“I’m no one’s tool.”
“So you say. But, you are a mage and all mages fall under the jurisdiction of the Mage Guild. Either you are useful or not. I already explained what happens if you prove to be useless or a threat.”
“I get it.”
“See that you do.”
As we walked into the main building, the enforcers that saw us either looked scared or guarded. There wasn’t a friendly face among them. One startled female mage saw me and shrieked before scuttling away like a scared mouse confronted by a hungry snake that was poised to strike.
Miles shoved me towards the portal.
“Every day, same time. I expect you here.”
He threw a necklace at me. It was a flat, circular piece of glass tied to a leather cord – a standard transport charm for portals.
“Your key to the portal,” was the last thing I heard as the portal sucked me in and spit me into the Fae Realm. Muffin jumped on me, knocking me down and giving me a saliva bath. Disgusting animal.
I remember very little of the trip back to Lochlan’s house. Despite being pissed at myself, Miles, and the situation, I was grateful for Muffin. I’m not sure how I’d have gotten back on my own.
I walked into the house to find Callie and Jennica waiting on the couch. Callie looked at me and flinched, “We were so worried about you. You were gone longer than we expected. And you look horrible,” she said.
“I’ve felt better. Where are Sterling and Lochlan?” I asked.
“Lochlan went to King Kazar to get access to the Djinn’s Domain. Sterling is earth-side working on one of his cases or maybe it was to feel out Reginald about rebuilding the Agency,” said Callie.
Jennica remained silent and sullen on the couch next to Callie. I’d think she hadn’t seen me, if her eyes weren’t slanting my way every so often since I’d arrived.
“Hey Jennica.”
“How’s the training? It’s probably better than what we’re dealing with,” Jennica said and looked away.
I blinked, surprised at the venom in her voice. She truly blamed me for her magic and I was partly at fault.
“I’m not like anyone else and I’d gladly give it up if I could,” I said.
“Then get it blocked.”
“Seriously? Are you going to want anyone that has magic to get theirs blocked just so you can feel better?” I asked.
I went into the kitchen and pulled out the fixings for a sandwich. My stomach was trying to eat itself after expending so much energy on using magic and then healing.
With a mouth full of sandwich, the door crashed open and Lochlan and Sterling walked through. Both saw me and rushed over.
Lochlan reached out as if to touch me but stopped just short of touching me. Why was he acting so weird?
“You’re finally back,” said Sterling. “Lochlan was convinced that the Guild Master had changed his mind and imprisoned you.”
“Nope, they didn’t want to keep me. Lucky for you all.”
“If you weren’t imprisoned, then where have you been? You were gone for over a day,” said Lochlan quietly.
“What? That can’t be.”
“Well, it is. You were gone long enough that Lochlan went to the Mage Guild Headquarters to ask for you,” said Sterling.
“Let her eat first,” said Callie.
“You did what?” I asked. “I thought you went to the Djinn’s Domain. Callie said that you did.”
I almost dreaded hearing what I missed. Based on their expressions, the news wasn’t good.
“Marty, what happened to you?” asked Sterling.
I swallowed the last of my sandwich. I didn’t want to tell them that about losing control. I stared down at my hands and relayed what happened. When I finished, no one said a word.
I looked at Sterling first. He looked upset and disappointed. Lochlan just looked concerned. I couldn’t tell what Elon thought.
His face was blank, revealing no emotions. He could be planning a massacre or reviewing his training routine. Bet he’d be a pro poker player, note to self: don’t play card games with him. The fae may as well be a statue for how little he moved. I was tempted to poke him just to get a reaction out of him.
Callie just sat there looking scared. Her reaction hurt the most. I wouldn’t harm any of them. But you can’t be sure of that, can you? said a small voice in my head.
Muffin’s head rested on my leg and his tail thumped happily. I scratched his ears and his tail’s tempo increased. It matched pace with my heart. Would they throw me out? Did they hate me?
Sterling sighed. “Marty, you need this training more than we thought. You shouldn’t resist the help Miles is giving you,” he said.
Something in what he said, had me seeing red. “So you’re just throwing me to the wolves, then? They can kill me as often as they like until the day I can’t be brought back to life? Is this because I scare you?”
“We aren’t scared of you,” said Lochlan before Sterling could respond to me.
Callie sure looked scared. I couldn’t tell about Jennica, but she looked unsettled. They all think I’m a monster.
“None of us want you hurt or dead. I’ll talk with Miles. Dealing with your magic by killing you should never have been an option. It won’t happen again.
“I agree with Lochlan. And, unfortunately, you don’t have a choice about training. Whether it helps or not, you have to do it. You might as well get the most out of it and hone your skills. Just be careful,” added Sterling.
“What about your news?” I asked, hoping to steer the conversation and attention away from me.
My admission about training was harder than I thought. I hadn’t really thought through how their reactions would affect me. Being knocked out to stop my magic was humiliating and alarming. I also didn’t want to think too long about my magic because it made me miss it.
“I’ll go first,” said Sterling. “I met with Reginald. He won’t
