Chapter 3- Taz
(THEN)
THE THREE wooden mannequins float towards each other in front of me.
My hands glow with mystical energy, and in moments, blue light flows from my palms to the dummies.
The three get pushed together, and I slowly maneuver them through the air.
The class coos in interest as I place them down on the grass. Mission accomplished.
“Well done, Mr. Devries.” Professor Rodante claps along with a couple of my classmates.
I shake out my hands and allow magic to flow back into me.
When I turn back to my peers, teenagers from around the world, I can’t help the victorious grin on my face.
I do so love magical practicum day. After we graduate in a few years, we’ll be in the field all the time.
I can see us now, young wizards growing to be full-fledged agents.
“You could all learn a thing or two about manipulating multiple targets at once,” the professor says.
Her voice is barely audible over the blustery Scottish winds on this perfect spring day.
“We’ll try again another practicum day. For now, let us walk back inside to lunch.
” She waves her hands, and we all trail after her.
“That was bloody brilliant,” Max says, tapping my shoulder. “I bet juggling monsters is gonna be fun once we’re on missions and shit.”
“It’s not supposed to be fun.” The perpetually surly dude to my right grabs my attention. The skinny, African-American bloke has had it out for me since day one, but I can’t say I mind the attention. He’s too entertaining to mess with.
And he always takes the bait. “What was that?” I grin and slow down to amble next to him as we make our way up the grassy path, far from the professor.
“I said it’s not supposed to be fun.” He frowns, and I smile harder. Hook, line, sinker. “We’re going on missions.”
“We can still enjoy all the sweet magical techniques we’re honing,” Max retorts.
“Maybe if you loosened up a bit, you could be better with your kinetic spells.” I smirk and put my hand on his―firm, muscled―shoulder. “You might even become better than me one day. Brilliant plan, eh, Lulu?”
“It’s Luther,” he says, pushing my hand off. “And I am better than you.”
“That’s not what today’s practicum showed.”
Max snickers, then gravitates towards one of the other girl wizards.
“Whatever, Devries.” Luther bristles. “Once we go on missions, we won’t be having fun.”
Before I can continue messing with Luther, a sight from afar gives me pause.
Everyone knows about the imminent threats from the dark dimension known as the Other Side.
There’s a rift in reality, resembling broken glass in the air, right outside the Union headquarters.
But it’s not always observable, typically warded with invisible shields.
But I can visualize it clearly right now. The monsters float through the rift as the sentinel wizards launch pulses of magic to drive them back. Then, the guards close it up, and the rift returns to appearing as a simple, boring sky over Scotland.
How am I supposed to study the Other Side?
“Hello! Devries!” Luther’s voice breaks me out of my daydreams. “Are you even listening to me? I’m trying to annoy you as payback for annoying me.”
When I refocus, I notice most of the class has gone inside. But not the tall, dark-skinned dude I’m always bickering with. He studies me for a moment, so I regain my composure.
“My bad. You’re full of so much hot air that I guess your words put me to sleep.” I smirk, and he nearly growls. There, back to normal.
“I’m surprised you’re able to get into the building with your massive ego giving you a gigantic head,” he says.
I giggle. “Not bad. Seven out of ten.” I hold open the door for him to enter. “But you could be meaner, Lulu.”
“You’re an ass,” he mutters, walking through.
“Better!”
He grumbles, and I laugh as I dash forward to catch up to Max.
(Now)
“Max.” After striding forward to the bed, I push my blond bangs back to get a good look. “Hello, old friend.” I move to touch Max’s hand on the bed, but he pulls it away. Based on the confusion in his blue eyes, he barely comprehends what’s going on. He’s hexed alright, and it’s bloody awful.
“Taz Devries,” Necia says quietly. The pain on my face must be evident, since the three people to my right cast me sympathetic looks.
Even the familiar face of my old schooltime rival, Luther.
He’s taller now, and his musculature has filled out his lanky teenage body.
Despite his toned features and pristine facial hair, he’s easy to recognize after a decade.
Whatever shock he felt is replaced with the pain of seeing Max in this sorry state, so I turn back to my mate on the bed.
“Max, say something. Who did this to you?”
When his face contorts and unintelligible noises spew from his mouth, I quickly step back. The chief nods at me and says, “See what I mean?”
“This is awful,” I say.
“Can you fix it?” the chief asks. “You’re some hex expert after all.”
I glance at Necia and Luther, then back at Max.
All of my ideas churn in my head as to the nature of this specific hex.
They don’t need to know that nearly every hex I’ve encountered in my studies is different, so each one requires a variety of approaches.
I pull up a chair and sit next to Max, and say, “That’s what we’re here to find out. ”
“You’re a hex expert?” Necia asks quietly.
“Let’s give the man some space,” the chief says. “Do you need anything from us, Mr. Devries?”
“Just some time. Patience. Quiet.” I shake out my hands and raise them near Max’s head. I indulge in looking at Luther with a half-smile. “I might be here for a while.”
The agents file out, and I get to work appraising the dark energy in Max’s head.
I shut my eyes and concentrate on feeling the magic that exists in the unseen space between all matter.
Something or someone has caused Max to be unable to communicate, and I owe it to my former schoolmate to undo this.
Twenty minutes later, I sense a presence pull up a chair next to me.
With my hands hovering around Max’s head, I pull at every piece of unseen arcana I can think to find.
This practice requires concentration, but that’s not the only reason I haven’t looked up at the man by my side.
Instinctively, I know it’s Luther―he’s always had a pull on me I can’t describe.
And now we’re alone together in a room for the first time in over a decade.
“Still nothing yet?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I’ve never encountered anything like this.”
We’re quiet for a long several seconds before he says, “So, you’re like…a hex guy now?”
I put my hands down and shake out my shoulders. Turning to my right, I take him in. Luther is a big man now, the agent of SPELL he’s always wanted to be. And the way that button-down shirt hugs his chest is alarmingly distracting.
“Keep it in your pants, Taz,” I chide myself in my mind. “You don’t know him anymore, and he used to despise you.”
“I’ve done my share of hex-breaking. People have paid me for my services on occasion. Is that a problem?”
“Not a problem. I just…like, didn’t know what you’ve been doing since school.”
I play with my fingers and wonder how much small-talk I should share. “I’ve been doing research. Worked odd jobs in the mortal world. Published some magic books in occult bookshops in the US.”
“That’s, um, surprising.”
Typical Luther, never impressed with me, even after all these years. “You haven’t read my work in the library?”
“No,” he replies, almost contrite.
“Right, well, I need to concentrate on this. Were you sent here to babysit me?”
“Nah, man. The chief thought you might need a water break.” He hands me a bottle, and I mutter my thanks.
After taking a swig, I put the water down next to me and lean forward.
We quietly watch as Max looks around, as lost as ever.
I attempt to sense more threads of hex magic with my fingers, then shake out my hands and lean back.
“Bet this isn’t the school reunion you were expecting. Max is messed up, and I’m…well…”
“You’re here. Helping us agents.” He rubs his face, and I can tell this conversation is uncomfortable for him. “You’ll probably end up a full-time agent as well if you pull this off.”
I scoff and gaze into his dark brown eyes. “I’m simply a member of the Union.”
“But I thought being here with us was your dream?”
I study my hands. “My dreams haven’t been attainable since…”
Inspiration strikes me, and my head darts up. Max looks at me, still lying in bed, and I turn to Luther. “That might work.”
“What?” Luther asks.
I move to the opposite side of the bed and put my hands out. “I need your help. I have an idea to start undoing the hex.”
Luther leans forward, and Max looks at both of us. “We need to put him to sleep and pull out his essence into his astral form.”
“What?!”
“Think about it—dreams aren’t accessible when we’re awake. Therefore, we can alter the magic within Max from his subconscious in his astral form. He can then work his way out to expedite undoing this hex.”
Luther shakes his head. “That…that sounds too dangerous.”
“Every new, effective hex-breaking maneuver requires pushing the envelope, Westbrook.” I huff in impatience. “Do you want Max’s brain to get permanent damage?”
“Of course not, but manipulating his astral form?”
“Think of it as just, like, making him go to sleep temporarily to save him.”
“You’re playing with his inner spirit! That’s crazy risky!” Luther’s voice is rising, and the conflict has my pulse rising.
“Only momentarily! It’s a risk worth taking. Why don’t you trust me, Westbrook?”
“Because why should I? You disappear for years without saying goodbye, you show up as some hex guru, and now you’re talking about moving spirits out of bodies, so we can―”
“Do it.” We turn to see the chief, standing by the doorway. He strides up to Max and puts his hand out. “A temporary sleep spell, then we pull his spirit out.”
“But what if we damage his spirit self?” Luther asks.
“This hex is worse. And every moment he’s incapacitated, rogue wizards are out there doing who-knows-what,” the chief says.
“But we don’t know for sure this will undo the hex!”
The chief ignores Luther and turns to me. “Let’s do it.”
I nod, and we put our hands on Max. I allow the magic to flow freely out of my palm, a shower of blue lights, over his face. In moments, Max’s eyes close; step one, complete.
Now, the scary part. I shut my eyes and reach into his subconscious.
I find the essence of my old friend and pull him out.
His astral form floats halfway above his body, and the three of us gaze at it.
Next, I inject magic into his spirit, a charge to allow him to undo the hex on his own.
Finally, we send his spirit back down. I’d be much more nervous about this admittedly experimental maneuver if I didn’t have two other expert wizards by my side.
“The moment of truth,” I murmur.
Max gradually blinks his eyes open, and I hold my breath. He glances at Luther, then me.
“Ta…Taz? Is that you, mate?” he asks with a scratchy tone.
Joy bubbles out of my chest with a laugh. “Good to see you, mate.”
Chief Tuttle and Luther gasp, and I tap Max’s shoulder.
“What happened?” he asks.
“A lot,” the chief says. “You were hexed. Badly. And now we got questions for you.”
Max beams at me and removes my hand from his shoulder. He nods and looks down at the blanket in his lap. After a beat, he vomits all over the fabric.
Half an hour and one blanket change later, Necia and the nurse practitioner are by Max’s side.
He’s slowly sipping ginger ale, and we’re all thrilled he’s not permanently harmed.
Mortals have to deal with motion sickness all the time, and having your head spin for two days in a row clearly did a number on him.
When Necia pats Max’s hand, I smile and walk away.
I’m casually strolling through the lobby, halfway to my portal, when a voice calls me out. “Devries!”
I turn to catch Luther jogging toward me. It’s an unexpected sight, my old rival chasing after me. Especially now that he’s all grown and studly…
Focus, Taz.
“Yes, Agent Westbrook, how can I help you?” I shoot him a dramatic grin and shove my hands into my pockets.
“I, uh, just wanted to say that uh…” He scratches his head and looks around. Wizards and witches amble about, like it’s a busy train station, and no one is paying attention to us. “You, um…did good.”
I snicker. “An honest-to-goodness compliment from an agent of SPELL? Pinch me, I’m dreaming.”
“I’m serious. The chief and Max owe you a debt.”
I don’t miss him leaving his own name out of that conversation. “I did it because I’m part of the Union now.” When I turn and walk away, he strides next to me.
“Well, we all thank you.”
“Sounds good, Westbrook.”
“Would you stop and let me compliment you?” he asks in an irritated tone, and I grin.
Once we reach the portal, I stop and turn to him. “It’s eating you up inside to say nice things about me, isn’t it?” I smirk at him, and he huffs.
“Credit is where credit is due. It’s not like we’re competing for anything.”
I shake my head. “No, we are not.”
“This case could go sideways. I wouldn’t be surprised if the chief calls you for another hex question.”
“More than that. The High Council and the chief all offered to take me on as a part-time consultant for this case, and I said yes.”
The raised eyebrows on Luther’s pretty face are priceless. “Oh, uh, we-we-well…”
“I guess we’re working together now.”
“Um, cool?” He scratches his head as the portal lights up. “Hey, what are you doing at the portal to Cosmo, Virginia?”
“Oh, they didn’t tell you?” I slowly walk backward past the guard. “I live in Cosmo now. So, I guess we’ll be seeing each other around a lot…neighbor.”
His deer-in-the-headlights expression is adorable. When half my body is through the portal, I shout out, “See you at work, Lulu!” With a simple salute, I’m through the glowing archway and back home in the US.