Page 15 of White Charms and Dark Secrets

Would breaking a mirror cause my bad luck to get worse? Or does an additional dose of bad luck just cancel the first out?

Biting my lip, I look up and notice I hold the attention of everyone in the room. I’m not sure if it’s for my entertainment value, or if they’re just staring out of sheer disbelief. I’d dropped two glasses, fallen over,andmanaged to break a once very beautiful mirror. All achieved in under an hour.

Suppressing a sigh, I grab my bag from its hidden spot under the bar and quickly rifle through, fishing out my bracelet. I stare at it for a second, resentful of its necessity, but I don’t want to cut myself cleaning this up. I’d have to mute my magic and wear the damned bracelet after all.

A screeching noise fills the bar, drowning out the soft music playing in the background. I jolt in surprise, dropping the bracelet before I realise it’s an alarm sounding.Shit. I crouch down, careful and deliberate with my movements to avoid the glass, and I reach for it. Once I’ve managed to grab the bracelet, I stand back up. I look around in bewilderment, the room has cleared and is nearly empty now.

I spot a couple of witches rushing to enter a portal that’s appeared on the far end of the room. It closes behind them as soon as the witch steps through. I gulp, glancing around at the last few stragglers in the room. They look a little annoyed, but not too concerned.

I suppose it’s safe to assume that wasn’t a fire alarm then.

“How come you didn’t leave with the rest of them?” I ask the only person still sitting at the bar.

He responds with a thin smile. “I’m not wanted for anything.”

“Wanted?” I question, confusion lacing my tone.

“EVERYONE STAY WHERE YOU ARE. KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!” a booming voice shouts from somewhere out of sight.

Suddenly, I understand the purpose of the alarm. It’s a loud warning for anyone here with an outstanding warrant, letting them know they need to vacate the premises. I’m a little unnerved at the realisation that included about ninety percent of the people in the damn room. Well, The Rift isn’t exactly known for its classy clientele.

I allow myself to relax a little. It’s not like I have anything to worry about; I’m not a criminal. Hell, I’m not even a suspect for murder anymore. Lizzy holds that honour now.

Biting my lip, I put my hands on the bar so that they’re clearly visible. The bracelet is resting on the bar, hidden under my palm as I haven’t gotten a chance to put it on yet.

The door at the far end of the room is kicked open, and a group dressed in black storm in. I count ten of them. The guy at the front of the group looks pissed as hell when he catches sight of the almost empty room.

“How the fuck did they know that we were coming?” a woman to his left gripes.

“Shut up, Cami,” the guy at the front snaps. He takes a deep breath before adding, “We might still have some luck.” He scans the room with a careful and methodical eye. Everyone who was drinking in the bar now sits calmly with their hands either held up or laid out on the table in front of them. The woman—Cami—releases an indignant huff.

“Now, nobody moves. You even flinch, and we will curse you down quicker than you can blink. No magic from any of you. Jimmy at the back there is watching all of you with his second sight. If anyone so much as casts a damned calming charm, you’ll be taken down. Do you all understand me?” The man barks out. Everyone stays silent and unmoving. I’m content to follow their lead, not wanting to draw attention to myself. “Perfect,” he mutters to himself.

The guy sighs and then strides over to the customer nearest to him. He pulls out a small device and holds it up in front of the other man, a calculating look on his face, “Do you know what this is?”

“Not a clue.” The customer examines the device with a wary eye, almost as if he holds a suspicion or two about what it could be.

“It scans you. Your face. Your aura’s signature. Your damned DNA. All in about two seconds. MagiTech has come a long way in the past few years, and they’re finally letting us take these out on trial,” he explains with a smug smile.

I notice a few people twitching nervously across the room. People that I’m guessing may not have a warrant out for them specifically, but their DNA or magical signature? I’d be willing to bet some of them at least have something to worry about.

“Scan away,” the customer says, shrugging his shoulders. Clearly, he isn’t one of the worried ones now he knows what the device does.

The guy in black holds the scanner out in front of the customer’s face. A beam of light dances out from the device, before sharply cutting out. “You’re clean,” the guy says, sounding a little disappointed if anything. He moves on to the next customer, a petite woman with white blonde hair. Light fae, if I had to guess.

Cami pulls an identical device from her pocket and makes her way towards the guy sitting at the bar across from me. I notice the sweat beading across his brow. She grins, looking like a cat playing with a mouse when she, too, sees his nerves.

He looks between her and the others that enter the room with those weird-looking scanners. His fingers twitch against the bar, and a drink appears in front of him. He quickly grabs the glass, throwing its contents at Cami. She shrieks, covering her face with her hands as she falls to her knees. I duck down behind the bar as bursts of attack magic shoot across the room in the direction of me and the assailant.

I hear a pained grunt, followed by the sound of a body thumping onto the floor. There’s more movement and magic fired, as everyone seems to panic and start scrambling. I stay hidden behind the bar, telling my curiosity to shut up for once. I know that with my luck, I’d get hit by a stray curse if I so much as peek my head over the bar to see what’s going on.

The sounds of chaos seem to go on forever, but the clock on the wall tells me that, in truth, only a few minutes pass. A sudden quiet descends on the room, as all the sound seems to die out at once. I debate taking a look over the bar, but swiftly reject the idea. Instead, I stay hidden behind the bar and try to steel my nerves by taking quiet, but deep breaths. I pocket my bracelet, not wanting to risk them picking up on its magical signature if I put it on.

I should ask Rhydian about hazard pay.

“What do we have hiding back here?” I hear the lead guy’s voice ask. I cringe, looking up as he slides over the bar to stand in front of me. He peers behind me at all the shattered glass on the floor. “I didn't notice this happen,” he comments, eyeing the shards from the broken mirror.

“Ah, I broke it just before you guys turned up,” I explain as I rise, careful to keep my hands visible and my movements slow and unthreatening. I look around and notice most of the others seem to have left. Only Cami and one other guy remain on the other side of the bar.

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