There was blessed solitude when I walked to the light rail train twenty minutes away. The entire journey would take just over two hours, more than enough time to think. More than enough time to…
That was where my thoughts stuttered to a stop. Truth was, I was not sure what I was supposed to think. I had known who Lily was for a long time. Suspected that her imprisonment were for crimes. Even if Lily wasn’t exactly the Lilith from the Bible, it was likely much of her story was taken as inspiration. The same way the great flood might not mean the flooding of the world but a specific location. Of course, knowing that there are angels and faith magic had… well, let’s say that I am agnostic.
None of which was an answer to my problem—if it was a problem—or solved my concerns about Lily. Or the ring. Even if she was properly punished—and a couple thousand years of imprisonment and forced servitude seemed a tad harsh—I was not entirely sure there was any way for me to free her. A glance at the ring made me wince as I recalled the only time I’d ever looked at the ring properly. The most complex enchantment I’d ever done had been the wards on our house. It’d taken over three months, spaced between classes and jobs and was, in my view, as good as, if not better than, the enchantments on my staff. There were multiple levels to the house enchantment, from increasing the durability of the walls to blocking scrying, alerting me of scrying attempts that couldn’t be blocked, attack wards, and more.
Now, if one took the complexity of that ward, multiplied it by a thousand, stuffed it into the space of a single ring, you would get a glimpse of how complex the enchantment was. The fact that the ring was drawing power from an unknown source was even more frightening, since disrupting the enchantments themselves could have explosive consequences. Literally.
I swiped my card at the rail station and headed up the stairs. I was fortunate enough to get an empty car that pulled away moments after I got onboard. I found a side seat and pulled out my warding tablet to adjust and empower it. The modified Force Bubble sprung into existence, anchored around the ward and offering me some peace of mind.
“Damn fey,” I muttered, looking about the empty rail car.
I was seated parallel to the walls and the doors, the few horizontally aligned seats empty but unappetizing in their restriction. Perhaps it was the look in that fey’s eyes or perhaps it was the memory of being targeted, but I felt the need for space. For… freedom.
But that’s not something Lily would ever have. Not while I held the ring. Not while anyone held the ring. And yet, who was I to judge? While I was not entirely oblivious, I knew I was not the best at reading people. Someone, sometime, decided this was a just punishment. Someone—or someones—more powerful, more skilled than me.
Yet could any punishment that read “for all eternity” ever be just? What kind of action, what sin could justify a punishment that lasted forever? And if no crime could justify eternity, then had Lily suffered enough?
Was what she was going through punishment or containment? Was she trapped because she did something wrong or because we—they—feared her? Feared what she could do? We didn’t let nukes walk around unwatched. Why would people—jinn—be any different? Yet trapping her, punishing her…
Was it punishment for the crime or do we hope of redemption? In the belief that people would, could, change? Perhaps that was the question. Perhaps that was the answer, if it was a punishment. If we saw her enslavement as a punishment, then the question was is it just? But if we saw it as a way for her to redeem herself—eventually—then the question was, did I think she had changed? Do I think people could change?
My mind spun around in circles and whorls, forced to contort around my inconclusive thoughts. I couldn’t figure out an answer. Maybe because there was no right answer. It’s not a math problem where one plus one equaled two. It was a human problem, where one plus one might equal happily ever after or a gunshot to the foot.
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed the train pull to a stop or the new passengers. Didn’t see them even as the doors closed and trapped me with them. Didn’t notice the gun that came up and fired as the train pulled away from the station.
The bullet punched through the air, hitting the Force Bubble. The idea for the ward was stolen directly from a scifi series. Anything moving slowly—a clap on the shoulder, a gesture from my hands—only slowed and angled away slightly. But the higher the momentum of the motion, the faster something moved, the greater the force my ward applied to it. It was a useful ward to use while I was in public, since it was only mildly disconcerting for mundanes caught in its vicinity. Unfortunately, I’d yet to work out a stable formula for movement, so it was only useable when the ward center was still.
The bullet hit the edge of the Force Bubble and slowed perceptibly. A lateral force was applied to the bullet, shifting it away from the center of the ward and making it fly by my face, leaving a sting of wind behind. They were smart enough to shoot for my head—avoiding my enchanted jacket—but that made the target much smaller. Even a small force was enough to make the shot miss, though the retort from the gun was still painful to my ears, even when slowed and distorted by my now-glowing modular ward tablet.
Instinct took over as I formed a Force Wall before me. Fingers snapped and twisted as I blocked off the area just outside of my Force Bubble. As the wall formed, it struck aside the gun barrel, sending the next shot up into the roof of the train. A mental command turned off the strained ward, the tablet glowing with light as it ran out of the Mana I instilled in it. Through my semi-opaque Force Wall, I stared at my attackers.
Three individuals. Clad in black business suits and shades at night, all of which spelled trouble. Of course, the trio of silencer-equipped pistols pointed at me was another good indicator. They were a mix of races—Hispanic and Caucasian—and ages, with the youngest a teenager. The kid’s gun came back down to point at me and the shield I had formed, targeted straight at my face. Then they opened fire and my Force Wall flickered, points of impact spreading and rippling even as bullets ricocheted away.
Gunman 1 (Level 37)
HP: 100/100
MP: 0/0
Gunman 2 (Level 45)
HP: 100/100
MP: 0/0
Gunman 3 (Level 59)
HP: 100/100
MP: 0/0
Non-magical gunmen. Mortal, but dangerous nonetheless as assessed by Lily. That probably meant training—special forces or worse. After all, a normal cop on the beat was only in the low 20s and that’s because he had a gun in hand and some modicum of training.
As the trio realized they were not getting through my Force Wall—not with their bullets ricocheting around—they stopped firing. They took turns dropping their magazines and reloading while keeping their guns pointed at me, faces impassive. A shard of a broken bullet seemed to have caught Gunman Two across the cheek, as a thin line of blood dripped down his face, ignored.
“Who are you people?” I said, keeping my spell formed as I mentally prepare a second and third backup.
Those bullets were unenchanted. They also had quite a bit of kick—especially compared to the pop-guns most gangers use—but nothing my Force Wall couldn’t handle. Their only chance was lost when they missed me the first time. So I could afford to fish for information.
Rather than answer me, the lead gunner looked sideways, ignoring the screams and shouts of horror from passengers in other cabins. I followed the gunner’s glance and spotted the upcoming stop, the way they eyed the doors.
“Come on. Just tell me. Who wants me dead?” I said.
Again, I got no answer. I noticed the pair at the back angling their bodies as they dropped their off-hands, taking them out of my view. Then the train slowed down, wheels grinding and shrieking, drowning out shrieking voices as it swayed ever so slightly.
“You failed. So tell me who sent you.”
No one answered. But the doors hissed open and the passengers in the other cars rushed out. So did my attackers, though not before they tossed a pair of small oblong objects at my wall. I didn’t have time to register what they were as I released my spell. The gunmen got their feet in the doorway and slammed headfirst into the Force Walls I’d formed around the car, hemming them in.
Force Cube Cast
Synchronicity: 89%
Durability: 1238
Foreheads smashed, bodies piled up against the wall and bounced backward. Their eyes widened, the youngest glancing back at the discarded items. I followed his gaze, spotted the grenades, and winced. Before everything became chaos.
***
In the resulting bedlam of two grenades exploding in a contained space, I sneaked out of the train via the untouched back doors. I couldn’t hear anything but the incessant ringing in my ears, bag slung over my shoulder as I cast a simple Glamour that changed what I looked like. I combined that with an Illusion for the security cameras, though I was not entirely sure how useful that’d be with the cameras in the rail car having already caught a glimpse of me.
Then again, I was sure my other guardians would cover it up. If they weren’t the ones who’d sent my attackers. Because… well, I was not entirely sure who else had three trained, mundane killers with access to high explosives and silenced weapons. Then again, with the militarization of our society, that number was rather higher and more depressing than I liked considering.
Behind me, as I hurried away on foot, I left the burnt and wrecked shells of my enemies, corpses torn and twisted by the rebounding explosive force of the grenades. I’d created the cube to contain them, to potentially get some answers. I hadn’t expected a grenade, and even now, I could feel how low my Mana was, how drained I’d been reinforcing the spell as the explosion rebounded. Even if I had grown more powerful, even if the Force Cube was one of my more complex spells—which I would never have tried casting if they hadn’t given me the time to do so—it was still tiring to use.
As I hurried out of the chaotic station, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty at the deaths I’d caused, the collateral damage that was done. I hated killing, and even if I hadn’t done it myself, their deaths were painful. Still, if there was one thing I’d learned, it was that at least two groups were after me. Because whoever had sent the doppelganger wasn’t likely to use something this mundane.
Letting out an exhalation, I ducked into a nearby alleyway and recast both spells, cloaking myself in magic. It was time to get home. Quietly.
***
“You’re not allowed out without me,” Alexa stated. There was no anger in her voice, though she stared at me till I offered her a nod. Once I got back—later than the night-shift-working ex-Initiate—I’d been grilled in detail about my encounter.
“The police offering any more news?” I asked, tilting my head toward the TV that wasn’t on a superhero TV show or console game, but the local news for once. Even if I’d contained the blast, the damage done to the train and the ensuing disruption was more than enough for the local news to jump on it.
“No,” Alexa said.
Unasked and unanswered was the question of whether I should be packing an extra bag for a long, long talk with the police. And maybe jail time. I hoped not. While I did have a bucket list, jail wasn’t on it.
Leaving might be an option, but that meant abandoning our house and the wards. Even if I did leave, it’d be a temporary solution. Sooner or later, my enemies would find me.
“So…” I let my voice draw out, looking at Alexa and the silent Lily.
“I’ll…” Alexa frowned then shrugged. “I’ll ask around. See if I can learn if you’re in trouble. If we can learn who it is.”
Lily offered me a half-smile, then flashed the old Quest again. The one that asked me to stay alive. I couldn’t help but snort, wishing this was a game. One that railroaded you with clues, rather than a stupid puzzle one where the solution might be right in front of you—or in a portion of the map that you’d missed half the game back.
“I guess I’ll just rest for now,” I said, feeling the lack of Mana sending another wave of exhaustion through me. Being low on Mana and paranoid had drained me, putting me on the edge of sleep.
The pair offered me a smile, waving me away as I stumbled up the stairs. I barely even glanced at the notification that told me of a Level increase, knowing it didn’t help.
Perhaps, perhaps a solution would present itself when I awakened.