The Dragon Problem: The Paranormals of Ahl Book One, page 6
We went to the second floor, where the executive offices were, and stopped at a reception desk. A short, squat brownie with a cap of bright red hair took my information and directed us to the seating area. A man strolled up to the desk, his predatory gaze scanning the area and settling on me.
“That’s the director,” Tracy whispered.
I leaned forward and examined the man. I knew Mat had appointed the chimera director because I attended the meeting. It wasn’t until I saw him that I remembered what he looked like. He was just over six feet tall with a sleek, muscular build. His rust-colored hair was cut short, and his bangs stood straight up. He oozed charisma.
Tracy inclined her head as he approached. “Director Cafta.”
His eyes flipped back and forth between us. “Tracy. If you’re here to reinstate your license, don’t bother. You lost your license when you contracted with the crown. The decision is final.”
“I have no interest in being a detective again. I’m here to support my friend.”
The Director examined me. “A weak mage of Ahl. How interesting. Very well, good day.” He turned and strode into his office.
I frowned at his retreat. “What was that about?”
Tracy opened her mouth to answer when a man with dark brown hair came striding out of the office next to the Director’s. He pasted a fake smile on his face. “Tracy. Great to see you again. I see you’ve been recruiting without a license.” His amber eyes inspected me from head to toe. “Follow me, ladies.”
We followed him to his office, where his smile faded as soon as the door shut. He whirled toward me. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing, Jenella?”
My good mood deflated. “How did you know it’s me?”
“Prince Mathias is concerned and requested I watch out for you. I agreed only because you’re too soft for this type of work. If anything happens to you, I lose my career, reputation, and status.” Travis lowered himself into his chair. “You’re being coronated in a few weeks, for fate’s sake. You need to rethink this ridiculous scheme and be what you were born to be.”
Travis was the fifth child of the shifter king and queen, which meant he was the least powerful person in his family. He learned at an early age that power didn’t always come in the form of magic. As a result, he focused on his career, becoming powerful there to compensate for his lack of shifter power. He’d befriended me as a child, and I sometimes wondered if it wasn’t part of his plan to improve his status. Over the years, I tried to distance myself from him, but it never seemed to work. I leaned back and folded my arms. “No.”
His jaw clenched. “This is a huge mistake. You need to stop being so selfish and think of the coalition.”
“What I do for the coalition is not your business, Travis. Your job is to find me a mentor.”
“I’m not saying this to interfere. I care about you and can’t imagine what I would do if I lost your friendship. You need to think this through before you fail and make a fool out of both of us.” His eyes held fake pity.
I turned to Tracy. “Why does everyone think I will fail miserably and die?”
She choked back a laugh. “Jen can take care of herself, so no need to worry. Now, about the mentors…”
Travis’s face turned sour. “I don’t like your choice of friends, Jenella. I thought better of you.”
“That’s an awful thing to say.” Though, since he was my friend, I guessed it was true. “Fine. I’ll just call Mat and tell him you refuse to help.”
Travis squared his shoulders. “Fine. I’ll distribute your profile to possible mentors, but I don’t like it. It’s beneath you.”
Tracy had detoured to the bathroom in an abandoned hallway to put on her glamour earrings. She joined me down the street from the PISD, and we flashed to our new neighborhood.
“Well, that went well,” I said.
We headed down the street toward our new house. “That guy is a piece of work. I hope he’s not lying about finding you a mentor. I can totally see him sabotaging your success. It wouldn’t surprise me if he told everyone who you really are. Are you sure he can be trusted?”
“He’s scared of Mat, so he won’t give my identity away. But yeah, he might sabotage my success.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll reach out to some eligible mentors. I mean, does he really think this is about him? Sheesh.”
“Travis thinks everything is about him.” I needed to end our so-called friendship.
We turned the corner, and I stopped in my tracks. The craftsman-style house I’d bought for my detective cover home was in a middle-class, mixed area where supernaturals who didn’t have a pack, family, or tribe lived. The house stood two stories tall with a wide, covered front porch supported by gleaming square white columns. At the top, the small square attic gave it a stately and adorable appearance. The light gray paint was perfect, and the large windows with glossy white trim reflected in the sun.
As I headed for the door, the smile on my face grew wider. I stepped inside and admired the living room with a fireplace, built-in bookcases, and comfortable furniture on the left. An office with open glass doors and a small wooden desk were on the right. As we passed the stairs, I ran my hand over the shiny wooden trim and peered into the small dining room with a rustic table and six chairs. “This place is great.”
“There you are,” a tenor voice came from the kitchen.
“Ray!” I rushed toward his voice. “Thank you for doing this on such short notice.”
His eyebrows drew together. “You’re family.”
I ran a hand over the counter. “The house looks amazing.”
“You should have seen what it took to get that huge magichef through the door.” He pointed to an appliance that took up a good chunk of the kitchen.
I had no idea what a magichef was or how to use it, but I assumed it had something to do with cooking. Helen or one of her many kids or grandkids always provided my meals for me. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d even been in the main kitchen at the castle, and the kitchenette in my suite was always stocked with ready-to-eat snacks. “This is nice.”
Ray’s blue eyes sparkled as he turned to Tracy. “She’s pretending she knows how to use one of those. I’m Ray, and you must be Tracy. You have your work cut out for you.”
“Yep. Jen, get away from that stuff before you blow up our new house.”
I moved to the island and sat on one of the bar stools. “So, what do you think of my glamour?”
Ray shrugged. “It’s okay, but I still knew it was you by your voice.”
“Yeah. I’ll have to fix that.” Good thing I had an appointment with the First that afternoon to refresh the glamour. Anticipation shot through me. I rubbed my stomach. “How long until the house is ready?”
“It’s about done. You two can move in as soon as you have wards.”
“Great. Let’s get the wards set up and go see Drake.” Tracy headed out the back door.
I slid off the stool and followed Tracy. The First…Drake, I reminded myself, hadn’t collected on the meal I owed him, but I knew it was coming. I shook off the thought as we got to work on the layered wards around the house and yard. Tracy set them, and I added my inherent magic, making them super strong. “These wards are great. I don’t think even Mat will find fault with this level of security.”
Tracy added access spells to the front and back gates and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Yeah. With our magic combined, they’re solid. I mean, it’d take an entire coven of witches a good month to bring them down, and even then, I’m not sure they could.”
We waited for Ray to finish the kitchen by exploring the top floor. It had two identical master suites, painted in muted tones, each with a massive closet and a spa-like bathroom. Tracy called dibs on the one on the right, so I took the left. When Ray was done, we thanked him and headed toward Dragon headquarters.
Drake seemed distracted. He held out his hand for the earrings and spent a few seconds renewing the glamour and adding a voice variation that raised my voice by two tones. He had me test the voice, then reached up and tucked a loose curl behind my ear. “I shall be less distracted next time.”
“Stay out of my head, Drake. The ruling magic doesn’t like that and will lash out. What have you guys found out about the dragon that hit the wall? Have you heard from the queen?”
He sighed as he took Tracy’s earrings and activated his magic. “The dragon has disappeared. Bastien is working on locating him. Don’t worry, we will take care of it.” Drake handed the earrings back to Tracy, gave me a slight bow, and left the small room near the entrance.
Something he said or the way he said it bothered me. I glanced back as we left the building. “Was something off about that?”
Tracy shook her head. “I don’t know. The entire dragon faction seems off to me.”
Chapter 6
I didn’t sleep well that night. When I did, I dreamed of green fire chasing me around a classroom while Travis yelled I was going to fail and die. The next morning, my stomach was sour and raw. Mat’s special knock came from the door, and I swung it open. I peeked down the hall, then returned my attention to my brother. “Hey, Mat.”
“Good morning, Jenella. May I come in?”
“Sure.” I stepped back from the door, my raw stomach flip-flopping.
Mat paced over to the kitchenette, his eyes flooding with emotion. “I came to wish you luck on your exams.”
My heart thudded in my chest. “You did?”
“I am not your enemy. I’ll admit that I don’t like this plan and was skeptical that you’d get this far, but you have proven yourself capable.” He shrugged. “I only want to keep you safe because when I look at you, I see that scared little girl I dragged from that cage all those years ago. It’s hard to reconcile that with the woman before me.”
Tears flooded my eyes, and I swiped my sleeve across them. “Thank you, Mat. That means a lot.”
“I still don’t like that you chose to pursue a dangerous profession. Just…promise me you’ll look after yourself. Don’t make bargains outside of basic work contracts, don’t trade favors, and ask for help when needed.”
Unable to speak, I nodded. And found myself in a bear hug.
“I only ever wanted what’s best for you. Hopefully, this helps you find what you’re looking for. But don’t think I won’t stop trying to protect you, even from yourself.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” I said with a watery smile.
Mat moved toward the door. “I mean it, Jenella. You are smart and strong. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”
He was trying to convince himself of that instead of me. “Wait.”
Mat ignored a stunned Tracy as he turned back, blocking the door. I cleared my throat. “I love you. And thank you for believing in me.”
“I love you, too. Don’t forget what I said.” He nodded to Tracy and slipped out of the room.
Tracy watched him go. She didn’t ask about it, and I didn’t tell her. It was a tremendous relief to have Mat’s support. I didn’t realize how much I needed that. Shaking off the thought, I slipped on my shoes. “I think I’m ready.”
“You are. I mean, you’ve been preparing for the licensing exam for what, ten years? You’ll do fine. I might have a lead on a mentor if the Deputy Director doesn’t find you one.”
I stepped into the hall and shut the door. “If there’s one thing I know about Travis, he’s scared of Mat. He’ll find a mentor just so he doesn’t get on his bad side.”
The sick feeling in my stomach grew as we made our way to the classrooms at the PISD office. I took a deep breath, straightened my spine, and went to the check-in desk. The elf behind the desk glanced up at me and held out a long, elegant hand. “ID and consent forms, please.” I handed them over. “This is the licensing exam for independent private detectives. You will be spell-monitored for both the written and physical exams, so don’t try to cheat. You will take off any charms and remove any potions from your person. Do not access your magic. If you do, you’ll fail. Do you understand these rules?”
“Y-yes.”
“Good. Now remove your charms and step into the magic detector.” He indicated a glowing blue cylinder to his left.
I removed the bracelet holding Tracy’s protective charms and the daggers Mat insisted I carry. The daggers weren’t spelled, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I touched one of the earrings that held the glamour. Drake’s glamour was undetectable by most paranormals, so I hoped the spell couldn’t detect it. My hands shook as I stepped into the cylinder. It buzzed as it activated, and blue magic swirled around me before it turned green. I gingerly stepped out. The elf glanced back at his tablet. “You are in booth three. Good luck, Ms. Hendrix.”
Relief flooded me as I entered the classroom, thankful that Drake’s magic was undetectable by even an advanced spell detector. I needed to think about that more later because if he decided he no longer wanted to be my ally, it could become a problem. I shook the thought off and looked around. There were nine chairs arranged in a semicircle, with tablets docked in front of them. Two were already taken, a blue glow of a spell swirling around the occupants. I made my way to number three and took a seat, activating the spell. The classroom faded, and I couldn’t see anything beyond my desk.
Tracy wasn’t kidding about the test being easy for me, and I returned to the waiting room two hours later, licensed. As soon as our eyes met, I held up the disc containing my license, a grin on my face. “I did it!”
Her lips twitched. “I knew you’d do well. You totally over-studied for a test designed for supernaturals who have a lot less going for them. I mean, you are…a Mage of Ahl, so….”
There were multiple layers to each magical faction. Shifters had different animal types, vampires were ranked by age, and there were several types of dragons. There were two types of mages. Mages of Ahl were more powerful than forte mages. Both had an internal well of magic to draw from, but forte mages had specific types of magic. War magic was Emine’s forte. She could conjure any weapon imaginable. Her brother Ray had architectural magic. Forte mages could only use their magic within the bounds of their forte.
Mages of Ahl were different in that we could use our powerful raw magic, what I called my inherent magic, for anything. We could absorb witch spells and tune our internal magic to that spell. Once we learned a spell, we never forgot it. Ahl magic registered to the senses of paranormals differently than Forte magic, or I would have disguised myself as a more common Forte mage. Other mages of Ahl didn’t have healing magic. It was a gift passed down from our grandfather, another First, who created all the healing races like griffins, caladrius healing birds, and unicorns, though unicorns and caladrius were very rare.
I’d spent most of my life absorbing spells. It helped compensate for my three magics not properly mixing. If my inherent magic and the ruling magic mixed like they were supposed to, I could absorb and mimic the magic of any supernatural species. Mat thought the magics would mix if I spent more time around other supernaturals. I doubted that. The ruling magic seemed to be waiting for something, and I needed to figure out what. I didn’t tell him that, though. I didn’t want to ruin my one chance of working in the career I wanted and my freedom by trying to figure out what it wanted. “Hopefully. Let’s go move into our new house.”
On our way out, we ran into Travis and the Director standing by the classroom. They were talking to the elf who had checked me in. The Director didn’t recognize Tracy with her glamour on and barely spared her a glance before he flashed a fake smile at me. “Congratulations, detective. I hear you did well on your tests.”
“Uh. Sure. Thank you, Director. I’m looking forward to meeting my mentor and getting started.”
“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about. Do you have a minute?”
My stomach sank when I saw the smirk on Travis’s face. I clasped my hands in front of me to keep myself from strangling him. “Is there a problem?”
The Director’s fake smile grew. “No, not necessarily a problem. I just wanted to warn you that mentors usually choose someone of their own magical species. You are, unfortunately, the only Mage of Ahl. The Deputy Director has made extensive efforts to work around that. Still, there may be a delay in finding a seasoned detective willing to take you on as an apprentice.”
I glared at Travis. His smug smile said it all. He’d do the minimum Mat asked and no more. I was no longer sure my secret was safe with him. He cleared his throat. “Don’t worry. I was able to find three possible mentors, all capable.”
“The only issue is that none of them have participated in the mentorship program for a long time, if ever…” the Director added, his voice trailing off.
My shoulders slumped as I saw my chance of freedom slip away. It took all I could muster to keep a neutral face as I thanked them and bolted out the door.
I stomped down the front sidewalk, anger roaring inside of me. The ruling magic vibrated. It was always a struggle to contain it when I was angry because it wanted to put people in their place. “One job. Travis had one job, and he couldn’t even do that. He wants all the benefits in this so-called friendship without putting forward any effort. I could throttle him.”
Tracy pulled me out of the way as a herd of horse shifters passed. “Don’t lose hope. I mean, younger detectives usually mentor, so they have someone loyal to help watch their backs. It’s not unheard of for older detectives to mentor someone.”
I ducked as a blue fairy flew too low as he came in for a landing. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sure Travis chose people who wouldn’t even consider giving me a chance.”
“I’m sorry, Jen. I’ll see what I can do. What’s the deal with you two, anyway?”
I tossed my braid over my shoulder. “When I was a kid, Mat decided I needed to hang out with other kids while staying inside his protective bubble. I’d suffered trauma and had a hard time interacting with people. He thought if I had friends, it would help draw me out of my shell. His first advisor at the time was Gabriel, the Shifter Alpha. He hosted kids from a bunch of packs once a month. Mat sent me to a gathering, hoping I’d make friends. What I found were a bunch of bullies, which didn’t do much for my mental state.
