Page 29 of Out of Sight

Ted blinked and stepped back as power flowed from the sky and back into Lucia. How had she ever thought that her cousin was quiet?

Chapter Six

A bunch of strange women and Achilles hugged Lucia. He was very impressed with her stone-to-flesh enchantment.

“Where did you learn that?”

“Well, when Win had created the USB grimoire, I touched it and got a whole bunch of information and not enough energy to use it. That changed today. I can do all kinds of sketchy shit.”

The djinn and mages laughed at her. The elves looked a little wary.

The king and queen walked up to her. Avor and Regis. Lucia smiled. “Thank you for hosting this get-together. I would normally have provided a hostess gift, but I will have to owe you for it.”

Regis reached out and took her hand. “You owe us nothing. One of my dear friends was in a similar situation.”

“Ah. Pandora.”

“You know her?”

“Yes, but she doesn’t know me. I was already pretty far gone when you set up house here.”

Regis paused. “You have been... here?”

“Outside the home. I am not super invasive, and I didn’t know what would happen if I came into contact with you ladies. Poking at random seemed insensitive. I have just been able to hang around and keep folks from sneaking up on you.”

Avor looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that when the white elite were sneaking around town, I would touch your neck and run through them, causing a collapse. When the shadow mages tried to snag Ira, I intervened. They stopped hunting at her school that day.”

He looked at her, at his wife, and then pulled her in for a hug. She muttered, “What’s with all the hugging?”

Regis said, “Your frequency demands contact. Be prepared to have a line of suitors out the door?”

“What door?” Lucia cocked her head.

Regis blinked. “Where will you live?”

“My home is long gone. I have to discuss it with my family. My brothers have started families, so that is off. My parents are semi-retired, so that is out of the question. I will have to figure it out.”

“If they don’t offer you a place, you can stay here. We have plenty of rooms, and Emperor Vaayu sent through a few more high-powered individuals who have a mind on partnerships. They were sent back in time and should be returning here in a few days.”

“Like migrating penguins?”

Regis smiled. “Yes. There were a few who might be a good match for you.”

“With a stone body? I am not even sure that I have genitalia. I didn’t want to ask Achilles.”

Regis blinked. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Well, I don’t want to think about it, but I will have to figure that out on my own.” She shrugged.

“If it doesn’t work out, you can always come here. I am serious. That is what the new palace is all about. It is for the sheltering and education of the new magic. Even without pointy ears, you are welcome.”

Lucia smiled. “Thank you. I could write programs but not like the apps that Ted works on. Mine were long and boring and not a lot of fun.”

“So you were really around here the whole time?”

“Yes. Their initial draw on me incapacitated me, and I lost my physical form a few years later. After that, they looked for me but couldn’t find me, but four of them were already using me as a primary power source. I had to watch the world pass me by, so I interfered when I could.”