Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nLil let out the smoke she\u2019d been holding in, the buzz warming her brain. \u201cI\u2019ve always tried to do the right thing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know, I know,\u201d Viv answered before taking a deep drag from the pipe. She continued, her words muffled by the clouds of smoke that carried them, \u201cThat\u2019s why I know you\u2019ll do the right thing now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lil ran her fingers over the patch on her sleeve; a seven-pointed star inside a circle, with the letters \u201cCM\u201d in the center. Below that, a patch with two parallel stripes crossing a third that sat at sixty degrees oblique designated her rank as servus inquisitor. Two simple patches that opened doors for her everywhere the Consilio Magorum had jurisdiction, which was to say, almost everywhere. She lay her head on Viv\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wish you could talk about it with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMe too,\u201d Lil said, \u201cbut just like you, I can\u2019t talk about an active case. Even when it should<\/em> be closed by now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWhat is your first instinct?\u201d Viv asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d she said, \u201cI\u2019m too high to think about it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Viv stroked Lil\u2019s slick, red hair, brushing it out of her pale, freckled face. She traced the halfling\u2019s pointed ears, eliciting a sigh. \u201cYou know I\u2019m always here for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know. That goes both ways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Viv chuckled. \u201cI know. One thing you can<\/em> tell me, though, why do you guys use Latin instead of 10 codes and normal ranks?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cSame reason spell books are in Latin. Omnia latine altum videtur.<\/em>\u201d Lil grabbed Viv\u2019s hand, her own pale skin contrasting sharply with the golden-brown of Viv\u2019s. She kissed the hand, easily twice the size of her own. \u201cCarry me to bed?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n#<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lil\u2019s cell phone woke them far too early. Viv answered it, \u201cDetective Sergeant Lilly Miter\u2019s phone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The voice on the other end was less than friendly. \u201cVivian, I suppose. Get Servus Inquisitor<\/em> Miter on the phone\u2026 now<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nShe handed the phone to Lil with a look of resignation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cS.I. Miter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTwo things; first, we have a location on the djinn. Second, I\u2019m still waiting on your revised recommendation on the two wizards we have in custody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI already gave<\/em> you my recommendation. They\u2019re not dangerous, and as they signed the agreement according to the Magic Users Accountability Act of 1963, we have<\/em> to let them go, legally.\u201d She sighed. \u201cSend the location to my phone, and I\u2019ll head straight there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s a team on the way, you\u2019ll meet them there. If you\u2019re there first, you are not to go in alone. You got that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah\u2026 yes sir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd if you\u2019re not going to change your recommendation to MUAA them out, I\u2019ll be forced to go over your head. It won\u2019t look good for your record, and you\u2019ll probably face an early retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lil didn\u2019t answer but disconnected the call instead. \u201cI\u2019ve got to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI figured,\u201d Viv said. \u201cStay safe. I\u2019m due in the office in a couple hours, I\u2019ll head in early. If you get the chance we can have breakfast together, and maybe you can tell me what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe. You stay safe, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a field agent, just a forensic accountant. You\u2019re the one chasing down rogue wizards, magical creatures, and dangerous artifacts.\u201d Viv smiled. \u201cI\u2019ll watch out for violent file cabinets, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In her dark blue uniform, Lil climbed the folding ladder that led to the driver\u2019s seat of her issued black SUV. Large enough for an orc to drive, it had pedal extenders, custom rails to move the seat closer to the steering wheel, modified airbags for the close position, and the automatic folding ladder for her to get in and out. At first, she\u2019d felt self-conscious driving the armored and magically warded beast, but she had since got used to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The location was close. She learned long ago that even though they didn\u2019t have the same rights as police or federal agents, a black SUV with the Consilio emblem and flashing green lights was generally treated the same as emergency vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lil arrived at the motel while the team was reporting they were still ten minutes out. She parked out of sight of the front entrance and walked up to room 217 on the second floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She rapped on the door. \u201cAnunit, my name\u2019s Lilly Miter. Karl and Sera sent me.\u201d She used the names of the wizards in custody. They had begged her to find the djinn before the Consilio and get her to safety. After what she\u2019d seen in the past few days, she was more inclined to do so than she would have been just a week prior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease, Anunit. If we don\u2019t get out of here right now there\u2019s a team on the way which will<\/em> arrest you, and you\u2019ll never see the outside of a cell again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe door opened and a slight woman, human, with rich brown, olive-tinged skin, tightly curled black hair, and deep brown eyes stood in front of her holding a small bag. \u201cSorry, I needed to pack. Shall we go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lil led her to her SUV and pushed the remote to open the passenger door. After climbing into her seat, she started the engine. \u201cI\u2019m in a bind, here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can see that,\u201d Anunit said. Her eyes narrowed as she examined the halfling. Lil could feel the magic flowing off of her. \u201cI have only seen one other mage of your kind. You are a \u2018halfling,\u2019 correct?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right. But as far as public records go, I\u2019m the first halfling wizard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis was nearly 3000 years ago, in Babylon.\u201d Anunit frowned. \u201cI understand that your superiors wish to bottle me back up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lil nodded. \u201cThey consider you a \u2018magical artifact\u2019 rather than a person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow are Sera and Karl? Are they safe?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey should<\/em> be,\u201d Lil said, \u201cbut those same superiors are pushing me to declare them dangerous and lock them up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe average time spent studying magic to become a mage or wizard of any talent is twenty to thirty years. When two formerly non-magical people were turned into powerful wizards with a wish, it upset a lot of the old timers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd these \u2018old timers\u2019 are after me because I embarrassed them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lil thought about it for a moment. \u201cYou may have a point there. I wasn\u2019t sure what they were afraid of, but it may just be their own ego.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow did they respond to you, when you became a wizard?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey were a little surprised, but they weren\u2019t negative about my ability. It took me longer than most. I studied for twenty-two years before I could bypass my innate magical resistance and do my first minor spell.\u201d She smiled, remembering the past. \u201cI signed the MUAA agreement right away and joined the investigative corps less than a year later. I\u2019m still not sure how much of our \u2018innate resistance\u2019 is hereditary and how much is cultural.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe other halfling mage I met could not be fooled by a glamour, nor influenced by illusion, nor damaged by magical weapons, even.\u201d Anunit leaned back in the seat. \u201cWhat are we going to do? I thought you were going to drive me somewhere away from here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis vehicle is tracked with GPS; there\u2019s nowhere I can take you in it that I won\u2019t be found.\u201d Lil sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you recommend, Lilly?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease, call me Lil. At this point, I\u2019m not sure. I always thought the Consilio was doing everything they could to protect magic users\u2026 all of them. That\u2019s why I joined.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you think now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow I\u2019m beginning to wonder how many of the \u2018dangerous\u2019 wizards I\u2019ve apprehended and put in custody actually are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can vouch for Sera and Karl. Karl is harmless by nature, and they only ended up as wizards because Sera wished for the power and resources to free me. Her wish was selfless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know. The truth-sayer that ran the interrogation knows as well.\u201d Lil leaned her head on the steering wheel. \u201cMy honest opinion is that the Consilio want them marked as dangerous and locked away because they\u2019re both as powerful as many of the Magistrorum Consilio Magorum and didn\u2019t work for it. And you\u2019re far<\/em> beyond even the most powerful magister.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThey wish to declare me as a thing rather than a person in order to possess me.\u201d Anunit smiled, but there was sadness evident in her eyes. \u201cSera was the first in a very long time to consider me a person rather than a possession. Still, I am a human. I was before I was trapped and am again now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey may also be concerned that you could make more wizards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs long I was bound to the bottle, I had no choice in my actions. Now I do have a choice.\u201d Her smile dropped. \u201cYes, if I wanted, I could<\/em> make more wizards. That is not an experience I want to relive, however.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe amount of energy I channeled for that left me weak and powerless for most of a year. Even when confined to the bottle, I never felt so vulnerable. If Sera hadn\u2019t kept me hidden\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe team will be here any minute,\u201d Lil said. \u201cYou can leave now, cloak yourself and head through the woods there. There\u2019s a Cerberus bus station in the town about four miles west. I can give you cash if you need it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am hearing an implied or,\u201d Anunit said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOr<\/em>\u2026 you let me take you in to sign the MUAA agreement. Not at the Consilio, but at the FBI field office. It\u2019s my next stop, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThey are law enforcement, right?\u201d Anunit asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey are,\u201d Lil said, \u201cwhich is why I need to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you wish to do there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo wishing about it, I\u2019m filling a complaint against the Consilio Magorum for holding Sera and Karl. It\u2019s kidnapping, or at least unlawful arrest, and since they were both brought here across state lines, it\u2019s a matter for the feds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anunit\u2019s eyes narrowed as she stared off into the middle distance. Lil could feel the magic swirling around her. \u201cIf you wish to do this, I will go along. This will most likely result in the end of your employment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m aware, even without scrying. But if they\u2019re going to act like this, they leave me no choice.\u201d Three black SUVs like hers pulled into the front of the motel. Lil keyed her radio. \u201cS.I. Miter to captus dolor. The room is empty, I haven\u2019t gone in. Call in the forensics team and let me know what you find. I\u2019m going to meet my wife for breakfast at the FBI field office. Dispatch, I\u2019m ex servitio for one hour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The voice on the radio came back. \u201cConfirmativum. Servus Inquisitor Miter ex servitio until 07:19.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As she pulled out of the motel\u2019s parking she said, \u201cI\u2019m probably ex servitio forever, after this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
prompt: Write a story about someone losing faith in an institution. available at Reedsy Lil let out the smoke she\u2019d been holding in, the buzz warming her brain. \u201cI\u2019ve always tried to do the right …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208],"tags":[210,209,220],"class_list":["post-2272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trunk-stories","tag-fiction","tag-short-story","tag-urban-fantasy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pxT7i-AE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2272"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2273,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272\/revisions\/2273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}