Courts and Cabals by G.S. D'Moore (best e reader for academics txt) 📕

found myself directing some begrudging respect to the mage; one hustler to another.

She shifted her gaze from Lilith to me, and nodded at the unspoken compliment; which just freaked me out all over again. That she was hearing my thoughts was such a . . . violation.

“I can’t help it, you know,” Amanda shrugged, as Lilith pulled out her purse and five crisp hundo’s. “Some of us hear it all, and some only hear what we want to hear. I drew the short straw,” the mage suddenly looked very tired, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

People could be dicks, especially in high school. Hearing all the shit that went through teenagers’ heads had to be torture.

“Anyway,” she pocketed the money, “let’s take a look,” she waved me forward.

It took a glare from Lilith to get me to approach the mage. I wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but whatever it was, I knew she was going to look into my mind.

“Maybe it’s just a tumor,” I told myself. I’d been stressed out beyond belief over the Aveena trying to murder me situation, and I’d been knocked out more times in the last month than a boxer on a losing streak. It wouldn’t surprise me if I had a brain bleed or something else that was making me see things. That didn’t explain away the mysterious healing, but I couldn’t be expected to have all the answers.

“Do you consent?” Amanda asked, not reaching out to touch me.

“What?” I asked.

“My power is regulated by the WRA,” she sounded more than a little bitter about that. “I can’t help what I pick up from the surface thoughts of people in my range, but to actively dive into someone’s mind, I need their consent. Otherwise it’s a ten-year prison sentence with no chance of parole, and I’m on a watch list for the rest of my life. I like Lilith, and the career opportunities she’s made me aware of, but I’m not going to jail for her.”

“That makes sence.”

I really didn’t want her in my head now. Mentioning the WRA brought up my old life plans. If there was anyone in the world who would hate the WRA more than usual, it was someone who’s very existence was closely controlled by it. Having that person dig around in my head didn’t give me the warm and fuzzies. I looked to Lilith, and she gave me a prodding gesture. She wanted to know about this more than I did. When I didn’t move, the gesture became a comforting smile. I felt relaxation spread through me, and the stick up my ass slid out. I knew what she was doing, but I didn’t care. It felt nice to not be stressed; if only for a minute.

“I consent,” I stated.

“I witness the consent,” Dani seconded, as she stood protectively behind me.

“Now what?” I asked, looking back at Amanda. “Do you need to stare deep into my soul and . . .”

The mage took my hand, and I felt the world drop out from beneath me. I fell into darkness, but there were no other sensations. My injured arm felt fine, and the relaxation Lilith had hit me with was gone. Suddenly, flashes of light and sound erupted around me like grenades going off. I couldn’t tell what they meant because I fell past them before I could investigate. More flashes of images and sounds assaulted me. This time they were bigger, like someone was dropping bombs. Then, everything intensified. More explosions of sensation erupted around me like I was being carpet bombed by some pissed off air force. Despite the assault, everything felt muddled. I thought I saw myself as a baby, and the face of my mother, but then something hooked me behind the navel and gave me a yank. Just like that, I was sitting back in the library. My head spun and I felt like I was going to be sick. Lilith had a trashcan handy, and I managed to get my face over it before vomiting up everything I’d eaten in the last week.

Dani rubbed my back as I retched, and Xamira held out a bottle of water when I came up for air. I rinsed out my mouth and spit into the can before turning to face Amanda. I had no idea how long she’d been in my head, but I was confident I was never doing that again.

“Fuck that shit,” I still felt the burn of stomach acid in my throat.

“That’s what most people say,” the Anima mage looked intrigued, and at the same time confused. “There is something there,” she confirmed, “but I can’t tell you what it is.” That wasn’t the answer anyone expected.

“I haven’t looked into many minds, but they’ve all got a template if they’re a supernatural. I can see the spark of magic in mages, and for other supernaturals, I can discern the “it factor” that makes them unique. For Cam,” she pursed her lips, “it’s like an aftertaste. There was something there. Something happened, but I can’t be certain.” She looked frustrated as she stared into my eyes. “Tell me more about what happened with you and Dani.”

I did what she asked. It wasn’t a long story, and I tried to give as much detail as possible.

“Interesting,” she scratched her head. “That sounds like precognition.”

“As in a seer’s precognition?” Dani sounded doubtful. “No offense, Amanda, but if Cam was a seer, he’d avoid doing stupid shit that nearly gets his ass killed.”

Everyone nodded, including the mage. “Seers are one in a billion,” she explained. “There are only five registered in the world right now, and all of their gifts are different. Some go into trances and spout prophecies that take years or decades to come true. Some can tell you the winning lottery numbers for the