Mage of Shadows (27 page)

"That wasn't me," I protested quickly, "I remember that, I was in the library that night working on my lab report that was due the next day, it couldn't have been me!"

"Do you have anyone that can corroborate that?" Wilson said, speaking for the first time since entering the room.

I shook my head, "No… I was still new to school then, I mean, people saw me in the library but I doubt they would remember me from all the way back then."

They traded a look, "I didn't do it!" I insisted again.

"We aren't saying you did." Wilson replied gently.

Rodriguez banged a fist on the hard metal of the table without flinching, "Yes we are. We received a tip recently that it was you that attacked these men. I was after you that night, I recognize your voice and your face. Don't lie to me."

Her glare was to cow me into telling the truth, I supposed.

It just pissed me off. The fear these cops instilled in me were outweighed easily by the frustration and anger I was feeling at being caught, being accused… and being kept from studying, dammit. My father was ten times as frightening when he was angry.

"You really thing you're tough, don't you?" I said quietly, rage simmering beneath the surface like a kettle set to boil.

"Excuse me?"

"I bet you have to be," I continued with a mocking smirk, "Working in a male-dominated field, I bet none of these guys take you seriously. I bet you have to be faster, harder, and smarter than any of them… and I bet they still don't respect you." I leaned forward to focus my gaze on her, "You don't scare me, officer. I didn't do anything wrong. You can't hold me here just because some suspect escaped from right under your nose on some night months ago and your pride got wounded. Bet you were the butt of the water cooler jokes- maybe you still are. That isn't my problem, now let me go back to school."

Wilson let out a low whistle, and quietly said, "Damn." I wasn't really sure if he was impressed, afraid, or both.

Rodriguez had gone stiff in her seat, and for a moment I wondered if she would try and slap the smirk off my face. I wanted her too; I could probably sue and get my tuition paid off in full and have money to spare if she did. Mentally prepared, I didn't flinch or change my posture at all when her right hand moved- but it didn't move towards me, instead it went to her belt.

She pulled out her gun and placed it on the table, "Do you recognize this?" The dark-haired officer asked me quietly.

"It's a gun." I said disinterestedly, "So what?"

"I lost this gun on September 5th," The cop's voice was dangerously low, "You picked it up after somehow disabling Officer Wilson and I."

"It wasn't me." I insisted.

"I got it back the very next day." She continued unabated, "Do you know where it was found?"

My mind was scrambling to understand. Ruark had taken the gun from me in our confrontation, I had no idea what he had done with it nor did I think much of it after the fact. I had been too busy worrying about what Ruark could do to me- what Archanos could do to me. By the time that had been settled, I had gone on to far more important things than what had happened to Rodriguez's weapon.

"It was found in a dumpster the next day by searching officers, only a block away from the Undergraduate Library on campus." Rodriguez wasn't just accusing me; she had already decided I was guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

"Ballistics matched this gun to the bullet that killed Emily Albright." Rodriguez stated coldly, "You took my weapon, and then you used it to murder an innocent girl. Do you still dare to deny it?"

"You're in jail?" Vik laughed, way longer and way harder than I thought was necessary.

"It's not funny man!" I said loudly over his laughter, "Can you get me out of here or not? My Bio exam is tomorrow, and I'm freaking out. My parents are going to murder me if they find out about this."

"I'll see what I can do." He said, still chuckling as he hung up the phone and the line went dead, leaving me to sigh loudly as I put the phone back on the receiver and was led away.

That had been yesterday, and I spent the night in a cold, isolated cell. Nothing to make you rethink every move you've ever made in life than the inside of a prison cell. I had no idea how the government was throwing away millions of dollars on housing inmates- it was the most uncomfortable night of my life.

After lights out, I had laid down but sleep eluded me. I tossed and turned, wondering how the hell the gun I had stolen from Rodriguez on a split-second whim had been turned around and used to kill Emily. It was poetic justice of the most vicious sort. Emily's death, something I still felt like was my duty to avenge, was brought about using a weapon that I had provided.

Had it been Ruark, all this time? Was that why he seemed to feel so much guilt over Emily's death, he was the one that pulled the trigger and ended her life? I had no idea for sure, which was yet another one of my failings in the last few months- I had been so wrapped up with school and myself. I tried my best to just ignore Archanos because frankly they had done nothing but scare the crap out of me. Maybe I wouldn't be in this situation if I had tried a little harder to get to the bottom of things instead of letting people keep their secrets just because I didn't want to push.

I managed to fall asleep sometime after four in the morning and was rudely awakened by a cop banging on my cell at 9:30 AM.

"What?" I glowered at him, wincing at the pain in my neck from the position I had been sleeping in on the hard bed, it felt like I had slept on a bench- the thin pillow had been very little comfort.

"Stratus," He said gruffly, "You're free to go."

The bars sliding free as he unlocked the cell door had been the sweetest sound I had heard in a very long time. I forgot my achy neck and leapt to my feet, grinning like a loon.

Freedom.

I could suddenly understand why people would die to attain this feeling, and to keep it. I all but skipped down the hall, until I saw a clock on the wall with the time.

"I slept that long? Dammit…" I muttered in askance, I only had an hour until my Bio exam started. The exam I had been planning to stay up all night to study for, to make sure I would secure an A in the class.

I was screwed. I started to run down the hall, but a hand caught my shoulder and I was spun to around to face a bemused looking Vik, and a tall well-built black guy, who I was pretty sure I had seen hanging around with the aforementioned leader of APA. Both were grinning widely at me, as if my conundrum was the funniest thing in the world to them.

"What's the rush, Stratus?" Vik asked me casually.

"Exam- hour- no time-!" I babbled incoherently, pointing wildly to the clock, then to the front doors of the station just a little ways away.

"Easy, easy," He said, sounding far too relaxed, he pointed at a sullen-looking Rodriguez who, in my panic, I hadn't noticed standing a little further off, "Before you go, Officer Rodriguez has something to say to you, don't you, Officer?"

"I have nothing to say." The female officer snapped back.

Wilson was at her side and shook his head. He then whispered into her ear that I couldn't quite catch, though I made out the words, "…your father said… and the mayor… you can't…"

The furious cop stood stock-still, her eyes attempting spontaneous combustion via glaring alone. I doubt the look of bewildered amusement I had on my face helped at all.

She said it so quietly that it almost matched her partner's whisper, "Sorry." And without further ado, she stormed away from us.

I said nothing, still dazed and confused about how exactly Vik managed to wrestle an apology out of her, I also actually felt guilty, because Rodriguez wasn't completely wrong. I had been the one she was chasing that night, and I had taken her gun and possibly delivered it right into the hands of Emily's killer. With all the evidence staring me in the face like that, I wasn't sure if I could've let someone guilty walk away from me just like that. Then having to apologize…?

Damn. I felt really bad, especially when Vik started chuckling loud enough for the retreating cop to hear.

"That's what you get when you mess with the wrong people, baby!" Vik's big friend called after her. The woman didn't turn or acknowledge either of them, but Wilson stepped up, his stare suddenly almost as intense as Rodriguez's had been. I had to wonder how he managed to keep his general demeanor so polite.

"I think it's time for all of you to leave." The officer said quietly, his eyes suddenly focused on me, "We at the DPD apologize for the mistake, Mr. Stratus…. The innocent should never be persecuted while the guilty are allowed to run free." His even, polite gaze didn't set me at ease, but rather only served to unnerve me.

I felt his stare boring into my back as I was led off by Vik, and I had to wonder suddenly if I had been afraid of the wrong cop catching me.

111

Rather than cow-tow me to their car, Vik and his friend stood outside of the station on the curb, as if waiting for someone or something to come along, and appeared to be in no rush.

They were completely calm, but I was far from it. Ever since I had realized that I might not miss my exam, anxiety had set in and was causing my stomach to attempt a digestive lambada.

"Guys, I really need to get going-"

Vik smacked me on the back of my head. Not gently either. Ow. "We heard you, Stratus." The burly Indian said mildly, "Jeez Hershel, can you believe this guy? Not even a thank you for getting him out of prison."

"Thanks but really-"

Vik smacked me again, "Quiet, Stratus. You'll go after the boss man is done with you and no sooner."

"You ain't the only one on a timeline," The black guy snorted darkly, "I need to find Max."

I perked up, blinking, "Max? You know Max? Max who?" Surely it couldn't be the same Max that had rescued me in Virginia. Was he here? I had never known or asked him what coven he had been a part of. It could have been Archanos.

The huge mage suddenly turned to me, eying me suspicion so fierce I actually shrank back against Vik, "Why?" He demanded, poking me in the chest, "You know Max? Huh? You fucking him too?!"

I was thoroughly confused now, "What?" I said, panicked, "No! What?"

Vik got between us, laughing, "Easy, Hershel, easy!" He then explained, "Max is Hershel's boyfriend, Stratus. Hershel just found out that he was cheating on him, apparently with some cheerleader."

"That's what I get for dating a bi." Hershel growled, but sighed heavily and backed away, "Damn fool can't make up his damn mind on what he wants."

"You're gay?" I asked blankly.

His glare came back full force, "You got a problem with that?" Hershel demanded.

I sputtered another apology, "N-No! I mean, you don't really look like what… I mean… uh. Sorry?"

Vik was all but rolling on the floor laughing, but Hershel was still scowling. For a moment, I was distracted enough to forget about my impending test and how royally screwed I was.

"Is Max a mage or…?" I asked slowly.

"No." Hershel said stiffly, squinting in the distance and summarily ignoring me, "He's not. But he's gonna wish he could do magic when I get my hands on him."

"Not too rough buddy," Vik said, still chuckling, "You'll get your chance, first we have to deliver Stratus here to the boss-man."

As if his words summoned it, the vehicle rolled up silent as a shadowy ghost. It was classic Cadillac, black as midnight, all chrome and metal that almost glowed with a dusky sheen. Immaculate, it looked as if it had just come off the lot. I wondered if I had somehow been transported into the winter of the late fifties, with the sun hidden and the world cast into shades of grey, it felt very much like an old movie.

It rolled to a stop in front of us on the curb with barely a squeak of protest from the brakes. The windows were deeply tinted, so I couldn't hope to peer inside to see who was waiting behind the glass. I highly doubted it was anyone very friendly. Still, nice car plus Stratus could equal making it to bio test on time, maybe even a little early to get some studying done.

Optimism, I usually didn't have any, but desperate times and all that.

Without another word to me, Vik opened the door and Hershel all but pushed me inside before closing it. Immediately, the car began to move again, the entire exchange so smooth that it took less than five seconds. For a moment my eyes tried to track the APA brothers as we left them behind, and the last thing I saw was Vik's dark grin chasing the car until we turned out of sight. Now that my only compatriots were lost to me, I reluctantly turned to face whatever devil I had been shoved into the car with.

I wasn't sure what I expected, but when I turned to look at the only other person in the back of the Caddy, all I could remember with certainty in my first impression were his eyes.

They were colored like living smoke, and they looked painted atop a white canvas instead of being a product of natural creation. Those eyes were focused on me, calculating, as if summing up everything that I ever was with a single gaze and filing away all of my memories, strengths, and weaknesses.

Disconcerting, to say the least.

"Uh… Hello." I said lamely.

He said nothing.

"I guess you're the boss?" Maybe this was one of the Triumvirate members that Ruark seemed so afraid of. That would make sense, but that would also mean that this guy had the power to flatten me without even trying… damn, I really didn't try to get myself into these kinds of situations, they just happened.

No response still.

"Well, thank you… is there any way you can drop me off in front of General Lectures…? I have a Bio exam in like twenty minutes-"

"Aether," The older man said softly, and I felt like I could finally look away from his eyes when his silence broke. I noticed the lines of his face, his well-groomed mustache that draped over a thin uncompromising mouth. He had a smooth jaw, seemingly worn down by age, but it still seemed particularly unyielding. I had the fleeting feeling that if I tried to land a punch there; my arm would break before his jaw did.