Rage Excerpt 13: The Interrogation

 I assessed him a minute, glanced to Lexi, and tipped my head toward the door. She only hesitated a minute before getting up and leaving the room. After the door closed behind her, I waited a minute longer. The prisoner was still laughing. I’ve been told I have “Alpha blood” in me. Time to test that. Hopefully Lexi got the hint and would keep Nic and Ty out.

I took a slow deep breath and flicked my wrist, yanking the chair out from underneath him and shattering it against the wall behind him. I leaned back and crossed my arms. He was on the floor, awkwardly trying to get up since his hands were still chained to the top of the table.

Once he was on his feet, he tried to yell something at me, but squinted at the collar on his neck and tightened it. I steeled myself for what was next. Nic was going to kill me if this guy didn’t.

I waved my hand absentmindedly, snapping the chain that was connecting him to the table. He started to move toward me, and I let him.

“You want to know why he “bows” to me?” I asked, with a calm only years of practice had given me. His hands reached out to my neck, and I let them get within inches. I seized the steel cuffs with my magic and yanked them straight up into the air, so quickly and violently he cried out as the strain on his shoulders intensified.

“You see, he didn’t find me very intimidating either. Until he went head to head with me.” He was on his tiptoes, unable to pull his hands back down. I tightened the steel so his wrists couldn’t slide through. I hadn’t moved at all from the causal pose I had taken up when I sent Lexi out. “I want information. You are going to give it to me. Whether it’s by sitting at this table or getting slowly pulled apart by my friends.”

Just as quickly as I flung his cuffs into the air, I slammed them down almost to the ground, bringing him to his knees. I stood up and took a step closer to him. He raised his head defiantly as I stood over him.

“Look at that. It’s your turn to bow.” I walked in a slow circle around him, concealing my shaking hands. “You’ve got 30 seconds to make that decision before I fling your cuffs to the ceiling and invite them in to do as they please.”

“You bitch…” he started.

“Yes, I know. I’m told I can be quite the pain in the ass.”

“I won’t give you anything. Send the wolf in and I will tell him what he wants to know.”

I flicked my wrist and brought his cuffs up to waist height, watching as he struggled to stand. I looked him right in the eye before tipping my head to one side.

“I have that effect on people. Sure you can talk to him. If I’m not happy though…” I clicked my tongue.

I moved his cuffs slowly over to the table, then made the chair I had been sitting in zoom over to his side. Once he sat down, I scooted him and fused the cuffs to the table.

“Be right back,” I said brightly.

As soon as I closed the door behind me, I doubled over. My hands and legs shaking violently. I heard the door to the viewing room open, and wasn’t able to hide the shaking. It was Lexi, with a gleam in her eye.

“The boys would like a word with you,” she said formally.

I shook myself, literally and physically, and nodded to her. I straightened my spine, capped my emotions, and braced for the whirlwind that was about to come out of that door.

This excerpt was taken from a lightly edited first draft. All content here may be changed or removed from the final book. 

Rage Excerpt 12: Open Attack

 I couldn’t get the door open fast enough. Ty and Tray tried to stop me, but after one fierce glare they let me be.

The room was filling with smoke. Nic was already rushing around to bring everyone into the main rom. I looked around, but I couldn’t tell where the smoke was coming from. It just seemed to be everywhere.

“What happened?” I asked Nic.

“I have no idea. The window shattered and smoke started pouring it.”

“Have you seen any flames?”

“None.”

“They want to flush us out. For some reason they don’t want to launch an outright attack on a Committee building,” I said as I brought my sleeve up to cover my face. The smoke was getting thicker.

“Vanessa… we can’t stay in here, we’ll suffocate,” he said amidst a fit of coughing.

“We can’t go outside either. The room next to us, is it empty?” I asked.

When Ty nodded, we all started moving at once. It didn’t take me long to get the lock open with a bit of magic. They really should ward against that. I jerked my head toward the window, and James and I crept up to it. Slowly and carefully I pulled the curtain back just enough to peer through.

There were two witches in the courtyard behind the building. One of them was coaxing a small fire to increase in intensity, while the other was directing the smoke through our broken window.

“Thomas still has his bow and we’ve got your magic,” James murmured to me as we watched. 

“I’ve got a better idea. I was able to catch the signature of one of the Committee member’s magic,” I said with a grin. “That means I can send him a fire message.”

“What will that get us?” Nic asked.

“We can get the Guard to surround them. So far we’ve had to play defense. I’m more than a little ready for some offence.”

James kept an eye on the witches in the courtyard while I slipped away to send the message. I didn’t want to be too close to them, but they would feel my magic either way. At least this would only be a little burst.

It wasn’t long before my phone rang.

“Parker,” I answered.

“I have contacted the Guard. I also warned them you might send something out from the second floor. I wouldn’t want them storming up to get you too.”

“I appreciate that. Do you have any witches on staff?” I asked.

“None that will be close enough to help. What do you have in mind, Ms. Parker?”

“Just little containment.”

“Very well. I shall meet with you in your room soon. We don’t have time to wait.”

“We helped ourselves to the room next door,” I said.

“Very well.”

We both hung up, and I turned to Cassidy.

“You up for a bit of containment?” I said with a grin.

“I would love to be of assistance,” she replied.

“I will aid as well. I would like to see firsthand what we are up against,” Randle added.

The three of us went to the window and watched as the witch’s frustration grew. They hadn’t expected it to take us this long to leave.

I focused on the fire for a minute, trying to gauge the amount of power being used to keep it alive. It didn’t seem like he was worried about it getting snuffed out.

“As soon as that fire goes out get ready to freeze them where they stand,” I murmured.

I took a deep breath, shattered the window with a brief touch, and flung a solid chunk of magic at the flame. It went out immediately, much to the surprise of the witch fanning it. Before they could react, their bodies froze mid movement. I summoned more of my magic and did my best to mimic the bubble they had used against me more than once. I wasn’t as strong as they were, but I hoped it would hold.

“I don’t think we can hold them for long,” Randle said through gritted teeth. “Their magic is fighting hard against ours. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“The Guard needs to hurry then.”

I felt a surge of magic join mine. It surprised me enough that I almost lost my grip on mine.

“I can help you keep their magic in check,” Gus said as he stepped up next to me.

Dex also squeezed in and added his magic to Cassidy and Randle’s. Still, they were focused and strong. I didn’t know what was taking the Guard so long.

“In Vale they train fairies with witches in combat. They learn how to fight each other. It isn’t so much that they are strong, it’s that they are skilled at exploiting weakness in other’s magic,” Gus said. “While their governance is brutal, their unity among races is unmatched.”

“Perfect. That should make this easier,” I snarked. 

This excerpt is taken from a lightly edited first draft. All content here may be changed or removed from the final book.

An Interview: Ty

 “Good morning, Ty. How are you doing today?”

“Can’t complain,” he said as he leaned back in his chair, propping his elbow up on the back of it. “How about yourself?”

“Can’t complain. Are you ready to get started?”

“Mhmm,” he said, sounding more like a grunt than anything else.

“What do you like about your job?”

“Keeps me busy,” he said with a furrowed brow. “Raffe is a good guy. Coin is more than fair, don’t have to worry about much… Well, until recently. Lots of worrying across the board now.”

“Would you ever consider changing jobs, and if so, what would you want to do?”

“Nope. Work can be hard, but I’m good at it. My brother and I get to work most of it together. Not a bad gig.” He stretched his legs out in front of him and ran his hand through his hair.

“What’s a hobby you have?”

“Wood carvings. Small things mostly.”

“Small things like…?”

He pulled his legs back to him and leaned forward in his chair slightly. The first sign of more than professional courtesy or indifference he had shown.

“Usually small animals, but sometimes houses. I started making a small village a while ago,” he said with a gleam in his eye. “It’s on hold while other things are being handled.”

“I’m sure you could get some carving done while waiting for information or plans. Vanessa wouldn’t mind.”

“Maybe. I need my attention on the matters at hand, though,” he said as he leaned back. His expression shuttered. He wouldn’t go on with that line of questions.

“What got you started in carving?”

He relaxed a little, glad the subject of making time to carve now wasn’t being pushed.

“My mom carved things. She did figures and statues of all sizes. Sometimes things so big she had to make them in parts and attach them together. My dad would paint them. Sometimes the whole thing, other times just details.”

“That’s really great. I would love to see one of them sometime.”

He grunted in return. It was unclear if he agreed or not.

“What skill do you have that might be surprising?”

“Gardening maybe,” he said thoughtfully. “Nothing about me looks delicate, but I can cultivate flowers, fruits, and vegetables almost as well as a fairy. Just not off-season like they can.”

“That is fabulous! Do you grow a lot of your own food then?”

“Not a lot, but some,” he said, propping one ankle up on his knee. “I don’t have the time to dedicate to a full garden. I focus on a few flowers in the yard, some tomatoes, and some peppers.”

“Sounds rewarding.” 

He answered with only a grunt.

“What does the perfect vacation look like to you?”

“I haven’t really thought of it,” he said, frowning. “I work when Raffe needs me. Sometimes it’s constantly like now; other times, I have several days to myself. If I ever need time for something, Raffe would allow it. Unless, of course, something significant needed tending.”

“So you’ve never had a vacation?”

“I… I guess not in the traditional sense. But I am happy with my work and unbothered by not having a traditional vacation. If Raffe sends us to another city on business, he always tells us to take a tour of the city and enjoy ourselves.”

“Vanessa mentioned at one time that Raffe was not someone to mess with, but he doesn’t seem that frightening the way you talk about it.”

A Cheshire grin spread slowly across his face as he leaned back into his chair. “That’s because he knows I am loyal, work hard, and he likes me. Cross him, lie to him, or interfere with his business or family and you will see a very different side of him. Raffe runs in extremes.”

“I see. I’ll make sure to stay on his good side then. Ok, our last question before we wrap up: what do you think would be a perfect date?”

“Good food and starlight.”

“That’s pretty straightforward. Can you elaborate at all?”

“I think that’s about it. Good food; I’m not picky on what kind. Sitting under the stars.”

“Why is that the perfect date for you?”

“What someone considers good food is important in the long run. Sitting under the stars allows for conversations, but silences are spent looking up, so not awkward.”

“I like that. Ok, I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you for sitting down with me!”

“Mhmm,” he grunted as he stood and stretched before heading back to the portal that would take him home.