Twisted Magics (Terra Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  TWISTED MAGICS

  A Terra Chronicles book

  by J.C. Jackson

  Shadow Phoenix Publishing LLC

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, public or private institutions, corporations, towns, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Twisted Magics

  J.C. Jackson

  Copyright © 2016 J.C. Jackson

  Published by Shadow Phoenix Publishing LLC

  Cover designed by J. Caleb Design

  Dedicated to the person who encouraged me along this adventure.

  Chapter 1

  The smell of burnt paint and heated metal reached my nose. The fire from the explosion quickly died off, but the smoke was still thick. I could hear the air ventilation system working hard to clear it out.

  How many more times today was Lockonis going to make me do this? I was getting tired - I did not usually cast such high energy spells. Tucking a loose strand of dark auburn hair behind my ear, I looked back at the fiery redhead. My boss stood there with her arms crossed, analyzing my last cast.

  “You’re still over-thinking it, Ketayl,” she told me. “You’re an expert on arcane theory and these manipulations should be second nature to you. Remember what the Magus said: you’re an Arcanist so you don’t need to think your way through the spell like a traditional mage.” The slightly taller Elven woman walked over and turned me back toward the target.

  I stiffened up at her touch. She could have just signaled me to turn back like before.

  Lockonis was not an Arcanist, but being a former Warmage put her as close to one as any traditional mage could get. She somehow understood my abilities better than I did.

  I rubbed my eyes. The lighting in the large underground practice bay was starting to bother me or maybe there were just too many colors swirling around the room from all the casts. Being able to see the arcane had its problems. Especially when there was an overload of information floating about - all the colors from the casts telling me something different. Reds and oranges dominated the area with arcane text lazily swirling about where each one had exploded. Arcane mites had already started feeding off of the oldest ones, but it would be a couple of days before they would fully break down the arcane remnants.

  This last cast had been more powerful than any of the previous ones. I was a lab tech, why did I need combat training? Why did Lockonis have a thing for fire-based spells?

  I knew the answer to why I found myself in here once a week - as an Arcanist, casting helped me retain control over my power. I did not need combat training though.

  Before Lockonis could say more, her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and walked a few yards away.

  I closed my eyes and tilted my head toward the ceiling, recovering some of my arcane energy. The bun on the back of my head felt like it weighed a ton. I had shed my large gray sweater earlier since my casts had heated up the practice bay quickly. The loose black short-sleeved shirt, jeans, and light boots I wore were starting to feel a bit too warm. Even though I got cold easily, I would happily deal with the snowy weather outside right now.

  “I’m going to have to cut our session short,” Lockonis said, walking back toward me. She still held her phone in her hand. “Why don’t you go take a break and then head back to the lab. And a real break - at least an hour.”

  Glancing at the time, I could take an early lunch and be back in the lab shortly before noon. I would stay later tonight to make up for this morning. I did not need that much rest anyway.

  I bowed deeply and collected my things, putting my sweater back on. In the process I had to stop and fix the diamond-shaped insignia pin that was on it - one of the its edges had gotten caught between the weave. The pin had five different-colored gems set in gold with a highly stylized “AC” keeping them in place. It looked a little dusty from the morning’s exercises. Thankfully there was not another Arcane College mage around to give me a hard time about it.

  I grabbed a quick lunch, only taking up the hour by checking the messages on my phone. Evidence from a new case was coming in with arcane components. I started getting excited because despite being classified as an Arcane Investigator, I did not get much work for it. Lockonis had also trained me to handle to normal workload in the lab and while those presented interesting puzzles, I found it rather routine work.

  There was another message about having skipped my scheduled physical training time yesterday. I skipped those as often as I could manage. I did not know why it was mandatory for everyone. I found it as much of a waste of time as combat arcane training. Though I would never voice my opinion on either.

  It was time to get to work and I hurried off to the lab where I quickly lost track of time with the new case.

  ~*~

  The arcane mite under the microscope probed its surroundings. The specially-lined case kept it fed and visible for me. This one was collected at a crime scene that the field agents suspected was a poor assassination attempt of some politician or another.

  I had long since given up caring about those details. What I really wanted to find out was where the arcane mites came from: they appeared within a few minutes to an hour after a spell was used and consumed the arcane remnant.

  My own personal theory was that they mainly existed on a level that I could not see - their young feeding off of the remnants, but what was their role beyond that?

  Without taking my eyes off of the mite, I scratched down its approximate age on a notebook to my right. It gave me a rough time-line for when the particular spell this one was gathered from had been cast. It was on its final stage and would disappear soon. Thankfully this was the last one.

  I jumped and nearly fell off of my stool when the phone rang, breaking the silence.

  Moving to answer the phone, I saw a momentary reflection in a glass cabinet door. The woman had gray, bloodshot eyes and dark auburn hair falling out of its bun. The extended points of Elven ears made her hair stick out funny.

  Realizing it was my reflection, I ran my hands over my hair to try and get it into some semblance of order. I rubbed my hands on my white lab coat before finally picking up the phone on the third ring.

  “Lab,” I said. My voice sounded tired even to my ears. I tugged on my sweater, trying to straighten it out before attempting to rub out some of the creases in my jeans.

  “Ketayl, my office. Now.”

  I stared at the handset, which gave its waiting tone. I easily recognized Vince’s voice.

  Vince was the Director of the Terran Intelligence Organization, making him the highest boss I had to answer to. The abrupt tone was typical of him, given how he interacted with others, but he usually treated me differently.

  His distrust of the Arcane College, which I came from and was a liaison for, was well known. It had been a while since Vince looked at me with the same disdain and his sudden change of tone surprised me.

  I had given him an estimate this afternoon on when I would have a preliminary report ready. There was not a huge rush on this information. Normally Vince would have come down himself for an update, or sent Lockonis to help me.

  Without bothering to take off my lab coat I grabbed my handwritten notes and the few printouts from the tests I managed to finish. I stuffed them into a folder quickly and then glanced
at the time.

  I stopped and stared at the clock to make sure I read it right. No wonder I was tired. And hungry, given that it was nearly 0200 and I had been processing evidence straight through since I got back from lunch. It was a bad habit of mine when I got a new puzzle.

  Clutching the paperwork with one arm, I rushed through the hallways in the underground maze that connected along the massive walkway bordering the hanger below. As I half-jogged down the walkway, it sounded like someone was working down there, but I did not have time to satisfy my curiosity of what would be going on at this late hour. When the Director says jump, well, the rest was a commonly known phrase around here.

  I hit the button for the elevator a little harder than I intended and then shook my hand from the sudden sharp pain. I was usually much more patient, but then I usually did not have my boss calling me in the middle of the night either. Granted, I normally kept more sane hours than this, preferring the quiet of the early morning.

  I worried there had been some development in this particular case that required a rush on processing the remaining evidence. Some things plainly could not be rushed, but explaining that could end up being a losing battle. I had taken care of the time-sensitive evidence at least.

  I jogged down the hallway as soon as the elevator doors parted enough to allow me through. I opened the door to the reception area more forcefully than I planned and tripped, dropping the folder I was carrying.

  Quickly collecting my scattered files, I was surprised to find the Director’s assistant still here. Fletch was a young Human man with brown hair that always seemed to stick straight out from his forehead. He should have gone home hours ago. He worked furiously at his computer, muttering under his breath.

  Brown eyes caught mine and he jerked his head toward the door to Vince’s office.

  All the energy from the rush to get to Vince’s office changed to uncertainty. I did better when I knew what I was walking into and had a chance to prepare. I pulled my lab coat tighter around me with my free hand.

  I always felt like I had to push hard to prove my worth. That if I did not, I would be sent back to the Arcane College. I was not sure after having tasted what it was like away from the hard, stone walls of the Arcane College that I could go back.

  I looked at Fletch, who only paused one hand from typing long enough to point toward the door, exasperation plain on his face. The door in question opened before I could move.

  “Good, you arrived first,” Vince said. “Fletcher, hold the next one until I’m ready.”

  Despite his pale complexion and thin frame, I never doubted the tall, dark-haired vampire’s power. The only trouble was that I often forgot he was actually a vampire. He looked like a normal Human in his early thirties, when in reality, he was old enough to have long gotten over the “allergies” that other vampires had, such as sunlight.

  Vince sat down at his desk and signaled to one of the dark green chairs in front. “Sit. We need to talk.”

  I walked forward through the doorway slowly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear and looking around nervously. Little had changed since the last time I was in here. The large mahogany desk sat to my right, putting Vince’s back to the large windows. A black inbox was piled high with packets of papers. Computer, phone, even the pens sat in a very specific order that never deviated. Books and binders adorned the large bookshelves that made up the wall opposite the door. A large screen was on the wall opposite his desk with a smaller conference table between it and his desk. Two of the chairs from the table were the only things out of place.

  The sound from the screen on the wall to my left was low, but distracting. He had the news on every time I came in here. I briefly caught a glimpse of a blown out building and wondered if I was going to be getting the evidence from that. Maybe Vince wanted to tell me I was getting a priority change, but that usually would have come through as an electronic request.

  Watching news reports always seemed surreal, but perhaps that was because I spent my time holed up in the lab. I never connected with the actual crime scene.

  Taking a seat in front of his desk, I mentally ran through what information I managed to get from the evidence so far, trying to organize it into some kind of a report. I wished I had at least taken the time to get the paperwork into a less chaotic format as I took some level of pride in presenting information that could be easily followed.

  The perpetrator used a strong spell to freeze and then shatter the lock on the door…

  Vince looked at the packet I held. “Didn’t honestly expect you to have this much already. This case isn’t why I called you in though.”

  There went the mental report I was putting together. Now I was back to being completely unprepared.

  Vince sat back in his chair, his body visibly relaxed. It made me nervous. If I was not in here for this case, then why? Was it because of my training session with Lockonis this morning?

  He stared at me for what I was sure was far less time than I imagined before speaking, “I’ll admit, you’ve sure as hell surprised me. I get cornered into taking an Arcane College mage and I honestly didn’t think there was a single forward-thinking person among them. It has been a rough road these past couple of years, hasn’t it?”

  A late night review? I had been with the Arcane College for roughly half a century, mostly hidden from the world as a glorified librarian. At least until one day, without warning, I was transferred to the TIO as the Arcane College’s liaison.

  While the Arcane College disdained technology and only used the absolute minimal amount necessary, I always felt drawn to it. Because of that, the transfer to the TIO was a blessing. Out of old, itchy robes; dark, dank halls; and archaic ways and into the light of the world. I had to learn to drive, use mobile phones and computers, but I enjoyed the challenges.

  I quickly said, “No, sir.”

  “Good. Your work has been exemplary, and I need you in the field for this one. The team in Ocean’s Edge has asked for an Arcane Investigator. Lockonis will be pulling double-duty in the lab in the meantime. If you leave her anything that is.”

  My mind screamed for him to wait. I was just the person in the lab. I had no field experience. I bit my lip before deciding to quietly express my concerns, “Sir, I’m not sure I’m qualified for…”

  The look Vince leveled at me clearly stated there was no way I could get out of this despite my reservations. I sank back in my chair and shut my mouth.

  Vince hit a button on his desk phone. “Send her in.”

  The door opened and closed so quickly it barely seemed to move. Retanei, a Dark Elf, appeared and seated herself next to me. Her long silver-white hair was pulled back in its normal, neat ponytail. It was a stark contrast to her ebony skin. Blue-teal eyes were sharp and ready. She nodded at me and leaned forward, her brown leather jacket creaking softly. A pad of paper with notes was already on her lap - pen poised for more information. This was her time of day.

  I felt better seeing my friend. When my sister, Kitteren, was away, which was often, Retanei kept an eye on me. She would joke that us misfits needed to stick together.

  “I have an urgent assignment.” Vince pointed at the screen behind us. “You two are heading for Ocean’s Edge.”

  The reporters on the screen were giving the latest death toll numbers from the bombing. Many of the casualties were members of the Terran Navy - no names were being released. When they did flash images I could get a sense of the force involved to take down much of the building.

  It had been a decent-sized restaurant named the Waking Dawn. One of the outside walls was completely gone with two more missing large chunks. The roof was also gone over most of the building. The blast had been concentrated toward the dining area and left the bar and an inside wall mostly standing. Fires still burned inside and I could see sparks of electricity from where screens and lights once hung. Smoke billowed from the back of the building.

  Civilians rushed about injured and crying - some trying to r
eturn inside. Emergency response teams were trying to contain the fires and get whoever might be alive out.

  My nervousness started to edge toward panic. I had no idea how to deal with a situation like this. I bit my lower lip and looked to Retanei for guidance. She had a lot of experience in the field.

  “What’s the current situation?” Retanei asked. She must have seen the news already as the pad of paper in her hands already had notes from their report. She tried to be prepared for anything.

  Vince’s voice was all business as he spoke, “Right now, we know about as much as what is being reported. Savanas will be lead since she’s the head of the Ocean’s Edge branch. She put in a high priority request for a Tracker that specializes in rural areas and an Arcane Investigator. There is a possible connection to a group they’ve been trying to keep tabs on for the past six months that has been hiding in the forest outside the city. One of her agents insists it was an arcane-based explosion, but he’s not able to pin down a point of origin or get any details.”

  Nervously, I tried to pull my lab coat even tighter, hoping I could disappear in the over-sized white garment. Arcane-based explosion - and my level of ability to see the arcane was rare.

  Glancing back at the news, I wished I could tell them what they needed through the video feed.

  “This crosses racial territories so it falls under our jurisdiction. Given the size of her team, I’m allowing Savanas to call in outside assistance. Whoever this bastard is, he targeted Navy personnel.” I heard anger in Vince’s usually gruff voice.

  He turned to look directly at me before he finished. “The Traverse is being held in port while this is being investigated. There is an Arcane College Magister aboard. I trust this won’t be an issue.”

  A Magister far outranked a Researcher, and while I was not directly under the Arcane College’s thumb, I was still technically a part of them. “Not from me, sir.” A direct “no” would have been a lie. I could not speak for the Magister.