Anna's Hope Episode One

  Chapter 12

  Anna woke to a face staring into her own.

  At first, she thought it was the wizard, back to finish what he’d started.

  She pushed backwards, raising her hands in defense as she whimpered.

  “Miss Summersville, it’s over. You attacker is gone. It’s me, Wizard Arana.”

  She looked up into his handsome face. It was Aaron alright – the same angled jaw, neat hair, and sparkling eyes.

  “W-what happened?” she stuttered.

  He helped her sit. “You fought off a dark wizard.” He stood back, once he was sure she could sit on her own, and stared around the badly damaged chapel.

  “No, boy, I fought off the dark wizard,” Luminaria snapped. She was trotting proudly around a massive crater in the ground – one she’d created when she’d destroyed the wizard’s book.

  “Indeed.” Aaron raised an eyebrow.

  “How did you get here?” Anna tried to get up, but as soon as she put weight on her wrist, she crumpled.

  “You’re injured,” he pointed out needlessly. “And I got here, because there was a massive display of magic – strong enough to alert our instruments at the MEC HQ.” He put his hand into his pocket, and somehow produced an icepack. He handed it to her. “Press this against your wrist. It isn’t magical, so it won’t irritate your allergies. It won’t be nearly as effective, though, I’m afraid.”

  She accepted it with a small smile.

  “How did you access the chapel though?” Anna held the icepack tightly, thankful for its cold touch. Her wrist felt like it had been put through hell, and in a way, it had.

  “Through the front door. Once you defeated the wizard, he lost control of his portals, and I managed to enter through the same one he created last night in that bar you frequented with Meredith Pride.”

  “How did you get past the vampires and magicians?”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  She remembered whom she was talking too. Aaron would be the strongest wizard in the town, let alone the country. He sat on the Council of Eight, for god’s sake. A few vampires and some rowdy magicians would be nothing but a mild irritation to a man like that.

  “My body wizards are upstairs cleaning out that ... bar,” he said, making it clear he thought bar was a generous term. Cesspit, was probably more on the mark. “They will be down shortly to secure this chapel.” He smoothed down his tie as he turned, angling his head back to stare at the ceiling and windows.

  She swallowed.

  Was it really over?

  Aaron walked away from her, descending from the pulpit to inspect the crater in the main aisle. With one hand tapping on his tie, he raised an eyebrow.

  Anna pressed the ice pack into her wrist and watched him.

  He walked down the side of the crater, his Italian loafers crunching over the crushed and burnt flagstones. He tentatively poked some of the ash-caked stone. “Was it really necessary to incinerate all the evidence? That book was our only link to the wizard.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Anna sighed as she crumpled further over her injured hand. She was feeling sorry for herself. Fair enough, she’d almost been sacrificed to a soul catcher. If misery were ever justified, it was now.

  “From what I gather, you had little to do with this. The damage,” he kicked a small charred stone lightly, and it climbed the side of the crater only to tumble back down and strike his shoe, “was wrought by one Luminaria von Tippit,” he continued.

  “In my own defense.” Luminaria jumped up, her hackles rising in a strong strike of fur down her mottled back. She stalked over to Aaron. If she’d been anything other than a cat, it would have been as intimidating as watching a train barrel down on you. “If I had broken the terms of my contract and attacked another with magic, I wouldn’t be standing here right now, would I? My possession of this fine feline would have ended with a very audible and very magical bang.”

  Pressing two fingers into his brow and massaging it slowly, he said “I’ve gathered that. My point still stands: it was mighty inconvenient of you to destroy all the evidence. Now we have no way of tracking down that wizard.” Briefly Aaron’s eyes focused on Anna’s injured wrist, before he turned his head quickly and stared down at the crater.

  “No way of tracking down the wizard? Are you really that dumb?” Luminaria laughed.

  “Excuse me?” Aaron raised his other eyebrow.

  “He’ll be back for her.” Luminaria flicked her tail towards Anna.

  Anna paled, her hand freezing mid-move as she tried to wipe the soot from her cheeks.

  Again Aaron looked at her, but this time his gaze lasted. “What do you mean?”

  “Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Luminaria rolled her eyes and chuckled scornfully.

  “Yes, spell it out.”

  “Anna has a part of his soul. He’ll need that back if he wants to keep practicing soul magic and if he ever wants to call his soul catcher friend again. He’ll also need it back to live. He’ll manage for a while, but without his own, he’ll start to fade away, and so will his power. So mark my words, he’ll come back for her.”

  Anna drew in a sharp breath, her back jerking with the move.

  “We don’t know that,” Aaron cautioned.

  “Yes we do,” Luminaria interrupted. “You weren’t there, wizard, but I was. I saw the transfer – I tasted it too. Strong magic like that tastes like lemon sherbet, cut with jet fuel.” She twitched her whiskers thoughtfully. “Anyhow, the point is, you want to catch that wizard, watch Anna. Eventually he’ll come back for his soul, sooner rather than later.”

  Aaron turned to stare directly at Luminaria. He fixed her with the kind of penetrating look that reminded Anna he was one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Though no magic crackled around his eyes, the world still stood still.

  Luminaria didn’t flinch. “Come now, boy, you know I’m right. Now, I’m quite tired, and I would like a little bit of milk and tuna before bed. I would also like to be brushed.” She shook her back, dust falling from her fur. “Come, Anna.”

  Anna, still understandably overcome, didn’t move.

  This was a lot to take in. She had a part of that wizard’s soul, and he’d be back for it ....

  She shivered, instinctively rubbing a hand on her chest.

  “Anna,” Luminaria snapped.

  On autopilot, she jumped to her feet. “Coming.” Still rubbing her chest, she jogged after Luminaria.

  While it would be great to ignore the possessed cat, Anna already had enough bruises for one night.

  “You can’t just leave. We need to figure out what we’re going to do.” Aaron turned sharply on his foot to track them across the room.

  “Oh pish, I need food,” Luminaria snapped.

  “I’m not talking to you.” Aaron walked forward. “I’m talking to Anna.”

  Dumbfounded, she stopped. In all their interactions to date, Aaron had talked around her, not to her. It was patently clear he thought she was a waste of time.

  It was kind of a surprise he’d noticed she was in the room, frankly.

  “Anna?” he asked in a patient tone.

  She stopped and turned slowly.

  “Anna,” he said directly, “if Luminaria’s right, and I think she is, you’re in a lot of danger. You can’t just return home.”

  “Don’t be so condescending, wizard, and stop pointing out she’s an idiot,” Luminaria snapped, “I’m the one who does that. You can stop wasting our time too. I’ve dealt with that wizard once, and I’ll deal with him again. If he comes knocking on our door in the middle of the night, I’ll make him knock into it on the way out. I have more than enough power to deal with such a pipsqueak.”

  “And if you don’t have more than enough power, what then, Luminaria?” There was a real note of authority in Aaron’s voice. It sailed through the air like a masterfully swung katana, slicing into its target.

  Luminaria stopped. She took a deep breath that jammed her ches
t out, and she turned. She considered Aaron with cold contempt. There was, however, an unusual hint of unease about her stance. She wasn’t as indignant and confident as usual.

  “There is every possibility, Luminaria, that if he attacks you, he’ll win. Do you need me to describe what will happen if you’re defeated by magic in your current form?”

  Luminaria stiffened.

  Aaron ignored her and continued, “your magic and your contract will pass to another. And you, Luminaria, you will cease to exist.”

  “I know the terms, wizard,” she snarled.

  “I’m sure you do. I’m simply reminding you of them. And now you are reminded, perhaps you will agree returning home and waiting for this wizard to reappear is a particularly bad idea.”

  “What are you suggesting instead?” Luminaria flashed her tail.

  “That we return to my place and we think about this. At this stage, we have no idea how big this group is, nor do we know how many resources that dark wizard has access to. If he could spare enough magic to continually relocate this chapel, then he is easily the strongest practitioner I have seen in Marchtown for years.”

  “You think I couldn’t feel his power? I could taste it, boy. But you’re wrong – he’s not as strong as you think he is. My estimation is he is merely a foot soldier.”

  “Hmm,” Aaron stowed his hand in his pocket and looked thoughtful, “to you he may be merely a foot soldier, but to me, that means he has powerful friends. Now, we should probably get out of here before this chapel crumbles around us.” He made a point of wiping some dust from his silver-grey jacket.

  Even though her home wasn’t a comforting place, Anna still wanted to crawl into bed. She wanted to pull the covers over her head, cradle her wrist, and pretend none of this was happening.

  ….

  She had a part of a dark wizard’s soul, and sooner rather than later, he’d be back to claim it.