Chapter 11

I excused myself to the bathroom to avoid making a complete fool of myself. Washing my face with cold water helped almost as much as her name. I delayed for a moment more, stomach fluttering, before hitting the wall with a closed fist. Pain helps jerk you away from things, unless of course it's an electrical connection you happen to touch the wrong way.

Beautiful. Oh, I'm not sure how much of that was simply due to the fact that she matched my physical ideal, almost perfectly. Neatly framed, pale skinned, not dark but black hair, blue eyes, slender figure, a bit shorter than I am, with delicately drawn features and a small rosebud of a mouth. The oriental cast of her features, as her name attested, granted her face an exotic cast, but it was softened somehow. Almost certainly, of mixed blood.

Calming down was not just a matter of a bit of pain, but the certain knowledge that she'd be mine. It was almost worth it all, all by itself, if only for a moment. Not that I'd forgotten Chris, nor would I ever. That instant attraction, what I could only term 'crush', was something I'd felt only once before, something that had turned to ashes in my mouth as soon as I got closer. First impressions can be deceptive.

Christine was my girlfriend. I'd started out liking her, and what I felt now was considerably more than that. What this Lee would be, beyond wizard and disciple to mighty me, I'd simply have to see. There was no reason to rush, no reason to grow overexcited. The reminder worked, the rapid beating of my heart slowed down, and I suddenly recalled the need to breathe.

I got back just in time, and we began the usual warm up. It required a severe effort, but I managed to avoid staring at her. This time Hank was absent, so once again we were easily paired, and Dan had us working full out against each other, while he walked the line and supervised.

She faced me and bowed, and I followed suit. We weren't formal here, and she'd either adapt, or continue to wear that cute white gi and bow. Freedom of choice, which I was soon going to take from her, I shook my head, and almost missed her attack.

Dan was right. She is as skilled I am, but not as strong, and not quite as fast. Which means that I managed to keep her from killing me, without breaking her apart, if only just. After every five minutes of workout, Dan gave us a couple of minutes to rest, massage aches, and attempt to restore circulation to twisted limbs. That gave us some time to talk.

"So, let me guess. You're half Korean, you're 19, you're in college... on academic scholarship. Computer science? Dorm living?"

Her mouth dropped open. "Is Logan short for Sherlock Holmes? It's computer science and economics, but otherwise... how did you do that?"

"Well," I smiled, "I could simply tell you that I'm a wizard... Kim and Lee are the two most common Korean names, and you don't look 100% oriental. You look mature enough to have finished high school, but not over twenty, and since this is your first or second practice here, you just moved. You're smart, or I would really regret finding you quite so attractive, and you looked a bit... lost. Computer science was a guess, in line with smart."

She sputtered, not quite knowing how to reply. Dan signaled for 'break over', and she spiraled down, sending a spinning kick at my left heel. I jumped up, trying to kick down, and she rolled away and upright. "Are you hitting on me?" she asked as she tried an open handed attack and elbow combination. I dodged, blocked, and snap kicked at her knee, answering, "Obviously," barely managing to swallow incipient laughter.

Five more minutes of full contact, with me mostly on the defensive, as I really didn't want to deal any damage, left us both drenched in sweat, breathing in gasps. Dan was trying to build endurance, he'd done this sort of thing before. It's dangerous, even with people who know how to pull back, because when you're tired, you make mistakes. Of course, sometimes you have to defend yourself when you're tired. No one is going to make apologies or excuses on your behalf.

It sometimes amazes me, the fact that people in ancient, medieval or even more recent times could fight in heavy armor, wielding weapons that weigh several kilograms. We read about knights and Roman legionaries in the history books, or romance or fiction, but nobody thinks about what that sort of warfare required of the human body. The thickness of wrist required to swing a heavy sword consistently for minutes, the strength required to draw a longbow, again and again. Here and now, I'm counted as quite fit, in excellent shape. Compared to our predecessors, I'm a wimp. It would take wizardry to make me really impressive.

On our second break, we were too busy catching our breath to talk much.

"Aren't, you, supposed," she took a deeper breath, "to ask me out now," she finished the sentence in a single gulp, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"I have, a gorgeous, girlfriend, so I can't. But I do, want to talk to you, after class. Christine is here, taking beginner class. If you, can spare, a few minutes."

Her expression made it obvious that I'd hurt her, which was the last thing I meant to do, but I wasn't going to start things off by lying. Even if she was 'dreamgirl' herself, I wasn't going to just dump Chris, not for anything. Crystal was right. I am intensely loyal. Which I suppose is one of the reasons I never pursued a relationship before. I had trouble trusting anyone to return the selfsame loyalty I exhibited.

"I'm sorry if I came on a bit strong," I apologized, "but I really do need to talk to you, and not just 'let's be friends', I promise. I, we, need to show you something."

She wanted to spit out a refusal, that much was clear. Before she could, I added, "I think I have a part time job for you."

No, I wasn't lying, I just wasn't bothering with the truth. Since she'd never believe the truth — hell, I wouldn't have! — that was incumbent upon me. I sometimes worried that I'd get too used to twisting the truth, that I'd segue over to uninhibited lies without noting the downward slope. But not today, I didn't, as I had more important things to worry about.

Since she took Economics as a major, and was probably smart enough, I had my apprentice — not just for magic, but to take care of the 'family' fortune, another thing I needed to delegate. She'd need instructions and seasoning, but my gut told me she'd be more than adequate, and my version of adequate was a high standard indeed.

"I... ok, we'll talk. Later," she added as Dan signaled that the next round of the match was on.

I really should have avoided pissing her off. Eight iterations of the five minute round of full contact left me in pretty bad shape, though I did manage to avoid having anything broken. She had some restraint, at least. Nor was she in much better shape. I'd mostly defended, but when I did attack I kept nothing back, and my concentration on defense made my strikes unpredictable. She certainly had the bruises to prove it.

With the lesson over, we stumbled away, completely wrung out and dripping wet.

"Is this normal for a class?" she gasped out, "I'm not sure I could survive two of this every week."

"No, it's unusual to have two of the same in a single week," I answered in a low voice, not trying to whisper, but to conserve energy. "We're practicing for self defense, which means that we need to prepare for anything we might have to face, from knives and guns to multiple opponents, to this. This was endurance training. The bad guys won't give you any breaks just because you're tired."

She nodded dumbly, and we took our things from the lockers. "Come on, Criss and Cross will be waiting downstairs."

"Crisancros?" she asked, confused.

"Christine, and her best friend Kristen. Who's the cross one, on account of her temper. They've been friends for years and years."

"Oh," she acknowledged, and followed my shuffling steps.

Criss and Cross were waiting for us, for me actually, and while they looked tired, I was pretty sure they were not feeling octogenarian. Everything hurt.

"Cheerist!" Chris called out, ran over to me, and hugged me carefully.

"Who did that to you?" Kristen puffed up, looking at my face. I probably had a black eye. She was good at pulling her blows, but she wasn't perfect, and fatigue had taken a toll on both of us.

"Actually, that was her," I pointed behind me.

The identical belligerent expressions on the girls' faces would have had me laughing, were it not for the fact that I was actually worried about her safety. I couldn't be entirely sure that they wouldn't cut or flame her, not with my health involved.

I didn't so much as take the luxury of looking back, to see her response to their aggression, as much as I wanted to. I raised my open hand, "Please, girls, calm down. I pounded on her, just as hard. Endurance practice, full contact, and she's good. And talented," I emphasized, and the light of understanding flickered in their eyes. They were still pissed, but they stepped back to give us some room.

I performed the introductions, "Girls, this is Kimiko Lee, or just Lee, and these," I gestured, "are Christine and Kristen."

"Pleased to meet you," Lee said demurely, bowing her head somewhat, still standing half hidden behind me.

"Now girls, be nice. This is a bit public, so please follow me."

I led them to an out of the way spot, a dead end no one should visit. "Kristen, stand sentry if you would."

"Ha?" Kristen just looked at me. Obviously, I'd have to bring them up to date on terminology.

"Stand just outside, and tell us if anyone approaches," I told her, and smiled wearily at Lee in an attempt to reassure her. Kristen went off, and I turned to look at Lee, struck again by her incredible beauty. This was the deciding moment.

"I..." Lee started as Chris, standing behind her, put a hand on her shoulder, "Relax," she said in a light voice.

"Yes, take a deep breath and look at me. I'm going to show you a magic trick, and I want you to repeat it. I know you possess the innate capability to do so, so don't worry about it."

With that utterly inadequate explanation, I incanted clearly and unleashed a stream of blue flame from my fingertip.

She had the most amusing look on her face, like a stunned steer, looking like one of those cartoon figures who'd just taken skillet to the face, chirping birds and all. Just like in a classic cartoon, she tried to stagger back, and ran into Chris (or rather, Chris' bosom), whose hands reached around her and hugged her middle.

"Shhh..." she whispered in Lee's ear, "You can do it, we know you can. Try it."

Still leaning back, with Chris' hands around her midst, Lee began her first attempt at spellcasting, repeating the words of the spell in a quavering voice.

"You need to be calm," I told her, "Try for serene. It will come easily, but you need to regain your center. Peace and calm."

That seemed to help, and she straightened herself and made a more serious attempt. After only five attempts, she managed the firefinger cantrip, and entered the world of wizardry.

"Lower your index finger to break the spell," Chris said, "it draws its energy from your bodily reserves, and I don't think you have much to spare at the moment."

Lee nodded absently, blue eyes still staring fascinated at the wavering line of spellfire, and dismissed the spell.

"What..." she coughed, and looked down, putting her hand on the arm Chris was using to hug her close, and squirmed free.

"What is the meaning of this? It means that magic is real, and you are a practitioner. We can't really talk here. Understand that there is an entire other world behind the comfortable mundane world you're familiar with, a dangerous world for a wizard coming into their power. Is there somewhere you have to be tonight? Come with us, stay the night, and we'll explain."

"I..." Lee started, looking around wildly, "I can't believe..."

"Try it again," I conjured a small globe of azure light and then another, sending them spinning around her head. "No theatrical supplies, no stage magic. It's all real, and it's part of you."

She nodded sharply, and cast her one spell again, staring at the flames in absolute fascination. We just watched, and nearly jumped when her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, the spell breaking as she started to fall limply.

We caught her, and I checked the pulse. "Alive!" I told Chris, and asked her to fetch Kristen. I remembered something.

I opened the book, and there it was. The very first of the healing spells, and unfortunately it wasn't much. The second circle life spell allowed for transfer of life energy, between the caster and those touching him, and the patient, a brute force technique. My first thought had been of the strength spell, to allow me to carry her easily, but then I recalled that we'd left the car back home.

I looked at the complicated drawings and scribbled lines of throat twisting incantation, and shook my head. Too complicated to manage in less than an hour, in ideal conditions. After casting it, I wouldn't be in such great shape, either. Probably incapable of driving.

"Well?" Kris sniffed, "You showed her magic exists and she fainted?"

"No, Kris. This is what happens when you use too much magic when you're exhausted. She collapsed, but it was a minor enough spell that she should regain consciousness soon enough. Let's splash some cold water, and see if we can wake her."

I carried her to a convenient bench — she was surprisingly light — and we managed to bring her around. As her long eyelashes fluttered, I greeted her awakening with a small illusion, a tiger prowling on my palm. She stared at it, eyes widening and mouth closed tight, until I dismissed the spell and help her up.

"So," Lee whispered, "Magic."

"Magic, in very deed, and you need to learn a great deal more. Do you have any extant obligations this evening and this weekend?"

She opened her mouth, and closed it, considering matters for a moment. "No, not really, and even if I had, they couldn't be more important than this, right?" the corner of her lips stretched in a half smile.

"Correct. You can forget about your old life," Chris interjected, "It's gone now. You're with us, now and forever, a wizard."

"Now and forever?" she blinked, as she slowly rose to a seated position, looking sickly pale.

"Yep," Kris answered, "According to Logan and his book, an archwizard — which is what he'll one day become — can keep a wizard young forever, and even on her own, a wizard can live for centuries."

"But that's not quite as important now," I interrupted. "There are few things you need to know, here and now: magic can kill you if you overuse it, and don't ever try to teach anyone magic, even the most basic spell, even after you can recognize talent. That could prove to be fatal. And you should know that by virtue of being what you are now, a student wizard, there are a great many beings who work towards your destruction. We'll give you an overview of what the wizard's world is really like, at home. Let's move, now — you really need to eat something, Lee," uttering that name in a friendly fashion was deucedly difficult, but I managed to work my mouth around it.

But moving immediately was quite impossible. We spent a few more minutes sitting and talking there, until she could walk. We talked of lighter matters, introducing ourselves more completely, and she reciprocated.

An only child, Lee's parents were entrepreneurs with impossibly high expectations, with the double standard of 'man of the house' and 'of course ours must be the best', which left her understandably confused. The use of corporal punishment, at the hand of her father, wasn't helpful. Adopting a meek and mild manner and attaining virtually perfect grades got her parents off her back, but proved to be social suicide. Especially after she crippled a would-be rapist, who made the error of looking only at the exterior. Her father had insisted on martial arts training, out of some skewed sense of tradition most likely, and that and computers proved to be her only real bits of freedom.

She'd broken free just a month ago, by keeping her grades just low enough to raise her parents' ire, convincing them that what she needed was a change of venue. She was quietly proud of that bit of deviousness. In fact, she was quiet all around, keeping even her voice soft and mellow. It was dramatically different from the females I was used to, and made me feel strangely protective.

Our little conversation also helped me measure the effects of the loyalty binding. Such forthcoming honesty was obviously unnatural.

"Do you feel well enough to cling to Logan's back?" Chris asked. Lee had taken the bus over, and meant to purchase a vehicle, but had not yet found one that suited her budget.

"Would you mind if I called you Miko?" I asked her, almost over-riding Chris' words. "You've heard about my b... brat of a sister, and I don't want to remind you of your mother, either."

"That's fine, and thank you, yes, I believe I can walk," and proved it by rising, somewhat unsteadily. Kristen led our cavalcade, while Chris and I supported Miko, and we walked downstairs slowly.

We were closing up on the bikes when they appeared, a trio of quadrupeds running towards us. I caught them in my peripheral vision, and their insides were those very same lines of energy that had kept the zephyr together, different only in colour, complexity and thickness. They would have looked like greyish-green dogs to a casual observer, but they somehow carried the impression of bulkiness, of heavy strength and power. They weren't clumsy, but they lacked the startling speed of an air elemental. I started conjuring fire, shaping its forming, even before I began to turn, and did not even bother to look at them in the pure physical plane, wizard sight holding the entirety of my focus.

Before they'd taken three more steps towards us, one of them was down and smoking, heartweb a mass of flames. A second later, before I'd gathered enough strength to cast a second spell, with the hounds still advancing steadily, rather than at a run, a second stumbled, foot cleanly severed. It required another heartbeat to recognize the echoes of Kristen's voice.

The third hound bayed loudly, not a bark but something more primal, a call to the hunt. It charged, running at a deceptively fast, ground loping stride, and I had to jump aside as its run turned to a cartwheeling tumble when I sliced its lifeweb to pieces. The last hound was running away, having somehow regrown or regenerated the missing appendage. "Leave it to me, Kris!" I didn't even recognize my own voice, seemingly distant, as though threaded through a curtain of glass. Flaming its insides was a trivial matter, as it was just too slow to reach cover, the tangle of bushes from which they'd erupted.

My heart was beating loudly enough that I could hear nothing else, and my vision was growing cloudy. I dismissed the wizard sight spell, and turned around to see a wide eyed Chris still supporting a dazed Miko.

"What was... ?" the latter asked, so startled that she was unable to so much as form a coherent question.

"Leafhouds," I gasped out, "hunters and scouts from the courts of wood. Chris, we need to burn the residue to nothing, or they'll find the remains and track us. Be sure not to step off the concrete," I added.

Criss and Cross ignited the remains, anonymous clusters of vines and leaves no one would look at twice, with a few more firestarting cantrips, and conjured a soft breeze to disperse the ashes. "Do you think the elementals can learn anything from the vegetation?" Chris asked.

I silently offered her the book, which I found on the ground by my feet, and she read intently for a minute. None of us were in good shape, and we took the time to stretch and regain a measure of calm.

"No, probably not, according to the book," Chris said, "But we'd better move it. The baying was a signal, and it could not have been missed. Let's burn some rubber," she laughed, Kris and I grinning in response.

"What is so amusing?" Miko asked, and I pointed at our transportation. She nodded briefly, signaling that she'd gotten the point, and put on the helmet I proffered.

The ride home would have been tense, if I'd had the energy to stay alert. I made a firm decision to keep a pack of emergency food, possibly including those horrible energy bars and drinks, in each and every vehicle. Another hound or two, and we might well have been overwhelmed.

It had by now become obvious that my understanding of the dangers we faced was flawed. The elemental courts were not acting foolishly, not at all. They probably had lesser, expendable minions scouting every human habitation. When said minions failed to return, or reported the existence (and possibly the location) of a menace, they probably employed larger numbers of minor elementals or a single squad of the heavy hitters, which would be enough to overwhelm most things. That was probably one reason the demons hadn't conquered everything.

The book's statement that wizards were no longer actively hunted had reflected the state of affairs in 1911, in certain specific geographic locales. It was obviously not true, here and now. Considering the convoluted intrigues and politics of the elemental courts, all I'd need to take their attention away would be the assassination of the local rulers. Unfortunately, once again, that was well beyond my capabilities. If the local courts kept in contact, the disappearance of the pack and the zephyr might well be connected. From now on, spell practice would take place in the... no, not the basement, but wherever the book said was the safest place in the house.

We'd been lucky, all too fortunate, in surviving our first encounters. Continuing to rely on fortuitous circumstances would whittle us down very quickly. Lady luck is a fickle mistress.

Lee... no, Miko, needed help off the bike. Her eyes were half lidded with exhaustion, signaling an incipient collapse. I supported her, and helped her to a seat in the kitchen. The effort left me weaving on my feet, and I had to lean on the counter for support while some of the leftovers heated in the microwave. Criss and Cross soon joined us, having taken care of everything in the garage.

Those two dug into the food with a will, but Miko and I had to struggle. That we were too tired to feel hunger was dangerous, and she seemed to realize the need for energy, as both of us forced ourselves to listlessly munch, chew and swallow, without recollection of the taste.