Notes:

Hi all! New chapter is ready! This one isn't nearly as mysterious or interesting as the Prologue, but it contains lots of important details.

Also: the name of our leading lady will not be revealed. It is supposed to be a semi-reader insert.

Happy reading! Feel free to leave a review!


Chapter 1

Where Have You Been, Bro?

6 Months B.T.H [Before the Heist]


It was a particularly sunny Wednesday afternoon. Not a cloud was in sight. The sun shone through the large windows, providing ample light for her to read the large tome in front of her. The booth she was sitting in was fairly new - broken in enough where it wasn't too stiff, nor was it too worn by its previous inhabitants. Very few people were in the coffee shop. The ones present were being politely quiet for the rest of the patrons that were trying to concentrate on their book, their homework, their screenplay, whatever. All in all, she could not have asked for better conditions to read the book in front of her.

But, for the life of her, she just could not find the desire to read it.

To be fair, it wasn't an exciting book. A Complete History of the Magi Council Volume 1 was most certainly not a page turner (nor were the other eight volumes in the set). But that wasn't the only reason she couldn't motivate herself to read the lengthy novel.

Caleb hadn't come home last night.

Caleb, her older brother and roommate, hadn't been heard from since the previous afternoon. Her brother may be reckless, but he never went this long without contacting her. She had tried every method, short of messenger pigeon, to get a hold of him. She was half-seriously contemplating attempting to train one of the damn birds when the bell to the coffee shop rang, and in strolled the object of her worrying. She narrowed her eyes and slammed the heavy book shut, as Caleb casually strolled towards her. He slid into the seat across from her, sending her an easy grin as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"Hello, sister dear."

She simply stared at him. Not moving a muscle, not blinking, not even breathing. He raised a brow at her statue-like silence.

"What?"

By the gods, she wanted to strangle him. She took a deep breath to calm herself. It wasn't helping that Caleb, in her silence, had decided to start munching on her half-eaten sandwich. As she slapped her lunch out of his hands, she reminded herself that she loved her brother, despite his careless demeanor.

"Caleb! You didn't come home last night. I tried calling you, your buddy Andy, Ziggy, and even that bimbo Evan that you can't seem to ditch-"

"Hey! Evan may be a bimbo, but he is my bimbo," Caleb shot back defensively, once again grabbing her sandwich.

"You can do better, but that is beside the point," she said, giving up on her food. "I was worried about you, Caleb. You know it hasn't been safe for us lately."

She was referring to the recent attacks on sorcerers in the last few months. A group of radicals, known as the Fury, had been escalating in violence. They were outraged by the current peace treaty between the Magi, the practitioners of light magic, and the Augur, the practitioners of dark magic. The Fury were former members of the Augur, believing themselves to be 'pure users of magic.' They wanted to dominate the planet and they were, supposedly, searching for a way to kill the gods.

So, pretty much a group of bat-shit crazy maniacs.

Caleb rolled his eyes at her concern.

"The Fury are just a bunch of over enthusiastic fan-boys, hell-bent on an impossible mission. Kill the gods? No one has ever managed to kill one god, let alone all of them. What makes them think that they can do it? Even the rest of the Augur, who hate the gods, have given up on trying to kill them."

"Yes, hence the peace treaty we Magi forged with them. I do keep up in Magi news," she joked.

Caleb rolled his eyes again and took a large bite of the sandwich.

"All I'm saying," he said with a mouthful of food, "is that the Fury is all bark and no bite. Even I could take a group of them out, and we all know that I am not the most naturally gifted sorcerer."

It was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Caleb, you are a wonderful sorcerer. You just needed to work at it a bit harder than some of us."

He nodded, but she could tell he didn't quite believe her. Her heart sank at this. While Caleb was a passionate, hard-working sorcerer, he never had a natural talent for sorcery like she and some of their fellow Magi did.

"Doing a bit of light reading, then?" he asked, waving towards her book.

"Unfortunately. Ziggy is adamant that this book is essential for my training. Although why the biographies of a bunch of old-as-dust Council members is absolutely necessary for my training remains a mystery," she replied disdainfully. Zuberi "Ziggy" Azikiwe, a Master Sorcerer and her current mentor, was relentless regarding her training. While Magi most often remained active magic-users, they were allowed the option stop practicing magic when fully trained. She had decided that, once she was finished with her training, she was out. Her decision didn't sit well with her mentor.

"So, you're almost finished with your training, right?" Caleb asked apprehensively.

Her decision didn't sit well with her brother either, for that matter.

"Caleb," she sighed, knowing what he was about to say.

"Are you sure you want to be inactive after your training is done, sis?" he implored. "You are such a talented sorceress. They could really use your-"

"Caleb," she interrupted firmly, "you know I don't want this. Too many Magi have given their life for the cause. A cause, by the way, that I don't entirely believe in. Protect the gods? Why do they need our protection? They're gods. And what have they ever done for us?"

"It's not so much actually protecting the gods as much as protecting the-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Protecting the path to Mount Olympus and eliminating all potential threats to non-magic civilians. My point is that I really don't want this for you either. While I didn't agree with your decision to remain active after your training, I still respected your choice. I ask that you do the same for me."

"I know. It's just a damn shame. The Magi could really use you. You are easily worth ten sorcerers," Caleb groaned, leaning back in his seat.

"I know, C, I know," she said. As her eyes took in his sad smile, she frowned as she noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

"Caleb, where exactly were you last night?"

She saw him stiffen, his eyes darting away from her.

"I-I was, um," he stammered. He rubbed the back of his neck, and she saw a dark bruise on his inner forearm.

"And what the hell is that?" she asked sternly, gesturing to his forearm.

"Oh, I was just, uh, goofing around with Andy last night," he said.

Gods, he was a terrible liar.

"Well, whatever it is you don't want to tell me, I hope that you're at least being careful and no more stupid than you usually are."

He glared in her direction and mumbled, "Yes, mother."

"Well, I'm glad you're alive and somewhat well. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to this..." she said as she turned to the last page of the book, "thirteen-hundred-page book. Thirteen hundred! Gods!"

Caleb laughed and moved to get out of the booth. Before he got up, he hesitated. His face fell serious as he turned back to look at her. He leaned across the table, indicating she should come closer. She complied, her heart beat speeding up in anxiety.

"I can't tell you what I've been up to," Caleb whispered, "but I can promise you that I am being careful. I love you."

Although she desperately wanted to question him further, she merely nodded and replied, "I trust you, and I love you too."

With a small smile and a nod in her direction, he left the coffee shop.

She had just found her place in the book, when her phone started ringing. She smiled at the face appearing on her screen. She, however, hesitated to answer. She knew that, if she neglected reading the book, Ziggy would be pissed. She didn't want to upset her mentor and role model. But the book was so boring.

Screw it, she thought.

"Hi Daisy," she said, answering her phone.

"HELLO, DEAR!" Daisy yelled back. She winced and held her phone at a distance.

"Gods! You don't need to scream, Daise. I can hear you just fine."

"SHIT! SOR-" Daisy cleared her throat and spoke at a much more reasonable volume, "Sorry! I'm currently driving and have you on speaker. Where are you right now?

"I'm at the coffee shop on 6th and Park. You know it?"

"YES!"

She winced again.

"Sorry! I mean yes, I know it. I'll be there in 5."

"I'll probably hear you before I see you."

"You're hilarious. Bye!"

She smiled as she put her phone back in her pocket. Her eyes returned to the book in front of her once again. With a heavy sigh, she closed it and placed it back in her satchel. She hoped Ziggy wouldn't quiz her…

Choosing to ignore that possibility, she approached the counter and ordered another round of caffeine for herself and Daisy. Just as she returned to her booth, she saw Daisy enter through the coffee shop doors. Daisy rushed to her booth as soon as she saw her, a wide grin on her face.

"Hi! Oh, I'm so happy to see you! How long has it been?" Daisy said. Her lifelong best friend reminded her of a puppy seeing its owner after a long day; she was practically bouncing with excitement in her seat. Maybe ordering her coffee was a mistake. She slowly slid Daisy's cup away from her as she answered.

"I saw you two days ago."

"Has it only been that long? It feels like ages," her best friend said dramatically. Daisy reached for her cup, taking a large gulp of the coffee.

She let out a sigh of defeat.

"So, how was training today?" she asked Daisy, hoping to distract her from the caffeine boost. Daisy, like herself, was nearly finished with her Magi training. Unlike her, Daisy was fully committed to the cause and planned on remaining active after she completed her training.

Helping out others was Daisy's calling.

Her? Not so much.

"Ugh, Jeremiah is such a pain in the ass. I mean, he is a great sorcerer and all, but must he be a complete dick all the time? I wish I had lucked out and gotten Ziggy as a mentor. You have got it made in the shade, my dear."

"Well, the grass is always greener," she mumbled, taking a sip of her own coffee. She winced. Not enough sugar.

"Are things not going well with Ziggy?" Daisy asked. "That's surprising. He is one of the best, if not the best, Master Sorcerers. Did you hear about what he did in Dubai all those years ago? Gods, he practically saved-"

"No, everything with Ziggy is fine," she said cutting her off. "He just pushes me harder than the other students. Or that's what it feels like, at least."

"That's because he knows how great you can be," Daisy said, taking her hand. "You have the potential to be a great sorceress. Hell, you're already a great sorceress. He just doesn't want to see that go to waste."

She lifted a brow at that.

"Alright, 'go to waste' is a bit harsh, but you know what I mean."

"Yes, I get it. Can we talk about something else? I already got this from Caleb earlier."

Daisy perked up at this.

"Caleb? So he's no longer missing?"

"Shit, sorry. I should have told you earlier. He was here about 15 minutes ago."

"And he was okay?"

"He seemed a bit tired, but yes, he was fine."

"It's just that," Daisy said, shifting in her seat and leaning in close to whisper, "the Fury struck again last night."

"What? Really?"

Daisy nodded solemnly.

"What happened?"

"Well, from what I heard, the Fury were attacking a member of the Augur. The Magi tried to step in, but they were too late."

"Too late? You mean they killed him?"

"Her," Daisy corrected, "and from what I heard, they didn't just kill her. They tortured her for information."

"Information about what?"

"Don't know," Daisy answered, taking another sip. "But I also heard that the Augur is furious, and they are demanding that the Magi step up their protection."

"How is it our job to protect them? Aren't they perfectly capable of protecting themselves?"

"In theory, yes," Daisy responded dryly, "but the Magi have already decided to take this upon themselves. They're forming protection squads and sending out sorcerers to investigate."

"So then the Magi will end up hurt? Or even killed? Great idea," she responded, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

Daisy shrugged.

"The Fury have been attacking both the Magi and the Augur, so these protection squads are just as much for our benefit as it is for theirs. Besides, we just formed a delicate treaty with them. It's best not to piss them off already."

"As always, Daise, you're right," she conceded.

Daisy beamed at her triumphantly, taking another large sip of coffee.

Worry gripped her as she gazed at one of the few people in the world she truly loved. The Fates had not been kind to her; they took her parents when she was very young, leaving only Caleb and her best friend as family. While she no longer wept at the thought of her parents being gone, the scar of loss still lingered on her heart. The fear of feeling that loss again was ever present, and her hearing these troubling news of violence only caused that fear to grow. From this fear, however, sprouted a fierce promise, a resolute pledge:

Anyone who hurt her family would have hell to pay.