Illusion and indemnity, p.1
Illusion and Indemnity, page 1
part #4 of Lexie Carrigan Chronicles Series
Contents
Title
Copyright
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thank You
Free Princess Vigilante Novelette
Also By S. Usher Evans
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Thank You
The Lexie Carrigan Chronicles
S. Usher Evans
Pensacola, FL
Copyright © 2019 S. Usher Evans
ISBN: 9780463874813
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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Dedication
To that thirteen-year-old girl
who had a weird dream about evil wizards and peanut butter,
You did this.
One
"I love you so much."
"Nicole, I can't breathe."
In response, my oldest sister squeezed harder. Curious onlookers passed by, all laden with boxes and lamps and other dorm necessities, the parents wearing wistful looks of longing as my oldest sister hugged the very life out of me.
"We still have to move her in," came the gruff voice of Nicole's kind-of-serious boyfriend, Guy. He was a mechanic who'd spent the last six months wooing my sister. His latest overture was insisting he drive us up to Washington, D.C. from our little apartment in northwest Florida to help me move into my new dorm at Georgetown University.
And since Nicole had neglected to inform him I was a well-trained magical with the ability to transport myself and all my belongings into the dorm, I'd had to sit in the car with them for two days while we made the fifteen-hour drive. And if that weren't bad enough, Nicole slowly devolved from slightly-awkward-girlfriend to super-weepy-sister the closer we got to the capital.
She'd started sniffling again as we drove over the Key Bridge and broke into all-out sobs when we parked. And that was where we were standing, in front of the still-full car, Nicole holding me as if I might evaporate into nothing if she let me go.
"So…I guess I'll go get your key?" Guy asked, catching my eye. Nicole wasn't the most expressive person with him, and she, like me, colored bright red when she cried. This might've been the first time he'd ever seen her so emotional.
Which she was still doing when Guy returned with my key and move-in materials in hand.
"You're going to have to let go sometime," he said gently.
"I g-guess," Nicole said, relinquishing me and wiping her eyes. "P-promise you'll—"
"I will," I said, cutting her off. I'd agreed to return to Florida every Sunday night to watch a movie or have dinner or do something together. Since I could magically transport myself home in the blink of an eye, and Nicole, a Potion-maker, couldn't, it wasn't that big a deal. But I didn't think Guy wanted to find out that magic was real that way.
I felt bad as he hoisted two of my big plastic tubs from the back of his truck and carried them up to the looming dorm building above us. I hurried ahead of him with the key and went the elevator, but he stopped me.
"Nah, I'll just use the stairs. That'll take too long."
"Are you sure?" I said with another twinge of guilt that I could've had all this done in mere seconds. "It's on the fourth floor?"
"Yeah," he said, his smile widening when Nicole walked in the door carrying my bedding. He shifted the boxes in his arms, making the muscles pop. "Let's go."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his overt showing-off, mostly because I was glad Nicole had found a guy who went through so much effort for her.
We reached my room, which was empty, so I chose the bed closest to the window. The room itself was pretty tiny, complete with two wooden desks and two elevated beds pressed against either wall. But it would be home for the next year, and I was excited about the adventure.
"Okay, I'm going to get the rest of it," Guy said as Nicole began sniffling again. "You two…just unpack."
"Are you sure?" I said. "There's a lot left—"
"I got it," he said with a wink before disappearing. I waited a breath then closed the door. And with a wave of my hand, I released magic into the air around me, unpacking the two plastic bins and making up my bed. I sighed happily, finally able to use magic for something.
Nicole didn't flinch at the use of magic, but placed her hand on the newly-made bed and frowned. "You're so far away."
"I'm really not," I said with a sigh. "One phone call and I'm there."
"But you're not home—"
"And maybe that's a good thing," I said, opening the door once more. "Guy's obviously in love with you. You two need some time alone together. Without me around."
"I like having you around."
"You don't like being alone with Guy?" I asked. "Why not?"
"I like being alone with Guy, but I don't like Guy being so…" She sighed, slouching onto my desk. "It's all moving a little fast for me."
"Fast? It took you three months to have sex with him."
She glared at me, obviously regretting sharing that bit of information with me. "But moving you in. It just seems so…so much."
"You could've told him no," I said. "It would've made everything easier."
"I know, but he really wanted to do it. And that's sweet. I just…" She stood with an odd expression on her face. "I'm gonna go help him."
"Or, you know, you could tell him about—"
"I'm not going to tell him about magic," Nicole snapped with more than a little heat. "We're not that serious."
I might've argued that they were, but I'd already had that conversation with Nicole fifteen times this summer.
Guy made another appearance, huffing and puffing as he put down my microwave. "I'm going down for the mini-fridge."
"No," I said quickly. "I mean, I got someone with a trolley to go down. I'm sure they're on the elevator. There can't be that much more."
"Just your suitcase," Guy said, wiping his forehead.
"I'll go get that," Nicole said, resting her hand on his chest gently as she passed by him.
"Good thing you aren't like Marie, or else we'd be here for years," Guy said as she left.
I had to laugh at that. My middle sister Marie was a notorious clothes hound, and when she'd come with us to Guy's family's cabin in Alabama, she'd brought her entire closet in two suitcases for a one-week trip. Considering she had as much magic as I did, and could transport back to her apartment in Las Vegas in the blink of an eye, I knew it was all for show.
"Hey, thanks," I said. "I know you didn't have to drive me up here, and I'm not sure if Nicole will have the words to thank you any time soon. But I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome, kiddo." He glanced behind him and almost tiptoed into the room, a nervous look on his face. "So you think…besides the whole baby-sister-moving away thing…you think she's happy I did this?"
"No, because you moved her baby sister away," I said with a laugh. "But yes, I think once she gets used to the idea of me not being at home," Or rather, me being able to come home whenever, "she'll be very appreciative."
"Good, cause my mom's asking when I'm going to marry her," Guy said. Then, he glanced behind him once more and retrieved a small box from his pocket.
"Whoa!" I cried, taking three steps back. "That's a little soon, don't you think?"
"I wasn't going to ask her on the trip," Guy said. "But in case it comes up while you're in school, I wanted you to see it. I hope Marie comes home for a visit, so I can show her."
I pressed my hand to my heart, touched that he was so concerned about us. I had no opinions on diamonds, but it sparkled on a pretty silver band. "It's gorgeous. But I think you need to work on her a little more."
"Do you think she loves me?" Guy asked.
"Yes," I said. "But you know…the whole dad thing…"
"I know."
"What whole 'dad' thing?" The man in question, in his mid-fifties, w
"Dad!" I said with a happy smile. "What are you doing here?"
"It's move-in day, why wouldn't I be here?" Gavon said, glancing at Guy. "I wanted to help out, but it appears I'm too late."
"I'm…gonna go help Nicole," Guy said, inching out of the room as if Gavon would strike him down with a glare. To be fair, he could've, but Guy didn't actually know that. My sister's poor boyfriend disappeared through the door, and my damned father had the nerve to laugh about it.
"What?" he said with a shrug. Not for the first time, I noticed the similarities between us—the shape of his nose, the particular peaks and valleys of his hairline. I should've known that he was my father the first time I saw him, and perhaps, deep down, I had.
"I said stay out of it," I said, turning to fluff my pillows on the bed.
"I am staying out if it!" Gavon held up his hands innocently. "I haven't said one word to the man."
I leveled my glare at him, hearing the loophole in his words. "You'd better learn to like him. He's planning on proposing to Nicole sometime in the next few months."
Gavon frowned. "Really? Seems sudden."
"Didn't you propose to mom after knowing her for, like, two days?"
"I was unaware of this society's customs," Gavon said, as if that explained everything. "And besides, it appears Nicole isn't infatuated with him."
"She let him drive me up here," I said. "And when she wasn't bawling her eyes out, she held his hand. I think she likes him plenty. She's just easing her way into it."
"I suppose," Gavon said, turning and seeing more of the dorm. "Sweetheart, this room is really small for two people."
"It's perfect," I said. "I have to live on campus my first three years. It's the rules."
"Yes, but can't I find you—"
"No. I want to live in a tiny little dorm with a person I barely know and share a bathroom with twenty people," I insisted. "That's the college experience. I want the college experience."
Finally, a smile appeared on his face. "You look like your mother when you lecture me."
"Dad," I said with a roll of my eyes. "Please don't get misty-eyed. I can only handle one crying family member at a time. Nicole was absolutely—"
A gasp filled the room, and Nicole stood in the doorway, holding my suitcase. Her face had grown pale, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. The suitcase dropped with a thump.
"Hello, Nicole," Gavon said tentatively.
"Lexie, when you're finished, meet us downstairs for lunch." She paused and glared at Gavon. "Alone."
To his credit, Gavon took the hit without as much as a flinch. But he'd gotten the cold shoulder all summer long. As he and I began repairing our relationship after a tumultuous two years, Nicole still wanted nothing to do with him.
I couldn't blame her completely. Gavon was from New Salem, an alternate universe of magicals who'd been banished for trying to enslave humanity in 1692. Gavon was a descendent, and nearly thirty years ago, he'd made a tear between his world and ours. Despite his ancestors beliefs, he'd integrated himself into this world, marrying my mother and starting a family. Things had all changed when New Salem got wind of the tear and pressured him into taking the mantle of Guildmaster away from his rival Cyrus.
Cyrus had retaliated by killing my mother, who died right after giving birth to me.
My sisters and I had been raised by my aunt Jeanie, my mother's younger sister, and up until my fifteenth birthday, I'd no idea that magic even existed. Gavon had met me that first night, and although he'd never intended our relationship to grow any further than a single, forgettable conversation, I'd had other ideas and kept pressuring him to teach me more. But then Cyrus reappeared, and my aunt Jeanie was his next victim. That death I still carried with me—especially as Gavon disappeared again shortly after that.
In mid-March of this year, after I'd been tricked into going to New Salem, Gavon and I finally had a heart-to-heart about his role in everything. Things were still slowly healing between the two of us, especially as we'd been working on a project together all summer.
"So, I might have another lead on closing the tear," Gavon said. "I know you'll be busy with school now, but—"
"Are you kidding? I'd love to go," I replied with a grin. "Where are we going this time?"
"It's a surprise," he replied. "As I'm still finalizing my contacts there. But you'll tell me if you get too busy."
"To help you close the tear?" I shook my head. "Of course not."
"Your schoolwork comes first."
"I don't have any classes on Friday. We could do it then?"
"You might want to hang out with your new friends though."
Yeah, friends. That was something I hadn't really had too much of in my small town, and one of the things I was most nervous about. I'd promised myself I would step out of my comfort zone and try to be more social, even though it made my skin crawl. But I was a Warrior, damn it. I shouldn't have been afraid of meeting new people.
"I'd better let you get to it," Gavon said, using his magic to take the suitcase still in the doorway and transfer my clothes into the small closet. "There, now I can say I helped."
"I feel so bad that Guy had to carry all my crap up the stairs," I said.
"Don't. He should work for it."
"Dad," I said with an exasperated sigh. "I like him. Marie likes him, and you know she hates everybody. Why don't you?"
He shook his head, a sadness creeping into his eyes that had nothing to do with Guy and everything to do with Nicole's hatred of him. He crossed the room and kissed me on the forehead. "Have fun at lunch with your sister. I hope she isn't too cross with you."
"She'll survive," I said.
"Good luck. If you don't like it, you know we can always—"
"I know." I smiled. "Thanks for everything."
"Thank your ancestors. I did nothing except sign a check," Gavon said.
Except that had the check not been signed, I wouldn't have been able to afford a single credit-hour. "Thanks, Dad."
"Have I told you how much I enjoy hearing you call me that?" he said.
Had you told me you were my father sooner, you would've heard it much more, I thought, but didn't voice it. I was trying to repair our relationship, and bringing up past transgressions wasn't the way to do that. Even if they always remained in the back of my mind.
Two
Nicole had mastered the art of pretending she wasn't angry with me, so our lunch together was actually quite pleasant.
"What do you think you'll miss the most?" Guy asked as we picked at the scraps of our food.
I shrugged. "I don't know what it's going to be like, to be honest. It'll be weird not waking up at home, though."
Nicole smiled. "You're always welcome to come home, you know that."
"Ah, let her live a little, Nic," Guy said, leaning back and throwing his arm around her. "She's got a good head on her shoulders. You did a good job. Now it's time to live your life."
I could practically hear the ring glinting in his pocket. Despite the rocky way they'd met, he'd turned out to be a fairly decent human being.
"I am living my life," Nicole said, stiffening under his arm. "It just happens to include worrying about my sisters. Especially my baby sister."
"But you don't have to worry about me," I said. "Guy's right. It's time you started doing your own thing. Find a hobby." Like Potion-making.
"I could teach you how to change the oil in your car," Guy said. "You'd look so cute covered in grease down at the shop."
"I think I'll leave that to you, thanks," Nicole said with an affectionate pat and a goofy smile I didn't miss. "I'm not an idiot. I can figure out what I'm going to do with myself."
"Are you going to go back to school?" I asked, hesitantly. Nicole had dropped out of college two years ago to get a job so she could take care of me.
"Maybe," she said.
"Baby, I'd pay for you," Guy said. "If you wanted to go."
Nicole kissed his hand. "I don't know if that's what I want to do. But thank you for the offer."
I pushed the remnants of my pasta across the plate. Just wait until Guy found out how much money Nicole had sitting in a bank across the Atlantic. Not that she acknowledged its existence, other than to pay her apartment rent every month.
