Chapter 32

The news that Neil had slipped away from the police put a new fire in me. I felt a storm of different emotions: anger that Woodruff didn’t seem as concerned about Neil as I thought he should be, worry about Leanne and the others who might be around me when Neil found me, and frustration that Neil got away and could be anywhere at the moment. It was so overwhelming that I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit on all that energy. I decided to focus on what had to be done.

Dalton had proven earlier that I was woefully unprepared for a direct encounter. Facing the Syndicate was a far cry from confronting Heisler over Katrina. Heisler only wanted to beat me into submission. Neil and the Syndicate, however, wanted me dead. Since talking was not likely to be an option, I had to be ready for violence.

“The first thing I need to do is plan out which spells I need to cast to protect us,” I said. “We can talk without being overheard, but that doesn’t stop anyone from knocking down the front door and shooting the place up. And, to feel better about everyone’s safety at least for tonight, I want security and protective spells on Milena’s, Jordan and Danielle’s, and Faith’s apartments. On top of all that, since we’re not all in the same building, I want a way to detect when Neil or anyone else from the Syndicate arrives.”

“What kind of protective spells?” Dalton asked.

“What’s the Detection spell supposed to detect?” Emma asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I told them.

Both of them started shaking their heads. Emma beat Dalton to the punch. “The only way a single detection spell for all the apartments you mentioned would be effective is if it covered the entire complex, and that would be a huge expenditure of energy.” She shook her head. “I think you should take a page out of their book, and post a watch at the entrances.”

“If they’re watching us,” I said, “They would see that, inform Neil or the others and they could circumvent our watch.” I shook my head. “They can’t circumvent magic. We need to do this my way.”

“Seth,” Dalton said, “what’s the point of knowing they’re here if you don’t have any energy left to protect yourself with?”

I smiled. “That’s what the vest is for.” I nodded at the two she brought in from her Suburban.

“Argh!” she growled and paced around in a circle.

“Seth, you said you believe the Model at school is the core for the Lockdown, right?” Jordan asked.

I nodded. “But until we have some kind of protection set up here, I’m not going to worry about that.”

She shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. When I had my power, I was always looking for ways to use it as efficiently as possible. If you’re right about the Model, and your theory is right about the caster, then a single caster covered the Dallas/Fort Worth hubs with a single spell through the Model. On top of that, they then potentially covered the model with additional protective spells.”

I looked at her. “What are you suggesting?”

“Why can’t you do the same thing?” she asked. “There’s a model of the apartment complex in the main office.”

I remembered seeing the model and nodded. “Yeah, but shouldn’t I have unrestricted access to the model?”

Dalton turned to me. “Seth, the property manager is your Fonte!”

I met her eyes. “Milena is not the only property manager. It would look weird for me to go in there occasionally just to look at the model or potentially get caught casting a spell on it. Besides, there’s one flaw with that plan. The Model at the school was built using bits and pieces of the real structures, trees, etc. The model of the complex is only rudimentary – it was the project plan proposal model for building the complex.”

“You’re making this harder than it has to be,” Dalton said.

I shook my head and glanced at Jordan. “No, I have to do it right. Any kind of mistake might lose us the advantage. However, could a map act as the surrogate?”

Dalton looked at me. “It wouldn’t have all the bits and pieces built in,” she said sarcastically.

I nodded. “I know, but we could collect those. We’re only talking about the complex here, not the entire city. When Tanner was teaching me the security spell for the apartment, he had me draw a chalk outline of all the walls with markers for the windows and door. He said the energy I put into the outline would work the same as the energy I would use in the apartment, and it did. I’m thinking about doing the same thing, only on a different scale.”

Dalton looked at me. She wasn’t mad anymore, but thoughtful. “That could actually work.”

“The only catch,” I said, “is that when I was drawing the outline of the apartment, it was as close to actual size as I could recall. I’m sure there’s some kind of amplification spell that was used on the model so the spells cast on it would affect the city.”

Emma shook her head. “It’s all about intent. Take Voodoo dolls for example. The Council has deemed their use illegal, because they’re typically used to harm an individual. What you’re describing could be used for the same purpose: to harm anyone who crosses the boundary.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want the spell to hurt anyone, only to let me know when Neil is here.”

Emma nodded and Dalton said, “And that is something the Council doesn’t mind, Seth, but I believe Emma’s point is how it works.”

Emma looked at me again. “Okay, basing off the principle of a voodoo doll, the intent is that the person the doll represents feels or experiences everything you do to the doll. Keep in mind, you can destroy the doll without destroying the person, it’s about intent. Every time you use the doll, you intend to hurt the person. In this case, when you cast your spell on the map, you intend for that spell to affect the real location.”

“So I don’t have to worry about scale?” I asked.

She grunted. “No.”

“And unless I use it to cause harm, the Council won’t care?” I asked Dalton.

“Correct,” Dalton said.

I nodded. “Okay, I’ll get started on the map. I need the rest of you to go around the complex and get scrapings from buildings, bits of dirt, bark from trees, so on and so forth.” I pointed at the kitchen. “There are baggies to carry everything in as well as markers to keep track of where everything came from.”

Jordan, Sammi, Vanessa, and Cassandra all went to the kitchen, split up the supplies there, and left to begin gathering. Dalton and Emma remained behind.

I sat at my desk with my computer and pulled up a map of the area via satellite browser. I printed it out so I had something to reference.

Katrina stood by me, looking at the map too. “Are you going to draw your map to the same scale as that?”

I sighed. “I’d rather make it larger, so I can label everything and there’ll be plenty of room for the bits and pieces.”

“But you don’t have anything large enough to draw it on,” she said and then turned and went back to the bedroom. She came out a second later with her purse. “I can run to an art store and pick up poster board.”

I thought about that. “It needs to be bigger.” I looked at the wall opposite the computer desk. It was the wall between the living room and my bedroom. Other than the stool sitting in front of it, there was nothing there. “You know those larger boards, the ones you can cut into shapes?” I asked.

“Foam Boards,” she said with a nod.

“Get four of those, a collection of permanent markers, some tape, glue, and something to help hang it all on that wall.”

She glanced at the wall. “Anything else?”

I shook my head. “Nothing that I can think of at the moment.”

She went to the door. I knew she didn’t have a car, so I stopped her. “How are you going?”

She smiled. “I’ll have Cassandra take me.”

I nodded. “Okay, and be careful.”

She left and I looked at the map again.

Dalton walked over to the couch. “You wanted me to show you the spells Tanner mentioned. Now would be a good time while we wait for the others to get back.” She grabbed the corner of the couch and pulled it around so it was against the wall and out of the way, giving us a lot more space.

I nodded and looked at Emma.

She held up her hands. “Consider me an observer and consultant.”

I nodded and went to help make more room. “What’s the first one?”

After an hour of practicing half a dozen different spells without actually setting them off, Dalton nodded. “You’re as close to being able to defend yourself as I can help with, given the circumstances.”

I looked at Emma too. She nodded. “You have the motions and words down pat. The real question is whether or not you’ll remember then in an emergency.”

Dalton looked at her. “Short of pulling out my gun and shooting at him, there’s no way to test for that.”

Emma shrugged. “It would be better that you’re shooting at him, without meaning to kill him than waiting to test the spells against someone who intends to kill him.”

We both stared at her.

“Okay, that came out wrong,” she said.

The door opened and Faith and Milena came in.

“We’ll discuss this more later,” I said.

Faith stopped and looked at each of us. “Should we come back?”

I shook my head. “No, I was practicing. Come on in.”

She nodded and smiled. She looked a lot better, more positive, than when she left. “I got a loft,” she said, bouncing toward me and giving me a hug. “It’s just across the way from here.” She smiled, reminding me of the little girl I grew up with when she got something she wanted, and then went to collect her belongings. “I’m going to move my stuff in tonight, but...” she turned to look at me, “ ... it’s not furnished. Do you mind if I crash on your couch for tonight? I can find a bed tomorrow.”

“Wouldn’t you prefer to spend your first night in your new apartment?” I asked.

She nodded. “Well, yeah! But I’d rather not sleep on the floor, especially having my first day at my new job tomorrow.”

I smiled and shook my head. “I wasn’t suggesting that you sleep on the floor. I can call the place where I got my bed. They deliver at night too. We could probably have a new bed set up in your place in the next hour or so.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really?”

I looked up the number on my computer, pulled out my phone and called them. Then I handed Faith the phone. “Let them know what you want.”

She took the phone and sat on the couch while talking.

I turned to Milena. “Were there any problems with her getting the apartment?”

Milena shook her head. “She doesn’t have any rent history, but then, neither do a lot of students who reside here.”

“Good,” I said and glanced back at Faith. “If she has to go to the store to sign any paperwork, will you go with her? I’d rather no one leave the complex alone.”

Milena nodded and I gave her a kiss.

I hadn’t noticed until just then that the bond had changed again. Everything was still blissful, but it wasn’t as potent as last night. Wasn’t it Dalton who said that should I take one more Fonte, the bond would make us feel content? I hadn’t added anyone since Linda, unless I counted Emma, but the bond with her was different. She wasn’t my Fonte. Maybe taking on a Stirpe weakened the effects of the bonds with my Fonti? I wasn’t sure. I still needed to talk to another House Leader. Yet, with what was going on, would any House Leader take the time to explain things to me?

I turned to Dalton and Emma, who were standing by the bar, talking over the map. “So, a detection spell,” I said. “I won’t be able to make it detect Neil or members of the Syndicate specifically, correct?”

Both of them nodded. Dalton said, “Besides, even after this crisis is over, a spell like you’re wanting would be useful later.”

“The spell has to be less specific,” Emma said. “It should detect intent.”

“Harmful intent,” Dalton said. “Any less specific and it’ll be warning you about everyone that crosses the boundary.”

“So the spell detects harmful intent,” I said. “How should we be notified that this has happened?”

“It has to be subtle,” Dalton said. “Something innocuous. Something you could explain away if anyone else notices.”

Emma pointed at the map. “You could make the edges light up where someone is detected.”

“It would have to be in a way no one would see accidentally,” Dalton said.

I shrugged. “I can see a Magus Mark innately.” Don’t ask me what made me think to say that.

The two women looked at me. “Really?” Emma asked. “You sure?” Dalton asked.

I nodded. “Jordan told me it was one of my innate abilities.”

“One of them?” Emma asked. “What else can you do?”

“Never mind that now,” Dalton said. “If that’s the case, then I know what you need to do for the detection spell.”

I heard Faith hang up with a slight huff. “Give me a second, okay?” I said to Dalton and Emma.

Faith brought my phone to me. “They say it would be better if I go to the store and pick out a bed.”

I nodded. “Okay. Let’s ask Milena to go with you. I’d rather you didn’t go alone.”

She glanced back at Milena and the older woman nodded. “Okay,” Faith said. Then she grabbed her purse and the two of them left again.

Jordan came in at the same time. She had an arm-load of baggies and laid them on the bar. “Here are scrapings from all of the buildings,” she said. “Vanessa is getting leaves from several trees near the club house to help fill in the area at the west end. Otherwise, we’re surrounded by buildings.”

“Excellent,” Dalton said. “Now, as soon as Katrina gets here with the art supplies you can start work on the map.”