Courts and Cabals G.S. D'Moore (best short books to read .TXT) 📖

his name – and he immediately launched into questions about why the Response Division was at the academy. He smelled and talked like a lawyer, not an educator, so Vernon ignored him.

The stately woman just watched Vernon with critical eyes. She was introduced as the Dean of Students, and didn’t extend a hand to shake. From the power coming off her, it was clear she was the chief mage for the school. The taste of her magic was on the wards and runes he’d seen so far around campus. Mages normally couldn’t tell what other runes and rituals belonged to another mage, but his magically-augmented shifter senses gave him the ability.

“Sir,” he cut the president off mid-sentence. “Ma’am,” he inclined his head to the other mage. “I am here to assist the local officials in fulfilling their duty under the Worldwide Registration Act, Paragraph Seven, Subsection D, Clause Six. There was an unauthorized creation of a magical weather phenomenon yesterday at approximately six o’clock pm.” Rather than argue with them, he tapped his tablet and swiped to transfer the information to the administrators. It sent all the data gathered from the magical incident, along with GPS coordinates, and the warrant that allowed local law enforcement on the premises to pursue the investigation.

The president perused it carefully, but the mage didn’t even bother looking. “What do you need from us?” was all she asked.

“We,” Vernon was careful to make it a group request, “need all Caeli and Aqua elemental mages. Any Theurgy mages with a specialty in weather manipulation or the study of meteorology, climatology, even aeronomy; as well as all noble Fae and changelings with nymph blood,” he recited. The UN had taken a look at the school records and compiled a list before his train departed. Step one of the investigation was to see if the school tried to hold anything back.

“We have noble Fae among our student body,” the mage replied. “They will be displeased by this.”

“They are bound by code and covenant,” Vernon replied simply, overriding the other mage’s objections. “Assemble them quickly and we’ll get this over with. The more you drag your feet, the longer we’re all here,” he finished with a shrug.

The mage’s nostril’s flared, but she didn’t reply. She nodded curtly to the president, and a secretary who’d been nothing more than background scenery until this point hustled off to make some calls.

Chapter 8

Vernon stepped into a gymnasium that looked like it could moonlight as a college basketball stadium. Why the school needed something so big, when the entire county could fit comfortably inside it, was beyond him. His eyes were on the gathered students. He carefully pulled a case from his pocket and opened it. He extracted a clear contact and put it in his right eye. An earbud went in his right ear as well as a bone mic across his throat. He blinked twice and stated a codeword sub-vocally.

Data scrolled across the contact as it connected to his tablet’s secure network. It took entering his user name and password, plus undergoing a retina scan, for the technology to accept it was him and give him full access.

“Coms check,” he kept it subvocal, but was sure some of the supernaturals in the room could make out what he was saying.

“We read you five by five,” a tech back at HQ replied. “Standing by for requests.”

“Thanks.” He doubted he’d need it, but it was protocol for the investigation. The contact recorded everything he saw, which was admissible in court. He couldn’t count how many times the footage had saved his ass when a supernatural claimed police brutality, or some other nonsense, and the tape showed the exact opposite.

“Everyone,” he called out to get the attention of the two dozen teenagers gaggling around the gym. “Thank you for taking the time out of your day. We will get through this as quickly as possible. Please follow all instructions and you’ll be fine. If you’ll all please line up in an orderly fashion we’ll get started.”

The students fell into order based on a hierarchy known only to the students, but it showed him who the queen bee was. He stood in front of her and the facial recognition brought up her file.

“Lady Foxbelle,” he gave her a small bow. “I apologize for the intrusion on your day, but I am bound by code and covenant to conduct a brief inspection. There was a violation, and we are interviewing all with the power to pull off this level of magical interference, which was substantial.” It never hurt to butter up a Fae, and judging by her smug expression, it worked. “Please hold out your dominant hand.”

She did, and Vernon took a metal disk from his pocket. The two sheriffs were conducting the same magical interview process starting at the other side of the line. It was simple and non-invasive. The magical artifact pulled power from an internal battery and worked backward to tell the investigator what spells had recently been used by the interviewee. It also provided a magical time stamp, so Vernon could pinpoint when the spells were used.

“What the hell were you up to?” he kept the thought to himself. The last spell used by the noble Fae was a glamour of two deadly-looking swords. “I don’t want to know what happened there.” He continued backward past the time period of the phenomenon and got nothing.

“Thank you for your cooperation, my Lady, you may go.” With a huff, the Fae girl strutted away like she owned the place, and being here was her idea.

Vernon moved on to the next person, and the next, and the next. Eventually, he met Wood in the middle with a whole lot of nothing. He sighed at the result. It would have been nice if things would go easy just this once.

“As you can see, it was