Finding Magic
by Stacia Kane
Downside Ghosts - 0.5
Chapter One
Chess was sitting in the Church library, studying Psychopomps: Their Uses and History, when Elder Marks appeared on the other side of the table. As usual, his blue suit looked dusty and the cuffs were frayed; as usual, the black Church makeup ringing his eyes had smudged halfway down his cheeks, making him look less like a ghost and more like a drunken clown.
Thou are wanted in Elder Griffins office, Miss Putnam, he said, and left almost before hed finished the sentence, like giving her the message had been only a stop before the many important errands he had to run.
Chess already knew that was bullshit. Three years of Church training had taught her a lot; a lifetime of shit had arguably taught her more, and she knewalong with everyone else, to be fairthat Elder Marks did little more than fill space at that point, that he was just waiting for the retirement shoe to drop.
Not that she blamed him. How could she? Hed been with the Church all his life, had started back when it was nothing more than an underground magical group, before the ghosts rose from their graves during Haunted Week in 1997 and changed the world forever. Before the Church sent those ghosts into the City of Eternity under the surface of the earth and took control of the world above it.
Elder Griffin the name conjured up a flash of blond hair and a friendly smile, but not much else. Shed never really spoken to him before; hell, she didnt think he even knew her name. And why would he? He wasnt a teaching Elder. He oversaw the Department of Spectral Fraud: the Debunkers, the Church employees who investigated reports of hauntings to determine their truth.
Those reports were usually fake. Not hard to believe, considering how much money the Church paid as reparations if a house was really haunted. Not hard to believe, considering what greedy sacks of shit most people were.
She closed the book and stood up, brushing her hair off her shoulders. Just seeing the stupid dirty blondish color of it annoyed her. As soon as she graduated from training she was going to start dyeing it again. Maybe not dark blue like it had been when shed arrived at Church to start classes there, but something.
The book went into the big army-green bag shed found at a thrift store a few weeks before, along with her notebook and pen. Or maybe she should keep those out? So she looked serious, so he could see she was prepared. After all, he wasnt a teaching Elder. He was administrative, he reported directly to the Elder Triumvirate, to the Grand Elder himself.
So what did he want with her?
No way to ask Elder Marks; hed already drifted out of the library. No time to think about it, either. The last thing she wanted to do was delay, make herself look irresponsible or like she didnt care.
The Church headquarters were always busy, but especially on Thursdays, when the Liaisings took place. People crowded the low dark-wood bench against the wall opposite Elder Griffins office, waiting their turn to visit with the spirits of their dead family members. Above them a frieze of ghosts and magic symbols lined the wall near the ceiling. Still hard to believe she was a student here, that if she passed her training she would actually work here. She could live the rest of her life here, safe under the Churchs watchful eye. It could be her home her real home.
Shit, she was lucky.
Elder Griffins door opened under her careful tap. Hed been waiting for her, she guessed, since he stood only a few feet back, smiling that smile shed remembered. Friendly. Open. Welcome, Miss Putnam. Are thee well?
She dropped into her well-practiced curtsy, trying to smile while her insides froze. Elder Griffin wasnt alone in his office. Elder Hancock and Elder Charles sat in rounded wooden chairs in front of a deskElder Griffins deskand Goody Evers stood by the tall built-in bookcases near them. At her side were two people Chess couldnt identify.
All those people. Six of them. Her breath froze in her chest. They were kicking her out. Oh shit, they were going to kick her out, she knew it, shed been waiting for it shed known it was too good to be true.
Miss Putnam? Are thee well? Elder Griffin took a step toward her, his gentle brow furrowed beneath his wide-brimmed hat.
Right. They were watching her, they could see her. If they wanted to kick her out, fine. They could kick her out. She couldnt do anything about that. But she sure as hell could do something about her reaction to it. She could make sure they didnt know theyd hurt her.
She was good at that.
Her bright smile hurt. Too bad. Im fine, sir, very well, thank you. And you?
I am well indeed. Come in, please. Here, weve saved you a chair.
Theyd saved her a chair. Because they knew shed need to sit down after what they had to say. Her legs were numb.
She made it to the chairthankfullyand sank into it, hearing the leather hiss beneath her. Hearing her breath rasp in her lungs, hearing her muscles move. Like it was all happening to someone else, like she was watching a slow-moving close-up in a movie while her brain jammed at triple speed. They were going to kick her out. Shed fucked up somewhere. Theyd figured out she didnt belong there, that she wasnt good enough, smart enough, that she didnt deserve it.
Where would she go? Where the hell was she going to go?
Elder Charles cleared his throat. Thou are probably curious about why thy presence was requested.
In his lap sat a pale blue file: her school records. He opened it, his face tilted down to look at the pages. Your results from the latest aptitude test round have come in.
Shed flunked. Shed flunked, and that was it. She justHow was that possible when shed studied so hard, practiced those spells into the wee hours, long after lights-out in the dorm?
They were all looking at her like they expected some response, but she couldnt bring herself to make one. Her throat was too tight, so tight it hurt. The best she could muster was to raise her eyebrows a bit, tip her head in what she hoped looked like a curious nod toward the paper he held.
Very impressive, he said finally. We were especially interested in your counterhex results, and the number of spells you improvised from the ingredients you were given.
Elder Hancock smiled. The power-raising sigil was an especially nice touch.
They werent kicking her out. They werethey were saying nice things to her, they were smiling, they thought shed done well. Relief flooded her system, so strong her vision wavered; for a second she was afraid she was going to pass out. Thank you, sir.
He nodded. As you know, students in their last year of classes are given the opportunity to work with employees in various positions around the Church, to help them choose their future career. You have not yet made a decision?
No, sir.
He turned from her then, gesturing at the two people standing behind him. This is Special Inquisitor Scott Freemont and Inquisitor Second Jillian Morrow. Wed like you to work with Jillian for the next week.
Whoa. Okay, that was not something shed ever considered doing. The the Black Squad? Im not
We think your talents may be a fit, Elder Charles interrupted. Wed like you to work with Jillian for a week.
We think your talents may be a fit, Elder Charles interrupted. Wed like you to work with Jillian for a week.
Shit.
She wanted to work for the Black Squad about as much as she wanted to cut off her toes and eat them for dinner. No, she hadnt put down a preference yet, but that was because well, because she didnt want them pigeonholing her. She didnt want them thinking they knew her.
Besides, rumor had it that the Church viewed actually listing a preference as a sign of stubbornness and pride, and would go out of their way to disregard those preferences.
She was lucky to be there at all, she reminded herself, and forced another smile. Her lips were starting to hurt. Sure, I mean, of course, sir. If you think thats the best thing for me to do.
Elder Charles looked pleased; well, they all looked pleased. Excellent. Jillian, will you take Miss Putnam with you now to get her things, and you can head out.
Wait, what? Right that minute? She didnt want to seem difficult, but Um, sir? Elder Charles? Im sorry to interrupt, but I have a sigil analysis test in the morning, and I dont want to
He chuckled. Do not worry thyself. You are of course excused from classwork for the next week; thou can make up the test on your return. He leaned forward with the smirking sort of air of someone pretending to care about breaking confidences or embarrassing people. The air of someone who honestly thought he did care, to be fair, but didnt really, not deep down. Dont worry. It wont affect your scholarship.
Once again, years of experience in keeping her face calm, in pretending she didnt feel it, didnt hear it, held her in good stead. Her lips curved into what she knew was a natural-looking smile. No one seeing that smile would know that she wanted to spit at the Elder and run, that she wanted to cry. Like she hadnt heard enough over the years about her going to classes on charity, like she hadnt dealt with enough of her fellow students looking at her, whispering about her, knowing she was nobody and had no ancestry, that even her last name had come from the Church and not from a family. Thank you, sir. I was concerned.
Elder Griffin cleared his throat behind her; she turned around to see his expression clear, like hed been making a face. He smiled at her. He was smiling, she was smiling, the others were smiling they looked like theyd all been dosed with some sort of hallucinogen. Im sure Miss Putnam is simply surprised. Perhaps we can give her ten minutes or so to get her things together and drop off her books.
Chess looked at him, unable for a second to hide her surprise. Was he ? He washe was giving her a few minutes to adjust. A few minutes alone. And he was doing it on purpose, because when he glanced down at herjust a glancetheir eyes met and she saw in his that he knew exactly what he was doing.
So what did he want from her?
Maybe greeting his kindness with suspicion was wrong; he was Church, after all, and shed been trying to accept that some peoplemost people, it seemedin the Church werent playing some kind of angle; hell, most of them werent even aware of her. But someone overtly helpful to her like that what did he want? What was he going to want her to do, to repay it?