The 14th Magician

On a cold night in New York, my mother taught me how to steal sunlight for warmth. It was the first and last time I would ever see her do such powerful magic.

 “The sun,” she had explained, “Is always there even when we cannot see it. It is always open to us.” She held her hands out of the open window.

“When you open yourself to the reality of it, it will in turn respond to you.” When our little apartment was flooded with light and heat, I, in my ignorance and excitement instinctively acted. The magic that ran through my veins sought my mother’s strength and without quite knowing how I had done it, I had taken hold of her spell and watched bewildered as sunlight flowed from me and bounced off the walls. It was then that my beautiful mother began to age. Her hair whitened and became brittle. Lines appeared where they had never been. Stealing her magic had weakened her for it is the rule of magic that to inherit this gift, it must be taken. Nature’s balance.

 As I have grown older, my magic has grown weaker. I, however, have retained my youth. You see, I have two children and it is in vain that I have tried to pass down the little bit of magic left to me. I fear that I will die eventually as the last magician of my line, lucky number fourteen. Normally, a young magician should grasp magic during puberty and once he or she fully comes into their power in adulthood, the magician from whom the magic came will fade. My children have seen my abilities but think of them as nothing more than tricks and illusions. They are more impressed by Penn and Teller.

“Father, your imagination is richer than you have ever been!” My son, Dimitri laughs as I tell them again of an old magic that would win them much in life. I do not laugh with him. I turn back to the window and look out to the city lights. The “tricks” I have taught them have given us wealth, but it is not material wealth that I wish for them.

“Hush, Dimitri!” Raina, his twin, scolds him. “Don’t say such things to him! Let him believe what he wants.”

Dimitri shrugs, reluctant as always to argue with Raina. She is formidable, my daughter. She is already dressed for the task at hand in short black dress, high heels. Her beautiful face hidden and yet, accentuated by make-up. It does not bother me to see her thus. She can take care of herself. I have given her and her brother the only thing they would accept, trickery. They both use it well. I listen intently to her plans and silently approve. So intelligent! She would have gone far in magic, alas. There’s a crackle of energy surrounding her tonight, and something suddenly occurs to me as I listen to her. For the first time in years, I feel a rush of elation.

“Raina, I would like to go with you tonight.”

Taken aback, she stares at me. “But dad, why? You told me that last time that you were too old, too slow.”

“Excuses.” I smile, echoing the words she had said on that occasion. I stand and reach out to clear a smudge of mascara from the corner of her eye. I palm one of her earrings and as I lightly stroke her hair, I take the other. Her eyes narrow with suspicion but she has noticed nothing yet. Dimitri begins to laugh.

Immediately, she checks for the necklace around her neck. Gone. Then, the earrings. Also gone. Her face fights amusement with annoyance. Dimitri laughs harder and I give in to one small smile. She smiles back and shakes her head.

“Okay Dad, you’ve proven your point.”

“Thank you, Raina.” I turn to Dimitri. “You can stay in tonight, son. I’ll just need to borrow one of your suits.”

“Take whatever you need,” Dimitri says, his eyes already going to the television.

Within minutes, I am dressed and ready. Carefully, I place my one little relic, my remaining source of magic into the pocket of my blazer. I can perform without it but, for tonight, I will need its energy and guidance. A rush of gentle heat runs through my body as it presses against my beating heart. I am almost faint with joy. It has been years since it has responded to me like this.

Dimitri shakes as head as I step out of my room and insists on adjusting my collar, my tie.

As Raina and I head out into the night, she keeps glancing at me, amused.

“I haven’t seen you like this in a very long time,” she remarks thoughtfully. “You’re full of energy and you seem almost happy.”

The last words come out with a tinge of sadness and I stop walking to fully look at her.

“Raina, you and Dimitri are my life. I am happy. How can I not be with my little elfin twins, my winning hands?”

Her eyes widen. “I thought you’d forgotten that.”

“Never.” I shake my head. Music blares from the top of a nearby building. It must be at least 50 floors high and yet, the sound bounces down to where we stand.

“Is that it?” I ask.

Raina nods. God, what passes for music these days! There is always a little guilt, a little apprehension before these tasks. It helps to demonize the victims. I hate the music. That’s enough.

“I guess that makes you my husband?” Raina grimaces.

“Yes, you’ll be an unhappy, trophy wife of course.”

“Gross.” She says as I chuckle and together, we walk to the task. There’s a security checkpoint. Raina has no purse of any kind and goes past the burly security men quickly. They give her the wide berth they rarely offer other women and don’t even attempt the inappropriate, “accidental” touches. Something about Raina repels them and my heart beats faster with anticipation. My blazer is turned inside out, I hand them my belt and shoes. I eye them carefully to make sure that my relic is returned to me. They find it of course but after a prod or two, decide that it’s safe and let me carry on. I tuck it back into the inside pocket of my blazer and arm in arm, Raina and I enter the festivities on the roof. The sound is assaulting. My brain is rudely nudged against my skull and yes, I am too old for this.

I mutter a very simple spell but I feel it strain against me, unwilling to come. I coax it out with effort and finally, I am able to dim the sound in my ears. Raina’s eyes are already trained on the task at hand. I follow her gaze to a young man about her age with a shaved head and tight-fitting, black clothing. Even his neck is covered with a thick, unnecessary scarf.

“This will be difficult,” I tell her. “I think he knows.”

She nods. “Oh yes, he definitely knows. Someone must have tipped him off. It explains the very tight security and his fashion choices for a warm night.”

“Are you sure about this?”

Raina smiles. “I’m sure. But, I believe you should take this one.” I feel her slip something into my pocket. She does this purposely so that I know it is there. “He’s assuming that a woman will come for him.”

“How many vials?”

“Two,” she answers. “One for insurance and one for payment. His name is Skrill.”

I nod and walk forward. Normally, I might have stood out. But, this party is full of a random crowd of people. Young, old, professional and not. Skrill is surrounded by admirers. Again, I pull magic and little by little, the crowd wanders off for refreshments, or suddenly spy intriguing strangers they had not noticed before. One of his admirers strongly resists me, her obsession gleams from her eyes and she sneers at me with pierced lips. I ignore her and walk right up to Skrill.

“Hello Skrill, my name is Dante,” I hold out my hand.

“We’ve never met,” he says, taking it. It’s not a question.

“No, but I’ve heard of you of course. Can’t say I like your music though.”

Surprised, he laughs loudly at my honesty and he asks me about the music I do like. I am still vain. I have kept my looks through the years and they help me gain a little of his confidence. I am patient. It takes over an hour to get him alone. We go downstairs to his apartment where he decides to show me his liquor collection. Hypnotism has nothing to do with the object and everything to do with the mind. I make eye contact with him and my voice changes, deepens. There are no magic words to this. It is simple concentration and, on his end, trust and attention. He slumps almost gracefully unto the carpet of his living room. From my pocket, I pull out a needle and two very small glass vials. There’s also a baggie of sleeping powder, just in case. I cannot leave him marked. I coax the needle into a smaller version, and it becomes as thin as a hair. He is deeply asleep and does not feel a thing. As I pocket the full vials, I think of the cameras, but I know that Raina has already taken care of them. I leave Skrill and head back out to the party. I relax enough to have a single drink when suddenly one of the burly guards makes a beeline straight to me. My hand slides into my jacket and my fingers tense around the relic, ready to pull aid from it.

Suddenly, there’s a loud, agonized scream and the crowd moves in unison towards the sound. The guard roughly pushes guests aside and the crowd parts to let him through. I recognize the girl with the pierced lips from earlier. Skrill’s obsessive fan. Raina appears beside me like magic. I smile at the thought. I release the relic and she delicately leads us away from the scene.

“What did you do?” I ask her.

“Planted two vials of blood on her and had her trip. They broke of course. The bodyguard is satisfied that it’s the attempt gone wrong. Skrill will too.”

We are out of the building and back on the streets.

“Did you have to drug him?”

I shake my head and hand her the unused baggie of sleeping powder. “No, he fell asleep from other means.

“Magic?” She smirks.

“Why not?” I give her the two, small vials of Skrill’s blood.

“What are they going to do with it?” I ask.

“Nothing terrible,” Raina assures me. “It’s for an old girlfriend who wants to prove paternity.”

“Why is he refusing? “

“He’s not refusing exactly but he would publicly embarrass her if they do it his way. She just wants to be sure he’s the father before going through courts. She’s also in the public eye. If the results prove that she’s wrong, it would damage her reputation.”

“Are you sure her intentions are good?”

“I made sure of it.” Raina says and I see it! A flare of magic curls around her words.

I reach for the relic again and-“It was just here!” I shout. Frantically, I search my pockets curse myself for the fool I am! It must have fallen out. It’s a delicate piece of blue silk. It could have easily flown out while I had taken out the vials for Raina. Oh God! I will never have it back. It will try and find another source, another magician. But if it doesn’t, it will fade and with it, its power. Losing the relic is the ultimate sign of unworthiness.

“What is it, Father?” Raina asks, concerned.

“Nothing,” I lie. “I didn’t lose it after all.” She presses me for a clearer answer, and I lie again, pulling out an expensive watch I had taken from a partygoer in a fit of arrogance. I toss it into the waiting cup of a homeless man on the sidewalk. He looks at me suspiciously and says nothing. I don’t need the watch or his thanks.

Once home, we find Dimitri where we left him, in front of the television. I keep things curt and go to my own room to mourn alone. My silk handkerchief. My one remaining link to my mother, grandfather and great-grandmother that had seen the skills within me and nurtured them. I had seen the skills in Raina too late. Without the relic, it would be impossible to nurture her magic.

A light knock on my door.

“Please,” I call out. “I’m very tired.”

Dimitri walks in anyway.

“That was locked,” I say.

“That hasn’t stopped us since we were about five,” he says grinning. I try to smile back but can only grimace. Raina walks in and stands next to her brother.

“Well, that’s the last time we try and play a trick on you,” she says and Dimitri, still grinning, holds up the relic. I see it flush with color within his hand.

“Got this off you before you left and Raina replaced it with a fake,” he says chuckling.

“Impossible!” I say. “I would have felt it!”

“Sorry, father.” Raina smirks. “I got the replacement off of you as we were leaving the party.” Raina waves a similar looking handkerchief and I cannot help it, I laugh and laugh. I go to them and I hug my twins close to me. They do not realize the significance of this moment but I do, I do! Dimitri and Raina took the relic without my knowledge and so, it is now rightfully his by conquest.

“Raina,” I say, “touch the handkerchief with Dimitri.”

“Father, we’ve done this before.”

“Please, just humor me.”

She does as I ask and finally, I feel it. The magic roars through me like it never has. I cannot touch the ground, it lifts me off the floor and I am given a last taste of its power, its protection before it curls itself around my children who cry out first in fear, then joyful acceptance. The tears on my face are hot, almost scalding.

Raina and Dimitri hug each other and I remember the first image I had seen of them, holding on to one another in their mother’s womb. They have their individual gifts, but their magic was always meant to be shared. For the first time in our line, there will be two magicians.

“Father! Your hair!” Raina cries out, pointing.

I turn to my mirror and I am not surprised to see that my hair has turned silver. This is the way things are. It’s time to make way for them. I do so gladly. There is now a 15^th and 16^th magician and our line, our magic continues!