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  “Get down!” Seth shouted. I dove forward, cramming myself between the seat in front of me and the one I had been sitting on. The truck swung around as it skidded sideways.

  At least, I thought it was sideways. Peter had hurtled over to my side of the truck to protect my head and shoulders and I couldn’t see.

  “It won’t stop,” Harris yelled as the pickup gave a sickening lurch. “Hang onto something, we’re going over!”

  Irregular Magic

  T.J. Kelly

  Persistence Publishing

  Fort Worth, Texas

  Copyright © 2018 T.J. Kelly

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  First published 2018

  Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.

  Cover Art by Len Jennings

  For more information regarding reproductions of works by Len Jennings, please contact artist care of Persistence Publishing, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Persistence Publishing

  P.O. Box 6663

  Fort Worth, Texas 76115

  [email protected]

  www.persistencepublishing.com

  www.tjkellybooks.com

  For my friends.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Dreams

  Dreams aren’t always dreams for a magician. Sometimes, they’re messages from the dead.

  I was back in the ring, fighting the Taines at the end of the trials. Flashes of light illuminated the spectators in the stands as they cheered and screamed and booed in reaction to the battle we waged below. In the Taine family suite, instead of sitting with my family where he belonged, stood my boyfriend, Chas. Hands braced against the windows, banging his fists, shouting and pointing somewhere to my right. The noise of the audience and the glass between Chas and the stadium floor where I stood made it impossible to hear him.

  A spell exploded near my feet. I needed to pay attention or else the Taines would win the competition. Wait. Would they? Didn’t I already beat them?

  Another fireball tore through the darkness, and I ran off, ducking and dodging as explosions of light burst around me. Scrambling for something, anything to protect myself, I searched my battle uniform pockets. Nothing. No crystals, no spells, not even my pocket knife. What happened to my plan? What did I do wrong?

  Accepting the inevitable, I turned to face my enemy.

  Oberon Taine wasn’t there. Instead, the field was empty, and I stood alone in the middle of the stadium, staring up at the Taine family’s suite. Chas was still there, struggling against the glass, shouting something. My name formed on his lips and a bolt of longing seared through me. Pain crushed me, and my knees collapsed. I fell in the dirt, unable to tear my gaze from him.

  What was he saying? I could almost make it out now that he was repeating only two words.

  Lia. Run.

  Chas pounded on the glass separating us. Streaks of blood coated the windows, his hands, his broken knuckles.

  Lia. Run.

  Desperation surged through me and I sprang to my feet. Whatever Chas wanted, I would give him. If he wanted me to run, I would run with all my heart.

  I turned and sprinted in the direction he indicated. But the ground shifted and the stadium disappeared leaving only a pit in the darkness, glowing red and orange. Waves of heat warped the air in front of me, but still, I ran straight at it. My feet following the order from Chas, giving him all I could, anything I could. Even if it meant dying.

  Before I got to the pit, a figure emerged from the shadows, blocking my way. I stumbled to a halt. Only one person could stop me when I was trying to fulfill the wishes of the guy I loved.

  Chas, telling me to run.

  My mother, telling me to stop.

  “You must be careful, Lia,” she said. She sounded warm, firm, clear. A voice I thought I would never hear again after the car accident took my parents. Magicians were protected and guided by their ancestors, only a thin veil between the loved ones who had passed and the living. But they guided us with feelings. Intuitive leadings. I never expected to actually see her again.

  Red, pulsating heat glowed in the pit behind her. My mother, trying to block my path, asking me to stop.

  Chas, telling me to run.

  My chest heaved as I struggled to catch my breath. It wasn’t the scorching air that seized my lungs, or the run across the stadium floor that snatched it away. My body jerked from the sobs I was fighting to hold back.

  “Lia, you can’t trust him. No matter what he says, don’t believe him.”

  My battle for control failed, and the tears flowed. I could believe in Chas. He sacrificed himself for me. He was bound by an unbreakable spell, an oath bound with blood to serve his father Oberon. But I would save him. The way he saved me.

  “Mother. I don’t know what to do,” I sobbed, stumbling towards her. She held out her arms. My feet struggled, heavy and slow as if they were dragging through tar.

  Finally, I reached her. I was there. A sweet floral scent enveloped me. I had forgotten how much I loved her perfume. My thoughts skipped into the past to when I was six. I had scraped my knee, and I hugged her as I cried. She was touching my hair, telling me I would be okay. Her perfume surrounded us.

  Then the memory faded and I was back in the present, my parents dead. Before me yawned a pit, fiery red in the dark. The perfume remained, but my mother was gone.

  I was alone.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Aftermath

  My eyes snapped open, the image of my mother still haunting me. Reaching for me, calling to me, separated from me by the surrounding darkness.

  Not the best way to start a day.

  Shaking off my nightmare, I decided to get up. I might have tried to sneak in a little more sleep and skip breakfast, but the last thing I wanted to do was re-dream that hot mess, even if I did miss my mother. It was her, too, not a typical dream. She was giving me a warning.

  Darkness and fire. Fabulous.

  I slipped out of bed and wandered over to my dresser. I was finally settling in. The last several months were a blur of studying and practicing and recovering from injuries, so I never got the chance to put my personal stamp on the elegant room my aunt Peony had set up for me. I shoved aside the stack of notes I had taken the week before so I could check the clock. There were so many papers, they were blocking my view.

  It was eight in the morning. Way earlier than I planned on getting up but on the upside that meant I would have time to luxuriate in the giant claw-foot bathtub in my private bathroom before I had to meet everyone downstairs.

  I had always lived in large, elegant homes, provided for by the fruits of my family’s company, Rector Enterprises. And by our ancestors, who had an uncanny ability to multiply our fortune throughout the centuries, making us filthy rich.

  Rectors believed in helping the poor and worked with multiple charities. It saved us from the hatred and jealousy of the masses. Instead, we were hated by other businesses. And dark magicians, who we regularly vanquished on behalf of the Council.

  Until I came along that is.

  I sighed and grabbed a fluffy towel out of the small linen closet near the bathtub and turned on the water. Then I dumped an extra dollop of my favorite bubble bath under the faucet. Fresh strawberry and basil filled the air. Nice.

  After pinning my dark brown hair onto the top of my head, I climbed into the tub. I shampooed it the night before and didn’t want to go through the drama of drying it out
again. After sinking up to my neck in the near-scalding water, I sighed as I closed my eyes, resting my neck against the curved edge of the tub.

  A flash of fire played across the inside of my lids. Scowling, I shook it off and forced the reminder of my nightmare out of my mind. I wanted to relax, not worry about some kind of portent of doom. Instead, I slipped into a light meditative state to avoid the fiery images and reconnect with the elements.

  It felt great to have complete access to my magic. Finally.

  I created tiny whirlpools all over the tub that were better than having jets. I had no problem getting the element of Water to respond. I had a connection to all the elements once I became a magician. It had taken a lot of effort, not to mention a ton of help from my uncle and his agents, but eventually, I crossed the threshold from magicless child to powerful woman of magic. My nose wrinkled. It felt so odd to call myself a woman since I was only seventeen, but “teenager of magic” sounded stupid, even in the privacy of my head.

  I let my thoughts drift for several more minutes before I finally stopped the tiny underwater storms I had brewing and drained the tub. I dried off while I magically whisked the condensation off the mirror. My bun was sloppy and damp around the edges, but it looked cute enough that I left it alone.

  My favorite outfit was easy to find in my closet despite my aunt stuffing the vast space to overflowing. Even though I had plenty of my own clothes when I moved in with them, Peony was always buying clothes she said enhanced the gold in my hazel brown eyes. I had loads of new outfits. Instead of wearing one, I tugged on some navy yoga pants, which sort of matched the navy and teal plaid of my shirt, and then slipped on hot pink house shoes.

  Peony wanted me to dress a little nicer since we had visitors coming in and out of the castle all the time. My uncle, Armageddon, had been sticking close to home because I was still a new magician and in danger from a ridiculously long list of enemies. He was an important man, so everyone came to him. I just couldn’t make the effort to dress up. Comfortable clothing made my days seem more bearable.

  It started with the frantic race to train me in time to win the competition for Rector Enterprises. Chas, the love of my life, betrayed me during the trials. He said it was for my own good, but sometimes I wondered

  Forcing that disloyal thought from my head, I tugged on my socks. I had spent the last couple of months trying to find a way to free my boyfriend from the terrible deal he had made with his father, Oberon Taine. Well, I guess I was supposed to call Chas my ex-boyfriend, but that thought still hurt too much.

  Not again. I swiped at the tears in my eyes, refusing to cry.

  Chas said he did it for me. Even if I thought his sacrifice was stupid and misguided, I didn’t want him to pay for his actions for the rest of his life. And I had hope. If I freed him, we would be together again. I could endure anything for him. I already made it through two agonizing months without him by my side. If I could do that, I could do anything.

  I glanced at my clock, still surrounded by piles of notes and books and parchment and the little silk bag I made during the spring equinox - and snorted. The only thing personal about my bedroom was the complete wreck I had made of it.

  Kind of like my life.

  It was nine-thirty. I took longer in the bath than I realized. Since I didn’t have enough time to do anything else before breakfast, I headed downstairs and across the castle. It was a little early to have a meal, considering magicians slept late due to our midnight spellwork. But there was probably somebody already lounging around, waiting for the rest of us to show up for the quick meeting we held before we ate. Somebody who was bright and chipper and annoyingly awake despite the late-night work we did the evening before.

  Somebody like my best friend.

  Sure enough, Peter was in the study, flipping through a magazine as I walked through the door. He grinned when he saw me.

  “Rough night?” he asked.

  “Ha. I assume that means I look like death warmed over.” I wasn’t fishing for a compliment, but the sweetheart would probably give me one, anyway.

  “You’re crazy.”

  I laughed. “True.”

  “No, let me finish,” he said. “You’re nuts if you think you’re anything less than beautiful.” Peter was the best at making me feel good about myself. He tossed the magazine aside and stood up, brushing the wrinkles out of his khakis. He had on a gray polo that matched his eyes, also thanks to my aunt’s shopping habits. “Come on, it’ll be at least another fifteen minutes before anyone else shows up. Let’s see if we can get to the mini muffins before Ged arrives.”

  I was down with that. My uncle, who we all called Ged because the name Armageddon was so pompous, was engaged in a long-standing war with me over who got to eat the chocolate banana mini muffins, when available. And it didn’t stop there. We always snatched each other’s best treats. He started it, though.

  We made our way into the dining chamber. It was humongous, able to seat over five-hundred diners, although only one small table was set for the five of us. The empty chair where Chas used to sit gave my heart a twinge, but I turned my back and focused on the buffet.

  The food was there, hot and ready for us. It didn’t matter what time we arrived, it was always waiting and perfectly cooked. Almost as if by magic. I narrowed my eyes and concentrated until I made out wisps of orange transparent light curling around the chaffing dishes that held our food.

  Definitely by magic.

  Not a surprise. The best chefs in the world were all magicians. Mundanes - humans without magic - didn’t stand a chance against somebody who could toss five ingredients on a plate and have it turn into a masterpiece. Magic inserted itself into every part of our lives, effecting everything we did. My father once told me mundanes resented us because magicians couldn’t help using magic to beat our competition. He said it gave us an unfair advantage. Not that it was all bad. I liked food that was always hot and ready to eat.

  “No mini muffins,” I said. “What a bummer.”

  “Tut tut, don’t look so disappointed. The peach shipment must have arrived from California. Look at those individual cobblers.”

  I followed the direction of Peter’s outstretched finger until I saw them. “Well, hello there peachy goodness,” I purred.

  Peter laughed and grabbed some plates. “Come on, let’s eat them while they’re hot.”

  He slipped two cobblers onto each plate before handing me one. I walked along the length of the buffet until I reached the meats. Something about sweet flavors always made me crave salty foods, so I grabbed a couple of slices of ham. I shifted each muffin-size cobbler onto a slice and wrapped them like a burrito. Then pressing down gently, I caused the peaches and crust to spread evenly along the ham. I caught Peter shaking his head out of the corner of my eye.

  “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” I said. I plopped a slice of ham onto his plate, and he obliged, making himself a ham-and-peach-cobbler burrito. We leaned against the table instead of sitting down, trying to avoid making a mess that would give away our premature breakfast-buffet raid.

  Peter took a huge bite. He was such a good sport.

  “Wow,” he mumbled around the food in his mouth. “I’ll never doubt you again. This is amazing.” I knew he meant it when he scarfed down the rest of the burrito.

  “I know. I’m awesome, right?”

  Peter choked when he laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I couldn’t live without you and all that jazz.” He studied me and then lost a little of his smile.

  I braced myself, hoping what was coming next wouldn’t be too bad. “What’s up?” I asked. I couldn’t stand how long he was taking to tell me what was on his mind. The Dark inside of me, which was almost evenly matched to the Light, took over and my mood changed.

  Even though my light nature placed me on the side of good at the Ascension Ceremony when I became a magician, darkness never had a problem overbalancing me. Peter needed share the bad news he was hiding before it set me off
.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “I was only wondering when you’re going to visit Rector Enterprises. You’re not just the figurehead for the next few years, you’re also a champion and the last Rector.”

  Peter pulled the plate out of my hand and lay it on the edge of the table beside his. He tugged me into his arms, and I went willingly. I had discovered over the course of our friendship that nobody gave a hug like Peter Makenna.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go dark on you,” I said. My voice made a muffled echoing sound against his chest. I soaked in a bit of his Light, the elemental source of his magic humming strong beneath his skin. I stepped back once I settled down and looked up at him, smiling a little. “Uncle Ged’s planning the visit. I’m still under threat of extinction, so he wants protection spells set all along the route as well as inside the buildings. My parents set up spells at the facility but never put them anywhere else. Uncle Ged said that’s why they were targeted on the night of the accident. They drove straight instead of using a transition spell to transport themselves. That left them vulnerable.”

  I don’t know what he saw on my face, but Peter’s brows furrowed in response, making him look older than his nineteen years. “We’ll keep you safe,” he said, intensity pouring off of him like an aura. “I promise.”

  “Easy there, Killer. I know you will,” I replied, keeping my voice light and even. He was so serious, but I understood. He worried about me. Everyone did. If it wasn’t because they thought somebody would hurt me, it was because they knew I could accidentally blow up the world.

  Peter snorted and his natural amiableness returned. “Come on, let’s go hide the evidence of our early morning snack and get the meeting out of the way. Those mini-cobblers were great, but they’ve barely made a dent in my appetite.”

  Typical Peter, eating like there was no tomorrow. Not like I was any better. Who could help themselves when Peony employed one of the two best cooks on the planet? The other being my own cook, who stayed behind with the other servants at my manor house in San Francisco when I had to abandon my life there. Because I was much safer at Castle Laurus.