The sound of the shower echoed through the silent apartment. The doorbell rang; there was a muffled curse as the shower cut off. A hand reached from behind the curtain and pulled in the short, dark kimono hanging on the bathroom door.

The doorbell rang again. "I'm coming," Aris muttered, slipping out of the shower with a towel on her head. She wondered who'd be at the door at this time of day.

"Yes?" she asked automatically, opening the door. There stood a tall — very tall — blond man wearing glasses and an unreadable look on his face.

"You're KiVA," he said. It wasn't a question.

"No, I'm afraid you've got the wrong apartment," Aris replied, barely covering her surprise at the statement.

"I have the right apartment," he said. "And you are KiVA." He had a slight British accent, and he was very polite, almost overcautious. He worried Aris; nobody should be able to find "KiVA" here. Certainly not a fellow who looked like all he'd ever searched for was ancient magazines in a library.

"Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not," she half-conceded, "But I am not going to stand here in my bathrobe while you announce it to the world. Come in." She watched him carefully as he entered. He didn't look like he'd been sent to bust her, but one never really knew. She decided he wasn't from her former employers - not the right style. He was too tall, too obviously scholarly, to be in that trade.

"So what do you want?" she demanded, glaring at him with arms crossed, after the door was shut. "And where did you get this address?"

"I have my connections," he said enigmatically, "Your call-name is not unknown in some circles. One only need ask the right questions."

"That still doesn't tell me what you want."

"My name is Lysian Scott, Miss Aris. I've got a job for you." Lysian smiled inwardly at the look on the woman's face. She was probably thinking how strange it was for a prospective client to seek her out, rather than going through the middleman, as was usual.

"You've got a proposition for me, you mean?" she asked. "Normally, prospective clients go through the proper channels." Sarcastic emphasis on the last two words.

"This is far from a normal situation, Miss Aris," Lysian replied. He wished he didn't have to do it this way, but he knew the rules. The job would be done, even if Aris didn't agree to the terms. Nonetheless, she would not take kindly to being pushed, and he needed her cooperation on this.

She stood up straight, glaring at him. "I only take jobs I want to take. And how do I know you'll pay what I ask?"

"Payment is no object. You’re the only one who can do it, Miss Aris," Lysian replied. "You're going to do it whether you want to or not. I wish I could give you the choice, but I can't."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No," he said, a resigned note in his voice. "This is your job. You'll do it. That's just the way it goes."

Aris eyed him warily, mulling over his statement. "All right, I'll listen to your proposition. But no guarantees, Mister Scott. And I don't listen to proposals in my bathrobe. Stay put," she ordered, spinning towards the bedroom.

Lysian watched her retreating figure until the door slammed shut. Sometimes he wished he'd never taken a job with Kaelmoneo Corp. and the Council. He kept getting into nutty situations like this. Aris was never going to believe the "proposal," and it was going to be pure murder to get her to agree with it. It sounded crazy to most people. But so did the Council. That's why they had the Kaelmoneo Corp. It was a cover. People didn't believe in magic, but the Council of the Thirteen was completely real. Lysian knew this for a fact. His boss was a Councilor. Lysian was more than a little involved in the esoterics of it himself.

He stifled another sigh. Twists and turns, and trying to convince someone like Aris to do something like he proposed... gods and demons, if she even believed him a little, it would be a miracle!

Lysian's reverie was broken by the sound of the bedroom door opening. Aris came out, looking more presentable. She had an odd look on her face, but she wasn't glaring anymore. He got a good look at her, and he noticed that the photos in the dossier didn't do the lady justice.

Aris had dark brown hair, highlighted with red and black, which hung about to her chin, and dark green eyes with wide pupils. In the rust-colored denim shirt and black jeans she'd donned, she looked a lot more human than she had in the short kimono and towel. He also realized just how short she was. The dossier had said 5 feet, 4.5 inches, but she was so slim she looked taller until she was right in front of him. She looked younger than her 26 years, but her face sometimes appeared much older.

"Sit down," she ordered. "I'll get a stiff neck trying to talk to you, and we won't get any business done." Lysian chose a spot on her sofa, and sat down, waiting for her to take the chair. She glanced at it, but didn't sit down. "Okay, Mr. Scott, what is your proposition for KiVA?"

"My employer sent me to you, because we need your particular talents for a sort of rescue mission. We did some checking around, and discovered you're as good as they say. You've got a ninety-five percent success record..."

"Only ninety-five percent?" Aris interrupted, bemused.

"You missed one or two while still working with your former employers. But you succeeded in getting away from them, which is quite an accomplishment," Lysian replied with a quick grin. He had her attention, now he had to figure out how to convince her. "And you're solo - something very unusual for one of your profession. Usually, there's an agency of some sort involved."

"What exactly is this job? A sort of 'rescue mission', you said?"

"Have you ever heard of Kaelmoneo Corp.?" Lysian asked. Aris nodded. "Ever heard of Telum?"

"Telum Industries, you mean? No one in my position can afford not to. It could mean a one-way trip down six feet," Aris said. Her brow furrowed. "Those two names don't sound like they'd go together very well. What's the deal?"

"This is going to sound a little unbelievable, but I promise you it's the truth. Do me one favor, Miss Aris, and let me tell you the whole story without interruption," Lysian waited for her nod of agreement, and then launched into his tale. He kept watch to see if she believed him, but she was standing motionless in front of him.

"Kaelmoneo Corp. is a cover for the Council of the Thirteen, the group that controls the Rules and the Magic in the world. Now, I know most people don't believe in magic, but it's there, and someone's got to keep watch over it. That's where the Council comes in. Kaelmoneo is always looking for those people who have talent, and teaching them to use it properly. They also teach the Rules, but of course, there are some who insist on breaking them. Which is where Telum comes in. Telum Industries is ostensibly a computer company, but anyone with any sense, or info on those sorts of things knows that Telum is a cover for an illegal arms dealership. Telum seems to have someone on the inside of all groups who oppose them - it's impossible to bust them, even on the most obvious charges. But what most people don't know is that Telum's CEO and creator, a witch by the name of Alisrana, not only has her fingers in the dark side of war, but also the dark side of magic. Alisrana's ambitious and unscrupulous. She'll do anything to get what she wants. She's gone a little far this time, and the Council has to intervene quickly. Not that they don't intervene generally, but usually they keep it to magic and doesn't involve 'civilians.’

"And that brings me to you, Miss Aris. Alisrana and company have kidnapped a young boy, one with a lot of talent but no knowledge of the talent. She plans to use him... pardon my cliché... to forward her evil plans. To continue the cliché, generally the Council would call in one of their enforcers to thwart said plans, but this kid is in some grand kind of danger, and the precogs tell us we'd better get him out of there before he's dead. Therefore, we need someone experienced in that kind of thing; our search led us outside the ranks of Kaelmoneo and the Council, to you. This isn't a magic battle; it's a kid's life... a kid who is probably destined for something big," Lysian concluded quietly. Aris still hadn't moved. She blinked twice, glanced out the window slowly.

She looked back at him, eyes serious. "You expect me to believe in your fantasy?"

"I don't ask you to believe it, or even to care. Nonetheless, it's truth, and there's a kid at Telum HQ who may never come out alive, without your help."

One eyebrow went up, and then she smiled wryly. "I may be losing it, Mr. Scott, but I do like your proposal. It's different. Maybe I will take this job after all. I don't know if I believe in your 'magic,’ though."

Lysian nearly sighed in relief, but he remembered he wasn't quite finished. "The Council has two conditions for you, though," he said carefully. "One is that you stay silent about this whole affair."

"Naturally," Aris replied, "All jobs are confidential. What's the other?"

"That I go with you."

Aris stared at the tall young man. "You've got to be kidding," she told him bluntly. He would ruin the job, of that she was certain. Lysian Scott was a nice fellow, but he just stood out too much. He was maybe 23 years old, stood about 6-foot-3, with shoulder-length, somewhat unkempt blond hair and metal-rimmed glasses. He wore khakis and an off-white t-shirt, with blue jeans and short hiking boots. The boots looked like they'd had a lot of wear, but the rest of Lysian Scott spoke of libraries and intelligentsia, not hard work or hazardous situations. She glanced up at his face and checked her thought; in his expression, Aris saw a determination and understanding at odds with his appearance...

"I'm not kidding," Lysian said, his voice quietly forceful. "You think I'll stick out too much, and ruin your track. Don't worry about that... I can take care of myself." The resignation and British politeness were gone; Aris found she had trouble reconciling what he sounded like at the moment to the man who'd walked through her door not so long ago.

"Tell me one thing, Mr. Scott," she asked almost timidly, "Just how do you fit into all this, with this magic and all?"

He smiled. "Ah, I did forget that part, didn't I? Well, my employer, Councilor Gralin, holds the Council slot for the order of magic-users known as the Quatremagia. It really should be renamed, because it seems like there's only four types of magic when you say that, but it's the way it is. Magicians of the Quatremagia fall into the classes of Warlock/Witch, Mage, Wizard/ess, Sorcerer/ess. The difference is in how they call up the magic. Warlocks use material objects in their spells, Mages use words, Wizards use hand gestures, and Sorcerers work directly from the flow of the magic," he paused, sheepish. "Don't let me ramble on; I've done a lot of research into the Quatremagia. But to the point, I am a Quatremagi wizard, which means I can call upon the magic by use of hand gestures.”

"Huh. I should have realized you thought yourself a magician of some sort," Aris said, belatedly masking her surprise. "You'll have to prove it."

Lysian frowned. "Proof is a matter of belief. But if you insist..." He waggled his fingers oddly for a second, and Aris felt the floor disappear from beneath her feet. She looked down and saw she was about a foot off the ground. Then she noticed that it made her eye-level with Lysian, and she grinned. "Now there's a trick. You could be hypnotizing me, but I don't know. Mind if I remain skeptical for a while? And would you please put me down?"

"Yes to both, Miss Aris." He made a wiping motion, and Aris was back on the floor. "Skepticism is healthy. And only you can decide what you believe in. But do you deny me the point that I can indeed handle myself?"

"If I do, I just may find myself permanently stuck a foot above the ground with no knowledge of flying. All right, you can come along. But I disappear at the first sign of trouble that I could have avoided by myself."

"Fair enough, Miss Aris. Besides, I know the layout of the Telum building - and exactly where they're keeping our captive friend," Lysian told her.

"If we're to be working together, call me Aris. Calling me "Miss" puts me on edge. Okay?"

"Okay. You may call me Lysian... or Lee, if you prefer. Mr. Scott is almost as bad."

"Reminds me of Star Trek," Aris agreed. "Okay, Lysian, what can you tell me about my... our objective?"

As Lysian told Aris about the kid they were supposed to rescue, said kid was sitting in a 15' by 15' room with one window, a locked door, and a mirror. It was furnished quite comfortably, but those were the only three avenues of escape, and they all were guarded. Cristofer Jettas, age 16 and a junior at Lodge High in Meresetta, NM, was certain that the mirror was a two-way mirror like you saw in all those movies. He still felt like he was in one of those movies. He had no real idea why he was here... the lady who came to visit him said it was because of that near-fall he'd taken on his mountain bike during the race last week... or, rather, the recovery. He didn't know why he hadn't fallen. By rights he should have wiped out, but he hadn't, and he really couldn't remember why not. Ms. Raney said it was instinct. But what kind of instinct was so important that someone had kidnapped him?

That was before Ms. Raney had started getting mad. She said that his instinct had locked itself up, and he would have to find it, or she'd make sure he really fell the next time he tried to crash the 18-speed bike. Cris glanced in the mirror and frowned at those who watched behind it. He wished he didn't have to look at his reflection, as well. It looked like he was pissed off with himself.

Cris finished glaring at the mirror and picked up a book. They'd given him some good books, at least. Ms. Raney might be a witch (or rather, a more impolite term that Cris' mom would have slapped him for thinking) but she did have good taste in "literature."

It was the next morning before Aris could get everything set up. This was business, and she was very thorough when it came to business. Lysian met her at her apartment in the morning, and she had to make the proper arrangements so that the landlady wouldn't get suspicious, or pry into her mail or her apartment. They drove to the storage place where Aris kept her equipment, and then to the airport. Aris lived in Washington DC, but the kid lived in New Mexico someplace, and Telum Industries had its headquarters outside Gunnison, Colorado. So it was a little bit of a journey, but they did have a chartered plane.

Lysian had explained that since they'd brought in a "civilian," there would be no magic in the rescue attempt. Actually he'd said that there was a reason why magic was a bad idea, but that that was one of the things he'd not been told, and that was why they'd brought Aris in.

Aris thought it all rather silly, but Lysian hadn’t even blinked when she named her price. She wasn't greedy, but if she had to make a fool of herself, she'd rather get some recompense for it. And she liked Lysian, which was unusual. Aris was a loner; she had virtually no ties to the world at all. She had no friends, no family, no romantic interests and she wasn't looking for any, either. Her mother had left when she was 4, and her dad had raised her alone, moping after his lost wife and doting on his only child. When she was about 15 or 16, he'd started dating another woman, which had severely limited Aris's relationship with her father. Things got a little tight at home after that, and she'd left right after graduation.

She sort of drifted until Harris discovered her, and her talent for petty larceny. But she didn't like stealing, and she'd switched sides. She'd done some time in the more sophisticated thieveries of the James Bond world, but that wasn't her style either. So she'd broken away, but she couldn't leave it entirely. She was too good. And she liked it. She didn't like the blatant disrespect for the law that was inherent in most of what she'd done... even what was called "legal." So now she freelanced, and chose her jobs with preternatural care. No wonder she had never lost a case while soloing. But some of her jobs had been fairly difficult... like this one was bound to be.

Aris woke from her reverie as the plane began to descend. Lysian chuckled behind her, and she turned to see him typing rapidly on a small notebook computer. He glanced up, muttered an apology for the noise, and turned back to his typing.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Trying to get the full dossier for Cristofer Jettas."

"What's funny about that?"

"Nothing. It's just that I've another program running simultaneously that keeps bumping unrelated information onto the screen. Some of what comes up looks rather odd." Lysian replied with a grin. Aris rolled her eyes and faced forward again. Lysian was a confusing fellow. He'd told her earlier that he had a degree in History from Oxford, and one in Computer Science from someplace she'd never heard of, but he loved spelunking and traveling. He worked for the Council of the Thirteen (she’d been reluctant to ask thirteen what), and he was a listed employee of Kaelmoneo Corp. But his job for Kaelmoneo was as a historian, and his job for Councilor Gralin was almost an enforcer. Aris still wasn't sure if she believed in magic the way he did, but she'd seen some strange things while they'd been preparing the previous night. She was still skeptical, but she was more inclined to believe him than not. Lysian was, if not anything else, firmly grounded in reality... as he saw it. He was practical; it was just that some of the things he was practical about seemed a bit odd to Aris.

Thinking about Lysian would likely give her a headache, Aris decided finally. She turned her mind from the past and her companion to the future and her job. Lysian had shown her a basic map (he swore he'd have a better one after they landed in Gunnison), and she had to decide how to get them in.

Later that evening, Lysian stretched and massaged a stiff neck. "How on Earth do you manage to stare at a map for so long, Aris?" he asked incredulously. "I'd get sick."

"How do you manage to stare at a computer for hours at a time... and on an airplane?" Aris replied, the grin on her face belying the sarcastic tone.

Lysian laughed. "Point taken."

"Let's get back to work, shall we?" Aris replied, turning back to the map. "We don't have all year. And I think I have an idea."

Lysian leaned over the map again, as Aris outlined her plan. It would take a few days to set up, but it was the least dangerous method they could come up with. By the time they split to their separate rooms for the night, Lysian was confident they would be able to pull off the rescue fairly safely.

He awoke the next morning to an insistent beeping, coming from the direction of his notebook. Recognizing the tone, he flipped it open and hit a few keys. The message scrolled up on the screen, and he stared at it for a few moments in sheer disbelief. He shut it, pulled on his clothes, and banged on the door that was the divider between his and Aris's room. The door opened, and he experienced a slight déjà vu... she was wearing the same kimono, and had her hair in a towel. He stopped himself from doing a double take, and said, "We've got trouble. Your plan was great, but I just got a message from Councilor Gralin. There seems to be a conjunction of stars... or something... tonight, and Alisrana will force the issue with Cristofer. He's in deep trouble."

"What...?" Aris’ eyes widened. "I don't know about the magic still, you know that... but I do think that if you're nuts, Alisrana's worse than a fruitcake. And if you say Cris is in trouble, I believe you. How long do we have?"

"Tonight. We've got to get him out before moonrise," Lysian said.

Aris swore. "I hate being rushed. Give me a few..." she shut the door, and Lysian could hear her rummaging around in her room. He was about to go back to his computer when the door opened again. "Lee, get dressed. Wear comfortable clothes in dark colors, and good shoes. If you've got any weapons that you're good at, you might want to bring one. And be ready to run."

Lysian noticed how the tone of voice changed. Aris was doing a job. He was helping her, and therefore in a subordinate position. He decided not to argue. He began rummaging for some decent clothes.

Aris dressed quickly, choosing her outfit with great care. It wasn't that she wanted to look good, but she wanted to make sure she didn't stand out. Her outfit consisted of a charcoal gray jacket, a black catsuit, and a long, faded blue t-shirt with soft-soled ankle boots. No jewelry, save a small pair of earrings and a watch. She also had a leather backpack, which had all the equipment she should need for a venture like this. When she finished, she knocked on the dividing door and waited for Lysian to open up.

She glanced critically at his choice of outfit. Lysian had on black jeans, a dark navy blue chamois shirt, and the jeans jacket he'd worn at their first meeting. He also had the hiking boots on. He looked more like he was ready for a hike in the mountains than to break into a building guarded like Fort Knox. Aris nodded approvingly. He also had a backpack on, one of the L.L. Bean types in dark gray, but it didn't have the reflective strip.

"You're really going to have to tie your hair back,” she said, glancing up at his face. He ran one hand through the bangs, and went looking for a hair tie. The bangs were a little long, but that couldn't be helped. Aris noticed he looked better with a ponytail. But it was more helpful anyway, because it'd keep the hair out of his face. The glasses were the last thing Aris wanted in situation like this, but Lysian assured her they wouldn't cause him any problems. She didn't press it - they didn't have time to argue.

They'd picked up a Jeep at the airport, courtesy of Lysian's boss; Lysian dropped the keys in her hand and got out the roadmap. Aris smiled to herself. He was being a very good "partner," and he knew enough to realize that when she was forced to abandon Plan A on such short notice, she preferred to get Plan B once she got to the site. It was easier to adjust the plan with the objective in sight, so to speak.

They drove out of Gunnison in silence. Aris was mentally going over the blueprints of the Telum building as she drove, and Lysian only spoke to direct her to a turn. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she got the sense he was worried. She wondered what he knew that she didn't. Aris knew he’d avoided going into too much detail on the magical aspects because she was still skeptical about that, but whatever had come in that message earlier had spooked him. And Aris had the distinct impression that he didn't spook easily.

It took about an hour to get to the Telum building. It was up in the mountains, and Aris had to cut off the main road about 3 miles from the site to avoid notice. It was rough going, even in a Jeep, but it was better than walking. The compound was fortified like a military base, though it wasn't obvious. There was a fence, naturally, but it seemed designed more to keep animals out than humans. It wasn't electric, nor was there any frequent guard patrol. There was one guard for each section of the relatively square fence. Each guard followed the fence on his side of the compound, and passed one specific point twice in any given hour; the guard changed every four hours. There were two guard posts at opposite corners of the compound, and the fence had an elaborate alarm system set up. Getting onto the compound would be the easy part, Aris knew. She'd examined the 'prints in detail the night before, and as she glanced over them now, she saw that the maze in the building would be murder to thread.

Inside, according to Lysian's sources, there were guards for practically every hallway. The building itself was a four-story structure, with few windows on the ground floor. The boy was being kept in a room roughly in the middle of the fourth floor. The layout was a little crazy; the building's rough shape was three interlocking squares, touching only at corners. The halls were arranged around rooms, and sometimes through them, but it seemed as if the rooms had been planned first. Anyone in there who didn't know the layout would get hopelessly lost within a few minutes. The first floor was the worst, but it was also the logical choice for a break-in (or out) to go through.

Aris glanced up at the building and back to the map. Second floor was the easiest route of entry. There was a corner pointing towards their location, and corners made it easier to climb. They also made it harder to fall on the way out. Once inside, it would be pretty much touch-and-go, as the sentry schedule was erratic. There were adequate hiding places, though, and the general plan was to get to Cris's room and back out again. Aris wished she could have had more time to get a detailed plan, even with erratic sentry schedules, and was painfully aware how skimpy this plan seemed. But she couldn't get any more detailed. If this had been an information assignment, and she had been alone, it would have been a cinch. With one extra body on the way in, and two on the way out, it wasn't wise to have an incomplete plan. But it was the best she could do. She told Lysian the plan, and he nodded agreement. They set out to get in.

Cris was up early, as usual. Only today didn't feel usual. Ms. Raney had said that something special was going to happen today, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what it was. He'd have to get out of here, and do it quickly. Only problem was, he didn't know where “here” was... other than on the fourth floor someplace, and that only because he could see some of the rest of the building out his window. Which killed the window as an escape route. That left the door and the mirror. The mirror was too small to squeeze through, if he broke the glass. He knew he couldn't work on the door with whoever-it-was staring at him. He swore under his breath. Then he remembered something he'd seen in a movie, about how someone in a similar situation had used the sheet that was for modesty's sake to block the view of the door. But he had a separate bathroom, with a door but no other exit. He didn't have a sheet.

He debated turning the lights out, but there was an infrared light above the mirror that didn't go off. If he could only get that light out, he'd be able to blind the camera. He wasn't extremely tall, and even with the help of the chair he couldn't get anywhere near the damned thing. It was excruciatingly frustrating. He tried the bookcase, but it was bolted to the floor.

"There's got to be a way to turn that thing off!" he muttered to himself. "I wish the damned thing would just go out!" He hit one palm against the wall, fingers splayed a little unusually, then flopped against it, glaring up at the light. He didn't notice the flicker of gold on the wall above his head.

The light was out.

He stared at it incredulously for a long moment, then rationality kicked in, and he realized that he must've shaken a wire loose when he slammed into the wall. It didn't make much sense, but it was the only alternative he could think of. Anyway, he'd lucked out, even if he had bruised his palm. Cris wasted no time in grabbing his backpack and trying the doorknob. It was locked, but he knew that he just had to get the handle off to work the lock. His dad was a carpenter, and Cris knew how buildings worked. Had the hinges been on this side, he would have tried to unscrew them, but they weren't and he couldn't. He had the toolkit for his bike with him in the pack, and that had a screwdriver. It was too small, but it would have to do.

It didn't take him long to get the doorknob off, and then all he had to do was pull back the lock. He opened the door quietly, looking up and down the hall for guards. There were none. Just as he was shutting the door (so that it looked like he hadn't left), two guards came around the corner. Cris broke into a run, leaving the door wide open. It didn't matter anyway, now that he'd been seen.

"Hey, you!" They started after him. He turned a corner and skidded into an adjoining hallway. Running on, he realized that the hall dead-ended. But there was a door, not visible to someone in the main hall, and he nearly passed it. This one was unlocked, but when he opened the door, he found two more guards - looking very surprised - staring out at him. He tried to take advantage of their confusion and push past, but one grabbed him.

"Where do you think you're going?" the guard sneered, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. He slapped them on Cris's wrist, and pushed them tight. Cris stifled a yelp - he wasn't about to give these louts the satisfaction of hearing him in pain.

"Ms. Raney'll want to see this one,” the guard who'd handcuffed Cris told his companion. Pushing Cris, the two guards headed for the next hall over.

Lysian followed Aris up the corridor. They'd gotten in with no problems, although the changing of the guard had been a little too short for his liking. The way the shadows fell had blocked them from the guard's view as they climbed the wall to the second floor. They'd had two or three near misses when a guard came around a corner suddenly, but Aris had always seemed to hear them coming and found a doorway or side hall until the guards had passed.

Lysian had neglected to tell Aris exactly why his presence was required, but now he almost wished he had because it was hard to concentrate on sneaking in while doing what he'd been sent to do. Aris might not believe in magic, but it was certainly real and a significant part of this whole affair. Lysian had to block the wards set by Alisrana, so that the magical burglar alarms wouldn't go off when the more mundane were avoided. And it was a little difficult, since the witch had guarded her stronghold very subtly. No one who didn't have acute sensitivities in that area would ever realize it had been warded without previous warning. Lysian himself was not extremely sensitive, but he could feel the wards because he knew they were there. Alisrana had been at this a long time; she knew what she was doing.

Aris suddenly stopped in front of him. It took only a glance for him to realize why. The door to the room that was supposed to hold Cristofer Jettas prisoner was standing wide open... and the inside door handle had been taken off.

"I think the kid decided the cavalry had taken too long," Aris whispered, "Damn! Now we're going to have the entire place after him, and we still have to find him."

Just as she spoke, the wards shifted from passive to active, slamming into Lysian’s spell hard enough to make him gasp. "Alisrana's discovered he's missing.

"What have you been doing?" Aris demanded. "I saw you twiddling your fingers a while back, but I'd forgotten what you'd said about wizards." She glared at him.

Lysian glanced at the door. "When I said I had to come with you, I had to do it for a reason. Otherwise, you could turn off the power to all the alarms you could find and still be located through the nonphysical ones. I didn't tell you 'cause you refused to believe in magic. But now Cris has set them all off, and she's looking for him. I think I can locate him, but you'll have to give me a moment...."

He started weaving his hands around before she could begin to protest. The energy built up, and he let it out to search for the untrained magic that was the calling card of Cristofer's aura. Almost instantly, he located the boy.

Lysian opened his eyes to see Aris staring at him. "I found him. But I’m not the only one."

Aris nodded, her eyes unsure but her face set in determination. "Let's go get the kid, before I decide to whip him for being a complete idiot." She started off, turned back to Lysian. "Well? You're the one who knows where he is."

Lysian took the lead, following the thread of magic-aura down the hall. Cris probably didn't know the layout to this place at all, and had promptly gotten himself lost. He hoped that Alisrana decided not to take chances with the kid and use her magic on him before he finished being useful to her. If so, they had the advantage of being closer to Cris than she was. Either way, they'd have to hurry. He started to walk faster, not noticing that Aris was nearly running to keep up.

Cris had been feeling apprehensive all day, but as the guards took him toward Ms. Raney, the uncomfortable sensation intensified. He had to get away.... quickly. If only there were something to distract the guards.... damn! If only there were some way to get his hands free! He struggled with the 'cuffs, feeling an incredible urge to just lash out and hit something, especially one of the guards. At least they hadn't taken his backpack. It was difficult to keep it on his shoulder, but as long as he had it, he knew they weren't paying proper attention and he might just have a chance.

Between silent curses and wishes, he glanced down to see if his hands were turning purple yet. In front of him, there was a flash of light. Cris looked up, startled, and started to bolt. The handcuffs and backpack hindered him, and he lost his balance and fell heavily, landing on his backpack. He cried out as his shoulder was wrenched by the landing.

He couldn't get his balance to stand up, and finally he managed to use the wall to push himself off the ground. Damned handcuffs! Both guards seemed to be blinded, so he staggered out of the room. His shoulder throbbed in pain, and the backpack didn't help one bit. He went as far down the hall as he could manage, found a turnoff, and leaned against the wall.

He knew he had to get out of this place, but he realized that he never would if he kept up as he'd been going. Suddenly, feeling like a little kid, he wondered if his parents missed him, or even knew he was gone. He wondered if he'd ever get out of this place, or if he'd be left walking through these halls like a ghost.

That thought didn't last long. He'd only be wandering until Ms. Raney caught up with him, and then he'd really be in trouble. He realized he should keep moving, despite the pain in his shoulder, but as he stood up two people he'd never seen before came wandering into the room. They didn't look like Ms. Raney's guards, but he didn't want to take chances. He started to do the only thing he could - run. He didn't make it out of the room before the man spoke.

"Cristofer?" the man said, "We're here to get you out." He was a tall blond fellow with glasses, and he looked concerned.

"Are you Ms. Raney's bloodhounds?" Cris asked warily, halting his flight.

"No way, kid," the woman replied. She was small compared to the man, and seemed much darker. "Your Ms. Raney would have our hides if she knew we were here with you."

Somehow, Cris believed them. But the pain in his shoulder reminded him he should be careful. "How do I know I can believe you? You could be here to convince me that you're on my side, and I'll end up back in that damned room," he demanded.

The woman laughed. "I don't blame you kid. But do you have much of a choice?"

Cris considered. "I guess not."

"Good," the woman told him. "This is Lysian, and I'm called Aris. We're here to get you out before your Ms. Raney decides to have all our heads for breakfast. Shall we go?"

"Aris," the man interrupted. She glanced at him curiously. "Cris isn't going anywhere with handcuffs on. Would you like to take them off, or should I?"

"I'll do it." Aris studied the handcuffs for a second, and then took off her backpack. Hidden in the front pocket was a case of lockpicks, and she removed one. A little twist in the lock, and the cuffs came off. The backpack slid off Cris's arm, and he sucked in a breath as fire ran through the injured shoulder. Both Lysian and Aris looked at him oddly.

"How did you do that?" Lysian asked.

"It's a long story," Cris said through clenched teeth. "Right now I just want to get out of here. You know the way out?" he asked. The woman, Aris, reminded him of someone, but he wasn't sure whom... or how. But anything was better than Ms. Raney. Aris nodded in response to his question, and gestured for them to leave.

Aris looked the boy over carefully. He didn't look like the kind of kid who'd be in this sort of mess. He was about 5-foot-8, with dark reddish-brown hair tied back in a thick ponytail, and hazel eyes. Not stocky, nor skinny like Lysian, he looked like a typical kid of 16, complete with blue jeans and a tie-dyed t-shirt with a picture of a peace sign over the Earth. Nothing like what he was supposed to be. And he looked vaguely familiar to her. She wondered suddenly why she hadn't been shown a picture of him when she saw his dossier.

She didn't get to wonder long, because footsteps came rushing down the hall in the direction they'd come from. She exchanged a glance with Lysian, who pushed Cris towards the other door and started running, grabbing Cris's backpack on the way. Cris put on the speed as well, and they were all three running down the hall as fast as they could. Aris mentally recalled the 'prints of the fourth floor, trying to figure out where they were. If she remembered correctly, there was a door in this hall that would take them back to the corridor that led to the second floor window where they'd come in.

"Stop them!" a woman's voice echoed down the hallway. Pounding feet could be heard through the length of the hall. Aris skidded to a stop beside one door, and grabbed Lysian's jacket. He in turn grasped Cris's arm, and both stopped, looking at her quizzically. She tried the doorknob.

"Locked!" She swore under her breath and slung her pack off her shoulder. She pulled her lockpicks from the front pocket. Cris and Lysian watched worriedly as she slipped the pick from the case and carefully slid it into the lock. All three heard the click as she twisted it, and the door slid open to reveal another room with a doorway on the other side. The footsteps were getting closer, and they barely got the door shut before the first guard came into sight.

Aris started for the other side, but Lysian held up a hand. Then he put one hand on the doorknob, and twisted the fingers of the other oddly. There was a tiny glow for a second, and when he took his hand away, the lock was melted shut.

"Gives us some more time,” he said to the surprised looks on his companion's faces. When they didn't move, he added, "Well? Are we going to wait 'til she gets down here? Go!"

All three started out the other door, going slower now that there was no one following them. Aris was in the lead, as she knew the route best. She could hear Cris quietly asking Lysian, "How did you do that?" She didn't pay attention to the answer, but she was wondering just how stupid she'd been not to believe Lysian in the first place.

"This is just too freaky!" she heard Cris whisper. She turned to see Lysian grin at him.

"Freaky or not, kid, we've got to get out of here before you start asking questions about the nature of the universe," she announced harshly. Lysian glanced at her, mild surprise on his face. Aris had the sneaking suspicion that he recognized that the harshness came from her realization that she didn't know just what to believe in anymore. She refused to return his glance. "We're going to be going through some well-used corridors, and we've got to be careful. We can't split up. If we do, you've got to stay with one or the other of us, kid. Okay?"

Cris nodded. Aris turned and led them on.

They reached a junction point, where four hallways met. They stopped for a moment, and Aris stood with eyes closed, trying to remember which way they needed to go.

"Left" she said finally, and started towards the left hallway. Cris followed her, Lysian behind him, but she backed up quickly, bumping into both of them. Down the hall stood a woman with angry eyes, who Aris knew at once was Alisrana.

Lysian had to catch Cris, who stumbled when Aris stopped. Lysian berated himself for not paying enough attention; he should have felt her coming. His carelessness had gotten them all into trouble.

"Did you think you could get away that easily?" she asked, striding up the hall to meet them.

Lysian started to reply, but Aris beat him to it. "Why not? Did you think you could keep us here?"

Alisrana's angry eyes bored into Aris's face. "Ah, you've got a lot to learn, youngling, about life," she replied grimly.

Aris glared back.

"The little kitten has claws after all. Too bad you can't learn to use them properly."

"What on earth is that supposed to mean?" Aris demanded. “What do you know about me?”

“Nothing that will matter after today,” Alisrana shrieked, reaching for the pouch at her waist.

Lysian began to motion for a warding, then stopped. "Don't use your spells, lady witch! You know what will happen if you disrupt the balance right now."

Alisrana's hand stopped mid-stroke. "The time of the balance!" she whispered, and moved toward Cris. Aris stepped in front of her, a knife in her hand.

"Try it and you die, bitch."

Alisrana whispered something, rubbing her ring. Her eyes were wild.

Something tugged at Lysian's memory. That ring was a charm for witchery! "Aris! Look out for the ring!" he yelled.

A harsh red beam flashed from the stone. Dodging, Aris dove at Alisrana, knocking the older woman off her feet. The two struggled on the floor, each working for control of the knife. Aris, her 'training' on the streets made for this sort of thing, quickly overpowered her adversary, a woman used to having others do the fighting for her. Aris knocked Alisrana out with the butt of her knife and looked at the unconscious witch in disgust.

"Let's get out of here before someone comes," she said to Lysian and Cris as she sheathed the knife. They ran down the hallway, toward their exit route on the second floor.

"What the hell happened back there?" Aris demanded after they'd gone down another corridor. Lysian looked back involuntarily, and debated on what he should tell her. He wasn't sure.

"I'll tell you later," he promised. Aris's eyes told him she'd hold him to that promise.

"Who sent you?" Cris asked suddenly.

"It's a long story, kid," Aris told him.

"It wasn't my parents, was it?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

"No," Lysian told him, "They miss you, but they don't know the whole story. My boss didn't want them worried."

Aris made a derogatory sound. "Don't worry about them, kid, they'll only get you into trouble."

"Why do you say that?" Cris asked.

"Hasn't this escapade taught you anything, kid? You take care of yourself, when you can. Parents are only there to make sure you can, and then it's time for all involved to move on." Aris sighed. "I'm sure your parents are wonderful people, but they've got their own lives to live. Let them live their lives and you live yours. It's better for all concerned."

Cris looked thoughtfully at her. "You sound like my mom. She always used to say stuff like that."

"She was right. My mother left when I was four, kid. But my dad spent ten years dwelling on his loss, and it ain't fun living with a father who can't decide who he loves. That's why I left. I've been on my own for nearly ten years, and it's been much better that way."

"Do you know what happened to her? Your mother, I mean," Cris asked. "Did she leave because she was unhappy?"

Lysian wondered if he should cut off the conversation, but decided against it. Gralin had thought that the one complication with the choice of rescuers wouldn't come into play, because of the personality of the rescuer, but he hadn't counted on that of the rescuee, apparently.

They'd come to another door that was locked, and Aris had been about to unlock it. She whirled on Cris, and shook the lockpick at him. "I don't know why my mother left, kid, nor do I particularly care. All I know is that she broke my dad's heart, and by the time he'd gotten it patched up again, he'd ruined mine!" She realized what she'd said, and went white. Before either Cris or Lysian could say anything, she'd unlocked the door and was going through.

Lysian noticed Cris's thoughtful look, but still didn't say anything. Let them figure it out for themselves, he decided, and that way if they don't there's nothing to worry about. Aris didn't say anything for the rest of the trip back to the window, and they made it out of the complex with no more mishaps. Lysian was lost in thought by the time they reached the Jeep. There were too many old memories tied in with this whole case, and suddenly, he wasn't sure why he was in the middle of it.

Aris was still acting a little sullen that evening, and Cris was worried about her. He didn't know what had happened to make Aris respond the way she had to what he'd said, but Cris wasn't sorry he'd said it. For some reason, it had been important to say it, though he didn't know why. But he couldn't very well dwell on that now, though, not when Lysian was about to tell them the story of why he'd been kidnapped by Ms. Raney.

Cris listened intently as Lysian explained to him what Aris had already heard, about the Council, and the Kaelmoneo Corp. He was surprised to learn about it - Kaelmoneo Corp. was a name synonymous with charity things like scholarships and Make-A-Wish things for sick kids, and that kind of stuff. This serious magic stuff sounded a little deep for that, but Cris knew that it was easier than trying to explain it to a disbelieving world. What really surprised him was when he heard that the reason Ms. Raney - Alisrana - had kidnapped him was because he had the potential to be a wizard, as Lysian called it. He'd always wanted to wish, but he knew better - hadn't he? And then when Lysian said that that was why he hadn't wiped out, he realized that what Ms. Raney had meant by instincts was the instinct to do magic, it was just unbelievable.

Then Lysian asked him if he wanted to learn how to use it, properly. This really sounded like something out of his favorite fantasy books, the ones his mother called satanic. Of course he said yes, then he wondered what his mother would think. Which reminded him of Aris's speech, and he glanced sidelong at her. She didn't seem to see him.

"What about Ms. Raney?" Cris asked finally.

"And what was all that about, that confrontation?" Aris asked.

"She'd had her last chance. She's been breaking rules for years, but when she took you, she crossed a line that she couldn't get back from. She had an ace in the hole, you see. Her magic puts her under Councilor Gralin's supervision, and she didn't want to be subordinate to him. She's his older sister," Lysian paused, remembering something the Councilor had said a long time ago. "She wasn't always evil, just ambitious, and very jealous. As long as she didn't fully disrupt the Universe, Gralin let her ‘play.’ The world needs some evil, to keep it in balance, and she was a harmless enough evil. But there was a bigger 'balance' at stake this time - she was going to use Cris as a link to the 'power surge' tonight, and change the way the world works... in her favor. The Council will take care of her from now on."

Aris was looking at him intently. "Is that why your Council said no magic? Because she would have disrupted the balance if there had been a fight?"

Lysian nodded. "To keep the balance, there had to be no magic outside the balance. I had to counter the wards, which canceled that out. I'm afraid I was the odd man out in this battle, but they needed one. Cris hasn't learned the spells yet, so there would have been an imbalance."

"Two and two?" Aris asked, trying to find the right "balance". She thought Lysian was hinting at something, but she couldn't be sure.

"No." Cris said. He just realized what had been so familiar about Aris the whole time, and it had answered the question of the balance. He didn't know if he liked the idea, but it was the only thing that made sense. "Family and family."

Aris stared uncomprehendingly at him for a moment, and then realization dawned. "Christ, no! You can't be serious, kid." She looked over at Lysian, who nodded. "You don't mean..."

"He's right, Aris. You two nearly figured it out earlier back at Telum. He's your half-brother," Lysian said.

"Mom never said she'd had any other kids. She never talked about her life before dad much. But she obviously didn't forget." Cris said thoughtfully. "Sounds like a nasty trick on her part, but I guess she never thought we'd run into each other."

Aris nodded glumly. Christ, she had a younger brother! He was nearly ten years younger than she was, and he was used to a family - the family she'd never had. Until that afternoon, she'd never cared one way or the other about her mother's life after she'd left her dad, and here she was stuck with the proof that the woman was indeed better off without dad. Suddenly she wished she'd never taken this job. Sure, Cris might be dead now, but she wouldn't have known him, wouldn't have cared. What with this, and the magic, her life was now upside-down, and there was no way she would ever get it back to the way it had been. Suddenly, she glanced up and caught sight of Lysian. If he hadn't come looking for her, if she hadn't let him sit down on the couch or let him come along she'd never be in this damned mess.

"This is all your fault! If it wasn't for you, none of this would have happened, and I'd still be just me. How dare you do this to me!" She didn't want to see the hurt look in his eyes, and she stormed to the other room, slamming the door so hard one of the pictures fell. She sat down on the bed and hugged the pillow, refusing to let herself cry. She, Aris, hadn't cried since she'd left home, and she wouldn't cry now.

Despite her resolve, the pillow was wet when the door opened quietly behind her.

"Aris?" Cris sounded worried. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. It's not Lysian's fault; it's mine. He can't help being caught up in this." A hand touched her shoulder, and she jerked away. "I'm sorry, Aris," he said again, quietly. He sat down next to her on the bed, and she was glad he was there.

"No Cris, it's not your fault," she said finally, "It's nobody's fault. Or if it has to be someone's fault, it's Mother's." She fell silent, and this time she didn't move away when he put his hand on her shoulder. They sat there like that for a time, and then Aris stood up quietly. "I have to go apologize to Lysian."

Maybe she was right, Lysian thought. It was sort of his fault, 'cause he'd brought her into this. He hadn't had a choice, but that didn't mean anything. He hated having to cause this sort of trouble, and thought he should be used to it by now, he never could reconcile himself to the necessity. Still, he would have thought Aris more practical than that. It hurt to see her fly off in a fury. It was a good thing he hadn't had to tell her that she was talented too; the talent flowed through their mother's blood, though it had lain dormant for several generations. That was something he knew she needed to discover for herself.

Still, he wished there was something he could do to make up for it. Maybe Gralin had had a reason for sending him along for the ride, but it did seem so awfully unfair to her. He heard a soft knock on the inner door, and glanced up to see Aris standing there, almost shyly. She looked like she'd been crying.

"Lysian, I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I shouldn't have yelled at you. It wasn't your fault. It was just.... well this is all so sudden... and I kind of don't want to believe it but I know I need to. I'm sorry." She glanced at her feet for a long moment. "Do you forgive me?" she asked, in a tone that said she wouldn't blame him if he didn't.

"Yes, I forgive you," he told her with a smile, "I may never forgive the Fates, but I forgive you."

As for what he hadn’t told her, there would be tomorrow to find out if she would forgive him.