Mind Games (36 page)

He waved a dismissive hand. “I’ve been hoping to talk to you ever since I heard the dramatic story of what happened Wednesday night. You’re an interesting girl, Cassie. I’ve never run into anyone quite like you.”

“I’m just another drained woman,” I said.

He shook his head. “Hardly. So what’s next for you?” Alexander poured himself a mineral water and sat down opposite me.

“Well, I don’t know for sure, but I have a few ideas.” I thought of Abigail’s offer of an apprenticeship.

“Back to your normal detective agency?” Alexander’s lips quirked in amusement.

I shook my head, ruefully. “That was a mistake. I was…” I tried to think of a way to sum up how I’d reacted to the realization that my parents hadn’t even thought I counted because of my lack of magic. “…confused about who I was.”

“Who are you?” Alexander asked.

I shrugged. “At least now I know that I don’t know the answer to that question. But I’m going to find out.”

“Good start.”

“I know a lot,” I added. “Even if I can’t channel magic. I’m going to use that knowledge.”

Alexander sat up straighter. “You see, that’s what I’m trying to do here. A lot of people are resisting the idea exchange portion of my plan, but how can people protect themselves without knowledge? They can’t. They have to rely on others and then they get into these inescapable cycles of magical debt.”

“What is your plan, exactly?” I realized I didn’t really know.

His face brightened and he set down his mineral water. “Broadly speaking, I am looking to do three basic things. First, I want to establish a code of laws based on ethical principals, enforced by a magical police force and overseen by a judicial system. Without laws, there is chaos, and the weak prey on the strong, as I’m sure you know.”

We exchanged a significant look, and I knew at that moment that we were both thinking about Evan. I wondered if Alexander intended to do anything about him, as my father had requested.

“Second,” Alexander continued, “I want to establish a body of knowledge accessible by anyone, so that those with magical potential can make the most of their talents.”

“I bet you’re getting a lot of resistance on that one,” I said dryly.

“Among older families with a lot of secret information, I am hitting a brick wall, although those whose families don’t have a vault full of knowledge are eager to participate.”

“What’s the third thing you want to accomplish?”

“Secrecy.”

“Um, didn’t you just say–”

“From the mundane world,” Alexander finished. “I think the actions of the last few weeks explain why I might feel that’s an important facet of any magical government. Most are prone to secrecy anyway, but I want to formalize it and work to protect it. There’s far too much information out there, readily available to anyone with a mind to look. The best protection we have at the moment is the sheer quantity of misinformation mixed in with the truth. The Internet has been both a blessing and a curse since its inception. I’ve actually got a task force whose sole purpose is to sow bad information.”

“How do you decide who’s in on the secret and who isn’t?” After all, I hadn’t initially received an invitation but no one thought to leave me out now.

“And here you’ve hit upon the biggest problem. The term practitioner can apply very broadly, as you know very well. You’ve actually brought the problem into sharp perspective for me, because usually, a person with no gift and no talent shouldn’t be let into the secret, but what if he or she was born into it? And where, generally, do you draw the line? I’ve been working with a friend of mine, whose gift is to detect magic in others, to create a scale to describe a person’s magical potential. The scale goes from 1 to 10, with ten being a number that represents anyone who is off the scale.”

“Like Evan,” I said, before I could stop myself.

He arched an eyebrow. “Yes, precisely. A one on the scale can sense magical energies, but manipulate very little of it, even with intense training. So where do we draw the line? Does anyone who even registers on the scale get in? Privileged to learn the accumulated secrets of generations of powerful sorcerers? And what about gifts? Could a gifted herbalist with no magical potential at all be considered a part of the secret? It makes sense, since we all need the plants they can grow. I’ve seen a wide range of gifted individuals with no magical talent at all – telekinetics, healers, songbirds, and seers.”

For a minute, I thought about what Abigail had said, that there were no seer sorcerers, and yet they were some of the most powerful people in the magical world. They would be in, but what about my mom, drained of all magic but in possession of an eidetic memory, a gift most didn’t even consider to be all that magical? “Almost sounds like you need to fashion your group in circles, with the outermost circle being a basic support mechanism for anyone touched by magic.”
Alexander blinked in surprise. Then he stood, paced the floor a few times, and whirled around, beaming. “That’s brilliant!”

“It is?”

“No, really, it is. It will take some serious thought, but generally, I like it.”

“You’re welcome,” I said.

“You need to come work for me,” Alexander said suddenly.

“Um, what?”

“Yes!” Alexander snapped his fingers. “You’ve got experience with law enforcement, you’re from an old family of sorcerers, you know magic, and you know what can happen when it’s abused.”

I still wasn’t sure what he wanted me to do, and my confusion must have appeared on my face.

“Oh, let’s not get fussy about job descriptions right now. We’ve got a network across the country in thirty-seven major cities, but a lot of it is still resting on promises. Eagle Rock is very important to me, even if it is a small town, because the magic and knowledge pool here is quite unique. I want a link to that. I also want someone who can think and really help me get this thing in motion. I’m ready to move to the next level, and I want you to be a part of that.”

“I don’t know. I’ve got my job with the sheriff’s department and then there’s my family…”

“Oh, you’d do most of your work here. I need a liaison here. I’m thinking you’d need to spend a few months with me, so you would be traveling for a while, but after that, you’d be based here. I can pay you much more than the sheriff can.”

I shook my head. “It’s not about the money.”

“No, not for you. What’s it about, then? What do you want to do?”

“Help people,” I said without hesitation.

“Done. I’ll give you the chance to help victims of magical abuse and to help me find the criminals who caused it. Your investigation skills will come in handy there. You can even help us develop penal codes. Plus, I want you to help people born with magic, but into mundane families. They need protection and education. There’s a lot to do, but you can help a lot more people with me than you ever could here.”

I licked my lips, more tempted by the offer than I cared to admit. I’d never been farther away from Eagle Rock than St. Louis, though, and the thought of leaving my family for months hurt. Not to mention the fact that I’d be leaving Kaitlin during some or most of her pregnancy.

There was one more thing bothering me about the offer, something that I decided I had to ask. “What about Evan?”

Alexander deflated somewhat. “Ah, yes, I was wondering if his name would come up.”

“What do you plan to do?” My heart raced, and I held my breath.

“Do you want your magic back?”

“Yes.” The word conveyed a lifetime of longing that I couldn’t deny. So why did it feel wrong?

“Then I’ll get it for you.”

An image flashed before my eyes, one of Evan in excruciating agony, losing a part of himself. His eyes, full of pain, also managed to convey hurt and betrayal.

Nonsense. He had been the one to betray me, hadn’t he?

He hadn’t cast the spell, though. His father had.

And he hadn’t offered to make it right.

“Cassie?” Alexander said.

“Evan is one of yours, though. If you do this to him, he’ll never forgive you.”

“I’m fighting for magical justice. Your father told me what happened and I realize Evan isn’t entirely to blame, which is why I wouldn’t think of imprisoning him like many of the others I’ve caught dealing in stolen magic. But it’s not his to keep.”

“He’ll fight you, and his family has a lot of support. It would be a mistake to get in the middle of this.” Besides, an oddly diplomatic voice in the back of my mind whispered, as much as our two families threw back and forth, we might be even. If he wanted to right all the wrongs caused by over twenty years of feuding, he’d be busy for a long time.

“Your family has a lot of support, too,” Alexander said. “And you’re awfully well-liked after Wednesday night. I’d gain far more support than I’d lose, not to mention the fact that it’s the right thing to do. How can I preach magical justice and then turn a blind eye when it’s not convenient?”

“My family has done things to him, too,” I said, because I didn’t think I could explain the real trouble.

Alexander nodded. “I’ve heard, which is why I’m not getting in the middle of Edward Scot and Victor Blackwood. This is different. You were just a victim.”

I was trying hard not to think of myself that way. “It won’t work. He’s too powerful. You’d need an army to take him down.”

“Luckily, I have one. Not even Evan Blackwood can fight off an entire army on his own, especially if he’s taken unaware.”

“What if he has friends fighting with him?” I thought of Scott Lee. “If you try and fail, you’ll lose the respect of everyone in town.”

“If I try and succeed, I’ll win over almost all of them.”

He was probably right, but it didn’t matter. “
If
you succeed.
If
.”

Alexander didn’t answer right away. “I’m not sure I understand you, Cassie. Are you trying to protect me or Evan?”

Both. Neither. Me. I wanted the magic back but somehow I knew that if it didn’t come from Evan of his own free will, it would come with a taint that would never wash away.

That was it. I suddenly understood my reluctance. This had to be between me and Evan.

“Please, don’t do it,” I said. “You’ll regret it.”

After a minute, Alexander sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

I nodded, though I wondered if there was something else I might say to convince him.

“So, what did you come for in the first place?”

“Oh, well, I heard that you helped make the deal to banish all those people from Eagle Rock.”

Alexander nodded. “That’s true.”

“I’d like you to make one exception. There’s a girl – she used to be my friend – her name is Angie Mueller. She risked her own life to help me Wednesday night.” Then I explained how she’d passed me the vial of potion and called the police.

Alexander didn’t answer right away. “Does she want to stay?”

“Now that you mention it, I don’t even know.”

“Then I tell you what. You give me the girl’s phone number, and I’ll talk to her. No promises.”

“Fair enough.”

As I stood to go, Alexander called out to me. “Don’t forget my offer. You’ll never have a better chance to help people.”

I nodded. “Don’t forget my warning. If you go after Evan, you will regret it.”

T
HE DAY OF THE CONCLAVE DAWNED
bright, clear, and hot. Early September was still every bit a part of summer, and it was making sure we knew it.

Alexander held the meeting in a large clearing on Henry Wolf’s property, within sight of the lake. From the security checkpoints we had to wade through to get there, you’d have thought we were going to see the president.

Madison, Kaitlin, and I rode together, invitations in hand. At each of the three checkpoints, we had to hand the invitations to different members of Alexander’s security staff.

Larry Jackson, the man who had, apparently, decided to leave my name off the invitation list, stopped us at the first checkpoint. He recognized me instantly and scowled when I handed him my invitation, letting me know precisely how he felt about it.

“You don’t belong here,” he said.

“Alexander disagrees,” I said. “Did you know he offered me a job?”

Obviously, he didn’t know, because his eyes popped. “You’re lying.”

I shrugged, took back my invitation, and moved on to the second checkpoint.

I’m not exactly sure how to describe the atmosphere at the conclave. Never before had every practitioner in town – or nearly every one – gotten together in one place, and many of them didn’t trust the rest. Others acted positively jubilant, treating the day like a festival.

I found my family right away, at the center of everything, surrounded by friends and extended family. Several of my cousins had driven into town from Springfield, a pretty good haul, and I greeted them enthusiastically. It felt a bit like a family reunion, with Dad’s brother and cousins, along with their spouses and children.

Kaitlin, who had been spending countless hours with my family, blended right in. Madison clung to Nicolas. She looked ill-at-ease in the group, but seemed to draw some comfort from my brother.