Alex crossed the threshold, his sense of danger only increasing. He'd expected it, but the feeling of pressure almost made him stagger. He straightened his back and reached into his pocket to reassure himself that it was still there. His fingers closed around the circular object, in the shape of a large, heavy coin attached to a thin chain.

The door quietly closed behind him, and a dark robed figure gestured him forward. In the dim light of the entryway and the shadows of his hood, Alex couldn't see details of the robed man's face. Alex stepped forward boldly, determined not to show weakness before the menacing figure before him.

Flickering light streamed through a partially open door to the right. Alex paused to peek through, his curiosity overcoming his caution. It led to an old-fashioned parlor, lit by several candles placed irregularly around the periphery, and a gleaming brass oil lamp on a small table. Several antique chairs and a Victorian style settee were arranged in a circle, and there was an empty chair adjacent to the table on the far side of the room.

The company was mostly comprised of men, and all that Alex saw were very old. They wore matching black robes, and two had hoods obscuring their features. The sputtering candle light came from their backs, seeming not to illuminate but to cast each in darker shadow. What Alex could see of their faces might have given him the impression of fragility, but the pinched skin around their eyes gave them a predatory sharpness.

His guide beckoned to him from further down the hall, and led him slowly up a set of stairs. Despite Alex's efforts to tread lightly, the old wood creaked under his feet. The much heavier figure in front of him didn't seem to produce a sound.

At the top of the stairs, they turned right down a short hall, and entered a room on the left, the backside of the house. A small table held a dim electric lamp in the center of the room, casting light which did not quite touch the walls around. Beside it were two chairs, and Alex was relieved to find a woman apparently in her mid-twenties, a few years older than himself, seated in one of them. She looked up at him with a smile as he entered, and gestured him to the other chair. The woman wore a sweater and jeans, making him feel less out of place in his own street clothes.

Alex turned to his guide, but found the man was gone and the door closing quietly behind him. A glance around the room as he sat revealed no one else, and little other furniture in the shadows.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

"This is your first night here, isn't it?" the woman asked. Her voice was inflected as a question, but the amusement in her eyes suggested she knew something about him.

He smiled in return, feeling more at ease. "Yeah. You really try to set up an atmosphere here, don't you?"

She laughed, a high, clear sound that Alex found almost melodic. "They do. They say it sets a serious tone. Perhaps a bit of menace discourages idle curiosity." She smiled and leaned forward to whisper. "I think the elders just take themselves a bit too seriously."

"You're also new here? I'm Alex." He stuck out his hand, but she simply looked at him with renewed amusement.

"I am, but not so new to magic that I would give my name out so easily."

Alex thought back to fairy tales he'd read as a child. "Names do have power, then?"

"Information has power, here as everywhere else. Knowing more than your opponent is how you win. Or at least survive."

"Opponent? I just came here to learn," he replied. Her expression didn't seem to share his rising sense of concern. "Is it really that dangerous?"

"Most people don't believe in what we can do, and those that know, well... they don't want to share. We're better off not trusting anyone too much. Not even the old ones downstairs. As you learn you'll become dangerous, and even the people that taught you may want you gone. And anyone else that comes into your life, you'll always have to suspect."

"Is that why I was brought to you? To warn me? Or to test me?" Alex's mind slipped back to the men in the bar. He felt more than ever that they were watching him before. He almost started from his chair as he realized he felt watched now.

She must have noticed, because she leaned forward in concern. "What is it? You weren't followed here, were you?" she asked.

"No. But... there were these two men. I never saw them look at me, but it felt like they were watching me." He paused for a moment and watched her expression. "I could swear I saw one of them in two places at once. Is that possible?"

Her eyes widened, but Alex could not tell if it was in alarm or curiosity. "I'm not sure. I've heard that magic like that exists, but I've never heard of a mage that could actually use it." She was staring into space as if lost in thought. "Perhaps it was simply two men who were much alike. What about the other?"

"I never saw his face. He didn't even turn around. But it felt like his eyes were on me at every minute. Even when he left my sight, it felt like I never really left his."

The woman shuddered. "And now? Do you feel like you're still being watched?"

Alex hesitated, though he already knew the feeling hadn't gone away. Right now it was strong, like fog hanging thickly in the room. "Yes, I still feel it."

"That's an unusual ability. You have some talent, if you know when someone is using magic to watch you." She cocked her head slightly, as if listening to something. "The man watching you... is probably very dangerous."

Fear tightened in Alex's chest. "Who is he? The man in the black coat."

Her eyes focused back on him, but her expression hardened. "It seems that I don't have time to play games with you," she said.