The Magic Within: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Found Magic Book 2) Read online

  “I think you’re making stuff up.” I sighed. “It’s just that, well… she was my friend, and all she really wanted was to save her parents.” I swallowed so hard it hurt my throat. “She was trying to do the right thing, and it wound up being the wrong thing. It would have been so easy for me to have done the same thing.” I shook my head, the scenery in front of me growing blurry. “I was right about to do the same thing.”

  “But you didn’t,” Chuck replied, reaching back and handing me a tissue. “That’s an important difference.”

  I took it from him and wiped my eyes. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it.” He turned in his seat to stare at me which seemed profoundly unsafe. He tossed a pistol at me, one that looked suspiciously like the one the flit had used to murder Lisa.

  I caught the weapon and stared at it for a long time. It felt so heavy and unwieldy in my hand. Yet, at the same time, it felt strangely comforting and, well, familiar. “What’s this for?”

  “Take a minute and cry or whatever it is you need to do for your friend. I hate to say it, but you’re not going to have that luxury for much longer.” Chuck turned back around as he said the words, one hand still gripping the steering wheel.

  “What do you mean? There’s no one around, and even if there was, the flit somehow made it so he can’t come back from Hell. We shouldn’t have to worry about random attackers.” Even as I said the words, I began checking the pistol, making sure it was loaded and ready to go.

  “I’ll tell the guys following us that,” Chuck replied as a spotlight from the sky lit us up on the otherwise dark and lonely road.

  “General Uile, please bring your vehicle to a stop and step out with your hands above your head,” a deep, throaty voice boomed from above us.

  Chuck slammed on the brakes, sending the tiny jeep skidding across the pavement. I smacked hard against my seatbelt before rocketing backward onto my seat. Without so much as an untoward glance, Chuck unfastened his own seatbelt and threw the door open.

  He stepped out of the car and held his hands up as the spotlight split so one beam could follow him while the other remained on the jeep. Chuck took about three steps before he stopped and shook his head, a worried smile on his lips.

  “So you’re here. I wondered if you’d make an appearance,” Chuck replied, a tremor running just below the surface of his words.

  A figure dressed in black from head to toe stepped into the light. His hair was as white as snow, and he was so thin he was nearly bald. Blotchy spots covered his ebony skin, and the wrinkles on his face stood out so distinctly, it made me think he had to have chased dinosaurs with sticks. If he was here, what did he want, and why did Chuck seem so scared of him? Chuck was huge, and this guy was so old he’d probably crumble into dust if Chuck sneezed on him.

  “Yeah well, you know the thing about the devil,” the man said in a voice like thick, rich taffy. “He always gets his due.” His lips curled into a smile that made alarm bells go off in my head as he stepped out of the light and into the shadows.

  A moment later, the door to the jeep opened, and the man got in. He sat down and swiveled in the seat to face me. His eyes were just thick balls of white. I stared at him, my jaw dropping open. Was he blind? If so, how had he, well managed himself so well?

  “You can stare if you like, I don’t mind,” the man said, and I felt my cheeks burst into flames. I tried to look away but worried that would be even ruder so I wound up staring at his hawkish nose.

  “Sorry,” I replied sheepishly.

  “Don’t be sorry. I bet you’re wondering how I can see like this.” He tapped his temple with one gnarled finger. His knuckles were so huge I couldn’t see how he could even use his hands. When I didn’t respond, he smiled. “I can’t, but I’m very, very observant.”

  “Doesn’t the Agency have something to fix your eyes?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

  “Perhaps.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I may ask them sometime, but even if they did, I don’t think I’ll take them up on it.”

  “Why is that?” I asked as he reached out and took one of my hands in his. His skin was like old paper, so thin, I was worried it would break apart as he touched me. “Don’t they want all their people to be at the top of their game?”

  “If I let the Agency focus its resources on something personal, say fixing my eyes, when those resources could have been used to save one of my people, well, who will be at fault when that person dies?” He stared at me as his words sank into my brain. Was he really saying he cared so much about his people, that the thought of devoting even a tiny fraction of the Agency’s assets to fixing his blindness became unthinkable? That seemed almost… noble.

  “You know you’re special, Abby. I don’t have to tell you that. I’ve been following your progress very closely. It’s why I sent Chuck to ‘help’ you.” He grinned, releasing my hand. “I’m surprised you got away from him the first time.”

  “Wait, Chuck works for you?” I asked, glancing out the window to see Chuck standing there with his hands in his pockets. “I thought he was with the Agency.”

  “He is, in the same way I am with the Agency.” The man shrugged. “But there are bigger things than the Agency. That is a very small part of what we do.” Roberto chose that moment to have a coughing fit, and the man shot an angry glance at him, which was weird since he was blind.

  “So what do you do?” I asked as the man reached out and ran his fingers over Roberto’s cheek. He pulled his hand away and stared at it.

  “I find extraordinary people, and I make them better,” he replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a black syringe. Before I could stop him, he jabbed it into Roberto’s side and pressed the plunger down with his thumb.

  I sat up in alarm, reaching out toward him. “What have you done?”

  “Relax, it’s just a more concentrated version of the antidote.” The man smiled at me, his teeth so huge and white they looked fake. “Now, as I was saying…” Roberto’s breathing steadied, and if I hadn’t been listening to him wheeze-snore for the last two hours, I might not have noticed how much better he already sounded. “I want you to help me, Abby.”

  “So you want to recruit me? I’m just a girl. What could I do to help when you have people like Chuck?” I asked. If he needed me to do something, how horrible would it be? Besides, could I really work for the Agency after everything they had done? I knew I couldn’t trust them, but what if I didn’t and someone even worse than Gabriella killed us all?

  “Let me just say this. There’s a good reason why we went through so much trouble to get you.” The man opened the door and got out. “I’ll be in touch,” he said. I stared at him as he walked away into the shadows. “Until then, do everything Chuck tells you. You’d be surprised, but he’s an excellent trainer. He’s used to dealing with people of your… caliber.”

  A moment later, Chuck got back into the jeep and shut the door. Gooseflesh was covering his body. “Is everything okay, Abby?”

  No, everything wasn’t okay. Stephen and Lisa Ann were dead along with how many others. My father was still unconscious. I was in the custody of Chuck who worked for the Agency that had unleashed a soulless, demonic assassin to try to capture me, and now… now they wanted me for a mission and hadn’t told me what it was…

  “Yeah, everything is fine.” When I nodded, he locked the doors even though the jeep had no roof. He threw the car into gear and stepped on the gas, leaving the man standing there in the darkness. “So what did the director tell you?”

  “That you were going to train me for a special mission.” I smirked.

  Instead of replying, Chuck stared at me in the mirror so hard a shiver ran down my spine.

  Thank You for reading!

  Curious about what happens to Abby next?

  Find out in Magic for Hire, coming March 2017, or turn the page for a free preview.

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