M&L03 - SS (10 page)

“Where are we?” he asked
glancing around at the overgrown trees and vines surrounding us. Nearby, there
was a stone slab resting atop three narrow rocks that were jutting out of the
ground like pillars.

“Our ancestors used this
altar to cast protection spells over the entire village. Only someone with our
blood and our magic can come here.”

“What are you saying
Solomon?”

“I’m saying we share the same
blood. We may not be brothers, but somewhere in our family histories, our
bloodlines intersect. If they didn’t you wouldn’t have been able to bring us
here.”

“I didn’t think I had any
family left.”

“I didn’t either,” I said
grinning at his bemused expression. “At least not on my father’s side. Will you
swear your blood oath to me here, at this altar built by our ancestors?”

His black eyes met mine then
he nodded. I produced a small dagger, which I used to cut a deep gash in my
hand and then another one across Grayson’s palm. We clasped our hands together
and I whispered the ancient words that would bind his soul to my will. If he
did anything to betray me, I could literally will him to die. His fate was
sealed when he repeated the spell and vowed his loyalty to me.

“The spell should prevent you
from divulging anything you learn from me or from using it against me or my
people, but if you somehow find a way to get around the spell, I’ll know and
you won’t have time to regret it,” I promised, releasing his hand. The virus in
my blood had already healed the wounds on both our hands.

“I understand, and I can’t
blame you for taking precautions after the curse your people had to endure for
so long.”

“It’s not just the curse that
makes me paranoid; it’s the fact that my father trained the sorcerer who cast
it.”

Grayson looked at me sharply
and I nodded my head. “Now you understand why I still insisted on the blood
oath even after I learned we were family.”

“If it didn’t make any
difference, why was it important for you to know we shared bloodlines?”

“There are some spells that
anyone could cast, even human magicians if they happened to know the right
words and they had the right supplies. But not all spells are that simple and
not all sorcerers are created equal. Having the same kind of blood means we
should be able to wield the same kind of magic. After seeing the forest you
created, I thought your abilities might be limited. Now I know that’s not the
case.”

He looked away for a moment
then faced me again with unshed tears shinning in his eyes. “My mother tried to
train me before she was killed but I was more interested in manipulating time.
I thought we had all the time in the world.”

“That’s a hard way to learn
that lesson,” I said, clapping him on the back. “But don’t worry; we’ll have
you caught up to speed before you know it. Now let’s go back to Supernova and
fix that forest.”

I opened a portal and we both
stepped through into his forest.

“I knew it wasn’t very good
but I didn’t want to admit I was out of my depth. I was afraid Katerina
wouldn’t want to let me stay here if I couldn’t do the spells she needed.”

“Supernova is a safe haven
operated by The United Clans. It’s open to anyone who needs a safe place to
live and Katerina wouldn’t kick you out if your magic wasn’t up to snuff. She’d
simply find you a different job - maybe in security. Time demons always make
great security agents with their ability to reset time. I don’t believe that
will be necessary though because I honestly think you’re off to a good start
with the forest. However, the annual tournament is a major event and we can’t
have your debut performance turn out to be a huge flop.

Illusions can be created from
our imaginations but the best illusions will always start with echoes from the
past, or even the present as long as you’re using a real place or object as the
basis for the spell. Most sorcerers have photographic memories - not for
everything, but for anything they take the time to commit to memory. For that
reason, I would encourage you to spend your free time surveying different types
of landscapes, making sure to take in every detail so that when you have to
create scenes like this one, they will be more realistic. Don’t just focus on
the visuals either. Think about what you hear, what you smell, and what you
feel. If possible try to take someone important with you because the stronger
the emotional attachment you have to a scene the more realistic it will
become.”

“Is that how you made those
chairs sturdy enough to sit in, and real enough to recline?” Grayson asked,
pointing towards the recliners.

I grinned and motioned
towards the chairs making them disappear. “That is a different kind of magic
altogether. Watch and feel the magic.”

I let the spell whisper
through my mind as I reached up and wrapped my hand around the grip of a sword.
With a slow, smooth motion, I brought my hand down and across my body. As my
arm moved, the rest of the sword slowly appeared out of thin air.

“What did you see?”

“I saw you create an illusion
of drawing that sword from thin air.”

“Now, what did you feel?”

He cocked his head to the
side. “I’m not sure.”

“I think you are,” I said
handing him the sword. “But you’re telling yourself it’s not possible.”

He took the sword, tested the
strength of its blade then met my eyes. “It’s real isn’t it? Not an illusion.”

“Yes. Normally I would have
completed the spell quickly to prevent you from feeling the magic. That way it
would seem like I conjured a real sword out of thin air, which we both know is
impossible.”

“It felt like a portal, but
different and there wasn’t even the slightest hint of a shimmering rainbow. How
could you open a portal without it being seen? For that matter, you seem to be
implying that you used the same magic to make the recliners appear and
disappear. How could you do that without pushing them through the portal?”

“I’ve spent a few centuries
studying portals and found that they do not have to be the stationary,
translucent barriers you’re used to seeing. I still create regular portals of
course, but only when I don’t care who sees or feels them. When I need to hide
a portal, or when I want to make people believe I can conjure something out of
nothing, I create a different kind of portal. These portals can be wrapped
around almost anything - chairs, swords, people... Then I have three choices. I
can pull the object through the portal as I did with the sword, I can collapse
the portal leaving the object on the opposite side from where it started, or I
can leave it open so that the object is visible from both locations. I rarely
choose the third option of course because it would allow anyone with magical
abilities to feel the magic and possibly realize it was a portal. That sword
and the recliners all came from my apartment.”

“Does anyone else know you
can do this?”

I shook my head. “No. You are
the only person I have ever told this secret.”

Grayson bowed to me with his
hand fisted over his heart. “I am honored you chose me for this privilege.” I
returned the gesture then he straightened and asked, “How do you keep the
portal from shimmering like a rainbow?”

“That is really just about
fine tuning the spell. If a normal portal is made with a dull blade then these
are made with the sharpest scalpel. One leaves a jagged scar while the other
barely leaves a mark. These portals cause a lot less damage to the natural
world, therefore you can’t see the fabric of time and space attempting to
repair itself, which is what causes portals to shimmer with a rainbow of
colors.”

Grayson shook his head. “I
have a lot to learn before I attempt anything that complicated. I couldn’t even
open the portal that you closed the other night.”

I shrugged my shoulder. “Then
we’ll start with the basics. Look around and tell me what you see.”

He glanced around. “I’d like
to say I see a forest, but if I came upon a forest like this I’d immediately be
on guard. There’s something unnatural about it.”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “A
forest has many trees, not hundreds of copies of the same tree. And those trees
are not evenly spaced, nor are they surrounded by an equal number of leaves and
pine needles.” I pulled his runic stone out of my pocket. “I’m going to make
some adjustments to your spell and I want you to listen closely and watch what
I do with my hands.”

Using hand gestures and a few
incantations, I made some alterations to the spell adding moss, thickening the
underbrush, creating obstacles with low hanging branches and fallen trees. Then
I gave the trees more character by varying their sizes, the texture of the bark
and the locations of the knots and other blemishes.

“That’s amazing,” Grayson
approved.

Smiling, I said, “Oh, but I’m
not finished yet.”

With a few more whispered
words, the damp scent of the forest filled my nose and a gust of cool air
rushed through the trees making them creak and groan as they swayed in the
wind.

Grayson tried to tame his
unruly hair once the wind died down. “Are the changes permanent?”

I nodded. “I’ve embedded the
changes into the stone. Every time you cast this spell, the forest will look
just as it does now. Do you have the rest of your spells for the tournament
with you?”

“Yes, when they told me who
called for me I grabbed them all.”

“Good, let’s take a look at
them.”

We spent the rest of the
afternoon fine-tuning his spells for the tournament then we worked on portals
and security wards. If he was going to be the resident sorcerer at Supernova,
he may as well learn how to maintain the wards I already had in place. It also
wouldn’t hurt if he knew how to lock the place down if it ever became
necessary.

The wards at Myths and
Legends, as well as our other properties in the human realm, were designed to
keep out anyone who meant us harm. They weren’t perfect, since magic often had
loopholes that went unnoticed until they were exploited, but for the most part,
they kept us safe and helped hide our true natures from the humans. Without the
need to hide our abilities from human notice, the security here at Supernova
was a lot more relaxed. We wanted it to be a safe haven, but we also wanted a
place where supernaturals could be themselves and let their hair down so to
speak. Which meant when things went south they usually went from bad to worse
without stopping anywhere in between.

About an hour before the
banquet was set to begin, I said goodbye to Grayson and went to my suite to get
dressed. I hadn’t seen or heard from Renee so I used the spell I cast on her
the night before to check her location. Once I knew she was home and hadn’t run
off on me, I jumped in the shower and prepared for what was bound
to be an interesting evening.

~ Solomon ~

The banquet was a black tie
affair. However, since I wouldn’t be caught dead in a traditional tuxedo, I
wasn’t wearing a tie and my jacket had a Mandarin flare with gothic embroidery
and buttons. My pants were sadly lacking any of the usual chains, buckles or
cargo pockets, but I was going for a more understated, elegant look for this
event. I might prefer dressing like a teenager with gothic or punk tendencies,
but being in the entertainment industry, I did know a thing of two about
costumes, and I could dress appropriately if the occasion called for it.

In the banquet hall, I found
Doyle and Katerina seated with several other clan leaders at a large round
table near the front of the room. Like the hundreds of other tables in the
banquet hall, the tablecloth covering this one was crimson with gold trim - the
colors of the dragon clan. When I sat down beside Doyle, there was an empty
chair to my left, which I assumed he’d saved for Renee.

“Did you have a chance to
catch up with Renee yet?” he asked as quietly as he could, trying not to draw
attention to the fact that she wasn’t there.

“Things didn’t go as well as
I’d hoped they would,” I murmured in response.

Any further conversation was
cut off when the herald announced the Dragon King and Queen. We all stood then
bowed with our hands fisted over our hearts as Dragon and Serafina made their
way to their seats. Even with her rather large belly, Serafina glided
gracefully beside Dragon in her floor-length crimson gown. When they reached
the center of the head table Dragon remained standing after helping Serafina
into her seat. Leaders from several other supernatural groups were seated to
their right and left. Dragon said we could be seated and there was a lot of
shuffling as everyone situated themselves again.

“Welcome to the nine hundred
thirteenth annual tournament,” Dragon’s voice thundered through the room making
the hundreds of supernaturals attending the banquet cheer loudly.

When we quieted down he
continued, “This tournament began as a way for shapeshifter clans to work out
their differences without going to war. Since then, it has evolved into a
highly anticipated competition between not only shifter clans but groups from
many other supernatural races as well. The battles are fierce, the match-ups intense
and many of us, males and females alike, become the savage warriors we were
born to be.”

Everyone cheered, the wild
energy of our beasts vibrating in the air.

“With that in mind, I expect
to see blood, sweat, and more than a few injuries, but try to remember that we
are all friends here, and I’d like to keep the deaths to a minimum.”

“Does that include the
vampires?” someone shouted from across the room and it felt like everyone took
a collective breath, which they held awaiting Dragon’s response.

Dragon cast his fiery gaze
over the crowd. “This year marks a first for the tournament as we welcome
Danarius Demarco, the new Master of the New Orleans vampires. As our guests, he
and everyone under his control should be afforded the same respect and treatment
that we would extend to any other supernatural group here by our invitation.”
Dragon looked to his right where Danarius was seated a few chairs down and
smirked. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t thoroughly enjoy kicking their asses.”

There was a lot of hooting
and hollering as Danarius rose from his chair and bowed slightly to Dragon. “On
behalf of myself and my people, I thank you for the opportunity to compete in
this tournament.” Then he looked out over the hundreds of supernaturals
gathered before him and said, “We look forward to the challenges we will soon
face and the victories we will soon celebrate.” Several growls sounded around
us but Danarius was completely unfazed as he sat back down with a smirk of his
own playing at his lips.

Dragon chuckled. “I’m sure
that will make things interesting...”

Dragon continued speaking but
Katerina drew my attention when she snorted. “Well that certainly took some
balls.”

Doyle shrugged. “Or he’s just
as crazy as Travali was.”

Katerina studied the vampire
for a moment. “I don’t think that’s it Doyle. Travali’s insanity made him
dangerously unpredictable, but I believe this vampire poses a much greater
threat. From what I know of him, he is driven, self-contained, and can be quite
devious when he needs to be.”

I raised my eyebrows and she
gave an elegant shrug of her shoulder. “I’m just putting your advice to good
use. If we’re going to let these vampires into our homes we should get to know
them better, then prepare for the worst because there’s no hope for the best.”

Laughing quietly, I
whispered, “That’s not exactly what I said, but I suppose it’s close enough.”

“That vampire is a ruthless
son of a bitch,” Doyle growled. “If it wasn’t for Rook, Rachel would still be
addicted to Oblivion because of that bastard.”

“The human child brought that
on herself,” Katerina countered, showing her own ruthless streak. You didn’t
get to be clan leader without being at least a little ruthless. “She willingly
accepted money for sexual favors and when Rook and her mother interfered they
publicly insulted Danarius. He had no choice but to make an example of the girl
or risk being seen as too weak to lead. Besides, as you said, Rook saved her
from that doomed fate.”

Doyle started to argue
further, but a member of the wait staff approached Katerina and whispered
something in her ear then she excused herself and followed him to the kitchen.

“She’s right Doyle, no matter
how much we’d like to disagree with her. As clan leaders, we’ve all had to dole
out punishments for insults that we’d rather have let go. It’s just the way our
world works; mercy is a weakness that’ll get you killed more often than not.”

He rubbed his hands over his
face. “I know, it’s just harder to swallow when it comes to those vampires.”

Returning my focus to Dragon
I heard him stumble in his speech. It was just a slight stutter, but Dragon was
an exceptional public speaker. Back home he had the human media wrapped around
his little finger and he never, ever stumbled in his speeches. Narrowing my
eyes, I saw that his brow was beaded with sweat and his hands were clenched
tightly at his sides. He was usually so at ease in front of an audience,
charming and charismatic. What could possibly make him tense up like that?

I was about to ask Doyle if
he’d noticed Dragon’s odd behavior when my eyes snagged on Serafina. Her
eyelids were closed with a soft smile curving her lips.

“Hey Doyle, how much would
you be willing to bet Dragon and Serafina excuse themselves less than five
minutes after he finishes his speech?”

Doyle looked at the royal
couple then at me and shrugged. “I’d bet a hundred bucks. I know Dragon does
things his own way, but Claire did teach him
some
manners. It would be
the height of rudeness for him to leave before dinner was even finished being
served.”

I smiled knowing I was about
to win that bet and listened to the rest of Dragon’s speech.

“...Tomorrow night the games
begin. Aim true, fight with honor, and make your clans proud!” Dragon roared.

We all cheered and clapped
our hands together.

“For tonight, enjoy the food,
drink and be merry. My beautiful mate and I must excuse ourselves now, but we
will see you on the dance floor later tonight.” Dragon took Serafina’s hand and
they made a hasty exit.

I laughed while almost
everyone else gasped in shock and Doyle handed over a hundred dollars.

“How did you know that was
going to happen,” Doyle asked, scowling.

“I heard Dragon stutter and
noticed the sweat beading on his face. Then I saw the way Serafina was smiling.
She’s been working on adding sensations to the visions she projects and I think
she finally got him back for all those very public orgasms he gave her when she
was human. I’m sure by now they’re acting out whatever fantasy she was
projecting.”

Doyle lost it, doubling over
with laughter. When he could speak again he said, “I don’t even mind losing
that bet now that I know why I did.”

The food was brought out and
even though I’d eaten breakfast and lunch, I was nearly ravenous with hunger.
My body was still recovering from the hurricane and I knew that if I wanted to
perform well in the tournament, I’d also need to feed again. That was something
Renee and I would need to discuss later on tonight.

Looking around the room, I
was happy to see a lot of faces that I hadn’t seen for many years. During the
time that we were cursed, many people avoided us because they thought the spell
might rub off on them. Once the spell was broken, several new groups joined The
United Clans and a lot more renewed former alliances with us. Many of those
groups were attending the tournament for the first time in centuries.

Since the banquet hall wasn’t
big enough to hold everyone who was attending the tournament, only clan leaders
and top ranking individuals from the visiting groups were invited to the
dinner. Three quarters of the room were filled with shapeshifters and
nightshifters. The rest of the tables were occupied by demons, sorcerers and
vampires. Almost everyone was having a good time, talking and laughing, and enjoying
the festive atmosphere. We just had to pretend there wasn’t a black cloud
hanging over the far back corner of the room where a group of vampires sat with
a loathsome sorcerer and a traitorous wolf shifter.

Danarius hadn’t only brought
Sergio; he’d brought Bran. Bran was one of us. His father was leader of Doyle’s
clan when The Great War began. When he was killed in battle, Bran thought he
would take his place. The wolves in his clan had other ideas though. When they
backed Doyle, a younger wolf who Bran saw as inferior, he turned on all of us
and gave Sergio the one thing that could give his curse the strength to bind
our beasts - the blood of a traitor. Without that, Sergio’s spell never would
have taken hold. Blood magic was very powerful and very difficult to
circumvent. Our hatred for Sergio was nothing compared to how we felt about
Bran.

For tonight though, we would
eat, drink and be merry, just as Dragon asked us to do. Tomorrow would be
another story. Tomorrow in the arena, we would let the darkness within our
souls have free rein and f
inally get a taste of revenge.