The Fox and The Wolf: A Tale of Modern Magic

Chapter 2 - The Tower

There was nothing to be done. Cicero was going to have to go to the tower and talk to Aubrey.

The CN Tower was the most coveted genius loci in the city and the catalyst of everything that went down with Simon all those years ago. Its power was managed now by Aubrey and her homeowners association of a wizard's council. Cicero and Aubrey hadn't spoken in years but he knew for sure he would be able to find her there. The tower was all she really cared about anymore.

Cicero took an elevator to the very top of the tower's Look Out Level. He began to pace back and forth beside a floor-to-ceiling panoramic window wall. Through it he could see the entire city stretched out before him, ending only with the horizon. It was getting dark but not quite there yet. The clouds were purple-blue and the buildings were already all lit up like some magnificent starscape.

Cicero didn't have long to enjoy the view. He was quickly approached by a severe looking man with the devil's facial hair and a pocket square that matched his tie. Cicero had him pegged as one of Aubrey's goons before he even said a word, even without the mirrored sunglasses.

"What are you doing here?" the man asked, without introducing himself.

"Well," said Cicero, "right now I'm taking in the view, and later I thought I'd buy some kitschy tourist garbage."

"I'm not in the mood for games," said the man.

"How unfortunate for you then," replied Cicero

"You need to leave," said the man.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Cicero. "You can tell Aubrey if she wants me gone she can come talk to me herself."

"You don't get to dictate terms," said the man. "You will leave or else you will be made to leave."

"I wouldn't get too cocky just because you're wearing sunglasses, indoors, at night," said Cicero. "You know mind magic isn't the only sphere, right? Are those glasses going to protect you if I just decided to take out your soul and put it in a paperclip? And then I'd really genuinely intend to put it back when I was done but then I lose the paperclip. Do you understand? I'm forgetful sometimes and I lose paperclips."

The man with the devil beard was visibly whitening.

"So unless you have sunglasses that are going to protect you from that then, no, I don't think you'll be ejecting me from this or any other tower."

Aubrey's goon ran off and Cicero went back to admiring the city. Aubrey were there ten minutes later. He could have set his watch by it.

Aubrey was wearing a fitted suit jacket and a tight skirt that ended just below her knees. Cicero made sure not to miss any vital visual details about the skirt. Aubrey was still just as attractive as the first day he met her, which was frustratingly inconvenient given how much of a pill she could be.

Aubrey wore regular prescription glasses. They wouldn't block mind magic but she didn't need it. She was one of the most powerful mind mages alive; anyone stupid enough to look her in the eyes with hostile intent was just giving their mind over to her.

"Why have you come to this place?" demanded Aubrey, "to threaten my people with necromancy?"

Cicero noted that Aubrey had resisted the urge to attempt to read his mind. She probably knew he'd try to block it and, while she'd eventually win, she really wouldn't want to provoke a magical duel with him where either of the other two spheres came into play. Not here, at least.

"Oh please, Aubrey, save the fake outrage," said Cicero. "You and your coterie of minions wouldn't even have this tower if it wasn't for me and my 'necromancy'."

"Answer my question," said Aubrey, darkly.

"Simon has his memory back," said Cicero.

"Bullshit," said Aubrey, "I built those mental blocks myself."

"He already killed Gabe," said Cicero. "I talked to him postmortem and he fingered Simon. He's back."

"I don't believe you," said Aubrey, flatly. "Quite frankly you have no credibility."

"Why would I make something like this up?" asked Cicero.

"I cannot fathom why you do any of the things you do," said Aubrey.

"Read my mind then," said Cicero, "you'll see I'm telling the truth."

"All I could verify by reading your mind was that you believed what you were saying, not that you were telling the truth," said Aubrey.

"Do it anyway," he said. "At least we'll have that."

"Fine," she said, begrudgingly.

Cicero closed his eyes and let down all his mental barriers. He opened them again and made eye contact with Aubrey. Immediately he could feel her presence in his mind. Parts of his brain separate from his consciousness began firing and various thoughts and memories came unbidden to his mind as Aubrey sorted through them.

He remembered the morgue, and how it was too big, and casting the spell on the coroner, and the wall of drawers, and Gabe's dead body.

"Isengrim," said Gabe's body.

And just like that Aubrey was gone and Cicero was alone in his mind again.

"Do you believe me now?" asked Cicero.

"It's exactly as I said before," said Aubrey, "I believe you believe what you're saying. I am still disinclined to take the things you believe particularly seriously. And even if I believe you what do you expect me to do, drop everything and go hunting Simon with you?"

Cicero realized that this was exactly what he expected her to do. It sounded way less reasonable the way she said it. Aubrey was good at doing that.

"I guess not," said Cicero. "You should still be careful. Make preparations. You know this is exactly where he's going to come as soon as he's powerful enough."

"If Simon does have his memories back and he does come here he's in for an unpleasant surprise. The Tower Council controls most of the puissance generated in the city. We are incredibly powerful."

"I saw," Cicero deadpanned.

"Don't think that just because you can scare one of my junior apprentices with your necromancy that we are vulnerable. If you were a serious threat you would have been dealt with already. I am here speaking to you now only out of respect to our old friendship."

"Fine," said Cicero. "Don't be careful then. I'll leave you to whatever it is that you people even do here."

He began to walk back to the elevator. Aubrey crossed her arms and sighed.

"Look, I appreciate you coming all the way up here to warn me," she said. "It's obviously not something you wanted to do. I just have a lot bigger fish to fry right now than Simon Isengrim, with or without his memories."

"You must have some pretty big fish around here," said Simon, pushing the button to go down "Because Simon is a damn shark."