The Unveiling - Modern Magic: Book 1

Chapter 15

A/N: The Unveiling broke 200 views with the last chapter, so hurray! I hope readers are still enjoying the story so far. Things are still building up. Minor spoiler: The battle begins next chapter! So stay tuned. :)

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Chapter 15 - April 19, 2019

We had so little time. I hadn't heard from Aki at all over the last day and a half, but I knew she would be using every second she could to call in favors I probably didn't even know existed. Combine that with still trying to keep a shop running as if nothing is wrong, and I could easily guess the amount of strain on her time. Nagging or check-ins from me certainly wouldn't help anything. My focus had shifted from giving James the basics of his training to working on my own. James won't be in the battle on Sunday, but I will. I've never been in the kind of fight that was likely to come, but thankfully I have several ancestors who have. Strangely enough, my encounters with James have given me some pretty good ideas on tactics.

I switched my training from power enhancement to complexity. I know some Magi who can handle eight or more manifestations simultaneously. I have trouble handling over five. With the possibility of multiple attackers or defenders, expanding my manifestation control seemed like a good use of my time. I spent some time sitting on my floor, spinning balls of kinetic energy in a circle. I started with three, adding additional manifestations when I felt I had the others under complete control.

James came up at some point when I had six kinetic balls spinning in a slow circle. I don't even remember hearing his steps, my focus was so split between the simultaneous manifestations. "Nice. Training for multiple enemy combat, huh?" I nodded and slowly let the manifestations fade away, controlling each one as it dissipated.

"Trying to. It's tough, and I know what I can do in the middle of a fight will never match what I can do under perfect conditions here. If I can get my mind used to six or seven right now, I may be able to reliably form five on Sunday." James nodded in agreement. I think he had been spending a lot of time going through his Memory. His questions had become a lot more insightful. "I also want to get used to manifesting kinetics and Antimagic at the same time. My fights with you showed me exactly how useful that sort of mixture can be, and I'm worried they might try it against us."

I formed a kinetic barrier along my right arm and an Antimagic barrier on my left. I made sure to keep them far from each other as I worked through the feeling of manifesting two extremely different types of magic. James watched the magic swirling under the control of my mind. "It's been scores of generations since kinetics were actively used in battle against other Magi. There's a good chance they won't see that coming." James frowned and seemed to get caught by a random thought. "Unless Angelina told them about what I did..."

I let the barriers dissipate, catching onto the importance of that idea. "They may already be intending to use this kind of tactic against us. This wouldn't be something unique to give us an edge; it may be required for all of us if we want to win this fight." James nodded, thinking along the same lines. "That's going to make things a lot more complicated." I stood up and stretched, twisting my head to feel small pops in my neck. "Looks like I have some phone calls to make."

I walked over to my cell phone, calling Tim and my mom. I asked them both to come over. For Tim, I gave the excuse of exam prep and studying. For my mom, the excuse was that I was sick and wanted some homemade chicken noodle soup. This information needed to be spread as quickly as possible, and with only a day and a half before Easter, it was another reason we were short on time.

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The first to arrive at my apartment was my mom with a dish full of macaroni casserole. Her rich chocolate eyes met mine with amusement. "You hate chicken noodle soup. So, even though it was obviously just an excuse, I decided to come bearing gifts anyway."

James poked his head over the back of the couch. "Something smells good..."

My mom paused a moment, seeing James, and then looked at me with a gaze that was both questioning and mildly reproachful. I still have no idea how she's able to pull that off at-will. "I didn't know you had a guest, Zane."

I scratched at my stubbly chin. "Mom, meet James. He's a Magi and sort of staying here for now. James, this is Lisa - my mom."

My mom smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you James. It's a good thing I made a large batch." James smiled and waved in return as I took the heavy glass dish from her. We both headed for the table while James hopped up and made his way to the drawers to grab plates and utensils. "Thank you, James. You know for a moment, I thought you started volunteering to be a Big Brother." She said, looking back at me.

I laughed a little, shaking my head. "No. Well, not officially. It's a little complicated."

She continued as if making small talk, but I recognized her skillful information gathering hidden beneath. "I take it he's somehow connected to an unusual message I received from Aki the other day?"

I placed the casserole dish on the table before heading to the kitchen to grab a serving spoon. "He's the one who warned us. I don't even want to think what possible situation we would be in if he hadn't." James was arranging the plates and utensils around the table.

I felt my mom's gaze again as she must have noticed the additional place setting. "Are you expecting more company?"

With perfect timing, that was right when Tim knocked on my door. "Yeah, Tim. We've got some information we're going to try and get passed around as quickly as possible. With Aki already occupied, I thought the two of you could help me get that done." I walked to the door, opening it for Tim who entered with a smile.

"Hey, something smells good." I smiled and laughed, closing the door behind him.

"Come on in. This is James. –" I saw the look and interrupted before Tim could ask. "Yes. The James. Short version? His memory is unlocked and he came to us with a plot that his 'aunt' is hatching to try and help Magi to take over the world. Oh, and they wouldn't be the friendly kind of Magi."

Tim's mouth snapped shut, and I gave him a moment to process all of that. "Works for me." He made his way to the kitchen table, sitting at one of the seats where a helping of macaroni casserole was already dished out. "So, no studying?"

I shook my head. "Not tonight."

The four of us spent the next several hours eating and talking. I shared a little more of James's history for my mom's benefit. We went through the concept of utilizing kinetics during battles with Magi. Tim and my mom both agreed to the benefits of that style of tactic and seemed to share my fear of them being used by fully experienced Magi against our group. The meal finished, delicious as always. Both of my last-minute guests promised to pass the information along to as many people as they knew. Tim waved goodbye as he headed out, and my mom gave me a big hug.

"I'm telling your father that I'm going out for a run Sunday morning. Either we'll be back in time for dinner or we won't." I fully grasped the implications of the 'we won't' scenario.

"Thanks mom. See you Sunday." That night, those simple words held a lot more weight and worry than you'd normally think between a mother and son.

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