a smug expression as he closed the distance between us as a sword was no threat to me. I tapped into the magick, using Forces and Matter to shatter the blade and sent the effect to the sword. I felt the power flow and hit the blade, expecting it to shatter I was shocked when I felt the spell simply fail. I sure my smug look vanished as dove past him on the off side to keep him from bring the blade down on me. As I rolled away to avoid him, I sent sensory magick from all nine spheres at the sword. My heart sunk as soon as the sensory magick failed. There was only one thing that could stop Magick that easily. The sword was made with Primium, a metal so rare that the sword he held was priceless and able to stop almost any spell I could throw at it or him without killing myself in the backlash. I was in trouble.

I scanned the area visually to see if there were any other threats, or possible witnesses in the area. While I would be unable to cast magick at my assailant, I could do a lot to help myself. Witnesses would be an issue because if I started doing things that went too far beyond what the mind can accept I’d be risking backlashes and death. I also wanted to ensure that neither he had help nor those under my protection were in any more danger than they already were just by this man being here. Seeing there was no one else in the area I focused on my opponent. His sword was modeled after a classic broadsword and he used a two handed fighting style. I could also see he was well armed with other weapons but as I couldn’t even get a sensory spell near him, I was unable to tell what else he may have had hidden under the jacket. I looked him in the eyes, seeing the cold detachment of a trained killer. This was not going to be a fun encounter and I was sure neither of us would leave unharmed and figured one of us wouldn’t walk away at all. I wasn’t sure I would be the one walking away either.

I was the first to break the silence between us, “What do you want here?”

“Your head,” he replied evenly.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it won’t be that easy. Walk away, leave me and my friends alone and I’ll do the same for you. I don’t want you dead and you don’t want to die,” I stated in my normal tone. I kept my voice level and my gaze fixed on his to show that I was willing to let this end but if he pushed I would fight all the harder.

“I’ve been threatened by and then killed better than you, why would I walk away now?” He looked smug as if he had this fight already won.

“Make your choice and let’s get this over with,” I replied as I was tired of the conversation. I also wanted to get this done before anyone stumbled into this mess with me.

He started to close the distance between us while he raised the sword. I used Life Magick to push my body to the limits of agility, speed and strength as I dodged to the side, stepping past him. I backed away again giving me time to react. As fast as I now was at the limits of the human body, he was almost as fast. This man was trained to hunt and kill things that no one should even know existed. This man was a Hunter. I had heard of and seen hunters on the past. Most of those I’d seen were vampire hunters. I had never met a witch hunter before and hoped never to do so. His being here, after me specifically made the situation worse than it was in the first place.

He closed again, swinging the sword from the side just above waist height. I dropped to a crouch under the swing, spinning to turn it into a foot sweep. I felt a brief contact as my leg passed where he should have been. When I complete the spin I rolled out to my left side to ensure I wasn’t going to get hit with the blade by making a target of myself. I rose to my feet and looked for him again. He was just standing up himself, about ten feet from where I tried to sweep his legs. Great, I was dealing with not just a trained killer, but an acrobat as well. This was starting out to be a hell of a day.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“I’m here to kill you, I figured that was obvious by now,” he smiled evilly as he replied.

“That part was obvious jack ass. What I want to know is the reason you chose to try and kill me,” I was trying to buy time to think as well as being curious as to why he specifically chose me, let alone knew enough about me to bring a primium weapon to block magick. “I’ve never done anything to harm you or yours that I know of, so why am I your target?”

“Because you exist,” with that reply he started to close distance with me again. I backed away and circled, maintaining distance with him.

That was not the reply I wanted to hear. To date I have not been forced to kill a human. I have fought and killed vampires and their ghouls when I’ve needed to in order to defend myself or others. I have injured some humans in my own defense but never killed them. I didn’t want to start now, but this man was a killer and may not leave me a choice in the end. I hoped I could find another way.

An idea came to mind and I let him close with me again. This time when he was close enough to swing I stepped inside of the swords range giving a quick jab to his windpipe to stun him before bringing my knee up into his balls. Call it fighting dirty or a cheap shot if you want. I’d rather fight dirty than die honorably any day of the week. The attack gave me the benefit of a few extra seconds in order to start working on my plan. Using the strength gained when I used the life spell, I shoved him back away from me. While he climbed back to his feet, I knelt down and used Matter and Forces Magick to draw the material I would need out of the earth creating a pair of blunt metal bars about thirty inches long each for me to fight with.

When we closed with each other again, I focused on fighting defensively, hoping to wear him out after a short time. I still didn’t want to kill him. He may have been a hunter but he was still human and I wasn’t a murderer. The problem was he had no such compulsion about trying to kill me and the small wound he was getting through from time to time were not doing me any good. I was tiring faster than he was and being that close to the sword I couldn’t use magick to heal me. I fought to gain some distance from him so I could use the magick but couldn’t gain the ground I needed fighting defensively. I went on the offense trying to beat him back into a retreat so that he would open the distance I needed between us. I had no more luck with that tactic as he was well trained in the use of a broadsword. We kept going like this for what felt like an eternity but I knew could only have been ten or fifteen minutes when I heard the door to the house open to my right and I turned my head and body instinctively to put myself between her and my assailant. In that moment I gave him an opening he needed and felt the sword slice across my stomach drawing a line of excruciating pain behind as it passed.

“Andrew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Sindee screamed as she watched this happen. I could tell she was trying to reach for me with magick to heal me, but I was still too close to the sword.

I stepped back and started to twist sideways to come at my attacker on his open side since the sword was out of position, but his reflexes were quick as changed his grip on the blade allowing him to thrust it toward my chest. I felt the blade sink into to my side just below the rib cage. I knew I was most likely dead between the slice across my abdomen and now the stab into my organs. I was not going to let this man kill Sindee if it was the last thing I did before death took me. I moved forward, forcing the blade to sink deeper into my gut. I brought the metal spar in my right hand down upon this man’s wrists with bone shattering force causing him to release his hold on the sword in his hands. I also brought my left handed weapon around toward his neck with the intent of breaking it so he wouldn’t get up again. At the last second I felt something guide my arm and hand up enough that my weapon glanced off his head at an angle that delivered enough force to knock him unconscious without being fatal. I dropped to the ground beside this man staring at the morning sky. My vision grew dim, starting to fade to black on the edges as Sindee’s face appeared before me just before I lost consciousness.


*****************

I was in that horrid reality where Las Vegas was once again decaying and destroyed, however thing were different. I could sense life around me, some plants, a few desert animals and even some pockets Humans. I could feel Magick within the city, not the emptiness of before. I walked through the city, covering distance faster than should have been possible. I came across the Existence. It was still there, more or less. It looked as though it were a fortress. The entire block around it was surrounded by an immense wall with sigils, runes and other symbols carved into the exterior. I could feel the magick that was keeping the decay away from it. I wondered if I was seeing the manifestation of the magick that protects the place or if this was added later my warnings to Arthur of what was to come in the future that I saw. I traveled through the city, some portions were overrun by things that shouldn’t be able to exist in this world were people no longer believed in the existence of such things. That disbelief should have cause reality to backlash and remove them from the world the moment people first saw them. If this was a change to my earlier vision, it was not for the better.

I continued to move through the city, walking in the open but not being seen by anything around me. I moved toward my home, to the node I created there to see what changes occurred near it. When I neared my home I fell to my knees unable to move further. The hose was gone, not a trace left of the building. Where the house had stood, there was no a sloped pit leading to the node we had created. At the center of the ring stood dark gate so black that it seemed to draw in the light from around it. I could feel a malevolent energy coming from within. I managed to get back to my feet and turn away from this horrific site. I touched the magick within me trying to find the connection between my Avatar and Sindee’s. I needed to find what became of her. The connection was not the wellspring of emotion that I felt that morning before going outside; it was a feeling of raw pain as though I was being skinned alive by the energy I was connected to. I fought my way through the pain as nothing would keep me from getting back to her.

I walked through the city again, going down the strip seeing the crumbling casino buildings as I passed them. I forced myself to follow the path this painful energy flowed from until I was in sight of the old Stratosphere tower. I walked into it, surprised that it had power while the rest of the city seemed dark. I took the elevator all the way to the observation level, feeling more and more pain and pressure as I went. When the doors opened I stepped out to see the enemy from my previous vision sitting on a stone throne at the top of the stairs. Beside him locked in a cage was Sindee, but she was no longer herself. I could still feel her Avatar standing over her, but she was no longer a Mage. Her connection to her Avatar was shredded; the life, light and emotion in her eyes were gone. He skin was even paler than ever. She had been turned into a Vampire and starved; being kept as an amusement for the Nephandi. On his other side, chained to the wall was the hunter who came for me. His body was covered in scars and wounds. There was almost no place on his body that wasn’t injured in some way. I could hear the Nephandi speaking to him, thanking him for removing his enemy and making it easier for him to bring about the destruction he’s wrought. While the words were kind, the tone was punishing and the look on my attackers face was one of profound despair. I could sense that he was human now that he no longer had the sword with him. I could feel that magick was used to keep him alive, not letting him age as he should have. Again this Nephandi was keeping a trophy of his own evil and malevolence. The Naphandi’s face was still hooded in shadow not allowing me to know who this man was if I ever found him.

I knew that there was something I had to do to change this, as well as I needed to do something to escape this vision or dream. I knew I had to fight if I was to live though the sword in my gut and keep this from happening. I walked over to the cage where Sindee was being held, stepping through the bars as though they weren’t there. I placed my hands on here. My left hand with the wedding band over her heart and my right were her Avatar connected to her. I drew in every scrap of power I could from outside of me and everything I had left within not holding back anything. I directed the flow into her heart and through both of our Avatars into her connection to them and me. I felt her heart begin to beat and blast of a violent awakening. I flew back across the room to hit the wall, feeling pain throughout my whole body and blood flow from my chest and abdomen right before I stopped seeing or feeling anything and passed out again.
*********************

I woke in the basement on the cold concrete floor in the center of the circle where the node was created. The first thing I noticed was that I was face down on floor. Next I noticed that there was no pain in my abdomen at all, as though the fight was a dream. I tried to get up, that’s when I felt the pain. My entire body felt as though I had been dragged down the side walk for blocks (I know this feeling from a bad experience dumping a dirt bike on my way to the woods around town as a kid). I decided, instead of trying to stand, to drag myself to the wall and sit up against it. That was more painful than having the sword run into my gut. I leaned back against the wall and opened my eyes to look around. Across the room sitting in, or rather tied to, a chair was the man who ran me through with a sword. I closed my eyes, counted to ten and then reopened them. He was still there in the chair across the room. I couldn’t see his arms as they were behind the chair, but there was dried blood down the side of his face and his eyes were still closed. I heard movement to my right and turned my head to see Sindee coming down the stairs. I didn’t feel either her or the man across the room so I reached for the magick within me. I felt nothing but a faint connection. I couldn’t draw any power through it. My first reaction was fear that I had lost my Avatar, before my mind caught up with the fact that I could still feel the connection there. I realized that I had drawn both the magick within me along with everything else in the vision before releasing the spell and holding nothing back.

From the injuries I had to recover from the last time I had a vision involving the Nephandi I figured that the expenditure of energy had me exhausted on the Physical, mental and metaphysical levels and I needed time to recover. At least I hoped that was all that it was. Sindee walked over to me and crouched down. She pulled up my shirt to check the wounds there before looking up to stare me in the eyes. I just looked back into her silver grey stare and felt peace wash over me. The light and life that were gone in my vision were still there here and now. As long as that were the case I’d be fine. A smile spread across my face. It hurt to smile, but was worth it due to the smile she gave me in return. I put my head back against the wall, closed my eyes and went to sleep.

Awakening a few hours later sitting in the same spot, my body felt stiff from being in one position for too long. My friend, also known as the asshole who attacked me, was still tied up across the room from me. The blood on his face had been washed away and his eyes were open. He was staring at me with such venom and hatred that if looks could kill I wouldn’t have woken up this time. I attempted to get to my feet again, only to realize that the pain I was in wasn’t simply stiff muscles from sleeping on a cold floor in one position too long. I forced my way to my feet, fighting the pain all the way up. Once I got to my feet, I looked myself over. My entire body looked just as it felt, I was a walking bruise. I wasn’t going to try and take the stairs right now as I had enough injuries and didn’t need to add falling down the stairs to them. I walked across the room to my friend in the chair.

I looked him square in the eyes, “We have a great many things to discuss.” Then I pulled the gag off of his mouth.


Chapter 18

He stared into my eyes, grinding his teeth together. If the look he gave me before when I was sitting against the wall could have killed me, this new one would have don’t so and erased my entire ancestry from the world. He continued to sit there without speaking. I remained silent waiting for him to do the same. This particular battle of wills I had to win if we were going to get anywhere in this discussion beyond growling and threatening each other. He sat silent for an hour before finally saying anything.

“If you’re going to kill me get it over with. I’m not going to tell you anything you want to know.” The venom that filled his voice spoke volumes to me. He wasn’t angry at me, but at himself for the fact that he was alive. The only way for that kind of anger and hated to build in a person is survivor’s guilt. I may have been projecting from my past, but I had learned to trust my instincts and that’s what his anger felt like.

“If I wanted to kill you I could have accomplished that outside on the lawn while we fought. I offered to let you walk away before we fought and I intent to still do so once we’re done here unless you decide you want to stay.” Again I kept my tone even and friendly despite having a little anger at the fact that he tried to kill me. I simply stood and waited for him to respond when he was ready. While he sat quietly I walked across the room to the small fridge we kept down there and pulled out a couple of water bottles.

Sindee came back down the stairs while he was still sitting silently watching me. She smiled at seeing me up and moving until she saw that every inch of my exposed skin was a rapidly healing bruise. “Andrew, you need to sit and rest while you heal.”

“I’ll be fine, just need to chat with our friend here,” I smiled at her, hiding the pain I was feeling as best I could.

She walked over to a small closet we had down there and pulled out another chair and a small folding table. She placed them both right in front of our guest and turned to me. “Sit down before I sit you down,” she stated looking ready to do just that. She could do it and knew so as I wouldn’t raise a hand to her even if I had the energy to do so. So I complied with her wishes. After I sat down she continued, “Now if you will sit here and try to talk to our guest as you call him, I’ll take care of what needs to be done for now.” She stepped over behind him and untied his hands from behind him. She placed both of his hands on the table between us gently pulling up his sleeves. His hands and forearms halfway to his elbow were solid black. I shattered his bones when I hit them. Sindee made sure his legs and body were secured to the chair so he couldn’t move at attack before moving back to his wrists. I used what energy I had to connect with her she reached for her Avatar and started working with Life Magick. She carefully took one arm into each of her hands, focusing the Magick through them. I directed none of what she was doing, just lent the energy I had to her spell and watched as she brought the shattered boned back together as if they had never been damaged, reduced the swelling caused by the force of the impact, slowly and carefully repairing everything that was done so that when she completed the spell it would be as if he had never been injured in the first place. Once complete she stopped the flow of magick and took a deep breath. I had to do the same as I felt drained again. “Now, can you gentlemen talk without trying to kill each other or am I going to need to stay and intervene?”

Our guest whose name I still hadn’t gotten was just staring at his arms. I looked up to Sindee to see her smiling at the look on his face. “Thank you for taking care of me and our guest my love. I have more to tell you once he and I are done here.” She leaned down we kissed. Nothing in the world could have made me happier at that moment as it told me beyond a doubt that we were both still alive and I could still change the possible future.

I placed the two bottles of water on the table and opened one. I took a drink from it before looking at him and placing next to the other. “Help yourself to either one, there’s nothing wrong with them. No point in healing you just to poison you. As I said before, I have no intent to harm you.”

He looked to his arms and then to Sindee. He looked back and forth like this at least a dozen times before speaking up. “Thank you ma’am for taking care of my arms,” there was a hint of Irish in his voice but he either hadn’t lived there in a long time or never had a pronounced accent from growing up with family who had the same. He reached for the unopened bottle of water, took of the lid and gulped half of it down. Setting the bottle down, he looked back at both of us.

Sindee smiled at him and replied, “You’re welcome.”

He turned to me and his jaw tightened a little before speaking. “Thanks you for the water,” his tone was gruff and the muscles tightened in his jaw even more. “I was very thirsty and needed that.” He shoulders slumped and he hung his head like the statement cost him a lot to make.

While I could have gloated, it would have been petty and counter-productive in this situation. I am not saying that I’m never petty, everyone can be from time to time, but I wasn’t going to make the situation worse. “You’re welcome.” I turned to look and Sindee, “Would you do me a favor and bring something to eat down. I know I’m hungry after all that’s happened and I’m sure he is as well. Maybe some food while we talk would be good for all of us. I’d also like you to join us for the conversation whenever you want to.”

Sindee smiled playfully at me then turned to look at him, “Do you believe this? The man marries a doctor and expects me to be Suzy Homemaker. The nerve of some men,” she held a straight face for all of ten seconds before laughing and heading for the stairs again.

I turned to look at him again with a huge grin on my face, “Got to love that woman. Now, if I may ask, what’s your name?”

He looked me in the eyes, evaluating me I’d assume, before answering. “My name is Gabriel Roarke, you may call me Roarke if you’d like.”

“Ok Roarke, tell me why you came here intending to kill me please.”

“As I said outside, because you exist. Your kind is the biggest bane on humanity of all the supernatural creatures that exist.” He stated flatly.

“You said that you were here because I exist outside. What kind of supernatural creature do you believe me to be?” I asked, genuinely curious as to the reply.

“You are a Mage, Witch, Wizard or whatever you prefer to be called.”

“I am a Mage,” I replied flatly. “Witches, Wizards and others such practitioners are mortals who have found access to powers through potions and such. Mages are naturally gifted with our abilities.”

He didn’t look any happier with the explanation. “So you’re a Mage. The fact that you can use magic and ignore the laws of reality still makes you the most dangerous kind of supernatural being to all of humanity.”

“How so? I’ve never murdered a human. I haven’t broken the laws of society. I have killed vampires and their followers in defense of myself and my chosen friends and family. I’m no boy scout, but nor am I evil incarnate as you seem to believe. Why come after me specifically when I know there are humans out there who have been a bigger bane on humanity than I ever could be?” I didn’t raise my voice, didn’t argue, just pointed out the facts as I knew them.

“You expect me to just accept your word on this?” Roarke asked with an incredulous look on his face.

“No. I expect you to hear me out and discuss things like a civilized person. First point in my favor is the fact that you’re alive and healed.” He gave me a look like he was about to complain about being strapped to a chair but I continued before he could speak. “Yes you are still tied to a chair in my basement, but that is for my protection and that of my wife.” I took another sip from my water bottle. “You may not believe this, but just because the supernatural exists doesn’t mean we’re all out to destroy humanity. There are vampires of several types; most of them do not need to kill to feed. Some of them choose to do so; they are not people I consider friends or allies. Some of us try to protect humanity from other supernatural creatures and threats.”

“Why do you hide your existence from Humanity then?” was Roarke’s reply.

The question made me a little hopeful that we may be able to resolve this at least somewhat peacefully. “Because humanity isn’t ready to accept the existence of what’s truly out in the world. Before you try to persuade me otherwise, let me ask you a few questions and see if you’ll understand my reasoning.” He nodded and waited for me to continue. I settled on my first question rather easily, “How did you first find out that there were things in this world that most people don’t believe in?”

Roarke looked thoughtful, his eyes going distant as his mind shifted to the past, “It was about twelve years ago, I just turned fourteen and was running late getting back to the house from out in the pasture. The sun had already set and my house came into sight. All the lights on the lower floor should normally have been on by then, but I only saw the light in the main room through the window. My mother would normally have been in the kitchen making dinner by that time of night. I was a little concerned but figured she just had visitors in the parlor.” He looked down and stared at his hands while telling this story. “I really did think there was anything wrong. When I got closer I could see that the front door was hanging open off the lower hinge as well. I started to rush toward the door and caught myself before just running inside to whatever danger was there. I rushed around to the side of the house where we kept the fire wood and grabbed the axe we used to split it. I moved to the back door and tried the handle. The door moved open quietly as I kept the hardware oiled for my parents as part of my chores. I moved through the kitchen as quietly and quickly as I could. When I entered the living room my pa was lying on the floor. From what I could see blood was flowing across the hard wood from his neck. I couldn’t see the wound as it must have been under him.” Tears started to flow from his eyes. He kept his face down trying to hide the pain he was feeling. He was silent for a few minutes before he was ready to continue. I didn’t speak or move as not to break the mood, I think he needed to get this out as much for himself as anything else. “I must have stood there for what felt like forever when I heard a whimper and cry from up the stairs. The lights were out and I didn’t want to turn them on and warn anyone I was there. I climbed the stairs careful to make as little noise as possible. When I got to the top of the stairs I could hear the low crying coming from my parent’s room. I moved down the hallway as quickly as I could to the door that was cracked open. The curtains were open and the moonlight shone across the bed. There was someone on the bed with my mother. Her clothes were torn, shreds of cloth hanging off of her and the man had his mouth on her neck. There was blood all over her, the sheets, and the man as well. I knew he was hurting her and wanted to stop him. I rushed into the room to the bedside raising the axe as I went. I swung the axe at his back trying to cut his spine in two. He spun and caught my hand before it was even half way to him. He used his other hand to grab me by my neck and threw me across the room into the wall. I fell to the floor there and crumpled into a ball, my whole body ached from the force I hit the wall with. I heard my mother scream again right before I passed out.” He took a deep breath and fell into silence once again. The tears continued to fall and his body shook. I could see how hard this story was to tell and knew that whatever was next was the hardest part of the story for him to tell. I heard breathing behind me and looked over my shoulder. Sindee was standing there behind me, tears in her eyes and her hand on her heart.

I reached back and pulled her to me into a hug. I felt a little dampness on my cheeks as her body pressed against me. I guess I was more affected by his story then I thought I was.

He choked up a little as he opened his mouth to continue, “When I came to again I was tied to a chair at the dining room table. My sisters were all tied to chairs as well. I was the youngest and the only boy in my family. I had five older sisters, the youngest was sixteen and the oldest was twenty-four. The three oldest were visiting from college for the spring holiday. Since they weren’t there when I came if, I had hoped that they were out somewhere safe for the night. It was still dark outside the windows, so it was either that same night or the next. I started pulling at the ropes that held me to the chair when I saw them. The man stepped out of the living room into the dining room where I could see him. He wasn’t a man, and he was still covered in blood. He told me that I shouldn’t have interrupted his entertainment and because I did he wasn’t going to kill me, he had a special punishment in mind for me. He revealed his fangs to me right before plunging them into my oldest sister’s neck. I had read the stories, seen the movies, and heard the legends. I knew what he was; Vampire. He drank from her neck for a few minutes and I was sure he was going to kill each of my sisters in from of me as punishment for interrupting him. I only wish it had been that simple. He pulled away just as she seemed to be on the verge of dying. He licked the bit in her neck which closed the wounds before my eyes. He then bit into his own wrist and shoved it to her mouth tilting her head back. I was forced to watch as he did this to all of my sisters in turn. When he was done he turned to me, ‘There are several ways to kill vampires young man but only a few that I guarantee will do the job. Forget about the stake to the heart; that will only slow us down until it’s removed. Silver and Garlic are old wives tales. A cross or other holy symbols are useless without the faith of a true believer. Cut off the head, cut out the heart or better yet do both. Trap us in sunlight, but make sure there is nowhere for use to stay out of the direct light as even shadows can protect us. Those will work, there are some others that may work, but I’ll leave those for you to find for yourself if you live.’ He simply smiled at me; like this was the most fun he’d ever had before he continued. ‘Your sisters here will rise at dark tonight and they will be ravenous like wild animals as I gave then no more blood that was needed to make the turning. You have until then to escape your bonds and stop them if you want to live and not see them turn into killers.’ That monster then walked over to me, leaned over and bit me, taking blood until I passed out. I came to around late afternoon still lightheaded and sore from the previous night. I started struggling even harder, rubbing my wrists raw until they started to bleed. I finally managed to get the ropes to break an hour or so before sunset. I moved back to the living room, my father’s body was still there. I rolled him over to his back to see that his throat had been ripped out. I forced myself to climb the stairs up to my parent’s room to find my mother with bites, scratches and cuts all over her body. He left her on the bed with her clothing torn completely off, the remnants lying in tatters on the bloody sheets and floor. He legs spread open as if he just used her and left her there like she was garbage. There was blood on her face as well. I found the axe I had brought on the floor near where I landed when he threw me across the room. I picked it up and walked over to my mother’s body. I wanted to feel nothing, to just be numb, cold and unfeeling about it. I wasn’t able to. I used the axe to sever her head from her body and shoved it off the bed to the floor. I carried the axe down the stairs and severed the head from my father’s body as well. I did this because his face was covered in blood as well. I couldn’t tell if it was his or the creatures because he was face down in the pool of blood all night. While the sun was still up I went out to the barn and filled the gas can from the fuel tank we kept for the farm machinery. I took it inside and upstairs, spreading it in to all of the bedrooms and over my mother’s remains. I poured a trail down into the hall and down the stairs. I continued to spread it around the downstairs and over my father’s remains as well. By the time I completed all of this dusk was coming quickly and I could hear movement in the dining room. I walked in to see my oldest sister struggling to free herself from the chair, a look of hunger on her face as she stared at me, fang’s already showing. I grabbed the axe again and walked up behind her chair. I couldn’t look into her face, no matter what she had become, while I did what I had to do next. I swung the axe with all the force I could muster. The axe went into her neck and stopped about halfway through. She let out a howl like a wounded animal. Instead of just dying like anyone else would she kept screaming and fought harder to escape her bonds. I took another swing at her neck, aiming to the spine instead of the side. The axe bit into her flesh like trying to split a log. Once the spine was severed it slid through more easily separating her head from her shoulders. As my other sisters were starting to stir and move, I quickly went about taking their heads off as well.” He took another breath and slowly let it out before continuing, “After I finished doing that I grabbed the gas can and went to refill it. I brought it back in and used all of it in the dining room and kitchen pouring a trail out the door. I went back into the kitchen and blew out the pilots in the range and oven before turning the gas on full. I went back around to my father’s truck and pulled out a road flare. I took it around to the back of the house where trail of gas I poured led to. I lit the road flare and threw it into the gas through the kitchen door. The fire started and spread quickly as I walked around to the front of the house to watch it burn. I was standing in the yard in front of the house when the gas from the stove and range lit up. The resulting fireball blew out all of the windows covering me with scratches and cuts as the glass cut into and past me. Still I stood there and watched the house burn. I couldn’t move away and couldn’t just walk inside and let myself die with the rest of my family; it would have been a sin to do so. So I just stood there and watched. I don’t know how long I was standing there watching but I couldn’t move. At some point the Natural Gas main leading into the house was overheated and ruptured. The resulting explosion destroyed the house and sent me flying across the lawn where I landed hard and rolled into the street fronting the property. I passed out right there, unable to move, unable to think.” He just fell into silence at the end there.

I stood up and moved around the table, grabbing a knife from the cabinet behind him. I reached down and cut the ropes tying him to the chair. I know he tried to kill me, but after hearing what happened I couldn’t leave him in the chair. I know you’re thinking that the story could have been made up it isn’t easy to lie to a Mage as there is a simple beginning level spell that allows us to know if people are telling the truth. As soon as his ropes were removed Sindee stepped up and pulled him into a motherly hug. God should be blessed and honored for making women with hearts like Sindee’s. I may be younger than him but I stepped up and wrapped him into a hug, treating his as I would Marcus or any other person I’ve chosen to bring into my family.

After a few minutes we stepped back away from Roarke. “Roarke, you’re free to go if you want. I don’t want to have to fight you again so please leave the Las Vegas area if you choose to go now. I’d like however to continue our discussion when you’re ready. Either way I won’t stop you.” I held out my hand to him leaving the choice to him.

Sindee spoke up while he was thinking it over, “I’d like you to at least stay and eat before you go. You’ve had a very rough day and should replenish your energy before you go.”

We stood there for a few minutes while he thought things through. Roarke reached out and took my hand, “I’d like to finish the conversation before I go as I think I might not have all the information that I need to make that choice.” He released my hand and turned to face Sindee, “I would be delighted to share a meal with you ma’am.”

“Please call me Sindee; ma’am makes me feel older than I am. I’m already six years older than my husband so I don’t need to feel older,” Sindee replied with a smile.


“Yes ma… I mean Sindee. The meal would be much appreciated. Thank you again.”

We headed upstairs to the dining room as the food she had brought down had gotten cold during the telling of his story. We ordered pizza instead of cooking and sat in the living room to talk. “Well Roarke, since you told me your story I should tell you mine before we continue.” I took a breath and Sindee moved to sit closer to me while I recounted the night my family died and the night where I went back in time and had to allow it to happen. “Now that you’ve heard my tale or at least the portions that brought me into the world of the supernatural, are you willing to continue the discussion?” I asked just as the doorbell rang. I got up to answer it while he was thinking about his answer. The pizza had arrived so I paid the driver and grabbed a few beers out of the fridge before returning to the living room.

Roarke grabbed a slice, took a large bite and opened his beer. “You were saying something about not all supernatural beings working to destroy humanity,” He stated in a questioning tone.

I started by telling him the rest of my history, glossing over Arthur and his people as their secret was not mine to tell. I told about my visions and fights in the future and the deals I’d made with some of the local supernatural creatures to keep what I’ve seen coming from happening. I explained about hedge wizards and witches and how even though they are mortal that they could access powers beyond normal human ability. By the time I finished explaining what I could the pizzas were gone and we were on out second beers. I still hadn’t told either of them about the latest vision and the resulting bruises because there was a lot more to discuss before that would happen. So I asked a question I needed the answer to before we went further, “Would you please tell me how you found not only my home but the way you discovered that I was a Mage Roarke?”

“It’s another long story, but if you’re willing to listen I’ll condense it down as much as possible and explain.”

“I’ll grab us some waters and such if this is going to be a long night.” I went and got a several bottles of water and set them on the coffee table. “Ready when you are.”

Roarke took another deep breath then started, “I guess I should start where I left off downstairs. I woke up in the hospital with the cops guarding my room. When I first saw them, I figured that they knew I’d destroyed the house and was going to be arrested for killing my family. Sadly that prospect didn’t frighten me as I thought it was nothing more than a deserved since they were all dead and I wanted to join them. After a few hours of worry as the doctors and nurses came in and checked on me, ran blood tests and made me eat a little to get my color back they said. I didn’t eat much because I had no apatite after what happened to my family and the nerves of waiting to be arrested for murder. I noticed that I wasn’t handcuffed or in restraints but didn’t think much of it because of how weak I felt. A little later that same day a couple of Detectives showed up wanting to talk to me. They explained that I’d been in the hospital for about two weeks in a coma and were sorry to inform me about my family and home. They explained that I was found on the side of the road with bruising and cuts all over my body when the fire department had arrived at the house. While everyone was dead and the house was destroyed there were enough portions of the bodies to get ID from DNA. They asked if I knew anything about what happened that night. I knew telling them that a vampire had killed my family and I burned the house down would get me locked away in either jail or a mental ward. I simply said that I didn’t remember anything from that night which was true as it was the previous night that I dealt with a vampire. I spent a few weeks in the hospital before being moved to a hospice for the rest of my recovery. I had no other family as my parents were both only children from parents who had them late in life. I’d never known my grandparents as both sets had passed away before I was three. The insurance from their deaths and from the farm was placed into a trust for my eighteenth birthday. While I was in the hospice going through the physical therapy a legal guardian was arranged. I intended to leave there and start hunting the monster that killed my family as soon as I was released. My recovery was nothing short of amazing to the staff, but was slow as far as I was concerned. I worked to repair and then strengthen my body beyond the shape I was in from working the family farm. When I wasn’t working on my physical therapy I had my nose in the books trying to finish school as my mother drilled it into all of us kids that no matter what job you choose to do, you won’t get ahead without a proper education. I wasn’t going to disappoint her since she was watching over me from heaven now. After six months in the hospice I was ready to be released to my new guardian. I figured I was going to end up in some home for children and wasn’t willing to live that way. I was quite surprised when a young couple around thirty or so came to pick me up at the hospice. They helped me pack up the few things I had in the hospice and took me out to the car. We drove out into the country for a couple of hours until we came to an iron gate. We turned in as the gate opened and drove for about fifteen minutes before we reached the house. I didn’t understand what was going on but kept my mind and my eyes open. After we pulled up, we got out as a butler came down to the care and grabbed my bags from the trunk. The couple let me into the house giving me a quick tour. They showed me to a room that would be mine and explained that she would be my tutor until I finished my school studies. After that, they left me to settle into my room. They sent lunch up to me with a cook and a note was on the tray. The note explained that they wanted me to get settled in but would like me to come down at six for dinner where they would tell me how I came to live here in their care.


That evening at dinner they told me that they know that my family was attacked by a Vampire. I just looked at them like they were insane as I still didn’t think that anyone would believe me even if they said it first. It just didn’t make sense. They went on to explain that their family had been hunters for centuries and from the reports of the fire they were able to determine that some of my family had been turned and others just killed. They didn’t have the details of the accident, but they figured out the basics. I finally told them that they were right about the vampire attack. I didn’t explain everything. You two are the first people I have ever told about the vampire’s ‘punishment’ for my interrupting him. From that day forward I spent most of my time training to hunt the vampire that attacked my family and all the other creatures that were a danger to human beings. I guess we can say that while they knew a lot about those things that existed in the world, they didn’t take the time to speak to any of them. They were more the shoot first, shoot second and then start cutting off heads type. By the time I turned eighteen I had already hunted a killed several vampires with them. Shortly after I turned eighteen I had another run in with that creature. He attacked us while we were out shopping for me to head off to college. We had left the book store and were headed back towards the car when he came out of the shadows and bit into my foster father’s neck tearing his throat open at the carotid artery and dug his claws into the juggler vein. He was dead in seconds. The vampire turned onto my new mother and teacher and pulled her into the alley beside the store. I pulled a short sword and pistol from under my coat and followed them into the shadows. It took me seconds to cover the length of the alley, but when dealing with monsters like him seconds were an eternity. When I caught up to him her was just draining the last of her blood from her neck. He shifted her over to one side and brought his wrist to his mouth. I was not going to let this happen a second time and leveled the pistol aiming for his head. He released her to fall to the ground, tearing her throat with the hand he held her with as she fell. The shot missed as he spun aside. I fired again at him as he started closing in on me. The bullet didn’t really slow him down much, just seemed to piss him off some more. I put my back to the wall making him come at me head on. He stared me down laughing as he closed the distance. ‘That’s the second time I’ve taken your family from you’ he stated in a dark growling tone. I fired a couple of more shots a little wide of the body but keeping him directly in front of me with them. When he finally decided to stop playing games and attack I was ready for him. As soon as he got close I shot him in both knees. He dropped to the ground and as he did I brought up the short sword and swung for his neck. I put every ounce of anger and hatred I had for that creature and for myself at the failures of protecting either of my families from his depravities into my swing. The sword passed through his neck like a hot knife through butter. I grabbed my knife from my pocket and ran the blade in my guardian’s blood before placing it in the vampire’s hand. I ran out of the alley to the car tossing the gun in the trunk and grabbed the mobile phone of the charger. I called the cops to report the attack. I know someone else must have as well but it would have looked bad if I didn’t call them as well. When the cops did show up I was able to give them a statement about the attack and showed them my father’s body before leading them to the back alley to show them the body of my mother and the vampire. Fortunately, unlike in mythology, vampires don’t decompose instantly or turn to dust so the evidence was still there. I also told the officer that he told me that he was the one that killed my family four years before and that after hearing that I remembered seeing his face near the house that evening before the explosion. I was now eighteen, without any family again and the home and fortune was left to me by them. I decided not to go to school but to continue with my new family’s legacy. Since then I have been hunting down and killing every dangerous supernatural creature I could find. Mostly Vampires as well as a few of what you would call hedge-wizards. I found and recruited a few other survivors like myself, training them at the estate and continuing my hunting from there. I came across some information online that led me to websites and message boards that showed me there were more Hunters and more types of supernatural creatures then I had ever imagined possible. This site was a gold mine of information that led me to nest of vampires, several witches and wizards as well as others. As time passed I the creatures I was hunting would run instead of staying to fight me. I had been incapacitated a few times by some of the beings I was after. I’d come to later in the care of the others who I had been training and bringing with me. I always assumed the backup was scaring off the creatures that knocked me down before they could kill me.

I recently got information about you from the same source telling me that you were a wizard who had been killing people to gain more power. The information stated that you were a danger to not just Las Vegas but the rest of the world. It was passed to me anonymously just as most of the other tips I’d been getting recently were. Sitting here talking to you makes me think that my source was more interested in removing threats to themselves than to stopping the monsters in this world.” He finished his story and downed another half bottle of water.

Once he finished speaking I came to the conclusion that the vision I had to tell Sindee about also needed to be shared with Roarke as it involved him more than I even realized before. I cleared my throat and took a drink of water before starting, “Sindee the news I had to speak with you about concerns Roarke as well so I am going to just lay it out for both of you now if that’s ok with you?”

“Do what you think is best Andrew, I’ll trust your judgment here,” she replied.

Roarke looked at me expectantly so I started to explain, “I mention earlier when I explained about my past and the visions that I had had a fight in a dream or vision that I came out of with injuries. I had another vision today after being stabbed outside. After which I assume Sindee healed my existing injuries or I’d be dead instead of speaking with you both right now.” I looked over to Sindee to see a nod confirming that was the order of things. “While I was out from the injuries and blood loss received during our encounter I was back in the future Las Vegas. There were some changes from the last time. Most of them seemed to be for the better but the city was still in ruins and the Nephandi who I have still been unable to identify was ruling over the city. There were pockets of life and resistance that weren’t in the desolate wasteland from the first vision. I walked the city unnoticed by anyone or anything that was out there. There were creatures in the streets attacking humans that here and now would have been wiped out of reality by a backlash that their simply being visible to human minds would cause. I continued to explore the city and saw a stronghold against the darkness that I hoped would be there even though I was unable to enter it. I then traveled out to the house here and it was no longer intact. There was a pit leading to the basement area and a gateway so dark that light seemed to be getting sucked into it. Thinking back onto it reminds me of the time I spent in Todash Space. After leaving there I tracked Sindee down through a connection we share. I ended up at the top of the Stratosphere Tower in a throne room of sorts. Sitting at the top of the steps was my Nephandi Nemesis. On either side of him were the two of you. Sindee, you had been turned and starved to the point of going feral however while you lost the ability to use Magick, your Avatar was still anchored to you because of our connection.” I turned to face Roarke, “You were chained to a wall, made immortal by Magick being tortured continuously and healing just as fast so you existed in a state of constant pain. On top of that he stood gloating about the fact that you made everything possible by clearing away his enemies. Once I head enough I went over to Sindee and used every bit of power I could gather and forced the Magick into her heart and our connection to Avatars. There was a blast like that of a violent awakening and I hit the wall across the room. I woke up in the basement bruised over every inch of my body.” They both looked horrified at the information. “You know that we changed the first vision, and because I’m not dead now either we can still change that possible future as well.” Sindee looked a little more relieved, but Roarke looked even more disturbed about what could have happened to the world.

Roarke sat in silence for a few minutes gathering his thoughts. “Are you positive that you can change the future you saw?”

“I’m pretty sure, as we’ve already done it once. I will never tell you that it’s easy or that everything will work out just as we want to. I will tell you that I am doing and will continue to do everything within my abilities to change those possibilities and protect my family, friends and allies along with the rest of humanity whenever possible.”

Roarke looked me in the eyes before standing up, “I have to walk and think for a while, do you mind if I head out?”

“I told you before you were free to go when you wanted. Are you planning to leave the city now or just walk and think?” I asked.

“For the time being just walk and think. I’m staying at the Rio and here’s the cell number I’m using while in the States if you need me,” he said as he wrote a quick note with a room and phone number.

“Take your time, think about whatever you need. Walk some near your hotel and let yourself just go where you need. Sometimes life will surprise you with the answers you need instead of those you’re looking for.” I smiled and Sindee looked at me funny.

“When did you get so philosophical Andrew?” Sindee asked still giving me a strange look.

I smiled and replied, “Just inspired by the moment.

Roarke get ready to go and I walked him out and down to the street to his vehicle. We said our quick goodbyes as he jumped in and drove off. If nothing else, he wasn’t trying to kill me for the time being. I walked back up to the house and went inside. Sindee was still giving me a strange look when I picked up my phone off of the table. I called Arthur as Sindee looked like she was about ready to speak.

“Andrew, what’s up?” Arthur’s even tone came over the phone.

“Not much now, however someone tried to kill me this morning.” I replied deadpan.

“You’re still alive at least. What happened?” he asked. So I gave him the short and dirty version of the day’s events. I looked over to Sindee eyeing me patiently. After I finished the story I continued to the reason for my call. “He said he needed to get out and walk and think. Since he is staying at the Rio I told his to head back there and walk around near the hotel and focus on what he needs. I don’t know if it will work, or even if he’ll need to find your place, but I planted the idea and wanted to give you a heads up before a Hunter shows up in place unannounced.” Sindee gave me a shocked look when she heard what I did and then just continued to stare at me.

“So you sent a Hunter my way, one who almost managed to kill you just today.” His voice was loaded with sarcasm as he replied to me. “What should I do with him if he shows?”

“Treat him well and help him the way you do others. His world just got yanked out from under him and I figure he’s looking for solid ground before he continues to move on with life. I like him as an ally if possible, but not an enemy in any case. He’s had a rough life since he was fourteen and I feel for him. In related news after I passed out I had another vision of the Nephandi and it was nasty. We’ll need to talk later.”

“Will do what I can for the Hunter if he shows up and we’ll need to get together for drinks or something as well as the story about the vision,” Arthur replied in his friendly manner.

“Before I hang up I wanted to ask you, how are things going with you and Jaq?” I asked, thinking of the beautiful Marshall I inadvertently introduced him to.

“We’re doing well and would like to see you and Sindee both for those drinks or a night out. We don’t get to do that often with all of our schedules as well as what we need to do with our lives.” You could hear the light and emotion is his voice when he spoke of Jacqueline making me even happier that they met.

“Ok, shall we try for Friday evening around six? You make the plans and the evening is on me,” I suggested to him.

He didn’t answer me right away, but I could hear whispers in the background before he came back onto the line with an answer, “Friday at six it as. Jaq says we’ll pick the two of you up as she has an Idea of what to do.”

“See you both then. Tell Jaq that Sindee says hello to both of you.”

“Will do, good night to both of you,” Arthur answered before ending the call.

I turned, wrapped Sindee in my arms, leaned down and kissed her. Whenever we did this, the world seemed a better place as if everything that was wrong was right again. “Are you ready to go to bed Sin? This has been the longest day I have ever had and we’ve barely gotten back from our honeymoon.”

Sindee kissed me again and when we broke apart replied, “I’ll agree with the longest day ever with the exception of the first day I met you and you just wouldn’t wake up.”

I couldn’t reply because of the emotions I was feeling cut off my voice. I picked Sindee up like she was a feather and carried her up to our room. We changed for bed and lay down for the night. We slept on our sides with her back and small frame pressed against my larger body. I put my arm over her and pulled her tight, taking her left hand in mine wrapping our finger together letting the wedding band touch. It felt like a perfect moment in time as we drifted off to sleep together.


Chapter 19

I woke up late in the morning with Sindee’s petite frame still pressed into my chest with our left hands intertwined. The feeling of joy and peace was still with me and I would have stayed in bed like that forever if it were possible. I refused to get up while she still slept. Her hair felt like silk rubbing between our bodies. The warmth of her body against mine filled me with wonder just knowing that she was mine and I hers bound by love and Magick. I knew realistically we couldn’t stay like this for eternity, but I was willing to lie here all day to preserve this moment. Once we got up again I’d have to get back to preventing the new possible future I had envisioned. My desire to protect humanity as I have chosen to aside, Sindee needed to be protected from what I’d seen as well. While she is becoming a powerful mage in her own right and will soon be more than capable of aiding in my goals I will protect her with every power and ability I have until my last breath. I continued to lie with her and watch her sleep.

Sindee’s breathing changed and her pulse increased a few min later. She started to move and rolled onto her where we could see one another. Her gaze sought out and focused on mine, a sleepy smile spread across her lips. I leaned down, gently caressing her lips with my one once, then again and a third time. When I kissed her the third time she reached up with her free hand, pulling my head down towards her and deepened the kiss. This amazing woman took my breath away simply by being here with me. I brushed her cheek with my right hand, slowly and gently brushing it along her skin; moving it down her neck, over her shoulder brushing down her ribs until I reached her hip. I pulled her closer to me, pressing our bodies together. As we continued to share our bodies, the Magick we both contained within us reach out for the other. We came together mind, body and soul; becoming one being instead of two. Everything beyond the two of us ceased to matter for a time. All that existed was emotion and pleasure; even time stopped as we lived an eternity in that moment.

When we were finally ready to start the day, we showered and dressed for a casual day. Sindee still had another few days before she was scheduled for work and while we were more than financially secure, she enjoyed her work helping people. I wouldn’t change anything about her as she was the other half of me. I had heard people speak of soul mates and other such poetic expressions regarding love. As much as I had been in love with Sindee and knew life was pointless without her, I never understood the truly profound effect of a true soul mate. As we went on through the day I continued to sense her presence, knew when she was focused on me. She seemed to do the same because whenever I looked at her she would lift her head and smile at me. She would laugh when she caught me staring at her and smile when I caught her doing the same. As new and strange as it was, I hoped that the newness and wonder never faded.

We made breakfast together, working as though we were one being instead of individuals. I didn’t feel awkward or weird because as attuned as we were to each other we still were individuals with our own thoughts and feelings. I just seemed that we were part of each other as well. After breakfast we headed out to make the rounds, visiting friends we hadn’t seen since the wedding and our honeymoon.

We stopped by the Existence late in the afternoon as our dated started late and visits were enjoyable, we didn’t want to leave even though we had other people to see. As it was still early the bar and club weren’t packed and there was no line. We walked into to see Arthur at his usual table, chatting with Jaq as they shared a meal. Arthur looked up as we entered and waved us over. As we neared the table they both stood to greet us even though we had seen them only two days ago when we arrived back from the honeymoon.

Arthur stepped forward, took my hand in has and pulled me into that half hand shake half hug between guys. As he pulled me in tight I felt a slight flare of Magick between us; he jump slightly as though surprised when this occurred. Arthur stepped back and looked me over, then directed his gaze to Sindee and she and Jaq were in a friendly embrace. Turning back to face me his eyes lit up and tears seemed to from in them; beyond the emotion in his eyes he betrayed nothing. He and Jaq switched places embracing us both fully.

We moved to sit down, Arthur pulling out Jaq’s chair as I did the same for Sindee. While it may seem old fashioned to some, chivalry is a lost art that should be fostered in the world and not ridiculed. We were barely seated when dinner for four was served with a bottle of wine that complemented the meal perfectly. Arthur may have been surprised by something but it wasn’t the timing of our arrival. I decided right then that I would someday get a straight answer from Arthur about what he really was. The last time I asked he said “I used to be a Mage, now I am something else.” I may want to know what that is someday; however, I am content to know that he is a friend and ally. Dinner conversation consisted of nothing more that the trivialities of everyday life, our honeymoon and Jaq and Arthur’s social life while we were gone.

After the meal and dessert we spent the evening dancing in the club. Arthur had taken the night off in the sense he may have been in the club but anything short of an emergency would be handles by Sam or Elayna. After the previous day, this had been a much needed respite along with being the first relatively ‘normal’ day Sindee and I had shared in some time. By the end of the evening, we were still sensing each other and Sindee caught me staring at her like a love struck teenager many time causing her to laugh. The behavior didn’t go unnoticed by Jaq or Arthur either.

As the night wound down Arthur invited us all up to his place over the club to relax and to spend the night. As we had been drinks, dancing and celebrating we took him up on the offer and closed off a perfect day with drinks and company in front of a fire in his place. Arthur sat on the love seat with Jaq beside him, her feet curled up under her as she leaned into his side with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Sindee and I were in a similarly comfortable pose on the couch.

I looked them both over, “I’m glad to see how close the two of you have become. I’ve seen you in social settings, but never more comfortable than you seem to be now.” A grin spread across my face at the smiles they wore.

“I owe you a debt Andrew. If you hadn’t made the impression of Jacqueline that you did we most likely would have been in this city and never met. I can’t repay you for that,” I had never heard the amount of emotion in Arthur’s voice before. He sounded as though the weight of the world had been removed from his shoulders.

Before I could reply, Jaq spoke up, “We owe you that debt Andrew, as well as to you Sindee. “ She looked directly at Sindee, “After meeting Andrew, I wanted him almost immediately. He had a quiet confidence and strength under the young exterior that is attractive as you well know. If you hadn’t had his heart from the time you both met he may not have run abruptly as he had. It was his desire to get back to you by making sure things happened as they should that made him disappear, prompting my search. When I arrived and saw the love he had for you, I understood more about him. I wouldn’t have met any of you if it weren’t for the love you two share. From that I met Arthur,” she placed her hand on his thigh and leaned in to kiss him. “That meeting has opened my eyes and brought me a happiness I didn’t know could exist between two people before seeing you and Andrew together.”

I didn’t have a voice to speak from the emotion in her words and in her voice. Sindee was much better than me with words and replied softly, “You helped Andrew when he landed in a small town as a man out of time. You made sure he was taken care of for the few days he was there, ensuring that he could get back to me. He told me of the kiss and I was a little jealous; and extremely proud at the same time. I first met the sixteen year old Andrew after you met the man I had come to know. He was a patient who had gone into a coma after the trauma of losing his family. I had read not just the new articles, but also the police reports and anything else I could get my hands on. His brother has even told me first-hand what he remembered from that night. Andrew had tried to save his family from what, at the time, was a serial killer. His heroism at such a young age drove me to work harder to help people instead of going into medical research like my parents. If I hadn’t taken that path I would never have met him again the night he arrived in Las Vegas for the first time. If you hadn’t taken care of the man I came to know when he arrived in your town and what happened had been changed I wouldn’t have met him either. So as far as I’m concerned there is no debt and no jealousy, just mutual gratitude. Andrew and Arthur though similar are each one of a kind and need someone who is a match for them. After Ander told me the little her knew about you from your conversations and time together I had hoped that you and Arthur would find what Andrew and I share together. I am just happy to see that my hopes were not in vain.”

Very few times in my life have I been stunned totally speechless, but in that moment there were no words to convey the emotions I was feeling. From the looks on Arthur and Jaq’s faces, I think they were in the same boat I was. I dropped all the mental barriers or shields between Sindee and I and just let the raw, unaltered emotion flow between us. Sindee moved in closer to me and responded by doing the same.

Jaq had tears slowly running down her cheeks and the emotion in her voice was indescribable when she replied, “Sindee, I can now more than ever what captured Andrew. Thank you for sharing that with us.”

Arthur, like me, seemed unable to speak past the emotional lump in his throat and simply pulled Jaq closer to him. We sat like that for a few minutes before any of us were able to speak of anything. As we sat there speaking the level or quintessential energy continued to grow. This isn’t an unusual occurrence when several mages gather together for long periods of time as we attract strange and powerful things all of the time. It’s one of the reasons that Mages exists in the first place. If the people who had the potential to awaken in the first place didn’t attract an Avatar to them there would be no awakening. Quintessence, or raw Magick energy, exists in the world as all energy does. Everything has some of this energy and it is produced continuously. It is possible to strip objects, spirits and even people of quintessence but it is a brutal destructive act and most Mages won’t do it unless an emergency happens. Of those that do it even then most try to stick to objects as the act can kill a living thing. I won’t even train a Mage in this ability until they understand the fundamental nature of Magick. As the evening continued none of us tired and the additional energy continued to be converted for us. While this was unusual, it wasn’t unheard of. Around three or four in the morning we all decided to retire for the night and sleep a few hours for the next day.

Arthur had a spare room Sindee and me as well as a change of clothes for the morning. We got ready for bed and curled into each other falling asleep almost instantly now that we were no longer sitting in the room with all the energy. We were both content and happy being together anywhere. Nothing struck as strange about that night until about an hour later when I suddenly woke sitting straight up and a pulse of Magick flowed through the entire building. Sindee was sitting up next to me at the same moment as our eyes locked together. It hit me right then that while there were four of us sitting in the room, only three of us had Avatars to pull in the energy. Jaq had as much energy as the rest of us. I jumped out of the bed and threw on a robe before leaving the room. Sindee did the same and came out right on my heels.

We both ran for Arthur’s bedroom door as we felt the pulse of Magick and were concerned for both of them. As we got to the door Arthur was pulling it open; he took one look at Sindee and I in the hall and pulled us into the room. I have mentioned in the past that Awakenings were different for everyone. While mine was an explosive event caused by my need and desire to protect my family and stop the monster trying to kill my family, and Sindee’s was emotional caused by the trauma of seeing me dying and refusing to let me go; they were not the only way that awakening occur. Awakenings can be simple epiphanies about the nature of the world and what is possible, as many awakened as there are there are that many ways for it to happen. I can only guess at why Jaq awakened and how it occurred, but after talking it over with Arthur at a later time he agreed with my line of thinking. Jaq whose exposure to the Supernatural started of slowly with meeting me and putting together the clues to track me down began to understand that there were things that she couldn’t explain in the world. As a cop and then Federal Agent she had seen more than her fair share of these things in her career. She had tracked me down and seen the impossible without her mind breaking and refusing to see the truth. Since then she has spent more and more time around very powerful supernatural beings including two Mages and whatever Arthur was.

That night, the four of us spent the entire afternoon and most of the night together. We spoke of what happened to my family in a way we hadn’t before. Sindee’s explanation of how if it weren’t for both of their actions, neither of them would have met me as the man I am. The emotions and energy we were enveloped in during all of this was raw Magick and would draw all kinds of spirits and extra-planar beings to our gathering. After we finally laid down to rest, her subconscious mind would have continued to work on understanding everything that had happened and been discussed. Sometime during the night her mind must have come to some understanding of what happened that brought the four of us to this place, this night through a series of unexplainable events. She had an epiphany giving her the potential to become an awakened. As the energy had been there from out gathering there were spirits with the potential to be Avatars there as well. When you combine her potential with the availability of an Avatar you get a Mage.

While her Awakening was a good thing it also brought with it some concerns. Mages for the most part are rare. The fact that both Sindee and Jaq had connections to me and through me to Arthur and the fact that both awakening had occurred with me in the vicinity had me worrying about the implications for the futures I have seen so far. For the most part Mages do awaken near someone who will know what they are and can teach them how to use their new abilities. Having two new Mages awaken within such a small social group and in such short a period of time was something I hadn’t heard of before. While I wanted to believe it was for the better and that Arthur deserved the kind of happiness it would bring him, I was still concerned. Arthur could have extended Jaq’s life with Magick but using it on a mortal would present problems over time. The mind ages no matter what it done to the body of someone mortal. Mages can extend their lives indefinitely because of the changes made to the mind as part of an awakening. While my concerns for the future were more than valid, there was nothing I could do about them that night; and this was a welcome change. While none of us had slept for more than an hour the residual energy from her awakening and our own excitement of this change more than made up for the lack of sleep.

Sindee and I ran back to the house to get our tent and a few camping supplies as well as a couple days clothes together. I packed a few items that I used for teaching Sindee and others that Arthur planned to send my way to take with us. Once we got back to Arthur’s and parked the car had finished loading an SUV that he kept there, transferring the camping gear from our car to it. We all hopped in and headed out of town, just the four of us. Arthur told us he had left a note for Sam leaving her in charge for a few days and not giving her our destination. He said if he woke her up or gave the destination that George at the very least would be heading our way. Jaq, Sindee and I laughed at him for ‘sneaking out’ like that for a few minutes. When the laughter faded he explained that Sam is a little over protective and he can’t wait until she hears about Jaq. I laughed at the idea of a US Marshall being escorted or followed everywhere by someone like George. Jaq laughed until she realized that it was a distinct possibility as she had gotten to know Sam and her loyalty to Arthur while not in any way romantic was total and devout.

We took a drive out into the mountains of Wyoming avoiding the area near the cabin and Jaq’s home town as many questions would be asked that we didn’t have answers to. We picked up food, water and other items at a store before heading up into the mountains themselves. Once we parked the SUV, we spent the rest of that first day hiking as far from civilization as we could get. We finally settled on a campsite late in the evening and set up. After a good rest we woke in the early morning. We traveled out here for privacy so we could work with Jaq exclusively while hiding the fact that she’s a Mage from everyone for the time being. The reasons behind it were varied; primarily for her protection from what we faced. As we hiked and discussed this, Arthur stated that by hiding that she is a Mage will give us another surprise to interrupt the Naphandi’s plans. While I was viewing the possible futures and fighting to change them, he may not be aware of my visions in the here and now. The longer we can keep them and any other secrets from him the better for us and everyone else.

We spent three days doing nothing but work with and train Jaq using magick to give us additional time and energy to just keep going. In those three days we packed in at least a month’s worth of training. Jaq was an exceptional student and adapted to new information quickly. Sindee taught her about Life Magick, focusing on how to heal herself and enhance her physical abilities when needed. Arthur taught her about Prime, the control of Magick itself including how to counter all types of spells and how to shift the backlash when possible. We all spent time learning from one another as we trained Jaq and shared information. I worked with Jaq with a focus on Time and Entropy Magicks as having the ability to alter or control chance and probability and the ability to accelerate your body and slow enemies can be useful in her line of work. The most important thing we stressed in the training was how to blend your spells into reality as seamlessly as possible. The greatest secret of all types of magic, and more so the Magick of Mages is that while most people don’t believe in it, they will accept coincidence as a matter of course.

We headed back to Las Vegas with a stop in Wolf Creek. Jaq wanted to introduce Arthur to her mother as well as Sindee and I. Since it had been a few days and I hadn’t bothered shaving the slight change to my features was enough to mask the fact that I hadn’t aged. We ate a nice home cooked meal for lunch once we stopped. I had liked Jaq’s mother before and her open friendly manner was still the same as before. She took to Arthur quickly when she saw the way the Jaq and he looked at one another. She was gracious when we gave her brief and simple explanation of my disappearance by not asking for details. As a cops mother I figure she knew something wasn’t being said, but accepted that it didn’t need to be. She simply adored Sindee and threatened to adopt her so Jaq would have a sister. After too short a visit we got back on the road headed back to Las Vegas and Arthur’s confrontation with a pissed of Vampire.

We all knew that while Sam was utterly loyal and wouldn’t harm Arthur for all the power in the world, she had a temper that made the devil quake in fear. I told Arthur to ensure that we arrived during the daylight so that we could avoid her wrath until Sindee and I got out of there. He looked at me like I was throwing him under the bus and I said, “Arthur, you of all people know that discretion is the better part of valor. It’s not fear… Okay, it’s not only fear but prudence that has me wanting to avoid her temper.”

Arthur burst out laughing for a few minutes as we got closer to the city before replying, “Andrew, you are an intelligent mage, but you’ve missed something obvious in all the times we’ve worked together and visited.”

I sure a look of confusion crossed my features and I tried to think back and see in my memory what I missed in the first place. While I was searching my memory Sindee gasped and started a quiet laughter. I guessed that she figured out whatever it was I had missed and the laughter was at my expense. When Jaq started laughing as well, I knew it was at me. I finally spoke up, “I know I am missing something that should be readily apparent to me and I’m going to feel dumb in a moment but what am I missing?”

Before Arthur or Jaq said anything Sindee asked, “What time was our wedding ceremony?”

That was obvious to me as I would never forget the image of Sindee walking in from the front doors of the church. The sunlight shining in her hair and sparking of the jewelry making her eyes stand out more than ever as the cool grey color reflected the glint from the gemstones. “Is started at noon and the sun’s light was pale compared to your beauty to the point where Marcus had to poke me in the back and remind me to breath.”

Sindee smiled at me and laughed again. Jaq was also laughing only more and harder now. I knew I was going to be the fool here in a few minutes but I did it to myself by missing the obvious. Sindee got enough control to speak again, “While the compliment is appreciated, it has distracted you and not me from the topic at hand.” I blushed as she poked fun at me. I wasn’t upset, far from it really. I just couldn’t get over the embarrassment of being this oblivious. She asked her next question between giggles, “And where was Sam at during the ceremony?”

Easy question, easy answer. “Obviously right where she belonged with the other bridesmaids standing across from the groomsmen,” I quickly replied. At this point all three of them were laughing so hard that Arthur had to pull over to the shoulder and put the car in park. I still hadn’t gotten what it was I was missing. It was going to be a long time before I would ever live this down.

Sindee was smiling in gleeful and mischievous delight when she asked the next question, “And how did she get to the ceremony so that she could stand with the other bridesmaids?”

“She rode to the ceremony with you and the other bridesmaids around ten in the morning to make sure you all had plenty of time to complete your makeup and other preparations before ……” I trailed off there when my brain finally caught up why everyone was laughing at me. I completely deserved the laughter, more so because I had always been a devil in the details kind of person and it took me this long to notice the blindingly obvious. I hung my head for a few minutes during which Arthur got the car back onto the road.

Arthur looked into the rearview mirror to catch my gaze when I finally life my head back up. “Now that you’re caught up Andrew I’ll explain it better. Yes, Sam is a Vampire. Yes, the sun is dangerous and deadly to most Vampires. Sam is one of very few Vampires that are usually called a Daywalker. She is as different from the other Daywalkers as you are from a hedge wizard however. Sam moved beyond being a normal Vampire around the same time I became more than a Mage. It is not time for you to know anything else about either of our unique statuses as they have nothing to do with the Ascension War or the Nephandi you’re fighting. The good news about that is he knows nothing of what we are, as that is a secret held only by my inner circle of friends. You and Sindee are both becoming part of the inner circle as well. While I count you among it, it is for both our wars that I don’t explain anything else as secrets once spoken can be heard by those who were not meant to have them.”

Quiet reigned in the car for a few minutes before he spoke again, “Besides, if you think I would let you sneak off and avoid any of the blame while I faced the Wrath of Sam alone you got another thing coming.” He laughed, “At least she likes Jaq and Sindee so we should be safe from any harm that would deprive them of us for any amount of time.”

Sindee and I both laughed at that statement before I spoke up, “Arthur, you’re missing the obvious now.”

Arthur looked perplexed then just asked, “What is it you think that I’m missing?”

Sindee spoke up while I laughed, “Sam knows that I’m an accomplished and well trained Doctor along with being, and I believe the words you used were, ‘an exceptionally talented and powerful Life Mage’ Arthur.”

The look that crossed Arthur’s face at that moment was priceless; right up until the thought crossed my mind that my head was back on the chopping block with his. Arthur watched as the emotions flitted across my features before speaking up, “Not so funny when we think about it now. Perhaps we can go to your place for a day or two?” he asked.

Sindee and Jaq both answered at the same time, “NO!” and that was the end of that idea. Arthur and I dragged them out to the mountains so we were going to take out punishment from a Vampire like the men we were, or else.

We pulled into the spot at the top of the parking garage just a night fell over the valley. Sam was at the SUV and opening the doors for everyone before we even saw her coming. The emotions playing over her features were many and varied with a lot of them reflecting anger and concern. She checked Arthur over for any injuries before moving onto Jaq and Sindee finishing up with me. Arthur and I are both relative large and physically well-built men. Within seconds after she finished her inspection of us for injuries Sam grabbed Arthur and I both by the backs of our necks one handed and carried us that way into the common room above the club. I was too frightened for embarrassment or anger at this treatment. Looking over at Arthur, his features seemed to show the same. Here we were two reasonably powerful beings who could easily destroy any vampire we ran into and we were helplessly at the mercy of a woman who was barely 5’3” tall. Once she got us into the common room Sam went into a rant, chewing us out from here to hell about recklessly endangering not only Arthur but all four of us by taking off without telling her with no one to watch out backs in the event something happened. Leaving the city without three of the key players in the battles we were waging. A few of the guards and other staff members were in the hallway outside. JD and Guido were sitting on the other side of the room watching the ass chewing when as things continued that way.

Sindee started to move forward towards Sam when Jaq stepped passed her to get to Sam first. She stepped between Sam and the two of us, grabbed her shoulders and started in on Sam with, “Just you wait one minute Sam. They didn’t just take us against our will and both Sindee and I are quite capable of taking care of ourselves and them as you are.” Jaq removed her hands from Sam’s shoulders, bringing her right index finger up and poked Sam in the chest over her heart, “And another thing, as surprised as I am at meeting him and finding out about everything else in the world that I didn’t know before; I am handling myself quite well.” She poked Sam in the heart area again, “I also happen to be totally in love with Arthur and wouldn’t have met him if I hadn’t known Andrew so I’m not going to let you stand here and yell at them for the four of us taking a weekend trip together.” Jaq continued to poke same over the heart as she read her the riot act. “I like you Sam and can see you as a sister that I never had but I won’t put up…..” As Jaq was yelling, she continued to poke Sam. I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying about not poking the bear. I personally imagine poking a Vampire was an even worse idea.

Sam reached up and grabbed Jaq’s hand just as it poked her again. Her eyes flashed and her expression changed from anger to confusion at being yelled at, to shock over something. She looked across the room to JD and Guido and said, “Out.” It was one work spoken in and even tone. That word made my back tense as though I had a gun to my head. It had no less of an effect on the two of them as they were out of the room faster than I could track their movement. Sam then turned to look at Sindee, “Close and lock the door from the inside her then hit the second switch from the right.” Sindee complied as fast as the two who took off out of the room, then walked over to sit with between Arthur and I. Sam guided Jaq to a seat beside Sindee leaving them between Arthur and me. “Now, tell me when she,” pointing at Jaq, “became a Mage?”

Jaq, Sindee and I tried for blank expressions as though we had no idea what she was talking about. Arthur on the other hand had a ‘the cat is out of the bag’ expression. I’d seen the man play poker and knew he had a better blank look than I did. Jaq replied to the query, “What are you talking about?”

Sam’s features were exceptional at conveying her thoughts just by adopting certain expressions. The one she put on her face then was something between a ‘do you really think I am that stupid’ and a ‘If you lie to me again I’ll rip your head off’ expression. Her words were heavily sarcastic, “Of course you have no idea what I’m talking about. I’m only over five hundred years old and know nothing of the supernatural world.”

Arthur opened his mouth to speak and Sam cut him off, “No Arthur, not listening to you at the moment.” He closed his mouth right back up. She shifted her glance over each of us I turn before continuing. “I just so happen to like you as well Jaq and when you said you were totally in love with Arthur I reflexively used one of my powers to view your Aura and saw the telltale signs of a magic user in it. While there are many types of magic that mortals have the ability to use; they always leave a trace of evidence. You don’t smell like someone using blood magic which would be obvious to a vampire. You have not scent of potion ingredients that would indicate Wicca, voodoo or other hedge wizardry. More to the point, three known Mages took you on a sudden trip to the middle of nowhere for three days. I’d assume you were receiving a crash course in using and more importantly hiding your powers.” All four of us being lectured had out jaws hanging. “Now close your mouths and I’ll explain a little before you answer.” We closed our mouths, “First as to where you were, leave the cell phones behind. While you had not service in the deep mountain forest, the GPS chips still worked. Second, you all lit out of here with just a note when Arthur normally gives me detailed, annoyingly detailed, instructions about what he wants done. Odd behavior for him to say the least. So with the lack of other ways for her to have an aura that looks like the three of yours I guessed that she awakened. I wasn’t positive until all four of you needed to pick your jaws up off the floor there, but still an educated guess.”

I broke the silence that followed first, “Remind me never to play poker with you Sam.” The irrelevant comment made everyone laugh and allowed a relaxed atmosphere to enter the group.

Sam took one more look at Jaq, “As for you Jacqueline Dupree, I lover Arthur as though he were family and am glad that you two found each other and love each other as much as you do. However, the next time you poke me in the chest for any reason I’ll break the finger doing it. Other than that, welcome to our small but growing family.”

I don’t know if we were all more surprised by the threat or the instant forgiveness and end of the rant. Either way we took it in stride and didn’t poke the Vampire any further than we already had. We spent the rest of the evening catching Sam up on what had happened while we were gone. As soon as all that was complete, we called it a night and headed for home. Sindee had work the next evening at the hospital and I had more people to train. As I drove us home I could feel Sindee staring at me and was more thankful than ever that the bond we formed five days ago was as strong now as it was then.

We got back to the house grabbed ourselves hot showers, took care of things such as shaving our respective needs and dressing for bed. We curled together; I pulled her against my chest and took in the scent of her hair. We fell asleep from exhaustion barely seconds after lying down together.

After what felt like an entire to short period of time, I opened my eyes to find myself outside the ruined city……


Chapter 20

The worst part about waking inside of a vision is how disconcerting it is. You know that your mind is aware, but aren’t sure if your body is there or safely in bed where you went to sleep at. In addition to that normal issue is that I have already found that these particular visions have a disturbing habit of bearing consequences in my reality. Not just for the possible future, but painful and immediate to me. I had come out both of the previous visions injured in some form or another.

I had realized that they weren’t really what one would call a vision as I had gotten glimpses of the future through the use of Time Magicks in the past. What I experienced in these instances was closer in reality to a seeking than a vision. However similar to a seeking as they were, it still wasn’t the same thing. What concerned me than anything is that if were killed during these occurrences was I may actually die instead of waking in my own bed. It seems to me that my enemy was trying to kill me here in the future they intend to bring about before I could stop them for bringing their plans to fruition in the past. My best guess is that while the enemy in this time knows who I am, the version that exists in my time space doesn’t. There are too many theories involving time travel, both scientific and Magickal that make me think my nemesis is unable to warn his past self about me without causing some form of paradox event. This is all just guesswork on my part because while I am adept at Time Magick and gaining understanding and control of it steadily; there is still much that I am unsure off. I started learning everything I could about time theory because after traveling back in time and causing my own Awakening to happen as it did in the past I had thought of the “Grandfather Paradox.” The grandfather paradox is a time travel theory that suggests that altering an individual timeline is impossible and creates the argument for parallel timelines or branching universe theory among others. The basic idea is this:

An individual creates a time machine of some sort. Another person takes the time machine and travels back in time to kill the inventor’s grandfather before his father was born. Since the grandfather died before having any children the inventor was never born so how the time machine could have been taken to the past when the man who invented never existed to do so?

I know that things beyond scientific explanation exist, not the least of which is that there are other dimensions and planes that most have not and will never see. My trip to the past was not through temporal sciences or Time Magicks. My theory about how it happened and why I didn’t create a Grandfather Paradox has to do with the nature of how I ended up in the past as well as the fact that I ensured that everything happened as it did the first time. I didn’t travel through time as space to the past so much as went from the linear time frame in which I was living into an timeless existence of sentient energy within the space between spaces. Every plane has rules to how things work, not all of them are even remotely like our own. Todash Space on the other hand doesn’t have any of those rules so when I made my escape by using my perception of reality I was spit back out as my subconscious mind and Avatar had to have known what needed to happen the night of my Awakening. Avatars have access to more knowledge and power than they automatically share with the mage they Awaken. The reasons for performing a seeking is to allow both the Mage and their Avatar to bind even closer, share more knowledge and for both of them to gain more power than before. When a Mage dies the Avatar is freed to search out a new potential with all of the power and knowledge they gained intact. What happens when a being ascends has been debated. The theory I lean towards is that they become in a sense a god. They leave this plane and create a new reality with their own belief paradigm shaped by their perceptions of reality. This would explain why each plane, dimension and timeline had its own rules and why travel between such planes while difficult was possible.

So here I was standing on the outskirts of the ruins of Las Vegas in the future again. The property damage this time around seemed worse with most of the larger hotels and casino’s leveled. There seemed to be more damage to the surrounding areas as well with entire neighborhood being nothing more than scorched earth. It was daylight this time and I could see a crater were Nellis air force base used to be. There towering condo building all over town just piles of rubble in the desert. The Stratosphere tower stood tall above the ruins in perfect condition. I focused on the ground around the tower using Magick to enhance my vision. Surrounding the tower was an army of creatures ranging from Werewolves, Zombies and a few horrors that shouldn’t exist in reality. I decided to stay away from the tower for now. I mentally reached into the connection with my Avatar to find Sindee in this time stream but couldn’t sense the connection, just a gaping psychic wound and a strange resonance echoing in the power I tapped.

I reached out with sensory magick across the valley to analyze the changes since my last visit here. This potential future was worse than the last as I sensed very little life or magick in the valley. The only supernatural beings that I could get any kind of read on were surrounding the tower. I spread my awareness up toward the top of the tower to find a level or power and a palpable sense of evil sitting inside. The moment when sensed the touch of this being I felt a probe tracing back towards me. I cut of the flow of Magick to my senses and shielding myself, wrapping myself mentally with a wall of air spinning and deflecting anything searching for me away. There are many ways to shield your mind, different ways of envisioning the mental barriers and reasons for using the different types. Shielding with walls of stone or brick work well for combat and can be used to hold up against assaults on the mind. These are less useful for when trying to go undetected because they are a solid beacon that something is there to be assaulted. Some people use fire and water or whatever material works best for them or the situation. I can and have learned to use many different shields but prefer air most of the time. Air is all but invisible while being one of nature’s deadliest forces, capable of driving straw through a steel sign in a hurricane. In the situation here I used it deflect around me anything sent my way, guiding gently away from me so that I was no more than a breeze across the land.

Once shielded I started to move across the land quickly, traveling out of the area where I had used the magick in the event someone came to investigate the occurrence. Every being’s magic left some kind of signature detectable and unique to the caster and if you understand had it work you could identify what and who that person was. There are also techniques for leaving as little of the signature as possible. Sensory magick almost never leaves a trace, but you need to be careful of the amount of power put into it. I traveled over land instead of following the streets in the open, moving from standing building to rubble watching for anyone or thing around me. I was moving across the valley toward the Existence carefully. My goal was to get a read on what was happened or was happening to cause this particular branch of the timeline to come into play. The sun was setting as I started getting close to the club. I started to move more swiftly as there was less rubble in the industrial areas of the city. About a half mile from the club my night got a lot worse as I sensed several supernatural being tracking me. I had made it about three more blocks before the shit hit the fan. Halfway across a street covered in rubble and remains I stopped, surrounded by a group of vampires. There were eight of them and that was more than I could fight hand to hand even with all of my physical abilities enhanced to their limits. They seemed feral, clothing hanging from their bodies in tatters. Most seemed emaciated, as though starving for lack of prey in the valley. My only chance for survival was to destroy them in a way could kill me from the backlash. One thing from the books that humanity got right was that vampires are very flammable. I decided that I would rather possibly die fighting rather than die as food.

I tapped into my magick, feeling that strange resonance again as I pulled the power to me shaping the spell. The spell or rote I intended is referred to as friction curse by many of the mages that I have met and worked with. What it does is convert the kinetic energy of a target into fire. In this instance the amount of energy I pulled and the focus I had for the casting would immolate all of my attackers. This particular action was one of the most vulgar uses of magick and in no way would be coincidental meaning the backlash would be brutal and have a chance off killing me or putting me into a quiet where I’d be unable to stop what was coming. While those possibilities were not something I welcomed, certain death would leave me in possible worse position. As usual I was going to put my life on the line to protect everyone I could. I just wish that more people would act to protect the world instead of trying to force their desires upon it.

Once I had the rote ready to go and the power drawn to me, I used just a touch of Life Magick to open a wound letting the smell of blood into the air for these feral beasts. The moment they moved to attack I cast the friction curse on all of them. All eight were ash before they made it halfway to me. The additional speed that vampires have creates more friction thus creating a hotter, deadlier inferno around their bodies. I braced myself and accepted the backlash mentally in order to reduce the damage to my body. I must have stood there for about the longest thirty seconds of my entire life. It was about that point that I realized that there was no backlash coming for breaking reality. That told me that the Ascension war had spilled out into the view of humanity causing a paradigm shift. People believed in magick and the supernatural bringing things into reality that had no business being there. I turned and ran for the Existence full out.

When I arrived there and saw not the fortification against this future, but a burnt out ruin I knew part of what had brought this timeline into play. I dropped all pretense of stealth and used Correspondence Magick to “step” from in front of the club to my home. Upon arriving there to see the house gone was sickening to me. I keep fighting to protect humanity from the future only to find things worse each time I had one of these visions. I walked around the property, searching for any sign to tell me what happened here. The structure of the house was gone, the wall of the basement and the area around the node crumbled. There was no gateway there this time; unfortunately I could sense no power from a node any longer either. The magick that had created the node had either faded or been intentionally destroyed, possibly that is what destroyed the house.

I continued to search the property, moving around and back towards the mountains at the edge of the valley behind it. That is where I found the tombstones on a patch of bare earth. I didn’t want to look at the names engraved upon them even though I needed to know who was there. There were four markers side by side along the mountains edge. The first name I read broke my heart, Jacqueline Dupree. It said that she had died March first 2013. As I continued on to the next stone that break in my heart shattered it to pieces, Arthur Masters. That explained the condition of the Existence, at least in part. The odd thing was the date recorded for his death was the same as Jaq’s. The third stone took those shattered pieces of my heart and ground them into dust and ash in my throat as the name listed was my own. I had to find out what happened to stop this from happening. Even if it cost me my life I would change what was coming to save this city and more importantly my friends. Arthur was needed to protect the world and had more power at his disposal to do so than I would ever attain. It seems as though I had died on the same day as Jaq and Arthur as well. With my name read I wanted to fight my instincts to look at the final tombstone, I didn’t want to see the name I was dreading would be there. I also knew that if there was going to be any way for me to change this possibility, I needed all of the information I could get. I read the last tombstone, checking the date first. As it was the same March first as the other three I moved my eyes up to read the name: Sindee Graves.

Forget heart break, forget pain; there aren’t words in any language to describe what I felt at that moment. I left out a sound that was raw emotion, part scream, part howl and all despair. Despair is more dangerous than any enemy that could attack you from without. It was also worse than any other emotion. Pain, both physical and mental can hurt and can tear you up inside. Despair is worse because it makes you numb, makes you not care about anyone or anything. It can paralyze you and eat away at your soul. Despair can destroy the mind in ways that the worst physical pain can’t. Despair is a wound and a poison to the soul. I wanted to just curl up there and disappear because without Sindee there was nothing for me to fight for. Seeing her name on that tombstone had not broken my heart, it cut my heart right from my chest and took my soul with it.

I simply laid there on the sand and rock as the moon shined its light down upon my body. I wanted to fight this feeling, but couldn’t find the will to do it. I’d lost too many people in my life and now I lost the one who made my life whole again after everything that had happened. As the sun began to rise again over the eastern mountains I saw someone walking toward me. I figured it was death coming to collect the living dead from this time, and I welcomed it. As the figured moved closer I could tell it was a woman. That was the last thing I realized before the darkness of despair pulled me into the oblivion of the unconscious.

When I woke again, I had hoped to be in my bed at home. I didn’t expect it for as far as reality was concerned I was dead and shouldn’t exist. I really didn’t expect to wake up again. I was lying in a bed it a large room. There was a small lamp beside the bed that game me a little light, but anything outside of 10 feet was shrouded in darkness. I still felt hollow inside even more so because once I woke I instantly reached for the connection to Sindee and felt her absence again. It took every bit of will I had to force myself to sit up. I knew if there was any chance of changing what I had seen, I needed to find out more before I was forced back to the past again.

Once I managed to sit up the woman I’d seen stepped out of the darkness around me. She was tall, a little more than six feet with a slender athletic build and long limbs. She was stunningly beautiful. Her face was a slightly elongated over with sharp cheekbones and chin. Her mouth was just the right size fitting the rest of her features perfectly. The lips were the pale pink color of sunset’s light appearing soft and fill. Her nose was sharply angled down with the slightest up tilt at the end. Her eyes were Dichromatic with the left a bright blue like a cloudless spring day with flecks of gold; the right was heavily gray the shade of approaching storm clouds with slashes of silver. Her long hair hung down her back falling to her knees. It was pure white with streaks of clack and all shades of gray throughout. Her skin was a pale creamy white like falling snow with an inner glow like lightning. She wore a long pale blue sun dress that hugged her form from shoulder to waist before flaring out into a flowing skirt. As she closed with me the scent of a spring rainstorm wafted ahead of her. I had never seen or met anyone like her before and had no idea what she was. Through my awareness of the supernatural I knew she was not human, but I couldn’t classify what she was.

She stepped up to the bedside in front of where I sat, “You were able to get and a move on your own, that is good.” Her voice was gentle like a breeze through the trees. She turned away for a moment then turned back to me holding a glass of water, “You need to drink this and then eat before we talk. There is much to discuss and only a short time for us to do so.”

My throat was raw as though sandpaper had been used to scrape away the skin from the inside. I was either severely dehydrated or it was raw for the screams and wails I let out before I lost consciousness. I opened my mouth and started to speak, “Who a…..”

I had barely gotten the first word out what the glass was pressed to my mouth tilted so that the water slowly flowed into my abused throat. “Drink this now and eat what I bring, then we will talk. If you do that we will save a lot of time arguing and have more time to talk. Don’t let stubborn pride or horrid pain get in the way of learning what you need to here,” Her tone was still gentle but had the undercurrents of thunder to it dispelling any arguments I could have made.

While I drank the water quickly, I didn’t just drain the glass instantly as that would have done nothing good for my throat or my stomach. As I was drinking she returned with a small tray table and some food. The food was a thin stew, hearty with a lot of liquid and a hot loaf of fresh bread and some fresh fruit and cheese. There wasn’t a lot, but I was still unable to finish it all because of the empty feeling inside me had nothing to do with hunger or thirst. While I was eating she brought a small chair into the pool of light and sat down across from me.

“I’ll tell you a few things before you start asking questions so that we can hurry things along and get you any information you may be able to use before you return to your time. My name is Skye and while you have no idea who I am yet, I am quite familiar with you Andrew. I have watched you for a long time and from your perspective we will meet for the first time very soon. What you have been experiencing with the trips to the future I call a Dream Quest. What happens to you in these will always affect your body when you return for it is as real here and now as it is then and there. In three weeks from where you are an event will cause this particular timeline to be the most likely outcome for the prime material planes timeline. While all possible futures do occur in alternate time streams and realities, the original reality from which all other stems is in danger. That original reality is what many call the Prime Material Plane, the core of all realities. You must ensure that not only this event is stopped. Arthur Masters and Jacqueline Dupree must survive, and I would greatly prefer it if you and Sindee did as well for eventually my reality is dependent upon the four of you doing what is needed. I can’t tell you anymore about that, and even if I did you will not remember most of this conversation. You will remember that there is event ahead and anything else related to stopping and surviving the dangers it presents.” She fell silent and looked at me expectantly.

The first thought that crossed my mind since she already named herself come out of its own accord, “What are you Skye?”

“Though you will not remember any of this, I will give you the simplest answer. I am an Aspect and I will explain nothing else of them until we meet in your future since you will remember nothing of me once you return to your own time.”

I hate cryptic, but since Sindee’s life was on the line in my near future I would accept it for now, “What can you tell me about this event?”

“I can tell you that the being who will cause it was once as human as you are and now is even more dangerous an enemy that the Nephandi you have been fighting.” He face took on a sad countenance before she continued, “The Nephandi has a long reaching goal and desire for power that can be disrupted and stopped if you ever are able to discover their identity. The being you will face has nothing but a desire for chaos and destruction, a rage brought about by pain and vengeance. This enemy will not be alone and will stop at nothing to bring about the ends it is driving for. I do not know what those ends are, only that if you are unable to stop this attack, the future you see here will be the end of all realities.”

“Do you where this event was centered?” I asked.

“I can’t say for certain as I was unable to see the event itself. However, it appears that it happened at Arthur’s Existence or your home; quite possibly at both locations.” Her answered while informative was not exactly useful.

“Can you tell me was there a Resonance, a magick signature or sorts, left behind by the being that caused this?” I asked quickly.

“I am not familiar with this idea, what do you mean?” Skye tilted her head to the side a little, her features scrunching up in a look of confusion and inquisitiveness.

“Every being that I’ve met thus far that uses any kind of magic leaves a kind of signature. The mind and personality of the caster imprints a resonance that is detectable by those who know of them and can be used to identify not just the kind of magic used but also the identity of the caster.” I took a breath before continuing, “This Resonance as it is called is the supernatural equivalent of a fingerprint for mortals.”

“I have never heard of this technique, how did you learn of it?” She asked.

“I never learned of it formally, I came out of a seeking with the knowledge. I have not trained anyone about it as I thought it was common knowledge that all magic user would eventually discover.” Knowing that was not the case now I started to put together a plant to stop this event, “Skye, I need to get to the Existence and my home before this Dream Quest ends.” I stood up to move and the blankets fell from my lap. That’s when I realized I wasn’t wearing anything and had some healing cuts along my legs, arms, chest and sides. I flushed red standing before this woman swinging in the breeze so to speak and sat back down, yanking the blanket back up to cover myself, “What happened to my clothes?”

She quietly answered, “They hung it tatters from you. You had looked as though you were mauled by some creature before I was the damage to your hands and fingers. I believe in your loss, you were trying to physically join them now and tore and claw at your own body. I treated your wounds as best I could within the limits of you powers in this current plane. You have been unconscious here in this timeline for two days before awakening. I have clothing for you to wear, and we must hurry. I’ve been doing my best to keep you hear as long as possible to aid, but my powers are quite limited. It is your own Magick that has been bringing you these visions or Dream Quests.” She stepped out of the light and quickly returned with clothing for me.

I dressed quickly in faded, torn jeans and a comfortable t-shirt. As soon as I was ready I turned to Skye, “Are you able to travel distance quickly or do I need to take you with me?”

“I am able to travel quite quickly, but I can’t take anyone with me here in this current reality,” She answered.

“I’m going to step to the Existence and find out what I can, after that I will move to my home to do the same. How fast can you travel?”

“I can get from here to the existence in seconds, the other trip would take a few minutes because of how far out your home is,” was how she replied.

“Then allow me,” was all I said before stepping to her side, taking her arm gently by the elbow and using the same rote I used before to travel the interspacing distance instantly. I couldn’t use these spells in my own time without a serious backlash yet. In time I will perfect the shunting technique Arthur showed us in the mountains but until I do, I won’t risk death by throwing the most vulgar magick around like it was nothing. Upon touching her arm, the energy flow through me felt like a current running though my nerves.

She giggled as we came out the other side of the spell and staggered. The amazing eyes of hers glazed as though she had a nice alcohol buzz. “That was amazing,” she practically sang as she regained her balance using a wall near where we came out at.

I immediately set to work but heading into the middle of where the Existence used to stand in this reality and knelt in the rubble. I focused first on my natural awareness of all thing supernatural and then tapped into all nine spheres of sensory magick to look for this mysterious beings signature. I quickly found and mentally filtered out Arthur and his staff’s signatures as well as the protection from the original building that still remained. After that I filtered any low level signatures that would interfere with my search. As I steadily worked away all traces that had nothing to do with the destruction of the place I was left with something that made little sense to me at that moment. There were traces of True Magick mixed with hedge wizardry and some form of blood magic, possibly vampiric in nature. The problem was none of the signatures were complete enough to completely identify fully, let alone tell me who or what the casters were.

After deciding there was nothing more for me to discover here I decided to quickly move to my house to search there. I ran back to Skye still leaning on the wall and asked, “Ready to move on?”

“I think so, still a little dizzy from that last time. Not sure why though.”

I took her arm once again, watching her eyes as I did so this time. As I felt the current running through my body the gold and silver highlights in her eyes seemed to glow brightly even as they glassed over again. We stepped through the distance instantly as before coming out right where the node had been created. Skye was again staggered, even more so that the first time. “That was amazing, I have never felt anything like that before,” she sang again in an even higher pitch that before. Her words slurred a little and her eyes continued to glow through their glassy appearance.

“Skye, have you ever been on contact with a Mage using their magick before?” I asked as an idea struck me.

“No, you are the only Mage that exis… I mean the only Mage I have ever known.” She replied in the sing-song voice of hers.

I caught that she changed what she was saying and had an idea as to how that would end. If all planes had collapsed into the Prime Material Plane, there was no longer a way to connect Mages and their Avatars. My being in two time streams at once is the only reason I could continue to tap into the magick I use. “I think your physiology doesn’t mesh well with my magick, you’re in a state that can be described as power drunk or high.”

She giggle sounding like a young girl instead of the woman she appeared as she replied, “It feels so wonderful though, I have never experienced anything like it.” She continued to dance around in the area.

I knelt down again, spreading my sense both normal and magick to repeat the process I used at the Existence. It was quicker and faster to do the filtering of powers here as I had known all the supernatural that used powers here regularly. What took more time and complicated things was the residual resonance of the node and how it was a knot in all realities. As I completed the task I came to the same sense of wrongness as the club. The signatures were of the same type but incomplete. I sat there thinking for a few minutes before I was struck with why there were only partial signatures at each location.

I tapped into the Magick and pulled energy to me a quickly as possible. Gathering a scrap of power I could for what I was about to do. In my time a spell this Vulgar would destroy me either from a physical backlash or Quiet so intense that with the despair and emotional pain I was in would most likely keep me from ever again leaving with my mind intact. Fortunately, here I had no such worry. I focused on Matter, Correspondence and Prime magicks in order to Co-locate the Existence and my home. Co-locating in the act of taking two separate places and making them exist together and separate at the same time. I knew the drain that this spell would have on my energy reserves and knew I had minutes if not seconds to figure out what I needed to. I pulled from my memory the partial signature I felt at the existence and sought it out, then did the same again for my home. I took the two portions and brought them together searing it into my memory using both my will and Mind Magick. I was fighting with using so much magick at once when Skye rushed up to me and placed her hands on my shoulders. I again felt the current of energy running though my system. The spells came under my control as this energy entered me. I was able to focus and fix the signature in my mind. My skin started to crawl and burn with power I was containing. I felt the skin tear open over my ribs, the scent of blood flowing to my nostrils as my clothing began to stick to my body. The pain and sensation stopped as I passed out.

I awoke from the pain and shouted one word before passing out again, “Lich.”

Sometime later I woke in my own bed. While I was no longer bleeding, the pain of my wounds was still fresh. Sitting beside with her face creased in worry was the woman who makes my life worth living; the single most beautiful woman who ever existed, my wife Sindee. Seeing my eyes open she immediately stood up and stepped right next to me. She reached down and grabbed my wrist, checking my pulse. After that she leaned down, kissed me with a tender passion that still brought aches and pain across my body. “I’m glad that you have finally wakened up. You have been practically comatose since we laid down last night. It’s now just after nice pm.”

“I….” I didn’t know what to say as the pain of finding her tombstone was fresh and now having her back was overwhelming my ability to think. As I tried to speak a fresh wave a physical pain washed over me. I felt as though someone had run me through a meat grinder before tossing me on the barbeque to cook. I flesh was tight in some places and loose, even torn open in others. When I breathed I could feel the pull of stitches or stapled from both sides over the ribs. I groaned and writhed on the bed bringing new waves of pain before I could force my body to remain still.

Sindee leaned back over me, placing her hands upon my forehead. I felt the pulse of Magick from her as the pain lessened, “I have been unable to heal the injuries Andrew. I was able to increase the rate at which your own body will heal the damage, but I can’t directly affect the wounds with Magick for some reason,” she explained as tears ran down her cheeks.

I forced myself past the emotion keeping me from speaking, “I understand.” I reached up through the pain, careful of ribs, to caress her cheek and wipe away the tears there. “The injuries are Magick in nature and therefore require a level of Magick that I don’t know and you haven’t had to try yet.” I stopped speaking for a few minutes to catch my breath before continuing to speak with her, “Call Arthur and Jaq please, have them come over as soon as possible.”

“Right away, they asked me to do so anyway after I told them about the first time you woke up.” She looked down at me with concern written on her features, “You screamed in pain and then yelled a single word before you passed out again from pain and blood loss. You screamed the word lich. I’ve never heard it before from you or anything I’ve read, here or at Arthur’s. Who or What is a Lich?”

“I’d prefer to explain it once, but I will tell you know if you want to know”

“Let me know what a Lich is and I’ll save any further questions for when Arthur and Jaq get here,” she stated. I couldn’t really argue and didn’t actually want to anyway. I was just happy to be back here with her.

“A Lich is one of the most dangerous types of supernatural that theoretically exist. Though has been deemed possible, no one that I know of has ever seen one, or seen one and lived to tell about it. They are a hybrid of sorts. A Mage that created and used a complex ritual that allowed them to turn themselves into a Vampire while still maintaining their Avatars is what a Lich is in theory. I’m not sure what that would do to the creatures mind and an Avatar typically required a living breathing body in order to maintain its connection. So the ritual and spells that create this thing also twist the magick that creates the bond between Avatar and Mage. What than does to either of them, I can’t imagine. Hopefully Arthur will have some knowledge of Lich or we’ll be flying blind on this one. I’ll explain the rest of the vision and the injuries, at least as much as I can remember once they get here.”

While we waited for our guests, Sindee brought me some soup and forced me to eat it, “The food will help give your body the energy needed to heal. You could also use it if you’re going to try and stay awake to talk.” She checked my pulse again after I ate and cleaned the wounds with a warm sponge and cleanser.

I looked up at her as she worked on the chest and neck area, “I am the luckiest man in the world in that you’re my wife. I’m married to an incredible doctor, an accomplished mage, and beautiful woman and most importantly, someone who loves me as much as I love her.”

She smiled, “I bet you say that to any woman who gives you a sponge bath.” She laughed as she said it making me feel better seeing some of the stress over my injuries leave her features. If she can make jokes my situation must be improving.

A few minutes later she had me clean, dry and in a pair of loose sweat shorts and a robe. She got me out of the bed and assisted me in walking to the living room so I could put me feet up and rest while I explained everything I remembered from my vision to Arthur, Jaq and her. “Thank you for helping me.” Sindee simply nodded her acceptance.

Jaq and Arthur arrived a few minutes later when I heard the roar of his engine and screech of the brakes when they pulled in. They came up to the door and before they knocked I called out, “Just come on in you two.”

As the door opened Jaq had a huge smile on her face and Arthur looked as pale as a ghost. His visage struck me with something I couldn’t bring to mind. After a moment, I shook it off as I don’t forget anything as I have a perfect memory since my Awakening. Looking at the color, or lack thereof, in Arthur’s features, “Jaq did you have to scare the courage out of Arthur with your driving?”

She laughed, “It’s not my fault. I still find it amazing that he stands up to and fights Vampires, Werewolves and other supernatural beings trying to kill him on a regular basis but can’t hold himself together when I drive.”

I smiled back, “I think it’s less his being afraid of your driving as he can ensure you both survive an accident. The same cannot however be said for the car and that is his baby.”

Jaq laughed and looked over her shoulder at him, “That’s not what you were saying last night.” She looked back at me, winked and laughed.

Arthur chuckled as well, “That’s true my list of priorities has changed since we met, but that car does hold some sentimental value. After all it was that care where we first started talking as we drove to the Existence the night we met.”

She smiled and looked very pleased, “You know smooth talk like that might convince me that you aren’t just trying to seduce me.”

Arthur’s reply was artful, “To seduce my way into your heart is the only thing that I wish as you have already taken possession of mine.” He stared straight into her eyes, looking through them into her soul and showing his own.

Jaq just stood staring back in silence, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. She stepped up to Arthur, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close pressing the curves over her body against his leaving no space between them. Again I was filled with joy at the fact that they met.

Sindee stood over my shoulder behind the chair I was stretched out on watching the scene unfold. She tilted my head back, leaned down over me so that she could kiss me. After a few minutes all four of us came up for air. I looked over to Arthur and Jaq, “As much as I would prefer for this to be purely a social call, we have much to discuss about the near future.”

Jaw and Arthur sat down on the love seat, sitting practically on top of each other even though they had plenty of room to spare. Sindee curled up on the couch close to me, but not against as we would normally prefer due to my injuries. Arthur spoke up, “Tell us what happened and why you screamed Lich when you came out of your vision.”

I took a deep breath and immediately regretted it for the flash of pain I brought. “After laying down tonight I went into another of my visions of the future. I have come to understand that they aren’t visions so much as co-locating time streams. I figured that part out because when I went forward this time all possible worlds had collapsed into the Prime Material Plane. There were no more branches or parallel worlds.” I took a few shallow breaths before continuing. Something about how I had learned all this was nagging me as I couldn’t quite remember. As I tried to the concern about it faded from my mind and I moved on, “Once I arrived there I sensed almost no human life at all. The city was in complete ruins with only the Stratosphere standing above it all in pristine condition. I enhanced my eyesight and pushed my sensed out to the tower. Surrounding it were scores of different supernatural creatures that shouldn’t have existed on this place because of disbelief. With my sense I detected and powerful evil sitting enthroned in the tower. I headed for the Existence to see if it still stood as a bastion against the evil of the world. It had been turned into charred rubble and scorched earth.”

I took my time telling the story as it was painful to remember and relate as well as taxing what energy I had, “Right before I got to the club’s location I was surrounded by feral, emaciated vampires and used friction curse to kill them. I was waiting for the backlash from such a vulgar use of magick and nothing happened. Somehow I don’t believe there are any mages left in that future with the collapse of Planes and dimensions into one. I used Correspondence to step from the Club to my home. There was nothing left of the houses structure. The basement was a crater and the node was gone. As nodes are a twist in the fabric of reality, my guess is that all nodes were destroyed in the collapse as well.”

“I continued to explore the property looking for any sign of what had caused all of this when I came across something that crushed my heart with pain and despair, making it impossible for me to function for a time. I found four graves at the back edge of our property here, just against the mountains.” I took a deep breath, ignoring the physical pain as it was nothing compared to emotions passing through me, “the Graves were ours.” I stopped there for the time being unable to continue and to give them time to absorb the shock of my revelation.

Sindee paled and looked at me with love. I could feel through our bond that while she was shocked and concerned, she was sending reassurance to me that we were alive and she held faith in my ability to change what I had seen as I had done before. Despite the pain I was in, I reached over and drew her gently against my side under my left arm. She reached over up and wrapped her left hand in mine, bringing our wedding bands together which always seemed to fill us with comfort.

Across from us on the love seat, Arthur and Jaq pressed closer together. They held to each other providing support to each other. I hoped once again that they would one day share the bond through magick that Sindee and I did. Jaq was the first to break the silence before I was able to continue, “You said near future, so I need to ask; When?”

I continued the story with my reply, “The first of March, about three week from now. There’s more and I’m going to explain it. It will just take time because neither Sindee nor I can heal the wounds I suffered.” Before anyone could interrupt with questions I held up my hand to forestall comments and continued the explanation, “The wounds are part of it all so we’ll discuss them at the end. I was out of it for a few day from despair and the trauma of my mind wrapping around the fact that not only was I dead, but that I had failed to protect any of you; I felt it was my failure that cost Sindee her life and I was unable to function or even think through the guilt for some time. Once I had recovered enough to continue searching for answers I went back to the club and the house to search for a Resonance Signature in order to figure out who or what caused the destruction wrought at both location.”

Jaq and Sindee both looked at me like I said something strange and even Arthur looked intrigued and curious. Jaq and Sindee both asked at the same time, “What’s a Resonance Signature?!?!” While I got that in stereo Arthur quirked up an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

“It’s my name for something I knowledge I gained after my last seeking. I came to realize that any use of supernatural power leaves a mark or stain on reality as it alters things. These marks are unique in my experience not only to the power but to the wielder of that power as well. All four of us are Mages, or at least three of us and the fourth something different and more powerful but started off as a Mage. When we use a rote or even case a spell or ritual that we infuse with magick the signatures are different from one of us to the next. There are partial similarities that identify the power used as mage magick of the spheres use, but the parts that are uniquely formed from out mind and intent in the casting differentiates the signatures. It is like the resonance frequency of jewels and crystals that scientists use to identify some things that they can’t see. That’s why I call it a Resonance Signature.”

Arthur looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, “I know what you’re talking about know. I never gave it a name or thought much about it, but have seen and used the knowledge in the past. I’ve not met any other people in my travels or at the Existence that know anything about what you just described. I’d suggest keeping it between the four of us for the time being. It may be something that people are meant to discover on their own as they learn to harness and use magick.”

“Okay, I’ll agree with that. However Arthur, we should both make sure that Sindee and Jaq are taught how to see and recognize these signatures as soon as possible.” He nodded his agreement as did both Sindee and Jaq so I continued, “What I found at each location was not a complete signature. Each signature was only partial; however there was some overlap as well. When I realized this I came to an idea of what had happened. I decided to attempt one more major act of vulgar magick to aid in solving this mystery in order to help us all survive what is coming. Using the idea that our enemy co-located the properties as part of whatever magick they were using I chose to do the same to read the Resonance of the Magicks. It took more energy that I had ever pulled through me before and I came close to losing control. As I was about to fail I got a sudden influx of power and control that felt as though someone was running electricity through my nervous system. It allowed me to latch onto the resonance even as it caused the massive trauma to my body. What I found in the resonance was something theorized but up until now I figured to be impossible. The magic traces indicated that the powers in use consisted of True Magick, Vampiric Power and some form of Blood Magic. What shocked me was while there were those two or three types of power in use, the signature portions all pointed to one caster. Not as though a group worked together with one person controlling the intent of the spell as all of the peoples signatures would have been in the resonance in some way, but just one being accessing forms of power that are supposed to be impossible to find in anyone being. The Resonance Signature could only be that of a Lich. A Vampire Mage.” At that statement everyone fell into silence. The mood of the room was so thick you could almost see the shadows of tension flowing from all of our bodies.

None of us wanted to break the silence this time so I decided to do it, “We now have about three weeks to figure out a way to stop a Lich from killing us and bringing about the destruction of all realities.” Every one of us broke into laughter, not out of hilarity but from the absurdity that we four were out classed by something we’d never run into before.

Arthur spoke, “I am quite capable of enforcing the rules of the Existence, more so because of all the protections in place combined with my Magick but I’ve also never run into a Lich. My guess is that the co-location with your property brought a Node into the club allowing this Lich to tap into the potential power of the realities and Todash space as well. I don’t know if my protections could stop that. I figure based on what you described that they won’t stand to that so I need to call in some favors.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll do what I can to prepare from here while I recover from my injuries. The healing is already accelerated thanks to Sindee, but I may be out of commission for a good portion of the next few weeks. I should be healed and ready to go when the time comes however.” I tried to force a smile to my face, but the reactions I received suggested it looked more like a grimace.

Arthur stood and reached into his inside jacket pocket as he crossed towards me, “Stand up Andrew and lose the robe.” I gave him an incredulous look considering that Sindee, he and Jaw were all in the room. He gave me a patronizing look, “You don’t have anything than we all haven’t seen before.”

I looked him in the face and replied, “I just don’t want to make Jaq blush or you feel insignificant when my body is revealed.”

All three of them laughed at the joke, happy that my sense of humor was at least partially intact. Arthur’s response was simple, “Get up on your feet and take off the robe or I’ll let them do it.”

I looked him in the eyes and sat there, “Not going to happen in either case. You want to get my clothes off it is going to take a nice meal and lots of drinks. Even then I don’t guarantee you’ll succeed in your endeavor.”

He turned, looked at Jaq and Sindee and said, “Ladies if you will take care of the patient please?”

Sindee and Jaq strode over, gently grabbed me under my arms and pulled me to my feet. I had to put my feet down and stand because falling would more painful than any embarrassment at being stripped by two gorgeous women in front of Arthur. Once I was on my feet Sindee opened the robe and slid it off of me. I was standing in my living room in just a pair of shorts. Under normal circumstances I am quite proud of my body and the work I’ve done to keep it healthy. Right now however I was in a beat, burned and bruised mess. I’m a little vain sometimes, so sue me.

Arthur pulled something out of his inside jacket pocket. It was some kind of jewel or crystal inside some kind of precious metals. It was about six inches long and three inches at the widest point. It was teardrop in shape and glowed with and inner light. I could feel the power of it as soon as he pulled it out, it was some form of talisman. “What is that Arthur?”

“It will take care of most of the wounds you have leaving you in need of a day or two to rest and recover your strength. It is a very old talisman, more a legendary artifact than a talisman as it wasn’t created so much as it turned from a simple piece of jewelry into an item of power. Most still call it an artifact due to the Mage that had owned it when the conversion took place. It had once belonged to the man that Arthurian Mythos calls Merlin.” The reverence in his voice for the object and the man who it belonged to made me want to ask more about it and also stilled my tongue before I made an ass of myself. He passed the jewel over all of the wounds I had received that he could see. The ribs healed almost immediately sealing the wounds and the staples disappeared. Once he was done with the visible wounds he looked my shoulder at Sindee and Jaq. Jaq excused herself and went outside for some air. Once she closed the door behind her, Sindee dropped my shorts allowing Arthur to work on the other wounds.

Once he knelt down to see what he was doing I couldn’t resist the juvenile joke as I was being somewhat mortified by this experience even though he was helping me, “While you’re down there Arthur…” I trailed off leaving the statement implied.

He was quick on the reply, “As you said, a nice meal and many, many drinks. Besides, I don’t have a magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers.”

Sindee gave his a gentle swat on the back of his head, “That’s my husband you’re talking about.” She laughed then continued, “Make sure you do a good job there, I still want children someday.” The look on her face was one of humor, but the light in her eyes at the same time told me that she really did want children, plural as she said.

I looked into her amused and thoughtful expression, “I’m open to a large family as you know about mine from our talks. Just how many children were you thinking about?”

She took a few minutes to think about it before answering, “I’m not sure. I want at least two, but am willing to have several. I enjoyed the stories you told me of your growing up in such a large family.” Her expression switched from thoughtful to mischievous in a blink, “Besides think about all the fun we’ll have in making them in the first place.” Her smile went from bright to sexy and teasing and had the desired effect on me she wanted. Unfortunately it was not something Arthur wanted.

“Hey, hey, hey!!!! Sindee can you please not encourage him, I already said It would take a good meal and lots of drinks.” He laughed and said, “Down boy, just think of the Lich or something and stop pointing that thing at me.” He quickly finished up and stepped away, “Sindee, please help him put that thing away before he hurts somebody.”

I leaned down now that most of the pain was gone and pulled my shorts back up. Now that the ordeal was over I pulled the robe back on and sat down, my energy failing me. Jaq came back in and laughed at my embarrassment. I simple sat there and smiled. We called it a night and agreed to meet back at the Existence in the next few days for a strategy session. Sindee helped me to my feet and into the bedroom. As much as I wanted and loved her, I had no strength or energy at the moment and was back to sleep as my head hit the pillows. I slept and dreamed about a strange woman, speaking to me and telling me secrets. As soon as I woke in the morning all memory of the dream faded away like a feather on a breeze.


Chapter 21

After waking I looked over to the other side of the bed. Sindee was laying there sleeping peacefully with a smile brightening her features. I sat there on the side of the bed a few minutes content in watching her sleep. Every time that I looked at her I felt myself to be the luckiest man that ever lived just to have her in my life. I was fortunate in many ways; such as in the bond we shared because I knew without doubt that she felt the same as I did. Sindee was an amazing woman and I was going to ensure that nothing happened to her or any of the rest of us on the first of March. I also decided not to wake her right now so turned off the alarm. Today was the last day of vacation before she returned to the hospital for work.

I got up and through on some shorts and a T-shirt before heading to the kitchen quietly closing the bedroom door behind me as I went. I decided to surprise Sindee with breakfast in bed so I started to pull out all the fixings I would need from the fridge. It didn’t take overly long to prepare and fortunately Sindee slept until it was ready. I stepped into the back yard and grabbed a white and pink rose from the garden one of the werewolves was tending in the back yard. I used a simple bit of Life Magick to remove the buds and encourage the plant to heal and grow before applying just a little more to have both bloom fully open. I placed then in a small crystal vase on the tray with her breakfast. I made her an omelet filled with green and red peppers, scallions, cheddar cheese, chives and sausage with wheat toast, orange juice and coffee. Some may ask why I took the time to make it all by hand when as Mages there was almost nothing we couldn’t just get as at a whim. I like to think that because we have those abilities taking the time to do simple things by hand means more. It also fills me with pride that I am able to bring a smile to her face with such gestures.

I quickly opened the bedroom door before going back to the kitchen for the tray table. I carried it into the bedroom and set in on the dresser before crossing to her beside. I leaned down over her until my face was inches from her own. I gently kissed her lips as I cupped her cheek with my right hand. As Sindee woke she returned the kiss, deepening it with the passion we shared. As we broke the kiss I leaned back a little, smiled and said, “I love you more than I can ever say.”

Her eyes shined brightly in the dim light through the curtains before she replied, “I love you heart and soul and you know that. I know how much you love me because I can feel it through our bond.”

There was nothing else that needed to be said in that regard. “I brought you breakfast,” I told her as I turned to the dresser to get the tray. Sindee sat up against the headboard and slid to the middle as I returned with the tray placing it over her lap. “Enjoy my love.”

She smiled and patted her hand on the bed beside her in a gesture for me to sit. Picking up the small crystal vase, she leaned in to smell the two roses I brought in with breakfast. She placed the vase back before picking up her fork and smiling as she looked at all the food I brought her, “Are you trying to fatten me up or are you going to share this all with me?”

I chuckled at her statement, “With your metabolism and how active you keep use both I couldn’t fatten you up even if I wanted too. You’re perfect for me. You eat and if you don’t finish it, I’ll help but mine is out on the counter waiting.”

“No one is perfect Andrew, we all have our flaws,” she replied. “If you think I am perfect what happens as we change?” she asked in a serious tone.

I smiled even bigger, “I never said you were perfect, just perfect for me. We both have flaws that make us who we are and as time passes I keep falling more and more in love with you.”

“Good answer,” she said as took a bite of her omelet. The sound she made as she tasted it made me think of our conversation from the previous evening.

“Keep making noises like that and we may start working on those children before you finish eating,” I said with a lascivious grin before standing fully and stepping back. “I’ll be back in a moment with my plate to join you for breakfast.” I ran quickly to the kitchen and back.

We ate breakfast together, talking of family and growing up as we did. She convinced me to speak more of growing up within a large family, focusing me on the fonder memories from before that last summer. Sindee spoke of growing up as an only child and of her many pets and of the friends that she has lost touch with. Simply put we had a relaxing morning as any normal couple could by discussing our families past and plans for the future. We found that on one subject we were in complete agreement; both of us wanted a large family both in the children we brought into our lives and in the extended family of our friends. That and that Arthur and Jaq were the first choice for guardians in the event anything happened to either of us. Neither of us had known either Arthur or Jaq for a long period of time, but the quality of the time that we have known then told us everything we wanted to know about how fit they would be in that regard. Now all we had to do was ensure that all four of us survived what was coming in about three weeks. Unfortunately, that thought meant it was time to get out of bed.

I took the dishes out into the kitchen while Sindee got up and started. I shoved the dishes into the dishwasher but didn’t start it as I heard the shower turn on in the master bathroom. I returned to join Sindee in the shower which was a pleasant ritual for the two of us. It’s always nice to have someone to wash you back and I enjoyed washing her hair for her. Sindee’s hair flowed down her back like silk, falling almost all the way to her waist as she allowed it to grow, just trimming the ends as needed. As we assisted each other in the shower I ran my hands over her body, gently scrubbing her skin clean. Her skin was soft and warm, stretched taught over her toned muscles. While she was petite, Sindee had a core of strength and packed a lot of power in her small frame and gentle demeanor. I was reminded again that the only reason I was able to keep up with her during some of our workouts and most of the runs we took were because of my longer legs and the stamina built from the life I’ve lived over the last several years.

After our shower we dressed for a casual day, getting her ready for work the next day and my preparations for the coming fight. I had a thought that while I didn’t much like the general idea it was something that had to be done. “Sindee, I think we should work on more combat training for you, not just Magick,” I suggested to her.

She smiled at me, “I was wondering when you were going to think about that. I’ll tell you that while I have never used weapons before I have taken martial arts since I was young.” She gave me a teasing smirk, “My mother was taught to fight by her parents and decided that I should be able to protect myself as well.”

“I’m glad I’ve never made you angry then,” I smirked. “You think you can take me on?” I challenged with a grin and a laugh.

The sickeningly sweet smile she directed my way should have been warning, “I don’t know if I can beat my tough strong husband, but let’s change and I’ll try.” She turned and headed into the bedroom, returning quickly in her workout gear. “I’ll be waiting out on the back lawn,” she stated in a more serious tone without the smile.

I quickly ran into the room and threw on my sweats for working out and fight training because I wanted to see what she already knew. I also had this ominous feeling that I had said something I shouldn’t have. I was walking out to the backyard to join her when I realized that not only was the feeling still with me, it was steadily growing like a smoldering flame that could burst into an inferno. I pushed the thoughts aside as I joined Sindee and stood about five feet away from her.

She had the most serious expression I’d ever seen on her face at that moment when she said, “Whenever you’re ready Andrew.” There was no mistaking the challenge or the edge of temper in her voice.

I knew she was a red head and had the steel spine to match it before we ever got married. I knew she was an incredible multitalented woman who excelled in a male dominant profession. What I didn’t know, but would soon find out was how well she could fight.

I stepped in quickly with a jab for her rib, holding back my strength but not on speed. I knew I had her right up until the second that I was in the air. Somehow my feet had left the ground and as I tried to figure out had that happened I belly-flopped onto the grass with an audible thud having the wind knocked out of me. It took me a minute to roll over and sit up, another couple before I managed to catch my breath. I looked up at Sindee who was standing over me with a triumphant look in her eyes and a smile on her lips.

“Perhaps I should have asked questions instead of assuming that your classes were basic self-defense, and also not have underestimated a woman as amazing as you are.” I smiled at her before continuing, “I apologize for my assumption.”

She gave me that same smile from when I offered the challenge in the first place, “You’re forgiven, but I should remind you of something. I’ll quote a movie line that you seem to like: ‘Assumption is the mother of all fuck ups.’ I think that applies in this situation, don’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah, and I’ll have the lumps to remind me of it. I’m not healing these unless it becomes an issue as sometimes a little humility is a good thing,” I hung my head for a moment. “Ready to go again, and this time neither of us hold back as we evaluate what we each know and can learn.”

She gave me a mock-vicious look, “Ready whenever you are.” She reached down to give me a hand up.

I took her hand and as soon as my feet were settled I pulled her arm toward me in preparation for a throw. As soon as I started to pull she moved into my side faster than I was pulling her. I was turning my body in order to complete the throw as her foot made contact with the back of my knee causing it to collapse. As I dropped to the one knee I pulled her against my back and turned the throw into a roll. As we both came over with her pressed into my back Sindee released my elbow and swung to the side away from my back which caused both of us to hit the ground with a solid thud. We rolled away from each other and both got quickly to our feet. We continued to exchange attacks and blocks with neither of us able to gain an advantage. While I had height and reach and a slight strength advantage over her, Sindee’s agility, and speed were nothing short of amazing. We were more evenly matched than either of us realized. We were dead even on stamina and just kept going until neither of us could lift our arms to swing and could hardly continue to stand. When we were finished we just sat down on a bench by the garden together. That’s when the laughter and applause reached our ears.

I looked up to see that most of our resident pack of werewolves and a few others had shown up during the sparring match. Markus and Kyra were standing at the front of group staring at the two of us with looks of awe on their faces. Most of the other werewolves were talking, making gestures with their hands; I guessed that they were discussing the techniques we were using. The three trainers that had been sent to help with everyone’s combat abilities were looking at the two of with varied expressions of curiosity. The unarmed combat instructed decided to walk over to us. While I watched him approach I spotted Roarke standing to the one side with an evaluating expression.

The unarmed instructor, Garret, stopped a couple feet away and asked, “If I might ask, with the way you two fight why did you need to send for me?”

I looked up, making eye contact before I replied, “While I am trained I am neither focused on my fighting techniques as I have other areas and skills that I need to teach to several people, and more importantly I am not a combat instructor and would be a poor substitute for someone with your experience.”

Sindee also replied right at the end of my answer, “Like Andrew I am trained to defend myself and part of that is the ability to fight back properly. I am also still learning to use my other abilities properly and wouldn’t be able to focus on their training as they deserve.”

Garret’s features took on an evaluating cast before replying, “Fair enough, I can understand and agree with both of your reasons. I will say there is little more I can teach you but I will do so and request that you both aid me in the training when I may need you. Providing of course it doesn’t conflict with your other duties and responsibilities.”

Garret got his answer in stereo as we both replies, “Okay.”

After he turned to walk away, I waived Roarke, Marcus and Kyra over. While they approached across the yard I turned to Sindee, “Is there anything else I should know?”

She smirked, “Not that I can think of right now, but I may have a few more surprises for you as time passes.”

“I just love surprises,” I replied with a grimace.

Marcus and Kyra stepped up and he spoke up first, “I remember when you could barely defend yourself Andrew, where did you learn all of that?”

“I’ll tell you inside later as it isn’t general knowledge and I forgot until now that you didn’t know,” I replied.

Kyra was smiling and looked at Sindee, “Remind me never to get into it with you. Even as a werewolf I think you’d still kick my skinny little ass around the yard.” She laughed and the sound was one that could brighten up a room, no wonder Marcus was so taken with her.

Sindee simply laughed before joking back, “I reserve ass kicking for the men who act like asses. Besides, I think two tough women like us will agree more than argue. Especially with our taste in men.” Marcus and I both gave her looks a mild indignation before laughing; after all she had a good point.

Roarke laughed at the joke before speaking, “First I must say that I am thoroughly impressed by both of you. Second I have to ask Andrew; were you going easy on me that first day we met?” Marcus gave use both a curious look but remained silent.

I looked up at him before replying honestly, “Roarke, I wouldn’t say I was being easy on you as much as I really didn’t want to kill you when we started out. I have managed to go since my awakening without killing a pure mortal and hope to maintain that streak as long as possible. I was also unarmed against you with your Primium infused sword so I was at a disadvantage there as well, no way to use subtle magick against you.” Marcus’ look of curiosity became one of shock and confusion, which is when I remembered that he hadn’t heard about any of this yet.

Roarke however looked confused as well, “What’s Primium?”

Marcus spoke up first, “Primium is an extremely rare material that acts as a form of counter-magick. The more of the material present the more effective it is against a Mage or other spell casters. A mage would have to use spells that could cause a backlash on them to get past small quantities of Primium. The warrior wielding a sword with significant amounts of Primium would be well defended against Magick and any mage close to the weapon would find their ability to use magick limited.”

I spoke up when he stopped to take a breath, “That’s why I kept trying to open distance between us when we were fighting.” I stopped to take a breath, and then looked up at both of the mean before me, “I should have done this already, but I will correct the oversight now. Roarke this is an old friend and ally of mine, Marcus.” Roarke reached out his hand to Marcus, “And Marcus, this is Roarke; a relatively new acquaintance and I hope friend and possibly ally in what is to come. I hold no ill will toward him from our introduction as he was misinformed and manipulated by someone else.”

Marcus reached over and took Roarke’s hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you and will accept Andrew’s opinion and hold no ill will for you either.”

Roarke shook his hand before looking to both of us in turn, “Marcus, it’s my pleasure as well. Thank you both for your acceptance and forgiveness.”

I replied quickly, “Nothing to forgive, you were being used as a weapon and had no personal grudge against me. I think we need to find your benefactor however so that I may convey my feelings toward him personally.”

Roarke laughed, “Just the same, thank you. I’d also like to convey my opinion of being used to him personally.”

“If you’ve been trying to reach me for the last few days, I apologize as there was a need for Sindee and I to get out of town for a few days with a couple of friends and we just arrived back last night,” I told Roarke.

“Nothing to apologize for as this was the first time I sought you out and you are also entitled to live your lives, especially after I tried to end it,” Roarke replied sheepishly and lowered his gaze.

“Roarke, look at me,” I said. He raised his head to look me in the eyes before I continued. “You have nothing to apologize for, as I’ve said you were being used. I’d like for us to get passed that. More importantly though is that I’d like to count you as a friend at the very least. After sharing our stories, I feel that we are cut in part from the same cloth. Now, you came here today for a reason and I think we should probably get to it soon. How about we go inside and relax some.” I turned to Marcus, “If you’re willing Marcus, could you make or order something for lunch while Sindee and I shower and change so we can talk and eat together?”

“Sounds like a plan Andrew,” Marcus answered quickly. “Does anyone have a specific request for lunch?”

A few of the spectators among the werewolves and other guests shouted Pizza all at once so I looked at Marcus and told him, “Pizza it is, just order a dozen assorted pies for everyone out here. For Sindee and I an all meat and a super-supreme, get whatever Roarke wants for him and whatever you and Kyra want. Tell the pizza place to put it on the card on file and I’ll sign when it gets here.”

Sindee and I stood up and leaned on each other as we swayed back and forth while walking back into the house. Over my shoulder I shouted, “Since I’m providing the food and we already provided the entertainment, you spectators can make the Soda, Ice and Alcohol runs. We might as well make an afternoon of carousing and fun out of today’s events. Also, there are some tables in the shed for the food and drinks when it gets here. Baring rain the inside of the house is off limits due to discussions of a personal nature, alright?” The answer was a chorus of Yeses and Okays.

As I headed for our bedroom I grabbed my phone off of the counter and texted Arthur about the party and Roarke’s arrival with an invite to him and any of his people to join us if they desired. Sindee and I took quick showers to clean the seat and back lawn off of ourselves. We took them separately as we didn’t want to get too distracted and keep everyone waiting long. Sindee changed into a nice pair of fashionable black jeans and a dark forest green cami that set off her eyes and hair. I threw on a pair of black jeans and a black T-shirt, simple clothes that suited me for relaxing. Sindee went out to the living room to join the others as I ran to the basement.

On the way back up with the item I went to retrieve I checked my phone for messages and spotted a reply from Arthur: Party sounds great. Jaq, some of the Gang and I will be there soon.

I had to chuckle as I realized that Arthur, like myself, never used text messaging abbreviations. Not sure why, just an ingrained habit from how I was taught growing up. I was taught to treat any form of communication in a manner that would leave a good impression and things like that are difficult to change once you habitually practice them.

Upon entering the living room, I walked across to where Roarke was seated, “I believe this is yours and I meant to return before now.” As I spoke I handed the box I was carrying with me from the basement over to him.

Roarke carefully accepted the long box and opened the lid, “Thank you, but you bested me and have a right to keep the sword. It may sound old fashioned, but it was how I was trained when it came to such weapons, especially the more rare or unique ones.” He closed the lid and handed the box back to me.

“Am I correct in understanding that a refusal to accept it on my part would be an insult to your honor and to that of your adopted family?” I asked.

Roarke’s reply came quickly, “It could be construed that way, however I feel no slight toward that aforementioned honor at your request to return it as you were unaware of my family’s traditions and my training in that regard.”

I bowed respectfully toward his, “Then I accept the blade as earned and offered to me. Now am I correct in believing that what I do with this sword is my decision and your family and personal honor have been satisfied?”

Roarke looked at me with a curious and slightly suspicious expression before replying, “That would be an accurate assessment.”

I smiled at him with the widest grin I could situate on my face, “Than as a token of our new friendship and trust, I present you with a unique weapon that will defend and aid you in your future. I would be honored if you would accept it in that spirit and use it that you may remain alive and my friend.”

Roarke looked at me for a second and burst out laughing. It was a pleasant sound from him as when he laughed it was with his entire being and showed genuine mirth and contentment in the moment. After a minute he managed to catch enough of his breath to reply. He reached up and took the box from me, “Then it would be my pleasure to accept the sword as offered and I agree with the sentiment of calling you a friend.” He set the case before him on the table, opened the lid and ran his fingers along the length of the flat of the blade before continuing with,” And I will say well played. There are very few I know with the ability to fence verbally as well as they fight.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment as I have been told on numerous occasions that I talk too much,” I replied.

Marcus spoke up first. “That’s the truth, can’t get him to shut up most of the time.”

Sindee’s reply was right behind his, “And he’s an expert at placing his foot in his mouth.”

I looked at Sindee, “You too my incredibly gorgeous and true love?”

“After what started today’s earlier entertainment; Yes,” she replied.

I raised my hands in surrender, “Fair enough, you all win.”

The food arrived about five minutes later and Arthur, Jaq, Sam, George, Talia and even JD put in an appearance today. While the rest of the group headed out back to the garden party, Jaq and Arthur joined us in the living room. We spent the first part of the gathering getting everyone up to date on how it is that Arthur, Sindee and I had come to know Roarke. And Roarke explained that her had been doing a lot of thinking regarding the direction his life had been going and the hard truths that his recent adventures, specifically his fight with me and his conversation with Arthur at the Existence had forced him to face and work through in his mind.

Roarke was quiet for a moment before he cleared his throat, “What I had to face was that I had assumed that if you weren’t human, you were a danger to the human race. Until meeting Andrew and failing to kill him I had never had call to look at what I had been doing closely before. Not only had I failed to kill Andrew, I had expected that he would respond by killing me. When I came to in his basement he was still lying in the middle of the floor, unconscious but breathing so alive. I was sitting there tied to a chair and expected to be tortured for information when he woke again. I was resolved to pain and death by remaining silent. When he woke and Sindee came to his aid I was taken aback by their interaction. First I remembered him moving between me and the sound of a door opening right before I stabbed him and then his moving forward, pushing my sword deeper into his body to allow him to stop me from moving on after he died. The way they treated each other didn’t seem like the way the file describing his monstrous behavior would have suggested. I realized that no one really considers themselves as evil and my assessment of the situation may have been clouded by my head injury. After he was able to get up and moving he came to sit before me and talk while Sindee took my arms and healed the damage done to them while I attacked Andrew. He started talking and got me to open up and after hearing my story he was appalled to the point that he released me from my bonds without even asking for my word not to attack either of them. Not only that, but they provided me with food and drink and spoke of their own pasts to me. I was to say the least confused when I left here. After everything else, Andrew gave me advice that after talking to Arthur that night and continuing to think about everything I saw, I realized Andrew’s advice was a subtle guide to get me to find Arthur and the Existence. I arrived there and was welcomed by Arthur who sat and drank with me; spoke to me of choices and the real world behind what people see. I sat in a place surrounded by what only hours before I would have considered abominations and dangers to all humanity. I watched beings who up until I saw them there, I would picture in battles with each other that threated to spill over as a danger to the human race. I saw humans that were willing donors to vampires, not servants but friends from what I could see. I saw bitter rivals meeting in peace there. After observing and having my world flipped from black and white to all colors of the rainbow and every shade of gray as well I needed time to think. I spend the last several days wandering the city at night, watching what went on when I spotted supernatural beings. There was some fighting between the raced and even within the races but nothing that they allowed most of humanity to see. I only spotted it because I knew how to look for it and stayed hidden as not to disrupt my search. I also so races working together or holding uneasy truces with each other. Most of the feeding activity I saw left the victim alive with little memory something had happened or being done by willing donors such as in the club. I came to realize that everything I know about the supernatural is an assumption based on my limited experience of it. I thought about how I was manipulated into being someone else tool and weapons and hated myself for failing to see it on my own. I’m still trying to decide what I’m going to do for my future, but I wish to call any of you who will have me friends.”

I answered first with, “I already told you that I see you as such, and if you wish as you decide on your future I would like to call you an ally in the battle I’m fighting to save humanity and the supernatural races.”

Arthur spoke next, “I’ll have you as a friend as you are a good man at heart Roarke. Everything you’ve said here today only makes that more apparent to me. My door will always be open to you.”

Sindee spoke softly, “Our initial meeting may have been rocky at best, however I can find it in me to forgive you as you were being used and misguided. In addition to that I’ve had rocky starts with some of my best relationships, for instance Andrew was in a four day coma and my patient when I met him initially and he had just dealt with a serial killing mage of some kind. That and he was only sixteen so my feelings were still in the range of not entirely legal.” She stood and crossed over to him. She leaned down and gave him a friendly hug and peck on the cheek, “So here’s to a new start and a welcome to our extended family.” She stood and moved back to join me on the couch.

Marcus’ response suited him well, “I believe that the best way to defeat an enemy is to turn them into a friend as everyone in that situation wins. Andrew is a dear friend who accepted me into his family as did Sindee. I find that theirs is an example worthy of following and I would be honored to count you as a friend and to be counted among yours.”

Kyra who was normally quiet in similar gathering spoke up, and as she always spoke from her heart I was glad she did, “I have not had the rocky start that you had with them but they accepted me instantly and without reservation. I find them doing the same here with you. By their example, it is my honor and proud decision to do so as well.” She blushed and lowered her face. Marcus simply moved his right hand under her chin, tilting her face up and kissing her. She blushed deeper but managed not to shy away from the group again.

Jaq spoke last, “I’m not always the most forgiving person because of my profession, but I can understand people being manipulated. I’ll accept you as a friend and enjoy your company. I simply ask that you give me no reason to regret that choice”

Roarke had tears running down his face, the emotion overwhelming his control, “This is the second time I have been accepted into a family that wasn’t mine by birth. I am more honored now that I have been and will do everything in my power to ensure that none of you regret the choices or words you spoke today. I don’t know how I can remain a hunter in light of the revelations form this last week and today so I have much to think on before I decide my future. Thank you all again.

Arthur cleared his thought to speak, “I’d suggest Roarke that you go out back and talk to JD here or come into the club whenever you want to speak with him. JD was a Hunter like you are, his focus had been vampires but had hunted other beings as needed when they presented a threat to humanity. He has learned to select and research his targets for the most part. His situation is not entirely unlike yours, however a major difference. He had some special talents that weren’t strictly human and when they were discovered the other Hunters he had known stopped working with him, and then started to hunt him down. He may be able to give you some needed perspective.”

The rest of the evening turned into a party for everyone as those of us sitting inside joined in to the entertainment out back. The combat exhibitions that Sindee and I had started earlier had been taken up by different groups. As the night progressed almost everyone had joined in to show off some moves with the exceptions of Sindee and I who were already exhausted from our earlier match and Arthur and Jaq who seemed more intent of each other than on the fights. JD and Roarke put on an exhibition as they started speaking and were well matched. After about ten minutes the two of them took a walk along the property’s edge away from the crowd to converse as Arthur suggested. Sindee and I called it an early night after everyone promised to clean up when they were done, she had work in the morning and I simply wanted to spend time between the two of us.

We walked into the house, locking up behind us and headed for out room. I’d barely gotten Sindee through our bedroom door and closed it when I pulled her around to face me and kissed her with all the love and passion I had. I slid my hands to her hips and raised them slowly, lifting her top and grazing the smooth skin of her ribs as I lifted her top off. As I broke the kiss to pass the top over her head she took that moment to quickly yank mine up, making me step back and lean so she could remove it from my taller fame. There was not going to be a slow and gentle caressing tonight, all the emotion and energy we had work up today led us toward a manic, hungry need for each other. We stripped ourselves down on the way to our bed. With everything that had happened between us and all we had discussed of family we were determined to start working on those children tonight. Our bodies came together on the bed and our friends, the war, the world and everything else faded away. The only thing that mattered to either of us was the other half of our souls, the person in our arms and the sharing of pleasure and emotion between us. Nothing else existed but us for a time. It was a feeling that I wished would never end. We fell asleep with our bodies bound together as tightly as our hearts and souls and the Magick that connects all of it.


Chapter 22

Upon waking the next day, things took on a completely different feel for us. Sindee’s alarm went off at five in the morning because she had a twelve hour shift in the ER today. Hell of a shift for the first day back to work, but she had been out for a couple of weeks and other’s needed to take their vacations. While neither Sindee nor I had any need to work in traditional employment, she enjoyed helping people and I continued as an investment counselor with a smaller client list. The list consisting of my friends and associates, including some mages and other long lived individuals who I had met and worked with both during my initial learning after leaving home and on my five year excursion through time. The morning went quickly in regard to business but drug on because I felt Sindee’s absence the whole day. Spend a couple weeks with someone for most of the day and they become a part of your environment; do the same with someone you love and you will feel their absence when they are gone.

Around noon, after I had finished my investment research and making the changes to my strategies to reflect the market, I went down into the basement to try and figure out how I may be able to fight Lich. I changed a simple pair of loose cotton pants and a cotton T-shirt and set in the center of the node to meditate. I worked on slowing my breathing and centering my mind, releasing the stress I was feeling about the upcoming battle. I wanted to use magick in order to seek knowledge in a way I hadn’t attempted before. I figured that with the way that the node was formed as a knot of the tellurian itself, I may be able to use Correspondence, Time, and Entropy to look into other planes for clues about how to battle and defeat a Lich. The reason I was meditating, trying to clear my mind and focus as much as possible was twofold. First, I was attempting to perform a casting that I had never before attempted and needed a clear mind in order to shape the magick properly. Second, and just as important, when performing any form of magick the most important factor is the intent of the caster so not being focused is as much a danger to yourself as to anyone else around you, and doing said spell with the resources of a node just makes any dangers worse. If that weren’t enough to convince me to take care in how I performed this particular spell, I also had the fact that this node tied into Todash space as well, and I so didn’t want to wind up there again.

I first started shaping the Correspondence portion in my mind to search not only the space that I existed in but in all spaces using the nodes connection through reality. I then began to layer the Time magick into the casting to allow for information from the past, present and futures in all of the realities that may be out there. The final portion of the rote I was building would be Entropy with the intent of bending chance and probability towards finding the information I needed. Once the spell was shaped in my mind I pulled on my connection to magick and bound the spell to the node. After doing so, I allowed a small, continuous flow of energy to pass through me to keep the spell going as long as I could.

I sat and monitored the flow of magick, keeping it steady and my intent focused on the goal I had in mind. I would see flashes of images coming back from the search, quick images that contained no substantive information about my search. I saw a city towering to unimagined heights and sprawling over hundreds of miles across. I saw vast wastelands pluming with black smoke rising from sickly green flames. I saw dragons flying above modern cities, and a world of oceans where the cities stood beneath the waves. There were images of places were monsters and magick never existed or where science replaced magick entirely. There were places where Vampires ruled and humans were less than cattle. I saw vast citadels where mages trained and ruled entire worlds. I saw a world that contained no mortals and that all of the supernatural races walked openly. I’d seen a world where everything was a peace and creatures from books and imagination walked among the denizens of the worlds. I saw many worlds where wars were fought openly and the four horsemen destroyed all that stood in their paths. I saw so much that my mind couldn’t hold it all for me to relate back.

I have no idea of how long I sat and maintained the spell, searching throughout all time and space for answers that I needed to a question I had no idea how to ask properly, just my intent shaping the form the magick took. I then had an image come to my mind of a man standing in a field, surrounded by symbols both arcane and vampiric. This man stood there watching the rise of the sun over mountains far off in the distance. Several people stepped out of the trees that surround the field, enclosing this man in a circle. There were Mages there that I was able to identify by the signature of their powers, I could see mortals armed with a variety of weapons, and there were shape shifters of many types. There was an army here to take on this man. As the battle began the mages used some of the most vulgar spells I’d even seen or contemplated, the shifters attacked with all of their speed and strength granted by the nature of what they are. The mortals used their weapons with skill and proficiency born of having lived as warriors for a lifetime. All of the skill and power showed by these being was nothing in the face of the man they attacked. He moved like lightning, combining the speed of a vampire and the magick born of a mage. He waltzed through the warriors as though they were lambs for the slaughter using only his claws and teeth to tear and drain them of blood. He used counter-magick against the mages, stopping their spells as they were cast at him, using the powers of the vampires to immolate their bodies while they lived, to force some of them to flee or bow in abject horror. This was a Lich and the horror of what it could do was more disastrous than I had imagined.

The Lich was able to destroy the mages with their own spells by either countering the magick or redirecting to another of the attackers. The shifters while physically strong and capable of tearing most vampires apart fared no better when the mages ability to heal instantly combined with the vampire’s claws and fangs that were as deadly as those of the shifters. Before long the fight was definitely on the side of the Lich as there were few who could stand before the combined powers wielding by such a creature. I continued to watch as the Lich destroyed the rest of those who came to stop him before he moved on from the circle. He left that field and began to wander the world, walking under the sun as freely as anyone could, needing only to rest on occasion after days of travel. The Lich began to gather an army, turning victims into new vampire. Those it turned were just normal vampires with none of the powers of Magick and still needed to avoid the sun and died just the same. It walked across the world, moving from one city to another destroying everyone who opposed its rule. I watched for signs of weakness, way to kill it. There were few who tried to stop this things path of destruction and mayhem, and most who did died quickly.

There were only two who managed to get past the Lich’s defenses and manage to land potentially deadly strikes. The first was some form of shifter that I hadn’t seen or heard of as it shifted not only between the bodies of a man and single animal, but was able to become any creature and even change the form of its human identity. The creature fought through and slaughtered many of the Lich’s vampires and mortal soldiers before fighting the Lich itself. This attacker managed to battle the Lich back, forcing it to defend itself with arms and not just magick and vampiric powers seeming to be immune to either. As the fight continued the attacked drove its sword straight into and through the Lich’s heart and out through the back; black blood flowed in a torrent from around the blade and the Lich seemed to weaken as this viscous fluid drained from its body. The Lich gripped the attacker’s head, squeezed until the bones could be heard cracking within its skull. When it released the grip on the swords blade, the Lich drew its newest victim in and drained the creature’s blood. He went into a horrible rage upon drinking the blood, tearing through all of its own soldiers and vampires that remained before regaining control from the terrible bloodlust it entered.

The second was another hybrid like the Lich, though a Vampire and a werejaguar this time. Her ferocity in combat was close to that of the Lich during the bloodlust. The Lich had started to rebuild the army he had destroyed when it came upon her in the jungles and she destroyed his followers before showing herself in challenge. She was a natural predator and hunted the Lich for days on end. When they finally met in combat the destruction to both of them was brutal, she started by tearing his right arm off at the shoulder. The Lich was able to use both magick and the regenerative powers of the Vampire to instantly regrown the limb and continue the fight. She moved quickly, avoiding standing in place so that more complicated magicks could not be used effectively. While it is possible to use complicated spells instantly, it takes a concentration that eludes most during a brutal close combat. They both tore into each other, digging gouges into flesh that healed almost as quickly as they were delivered. Trees were felled around them as they fought, driving each other into their trunks and through them. They fought hours, going back and forth inflicting injury and healing constantly when she had gained the upper hand. She had pulled sword from one of the fallen soldier and drove it into the Lich’s heart, then released it and leaped on it, grabbing its head to tear it off. The meaty, wet sound of tearing flesh filled the jungle as the sun began to rise. The Lich remained unaffected, most likely protected by the magick he wielded from the day of his creation but the same could not be said for her. She had hunted and stalked for day in the jungle, protected by its dense canopy from the rays of the sun. The destruction their fighting had caused throughout the night left them in a clearing where the light and magick of the sun beat down upon her, causing skin to ignite and burn as she screamed in pain. The Lich shoved her from his body toward the middle of the clearing. He then pulled the sword from his chest and tossed it aside. The wound over the heart sealed as the black ichor seeps down from the injury, the tear it his neck wasn’t healing as quickly and he wandered the jungle for another day before it sealed over, still not fully healed. The Lich was weakened for months after this fight and continued to rebuild the army it had once again lost.

It focused once again on the journey and goal of conquest. As he traveled, fought, destroyed and moved on again there were few challenges left. The bloodlust experienced began to take over and his control of complicated spells began to weaken. While these powers were less controlled, they seemed to become more destructive. Over time the Lich stopped conquering and building an army and as more time passed he fad on and destroyed all of his followers. His mind and control of magick continued to devolve until he became my worst nightmare; he was a Lich who was also a marauder. He had become insane and wielded the powers to alter the world as he perceived it. In the end, his death was brought about by his own insanity. He tapped into the Magick and into the Blood Magick of Vampires, binding the two with the spell he used to protect himself from the sun. In his insanity he sought to destroy what was a danger to his kind and directed every bit of focus and power he had into the heart of the sun. The resulting backlash would have most likely destroyed him if he weren’t a marauder, fortunately and unfortunately the magick worked causing the sun to explode not only with the energy it created, but with all the Primal energy bound into during the formation of the universe. I watch as not only was everything on that world destroyed, but as it collapsed back in upon itself. After the collapse of that universe I saw there was nothing but total darkness, almost like Todash as energy built within that utter stillness where space and time no longer existed; as the energy built to a critical another signature of primal energy crossed into that void and a universe was built anew. I felt a sense of dread at what was done by that Lich followed by a knot of moroseness at the loss of life and possibility of an entire reality being destroyed; then a soaring relief and joy at seeing creation being born from destruction, then the magick stopped flowing and I saw nothing back darkness.

I opened my eyes slowly to the blinding lights of the basement around me. My mouth felt like someone had taken sandpaper to it and my limb felt as though the bones were lead and the muscles no more dense than air. Every joint was locked and my spine straight and sore. My eyes were burning as though I stood through a sandstorm. It took seconds for me to feel the condition of my body once I opened my eyes. It took me longer to notice that while I had entered the basement alone I was surrounded by people. Directly in front of me with a look of fear and concern was Sindee who was flanked by Jaq and Arthur. Jaq looked concerned and evaluating, while Arthur’s expression was almost unreadable. I got a strangely familiar sense from him through my normal awareness and not magick as I could barely feel any connection to my Avatar right now. Marcus was standing with the three of them; his face was in a scowl as he looked at me. The only time I’d ever seen him scowl was when he was training me and I did something that he disapproved of as dangerous, stupid or more often both. While I could hear others talking from behind me across the room, I couldn’t see anyone else. It seemed as though they were allowing only those who could wield and control Magick close to me. I tried to speak and nothing came out. I attempted to unfold my limbs and stand with much the same results a attempting to speak. I couldn’t move any portion of my body and knew that something was seriously wrong. I attempted to tap into Mind magick and speak telepathically and realized that I couldn’t pull any additional energy to or through me even though I could still feel a connection to it. I then reached into the connection with my Avatar and through it to the bond Sindee and I share; focusing my thoughts and directing them to her I sent: I can see you in front of me and hear the others around but I am unable to move or speak.

The look of concern stayed on her features, but the fear seemed to lessen. She turned to Arthur and told him, “I’m not sure how, but Andrew just spoke in my mind without tapping into Magick. He says that he can see and hear us but is unable to move or speak.”

Arthur looked surprised at the revelation of communication between us without magick before was able to school his features. He replied, “I’m not too surprised by his inability to move or speak as he is most likely dehydrated and cramped. Magick and only maintain the body for so long and so well when a Mage fails to make the proper preparations. After sitting there for a week he went well beyond the body’s normal tolerance for water and almost at its normal limit for food.” He turned his gaze to focus directly on Sindee, “Since you’re the doctor, what needs to be done to treat him for severe dehydration and some malnutrition?”

Sindee was quick to reply with a list of materials she would need, writing it down and sending someone to the pharmacy to get the over the counter items. I heard her make a phone call to Natalie, asking her to order and bring supplied from the hospital pharmacy that they could access as doctors. Arthur, Marcus, JD, Roarke and George carried me up to my bedroom and carefully laid me out on the bed, unfolding my joints carefully as not to cause me pain or additional damage. I was more exhausted then I had ever been and was extremely worried that I had been inside of a vision, maintaining a spell for as long as I had. I would need to rethink how to form that particular spell if I were ever to try anything like it again; not that I was planning on doing so any time soon. Not long after they had me situated in the bed I fell asleep. I was in out of consciousness as I felt needles being stuck into me and heard monitors beeping. I was curious as to my they weren’t using Magick or Arthur’s talisman to heal me as they had the other night, but was still unable to move or speak. Every time I opened my eyes I could feel Sindee’s presence at my side and there were other people in the room from time to time as well. It felt like forever before I was able to even move my fingers let alone any other portion of my body and still I was constantly sleeping and waking at random interval.

I didn’t know how much time had passed when I finally work with enough energy to attempt sitting up and talking. I was able to move my arms and tried to leverage myself up with them and sit against the headboard. I got about halfway up when my arms started to give way. Sindee caught me before I fell and aided me in moving my back against the headboard into a sitting position. My mouth still felt as dry as the desert, but my tongue no longer felt like it was made of lead. I turned my head to look at Sindee and smiled; or at least I tried to. My muscles still felt weak so I’m not sure what she actually saw. Whatever she saw in my features, she promptly leaned in and kissed me on the forehead as you do for someone that you care for who is sick or injured. I’m not sure what category I fell in at that time, but guessed it was most likely to be both. I managed to force my mouth to work and said to her, “I love you,” which sounded to me more like I lurr ew. I guess I still needed to recover. Her features lit up with a slight smile so I assumed that at least the attempt at speaking was a good sign.

Sindee yelled from next to me, “He’s awake!!!! Will someone bring me a bottle of water and a straw?”

The commotion following her call was loud as most of the people I knew and considered friends came barreling into the room behind Natalie who was bringing it the water. Sindee took the bottle, placed the straw in it and to my lips, “Drink slowly,” she ordered.

I took a sip and felt better, so I tried to take a much larger sip and started coughing. The pain from the coughing was horrible, and my chest was now covered in the water that I had spit all over myself.

Sindee gave me one of those looks that doctors get when the patient tells them that they were following the advice given and figured it was their body and knew better than the doctor who went to school and studied how things actually work, “I said drink slowly Andrew.”

I counted to ten in my head because she was right and I had no reason to let my frustration at my condition turn into anger or resentment of her care for me. I counted to thirty after that before I tried to take another sip. After about ten minutes I had gotten about half the bottle in me when I said, “Thank you.” It actually sounded like a thank you as well so that was a good sign.

Everyone around me showed at least some sign of relief as tense shoulder, stiff and tight stances and worried looks relaxed into their normal body language and features. So I decided to try and speak again, “How long?” I didn’t get more out because even that winded me some. I was in bad shape and needed more recovery time.

Sindee answered me quickly with, “You were in the basement for a week and have been recovering here in our room for the better part of five days.” She took a breath and gave me a serious, sober expression before continuing, “We were unable to use Magick to bring you out of whatever you were experiencing or to heal. No matter what we did it was countered or just plain fizzled.”

I looked up at Natalie with a questioning look as to her expression of acceptance of such strange concepts. Arthur must have divined the meaning behind my look because he spoke next, “Sindee had brought Natalie here to help her with taking care of you and she unfortunately walked in while we were attempting another healing spell I had worked up. The effects of the spell were visible and not in any way coincidental. While she isn’t a mage or any other form of supernatural, she was awakened when the backlash put me through the wall into the hallway. Fortunately she had a flexible mind and accepted what she saw instead of running the other direction. I think it was her concern for Sindee and for you that gave her the strength, but that’s just a guess.” I turned to look at the wall on the hallway side of the room, “I already fixed it Andrew, once the cat was out of the bag the repairs were easy enough.” I simply nodded at him. Nat looked down at me a smiled, which as a patient I appreciated her bedside manner.

As we sat there reviewing my care over the last few days I thought of something and asked, “Now that I’m awake, I’ll attempt to accelerate my own healing. If it works I am going to need a lot of food, especially proteins.”

Everyone in the room who knew how to wield magick gave a look that spoke volumes and Sindee actually spoke, “You’re in the process of recovering from the after effects of a spell and you think any of us are going to let you try that. Now that you’re awake, we’ll try the healing again,” she said with a tone and look that would accept no argument, so I didn’t argue.

The healing spell they used worked well and quickly, restoring my energy and my body to the state it was in prior, then energy they expended left us all ravenous. I managed to get up, shower and get dressed so we all the mages who were starved and everyone else went to a buffet for dinner. That’s one good thing about Las Vegas, plenty of food available when needed. While we ate and relaxed, replenishing our energy; I explained to everyone else about the meditation and the spell I had cast to seek information about the capabilities and possible weaknesses of a Lich. I told them of everything I saw from the flashes of different worlds to destruction and creation of a new reality. I explained the battles I watched and how the mind of the Lich declined overtime turning the Lich into a being more dangerous than a Marauder or Nephandi. The only thing I could think of as a weakness or a way to kill the Lich was to destroy the head and heart completely and quickly. I told Arthur of the vulgar magicks used by the Lich and Mages who battled it.

Arthur spoke up at the end of my recounting, “While this is obviously a different Lich coming for us, the information you provided should aid us. With any luck the Mage who became our Lich discovered the ritual and accomplished it recently and has not had time to master the Vampiric Abilities or Magick to the level that you and I can perform. Andrew, I haven’t said this before but it is time I do. For the short time that you have been practicing Magick, even adding in the extra five years from your trip through Todash, you are a very accomplished and powerful Mage. More importantly, with the amount of power you wield with your will, you have not let it corrupt you and by that I am impressed and gratified that I have the pleasure of counting you as an ally and even more so that I can count you as a friend.”

I didn’t know what to say to that as Arthur was one of those who I respected above all others save Sindee. When the words came to me they were simple but honest, “It is my pleasure and honor to be counted as such, thank you.” While I could have come up with something more elegant, I felt that the simple and honest words were the better choice.

Arthur grinned at me after a moment before replying, “Now, if we could only find a way to keep you safe from yourself and the interestingly new concepts and approached you take with magick and I’ll be able to keep you in all of those categories.” Everyone around the table chuckled, but afterwards a few of the faces took on seriously contemplative expressions.

I had to laugh as well at the statement, and then looked down at my hands sheepishly before answering the comment, “Well, I would prefer the same. Unfortunately, our situation has demanded more of all of us then I’d prefer.” I lifted my head to scan the table, meeting each of my companions eyes before continuing in a more serious tone, “I’ll promise you all this. I will do everything within my ability to ensure that we all remain safe and healthy in the coming days. In addition, I’ll consult with you before I attempt anything else that could potentially cause any of us harm unless it’s an absolute emergency and in the defense of mine or innocent lives.” For those of you thinking that I have either and death wish or hero complex, let me explain that it’s neither. I am simply aware of what’s out in the real world and know that not only am I one of the few who can stand between the dangers and those threatened by them. More importantly, I know that it is a responsibility that fate, destiny or whatever you wish to call it has decided to bestow upon me.

After the serious discussions were over, we managed to enjoy our meals. Laughter and jokes were told to lighten the mood we initially started the evening with. We all made jokes at each other’s expense, with the majority directed at me; considering the cause for the evening’s festivities I deserved them. I think that between the group of exhausted Mage, Werewolves who’s relief stirred their hunger, and of course the other members of our group who had not worried much about eating while they all watched over me we may have actually cost the casino money on our buffet in the four hours we were there.

After dinner we broke up as a group and headed to our respective homes agreeing to meet at the Existence the next evening to plan what we could for the coming conflict. I was exhausted from both the casting and my recovery and didn’t even try to tap into magick to keep myself going any longer. I wanted to simply allow myself to heal and recover. Sindee drove us back to the house having to wake me so we could go in to bed. Once we were changed for bed I pulled Sindee’s soft warm body towards me, her back pressed against my chest, her left hand entwined with mine as we drifted off to a peaceful nights rest.

The next week went by quickly with plans and preparation for fighting the Lich when the time came. Most of my time was spent at the Existence and at Home fortifying and altering the Wards erected while Arthur did the same. The term Ward is general and has many different aspects and meanings but generally refers to protective or defensive enchantments. Arthur and I had discussed and come to the agreement that our combined magick and wards would be more effective than they would be individually. Sam also applied some form of wards using the Blood Magic of Vampires before we were finished. After Arthur, Sam and I had finished layering our wards into place he called in some favors to have people from the other supernatural communities to aid us with defenses around the edges of both the club and my property. While we wanted the additional defense, neither of us was comfortable with someone who was not in our inner circle casting any form of magic within the sanctity of our homes and personal wards. Even as we made all of the preparations one prevailing thought went through my mind; we don’t even know the capabilities of this Lich. We had just a couple of days until we found out if we lived or died.

On the twenty-seventh of February I decided that with the possible end looming over our head and the focus we had been making was putting everyone on edge that a night off would be in order for everyone. To that effect, I called Arthur and told him that we all should go and spend a night with those special to us. The funny thing is he told me that he was about to call with the same suggestion. He was of the mindset that going into a fight without a fresh reminder of why you’re there is the fasted way to lose hope and die. He told me that he was taking Jaq to a place that was special to him for many reasons, a place he hasn’t taken another living soul. He also said he’d let his people know if I’d take care of telling mine.

I called Marcus and told him that we weren’t meeting that night and to take Kyra out and do something memorable for both of them, lift their spirits from the grim tasks ahead. He told me he had just the right idea for them. Next I called Talia and while speaking with her I heard George in the background speaking as well so I assumed Arthur was talking to him which she confirmed. I went through my contacts and let everyone know that it was a night off. Everyone that I spoke with was relieved to get a little time to not focus on imminent death and danger that I felt better about the idea than I had when I decided on it. I went into our bedroom and grabbed a few items for Sindee and me before placing them in a small duffel bag. While she was at work I had been busy with my plans for the evening. I was dressed in a nice black linen suit with a green silk shirt slightly darker than my eyes. She saw my attire when she walked through the door and gave me a smile so bright it out shined the sun.

“You look rather nice tonight. I take it we’re not having another war council this evening?” She asked.

“Thank you, and no. I decided and Arthur agreed that tonight was for all of us to take the night off, spend time with those we love and remind ourselves why we’re fighting and not just what. You however are also more beautiful every time I see you.” I looked her over in her scrubs and realized just how much my statement was true to me, “You are without a doubt the only woman in the world for me and I’ll love you forever.”

She blushed and her eyes expressed her happiness, “You saw that while I’m in my dull scrubs, wait until you see me in a few minutes when I’m ready for whatever it is you have planned.” With that she turned down the hall and headed for our bedroom.

A couple of minutes past and I heard the shower start while I continues with the rest of the tasks I needed to complete while she got ready. I had completed cooking a nice meal for the two of us a few minutes before she arrived and prepared the plates. While she showered I took the plated out onto the back patio, setting them at the little bistro table she’d picked for out there. I lit the candles on the table and brought out a bottle of wine that would go perfectly with the meal. Something my parents had told all of us kids as we grew up and started relationships was that marriage wasn’t the end of dating and romance, just a better reason for it. In this regard both of my parents continued to take small nights like this for themselves, getting the kids out of the house to our friends or getting one of the older kids to watch the younger ones for the night while they went out. That’s also why my mother insisted that all of us learn how to cook from her; so that she was sure we could treat those we love properly. Thinking about her and my father made me a little sad, but it also helped me to understand them with the knowledge of my feeling for Sindee in my heart.

After I had the table set and the wine breathing, I filled out water glasses. All of my preparations for this evening were done without the aid of Magick as this was a night that was all about our life together, not displays of power. As I had said before it gave me a sense of pride and happiness that I was able to accomplish these things for Sindee. I turned on the gas heaters that were near the table to ensure that while the night was chill at the end of February we would be plenty warm for the meal. My plans for later after dinner were a surprise for Sindee and a respite for both of us.

Just as I finished setting up the back patio I returned into the kitchen and was stopped dead in my tracks by the angelic vision standing before me. Sindee had finished getting ready and was standing in the entrance of the kitchen wearing the dark green dress she had on the night I arrived in Las Vegas. She had let her hair fall naturally to frame her face hanging over her shoulders to flow over down her cast and back. To that she added the platinum and emerald jewelry she’d worn for our wedding and a pair of six inch heals that matched the dress bringing her to just a few inches shy of my height.

I stood there staring at her in awe until my lungs started to burn and a remembered that while I was Mage I still needed to breath. I let out my breath and took another before I could speak. I had some many things I wanted to say but couldn’t get my brain and my tongue to cooperate so all that came out was, “Wow!” Just seeing her standing there had my heart racing faster than it ever had.

She gave me one of her triumphant little smirks, the kind that says she had done exactly what she wanted. Seconds after the smirk turned into a full blown smile that showed even in her eyes, “I’ll take that as approval of my attire for the evening.” She laughed in a low sultry way as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around my neck and draw me in. I tiled my head down and she looked up, pressing her soft full lips to mine. When she broke the kiss I was once again left breathless by the fact that I had this amazing, one of a kind woman in my life. She released my neck before stepping back and speaking, “So what are you going to do with me this evening?” A sly, enticing look of desire crossed her features as she said this.

Upon hearing her question and seeing the expression she gave me I almost ditched my plans for the evening right then and there. However, I pride myself on taking care of those I love and as much as I wanted her more than life itself, I also fest she deserved to be treated right. I took a few breaths to try and calm my pulse before I did anything else. I offered her my arm as I stepped beside her, “Tonight I plan to treat you to a home cooked meal and dessert to start the evening off. After that I have a surprise that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I believe you will.” She placed her arm through my elbow and I led her to the patio table.

Sindee loved the meal. I told her that the dishes were all recipes that my mother had taught me to make when I was younger, telling me to surprise the woman I loved with them one day and that she was the only person I’d ever made these for. Dessert was a scratch made carrot cake that I learned after finding out it was one of Sindee’s favorite treats. When I went inside to bring desert out, I turned on some music for the two of us to dance. All in all the dinner and dancing portion of the evening was a success beyond what I had hoped.

After we danced for a little while I led Sindee back into the house, but not towards our bedroom. I guided her into the basement as it was a sanctum that allowed for the casting of vulgar magick without the backlash. Once we were down there, I turned to Sindee and pulled her into a tight embrace that pressed our bodies together. We each felt the rapid beat of the others pulse. I released my right hand from the embrace as I held just that much tighter with my left; bringing my hand up to caress her left cheek. I lowered my hand to her jaw, tilting her head up and back so that we stared into each other’s eyes as I leaned in to kiss her. While we were sharing the passion and desire for the other in our kiss I invoked a casting that I had hung on a contingency earlier, this was the only magick I intended to use the night as it was the only way I could accomplish what I planned.

When we finally had to break the kiss as we needed to breath, Sindee opened her eyes to find us standing on the beach outside of our house in Hawaii as the sun was beginning to set. “I wanted to bring you back here because this is our place. Since construction was finished no other living soul has set foot here and none will. It is also the place where we started the newest phase of our lives together,” I explained letting the emotion and sincerity enter my voice.

Sindee simply pulled me in tighter against her for a moment before she released me, “wait here for a minute, I’ll be right out.” She stepped away, slipping her shoes off and ran into the beach house quickly returning only moments later after opening the glass wall to the bedroom facing the beach. She walked out carrying one of the comforters from the linen closet.

Once she returned to me; Sindee spread the comforter out on the sand and walked across it to stand before me. She stood on her toes to kiss before stepping back and removing slipping out of her dress to stand naked before me, bathed in the light of sunset. I stripped from my clothing and moved to join her in the middle of the comforter. We spent the rest of the evening and night sharing the passion and desire we had and the pleasure of our bodies. For that brief window in time there was nothing else in the world but the two of us.

We were still lying on the comforter wrapped in the others embrace when the sun rose over us. I had been awake for about ten minutes as sun broke the horizon giving enough light to see by. Sindee’s face was a mask of peace and contentment sleeping there in my arms. I listened to the steady rhythm of her breathing, feeling her heart beat in tune with mine. I focused on her features intending to burn this morning into my memory forever. I knew then and there that I would ensure that we survived what was coming so that we could continue to have memories like this one. She slept there in my arms for another hour before opening her eyes and smiling at me. She stretched her body arching her back with a feline grace that stilled my heart and made me want to stay here with her forever. The problem with that, as tempting as it was, came in the fact that if we didn’t leave here and stop the Lich, the future would be very short indeed. What made me all the more concerned was an old story that I believed was called: An Appointment with Death.

Once we got up I led Sindee into the house so we could shower. After we cleaned up and dressed I went back out the private beach and retrieved our clothes and the blanket to bring them inside. I left the comforter at the beach house and took everything else back to Las Vegas with us by using the same type of Correspondence Magick to return to the basement. We arrived back in Las Vegas around noon and gathered the items we needed to stay with Arthur and everyone else at the Existence for the next couple of nights. Our plan was to present a united front against the Lich instead of being in separate location to be taken on piecemeal. Not the greatest plan, but it was the best of bad options.

Sindee and I headed for the Existence as soon as we gathered our things instead of waiting for the evening. We parked on the upper level of the garage and walked across to the private entrance to the apartments that Arthur and his inner circle lived in. When we entered Arthur’s apartment to meet up with him and Jaq he seemed remarkably relaxed and his eyes held a softer sense that what I was used to seeing in them. I looked over to see Jaq with a smile brighter than any I’d seen before lighting her features. It looked as though their day off had been as good for them as Sindee’s and mine had been for us. After my last instance of missing the blindingly obvious I paid attention to the details as I looked over their relaxed states and happy features when I caught a major detail that while a little surprised I was none the less overjoyed.

I stepped up to Arthur took his hand and pulled him in for a brotherly hug before whispering in his ear, “Congratulations.” I kept my voice low as I spoke it because Jaq hadn’t said anything and as far as I could tell Sindee hadn’t noticed it yet. After releasing Arthur from my embrace I crossed over to Jaq and pulled her into a hug, planted a kiss on her cheek and whispered to her as well, “I know we’ll get through tomorrow and you both will have a long happy future together. Congratulations.” I smiled and whispered again, “How long do you think before Sindee figured it out?”

She smiled and started to reply when Sindee let out an excited gasp and shoved me aside gently but quickly. She pulled Jaq into a tight hug; she had a surprising strength packed into her petite frame. She released Jaq and stepped back holding her hands as she looked at the ring Jacqueline was now wearing. Sindee turned her head to catch Arthur in her glance as well as Jaq, “Congratulations to both of you. Both Andrew and I had hope for the two of you as you seemed mad for each other.”

Jaq spoke up before Arthur, “Thank you Sindee. Please don’t mention it to anyone else yet. We planned to tell everyone in due time but you came earlier than we expected.”

Arthur took up where she left off, “Thank you both for your well wishes.” He turned to me, “Andrew, I have to thank you for the unique role you took in introducing us as if you hadn’t chosen push your limits and do things that not many had before Jaq and I might never have crossed paths.” He turned to Sindee, “Thank you for capturing his heart in such a way that his faithfulness and will allowed him to make the hardest choice a person had been presented with and make his way back to you. You are a singular woman in that regard as I firmly believe that there was no one other than you that could have inspired him in the feats his accomplished to return.” He stepped up next to Jacqueline and pulled her against his side as he slid his left arm over her shoulders, “If it weren’t for everything you have both gone through together I wouldn’t…”

Jacqueline interrupted him with a quick, “we wouldn’t.”

Arthur paused and corrected himself, “Right, we wouldn’t, have the happiness we’ve found with each other.” He turned his head to face her and his features again relaxed from the weight of the world he normally seemed to carry in his eyes.

Everyone started to arrive over the next few hours so we could begin preparing for the confrontation we knew was heading our way. Arthur and Jaq made no announcement of their engagement that evening and I noticed that the rind no longer rested on Jacqueline’s finger. I guessed that they intended to announce it once we survived the fight ahead. While more relaxed at the start of the evening the thought of what we were going to face was wearing on everyone’s nerves. The gathering was relatively quiet considering the revelry that usually occurred when you got enough of us together.

Just after sunset that evening, we all headed down from the apartments to the catwalks above the bar and club. The place was as busy as I’d ever seen it, packed wall to wall with supernatural people of so many varying races from awakened humans all the way to a few Fallen. There were races here that couldn’t identify on sight or even upon viewing their auras through magick. I had never seen some of the races represented there that evening. There were Vampires from many different clans and even some types of Vampires that I had never seen before and many different shifters as well. Among the shape shifters were some things I’d never imagined or thought of, there was an alligator shifter, some form of spider shifter. Being exposed to them this way made me realize that every shifter I had ever seen was in some form a predatory creature, never a purely prey animal. I’d have to look more into that later as it made little sense that a large portion of species wouldn’t be represented in the true nature of reality.

While most of us spread out among the catwalks to view the area below, Arthur walked to his preferred position above the divider between the original bar and the dance club areas. At a signal from Arthur the DJ let the current song he was playing complete and quiet to rein over the building. Once the music stopped and the crowd spotted Arthur leaning against the rail above all eyes were on him. He stood straight and looked over everyone in the building in a slow measuring sweep, “Thank you everyone for coming here as my guest and keeping the peace I have tried to ensure for all of you. Tonight I have to close the Existence early and ask that you all leave for your safety. We will be closed for at least the next couple of days. There is something coming that while I am confident that my friends, allies and I will be able to defeat it, we may not be able to protect those here in the building while engaged in the conflict. I know that this situation is unusual as I have never shut down the club without advanced notice before but we needed to keep our plans hidden as much as possible in order to gain every advantage we could.”

Before he finished speaking there was a mumble running throughout the patrons crowded in the building. As her finished speaking someone shouted to him, “We have been coming here under your protection since you opened this place. I’m willing to stay and help if you’ll have me.”

While I had no idea who was speaking Arthur and his knowledge of every customer who ever walked through his doors did and replied to him, “Donovan, while I appreciate the gesture, you do not understand what it is that we’re going to be facing and I have no wish risk your pack losing its Alpha.”

Not dissuaded by Arthur’s reply, Donovan said, “I thank you for your concern in that regard Arthur and for everything you and yours have done with this place for all of us, my pack, family and the friends I’ve made here.” He took a breath and asked, “Before you attempt to send us away or refuse assistance; what is it you are preparing to fight?”

Arthur hung his head for a moment and took a few breaths to center his mind. He then lifted his head to look across the catwalks at those of gathered, meeting my eyes in question. In my mind instead of spoken aloud he asked: Andrew, it was your vision so I’ll leave the choice to you. Do I reveal what we believe is coming and accept those that volunteer or not?

It was a choice I didn’t want to make. On one hand, my friends and I were planning to risk our lives to stop this thing, but we had all accepted that responsibility as the visions were mine and they supported me. While I believed we were going to succeed, I knew that the chances of all of us making it through alive weren’t likely. The thing about it is that we all made the informed choice to be here and fight. When I had asked, rather begged Sindee to let me get her to a safe location away from the fight it hadn’t gone over well. In truth, it went over like a lead balloon. She told me that we were partners, linked by not just our vows and promises but by the very Magick that we wielded and I better understand that here and now. Hearing the pain in her voice and seeing it in her eyes as she told me that she could no more bear losing me than I her. I tried to get each of those I cared for to stay out of this coming fight including Marcus, Kyra and some of the other werewolves that have become members of my family by living on and guarding the land around my home. None would listen, most told me a variation on the same theme; if I was going to place myself between this coming danger and humanity they would be there to support me. Sometimes, having loyal friends can be a bad thing, for them.

On the other hand, the people gathered together in this club were grown beings with their own powers and abilities. Just as I had learned the hard way with Sindee, I knew that each of them had a right to choose their own fates in this coming conflict. After all, if we failed to stop the Lich here they would have to fight it later. I hated the idea of putting someone else at risk for a choice I made. It’s happened a few times too many already. My choosing to enter Sindee’s life and bring her into mine had almost cost her life when that assassin shot me and could have moved on to her. I risked Marcus’s life when he aided me in my seeking and the werewolves found us; that may have worked out well but could easily have been deadly for us both. It may have been my vision and responsibility, but every being here needed to make their own choice to fight or run. I looked back at Arthur, only seconds having passed as those thoughts raced through my mind. Tell them, it’s their right to choose, I replied mentally.

Arthur looked back to the crowed, “While it hasn’t been confirmed directly; the thing that is coming for us is by all indications a Lich.” The silence that fell over the crowd was smothering as everyone stopped breathing at once. Arthur’s announcement hung in the air like a smothering blanket even to those who had no need for breathe. After allowing his statement to sink in for about thirty seconds he continued, “While none of us has ever faced a Lich before, we are aware of the legends around them. We are operating on a worst case scenario for the powers involved. Guessing that it will wield the powers of an Archmage and an Ancient Vampire with fewer weaknesses than either normally has. I have no right and no desire to risk your lives in this battle.”

Donovan spoke up again as murmurs were spreading through the crowd, “While I understand that you have no desire to risk our lives, you built and opened this Elysium to all of us as a safe harbor. You have protected and aided most of us as we found what we needed here. You do have the right to ask even though you won’t. However, you will either have to physically remove me and any of my allies that wish to stay or just accept the help we offer freely.” He turned to four of the people sanding with him and whispered. The two smaller ones gathered up a group of younger and slighter looking people and headed for one of the exits as the other two who looked like brawlers spread out to speak to some of the others around the room.”

As this was going on another voice rose above the crowd from right below Arthur on the club side of the divider, “Arthur, I for one am staying and aiding you. I have sent the young ones away but have also sent a messenger to the Prince of the City to request any aid from our Warrior’s and our Sherriff that are willing,” stated a voice I recognized. I’d met him only once and the situation ended peaceably enough. As far as I was concerned Alexander Angeletti was a most honorable person.

There were many more declarations of aid over the next few minutes from a lot of the people who had been coming here for years. Most of the more recent clientele made for the exits quickly, but a few of them had stayed to offer aid in whatever way they could. In most cases where a pack or other group were here, they send a portion of them to safety while others who had any kind of useful skills, from combat to healing, remained. Arthur spoke to his security staff, the awakened mortals and supernatural beings both, and told them that they were not required to stay for this fight. It is a testament to the man that not a single member even contemplated leaving him. Arthur had no more luck with the members of his inner circle than I had with mine, meaning none.

While everyone was busy making the arrangements they needed to for family and friends that wouldn’t be here, and we started to sort out the volunteers into groups another surprise guest came through the door. Arthur was sitting at his table in the main bar with a bottle of water, taking a few minutes respite before getting back into the mix. It was just about 9PM meaning we had about three hours before the first came upon us and we wanted to be ready at least an hour before that. He sat with his hands around the bottle, back straight and head down as though in prayer. In through the front door walked a stunningly beautiful woman who I’d never seen in there before. She was short, right around five feet tall with waist length red hair highlighted with streaks of black. She had an ethereal quality that practically screamed that she wasn’t human but what she was I couldn’t tell. Looking at her Aura practically blinded me as it was almost as bright as Arthur’s. She walked right up to his table and took the seat right next to his, leaned over and placed a gentle kiss upon his cheek before sitting back in her chair.

Arthur looked up at her, surprised at her appearance by his side evident in his features, “Ynara, what are you doing here?” he asked in a shocked tone. As I’d never even seen him remotely surprised this was a new experience.

“I’m here to help you with what you are going to be facing,” she replied in a voice that sounded like a choir of angels.

“Ynara, you need to leave. I have put you under my protection for as long as you are in this city and this coming battle is not something that I can guarantee your safety from if you are here,” he was almost pleading as her spoke to her.

“Arthur, you placed me under your protection eight years ago at a time when I had not gained my power and knew nothing of my history let alone all that I know now. You only knew that my mother was a Fallen and that my Father had been an Archmage of great power and legend even though no one could name him. You have saved my life from many people that have tried to draw me back to Los Angeles as well as darker more dangerous places. Since that first time you protected me I have been gaining in power and learning a lot more of my past. I’ve learned that my mother while Fallen was one of the Angels of Creation whose name I will not give as the names of angels and demons have a power of their own. I have gained many of the powers of Angels. Along with those powers I gained the responsibility to use them properly. You were praying for help and aid in the coming fight and I have the ability to provide that aid. I am now removing myself from your protection and placing this sanctuary in mine for the coming battle.” She left no room for argument in the entire statement.

Arthur looked up at her, “I wasn’t actually praying, just hoping for a miracle. Please reconsider your stand on this.”

Ynara simply smiled, “My stand is firm and as you are the man I know you to be, you will accept that and I thank you for it. I have one more thing I’d like to share with you and any who you trust as family.”

Arthur looked up into her face, “Are you sure you wish to share whatever it is with all of those I consider family?”

“Yes Arthur as it pertains to them in a way,” was her reply, while cryptic sounding she also seemed genuine in her statement.

Arthur called many of us over to his table. Sitting around the table filling all the seats was a motley group of individuals. Of course Arthur sat in his normal seat with Ynara on his left and Jaq to his right. To Jaq’s right was Sam followed by George with Talia beside him. JD and Guido took the next two seats after Talia. Elayna and Jarvis took the chairs to Ynara’s left side. Arthur called Sindee and I over and requested we take the last two chairs at the table.

I looked Arthur in the eyes, “This seems to be a gathering of your chosen family and I wouldn’t want to intrude upon it.”

Sindee spoke as I finished, “Andrew is right, we don’t want to intrude but are honored by the offer.”

Arthur simply smiled at both of us and replied, “You two are both more than welcome and I consider you family as much as anyone else here. Because of both of you, Jaq and I have found each other and the happiness we share. You have both put yourselves in the path of danger to protect humanity and have included me and mine among your family as well. Please, sit and share in what Ynara has to tell me and all of you, my chosen family.”

There was nothing else for either of us to say. I pulled out Sindee’s chair and slid it back in as she sat before taking my own next to her.

Ynara looked around the table at all of us there before speaking, “Since you placed me under your protection and my studies began I started looking into my past to learn as much about myself and my capabilities as possible. Among the knowledge I searched for was the identity of my Fallen mother and the name of the Archmage that fathered me. I already mentioned who and what my mother turned out to be. In accepting my powers and using them responsibly when I’ve been called upon I was granted a boon. I was granted the knowledge I sought about my father. As it was said he was a very powerful Archmage which contributed to the power that I can wield. He fought to protect those in danger of being harmed by the Ascension War. His is an example that I have been proud to live up to and will continue to do so. Some time ago he changed his focus from the Ascension War to the protection of not just humanity but of reality itself,” as she was explaining all of this her eyes moved around the table to each of us. She then turned to face Arthur directly, “Some time ago you became something more than a Mage or Archmage. You had met a woman who aided when your own Magick had started to go out of control, changing you and drawing you away from this plane. What you didn’t know until later is that you were fighting your own Ascension.”

Everyone at the table turned to stare at Arthur. He nodded slightly and then spoke up, “At the time, it felt as though it was tearing me apart as I had things that still needed to be accomplished. Once I found out what I gave up I was almost crushed by the knowledge.”

Ynara continued, “Before I continue I must ask your permission Arthur as it will reveal parts of your history that you may have not yet shared.” He simply nodded his permission. “During the time of your depression you had withdrawn some from most of the family seated here with you. You were a man out of time, taken back into a timeframe to fulfill an ancient prophesy before you could return back her on your own. You managed to ensure that the prophecy was fulfilled without the destruction that was foretold within. You were then shortly returned to this timeline on the day you had left it originally. While still suffering emotionally at having given up Ascension for the good of humanity you had gained powers that weren’t those of any Mage or Archmage you’d heard of. You started to use those powers and the advantages they gave you to fight for the people of this time. After one of those fights you were severely injured and none of the Magick or talismans seemed able to aid you. You were dying, slowly and you weren’t fighting it because of the turmoil between your mind, body, spirit and Avatar. Your family watched over you, trying to help while you wasted away in silence. A singular woman, unlike anyone you had ever met walked in to the bar and requested to see you. She entered your room alone and sat at your side. She gave you a choice, to die in peace or to fight for life and she would help you. Thankfully you were and are a Warrior and refused to lay there and die in bed. Once you made the choice, she stripped and joined you in the bed becoming your lover only once. When she left you had never heard from her again. With no name and no trace of her to use magick to find her you were unable to even look. From there you began to build on to the Existence and created the Elysium it is today. What I’m here to tell you in two things. First the woman who healed you was a Fallen in all way but one. She was not a demon cast from heaven; she was an Angel who had chosen to fall and come to your aid as she had been watching over you from your Awakening. The second thing is that after leaving here, the body she had created was fully human and found herself with child. Years passed as we travelled and she hid me away from the Fallen and any others who would try to kill me or use me for their own means. She was finally killed right after sending me to Las Vegas for protection. I came to this city with protection offered by many of the races that share this city. I had found the Existence on a night when I was at one of my lowest points. You welcomed me in and sat with me, letting me talk about what bothered me. You held no judgment and offered compassion to me as a stranger, welcoming me in as you did any who come to you. Not long after you protected me from those who were sent to drag me back to Los Angeles placing me under your personal protection that night while I was still a stranger to you. Since then you had protected me, aided me and even taught me to control the Magick part of my abilities.” Tears rolled down eyes the deep blue of a twilight sky with tiny flashes of red, “You had always treated me with respect and kindness. Sitting before you now with the knowledge I have gained I am proud to call you my father if you’ll have me?”

Nobody spoke, nor did we breathe as we were floored by the revelation of her story. Arthur’s eyes had tears flowing from them as he stood up and pulled the beautiful young woman into his embrace, “Ynara, had I known there would have been nothing to stop me from claiming you as my daughter. Despite, or maybe because of the hardships in your life you were a remarkable girl who has forged herself into a strong, incredible woman. You are of my blood and I only wish that I had thought of that before this day. I didn’t because I had been using magick to maintain myself sterile until I found the woman to spend my life with.” He turned them both to allow him to see Jaq’s face over her shoulder. With a look of silent communication between them, Jaq nodded to Arthur. He continued, “Ynara, as you are my daughter and know all save three of my chosen family I have some very important introductions for you. First I’d like you to meet Andrew and Sindee, while new to my family they are important to me in many ways.”

Ynara smiled at us, “It’s my pleasure to meet you both. Anyone that can earn his respect, trust and love to be included as family must be exceptional people.”

Before Sindee or I could speak to answer her Arthur continued, “The other person I’d like you to meet was introduced to me by Andrew and Sindee.” He reached down and took her hand in his, aiding Jaq in standing up. “Ynara, this fine woman is Jacqueline Dupree and she is my Fiancé,” at this declaration most of the other jaws at the table dropped as another shock was piled onto all the other revelations that evening.

Jaq kissed Arthur on his cheek quickly before turning to Ynara, “I am happy to meet you Ynara, and more than excited that the two of you found each other. In the short time I’ve known Arthur he has shown himself to be one of the most loving and honorable men I’ve ever known. I hope that we’ll be friends and would enjoy it if you would consider me family as well.”

Ynara released the arm that was still holding onto Arthur and pulled Jaq into a tight embrace, “Any woman who could capture Arthur’s heart must be exceptional and we will be friends as well as family.”

While the recent discussion was important and we all wanted to remain at Arthur’s table for the night there was much to do and little time left. While we had been in discussion Marcus and the others had gotten all of our volunteers organized and positioned where they would best be able to support each one of the primary combatants. We spread around the club in small groups, taking shifts to rest with someone from each group always on watch to wake the others when the shit hit the fan. Arthur went up to his apartment and returned just as the clock struck midnight. He was wearing a pair of black denim jeans and a silver silk shirt. He had a shoulder and tactical thigh holster on his right that I could see through his open leather duster. On his right hip above and back from the holster was a scabbard. The hilt matched that of the sword he brought to my home when we created the node. Jaq was standing on the catwalk with him wearing black slacks, a robin’s egg blue blouse with her shoulder holster and a knife sheathed at the belt. Sam was walking the catwalks restlessly wearing shirt, pants, boots, and duster all in black leather. She was her sword across her back and was armed with knives and other blades as well. JD was wearing a set of katana or similar sword across his back looking incongruous with the suit he was wearing. Elayna and Jarvis sat together quietly in the corner, whispering that no one could here. She was wearing a peasant blouse and flowing skirt, not carrying any weapons she most likely was going to be using her teeth and claws. Jarvis was wearing studded leather armor and holding five foot long war maul, both of which appeared to be well maintained originals, not modern reproductions. George and Talia were sitting together on the catwalks on the side of the building with the garage; they would shift and fight with tooth and claw as well as the powers their wielded. Marcus and Kyra were keeping the healers and some of the other volunteers company, he would be using his magick to aid in the fight and defending them to make sure those of us on the front line were kept healed and alive. I tried to get Sindee to join them as her healing gift was unequaled in my experience. Her argument was simple; she was a capable fighter and could keep herself healed so that they could focus on the rest of us. Roarke was up on the catwalks with his sword on his hip, the primium possibly giving us an advantage over the Lich. While Primium is effective against Mages and many forms of magick, vampiric powers operate on other principles so it won’t be once hundred percent capable of rendering his abilities useless. I sat with Sindee in a couple of chair nearest the spot when I felt the focus of the resonance signature when I checked for it in my vision, the first line of defense. She was dressed in jeans, a Kermit-green t-shirt and had several knives sheathed at her waist and wrists. I was wearing a pair of old comfortable blue jeans, a black t-shirt with a decal saying: I’m not trying to be difficult (it comes naturally). I had a few knives on me but mostly planned to use magick in the fight. I had been working on perfecting some of my older rotes as well as creating a few new ones as a surprise for our enemies.

We sat and waited. Our perception of time stretched and slowed as we waited for the end to come, seconds feeling like hours ticking on the clock. The quiet that filled the building grated on most of our nerves and making us weary. It was almost dawn when the main doors were smashed from the hinges as a cool wind flowed into the club behind the crushed doors. Every one of us jumped to our feet, ready to fight what was coming……………


Chapter 23


Everyone in the Existence tensed as the doors flew from their hinges into the bar and all eyes were directed to the doorway. The silence that followed the crash of the doors was deafening, then a slow click, click, click was heard. It was the sound of a measured pace walking through the entryway into the bar itself. I’d like to tell you that the face of evil was as hideous as her soul was black but I’d be lying to you. As they say, the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn’t exist.

The woman that entered the building was tall, close to six feet and maybe taller. She had the athletic build of a runner or swimmer judging by the toned muscles in her legs and arms. Her short wavy hair, the color of dark chocolate hung wildly around her head ending just before he shoulders. Her features were a mask of serene beauty marred only by the deep red glow from her eyes. In those eyes you could see the depraved evil running through her mind. It sent a chill down the spines of all who looked into them.

Following her through the door were at least forty other vampires, her children and the beginning of and army. She strode up to where she stood even with Arthur’s table before looking up to the catwalks and meeting his eyes. “Arthur Masters, you and Andrew Graves must stay, but anyone else who values their life should leave now,” she stated calmly as though she was conversing and not threatening everyone in the building and the city.

Arthur was our current spokesman as it was his place, “Madam, you will want to leave here in peace. This place is my home and an Elysium, do not violate the laws of Elysium and we will not be forced to stop you.”

Her laugh was sharp and the contempt could have cut like glass, “None of you are a threat and even together you haven’t the power to slow let alone stop me. I will march through here and leave your corpses for all to find. My enemies will learn to fear me and give in before we fight with your deaths.”

As Arthur was speaking all of those here to fight moved into the Club area, scattering across the catwalks and floor area to get in position. In stood at the center of the dance floor with Sindee at my back in preparation to stop her from the casting I sensed in my vision. Tapping into the magick I created swords made of magick; unlike the original rote that was only Primal and Forces Magicks I added Entropy, Spirit and Correspondence magick to the spell. I shared the rote with Arthur alone as he agreed with me that the power should be forgotten at the end of the battle if we survived. We both cast a contingency spell on our memory to lock away the rote except in times where it may be the only solution. The reason for these actions was a precaution against our own corruption. The original rote allowed the Mage to inflict damage to any being, supernatural or mortal that would need to be healed at mortally slow or to expend vast amount s of power. While those would be effective against most enemies, Vampire and Mage alike, a Lich may have greater healing abilities from the combination or Mage and Vampire magic. I studied and reworked the rote into this new form incorporating the addition three areas of magick with the intent of not only harming the Lich, but to possibly allow me to sever the Lich’s twisted connection to its Avatar. This would either free or destroy the Avatar and either option was better than leaving it enslaved to such a twisted creature as a Lich. While the fact remained that if the rote were successful, the power to remove a Mage’s access to magick shouldn’t be in anyone’s hands.

Arthur met her bloody gaze and said, “You leave us no choice but to stop you here and now.”

Her response while simple caused all hell to break loose within the Existence, “So be it.” At those words the horde of vampires following her rushed past and into the club where our own forces awaited. The battle was on and I had nothing to do for the time being but fight.

The security staff opened fire on the attackers from the catwalks, taking the time to aim for the heads and hearts in order to make a kill shot more likely. The muzzle flashes from those weapons gave an eerie feel to the battle to go along with the silenced weapons and the screams and sounds of struggle. The initial fights ended quickly as our numbers were close to even with those arrayed against us; we had more powerful allies than the new vampires she had brought with her. While the initial fighting went in our favor it wasn’t without cost. Many of the security staff had been swarmed after they opened fire costing us five of them as well as two vampires that had stayed to aid us. There were many others wounded and healing quickly to take her on.

From behind her more vampires and other creatures appeared through the front doors. She spoke again, “They were just pawns, too weak to make much of a difference to my army. You have chosen to stand and defy me, for that you will all die.” She charged into the fight followed by to many soldiers for me to count in the moments before the fight began anew.

Arthur grabbed his sword and leapt from the catwalks into her path as Roarke did the same behind her. She produced a paired set of swords from the air. While they were summoned by magick they were steel as the ring for her swords meeting theirs rang throughout the room. That was the last sight I had of the three of them for some time as I engaged those attacking Sindee and I, however I could hear the ring of crossing steel while I fought.

A tall lean being charged at me, what he was I didn’t know; only that he was there to try and kill me. His fingers morphed into long sharp and jagged claws the he swung for my neck with his right hand when he got close enough. I slid back just out of his reach before I dropped into a sweep of his legs. He had moved before I was halfway through the spin causing me to miss completely. As I finished my turn I saw him dropping down towards me with both hands ready to drive the talons through my head and chest. I was trying to bring my swords around before he got there but knew I wasn’t going to be fast enough. At the last possible moment he was suddenly thrown back and down to the floor by some force I didn’t see. I turned my head to see Sindee with her left hand extended towards him and realized that she saved my life. I used the crouch I was in to make a small leap above my enemy, driving the two magick bladed through the creatures head and let the energy burn him to cinders and ash before removing them. I spun to see Sindee fighting someone wielding a knife. The person seemed to be mortal but that was through my awareness with no additional information from sensory magick as I was conserving my power for the Lich if it came to that. I turned to move and aid her when she stepped inside of her opponents reach and drove her knife up through his chin with the blade piercing the top of the skull. I moved rapidly, placing us back to back to allow us to defend the spot where the Lich’s spell was to be cast. I tapped into my magick and our connection as I felt her do the same. We used our combined magick and the bond we shared to bring our minds together. The result was that we moved and fought as though we were one being and not two, using the skills and knowledge the other had as if we had learned it. Sindee tapped into my knowledge of spells and casting as I pulled from her knowledge of anatomy and healing. Our combined combat training was invaluable because it opened more possibilities for each of us.

The sounds of battle around us suggested that the fighting was not going well for either side and I offered a prayer for my friends and allies as we continued the battle. As Sindee’s and my muscles began to tire I pulled on the magick to refresh our bodies and we continued the battle. At some point I heard the sound a metal shattering over the noise of conflict followed by a scream of rage and pain. I felt a pressure wave burst across the combatants as many were knocked off their feet. Sindee or I, and there was no way for us to tell as deeply linked as we were, cast a quick forces spell allowing us to absorb and convert the kinetic energy of the pressure into useable energy for our bodies. We both moved around to the enemies around us who were felled by the blast wave and delivered killing blows. It was at this point that I realized I was no longer wielding twin blades of magick as one of them was in Sindee’s hand; somehow we had managed to transfer the control of a rote she had no knowledge of to her hand along with the ability to wield it as a sword. At that moment I was able to spot Ynara across the room, she had been surrounded by several vampires and was barely holding them back. I prepared to move to her aid when a pure golden pillar of light surrounded her body; she lifted from the floor with her arms spread wide, hair floating like a burning aura around her and the glow spread out to encompass the enemies attacking her. One moment she was under siege by no less than a dozen vampires and the next a cloud of ash was floating to the ground.

Since vampires don’t usually turn to as when destroyed I had no idea what just happened to them and had more important things to worry about at the moment as I was caught in the left shoulder by four raking claws. With a pulse of magick I sealed the wound, not taking the time or energy needed to heal it completely and spun my weapon into a reversed grip, driving it back through my attackers chest before slicing downward splitting it from heart to groin spilling organs and blood to the ground. As I performed the downward stroke Sindee spun whipping her weapon through and severing the head from the rest of its body. The fight continued like this for what felt like forever as the bodies from both sides piled up. As fast as the bodies were compiled so was the list of injuries sustained as well. After finally getting a break in the fighting I was once again able to spot the others in the fight. Roarke was laying against the divider on the club side of the glass, blood staining the right side of his face and neck and his eyes were closed. Marcus was trying to heal those knocked out of the fight near him in the back of the room while Kyra was defending their position. Most of the security staff on the catwalks was either dead or at least out of the fight as there were no living enemies up there with them. Sam was a whirling dervish of fangs, claws and steel as she cut through those that attacked her. JD was out of the fight leaning against a wall near the corner, his head turned away so that I couldn’t see his face, but the white shirt he wore was now crimson with blood that I didn’t know if it was his or from those he killed. George was in the war form of the werewolves fighting with a rage that even frightened me as Talia lay at his feet, eyes closed and in human form. Jarvis was in the back corner near the sublevel access to his and Elayna’s residence standing between her injured form and any who tried to get near her. I spotted many of our allies bodies among those of our enemies including more than half of Donovan’s pack members that stayed and a few of Alexander’s warriors and children. A half dozen of the bodies belonged to members on Talia’s pack from my land and were scatter among the bodies that surrounded hers. Arthur was still fighting the Lich, he was covered in numerous scratches and cut from her swords. He was unable to seal them, let alone heal because he was wielding not only his sword but Roarke’s Primium weapon as well.

With a thought I passed all that to Sindee and rushed to aid Arthur against the Lich. As I approached I crafted a new spell on the fly and cast it out to the room at my enemies that lay injured and dying. I used Mind, Life and Prime in this casting and performed a spell that would haunt me for the rest of my life, but chose to do it and would do so again to save the lives of my friends and allies. I used mind to search out and identify those who were my enemy and would be susceptible to my magick, those unprotected and unable to counter it. I then used the power of life to latch onto the energy of their bodies drawing it in and used Prime to rip from them the Quintessence that bound all things to reality and was the power behind Magick. While the energy was drawn in and healed my injuries, the horror at what I had just done made me want to vomit the dreams, hopes and thoughts of sentient beings passed through me in the instant their souls were shredded from reality. That kind of power could corrupt, but the horror would ensure that I never attempted the spell on a sentient being ever again. I used the vast energy reserve that I pulled in after healing my injuries to cast a powerfully charges counter spell around myself against the magick of everyone else but Sindee and Arthur as I joined the fray with the Lich. Sindee released her hold on the rote in our mind returning my second sword to my control and I blocked a swing from the Lich. I fought defensively against her until I could interpose my body between her and Arthur. I used my body to shove Arthur back and out of this fight towards Sindee to allow him to recover and heal before he came back in. I immediately felt a spell blasted at me from the Lich and the shock on her features when the spell failed to destroy me was priceless.

She came at me harder and faster with her weapons when the magick failed using both the speed granted from magick as well as Vampiric powers. I was able to keep up because of the natural speed of my body and my magick for the most part but she landed a number of scratched and slices that I could take no more time than to just seal them if I were to stay alive in this fight. As she drew her blade across my right thigh, cutting deep into the muscle barely missing the femoral artery I managed to get a strike past her defenses, driving the blade into left shoulder joint, disrupting her attack on my leg. The growl of pain and rare as she released her sword was deafening. Her shoulder and arm went limp and black ichor flowed from the wound. She released her other sword and pushed my chest so had that I flew twenty feet back across the room and landed on the center bar before falling to the floor behind it smashing my head into the metal sink on the way down.

I opened my eyes to Arthur’s face above me as he grabbed my arm to pull me to my feet. I surveyed the rest of the scene quickly before deciding a course of action. Sam was still entrenched within a swarm of enemies while George was in the clear but distracted, cradling Talia’s body against his chest with tears flowing. JD still hadn’t moved from where he lay in the corner while Roarke was no longer where I spotted him last, but I couldn’t see where he got to. Jarvis and Elayna were gone, but the security door blocking their daylight retreat was in place. Kyra was ripping apart anything that got near her as she stood over Marcus; I couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive from where I stood all the spells I had running dropped upon my losing conscious as I went over the bar. Alexander and Donovan were both tied up with the continued fighting as they were attacked; they fought as a team Vampire and Werewolf who outside of the Existence would have been more likely to be killing one another. Sindee was circling the Lich, using magick and speed to stay just outside of her reach but not letting her have time to cast the spell. Jaq was back up and moving on the catwalks grabbing the fallen guard’s weapons and taking shots as targets presented themselves. When Sindee backed away from the Lich Jaq would take a shot at it, giving her no time to do more than fight. As I watch the Lich sent a burst of magick towards Jaq who attempted to counter a spell directed at her. This failed as the magick was directed at the catwalk, as it hit and twisted the metal screamed and Jaq was thrown over the railing. As she plummeted to the floor Arthur disappeared from beside me to catch her. The impact put both of them out of the fight for now.

The Lich spun and focused her attentions on Sindee and I felt the power being drawn for another spell. I recast the rote I used for my swords as I used correspondence to interpose myself between the Lich and Sindee. The Lich’s spell hit my weapons and drove me to my knees. I pushed back against the energy directing it towards the floor. As I fought it to the floor to protect myself and Sindee I opened myself for attack. The Lich grabbed be, pulled me to my feet with my back spun to be against her chest. She sank her fangs into my neck from behind and a sense of peace and rapture flowed through me. I had no mental defenses in place to stop the effects of the Kiss from a Vampires bite. While our minds were linked Sindee was unaffected by the Kiss and I felt an inspiration flash into her mind. Sindee tapped into her Avatar and mine fed power to her as well through the connection we shared. She used her incredible knowledge and power of Life with the understanding of Prime she pulled from my Avatar then altered the rote I used to erase the assassin from reality into an entirely new casting. She reached out and grabbed the Lich’s face in her hands and shoved the spell through the physical connections of her hands and the sympathetic magick of my blood that she drank to bypass any counter spells the Lich may have been able to cast. Sindee’s spell was a flash of pure inspiration and served to save my life as she obliterated and erased that which made the Lich a Vampire from her body. As soon as that was done I was released from the Kiss and was now fighting a powerful yet twisted mage. As I was freed from the kiss and the Lich screamed as the twisted connection to her Avatar shattered at it freed itself. The backlash of the magick released burnt the Lich’s body from the inside out until all that was left was a pile of petrified ash. Moments after watching the end of the Lich I passed out again as blood flowed from the tear in my neck.

I was healed and came to several hours later lying in the spare bedroom of Arthur’s apartment above the Existence with Sindee a warm presence beside me. I was still completely drained of energy and unable to move much but forced myself to turn and look at Sindee. She was sitting up beside me with her back against the wall running her hands lightly through my hair. I managed a weak smile before falling back into a deep sleep as my body healed and regenerated the blood loss. When I woke again I was alone in the room but able to move. I got up and grabbed the robe someone left hanging behind the door for me before I headed out into the living room of the apartment. The room was as full as I’d ever seen it and the expressions were somber with some hope behind them. The fallen members of our groups could be spotted by their absence in this gathering. Arthur and Jaq were sitting together in a slightly oversized chair, bodies together as she hugged in and provided support for his losses. Sam was standing against the back wall of the room, he somber look etched with anger and pain at the members who were missing from this gathering. George and Kyra sat alone in another corner of the room, both supporting the other as the tears of loss filled their eyes and tried to crush their spirits. Elayna sat in a chair on her own with a lost expression on her face; Roarke stood behind her with his hand on her shoulder as Jarvis usually did. Ynara had been sitting on the sofa when I walked in but moved to George and Kyra to help comfort them. Sindee was sitting on the love seat looking at me with love and sorrow as I crossed the room to her. We had lost Marcus, JD, Talia, Guido and Jarvis in the battle. While Jarvis was a quiet presence in most settings her was the person who always made sure everyone was taken care of when we gathered. He always had a friendly word and a smile for you. Guido was a true Italian in that he made you feel at home when he was around which is an interesting talent for a cleaner, but he treated everyone who at from his kitchen as though they were the very idea of family to him. Talia was a loss to many of us, kind and strong in spirit she was able to help others work through that which was hurting them and she had grown so close to George I felt for him and Kyra both. JD was something of an enigma to me, his playful manner and noble attitude made him stand apart from the man you assumed he was when first introduce and his loss was a shock as he seemed to pull off an attitude that made him seem untouchable in the time I’d known him. The most painful blow to me at the moment was Marcus. He was the first Mage who I found and taught me well in not just how to use my powers by why to use them. He used to quote to me in Latin a simple axiom that I took to heart; the translation of which is: What is a man is he doesn’t make the world better. That and other lessons have helped me use my magick responsibly and without malice as much as possible and remains part of the reason for my horror at gathering the quintessence from sentient beings, even if they were trying to kill me. We sat like that for a few hours, silently mourning the dead each in our own way when Arthur finally spoke up.

He raised his head and drew Jaq towards him, kissing her and holding her tighter. He then turned to face everyone in the room, “We fought and won at a great personal cost to all of us. Among those who fought with us and fell were some of the people closest to our hearts; family to us in the truest sense of the word. I feel a hollow wound inside where each of them resided but I also know that JD would be here kicking my ass and telling me to think about better times and get this place reopened. I’d like to tell you how JD and I met and share some of the other stories we all have. I would like for all of you to know them as I did and to hear all of your stories of them as well.”

With that he proceeded to tell the tales of how he met each of those he lost with the exception of Jarvis as that was Elayna’s story to tell. JD and Arthur had met when JD had walked into the Existence when it was still a bar. JD was a hunter at the time and was tracking down a dangerous vampire named Red who had been traveling across the country leaving behind a trail of bodies. Arthur was able to get some information to JD and while that hunt was unsuccessful as Red had already been chased out of Las Vegas by others JD had other targets present themselves. He had initially been planning to leave the city after a couple of weeks when a new problem presented itself, or more precisely two groups of problems. The first was a group of Anarchs, vampires that followed no laws or organization, from LA where JD had grown up and started his hunting. Problem number two was another group of Hunters who had found out about JD’s own paranormal abilities and decided that a supernatural being with knowledge of the inner workings of hunters was a threat that needed to be eliminated. Arthur gave him sanctuary and aided JD in setting up the anarchs and the hunters in fighting each other. JD was always the one to offer the enemy sarcasm and confusion when they fought together and was an expert strategist for Arthur’s team. Sam told us of weapons training and how JD had been banned from using firearms in her presence after managing to shoot her while at a gun range. George related some of the pranks that JD had pulled on the Ragabash, werewolves who made their first change under the new moon making them the tricksters and scouts among the ranks. He managed a slight smile when he explained there were few who could pull the wool over their eyes.

Arthur then spoke of Guido with the simplest explanation. Guido had been hired to hunt down and kill Arthur. Arthur got a last second warning as Guido attacked and managed to win the fight. At his loss Guido was willing to submit to death or any other punishment Arthur had to offer and explained that if he lived the contract was void and would never be attempted again. Arthur asked who had sent him and Guido refused to tell him. Guido told Arthur that while he was a cold blooded killer, he had his honor and reputation and would not betray a client. That was good enough for Arthur and he hired him to work at the bar and to aid him in the wars he fought. None of Guido’s employers had ever respected him and that enforced more loyalty than any amount of money ever could. Guido had grown up with is Great Grandmother, Grandmother, mother and sisters surrounding him. There were no other men in the house as their professions caused them to meet an early end so while he worked hard outside the home and learning to fight he also spent much time learning to cook from all of the women he lived with as he was the youngest child and by a gap of ten years from the youngest of his sisters.

Elayna picked up where Arthur left off and told of Jarvis. She had been living in England in the early fifteen hundreds and worked as a bar maid when in the middle of a cold winter night a stranger arrived seeking shelter in the tavern. Her father had let him in and set a place by the fire for this stranger. He had not been human and during the night he had killed her father and locked her inside the building with him. He spent the next few nights using her and doing things that she wouldn’t speak of. After about a week he had tired of playing games with an easily injured mortal and decided to turn her. This was another form of torture as he gave her only enough blood to make the turn and keep her alive. He would then tie her to a chair and stand in the show behind the door and open and close it during the day letting the sun burn into her. At night he would hunt and bring people she knew back and force her to feed on and kill them. As it was deep in winter there were few travelers and people weren’t noticed to be missing until a couple weeks had past. This stranger had inflicted upon her great mental, emotional and physical pain for his own sick amusement. A night finally came when the stranger was out hunting that a lone soldier, a scout was sent to check on the farms, villages and people when word stop coming to the castle about them. This scout entered through the taverns unlocked door to find her tied to the chair again with her face and chest covered in the blood of the body at her feet. He moved toward her and she looked up, eyes feral and fangs bared in a hiss. The soldier moved away and stood beside the door studying her. She was barely aware of her surroundings and the stranger had drained most of the blood from the body before giving it to her having left just enough for her to survive on. She fought to focus on the stranger before her did more to harm her. She fought hard past the blood lust and rage in herself to gain focus when she spotted the soldier standing against the wall beside the closed door. She could smell his skin and blood and hear his heartbeat from across the room. She closed her eyes and used the steady beat to gain focus and control from the blood lust. The front door swung open hiding the soldier behind it as the stranger entered with the body of a young girl she knew from a neighboring farm in his arms. The child was still breathing and just appeared to be asleep in the monsters arm. The stranger crossed the room to stand right before Elayna and placed the small child in her lap, seating the girls night right where Elayna could simply lean down and bite, drinking her fill until it killed the child. Elayna fought with every ounce of control she had not to hurt the child in her lap. While she fought for that control the soldier charged up behind the stranger and swung for his head with hammer her carried. The stranger caught the sound just in time to stop the soldiers attack and lifted him off the floor by his neck. Seeing the soldier in danger and knowing that he was there to help her and could save the little girl Elayna gathered bloodlust and rage and focused it on the stranger. She ripped her arms through the bonds that held her in the chair and attacked the stranger from behind. She jumped onto his back and sank her teeth into his neck and drank of him until her was an empty husk and she kept drinking, pulling everything she could from him. When she finally released him it was to see the soldier who had come to help dying, a wound in his neck spilling his blood across the floor. She remembered that the stranger had forced his blood upon her to force the change and decided to save this soldier the same way. She bit into her own wrist and forced her blood from it into the soldier’s mouth; she pinched his nose to force him to swallow it. Almost instantly the wound in his neck sealed and continued to heal as more of her blood flowed into his mouth. He didn’t change into the same thing she was however and she didn’t understand. She moved across the room away from both the soldier and the child to keep herself from further harming either of them. At sunrise she moved into the dark cellar where the grains and ales were stored to hide away from the burning sunlight. The Soldier took the girl back to her farm and family who were starting to search for her and returned to the Tavern. He went down into the cellar and sat across from Elayna. He thanked her for saving his life and the girls and told his name was Jarvis. That evening after sundown, they burned the tavern to the ground and left together, travelling in the night. It was months later when she ran into another like the stranger, however this being didn’t attack and harm but explained to her what she now was and the laws of their kind. She asked why Jarvis hadn’t been changed like she had and her new teacher explained how a turning works and the effects of her blood on a living being. She told Jarvis that if she gave him some of her blood on a regular basis he would stop aging as she had and be able to stay with her as long as he wanted to. Since that night they had been together, master and slave to most Vampires and outsiders but husband and wife to between them and their family. Together for over five hundred years. Pink tinged tears flowed gently down her cheeks as she recounted the tale and I had newfound respect for the good man we lost and the woman who loved him.

George and Kyra we unable to speak past their grief so related how I met Talia and the way things worked out for all of us. After that I explained my history with Marcus to everyone here. Most had heard the tales but it was nice to repeat them and think of better times.

Ynara moved around the room to each of us in turn offering a gentle hug, a kiss on the cheek. She spread compassion, comfort and warmth as she moved between each of us. After going to Jaq and Arthur she stepped back and turned to face everyone in the room, “Thank you for sharing the stories of your friends and family with me. Though I didn’t know them I feel I do now and mourn their loss to you and to the world. I wish I could stay and continue to help you, but for now I must be going. Before I do however I have a message for all of you from the Ascendant who created this plane.” Her voice changed into a neutral tone and filled with power, “You have all done well here tonight and need to rebuild your families and lives as in time you may be called upon again. You have all stood before the darkness and protected those that couldn’t stand against it and I will see you and your friends in my care until the time comes for you to join them or them to rejoin you.”

We all looked over at her in amazement as for whoever was speaking it wasn’t Ynara. Moments after the voice faded Ynara stepped away and disappeared. We all sat and comforted each other for the rest of night then slept the day away. When evening once again came upon us we decided it was time to get motivated and moving. We headed down to the club in order to begin the cleaning and repairs that were needed. As we reached the foot of the stairs we found that everything had been cleaned, the bodies removed, the catwalk and doors repaired and the walls were being repainted. Those that remained of our allies in the fight filled the room along with their people. They were working on getting the Existence back into top shape for Arthur.

Alexander and Donovan walked over towards us. Alexander was the first to speak, “None of us knew how to thank you for placing your home and family in the path of the Lich. While we all lost people in this fight, all of you lost family. Doing this here was at least a start towards showing the depth of our feeling in regards to their sacrifices.” His voice trailed off.

Donovan picked up from there, “While what we are doing her is just a start we have other news. Word of what happened here is spreading through the supernatural races and communities in this city and possibly further. I can tell you that most of the shifter packs and communities are arranging to meet with the vampire’s Prince and other leaders in Las Vegas to set a peace within the city between all the races. While conflicts may not stop entirely we hope you’ll remain here to help the involved partied work through them as you have been.”

Alexander picked up again as Donovan finished. Her turned to face Sindee and I directly, “You both my personal gratitude and that of the Prince and Sheriff. They have already spread the word to all of the Vampires within the city that you are inviolate along with your land, the hospital where you work and those who work or live there are also protected. You each may also call in a favor from the Sheriff and from the Prince and they will grant it if it is within their power.” He turned to Arthur, “The Prince and Sheriff have also told me to tell you the same in regard to the favor. All of your staff and family are also no inviolate while outside the club as you had them protected within. The Prince also has a personal request of you. He requests the use of the Existence as a location to negotiate the proposed agreements between the races as you have always treated as neutral territory and that you act as a moderator in the event tempers flare. That means that you will be able to act to stop any violence, including acting against him without repercussion.”

Arthur looked Alexander in the eyes before replying, “You can rest assured that I will continue to run the Existence as I always have and that I think it is a fine location for the talks. As for the personal request; it would be my honor to aid in capacity your highness.” All eyes shifted to Alexander as a shocked expression crossed his features before he could control it, “Yes Alexander, I’ve known for quite a while who you really are. You’ve been welcome here as you followed the rules and respected all of my people including Elayna as she is a vampire within the city, who never reported to you, you had the right of your laws to censure her when she was outside of the Existence. As I know that you both spoke on many occasions at events that you attended and have always been kind you had my respect and the friendship I offered you here was and in quite genuine.”

Elayna looked between Arthur and Alexander with some confusion before facing Arthur first, “You knew he was the Prince and that I didn’t and chose not to tell me?” Without waiting for an answer from him she turned to Alexander, “And you!! You’re the Prince and didn’t feel that I should be told. I have treated you with respect, but there were times that I was downright rude to you due to your behavior.”

Alexander was the first to respond as he cut Arthur off, “I chose not to tell you because I respected your spirit and your way of thinking. As for your being rude to me, I was here in your home and was not respectful of the bond you shared with Jarvis. I can see how his loss is hurting you and wish there was something I could do about that. I was also here as most others are, to enjoy the anonymity and freedom of an Elysium that catered to all walks of life and am thankful that Arthur didn’t reveal my secret to anyone. His revealing now was not an issue because as soon as the talks began I would have to identify myself. The man that most Vampires who enter this city meet, those that will most likely see the Prince only once is my seneschal who is being trained and prepared to run a city himself someday.”

The rest of the night and the next couple of weeks flashed passes as we helped Arthur repair and restock the Existence. After the manual labor was done we started to interview new staff with him. Most of the security force had been killed or injured so severely that they retired. There were applicants from all walks of life, awakened mortal mercenaries, shifters that had lost pack members in the fighting, vampires who were soldiers or security prior to their turning, several types of magic users and even a young Mage who was looking for work and a teacher. The Mage had awakened the night of the battle with the Lich and felt a pull towards the Existence almost immediately. I offered to take over the books for Arthur with the loss of JD and he accepted. The kitchen would remain closed for a short while until we could find someone as exceptional as Guido. That happened far faster than anyone expected as just a few days before Arthur planned to reopen the club a tall, thin woman entered the bar and walked right up to Arthur’s table and sat down while he and I were going over the books JD had kept.

Arthur looked up and smiled at her, “Good afternoon ma’am, can I assist you with anything?” As he did that I took a quick peek at her through sensory magick. She was mostly mortal, but there was something special about her as well.

She smiled back at Arthur and looked at me briefly as the sensory magick flowed around her. She turned back to Arthur, “Maybe, are you Arthur Masters?”

“Yes”

“Then you’ve helped as I’m here to see you,” she replied. She took a breath before continuing, “I’m here to for a couple of reasons. The first of which is to thank you for the care you showed my brother and the message you sent to our family. It helped with Guido’s loss. We were glad that he found a place that he enjoyed and people that accepted who and what he was,” a tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke the last. “A few days after you sent word of what happened I received a package from Guido. It had been placed at a remailer to be sent out unless he called weekly to keep it on hold. There were two books and a letter in it. The letter was a set of instructions that he wanted me to carry out.” She reached into the satchel she carried with her and withdrew a small leather bound journal. Handing it to Arthur she said, “In that book you will find the records of all of his clients with details of who and what they were, the jobs they hired him for and the records of how each ended. The letter instructed that I give this to you to do with as you choose, but to pass on a request. He wants you to get the information you need on the contract taken out on you and to scour the supernatural references from the book; after that he’d like you to turn it over to international law enforcement with the certificate of his death and the letter in the back. His belief is that with his death his honor to those he worked for is satisfied and that he honors you and our family by stopping monsters like the men he worked for before meeting you.”

Arthur took the book and placed it before him reverently, “I will do exactly as requested. I find that honoring the last wish of someone who was family to me quite appropriate and a genuine pleasure.”

She took a few breaths and fought the tears in her eyes to keep them from falling, “Guido was right about you. As kind a soul as you are strong as a warrior he told me. The last piece of instruction was more a bit of advice and a request to me.” She reached into the bag again and pulled out two thick books with worn covers and yellowing edges to the pages within. “He knew that I saw more of the world than others like he did and suggested that I come and meet you to talk about it. Until now I was able to convince myself to stay home and keep my head down. The top of these two books was his. It is the journal that he kept his recipes and his thoughts in. He wrote of all the things in this world and how you and those you call friends and family stand between those that would harm others. From his words I know that you are more than you seem and I saw that for myself when I walked through the doors. Guido also wrote that unless I truly believed that I needed to come here I wouldn’t find the place and he was right there as well. I spent a few days wandering this part of town trying to decide if I truly wanted to face the reality he wrote about. I guarantee that I walked past this block at least a dozen times while I made the choice. As soon as I did I saw the doors as I walked past them again and I entered. His advice was to come and talk with you and I plan to do so in depth. His request in related to both his book and mine below it. That is my recipe book and journal and I’d like to run his kitchen if you’ll have me Mr. Masters?”

Arthur looked surprised and a small smile genuine smile played across his lips. I hadn’t seen a real smile from many of us since that night. Sindee and I would smile when we were together but it still held the bit of sadness we were feeling after everything that happened. I guessed that was everyone was feeling.

Arthur gave her an evaluating look, “What’s your name?”

“Isabella Teresa Scallotti,” she said, “but those who know me call me Izzy.”

“Well Isabella, before I decide to hire you or not, we need to know what you can do.” With that he stood up and offered her his hand. He looked over at me and gestured for me to follow as well. She took his hand and he walked her back to Guido’s kitchen. “Isabella, make any recipe of yours for use to try, you choose it.”

Izzy was a whirlwind in the kitchen moving from storage rack to cooler and freezer to gather her ingredients and began preparing her recipe as Arthur and I sat and watched from the butcher’s block that Guido had installed. She moved through the kitchen as though cooking was a dance and she was very graceful. While she was cooking Roarke came into the kitchen wearing a security jacket for the Existence. He had called back home to Ireland and told those who now trained at the home there to continue their training and he would send information to them. He would also go back for a month after two months here and teach them what he learned from Arthur and the rest of us. He was teaching his charges that Hunters weren’t just killers, but guardians and that not all supernatural beings were evil. Some of us agreed to travel over and aid him in imparting this knowledge when he requested it. He sat down to the butcher block and followed Isabella with his eyes. About twenty minutes later she turned and set four plates on the block in front of us and sat down to join our group.

“While this took me a while today it will be faster to prepare when the kitchen is open as I will have my prep work done and I’ll know the layout better. This is one of the recipes that Guido always wanted me to teach him because he liked it so much. Of course with sibling rivalry I had to withhold it from him. I always planned to come see him and teach it but always thought there would be more time.” She took a moment to calm herself, “I hope that you enjoy as much as he did.”

I’m no expert on food as I just know what I like and how to cook what my mother taught me. The flavors in this dish were simply divine and showed she had talent that rivaled Guido’s in the kitchen. From the sounds Arthur and Roarke were making I’d bet they felt the same.

Arthur ate more than half the dish before remembering why we were sitting there, “Isabella, I have to say that this is an incredibly delicious meal. If you truly wish to run the kitchen it’s yours, but only if you call me Arthur. Those who work for me are at the very least my friends and being Guido’s sister you are more extended family.”

She smiled again, “Fair enough Arthur as long as you call me Izzy as the same applies to you. Guido spoke of you like an uncle or father though you are too young for that title and as such you are also my extended family.”

Arthur replied, “Agreed, you can start when we reopen, but the kitchen is now yours to stock and use as you’d like. Guido stayed in an apartment above the club and that is also yours if you wish it.” Before she had a chance to reply he gently grabbed my elbow and led me back to his table and our review of the books. As we exited the kitchen, Roarke was sitting there eating slowly and just watching Izzy check over her kitchen.

Two days before the grand reopening we had the place staffed, stocked and ready for a party. Izzy had moved in to Guido’s old place and had taken the time to sit with Arthur and discuss what her brother wrote in the letter and journals. George and Kyra were spending time over with Sindee and me as we all enjoyed the company and were able to remember to good times with our lost family members. They were starting to come out of the depression that they felt. Kyra took over Talia’s role in the pack and George aided her in learning more about it while waiting for the Existence to re-open. Sam was training the new security people hard to ensure that no one else was lost under her watch. Things were starting to slow down to a normal peaceful pace for all of us and I know I welcomed the break. I hadn’t had any more visions of the Nephandi or dark futures recently. While they may came in time, perhaps the knowledge and power gained by all of us protecting the city has averted that possibility for a time.

I spend the last day before Arthur reopened refining the accounting and ordering programs as well as showing him how to use them. He was a quick study as most Mages are and made the task easy. The day progressed and the staff was told to take the night off and arrive before noon unless they started after sundown the next day. As I was heading for the door Arthur called me back over to the bar. He reached under it and pulled out a bottle of Cristal Champagne.

Handing me the bottle he said, “Take this, I ordered for you and Sindee. You both deserve it.”

A little surprised by the generosity for simply doing what I can to help I accepted the bottle, “Thank you Arthur. I’ll be sure to let Sindee know it’s from you.” He flashed a knowing smile in return. I wondered what was going through his mind at the smile, but decided to leave it alone because at least it was a genuine smile.

I drove back to our house thinking of Sindee the whole way. She had left the house that morning before I even woke for the day which was unusual because I preferred to get up with her and spend time together before she got out of the house. We had a nice evening together the previous night, another quick trip to Hawaii that included me teaching her how to work the Correspondence rote that allowed us to travel instantly. Think of it as folding space time and you may get an inkling of how it works. As it was more than halfway through March the night on the beach was warm and peaceful for us.

When I pulled into the driveway I noticed that while the front porch light was own, most of the interior light were off. I walked in through the front door to Sindee standing by the dining room table wearing a simple sundress in pastel yellow. Behind her the table was lit by candles surrounding two plates that were together along one side. She walked over to me without saying a word, kissed me hello and led me to our seats. I set the bottle of champagne on the table as she handed me a small white gift bag. As I knew it wasn’t our anniversary, my birthday or any other occasion I was surprised, though I don’t wait for holidays to surprise her so I shouldn’t have been. I pulled the tissue paper out of the top of the bag and reached in. I pulled out a pale blue and a pink newborn sized outfits. I tuned to look at her in surprise, the joy written all over my features as she nodded. I tapped into the magick and used a life scan on her, immediately spotting the two additional signatures growing with her. As a Life Mage she would have felt the change immediately and tonight’s surprise explains the behavior from the morning. I pulled her into me and carefully embraced her to me. My eyes fell to the bottle of champagne that Arthur sent with me. One of these days I was going to find out what he was now, but for the moment Sindee and our own future were foremost in my mind.

The end…………………………






For now.

 

a Shameless Bump

 

Ya know something? I think that this belongs in the Recommended Writers thread.

C U There.

 

Wolf Knight, excellent work, quite imaginitive and well presented.

 

It was supposed to be a "Short Story" originally. LOL

 

128,000 words and every one of them well chosen.

Gratz.

 

I'm 27,500 words into the Book on the Hidden War now. With any luck I will finish it within another month or so and be able to find a publisher for it. Until then I'll continue writing other short stories and such for the site. The Hidden war won't be posted here because the intent behind it is for publishing.

Brootforce didn't expect to get a publisher for his story and when he did the publisher requested that he pull all but what he left and I wish to avoid that situation here. It wasn't his fault but it still happened so I'm looking attempting to learn from that experience of his.

 

I never thought anyone would want to read it let alone publish it. Until recently I never even tried to post a story. My writing has always been for me and my family and close friends. If I had known the reaction I never would have tried to post it.

Thank you for understanding.

Thanx
Brootforce

 

What's this? An honest-to-goodness finished story? You have my admiration already, and I haven't even started reading it yet!:excited:

 

So was my second assassins gambit story.:excited:

 

Let me know what you think once you finish reading it. I know the early chapters need some serious editing and some other editing needs to be done throughout to fix typo and formatting errors from the transfer from Word into the site.

The book involving the Hidden War may have an appearance by Arthur in it but primarily I'm working on the set-up of a whole new world. The supernatural exists in this one as well but instead of the entities being defined by a game system or single legend for each I went a different way.

As I've stated before, Perception IS Reality in the worlds I write in so I had an simple thought that changed the paradigm of the supernatural races, creatures and entities. There are so many different stories and legends for the supernatural the question becomes which ones are right? My answer is all of them in some way. There is no single type of Vampire in the playground but many types with differing powers and weaknesses, as many types and abilities as there are legends and stories. This applies to all the forms of supernatural existence is the world I'm writing for.

 

Bump

 

Shameless Bump of my old story, I'm not writing much online though still reading. Work on the book is going slower than I would like. There are a couple of other story sites I'm reading on and have been thinking of adding a chapter or 2 to some of the stories on them. The main one is a CHoose Your Own Adventure erotic story site which make it easier for many authors to work on a branching story together