Chapter 9
Wynn tightly clutched the skipping stone she had hidden in the pocket of her coat.
She’d promised Azh that she would pop in and pop out, distracting the mages long enough for him to slip through the barrier they’d discovered wrapped around Hexx’s pawnshop.
But her promise had been given before she’d overheard the two women discussing the security video of her visit to Hamilton Brothers Gallery.
And before the dark-haired mage she recognized as Maya Rosen had called her a...what had she said? A Void?
“Don’t move.” Maya grabbed the satchel from the nearby counter and pulled out a vial.
Wynn widened her eyes, trying to look innocent. She didn’t doubt the vial contained a nasty potion, not to mention the fact the mage she recognized as Peri Sanguis, the Cabal leader’s mate, was busy weaving a spell that made the entire building tremble.
“I’m not here to steal anything,” she promised.
Maya glanced around the empty shop. “Shocker.”
“Yeah, okay. Fair enough. No one would come here to steal anything,” Wynn conceded.
Maya’s expression remained grim. “Who are you?”
“Wynn.”
“That’s it? Just Wynn?”
“Powerful women don’t need more than one name.”
Maya rolled her eyes, her impressive beauty only enhanced by the web of scars along her jaw.
“If you’re trying to kiss and make up, you’re doing a lousy job.”
“Probably because I’m not trying,” Wynn said. “I just want to talk.”
“About?”
“Why I snuck into your vault.”
Maya narrowed her bright green eyes while Peri casually moved to lean against the counter. Wynn wasn’t fooled. Both of them were on full alert, prepared to strike at the first hint of danger.
She didn’t know if they were there to protect the Watcher, or if they had another purpose for wrapping the building in layers of magic, but she did know she didn’t want to do anything to spark a fight.
Not this time.
“I’m listening,” Maya said.
“First.” Wynn took a cautious step forward, her mouth dry. “Why did you call me a Void?”
The mage arched a brow. “I assume that’s why you’re absorbing the fey magic from the lightning rod instead of just using it.”
Distantly Wynn sensed Azh’s presence above her head. He’d managed to slip into Hexx’s apartment. And thankfully, the mages appeared unaware of his stealthy entrance.
“I don’t understand,” Wynn admitted. “Why does a Void absorb magic?”
Maya frowned. “You don’t know?”
“Would I be asking if I did?” Wynn snapped. She was trying to be polite, she really was. But it wasn’t easy when all she wanted to do was grab the mage and shake the truth out of her.
Maya exchanged a suspicious glance with her companion before returning her attention to Wynn.
“I have no idea why you’re here, but I can assure you that I won’t be fooled again.”
“I want answers.” Wynn hesitated, then with an effort, spit out the word that she swore never to use once she stopped being a beggar on the streets. “Please.”
Maya pursed her lips, her expression hard.
“Fine. I don’t trust you, but I’ll answer your question.
” She returned the potion to her satchel, obviously trusting Peri to deal with any potential threats.
Wynn didn’t blame her. The younger mage was vibrating the entire block with the force of her pent-up magic.
“You know the basics of a witch transforming into a mage?” Maya asked.
Wynn shrugged. Everything she’d picked up had been off the streets. She had no idea what was real and what was myth.
“I know that there are some witches that self-combust when they reach puberty. And that those witches become mages who can use magic without all the abracadabra nonsense.”
Maya blinked. “Self-combust?”
“That’s what it sounded like to me.”
“Okay. That’s a little dramatic.” Maya paused, as if considering her words before she spoke. “More simply a mage is the daughter of a woman who is capable of tapping into magic. A witch, a fortune teller, a voodoo priestess, and so on. The original magic is in the DNA of the mother.”
“So why don’t all the daughters become mages?”
“No one knows for certain,” Maya admitted. “And it’s all but impossible to determine which daughter will become a mage. It’s not until she reaches her late teens—for some it’s earlier and for some it’s later—the wild magic ignites and flows through her veins.”
Wynn suppressed her stab of annoyance. It wasn’t really an answer. “Okay. And?”
“Becoming a mage is rare. Extremely rare,” Maya continued. “But even more rare are girls who have the wild magic flare through them, but their magic doesn’t ignite.”
Wynn’s mouth felt dry. She had no memory of her youth, which meant she had no idea if she’d had magic exploding through her or not.
“Why doesn’t it ignite?”
“Again I don’t have an explanation. The witches and mages have been hunted by both humans and demons over the centuries.
Their fear of exposure has meant they’d been forced to keep too much information hidden.
” Maya’s jaw tightened with anger. Wynn sensed it was a fury that had burned inside the mage for a long time.
“But what we suspect is that the power bursts through them with so much force it burns away their ability to hold on to the magic.”
“So what happens to them?”
“The majority of them become Nulls.”
There was a sadness in Maya’s tone that sent a chill through Wynn. The other woman sounded like being a Null was a very bad thing.
“What does that mean?” she forced herself to ask.
“They can sense the magic flowing through their blood, but it remains out of reach. Usually it...” Maya’s words trailed away.
“Tell me,” Wynn insisted. Whatever she had to say couldn’t be worse than the not knowing.
Maya slowly shook her head. “It drives them mad. They rarely live for very long after the failed transformation. I think they will themselves to death. It’s tragic.”
Wynn’s heart squeezed at the pity in the mage’s voice.
It was obvious she’d watched at least one mage die from being trapped in a world where the magic was forever taunting them.
But something about her explanation was off.
At least for Wynn. She didn’t have magic flowing through her veins, but she could still touch and manipulate the power she absorbed.
And thankfully, she’d never felt the urge to give up on her existence. In fact, her struggles had made her more determined to survive. Her shitty beginnings in the backstreets of London taught her how to fight, lie, and even cheat, to get to a better place.
“Is that what you think happened to me?” she finally asked.
“No. If you’re a Void, then the wild magic flared and instead of igniting the power that flows through your blood, it creates a void.”
Wynn studied her in confusion. “How’s that different from a Null?”
“The Null can sense magic but is unable to touch it. But from the stories I’ve heard, a Void doesn’t have magic inside them, but they’re capable of absorbing magic and storing it to be used later. I’m not sure exactly how it works.”
“Stories?” Wynn felt a stab of unease. “You never met one?”
“They are very, very rare. I don’t think there’s been one recorded in centuries.
” The mage paused, as if struck by a sudden thought.
“Of course, they might not be willing to reveal themselves. As I said earlier, mages have been hunted by witches, demons, and vampires from the beginning of time.” She studied Wynn with a curious expression.
“If you’re able to pass as a human it’s much safer. Is that what you’ve been doing?”
“Hey, I’m just trying to survive,” she said with blunt honesty.
“I can help.” Maya circled around the corner of the counter, her movements slow, as if she were afraid of scaring Wynn. “When did you go through the transformation?”
Wynn rubbed the skipping stone, igniting the magic. She wasn’t scared, but Azh was safely in the apartment and she suspected she had all the information she was going to get from Maya. She needed to get out of there before the mages realized what was happening.
“I don’t remember anything about the wild magic going through me,” she admitted, feeling the stone warm against her skin. It was preparing to jerk her away from the pawnshop. But first, Wynn had one more question. “Could the transformation—or whatever you want to call it—scrub my memories?”
Maya looked baffled by the question. “I’ve never heard of it happening. Are you saying you don’t recall transforming into a mage? Or that all your memories are gone?”
There was no reason not to confess the truth. “I woke up one day with no idea who I was or how I got there.”
“How long ago?”
“Let’s just say Queen Victoria was on the throne.”
Maya’s mouth dropped open. She was genuinely shocked by Wynn’s answer. “And you’ve managed to survive with no mage to assist you?”
Wynn clicked her tongue, refusing to recall the nights she’d spent crying herself to sleep. The first few years after she’d awakened she’d been terrified, not knowing who she was or who she could trust. She would have given anything for a powerful mage to reach out an offer of help.
Now, she’d learned that she couldn’t depend on anyone but herself.
She tilted her chin. “I don’t need anyone.”
“I’m not questioning your skills. Obviously you’ve managed to live a lot longer than many mages, but I could teach you to control the magic you absorb.
” Maya’s voice softened, a tingle of magic floating through the air.
It wasn’t a hard blow of compulsion that a vampire could use to force creatures to bend to their will.
Or even the grinding coercion that Azh had first tried to use on her.
This was a soft enticement that lured Wynn into agreeing.
“Plus, I could give you a home with no need to steal ever again.”