(Ivan)

After the class was dismissed, Toby invited Ivan to join him at the archery range for more practice.

“Sorry, I can’t. I promised my aunt that I’d meet up with her and William after school. Let’s get extra practice tomorrow.”

“That sounds great. I’ll come by Gina’s early tomorrow morning.” Toby grimaced. “I promise, no more shortcuts.” Ivan lifted an eyebrow and shook his head as they parted ways.

Ivan sped down the staircase taking two steps at a time. When he reached the second floor, he stopped at the base of the stairs to get his bearings. He looked out of the window and saw the lunch tables on the west lawn. He knew where he was. His aunt’s office was on the opposite side of the building. He headed north along the corridor, thinking about his first day at school. He had a lot to share with his aunt and brother.

The corridor on the second floor was deserted. Ivan took a right turn and saw tall arching windows up ahead. The next section of the corridor overlooked the front courtyard. He glanced through an oval window and saw students leaving the school.

A scraping noise caught Ivan’s attention and he whipped his head around. A black jaguar sprang at him through the open door of an empty classroom. Ivan raised his forearm and braced for the impact. A set of vines shot out of nowhere and entangled the hind legs of the jaguar. The beast roared in pain as its shoulder collided with the stone floor.

A dendrite materialized from the shadows and seized the jaguar. The creatures collided with a bench near the window, sending it crashing into the stone wall. A garbage can was hurled out of the way, and it rolled down the corridor. The jaguar growled as it sunk its razor-sharp teeth into the dendrite.

Though much smaller, the tree had the advantage with its many roots and vines. The biting and clawing appeared to have little effect on its thick bark. The big cat thrashed around, trying to free its legs. It rolled from side to side, pummeling the little tree into the stone floor. The jaguar quickly lost ground as more vines encircled its body. The big cat yowled as it rolled helplessly on the floor. Its yellow eyes bore into Ivan for the briefest of moments, before it shifted into a bird and flew away.

To Ivan’s surprise, the tree spoke.

“Shifty shifters.” It shook one of its roots angrily and turned toward him. “You William’s blood. Me Sapple. Follow Sapple.”

(Drake Grey)

Most people knew Drake Grey as the librarian. He could usually be found in the archives buried under a pile of books. He hardly slept. Whenever people would inquire about his sleeping habits he would reply, “There will be plenty of time for slumber when I’m dead like lumber.”

He had been engrossed in reading The Stone Pirates Treasure when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. The envoy had an urgent missive from Rose that required his immediate attention.

I’m needed for another clandestine mission. He grinned.

His objective was to discretely track down and capture a student. He could not believe that Baza was considered dangerous. She was a highborn from Tork. He knew her very well. She was never late in bringing her books back. She was always quiet and respectful in the library. She never damaged the bindings or bent the pages of the books she borrowed.

Having transformed into a dragonfly swift, Drake spent the next two hours flying around the city. He had been chased away from many dwellings, which was to be expected. There was a close call when a shopkeeper had battered a broom around, trying to scare him off, and almost hit him.

He had memorized many the Construction Guild maps years ago. He knew most of the tunnels and secret passages in the city. He methodically investigated every place that he could think of. He hoped that Baza had not taken refuge in the Forest Cavern. That would make her almost impossible to find. He decided to take a short respite before continuing his search.

He landed on a tall tree which gave him an excellent vantage point. Perched atop a noble ashwood, he thought about the missive that Rose had sent. Her instructions were explicit. He recalled the message – “Take no chances with the girl. Once you find her, incapacitate her immediately. You know how to reach me.”

Kind of excessive for apprehending a child. How dangerous can Baza be?

The girl probably knew a few of the basic shifts and might be able to Levitate.

He let his mind wander as he tended to do. He recalled when he was Baza’s age. At the time, Lisa Waterlily had been his instructor. He had often stayed after school, working on transformations. She was a very patient and encouraging teacher. Even so, that first year had been a struggle for Drake. Lisa was more than just a teacher to him. She was his friend, and he did not have many of those. He had been overjoyed when he had discovered that she had survived the invasion of Calot.

He had been lost in reverie when something peculiar caught his attention. A yellow finch flew nearby. That bird was common to the area around Tork and he had never seen one of its kind in the Garden of Dreams. This finch had a prominent crest and brown spots on its yellow belly. He adjusted his eye shift. It was the spots that gave it away. Those never occurred naturally. The bird was no bird. It was a shifter. Drake took flight and followed it.

The flight pattern of the unknown shifter was erratic. The little finch took several sharp turns. It appeared to have been spooked by something. Drake continued his pursuit. He followed from high above, near the enchanted sky. His target seemed to be an inexperienced flyer. Humans tend to look for danger only in front, behind, and to the sides. They rarely looked up. This shifter was no different. He was certain at this point that he was following one of the younger students.

After crossing the Garden of Dreams, the finch landed on top of an aqueduct canal and transformed. The cloaked figure looked around nervously. After a brief pause, it ran along the aqueduct wall, entered a nearby tunnel, and disappeared into the shadows.

Drake landed at the tunnel entrance and shifted into an onyxian battlecat. This shift had excellent night vision, strength, and stealth. As he stalked into the tunnel, he saw a jaguar dashing along the narrow ledge ahead of him. Using the aqueduct tunnels to hide made a lot of sense.

These tunnels had plenty of fresh water. They were used to move supplies and food from the Forest Cavern to the main city. The tunnels traversed all of Scar and no one ever came here unless there was a problem.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

A sound caught Drake’s attention. He raced forward, trying to move in complete silence. He turned the corner where the jaguar had disappeared, but there were no traces of it. Despite Drake’s excellent night vision, it was too dark for him to see clearly. He examined the area while relying on his nose, ears, and paws. There were no openings in the nearby walls.

Where did that jaguar go?

After searching the area for a second time and coming up emptyhanded, Drake decided to head back. He planned to get help.

The odd noise that had caught Drake’s attention occurred again. It sounded like whirring metal gears.

Drake doubled back and headed in the direction of the sound. An opening had appeared. A section of the stone wall had moved backward to reveal a hidden door.

A scrawny figure walked through the opening. The elderly man wore a moonstone necklace, which revealed his face. It was a familiar face that Drake had seen many times in the library over the years. It was the apothecary, Zen Golding.

Zen was a brilliant alchemist. His business establishment was famed for carrying rare herbs and having the citywide recognized slogan – “Zen’s potion for any notion.”

Drake had noticed something unusual in Zen’s reading habits several months ago. He had stopped reading romance novels and medical books, and instead had started checking out books about Scar’s history, local city architecture, and Construction Guild schematics.

My orders are to capture Baza, but if Zen is using the same hiding place, I’ll deal with him in the same manner.

Drake sprang forward and in midair shifted into a nightcap wasp. He zipped toward his target like a poison dart shot from a blowgun. The stinger pierced Zen in the neck and Drake injected a dose of paralyzing venom. The effect was instantaneous.

Oof!

Thump!

Zen collapsed to the ground. Drake whizzed through the opening over the unconscious body. Once inside, he found himself in a dimly lit passageway leading to a wooden door with a dragon painted on it. He flew toward a small gap between the door and its frame. The opening was barely wide enough for him to land. The benefit of concealment with the option for a hasty getaway made this an excellent position.

Drake saw Baza standing in front of a large mirror on the right side of a circular room. There was a stone table with some mismatched chairs on the far-left side. Oddly enough, a noose hung from the ceiling near the table. Straight ahead a makeshift bed had been put together with some old wooden crates and stitched together rabbit pelts. The girl stood completely still. Her vacant eyes were wide open as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked as though she was in a trance.

What is she doing?

He was not dealing with a single target. There were clearly others involved, but how many? Could there be other shifters concealed here?

This mission is becoming more dangerous by the moment.

He unfurled his antennae. Each nightcap antenna could independently sense air motion, heat, vibration, and smell. He scanned every nook and cranny in the room. It took him some time, but at last, he felt certain that the girl was alone. Still, he had the uneasy feeling that there was something else going on. The girl had not moved during his entire investigation. He waited patiently.

The mirror’s surface shimmered and changed. Baza’s reflection was replaced with the image of a tall woman wearing a cloak with the crescent moon emblem.

Shadowlander.

Drake tensed. His mission kept getting more tangled.

A secret lair… Accomplices… A mirror of communication and now the enemy.

“We know everything,” said the woman in the mirror. “We’ve already heard that the brothers still live.”

The woman’s voice was enthralling. Her words were irresistible. Drake had the urge to reveal himself and share all his secrets. His years of training helped him recognize the magic that laced her voice. With effort, he resisted the compulsion. The woman in the mirror was a master in weaving the Mind Control spell.

Drake was repulsed. This was the worst of Shadow magic.

Still, she has such lovely features, Drake mused. The unbidden thought snuck through his mind. Wow, she’s good.

He bolstered his resolve as he fought against the subtle nature of the Mind Control spell.

The Shadow caster wore a traditional lavender garment from the Verla region. Her almond-shaped amethyst eyes were offset by a deep tan.

“Not only did you fail, but your identity has been compromised.” The woman’s tone was filled with malice, yet Drake still found her bewitching. She leaned forward and her face filled the mirror. “It would seem that you have outgrown your usefulness.” She whispered something that Drake did not catch and then she disappeared.

Baza slowly turned away from the mirror and shuffled toward the table. She hesitated briefly before pulling out one of the old wooden chairs.

Screeeeech!

The chair cried as she dragged it across the stone floor. Baza stopped and looked up. Drake realized what was happening as soon as she positioned the chair under the noose.

It was time for him to act.

He dove toward Baza, unfurled his stinger, and plunged it into her neck.

Baza yelped as she grabbed her neck.

Drake knew how quickly the venom worked. He shifted and caught her before she collapsed onto the floor. He lifted her small body and headed out of the chamber.

#

(William)

“How is she doing?” asked William.

“She’s slowly improving,” his aunt replied.

He poked his head into the other room and glanced at Baza. She looked peaceful when she slept. He rubbed his eyes and pulled a cookie out of his pocket.

His class had just ended, and he had flown back to the castle to see her. Baza had been recovering over the last week and he had checked on her daily. Healing her bruises had been easy, but he did not know how to heal her mind.

I still have so much to learn, he thought. I wish someone could help me with my healing magic.

He had started spending a few hours every night healing the injured. It was difficult but rewarding work. Casting so many spells had changed his eating habits. Three square meals were no longer cutting it. It was typical for him to have at least five full meals every day. His favorite saying had become – “But what about second breakfast?”

“Is she still having the nightmare?” he asked.

“Last night was the first night that Baza slept all the way through. The enslavement spell that they used on her was a nasty piece of magic.”

“Yeah, I can’t even imagine being under someone else’s control and hurting my friends.” William shook his head.

“You and your brother are really helping her recovery.” Aunt Lisa placed a hand on his shoulder. “She always perks up when you’re around. It’s difficult for her. She blames herself for the things that she did.”

“I keep quoting Ivan to reassure her,” William explained. “A weapon is not responsible for the hand that wields it. It makes me sounds much smarter when I use his words.” He grinned.

“Your brother does have a way with words,” Lisa agreed. “Well, since she’s still sleeping, run along and finish up your schoolwork. I’ll come and get you when she wakes up.”

“Thanks, Aunt Lisa!” William hugged her and scampered off toward the library.

He and Baza had grown closer over the last week. They talked mostly about school. They discussed the Bench Wars and how the Magic School had dominated the event. William had chuckled as he had explained that the Tree Transformation had yet to be banned and that Toby had been royally ticked off about it. She had giggled every time he had reenacted Toby’s red face and antics.

William sat in the library and read his History of Magic textbook for a while before he decided to take a break. He got up to stretch his legs and walked down the aisles. The bookshelves rose from floor to ceiling on each level. He could see books on the upper floors through the ornate banisters above him. He spied one of the librarians on the second level sliding a ladder from one section to the next. In the heart of the library people had piled up volumes on top of the mahogany tables. It was an organization that William could appreciate. In the corner, an elderly man sat on a plush chair, hunched over a scroll. Others, read quietly on the sofas. Murmurs and whispers floated around the library.

A title caught his attention.

Scraps, that book is so big that it could be used as a shield.

The gold print on the bold burgundy leather spine had a single word, Mesmerize. Thinking that it was a book on charms and enslavement spells, William eagerly plucked it off the shelf and opened the cover.

“Ugh,” he groaned. The stupid book was on public speaking. He snapped the book shut and jammed it back.

He had been looking for more information on the Mind Control spell, but there was little on the subject. His aunt had explained that for the enslavement spell to fully work, the mind and the body had to be weakened. He had learned that Baza had been tortured for days before she had fully succumbed to Mind Control.

Even Scar isn’t safe.