“No,” he said. “I Awakened in Itlantes.”
Silence descended over the spell feed, then—
“Seriously?” Mike said in a deadpan voice.
“Mother was especially fond of the warm seas that time of year,” Constantine said languidly.
“Holy shivit, you two were friends?” Loudon exclaimed.
“Not in the slightest,” Constantine responded.
“What about in the strongest?” Patrick said, homing in on word choice and trickery.
“We've reached the first interior,” Axer said, cutting off all further questions.
This quadrant was smaller. Eight by eight cells. The mages inside were also a lot more focused than the others had been.
“The final stage.”
When a top cell winked out, it would appear in a small area where the mage was freed, then monitored for another two days before being released to his or her caregivers.
Further in were the cells to hold the highly volatile. Those mages who Awakened due to trauma or whose magic had repressed itself or gathered in a different way, coming online at an older age. That was where we would find an eighteen-year-old girl.
Where we might find more than just her.
Mages passed us—Department mages with their buckled collars and straightforward stares. And others were standing in the center slice of the room taking notes and conducting magic while watching the cells here as well.
“There was a girl at school who talked about Awakening naturally,” I murmured in our mental loop. The girl had argued with Camille about it.
“That just means she didn't get an inhibitor cuff at ten. A few countries have rules against early cuffs, but the majority use them. It's considered an antiquated notion to Awaken naturally. It puts the rest of the layer in danger.” Olivia’s discourse sounded like a rehearsed speech. “Regardless of what happens, everyone still has to submit to Awakening in an approved facility as soon as abilities are shown. Failure to do so results in huge penalties, so all countries in the Second Layer comply.”
“Or are made to comply,” someone grumbled.
“We have rules for the good of society,” Olivia said brusquely. “Allowing a rogue with too much power to roam free is something that has always concerned the masses.”
“And what is the alternative for a person who wishes to be free?” I asked, looking at the tubes and the overwhelming magic flying through them.
“Don't be a rogue,” she said curtly. I swallowed and looked at the mage inside who was staring vacantly while magic flew around him. “Or be a rogue so powerful, that they can't touch you.”
“Might makes right.”
“Always.” I could feel Olivia watching the boy in the cell through my spelled eyes. “But there are other forces that can prevail,” she said softly.
I didn't get to ask her what those were, as the automatic door I was walking toward remained closed, barred to the stolen identities layered over the three of us. I nearly slammed into it.
Constantine grabbed me from behind and whirled me against the wall.
“Shivitty shive!” Patrick and Dagfinn started swearing.
Axer veered left, walking down the forked hallway away from us in his older guise, as if that is what he had intended to do the whole time.
Constantine leaned in and curled a piece of my false hair around his finger. “We should do lunch instead,” he said, entirely audible so that the whole hallway could hear.
I blinked at him.
“You've been working too hard and these brats will still be here. I'll treat you.” He leaned in, bringing the lock of borrowed black hair to rub against his lips.
“We need to finish our tasks,” I said aloud, swallowing nervously and trying not to watch as another person passed us. She rolled her eyes as the door-magic scanned her.
“Are you certain I can't convince you?” he asked me, somewhat lasciviously.
“Maybe...maybe after?”
Constantine's hand thrust out and gripped the closing door, his finger sliding over the edge deliberately. The door opened again. His gaze never left mine. “I'll hold you to that.”
“I don't know, Trick,” Loudon said cheerfully. “Seems like—ow!”
I let out a long breath as we slipped through.
The cells inside were of a superior build to the others—stronger and more difficult to escape from. The tubes running from them were also reinforced with additional magic.
One cell stood apart from the rest.
The interior flashed with streaks of lightning and a girl was standing in the middle of it, eyes white with overpowered light. Lightning shot from her in all directions, like she was a plasma globe feeding the energy around her and forcing hers upon her environment.
We had found her.
I felt paint shift up my throat.
I swallowed—only the dwindling effects of the cuff allowing me to swallow it down like the worst sort of heartburn—and concentrated on one of the containers strapped to me.
A group of adult mages had their heads together, gazes flitting between something in their hands and the girl in the cell.
I pulled the facsimile of a hologram screen into the air, pretending to take data with my right hand instead of the runes I was sketching at my side with my left.
Constantine did the same—looking bored and world-weary as he pretended to type out his hundredth report. It gave us a reason to be standing in the middle of the room, surreptitiously scoping it out.
I joined my runework with his and let him slide the conjoined magic across the floor.
“Where are you?” I sent to Axer.
“Found a better spot,” was the only thing he sent back.
Five console mages worked here, monitoring and tweaking and sending status reports. Another man, whose demeanor indicated he was likely in charge, paced back-and-forth, staring darkly at the cell.
“Director, we can commence in two hours. Safety precautions will be at their maximum.”
The man nodded sharply. “Have the cell made ready for transfer and call up the pod blocks. You've double-checked the specifications on the explosives?”
“The blast will be contained to this area and will not affect the Awakening mages in the regular grids. The Department will be conducting the inquiry themselves, so we don't need to worry about planting anything. Additionally, if there are mages you think will be a future problem, we have permission to...pursue collateral damage.”
“Absolutely not,” the director said, lips pursed.
“But—”
“We are a facility that operates for the goodwill of the public. Philosophers, scholars, and dreamers can debate our methods and how we handle Awakenings, but I will not have our mandate questioned. We are a safe facility for the Awakening members of our society.”
The director only paused to point at Rosaria. “A compelling argument has been made for this mage to be hidden. For the safety of the layer as the Origin Mage hunts the rest down. If we are asked to do more, I will be questioning it. Doing anything like you just suggested is a step into a regime I want no part of, and neither should you.” He stared at the other man.
The man bowed his head. “Yes, Director.”