You’re not feeling ill in any way?

I assure you that I am perfectly fine and I thank you for the thought. But it’s not necessary. Now, with all due respect, fuck off.

I broke off the link. The Arch-Mage would be re-instigating the block any moment now anyway. Sinking back down to the floor, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of utter dejection at Corrigan’s words. He cared for me. He wouldn’t have interrupted whatever he was doing to come over and threaten the leader of the freaking mages if he didn’t care for me. I wondered if it was just because he was enjoying the chase. He was effectively a cat after all – the feline shifters back in Cornwall had often spent more time and effort on chasing the objects of their lust than they had in actually fulfilling the relationships that were created afterwards. I wasn’t just playing hard to get though: there was still no doubt in my mind that if he found out I wasn’t what he thought I was he would rip me from limb to limb and then do the same to everyone else who knew I didn’t have a were. The memory of him sitting in the pub back in Cornwall and dismissing Nick as ‘just a human’ was still remarkably fresh in my mind. For a moment I considered what would happen if things were different. Would I be some piece of eye candy on his arm right now if I really was a were-hamster? It seemed faintly ridiculous. No, I just got under his skin because I’d walked away, that was all. I leaned my head against the wall, suddenly feeling a wash of fatigue flood through me.

There was a noise at the door and the knob turned. It was Alex, looking rather sheepish.

“Hey, Mack Attack,” he said weakly.

“Hey Alex.” I didn’t think I had the strength to say much more to him.

He came and crouched down beside me. “Mack Attack, dude, I hope you’re not pissed at me.”

I raised my eyes to his. “No, Alex. You stood up for me, that was enough.”

“I feel like I shoulda done more, y’know?”

“I get that feeling a lot. I’m sorry I gave you up to your boss.”

He reached out and gently brushed the wound on my cheek. “We can take care of that for you.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s only superficial – I’ll live.”

He nodded. “So, turns out you can do magic as well, huh?”

“So it seems, Alex.”

“Dude, that’s pretty freaky. Can you show me? What else can you do?”

“I’m not a performing seal,” I said irritably, then regretted it. If it hadn’t been for Alex then I wasn’t sure that the Arch-Mage would have given me the time of day. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired, that’s all. It’s not a really big deal anyway, I can’t do that much.”

“You’ve not had any training. Maybe the academy will uncover even more. You’ll become some major kick-ass super-hero.” He deepened his voice dramatically. “Mack Attack, the protector of the people.”

I just looked at him. He shrugged and grinned. I couldn’t help smiling back, despite the energy it seemed to take. Leaning over he grabbed me in a bear hug and squeezed tight, whispering in my ear. “I’m glad you’re okay, Mackenzie.”

I whispered back, “I’m glad too.”

He pulled me up to my feet. “Lord Shifty has vamoosed back to his lair. His Magnificence has said you have twenty-four hours and then you need to get back here.”

“Why do you call him that?”

“Huh?”

“’His Magnificence’, ‘Your Magnificence’, whatever you say. Why do you call him that?”

Alex looked puzzled. “He’s the dude in charge. That’s what we call him.”

I thought about what the Arch-Mage had said about having trouble with dissension in the ranks. “Does everyone, I mean, all the mages, do they all do what he says? Without questioning it?”

“Dude, I can’t…” Alex’s voice trailed off.

I felt sorry for him and changed the subject. “Never mind. Are you going to escort me off the property so I don’t beat anyone else up?”

He reverted back to cheerful mode. “That’s the plan, Mack Attack, that’s the plan.”

“Can I get my daggers back before we go?”

“Mack Attack?”

“Yes, Alex?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

I raised my chin slightly in acknowledgement, sending a silent apology to Solus for my incredibly brief possession of the weapons, then placed my hand on Alex’s forearm. I wasn’t entirely sure that I could make it all the way to the exit of the College without collapsing but I was damned if I was going to let any of those mages see that they might have managed to beat me into that state.

Once we left the little room, and the cage behind, we emerged onto another corridor that was identical to the one that I’d entered from the garage. This time, however, rather than being impressed by the soft, sinking carpet, I was worried that I’d just trip over it. My whole body was aching now. There was a particularly painful surge in my right leg every time I placed it down on the floor as I walked. One day I’d get that guard back, I vowed. He’d thought that he was being a hero by attacking someone who was in no position to even defend herself, let alone fight back. Well, he’d pay.

We turned right at one point and a small staircase was in front of us. I gritted my teeth, clinging on to Alex and made my slowly up. At the top we came out into a lobby area. There were several mages hanging around there, silently watching our slow progress. None of the faces were friendly and for once I was glad to have some protection by my side. In my current state I probably couldn’t defend myself against a kitten. That thought immediately flooded my mind with a floating image of Corrigan but I quickly pushed it away.

We were almost at the front door that led outside when a voice called out from behind me. “Wait!”

Both Alex and I turned. I stiffened to see Martha, the mage who’d attacked me at Clava Books, jogging up to us. The other mages clustered round watched us carefully. I realised that her hair was now shorn short, a side effect no doubt of the fire.

Let’s go,” I muttered to Alex.

“No, wait,” Martha said. “I want to….” Her voice trailed off for a moment then she jerked her chin up and looked me in the eye. “I want to thank you for what you did.”

I must have looked confused because she quickly elaborated. “In Inverness. You could have left me there and let me burn, but you didn’t. You don’t have many friends here, but if you ever need anything…well, I’ve got your back.”

“Uh, okay,” I said, somewhat pleasantly surprised.

Martha wrinkled her forehead slightly. “Understand that this doesn’t mean that I like you. But I owe you and I won’t forget what you did.” She held out her hand. “I’m Martha, by the way.”

I carefully took my hand off of Alex’s arm, and shook hers, concentrating hard on not falling over. “I know. I’m Mack.”

She smiled crookedly. “I know.”

We both stared at each other for a moment, acknowledging what had passed between us, before Alex said softly, “We need to go.”

I blinked in acknowledgement, moving my hand back to his body for support. Then we turned and headed out of the door.

We were at the front of the building when we reached outside. I could just make out the row of terraced houses and the abandoned wreck where I had attempted my weak version of a stakeout. Alex walked me down the driveway then waved a hand at the large iron gates which slowly opened with a creak.

“You’re using magic to open these now?”

“Mmm, yes. It appears that using technology might have been a weakness in our security system. The trouble is that it takes energy to maintain the gates and the perimeter. The electrical system was more convenient.”

“But not exactly secure,” I commented, unable to keep the slight note of satisfaction out of my voice.

“Don’t get cocky, Mack Attack. You’ve been incredibly fortunate that you’re getting out of here alive. You didn’t even have to tell His Magnificence that you’re really a…”

I interrupted. “Don’t say it, Alex. I need as few people as possible to know. You know what Iabartu did.” I didn’t mention Solus’ own warnings, but I figured that my point would be clear.

“Yeah, dude, I know.” He turned to me for a moment. “Mack Attack, you’d better not have any more cunning plans in place. If you’re not back here in twenty four hours’ time, then things will not go well.”

I looked him in the eye. “I will be here. I don’t break my promises, Alex.”

“Okay, okay, just saying is all. Are you sure you’re going to be alright? You look a bit pale and you’ve been clutching onto me for dear life. I think I might have lost blood flow to my hand. In fact you look a bit like you did that time back in the woods near the keep. Y’know, when we found the wichtlein and you passed out?”

“I’m fine, really.” I didn’t need any reminders of Cornwall. And I was damned if I was going to appear weak, even to Alex. “I’ll be back here in a day.”

He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out some crumpled notes. “You’ll need some money.”

I might not have wanted to accept his charity but I wasn’t completely stupid. I took the money from him and stuck them in my back pocket. “Thanks,” I said, not quite meeting his eyes.

“Take it easy, Mack Attack,” Alex said softly.

I managed a slight smile and then walked slowly out of the gates. I’d barely cleared them when they began to creak their way shut again. I didn’t bother turning, however, instead I just stuck my hand out to hail a taxi. I needed to put some distance between myself and the College before I tried to get back in touch with Solus. Fortunately it wasn’t long before one drew up. I yanked open the door and clambered inside.

“Where to, love?”