The Mage in Black (8 page)

She waved and let out a short laugh. “It’s just the way you said it made it sound like you’re just visiting. I’d kind of hoped you’d embrace mage life and stay for a while.”

I shifted on my seat, uncomfortable with the turn of conversation. “Maisie, look, I’ve only been here a few hours. Let’s just see how it goes, okay?”

She waved her hand and laughed. “Of course. You’re totally right. I’m just excited to have you here after all these years. I don’t know about you, but I have a sudden urge to sing ‘We Are Family.’ ”

Here’s the thing. Maisie had known about my existence for years. I’d found out about her only a little over week ago. So, while she’d had plenty of time to get used to the idea of having a twin, I didn’t have that luxury. Besides, given my experience with family so far, I was a tad reluctant to jump right into performing a Sister Sledge duet.

I forced a smile. “How about we skip the singing and bond over a pint of blood instead?”

“Sounds perfect.” She walked to a small fridge set in a wet bar along the wall. “Name your poison.”

I rose from the chair with a groan. “Anything’s fine.”

Her head popped up. “Hmm, you know, I’ve got a couple pints of AB neg I’ve been saving for a special occasion that’ll be perfect.”

I perked up. AB negative, due to its rareness, was like the Cadillac of bloods. Given the vomiting, bullet wound, and fight I’d endured that night, Maisie’s idea was akin to offering a fat girl cake. “Hell, yeah.”

She heated up two bags and poured them into pint glasses. The scent wafted to me, making my fangs throb and my mouth water. Finally, she handed me one and raised her own glass. “To family.”

I clinked my glass against hers. Not having had the best track record with family—given my own grandmother tried to kill me a week earlier—I amended my response to something I felt more comfortable with.

“To new beginnings.”

I’d just taken the first sip when she spoke. “So, you and Adam, huh?”

I spewed blood like an arterial wound. Maisie pounded me on the back when I started choking.

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

I wiped blood from my chin with the tissue she offered. “Thanks,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Went down the wrong pipe.”

She sent me a knowing look. “Should I take it from your response that Adam is off-limits as a bonding topic?”

I licked my lips. “It’s not off-limits. There’s just nothing to talk about.”

“Sabina, no offense, but when I opened that door you two looked like you were trying to swallow each other whole. I’d say that qualifies as something to talk about.”

I cringed at her entirely accurate summary of the kiss. “Look, it’s not a big deal. I think it was curiosity more than anything.”

“Curiosity? Like you were wondering what his tonsils tasted like?”

I shot her a baleful glance. “No. More like, we’ve been spending a lot of time together and we’re both healthy adults. It’s only natural to wonder.” This was bullshit, of course. I’d already indulged that curiosity back in California, and I could hardly claim I’d forgotten the taste of him after that time. I hadn’t. Not that I’d ever admit that out loud.

“Hmm,” Maisie said. “So you’re not planning on pursuing anything with him when he gets back?”

I shook my head. “Definitely not. Don’t get me wrong, Adam’s great.” She nodded her agreement on that count. “But we’d never work out.”

She frowned now. “Why not?”

I opened my mouth to share my long list of reasons but stopped myself. Maisie might be my sister, but I wasn’t about to have a heart-to-heart about Adam with her. Or anyone, for that matter. To discuss it would imply it was a big deal. And it wasn’t. Adam was hardly the first male I’d been attracted to in my fifty-four years. I’m not some giggly schoolgirl who thinks a kiss means happily ever after. Chicks like me don’t get happily-ever-afters. I might be able to handle happy-for-a-night-or-two. But the idea of having even that with a mage—just like dear old Dad—brought up all sorts of Freudian issues I wasn’t too keen on exploring.

“Hold on,” I said, turning the tables. “Shouldn’t you be upset about that kiss? I mean, what about the whole ban on fraternizing between the races?”

Maisie raised her eyebrows. “First, who am I to judge when you and I are the result of such an affair? And second”—she shrugged—“you’re half mage, so I don’t think the laws apply in this case.”

“Look,” I said with a sigh. “I’ve had a long night. The last thing I want to do right now is talk about a stupid kiss that didn’t mean anything.”

Maisie drew back. “Okay, I’ll drop it for now. But I should warn you: Adam is one of my best friends. I don’t want to see him get hurt.”

I choked on a laugh. “Maisie, my to-do list is fairly long, but I can assure you hurting Adam isn’t on it. He’s my friend, too, and I respect the hell out of him. That’s exactly why what happened earlier won’t be happening again.”

She narrowed her eyes, looking like she wanted to say something else about it. But her expression betrayed the exact moment she thought better of it. “Understood.”

Frustrated, I drained the last of my blood, grimacing at the chemical aftertaste. “The sun’s coming up soon. I’d better hit the sack.”

She nodded, toying absently with her own glass. “Good idea. You’ll need a good night’s sleep for tomorrow night.”

I set down my glass, glad for the change of subject. “What’s tomorrow night?”

“We’re heading up to the council’s estate near Sleepy Hollow for your vision quest.”

I frowned. Images of drugged-out shamans flittered through my head. “What exactly does that entail?”

She shrugged. “It’s pretty straightforward. You’ll drink a special tea that will bring on visions. Afterward, we’ll interpret the symbols to figure out your magical path.”

I rubbed my forehead. All this talk of paths and symbols and other woo-woo stuff made my head hurt. “Can I ask you something?”

She smiled. “Of course.”

“Have you considered the possibility that I don’t have any special magical skills?”

Maisie crossed her arms and smiled ruefully. “Of course not. Sabina, you have a demon familiar. I’d say that’s a pretty clear sign you’ve got some magic in you.”

I shook my head. “Yeah, but isn’t that pretty standard stuff?”

“The summoning is common, yes. But most mages can only control a demon long enough to carry out a specific spell. Very few can control one for long periods. The fact you can do so without really thinking about it is quite remarkable.”

I rolled my eyes. If anyone had bothered to ask me, which they obviously hadn’t, I’d tell them I didn’t control Giguhl at all. Sure, I could command him to change to and from demon form, but otherwise I spent most of my time doing damage control or arguing with him. Call me crazy, but if I really controlled Giguhl, shouldn’t he be more, you know, submissive?

“Look,” Maisie continued. “Go to bed. Tomorrow we’ll have some answers and can formulate a plan. Until then, there’s no need to worry.”

I nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow night.” I moved toward the door.

“Oh, Sabina? You might not want to eat anything between now and the vision quest.”

I paused with a hand on the doorknob. Considering I’d spent a good portion of my night worshipping the porcelain goddess, Maisie’s words didn’t comfort me about the “relative painlessness” of the vision quest. “Why?”

She paused as if choosing her words carefully. “You’re better off with an empty stomach. Trust me.”

It was clear she wasn’t just talking about blood. It’s a myth that vampires are undead. The old movies that claimed we never ate food were wrong. Truth is, we’re born just like humans. We get hungry and thirsty, and satisfy those needs with real food. The only difference is we also need blood to satisfy a more urgent hunger. The food didn’t sustain us by itself, but we definitely enjoyed a good burger as much as any mortal did.

As I made my way back to my room, I realized that Maisie didn’t know me at all if she thought I could trust anyone that easily.

I
received this today while you were sleeping.” Orpheus tossed a letter on the table.

His office was on the first floor, where all the administrative offices for the council were located. He stood behind his massive oak desk, looking more like an angry politician than an ancient mage. He’d summoned Maisie and me to his office right as we headed toward the courtyard to leave for the Crossroads.

At first I was relieved at the delay. After Maisie’s warning about having an empty stomach, I was not looking forward to putting myself through another potentially nauseating rite. But when I opened the letter and was hit with legalese so thick it made my eyes ache, my relief was short-lived.

Maisie was reading over my shoulder. I gladly handed the paper to her. She read it for a moment, her eyes widening with each line.

“What is it?” I asked.

“This,” she said with a grim expression, “is the fallout from your little fight in Central Park last night. The Shade is demanding a duel.”

I frowned. “What the hell?”

“You injured werewolves under the protection of The Shade,” Orpheus said. “He’s demanding you fight the leader of the pack to pay for your crime.”

“Can someone please tell me who The Shade is?” I asked. The werewolves had invoked that name like they’d been speaking about some mysterious force of nature. I just wanted to know why I should give a damn he was pissed at me.

“He’s a vampire,” Maisie said. “Runs the Black Light District. The Hekate Council trusts him to keep the peace between the nonmage dark races in the city. You’re lucky it’s just a duel. He’s not known for taking infractions lightly.”

“Wait, you don’t seriously think I’m going to do this.”

Two solemn gazes met my incredulous one. “Sabina, you broke the rules,” Orpheus said. “Poaching on were territory is forbidden. But even if that could be overlooked, you injured two weres under The Shade’s protection. The Alpha of their pack is totally within rights to challenge you.”

“But I didn’t know I was poaching!” I said. “And they came after me. Why am I being punished for defending myself?”

“Ignorance doesn’t excuse your actions,” Orpheus said. “Dark-race relations are sensitive enough as-is with this war brewing. If I override The Shade, it will send the wrong message to both the weres and vamps in the city. You will report to The Shade’s bar for the fight tomorrow night.”

“And if I refuse?”

Orpheus stared at me hard. “Then, Maisie’s sister or not, I will personally deliver you to The Shade.”

Rhea waited in the courtyard with Giguhl and the young female who’d assisted her during the cleansing ritual. Memory of the noxious potion they’d had me drink made bile rise in my throat.

“This is my assistant, Damara,” Rhea said. “I hope you don’t mind if she assists me in administering the vision quest.”

I forced a smile at the girl. “Not at all. Hi, Damara.”

The assistant ignored my outstretched hand. Instead, she asked Rhea, “Shall we get going?”

I shrugged off her dismissal. She was young and, judging from her slouched posture and all-black ensemble, was probably in the throes of some sort of teen-rebellion phase.

“Shotgun!” Giguhl called. He’d insisted on joining us on this little expedition. I’d considered refusing but figured he’d get in less trouble if I kept him close.

I grabbed his arm before he could leap for the car. “You’re in the back. We’ll let Rhea or Maisie sit up front.”

“I’m fine with the back,” Maisie said. “Giguhl can sit between us.”

And that’s how I ended up crammed in the backseat with my demon and my sister. It could have been worse, though, I mused. At least Giguhl had the bitch seat.

We’d been on the road for forty-five minutes already. New York’s concrete and steel had given way to trees and open sky. I tilted my head and looked at the moon. A shadow passed over the pale crescent. Wings. Looked like Stryx had arrived just in time for the festivities.

“Sabina?” Maisie said, peering around Giguhl’s huge green head, “I’m sorry if Orpheus was abrupt earlier.”

I shifted in the seat to look at her. “What’s his deal, anyway? I thought you were the leader of the council.”

“Technically I am. But I’m really only a figurehead. In ancient times, a spiritual class ruled mages, but over time, we transitioned to a democracy. So the council is elected, but my position passes on through our bloodline. My role is more spiritual and diplomatic. Orpheus really runs things. It’s kind of like the Queen of England and the prime minister.”

“Gotcha,” I said. “That explains why he’s so worried about relations between all the races, then.”

“Yes, exactly. I’m sorry you have to fight the duel, but I’m afraid there’s no way around it.”

“Duel?” Giguhl said, perking up.

“I’ll tell you later.” Orpheus’s heavy-handedness had annoyed me, but the truth was, I kind of looked forward to the duel now. All this magic stuff made me feel like I was in over my head. But fighting? Now, that was something I felt comfortable doing.

“Why is the estate way out here?” I asked to change the subject.