Chapter 9 #3
After Campbell stepped inside her office with the girls and closed her door, the minds of everyone else quieted. The wards shielding her privacy definitely dampened my telepathy, but didn’t block it. My branch had grown far too powerful for standard cloaks and barriers.
“And who do we have here?” Cassidy Gardner asked, sending a heat of irritation coursing through me. So much so, it almost reeled my mind back to the Global Guild detainment center where I worked, but curiosity and concern kept me locked onto the meeting.
By day, Cassidy ran the prolific nightclub Gwendolyn’s Guns & Gals, but by night, she funneled illegal enchantments throughout the city, having inherited her family’s crime organization.
Campbell setting aside time to meet with the crime lord could only mean Cassidy had finally gained enough clout to be considered a viable contributor for guild funding.
I recoiled. The idea of her working as a board member, a private donor, or an elite client each made my stomach twist into knots. It was bad enough that Milo turned to her on occasion when working on his investigations.
“Please, sit.” Campbell gestured to Katherine and Tia, directing them to join the meeting as opposed to merely standing on the outskirts.
Katherine loosened her nervous grip on her grimoire and went to put it back in the holster on her hip.
“A tome that old must have quite a few fascinating outlawed spells.” Cassidy’s eyes lit up with intrigue.
“There could be some written text not permitted for practice, but I assure you there’s nothing outlawed in spell craft literature, merely the—”
“Summoning of unsanctioned spells,” Cassidy interjected. “Yes, I have quite an understanding of the enchantment doctrine of authority and usage. They’d have you believe their chokehold on casting is firm, but I’ve found the grip is rather loose.”
“Says everyone right before the noose tightens.” Campbell smirked, sipping her coffee.
“And you, what enchantment magic do you possess?” Cassidy turned her attention to Tia, who flicked her gaze between Cassidy’s lips and the assistant signing.
Tia signed her response and then squeezed the necklace that tracked her spell-casting progress, as opposed to the newly acquired Cast-9-Watch every other student received.
Name: Tatiana Owens
Branch: Enchantment (Invocation)
I smirked. That tiny little jab was directed toward Campbell, as Tia learned working as her intern, the guild master held a tight leash on all the funding that passed through Gemini Academy.
It meant every other student got the new tech to track their casting progress, while Tia needed to make do with her legally required accommodation because the board of officials couldn’t possibly pay to update her technology.
“She says that her branch is related to the enchantment class, yes,” the assistant translated for Tia, already avoiding the commentary meant to take a crack at Campbell. “And she says that her specific enchantment branch is invocation, which allows—”
“Allows her to speak spells into existence.” Cassidy waved dismissively, not requiring the definition of the magic, but finding Tia’s ability to sign spells fascinating as, like most of us, the only invocation enchantment magic she’d seen came from vocal language users.
“Just translate what she says,” Campbell said, eyeing her assistant. “No need to express she’s the one saying it. We won’t mistake any commentary for your personal insight since you have none at this meeting or, quite frankly, ever.”
Damn. I couldn’t tell if that was supportive or cutting. On the one hand, she elevated Tia’s voice in this meeting. On the other hand, she just announced her PA of five years had nothing of value to say.
“Based on my line of work, some people are better just seen, and nothing else.” Cassidy smiled, placating as if the only work she involved herself in was in relation to the burlesque shows her elegant club put on.
If that were remotely true, Campbell wouldn’t have a sit-down meeting with the undercity boss.
It might’ve escaped Katherine and Tia’s understanding, but I very much knew why Campbell invited those two into the meeting while excluding the other girls.
They possessed enchantment branches, and Cassidy ran an illegal enchantment ring, selling black market spells to the common folk who couldn’t afford government-issued magical assistance or legal practicing rights.
I rolled my eyes as Milo’s thoughts on the subject infiltrated my own.
He vehemently believed Cassidy cared for people and sold these products to help those who couldn’t afford other options.
In his mind, she was some type of Robin Hood-style witch out to help the masses.
But I saw Cassidy for who she was: a social climbing, money-hungry mob boss who exploited the desperate and poor to build a throne on their pain and anguish in the undercity of Chicago, which she sought to rule.
Milo had to see her as the lesser of evils, given the many horrors his magic showed him every day, and the friendship he still carried for Cassidy from their time together at Gemini Academy.
“Now, before we dive into business,” Cassidy said, retrieving a small napkin-sized enchantment from her purse. “I’d like to ensure complete discretion.”
“I assure you, we have plenty of privacy.” Campbell gestured to her useless wards lining the walls.
“Humor me, will you?” Cassidy asked, handing off the napkin to Tia. “Perhaps one of your interns could activate the spell.”
Campbell nodded for Tia to begin.
“A little extra protection never hurt anything,” Cassidy said with a smug chuckle.
I tsked. Paranoid much.
The moment Tia finished signing the spell, a burst of energy knocked my mind from the room. It hit with such force that my telepathic projection hovered outside the goddamn Cerberus building.
Whatever, I had work to complete anyway.
Carter’s anxiety pulled me through the sea of minds.
At first, I worried that the horrors of his trauma, the trauma of my near death that he’d averted, were resurfacing.
I could only imagine someone of Gladiatrix’s level had dragged her interns onto harsh missions they weren’t ready for.
But much to my surprise, Carter’s anxiety came in the form of a makeup artist telling him her life story while she applied products he normally avoided.
On either side of him sat Zoya and Vik, who also remained statuesque as a professional applied makeup.
“Now that we’re almost done with the makeup test, we can hopefully move on to your casework for the day,” a member of Gladiatrix’s entourage said. “Ideally, we’ll finish early so we can examine and reevaluate where your team needs improvement.”
Technically speaking, they were assigned specially to Carter, Vik, and Zoya’s entourage. Sort of a starter pack of success for the young interns and for this up-and-coming personal assistant who craved working for the elite enchanters so they could bask in that radiant secondhand fame.
“Can you stop calling this a case?” Carter huffed.
It wasn’t an actual case that had Carter’s mind whirling with anxiety.
Nope. It was the practice questions for an upcoming interview he had.
Gladiatrix’s entourage of industry experts went to work preparing a social media rollout for Carter, Vik, and Zoya.
Each would do some test posts, audience engagement, and a few live videos to gauge where their strengths and weaknesses were.
While Carter loved the spotlight and dreamed big for most of his life, actually living it as a reality scared the ever-living fuck out of him.
He’d much rather be slaying demons alongside Gladiatrix, instead of handling all the PR she navigated with finesse.
“Why couldn’t we join Gladiatrix?” Carter asked, keeping his eyes rolled up to the ceiling as the makeup artist drew subtle liner under his blue eyes.
“Yeah,” Vik said, concurring purely out of their fear of public speaking—which included talking on camera alone in a room. “Shouldn’t we prioritize actually working on cases?”
“Interviews, press, and the spotlight are as important,” Zoya commented, fluffing her dark brown hair to enhance the bounce of the curls the stylist had added. “If not more important, since saving lives only matters if people know about it.”
Carter and Vik made uncomfortable expressions.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Zoya puckered her lips, double-checking the shade to her complexion.
“You only want to be professional enchanters because they’re in the spotlight, making it look heroic.
They do this because they prioritize their public image.
And if you want to make changes in the industry, you have to be in the industry. Loved by the industry.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Carter shrugged. “Can’t win the game if you don’t play.”
“Of course I’m right.” Zoya zipped to the other side of the room and smiled. “I’m always right. Except when I vote. Then I’m left.”
“I still think we’d gain more experience working on a case than talking to a camera about the case we aren’t even on.” Vik sank into their chair, making it difficult for their makeup artist to continue.
Gladiatrix had abandoned her interns with her entourage while she fought a demon overseas. Apparently, a massive hydra with more than a hundred heads and nearly the size of the Eiffel Tower had washed up on the shores of France and began attacking with unfathomable demonic energy.
It didn’t take long to scroll through my phone and find articles on the incident. According to some reports, this was a world-ending assault, while more reputable sources claimed the threat had been highly exaggerated, hardly requiring Global Guild intervention.