Conjuring Quantico (The Federal Witch Book 1) (12 page)

“Other than the Weres - who have always been the most integrated with human society - and a few of the others, no magical people have helped any government officially since the 1940’s. The Slavic or Russian mercenaries don’t really count. The Russian Volkhvy - what they call their priests and priestesses - ruled the magical clans of Russia with iron fists. It was they that kept the Russian Czar in power and denied it to the Bolsheviks. The Demon threatened them the most. It was they who cast the spells that kept it busy and trapped in Berlin for the Allied armies to even get close enough to use their weapon of mass destruction. The explosion and the aftermath of the spell they’d cast burned them all out. They were only effective if they combined power and they sacrificed themselves to accomplish it. The power vacuum they left allowed the Bolsheviks to rise to power and touched off the revolution inside Russia. None of the lesser magicians had the training or the power to revive the priesthood. Even if the new Soviets would allow it to happen. They hire themselves out now to bring money home. The government actually encourages them to do so. As a Magical community they are a shadow of their former selves. In a couple of days I will talk about part two: Witchcraft and what it can and can’t do. I hope to see you then.”

“You won’t be seeing anyone because you are under arrest!” The creepy Director was standing in front of me holding a gun.

Chapter 9

“Arrested for what?” I just stared at the gun pointed at me.

“Sedition, lies, or something like that. I don’t need a real reason.”

“I may be new to the whole FBI thing, but I think you do need a real charge seeing how you are doing this in a room full of Government Agents.” I pointed to the people in the audience.

“They don’t matter. Everyone here works for me in some capacity. Now: off the stage, you are coming with me.”

“Sorry but some of those police procedures actually sunk in as boring as that class is and you are doing it wrong. I’d like to see a warrant, badge, or even a reason for arresting me. Right now you are the one breaking the law.”

I could see a small group of FBI security making their way around the stage out of the corner of my eye. I had a spell I could use, but I was afraid to use it. What if it went wrong?

The creepy Director laughed. “The law? Just who makes those laws? This is your last chance. Off the stage or I shoot.”

Screw it. I started to make a hand motion just as he fired. Blam! His gun went off, and the bullet ricocheted off my shield and hit the video screen to my rear.

He just stared at the gun in his hand and pointed it at me and fired again. The second bullet bounced off my shield and went zinging into the crowd. He was about to fire again when he was tackled by the security team. They had him down on the ground and in cuffs in the blink of an eye. Director Mills approached me and escorted me back to the preparation rooms.

“Agatha, are you OK?”

I nodded. “I’m fine. My shield stopped his bullets. I had a dream? Or something that told me that bad things might happen today. It’s why I was so scared of even coming inside today.”

“You knew this might happen?”

“Not really, Director.”

“Madeleine, please. At least when we are alone.”

Smiling wanly I sat down on one of the very comfortable couches. “Foresight is a very rare and sought-after Magical power. As children we are tested for a wide variety of the powers. It guides the training we receive. I tested positive for Foresight but only just. I have an extremely tiny trace amount of the power. When it combines with my other powers, it can make me shoot more true or make better guesses. I can’t control it or define what it tells me directly. I just had a very uneasy feeling about this building today. Nothing concrete in the least.”

Madeleine nodded her head slowly. “Is that why you allowed the Unicorn to stay back here?”

“Some. Fergus can be a distraction for some people if they are not prepared for him. I intended to show him to the audience during my next lecture as a lesson for what can happen if uncontrolled magic is used.”

Boom! Boom! Boom! We both jumped. Someone was pounding on the stage door. Madeleine jumped up and stepped over to the door. She stepped to one side and opened it.

“Yes?”

“Director Mills?”

“Yes? And you are?”

“FBI Internal Security. We need you and the Witch to come with us.”

“Under whose authority? I’m the Director here. She is one of my students.”

“Ma’am, this comes straight from the top.”

I was watching the ‘Security’ and his associates. None of them made any movement toward the door or attempted to push past the Director. “Madeleine. Invite them inside.”

She turned and looked at me. I made a both a swirling, and a come here motion with my hands.

She nodded to me and turned back to the supposed Security officer. “Step inside and we will discuss it, please.” Madeleine stepped back from the door. The Officer started to step forward and stopped like he hit an invisible wall.

“Who are you and who sent you?” She had her cell phone out, she took his picture and was calling the security detail.

The man cursed and kicked at my ward. “You haven’t heard the last of this!” He and his associates stormed off and disappeared into the milling crowd of Agents. The real security showed up seconds later and were able to step inside the room.

“You called for us, Ma’am?” The Director looked at me and shook her head.

“Yes, is the area secured? I would like for Miss Blackmore to be able to return to her dorm in peace.”

“The assailant is under arrest and he is being transported to a holding cell downtown. We still need to finish taking statements including yours and hers. But as far as we can tell he was alone. Do you know who he was?”

“Yes, he is Director Lansing. He works out of the Pentagon. You should call the transport group and request they call in more backup. He may try to escape.” She pulled the man aside and explained about the men that came to the door. She showed her cell pictures as proof.

I stood up and walked across the room to talk to Fergus. He was still in the company of the B’s. They were subdued and very quiet. “Fergus, you don’t look well?”

“Did someone try to kill you, Agatha?”

“They did. But as you can see I’m unhurt. How about you? Have the B’s kept you entertained?”

“Are you sure you are alright? They aren’t coming in here are they? I’m not one of those sneaky cats! I only have one life, not nine. Is there a place for me to hide?”

“Fergus, they are not after you. You are perfectly safe.” I looked at the two pretty girls sitting in the corner. “Are you OK? It was a lone shooter and they have him in custody. Has Fergus been a pain?”

“Oh, he’s been great. He told us a story about field mice and purple squirrels. Did you really turn all of them in town Purple?”

“I did. I was four so I don’t really remember doing it. Was he the hero of the field mice story? Because he’s scared of them. They think he’s a God or something and try to worship him. Don’t let him kid you. They really freak him out.”

The two cute blondes were not as quiet now and began to tease Fergus. I stepped back over to the officers just as the Director turned to me.

“Agatha can you give a statement to the security officers? They just need to know anything you can remember.”

“Of course, Director. Don’t forget about the cameras out there, too. Especially those other ones. They are in here too but they weren’t working at the time.”

They sent men to track them down and trace the signals. The cameras in here were all little molten balls of plastic.

“Director, may I send a text to my roommate and tell her I’m OK? She will be worried.” The Director remembered Cat and told me it was OK. I sat down at one of the tables and sent a quick text.

“Ready when you are, Officer.”

The interrogation took over an hour. They asked me the same questions over a dozen times. Each phrased differently to try to trip me up. Finally the Director had to step in. “You do realize that she is an FBI student, and she is aware of interrogation techniques? I think you have enough. She is available here on campus any time you might need her.”

The security men pried several of the melted cameras from the walls and stepped out of the room. “Sorry about the cameras. I thought they were yours.”

“It’s OK. I do understand. I was able to watch the footage from last year. Our Agents did open fire first. You shouldn’t have tried to walk away, but they seriously underestimated you. Do you have any clue why these people want you?”

“I have no idea. Maybe they don’t want the truth to leak out about paranormal relations? Almost every Para has the same info that I do. I just have permission to speak about it. I’m sure somebody will figure it out. Can I go home now?”

“Sure. I will escort you. You better get your Unicorn. The B’s will have him on their work desks before you know it. They love small creatures. Especially the cute ones.”

“I could use a few new Unicorn sitters. He can be real trouble sometimes.” I scooped up the troublemaker in question and placed him in my pocket.

“Thanks girls! Anytime you want to play with him give me a yell.” They both smiled at me.

We were on government property so there was no news media or helicopters. That was a no-go on a Marine base. I suspected they would cover the whole thing up. While it was a short walk to the dorm, they gave me a security escort. I thanked them and entered the dorm.

“There she is!” I looked up at the room full of Weres and other paranormal students.

“Agatha, are you alright?”

I smiled at Cat. “I’m fine. No new holes.”

“What happened? We heard there were shots fired and that the campus was in lockdown. Even the base was on alert.”

I waved everyone into the TV room. The TV was centered on the wall and instead of chairs there was this large tiered wooden structure covered in carpet. It was multifunction so there was room for everyone.

“I gave the first part of my lecture about the true history of the Purge and relations afterward. A government employee pulled a gun, told me I was under arrest and shot at me. Twice.” I proceeded to tell them about his arrest and my statements to security.

“Did they arrest him?” this came from one of the first-year students.

“Of course they did. Remember where you are. This is the FBI. Now I’m safe and so are you. If something threatens any of you, I will help to defend this dorm and others. Para’s help each other, remember? Thanks for worrying, guys.” Being the only witch on campus was both a good and bad thing. The others tended to follow my lead in many things.

Cat and Chuck gave me a big hug. “We were so worried for you, Aggy!”

I tapped my wrist where they could see and tossed my head in the direction of the stairs. We quickly went upstairs and into our room. Once inside I relaxed for the first time in hours. I sagged against the closed door and sighed. “Thanks guys. This has been a hell of a long day so far.”

Plopping down on my bed I laid down flat and stared up at the ceiling. I spoke my suspicions bluntly. “Someone or something wants me dead or out of commission.”

“What? Agatha what are you talking about?” I explained about the mysterious Director and the fake security guards.

“But he’s under arrest right?”

“He is but I will bet you a pizza that he either escapes or is let go by the government. Someone doesn’t want me to explain things. It can’t be the Council. They could have just said no to the class in the first place. It has to be a government entity. We need to be more careful from now on.”

“Is there anything you can do?” I had to think on that. I didn’t know the bullet bounce spell. Grams refused to teach it to me.

“I can ward Chuck’s car so no one will mess with it or bug it. This room is already taken care of. Chuck, do you want me to ward your room too?”

The big Were cocked his head to one side and thought about it for a moment. He was more analytical than we were. “I don’t think so at this time. My roommate would freak I think. He’s not wound real tight, but he’s a nice guy. I don’t want to scare him. If bad things happen, I will just crash here.” Cat nodded that that was OK with her.

“OK. That is your choice and I respect it. I’m going to make up a few protection amulets and you will wear them. Understood? Both of you will get one.” They both nodded.

Cat came over and sat down on my bed. I sat up and gave her a big hug. “I was fine; I wore Grandmother’s bracelet. For once my foresight gave me a clear sign. I was very nervous inside that building. One good thing that came of it: the Director asked me to call her by her given name. She has become a friend to me at least. She is a good resource for us.” I pointed to the three of us. If we were going to be a Pack we needed to act like one. “That reminds me. I’m a Witch in a Shifter pack. Is there some way for me to feel the pack bond?”

“I… have no idea? I guess I can ask Daddy. What do you think, Chuck?”

He made a funny face by scrunching his up. “I’ve read some of the pack histories. Many of the packs are diverse. My father’s has cats, wolves, and even a couple of the rare ones like snake shifters in it. Most of the wolves prefer wild, wide-open spaces which is why so few of them are in the service. I have heard that the Alaska packs have allowed other para’s to come under their umbrellas of protection, but not inside the actual pack. I can research it some if you like?”