Chapter 8- Taz
(THEN)
THE HIGH Council quietly looks at me with unreadable expressions.
My hope is dwindling, but I had to take one last stand, which is why I arranged for this private meeting.
It’s unheard of for the heads of the Union to privately meet with some eighteen-year-old punk, but this couldn’t be a parchment or an email.
I need them to look me in the eyes and hear my case.
“We have considered all that you’ve been through, Mr. Devries. You’re an excellent student, one of the best at hex breaking,” Councilman O’Toole says.
“But we have made a decision not to bend the rules for you,” Councilwoman Shah says.
My heart breaks even further, the tiny ember of hope dying out in an icy rush in my bones. All because of the three adults before me.
My eyes sting. “But…but what about―”
“We understand your situation, but we cannot allow you to enter the Other Side on what could be a futile mission,” Councilman Westbrook says. “The consequences are too dire.”
“Futile?” I ask, my voice probably breaking. “But I’ve…I’ve done the research.”
“And you’re smart. We know you’ll make a great agent of SPELL soon,” Councilwoman Shah says.
“But it is simply too dangerous,” Councilman O’Toole adds.
I sniff, trying to fight back the tears. “I thought you…thought you cared about the magical community?”
“Young man, you would risk the fate of our world on the off-chance you might save one person?” Councilman Westbrook asks.
I nod and wipe away my tears, not even bothering to answer.
“We are very much impressed with your work at sorcery protection school,” Councilwoman Shah says. “You’re a valued member of this Union, young man.”
“But we will not allow you to voluntarily enter the Other Side. End of discussion,” Councilman Westbrook says.
The despair clutches my heart. Shaking my head, I mutter, “Then I’m not welcome here.”
“What?” One of them asks.
“I am hereby resigning from the school and the Union.”
There are murmurs of controversy, but I can’t dwell on that. My whole world is shattering once again, and I don’t give a fuck what these old pricks think of me.
“Young man―”
“Goodbye.” I turn and walk away, but not before fishing out my small, in-training geo arcanum. It falls to the floor with a sound of finality, and I swiftly exit the High Council chamber.
I don’t need them. Or the Union. I’ll find my own way to explore the Other Side, even if it takes a lifetime.
(Now)
I slam my fist against the maroon wall despite knowing it’s a futile endeavor. No hex like this would just cave from sheer force. A few feet behind me is the sound of Luther summoning blasts of magic to try to break the round walls.
But no. We’re trapped in a maroon bubble.
With a sigh, I turn and lean my head against the cold wall, its texture reminiscent of plastic. Luther summons a magical whip, so I say, “Don’t bother, Westbrook. Save your magic.”
He stares at me incredulously. “And what, give up?!” He attempts to break the wall, but his whip bounces off and slaps him on the cheek. I try not to laugh as he makes the whip disappear.
He glares at me. “Okay, so that didn’t work, but we have to find a way out of here.”
“I’ve read about these kinds of hexes. They feed on the victim’s magic and create a one-way pocket bubble.” I point upward. “This is all courtesy of you.”
He frowns again. “I didn’t do this!”
“Not on purpose.” Another sigh leaves my lips. “It’s a clever trick that banks on mages using force spells to burst the bubble, then grows as it feeds off of your magic.”
“That fucker tricked me,” he mutters. “Can you undo it?”
“Only from the outside.” My back drags on the bubble wall as I lower into a seated position.
“Well, maybe after they catch the suspect, Necia or Max can undo this.”
“That’s a big if.” My gaze tracks the dark red surface of the walls again as I carefully avoid Luther’s soulful eyes. “I figure we only have a few minutes of oxygen left.”
“Shit. Well, we can’t just give up!” He paces around the small area; he only has two steps before he has to turn around. “Aren’t you some kind of hex expert?”
“Again, outside,” I reply with all the patience I can muster.
“What is the point of having you here if you can’t help!”
Something inside me snaps. I bolt upright and, with a raised voice, say, “That was uncalled for, Westbrook. What is your problem? I tried to prevent us from getting trapped. I’ve listened to all your dumb orders, and I’m telling you the situation that we’re both stuck in.
I show you nothing but respect, but you can’t even act civil to me!
” He stares at me, frozen in shock. I point at him, my finger nearly digging into his chest, and continue, “We’re not kids anymore.
Can’t you pretend to want to work with me? We’re on the same bloody side!”
As I catch my breath, the fight in him deflates. He slowly sits down, and I do the same. Our feet are nearly touching, and the bubble casts an off-red glow on Luther’s face. After another few seconds of silence, he shrugs. “I’m sorry, Taz.”
Well that was unexpected. After a long pause, I say, “We’re not in high school anymore, Luther. I’m not that punk-ass kid who kept trying to…chase after you.”
I regret the words almost instantly. “Chase after me?” he asks. “The fuck you mean?”
“Academically,” I add, while my cheeks prickle with warmth. “Academically chase you and keep up with you.”
Luther lets out a soft laugh. “Keep up with me? You did way better than me.”
“Only because you kept me on my toes. I had to be in the maiden class of spellcaster school with the son of a freaking councilman. All of us had this massive pressure to keep up with you because you were expected to be so great.”
Luther stares at his feet for a long moment. “Yeah, well, I hated it.”
“What?”
“The pressure, that is. I liked weekend spellcaster school, and I generally enjoy being an agent. But all I ever did, all I still do, is try to escape the shadow of my dad.”
A sympathetic frown grows on my lips. All these years of having no good parental figures, I never thought about how it would be to have a famous wizard dad.
He plays with his fingers and continues, “It’s bad enough that their only son is gay; so much of the world sees that as a flaw.
So, I have to be a paragon in all other aspects.
I need to be a successful Black man, just like my dad, every day.
I can’t mess up―people with my skin color don’t have the luxury of second chances.
I can’t make a mistake; I couldn’t back in sorcery protection school, and I can’t now.
” He moves his head back, and it gently lands on the maroon wall.
“And now look at me. I fucked up, and because of that, we’re hexed. ”
I try not to freak out at the confirmation that Luther likes men. My hormones rejoice at the thought of having a shot with him, but I calm myself. “That sucks, mate,” I murmur.
“You know, Girish’s mom is a councilwoman. How come you never had to compete with him?”
“Girish has visions that make him sound not quite stable,” I reply. “Great guy, but he has his own problems. He’s competing with himself.”
We both crack up at my remarks. It’s the first time, possibly ever, that Luther and I are sharing a laugh. After a beat, he looks at me. “Hey, can I ask you a question?”
“We might suffocate here, so why not?”
“Why did you quit school right before graduation? It pained me to admit it, but everyone knew you were really good at spellcasting. We all did internships for the next two years to become full-fledged agents. What happened at home that made you leave the Union?”
My pulse picks up. “Your dad never told you?”
“Told me what?”
My mouth goes dry while I stare at my knees. “Right before graduation, I…asked the High Council for permission. To go into the Other Side.”
“What the hell? Why? Did you have a death wish?”
I take a deep breath and look into Luther’s dark eyes. “My…brother is trapped in there.”
“What?” he whispers.
“My brother used to study the Other Side. He was five years older than me. I looked up to him. One day, I witnessed him trying to summon his own rift into the Other Side, and it sucked him in. I still have nightmares of watching him get pulled into another dimension.”
“Taz…” His voice is so tender I can’t stand it.
I clear my throat and continue, “So yeah, that’s where I suspect he is.”
Luther nods, and realization dawns on him. “The monster…it showed you…”
“Yeah. It showed me my brother.” As I stare at my palms, my eyes begin to sting. “Now I know he’s not dead.”
“But what if the monster showed you that as a trick? Like an illusion?”
“I guess we’ll never know now.” I shrug and wipe my eyes. “But yeah, the High Council wouldn’t allow me to experiment on the Other Side, so I immediately quit. I resented your dad ever since.”
“Taz,” he says softly.
“When I heard the Union started letting witches into their ranks, I decided to join again. Enough time had passed, the Union was evolving into being more accepting, and I had a few hex-breaking books under my belt. At worst, I could do some research in the Union library. I didn’t know that I’d be working with you again. ”
I look at Luther and take in his gentle expression. “Not that I mind,” I say.
We share a smile, and after a moment, he looks away. “I’m sorry. To hear all that.”
My soul feels lighter, and my heart warms at hearing Luther’s sympathy.
This is the closest we’ve ever had to a heart-to-heart.
We’re about to die, and now we become friends—wonderful.
“It’s my drama. Not yours. You’re the big buff agent you were always meant to be.
I’m just some bloke who can undo hexes.”
“Yes, well, I wish you were the guy outside of this bubble. Then maybe we could breathe again.”
His words spark a dangerous thought in my head. I stand up, and he follows suit. “Taz, what are you thinking?”
I touch my chest, then the wall. It’s just crazy enough to work.
“Luther, I need you to push out my astral form.”
“What?” He shakes his head. “You think your hands can reach out of this thing when you’re a spirit?”
After feeling the wall again, I turn back to him. “No. You need to push me out completely.”
“What?!” he yelps. Shaking his head, he says, “No. No, that’s too dangerous.”
“It’s the only play we got. I should be able to get to the seams of the hex in my astral form.”
“But a complete removal from your body? That’s too dangerous, Taz! Your spirit could be lost forever. The risks of a full removal―”
“Luther, please!” Stepping closer, I touch his elbow and gaze into his worried eyes. “I know the risks, but us dying here is much worse.”
He shakes his head and stares at his hands. “I won’t let you obliterate yourself.”
“And I won’t let both of us suffocate in here!”
“Necia and Max―”
“Might not even get back here in time or be able to undo this.” I put my hand on his shoulder and say, “This is the only plan I can think of.”
His face is etched with genuine concern. “But what if I can’t pull your spirit back? What if my spell doesn’t work right?” he asks, softly.
With a soft smile, I reply, “I trust you, Luther. You’re the best agent of SPELL. The strongest wizard I know. You can do this.”
And I hope he knows I mean it.
After mulling it over in his head, he gives a slight nod. I sit down on the wall, and he crouches near me. He puts his hand on my chest, and I try to ignore how strong he looks or how good he smells this close.
Then, I close my eyes and allow him to push my spirit out of my body.
In moments, I’m floating outside the maroon bubble.
As expected, Necia and Max are nowhere to be found, so I get to work scrutinizing the seams of this hex.
My focus turns to the lines of entropy unseen by the average human eye.
The maroon bubble is its own hex, and all hexes are interwoven magical threads of entropy.
And that which is woven can be unknotted. Pull here…and then here…undo this knot…
I gasp and blink, staring up at dusky sky.
“Taz…Taz!” Luther is above me, and I feel my shirt and chest. I’m solid again!
“What happened?” I ask, sitting up.
“The bubble burst, and we fell. Now I need to make sure your spirit is intact.” He sounds so distressed, crouching near me. “Tell me something only Taz would know. What do you remember?”
I shake my head and look around at the dark forest. The concern in Luther’s eyes brings back my focus. “I remember…beating you…in year twelve. The energy construct contest. You were furious.”
“Taz!” He laughs and grips my shoulders. “Your spirit is back.”
I roll my neck. “Of course it is.”
“I didn’t know if I messed up or something.”
We share a smile, and I resist the urge to hug him. After all, he’s not into me like that, right? He did admit he’s gay…
“Have faith in your abilities, Lulu.” I grin, and he rolls his eyes, but this time, with a smile. After he stands up, he reaches a hand out and pulls me up. I hold his palm for a moment, and he doesn’t let go either.
Does he feel this, too? Glacially slow, I lean forward, bringing my face closer. Is this happening?
Before I can make a sexy mistake, Necia and Max come stomping back through the woods. Luther and I break apart and both fix our ties just as the pair reaches us.
“Are you guys alright?” she asks.
“We’re fine. Taz undid the hex I was stuck in.”
“It was a team effort,” I add. Luther catches my gaze, and I swear he smiles a little more. “Where’s the suspect?”
“About that,” Max says. It is then that I notice the blood on his shirt.
“You…killed him?” I ask.
Necia and Max share a grim look. “He…killed himself,” Max says. “He had a pistol. Self-inflicted wound to the head.”
We all share disturbed looks and slowly walk back to the car. Tonight was a lot of highs and a few lows. Necia and Max discuss how they’re going to clean up this mess for the mortal authorities to interpret. Meanwhile, Luther and I exchange glances that mean more now than they ever have.
We agents have a lot of work to do. But I can’t help but be satisfied knowing Luther and I have come a long way.