Alcingeria

Chapter Forty Eight: Magic For The Mafia

Chapter Forty Eight Magic For The Mafia:

Saturday July 3rd 1690

Tabatha sat slumped over the metal table that she was shackled to, feeling completely and utterly drained of any energy she had.

"Tabatha," Antoinette pleaded in a whisper. "Get up!"

Tabatha groaned, attempting to sit up but failed.

"Tabatha, if they see you..."

The thought of what the guards would do to her if she was caught 'resting', under any circumstances, was enough motivation to get up. She slowly and unsteadily sat up, shaking as if she were freezing. Which, given the temperature of the room, had a better chance of happening on the surface of the sun.

"I... I can't..." Tabatha stammered, falling back onto the table, still shaking.

"Tabatha, please! Keep going!"

The room that they were in was the mafia's research facility. The whole room was full of metal tables that had witches and warlocks shackled to each of them. There was a huge furnace in the far corner of the room, heating the air far past the temperature it should be. A few destruction magic users were assigned to keep it burning hotter than any wood or coal powered forge could. As a result the room was very, very hot. One of the officers had told them that they needed such a fire to smelt large amounts of ores at a time. The mafia was getting ready for something, something big. They forced some of the magic users to dig in their mines, to gather the ore that was to be smelted here. The magic users who weren't on the forge were given roles based on their magic types;

Healing magic users were to treat injuries, which were quite common. Manipulation magic users were assigned to pass supplies around the room. Illusion magic users were assigned as guards, Antoinette had not yet been assigned. Influential magic users are walking around the city, persuading law enforcement officers to let mafia members go if they are arrested. However at that moment their numbers in that department were down, so they were spread thin throughout the city. Protection magic users were assigned to the highly ranking members of the mafia for protection. Enchantment magic users were assigned to enchant the mafia's weapons. Curse magic users were also assigned as guards. Destruction magic users are also assigned as guards. The mafia had no summon magic users yet, same for dark magic users.

"Hey!" A guard snapped as he kicked Tabatha's chair out from under her, making her fall to the floor.

Tabatha cried out in pain as her rear end hit the floor.

"No sleeping on the job! Get back to work, and don't let me catch you napping again!"

This guard was human. She had long noticed that the mafia had a fair number of humans among their ranks. Most of them seemed to be serving them willingly. She wondered if it was the promise of money, protection, eternal life, or perhaps even blackmail.

Tabatha barely had the energy to get back up and place the chair back beneath her, but she made do. She just barely did so without collapsing. Just then, she heard a scream from the forge area.

"Get some water on that!"

"There's no time! It's already burning!"

"Is there a healer in here?"

Tabatha raised a shaking arm, beckoning them over. Two witches brought a young warlock over to her table.

"Miss, you look to be in no condition to use magic! You look absolutely drained!" The warlock protested in spite of his pain. "I'll be fine, really!"