All too often what one plans to do versus what happens are two vastly different things with far-reaching consequences that might not be evident at first. It’s a combination of the old saying ‘the best laid plans’ and ‘chickens come home to roost.’

  Or something like that.

  When I got into the building, I knew there was something terribly wrong. The Gate was active, colors swirling madly in a bizarre pattern that almost reminded me of iridescence on a bubble. Except, no, there were two primary colors, and they were flashing back and forth. I frowned, watching for a moment, and then I realized what I was seeing: A battle for control. Someone was trying to take the Gate from Angelique, and by the looks of it, they were winning.

  Green flickered, flashing up against scarlet, and for a moment, the Gate looked like a demented Christmas ornament. I knew that if I didn’t help, the Gate would be taken by whoever held the scarlet power… but I also knew that my own abilities weren’t compatible with Angelique’s. She’d recognize the touch of my power, but I wasn’t sure how I could help beyond provide a new target.

  It didn’t matter, in the end. The Gate had to be protected, as did Angelique. If the scarlet wielder broke through, they could burn Angelique’s magic out and leave her helpless. I focused my will, called my Fire to hand and magically plunged into the Gate.

  My magic strained for a moment, and then found a foothold between green and scarlet, sliding in like liquid heat and beginning to push back against the scarlet. I felt Angelique’s surprise and grateful retreat as I pushed the offensive, gaining ground against the scarlet, which flashed around my magic with an angry flare.

  Touching the Gate surface made the battle easier, and I stepped into the threshold, taken by the magic and suspended in the sphere of power, much as if I were floating in water. I would be more protected from physical attacks this way, but I ran the risk of disadvantage to magical attacks, especially from my opponent. I could feel the scarlet magic trying to size me up, and I realized why Angelique had been having such a hard time; it was multi-elemental.

  Angelique was an Earth mage to the core. If it came to nature versus nurture, she’d win, hands down. But against an enemy that could slip between the elements and become something else, she didn’t have a hope. Unfortunately for my scarlet-wielding opponent, I wasn’t restricted to a single elemental base. Unfortunately for me, that secondary element was the aforementioned ‘rogue’ element, and I didn’t trust it.

  I wasn’t given much chance, a wash of magical power sweeping through me and leaving a scorching intangible pain in its wake. I’d missed defending from the attack and if I hadn’t been able to heal, that might have ended my assistance in the Gate holding. I felt my healing rise within me of its own accord, and trusting it to do what was needed, I released my Air to play with the Fire.

  Magic shimmered in the Gate around me, my own orange glitter of power catching the silvery blue that I’d added and balancing it into something that shimmered violently from orange to blue, like the flickering of flames. Green power flickered around me, Angelique transferring through the Gate to physically stand behind me, perhaps to protect me, perhaps to protect herself. I wasn’t sure, but I was too busy fending off the glitter of scarlet to consider it. If I could draw the scarlet-wielder out, could bring them through the Gate and into the physical, I could take them on both fronts and have the major advantage. As it was, I only had a minor magical advantage.

  I drew my magic back towards me, trying to entice the scarlet-wielder out, and for a moment, I saw him. He was tall, pale of skin and shirtless. Long black hair ran past his shoulders and his face was contorted in fury. Leathery wings were spread behind him, and I realized that while I’d thought I’d destroyed the demon called Rathbourne, his magic had simply slipped into the Gate when his physical form exploded. I was going to have to destroy the magical creature now. No wonder Vanessa had been skeptical.

  Then, power slammed into me, raking me with pain, and the tight focus I’d held on my own magic was lost. I felt something shift, felt my magic react to the pain, and the oddest sensation washed through me. It felt as if I was falling, that rushing downward sensation that hits you right as you’re falling asleep, only I didn’t jerk myself awake. Instead, more magic rose to meet me, flashing past me, out of my control. I fell out of the Gate and landed hard on my back, the floor knocking up against the back of my skull; pain translated into sound I could taste and colors I could smell.

  Disoriented, I reeled, sitting up and vaguely hearing Angelique in the distance. I couldn’t let the demon sit in the Gate and wait for the next hapless soul that attempted to visit Charleston, so I rolled to my feet and staggered into the Gate again, magic at command. This time, I didn’t fight my power as it rose within me, and I knew when it impacted with the demon; I felt the creature fade from life within the Gate.

  I paused, collecting my wits, wondering why I had felt it, my healing sweeping within me to undo damage I hadn’t realized I’d taken, thanks to adrenaline. After some time, I realized that I was cradled, cushioned, a strange rippling of sensations, and for a moment, I mistook it for being in warm water. But when I opened my eyes, I was suspended in a sphere of power rippling around me, washing through a Gate that was glittering with an electric energy. Alarmed, I slammed my magical shields in place, and the Gate vanished, taking with it the magic that had held me in the air.

  Not one of my better ideas, that.

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  I slammed back onto the floor of the warehouse with what would probably have been a comic ‘ow’ if it hadn’t been happening to me. There came the sound of footsteps, and I cracked open an eye to see Angelique crouched over me, looking at me in concern. I think it was the first time in a long time that she hadn’t slapped me on sight. And then she slapped me.

  It was less of the angry ex-lover type of slap that I was accustomed to, and more of the type of slap one uses to bring someone else around after they’ve been unconscious. Either way, it stung, and my healing once again rose to the occasion, and I reached up to catch her hand as I opened my eyes fully. “Stop that, Angelique. I’ve been through enough in the past few minutes. Christ.”

  She smiled, nodding to herself. “There you are. Much better. Thank you for the assist.” She moved to help me to my feet, and I brushed absently at my pants as we moved away from the Gate’s sphere of influence. “You put on quite a show. I didn’t know you had any Earth magic… when did you gain that?”

  Earth magic? I didn’t have any Earth magic. I frowned at Angelique. “Did you hit your head in your fight with him? I don’t have any Earth magic at all.” I might not have been able to heal her, but I could call Xelander if Angelique had been injured, and I looked at her critically. She was looking back at me and was steady on her feet. Granted, that didn’t mean a lot in the grand scheme of things.

  “I distinctly saw Earth magic. Right before you fell out of the Gate the first time. A great bit of Earth magic, too. Washed right from you and into the Gate, taking control from me. It was almost too much for the Gate, to be honest. I’ve never seen one turn electric like that before.” That could have explained the odd sensations I felt from the Gate, but I still didn’t have any Earth magic.

  I shook my head. “Wasn’t me. I’m told Fire and Air can make electricity, but I’ve not actually tried it. I suppose that could have been what you saw.” And that could have explained how the demon fell so easily. Arc magic wasn’t something many encountered the wrong end of and lived to tell the tale. Oh, please. Archmages. Arc mages. They specialized in combining Fire and Air. If I had enough control over my Air, I’d probably be one.

  Angelique shook her head vehemently. “No, that was Earth magic. I felt it. Green and rich, full of life, and probably as close to a Class A as I’ll ever want to sense. It was… I don’t dare call it Holy power, but it was Life magic. I’d swear my soul on it.” And she thought it had come from me. The Arc magic, I could buy. Not Life. Not…

  “Oh.” I said out loud, realizing what had to have happened. I reached into my shirt pocket and pulled out the twig. It was dull, lifeless, the little green leaves withered and curled against themselves. “It was this. A dryad gave it to me… it must have been a protection.” Because I’d shown her a kindness, and she’d looked at my soul and known I was bound. “I’ll… take it back to her.” And thank her profoundly.

  Angelique looked to the dead twig and then looked to me. “That was powerful Earth, Jedah. You be careful. Whatever dryad gave that to you isn’t something to be toyed with lightly.” Magic rippled at her fingers as she reached to the twig, and she shook her head. “Very powerful, Jedah. I could pour myself into that twig and never bring it back to even half what it can contain. You must give that back.”

  I whistled under my breath, looking to Angelique. “It was nodebound, and the tree looked old. She’s probably been here since before Charleston was a colony.” There was no way that I wasn’t going to return the twig now. I carefully tucked it back in my shirt pocket and then stuck my hands in my pockets.

  “Jedah…” Angelique said slowly, clearly thinking it through. “You and I both know that was no dryad. That’s an Elemental, and you be careful. The last thing you want to do is piss her off.” Angelique put her hands on her hips and looked at me. “Do you want me to go with you? Smooth things over?” She was, after all, aligned to that element, and would find it easier to interact.

  “No, I’ve already spoken with her once, seen her take Human form. I think I’ll be fine. You should go back home and let Headquarters know there’s an Earth elemental in Marion Square and set up the proper channels for a Protection Act.” All known elementals had locations documented and the surrounding lands placed under a Protection Act… which was basically an entry into a database that wouldn’t allow for mundane building on the land. I wasn’t concerned about Marion Square, but it was wise to follow procedure.

  “Yes, that’s a good idea. Let me just open the Gate…” Angelique lifted her hand towards the Gate, but nothing happened. She frowned and cast her magic out towards the Gate again, and then turned to shake her head at me. “It’s no good; I’ve lost the Gate.”

  I reached out with my magic and felt the Gate reach back for me, magic linking across and securing the connection. “Ah… sorry about that. Looks like the Gate realigned itself to me in that fight. I’ll release it on the other side.” If I could. I still wasn’t certain what had happened in that strange momentary rush of power, or the truth of what my magic had done.

  She made a face at me, but we stepped through the event horizon and emerged in the arrival alcove at London’s headquarters building none the worse for wear. It was smoother than I remembered Gate travel to be, and once we were through, the Gate shimmered and then vanished. Completely and totally vanished. I turned, blinking, and reached magically for the Gate.

  It snapped back into existence, and I stepped through it to Charleston, and then felt the Gate close. I sent just a hint of will towards the Gate and it reappeared, and I stepped through it to London, looking at Angelique in surprise. “Did you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Close the Gate when we passed through.” I turned back to the Gate, watching the swirling surface for a moment before turning back to Angelique, who was shaking her head. “When I stepped through, the Gate vanished like it never existed. It reopened only when my magic touched it…” I reached again, feeling for the Charleston Gate and the London Gate took on a silvery sheen as they connected. “Well, Hell. I think I stole a Gate.”

  Being connected to a Gate had both benefits and drawbacks. The benefit was that I could always prompt a Gate to open to Charleston, no matter where I was or who owned the departure Gate. The drawback? No-one else could use the Charleston Gate. Which, upon reflection, wasn’t overwhelmingly terrible.

  Angelique stared at me in befuddlement, and I moved to kiss her on the nose before slipping back through the Gate and closing it behind me in the warehouse. What? You wondered why she hit me every time she saw me? I always left her with good reason to do so.

  Having the Gate meant that I would need to purchase the land where the Gate resided, and I pondered what I’d do with the property. I could easily turn it into Greenspace using my Irish landhold company and just say that I had wanted to expand into Charleston for a while. It could co-exist with the Aquarium and the public park, offering grass for picnics, perhaps a venue for outdoor concerts other than White Point Garden and take care of an eyesore. I liked the idea, and full of my plan and myself as a result, I headed for Marion Square.