Page 24 of Outlaw Witch

Another glance at the secretary and I can see his eyes have widened slightly. If he looks closely enough, he’ll see that the storm is localized. Focused just on this building. Just for him. His eyes dart to me and then to Felix before returning to his monitor.

Still no dice then.

We’ve been here for over twenty fucking minutes, waiting for a meeting that should have started by now. And this damn suit is really starting to chafe at my neck.

I figure we need a bit of excitement thrown in.

Electricity.

I push a little more magic out into the air and there’s a flash of lightning as the hail still pounds down. The level of noise is pretty astounding. It’s like a thousand footsteps pounding on the roof and the windows, rattling the glass as a crack of thunder breaks through the air.

The secretary jumps in his seat and I shoot him a toothy smile I know from experience scares the piss out of people. With a shaking hand, he answers a call on his landline, turning his back to the room as he struggles to hear whoever is on the other side.

He then stands and gives an uncertain brief nod, saying something that’s not audible over the din of the hailstone and thunder.

“The council leader is ready to meet with you now,” he says in a wobbly voice.

I pull my magic back into myself, feeling the rush of freedom and scenting ozone in the air as I do.

Man, what a rush.

“Thanks.” I show my teeth in another grin before stomping past him and joining Felix at his side.

Once we get into the meeting room, I briefly wonder if I was wrong and the council leaderwasactually in a meeting, and keeping us waiting wasn’t just his way of yanking our chain. But the look he shoots Felix when his back is turned is all I need to see to know I was right all along.

Shit on his shoe.

Doesn’t surprise me that he doesn’t like us. The only reason he has his seat at all is because during the last set of elections, one of his major competitors came down with a bug and was sick for the final week of campaigning, losing them valuable votes. Another two were found to have been embezzling city funds for the past five years, and it was revealed to the Arcanum Herald the month before the election.

Events that were mysteriously leaked right in time to influence the election thanks to our people.

He wouldn’t even be in his seat without our involvement, and he knows it.

Felix seems to think that gives us some power over him, but instead, it just means he clings tighter to his own position, lording it over us.

He’s joined by Cecelia Clements, one of the elemental magic council leads. She’s a tall woman in her fifties with dyed blonde hair so pale it’s practically white. She also has eyes that look like they’d laser you in half, given the chance.

The woman is terrifying. She also gives off major cougar vibes, so I try not to wind up in a room alone with her.

We’ve met a few times. Mostly at boring ass meetings like this one, but something about her face is giving me a weird feeling at the back of my neck. I don’t know what it is. Maybe the woman has a poppet doll in her pocket and she’s scratching me or something.

I brush off the creepy feeling and take my seat beside Felix, crossing my legs and squeezing onto a chair that seems half the size of the one that the Archarcans are sitting in.

It’s like we’ve been placed at the kiddie table. Another fucking power play. They’re subtle, but consistent with them. Reminding us not to get comfortable because we’ll be leaving soon.

Doesn’t bother me. So long as I can get out of this damn suit in the next hour and get to the gym, I’ll be happy.

“Mr Hawkshead, what can we do for you today?”

The tone the council leader uses strays into dangerous territory, almost like Felix is a pesky geriatric here with another complaint about kids gathering on his lawn. Not a businessman ready to talk about the partnership we have with the Archarcans.

Felix either doesn’t notice or he ignores their attitude, launching into a detailed explanation of the info we’ve been gathering on one of their council members. I can’t help but tune out, keeping my eyes on the window behind the two Archarcans. It’s now drizzling, which reflects my mood pretty well.

Bored and fucking miserable.

My mind strays to Fab and how much I wish he was here doing this shit instead of me. He’s always had a better tolerance for dull crap and details than either Roscoe or me.

Or maybe he’s just less of a selfish prick than either of us. We’ve always been more focused on our own interests. Ro and his need to fuck about, never taking anything seriously, and me with my martial arts and... finding anything else to do that isn’t work.

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