Magic Corrupts, Magic Conquers, page 5
Ashe, who’d been enjoying a scratch from Callan, headbutted the back of my shoulder and growled, but this time it wasn’t a comforting gesture. That was her “feed me” growl. Seconds later, my stomach announced its emptiness.
“My ladies are famished,” Callan said, flashing a smile.
“It’s been quite a day and I’m ready for it to be over right after I eat half my body weight in something hot and greasy,” I said.
“Let’s head out,” Sage said. “There’s a fantastic burger joint nearby if you’re in the mood for that. I’ve got a company credit card with no limit.”
And no shame in using it. I liked Sage even more.
“I could eat the ivy off this wall so burgers sound like heaven.” Gideon clutched his stomach as we followed Sage to the exit. “By the way, Penn, I also received a text message. My mother saw cell phone footage of me in the background of that fight and had some colorful words for the company I continue to keep.”
I cringed. Gideon’s family was intact, which we’d been relieved to find out, and there was no duplicate Gideon born in this timeline. Surprisingly, they also remembered the Before Times, which we surmised was due to their connection to Gideon.
We were also curious about Toji’s adoptive family but hadn’t found them yet.
“If she calls me, I am not picking up,” I muttered. Gideon patted my shoulder sympathetically. Victoria Tophe was in my top five of most intimidating people in any timeline.
Once outside, we headed back to the Council building where Jarron, Cindra, and Kana were standing near the entrance. The rubble from the statue had been cleared and the area where the fight occurred had been taped off.
“I’m sorry about my hasty exit earlier,” I said once we’d reached them. “I was…”
“Overwhelmed,” Jarron said sympathetically. “I understand and do not hold it against you. I am deeply concerned for your well-being regarding being targeted by a Kiabi Warrior.”
“Is there any way we can find out for sure what’s going on?” Toji said to Kana and Cindra. “All we have is Cindra’s speculation that it came after Penn because of her Divine power.”
“You caused a catastrophic mess.” Cindra’s words caused several of us to make startled sounds as we shifted our attention to her. She took a step closer to me and I noted that her hands were balled and her body was rigid.
“That brief moment of the blackout caused so much damage.” Cindra’s voice broke around her words and I felt a lump forming in my throat. I could hardly imagine what she, Kana, and the rest of the warriors on patrol had endured that night as they’d been at ground zero when the forest went dormant.
“Have a heart, Cin,” Kana said. Cindra slid her eyes to Kana, who hesitated under her stare but didn’t back down. Her eyes narrowed as Kana continued speaking.
“We know what the facts are. Reiterating them does nothing but make Penn feel worse. She has a lot on her shoulders as it is.” She looked at me, her expression softening. Cindra’s lips drew tight, but she remained silent.
“We’ve heard from the Diviners at Quivess,” Kana said. “They’ve extended an invitation to you for tomorrow afternoon at four. Hopefully they can help you understand why a Kiabi Warrior came after you.”
“I appreciate that.” It was a small hope, but I would take it.
Kana smiled, and there was a shy edge to it. “What happened the night of the blackout was horrific, but I can’t blame you for something you didn’t mean to cause. And, well, I would not exist if you hadn’t done what you did, so no matter what, I am grateful to you.”
A strange feeling went through me as I offered her a smile. I knew that Kana hadn’t existed in the Before Times, but it still felt like too huge a fact when directly faced with it. She was only born because of my actions. Whoa.
“I hope Diviners can provide helpful insight,” Jarron said. “Pennrae, we thank you for your visit, even if it was a bit more excitement than we were counting on.”
“That makes two of us.” I tried not to bristle at his comment. Excitement was seeing your favorite musician in concert or a highly anticipated movie on opening day.
Hell, for me, excitement was rounding up a bounty and cashing out before I’d even patched up my wounds.
Nothing about a powerful “magical tree man” coming after me was exciting.
My stomach made itself heard again and I turned to Sage. “Can we please hit that burger joint now? And if it’s near that bar we passed on the way here, I’ll be in heaven.”
I was ready to get tipsy enough to try and catch stars.
Chapter Five
Callan’s apartment was a comfortable one-bedroom on the fourth floor of an apartment complex that had received a Tamer makeover in this new timeline.
Ivy-covered brownstones had nothing on the vibrant jewel-toned greens and yellows that painted the star-shaped leaves that artfully wound up the building.
The Tamer responsible for the aesthetics was an artist who lived on the top floor and frequently left everyone cuttings of interesting plants that rooted easily.
As we trudged into his apartment, I caught sight of a few.
The blue-leafed plant on the windowsill had furry stems and leaves as big as my palm. The one next to it had tiny dandelion-like tufts in an array of pastel shades prone to detaching on the slightest air current. From what I remembered of that plant, the tufts always returned and re-attached after taking a few turns around the room.
Callan’s place was similar to mine in that there was no particular style. It was just full of things he liked, and he had a good eye for decorating.
His overstuffed sectional was deceptively comfortable with reclining seats set the perfect distance from his seventy-five-inch flat screen. A sleek entertainment console housed an impressive DVD collection, a couple video game systems, and stacks of games.
The color palette throughout favored earth tones and natural wood, and his dining table, which sat adjacent to the living room and in front of the windows, was an oak masterpiece he’d had custom made. On the walls were floating shelves clustered with books, and various pieces of art from comic book–style posters to abstract ones, and even a vibrant oil painting of an anime character.
When I’d shown Gideon a picture of it on my phone, he’d immediately tried to enlist me to steal it for him. We were still negotiating my price.
Callan was also getting his own weapons wall started, thanks to me. I’d given him the axe he’d used during the showdown with Varian and had Shaped a pair of tonfa staffs for him. Both were hung on the wall to the left of his windows.
As Callan locked the door behind us, Ashe went straight to the pile of bluish rock-shaped pillows next to his entertainment center.
She flopped down, rolled onto her side, and made herself comfortable, releasing a happy sigh. I noticed there were quite a few more pillows than the last time we were here and smiled, glancing at Callan, who was rifling through the mail he’d brought up.
The first time we’d come over, Callan had given Ashe the green light to make herself comfortable on the rock pillows and it’d become her favorite spot in his apartment. He’d noticed and ordered more so her large frame would be even more comfortable.
I went over and snaked my arms around him, planting a kiss on the back of his neck.
He put the mail down and placed his hand over mine, turning his head toward me. “Hey, you.”
“You’re a sweet man, have I told you that lately?”
He chuckled. “Can I get a recording of that for the next time you sass off at me?”
“Don’t press your luck.” I laughed and kissed him before letting go and stepping away. “I’m gonna hit the shower. I need to scrub this disaster of a day off me.”
I unclipped my waist pouch and headed over to the couch to deposit it when I spied a wealth of yarn spilling out of a canvas bag. When I bent to neaten it and move it out of the way, Callan made an unintelligible sound and practically leaped across the room to snatch it from my hands. Ashe raised her head while I stared at Callan with an eyebrow raised.
“Ah, this wasn’t something I wanted you to see yet,” he said sheepishly, knitting clutched against his chest.
I gave him and his yarn an assessing look. “Are you making me something?”
He cleared his throat. “Um…maybe…”
“It’s not a knit bikini, is it?” I deadpanned, raising my eyebrow higher.
He laughed. “I considered it, but ultimately decided gloves might be a safer bet. Especially with the colder seasons coming up.” He rummaged around in the bag and pulled out a half-finished pair of fingerless gloves.
The yarn was colored similarly to my dark purple armor with streaks of silver, and he’d added some dark blue. He handed the gloves to me, and I felt the warm and fuzzies over seeing something he was making for me.
“Coordinates well with my armor.” I ran my thumb over them. They were soft and thick.
He shrugged, looking vulnerable as he watched me inspect his gift-in-progress.
“I’ll say it again: you’re a sweet man. Only Ma ever made wearable things for me out of the goodness of her heart.”
“Well, I’m no textile Shaper, so it’s not as good as—”
“It’s perfect.” I cut him off by stepping closer and kissing him, letting my lips and tongue slide against his.
He put his free hand on my waist and pulled me flush against him. We kissed until I couldn’t continue ignoring the stab of a knitting needle against my chest.
When we pulled back, I was smiling hard. Cheesin’, one might say.
“I’m sorry I ruined the surprise but thank you. I can’t wait to wear them.”
He looked so pleased at my response to his gift, my goofy expression lingered. He put the knitting stuff away and I headed to the short hallway that led to his bathroom and bedroom. I paused and looked over my shoulder.
“You know what…put a pin in the knit bikini idea.” I winked. “We might have to revisit it later.”
He whistled, looking me up and down. “Oh baby. I’ve already got some patterns in mind…”
Ashe made a sound that was the personification of a deep eyeroll as I laughed and continued to the bathroom.
…
“Ashe never believes me when I tell her how loudly she snores, and if I were to record her to provide proof, she’d probably burn my phone in retaliation.” I shook my head as I stared fondly at Ashe, who had dozed off nestled among the rock pillows.
Her teeth were slightly bared as rumbling snores barreled out of her. Callan and I were curled up on the sectional watching a movie I wasn’t really paying attention to.
“Denial is a hell of a thing,” Callan said amusedly.
“I didn’t mind it so much back in the day. A lot of times we’d be camped out in the middle of nowhere. The deep quiet can be unsettling. I used to find her snores soothing.”
“I can understand that.” His arm was around my shoulders and I was snuggled against his side, my legs draped over his lap. His free hand languidly drifted up and down my thigh.
My armor was comfortable, even on hot summer days, but I was glad to be out of it and into a pair of shorts and a tank top. Callan had on a T-shirt and knee-length shorts.
After he’d showered, I’d had another look at the burn on his hand. It was almost healed and didn’t need to be bandaged anymore. The Divine sword was in his room lying on top of my armor.
Being the only one who could touch it was interesting. Mix had said something about being worthy, but it still didn’t seem real that I had the ability to wield such a powerful weapon. What had I really done to be worthy of it?
Callan shifted so he could look at me, his face sobering as he searched my face. “Today was a lot. How are you doing?”
I sighed and shook my head. “I’m not sure where to begin. It’s already been difficult getting used to the new lay of the land and everything that got me to this point.” The weight was heavier than I cared to admit.
I had yet to come to terms with being under a magical sleep for almost three hundred years. Now I was a force that had changed the world, but doing so had unleashed a slew of problems and brought a new threat against me.
“I’m confused, I’m worried, I’m…” I shrugged. Callan’s hand tightened on my thigh. “I’m not sure what to do,” I finished softly. “What am I expected to do? What’s the explanation for why stepping through the portal caused all magic to temporarily black out? How the hell do I keep myself from getting killed by a mystical being?”
“I wish I had answers.” His voice was laced with frustration. “It’s killing me that I can’t do anything except tell you how worried I am and that I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe.” He pressed a kiss against my temple, his breath stirring the wisps at my hairline. “But I’m here,” he whispered. “You don’t have to carry the burden alone, okay?”
“I know.” And I was so glad he was with me, keeping me grounded while we adjusted to all the changes. Time had become a twisty concept after recent events. Everything felt both recent and distant. I recalled how resistant I had been to let Callan get close to me, to open myself to more than a good time in bed with him.
Less than two months had passed since I’d gone from wanting to throttle him to wanting to kiss him with all the passion I had to give. Without having to make a declaration of it, we were definitely in a relationship now.
The idea of moving through movie and dinner dates before having the “so, what are we?” conversation seemed ludicrous after we’d literally saved the world together. And it had been a welcome surprise to realize that I hadn’t been afraid of the closeness or how quickly it had come. It felt right.
Wrapped in his arms, away from eyes that looked at me in wonder, fear, excitement, or a mixture of all, I could let my guard down and acknowledge how jarring coming back to such a changed reality was.
There was no playbook to help Callan, Toji, Gideon, and myself navigate this. It was overwhelming. I wouldn’t be handling things nearly so well if I didn’t have the boys and Ashe.
“I know we have some new dangers to face, but no matter what, you didn’t do anything wrong, Penn, you know that, right? You put the world back to the way it should have been.”
“I know, but it’s so…tremendous. When Kana mentioned she was only alive because of what I did, it made my head spin. And now we’re mixing magic and technology? Where do I even land on that? Plus, there are issues we brought over from the Before Times. I’m on edge every single day about something happening to Gideon.”
So far, we hadn’t seen any ill effects from the fact that Gideon had been revived without his soul, but I was worried that our luck wouldn’t hold.
“A Diviner will hopefully be able to help us with that,” Callan said.
“We need a Diviner’s help for a lot of things, it seems.” I felt restless and anxious again.
I got up and paced to the kitchen, rummaging around until I found a chocolate bar. Restlessness mixed with PMS. I broke off six squares and started munching as I headed back to the living room. Callan was turning the TV off. We both knew movie watching was a lost cause at this point.
I offered Callan chocolate and he took a bite. Then I walked over to the window.
The view was of a quiet neighborhood with the occasional car passing by and some light foot traffic. It could have been a view from the Before Times if it wasn’t for the two other apartment buildings I could see that were covered in Tamer plants like Callan’s.
A lilting sound made me look up to see a stork-sized creature glide by, its almost comically long neck ramrod straight as its huge wingspan cut through the air.
Pterdac were nocturnal creatures and weren’t much to look at with their multifaceted eyes and dull-colored feathers, but almost no other creature had a song as beautiful as theirs. They were sirens of the sky.
Magic had never left the world. Varian’s massive working of dark magic, the Majimorta, had never ravaged the world and collapsed magic. I knew I hadn’t done a Bad Thing, but I was having a hard time settling into the truth that I was thirty-three years old, living my third lifetime.
As was Callan.
I glanced at him as I finished the chocolate and he came up next to me. “I’m struggling, and I hate to admit it, but it’s the truth. But it’s not only me…it’s you too. And Toji and Gideon.”
Callan put his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. I tried to relax, but it wasn’t easy.
“It’s not been as hard as I thought it would be, and I think that’s because I’m a Temporal and changes in time is what my magic aligns with. It’s what I know and understand. I also understand that despite the not so savory things we’re encountering, the world is as it should have always been, with magic an integral part of it. But…” His body tensed.
I turned around and took a small step back so I could see him.
“But?” I prompted.
“I’m still working through my memories. It’s like I got huge chunks when I touched the Cillari Stone and my mother’s memory manipulation broke, but there are still things being revealed. Every now and then a new memory will hit. It’s been difficult.”
“Have you been remembering unpleasant things?”
“Not unpleasant per se, but there’s something I’m working through that I’m hoping we can look into. I think it’s important.” He walked over to pick up a weathered journal that’d been sitting on the end table next to the sectional.
It was burnt orange, closed with a worn clasp, and sported handmade pages with rough edges. I recognized it as one of his mother Linella’s journals we’d taken from the storage unit in the Before Times. Two other journals were on the coffee table, and I’d spotted another one on his nightstand.
