I wasn’t going to lose sleep over some extra mage stinkeye. I’d been glared at by the best. Besides, Rogers was amateur hour; his glare didn’t even register as a one on the glare-o-meter. After gods, mortal glares just didn’t impress me.
“Rogers, take the rest of the team upstairs and inform the floor staff about what occurred. I’ll make certain they receive proper medical attention. Leave some of your team deployed here to secure the lobby.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Rogers answered, still giving me stinky eyeballs. “Right away, ma’am.”
“Simon, with me,” Roxanne said. “This way.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I answered, mocking Rogers, who overheard me and raised his glare to an impressive 1.5 on the glare-o-meter. Better, but not by much. “Where did you find these guys and what’s Rogers’ deal? He’s looking at me like I did this.”
“Simon, have you ever considered that your actions have consequences?” Roxanne asked. “Real-world consequences that impact those around you?”
“All the time,” I said, my tone serious. “I have also considered that the consequences of the actions of those around me usually result in blame being directed at me. Unfairly so.”
“Unfairly so?” Roxanne asked with a slight smile. It was a smile that said, Okay, let’s entertain your fantasy. “Explain.”
“Every time something gets annihilated, obliterated, or disintegrated, everyone is looking at me,” I said indignantly. “Why? I’m not the one with the energy-manipulating abilities, or the one tossing around orbs of power that blast through almost everything and everyone.”
“Do I need to explain it to you, Simon?”
“Please do,” I said. “Use non-magical vocabulary, too. It’s been a rough morning.”
“It’s actually quite simple: you present a very clear and imminent threat to your immediate environment.”
“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”
“You are bonded to a hellhound,” Roxanne said, rubbing Peaches on the head as we walked. “He’s adorable and fearsome. Leaning more toward the fearsome, I’d say.”
<She said I’m adorable and fearsome. Did you hear her?>
<I did. Trying to focus here.>
<If you were adorable and fearsome, you wouldn’t need to. Everyone would be focusing on you.>
<That’s kind of what she’s saying. Now, hush.>
“He can’t help it,” I said, focusing on Roxanne. “It’s part of the package.”
“I know,” Roxanne said with a nod. “Then there’s you. Your energy signature is different now—I’d almost say shifted, but that’s impossible, obviously. You’ve faced formidable opponents, and that leaves a mark. Aside from that, on some visceral level, people pick up on your condition.”
“I’ve been upgraded,” I said, remembering Kali’s words, “from cursed to marked.” I pointed to my forehead. “See? Marked.”
Roxanne narrowed her eyes and briefly gave me a look of surprise.
“I see. Marked, indeed,” she said. “Then there’s that—your attitude about this entire thing.”
“What entire thing?”
“In the past, you were aware of this world, but not a part of it,” Roxanne answered. “Now you are, and you make light of it. Did you know being the ‘Marked of Kali’ is considered a death sentence in many circles?”
“Does that include any of the circles I currently inhabit?”
“Presently? Yes, most of them. The Marked of Kali was considered a harbinger of death and destruction to be eliminated at the earliest convenience,” she answered. “I’m actually surprised we aren’t under attack at this very moment.”
“Oh, I see some of Monty’s humor has been rubbing off on you,” I said. “I have to admit, ‘marked’ sounds much better than cursed, though.”
“You are missing the gravity of your situation,” Roxanne replied, shaking her head. “The Marked of Kali is a death curse. She has only hastened your demise.”
“Good thing she took care of that part first, then,” I said, raising a hand before she could continue. “I know. Sometimes, I don’t know how I keep it together myself. Many of the things I’ve seen, beings I’ve interacted with or run from, were only hinted at in rumors and stories.”
“Anyone else would have been driven mad by now,” she said. “Your resilience in light of how you were introduced to this world is remarkable.”
“I don’t know about that,” I answered with a slight smile. “I may have come into all of this with some of my own crazy. I only know that if I don’t adjust and deal with it, there are people close to me that will be in danger. I can’t afford to lose it—or them.”
“I understand,” she said. “Well, you wanted to know why much of the blame falls upon you. Now you know.”
In classic sorceress fashion, she had answered my question without actually answering my question. I was certain that every magic user went through a class called Obfuscating Answers to Regular Questions 101.
“Not really, but thanks for trying.”
We walked over to the elevator banks in silence.
Roxanne pressed her ID card against the far elevator panel, followed by a thumbprint and a retinal scan, activating the Director Only elevator. This was the same elevator that accessed the Detention Area several levels below Haven. She really had beefed up the security. I never recalled the elevators needing several layers of biometrics in the past.
We stepped into the elevator and Roxanne moved to the buttonless panel.
“Top level, please,” Roxanne said, stepping close to the panel as a green beam scanned both her eyes.
“Voice and optical recognition confirmed. Welcome, Director DeMarco.”
“Whoa, that’s a serious security upgrade,” I said, stepping back as the elevator slowly rose. “The lobby shutters were a nice touch too. Felt ultra-secure. Just like a bank vault.”
“The schism nearly killed him, Simon,” Roxanne said after a few moments, her gentle voice sheathed in steel. “It’s not safe for him to leave. He’s not ready to go out there with you, not yet.”
“He’s not ready? Or you’re not ready?”
“Does it matter?” she exploded. “I almost lost him! You’re his shieldbearer. You were supposed to watch him.”
I was acutely aware that I was in a small space with an emotional and powerful sorceress—emphasis on powerful. I had known this conversation was coming eventually. I just didn’t expect it to take place in a moving box
