Undercity: Manifest

Chapter Two

Zach hated the initiation events. Today's had provided an uncharacteristic amount of bloodshed which is what led him to the bar in the first place. Usually, he would make his way back to the South District following the ceremonies, but today he needed to hit pause. He wasn't ready to report back to the Coven, where he would have to re-count the details of the initiations to his superiors. 

When he entered the warmly lit cocktail bar, he opted to sit alone at the far end of the bar. Mixing with the other elites was another thing he hated. His interaction with the bar tender was the only one he had in the twenty minutes he sat there.

How the fuck could she see my mark.

The thought unsettled him. The only people who could see his mark were the Mystics. Yet, he sensed no power in the woman. She was undoubtedly human. Strange. He had other ink, but he knew it was his mark she complimented. It made no sense that she could see it, and the longer he sat mulling over the interaction, the more the impulse to find out more about her grew. He abruptly pushed back the bar stool and stood leaving his untouched drink on the bar. 

He assumed she was taking her break as he had been watching the road from his position at the bar and didn't see her leave. Deciding the back of the bar was the most logical place to start, he walked out onto the street and followed the building into a dimly lit alleyway separating it from the antique shop next door. It didn't take long for him to find the service entrance and push his way inside. 

She was sitting with her back to him, her brown hair plaited down her back in a neat and understated way he unexpectedly found himself admiring. It was apparent that she was too lost in her own thoughts to notice him. Definitely not a mystic. She clearly didn't share his heightened senses. He was glad he would startle her. People caught off-guard often revealed more than they intended to, and there was something about her he needed to understand. 

'What's your name?' His voice was deep and devoid of emotion. He needed her nervous. Needed to gauge her reaction to ascertain what she knew- what she was hiding. 

She inhaled a shocked gasp, and knocked her glass over as she turned abruptly. 

'You scared the shit out of me'. She recovered fast as heat and annoyance filled her amber eyes. 'You can't be back here'. 

He couldn't help twitch of his lips. This was not the reaction he expected. She had fire. Gone was the fake customer pleasing persona she had when she had served him. 

'What's your name?' He repeated. 

'Who's asking?' 

He decided to concede. Clearly shock and intimidation wasn't going to get him to the answers he needed. 

'Zachariah. My Friends call me Zach'. 

'Well, Zachariah, you can't be back here'. The deliberate use of his full name was not lost on him. He held his hands up in mock surrender. 

'Are you going to tell me your name?' He asked. 

She looked at him, clearly uncertain about revealing who she was. 

'Sadie'. Her response was matter of fact, and she offered him no more than her name. It was clear she was waiting for an explanation. It was also clear that she had no idea who or what he was. That should have been enough to settle his uneasiness about her seeing his mark. Yet, he was still curious. He was not used to being the one without an answer.

'The beer was flat.' He finally offered. 'I couldn't seem to get the attention of the other bar staff, so I decided to take matters into my own hands'. 

'By following me?' 

'You could say that'. 

Her eyebrow lifted on one side as she took him in, assessing him. 

'What would you call it?' 

'Curiosity'. He mirrored her expression for a moment before backing away towards the door. 'It was a pleasure to meet you Sadie'.

She didn't return the sentiment. Pushing the door closed behind him, he left her standing where she was with the spilled drink meandering and dripping off the table into the growing puddle by her feet. 

......

The decision to head straight back to the Coven in the South District was easily made. His feet met the ground outside the tower building which was home to the Mystics' headquarters. His mark flashed past the invisible shielding barrier allowing him access to the lobby in the main entrance. His only greeting to the young warlock heading the reception base was a detached nod before he headed to the leadership offices on the top floor. To the human eye the building was an office building, no different to the hundred others filling the district's skyline, but to a mystic, it was a base from which all supernatural law was maintained. The human population was unaware that such forces existed. It needed to remain that way for their own safety. 

Zach made his approach towards the heavily embossed mahogany door which stood between him and the leadership's main office. He rapped his hand on the door before opening it and entering without invite.

Marcus sat behind his desk mulling over his screen. Despite him not looking up, Zach knew without doubt that the Head Mystic was fully aware of who stood in his office. 

'You have the report?' Marcus asked without looking up from his screen. 

'I do'. 

Marcus stood revealing his tall, lean figure, clad in an all-black suit apart from his deep red blazer. His dark skin gleaming in the florescent lighting. There was no need to glamour and hide his true appearance here. As the leader of the Coven, Marcus was the oldest and most powerful warlock, closely followed by Ven, the high witch. 

'How many?' Marcus quickly slipped into routine and Zach did not need him to elaborate for him to understand exactly what he was asking.

2

'Four warlocks and three witches successfully manifested'. 

'Not as many as I had hoped'. Marcus' response stirred a bitterness in Zach. He knew what Mystics had to go through in order to manifest their powers. He watched it unfold every month. His choice not to respond spoke for him. 'How many failed?' 

'Five'. The number Zach shared would be the only memorial to their deaths. Sensing his dismissal looming, he placed his detailed report on the desk. 

'Is there anything else to report from the Northern District?' The question from his superior sent Zach's mind drifting back to Sadie. For reasons he could not explain, he chose to keep their interaction to himself. 

'It's all in the report'. On that final comment, Zach bowed his head and backed out of the office.