Chapter One

 The library on campus was nice, massive and quiet - just as Mary Wilson liked it. She had settled in for a good study session when her phone vibrated with a message coming through: ‘911: please come home, mother.’

“Oh, jeez.” she whispered and packed her book bag with everything.

Thomas looked up, “Hey where do you think you’re going?”

“Mother needs me, it’s says it’s urgent. And the Harvest Moon just passed, which means she’s either forgotten to move house, or she has moved house and needs help unpacking… either way to her it’s urgent.” she slung her book bag across her and walked out of the library, grumpy that she couldn’t study with her favourite people today.

Mary walked for twenty minutes to get back to her on-campus apartment she had with two other people, to find her keys didn’t fit. Frowning, she went to the neighbour, a lovely older woman who knew everything which went on, as she not only owned the building, but didn’t really go anywhere, “Did you change the locks to my apartment?”

She shook her heavily-rollered head, “No. I thought you did. Some people came out, took all of your furniture - just yours - and then changed the locks and gave your flatmates keys… thought you got a set.”

“So none of my stuff in in there? This sounds very much like my mother.” she sighed, “Thank you Mrs. Tricket.” Pulling out her phone, she dialed her mother’s mobile, only be greeted with a recording that it had been disconnected, and no forwarding phone number was to be found. Standing outside, Mary walked to her car and got in. She had her books, just the clothes on her back and her purse on her… that was it. There was nothing else she owned, except the car and her mother bought it for her as a graduation present a year ago - and she was lucky to actually get to graduate at all, seeing how many schools she had moved around to.

But first things was first, she had to find out where her mother was, and where her belongs were, and what the bloody hell was going on! She started the car and drove off down the empty street to find her mother and tell her to grow up.

 

Pulling up to the house she last knew her mother to be living at, she saw a real estate agent walking out the front door, and locking it up. A sign had been pegged in the front yard to say it was ‘For Sale’, and Mary’s face fell, as she pulled up to the curb and put the car into park, “Dammit.” turning the vehicle off, she got out and locked it, “Excuse me. How long has it been since the last person was here? I mean when was it put on the market?”

The pretty little elf-looking real estate agent turned from adjusting the sign, “Oh hi! Would you like to inspect? It’s by appointment only.”

“No. My mother lived here and now, she’s suddenly vanished and this is the last place she was. Her phone is disconnected as well; only hours after she told me to urgently ‘come home’… to where, I don’t know, seeing it’s for sale now.”

The young woman laughed, “Oh, you must be Mary! Here I was to to give you something.” she walked out to her car and opened the boot. Mary stood on the footpath, sweating in the midday sun as the agent, who didn’t seem to sweat at all, rummaged around in a box and found something, turned and gave her a thick folder, “Here. Your mother wanted you to have this. She told me to personally give it to you.”

“What about my belongings? I have nowhere to live.”

“Oh, she did that too. You’re supposed to move once a year, every year like her… but she’s found a permanent place for you both. She wants you to go to it.”

“Where would that be?”

She laughed, “I can’t tell you that. She organised it all, and she said you’d like it.”

“Great, just great… she always says that.” Mary took the folder off the real estate agent and sighed, “Thank you.”

She drove to a cafe nearby and went through the folder and found a business card to ‘Billy, Bob & Son’. She gave it a withering look, “Gee that looks legit.” pulling out her phone, she called the number on the back and made an appointment, only to find one had already been made for her that afternoon.

 

The lawyer’s office was something to be seen. It was a massive big office with gargoyles on the outside and marble columns on the inside lining the halls. When she approached the building, and looked up, she could have sworn she saw a couple of those gargoyles bending over, and peering down to the street to get a good look at her - their wings moving as their bright red eyes glared at her.

She wasn’t sure of it, but she felt as though they were watching her walk inside the building - and she really didn’t want to go inside, just in case once she was in there, she never came out.

And once inside, she found everyone were just lawyers, and desk clerks and… well pecking out a living like anyone else.  However, she also found there was little things she saw from the corner of her eyes which seem to move, which didn’t seem right. As she turned to look at these things dead on, they vanished or disappeared.

“Mary Wilson.” a voice called out and she turned to find a lawyer walking towards her, a wide grin on his face, a hand out to be shaken.

“I don’t shake the hands of people I don’t know.” she said.

“A good ideal to live by.” his grin stayed unwavering on his face, “Now, you’re here to find your mother. She vanished again… and this time, took everything that was yours, leaving you behind.”

“How do you know that?”

He turned, his pin stripe suit showing he’d watched ‘The Untouchables’ too many times, “Well, you’re here aren’t you?” with a move of his head, he signalled they should keep walking, “Come on, let’s talk a little more privately.”

“And yet, not so privately.”

He turned and looked at her, “Oh dear, you’re like her, aren’t you?”

“Like her…?”

He took a step back, observing her up and down, “Yes, yes, I should have seen it, but you are your mother’s daughter completely.”

“You still haven’t told me who you are.”

“I haven’t, have I?” he muttered, “I’m Thomas Benson.”

“I go to uni with a Thomas Benson.”

A small smile pulled at his mouth, “I’m one in the same. Come on, let’s go to somewhere more private, or not, seeing you’ve spotted the gargoyles aren’t what they seem - well, are what they seem.”

“What?”

“Well, you wanted to meet somebody at school… uni… and your mother made sure it was somebody who was just like you.” he smiled, “We are a match made in… well, I wouldn’t say Heaven, but it’s kinda like it.”

“We better get talking about how to find my mother… and without you tagging along.” she frowned, “I don’t trust you.”

Thomas chuckled, “I wouldn’t trust me either, Mary, I really wouldn’t. But then, I’m not your lawyer, I haven’t passed the bar yet, and I’m just working here to get experience.”

“And exactly where is ‘here’?”

They came to a door and he rested his hand on the door handle, then turned to look at her, “Well, here is between Heaven and Hell, between Earth and Purgatory; it’s a no-man’s-land for the magically inclined… and that is what your mother is, and I’m afraid to say, so are you.”

“You’re telling me that I’m a witch?”

Thomas took a deep breath, “No. You’re something more dangerous, and your mother was right to move as many times as she did… and she didn’t move your things, I did.” he looked to his feet, “I did it for your protection. You’re mother has all of of your belongings, but it’s a matter of finding her and moving you there.”

“Where is there?”

Thomas smiled, “Now, if you’d let me in and trust me, we can work together on this… I won’t betray you.”

“How do I know that?”

His eyes twinkled, with humour crossing his face, “This place, this building, is one place where nobody can lie - no human, no demon, no angel, no mage… nobody. And I’m telling you the truth. I won’t hurt you, or let anyone hurt you.” he looked at the door, “Now, my boss is in there, don’t let him push you around, he’s a smooth operator.” he knocked on the door, and they heard a loud grunt from within, “Let’s go.” Thomas opened the door and they were greeted with a massive office filled with books, a huge ornate desk and behind it was a tiny man who looked like he wouldn’t hurt a fly. But Mary remembered Thomas’ words, and besides, she could feel something serious going on here, it felt as though a bolt of lightning was about to strike, but it was holding back.

“That feeling you’ve got, that strong, lightning feeling… yeah that’s his power feeling you out.” Thomas said, “Best to let him, otherwise you’ll just piss him off.”

“Miss Wilson, I presume.” the small man behind the massive desk indicated to the chairs in front of his desk, “Please take a seat. We have some work to do, and I have some things to give you for your search. Thomas will help you in any way you need.”

She walked over to the chair and looked at it, “I’ll stand.”

“You’re scared of me.”

“I’m… yes. I am, and of this place.” she said, “This morning I was at uni studying to be a journalist, and now I’m in some magical place between Heaven and Hell… so, I’d like to stand, because if I sit down, I don’t think I’ll get back up again.”

“The truth, I like that.”

“I have to find my mother.”

His eyes narrowed, “And you have to hone your skills as well.”

“Names seems to fall by the wayside around here.”

“I’m Balthazar. I’m your lawyer.”

“So, my mother is a…?”

“She never told you?”

“Told me?”

“Your mother is an Old Crone.”

Mary looked at Thomas, “What?”

Thomas whispered, “Relax, it’s a good thing. You’re mother has been on Earth for centuries, and their authories are catching up with her, so so moves all the time. So, it was time we stepped in.”

“And me?”

Balthazar stood, “You are you… but when you were born, you took your mother’s powers completely, and will come into them when you turn twenty-five. You are nineteen, and still have a few years to go. However…”

“However?”

The lawyer looked at her, “You have begun to use your powers sooner than expected.”

“Huh? How?”

Thomas and Balthazar exchanged glances, “Most people can’t see the gargoyles on the building for what they are… you did. And you could see the nymphs around the office. And you felt my power as I tried to read you… most people have no idea I’m reading them.” Balthazar said, “That’s using your powers… and I’m impressed you didn’t blow up something first.”

“I have blown up a few things at high school… the teachers told me it was a faulty light bulb or something. But, well, it was too weird.” she said.

Thomas pointed to her hair, “And when you were born, you had blond hair, and now it’s red. That’s a sure sign you’ve come into your powers fully, but you need training on how to use them without killing somebody and blowing things up.”

“So, I have to trust a couple of demons with my legal dealings?” she asked.

Balthazar smiled, “Well, we make the best lawyers.” he pulled out a small box, a letter and a set of keys, “Besides, I’m just here to give you these things.” he looked at Thomas, “My protege is here to help you with anything else you need after this.”

Thomas took up the three items off the desk and handed them to Mary, “I’ll go to the bank with you, as that’s a safety deposit key, and help you with anything else you need, Mary.”

“And I’ll be here for anything else you need, in any way… you will need me in the end.” Balthazar grinned, “You all do.”

Thomas turned her from him, and they left the office. As the door closed, he looked at her, “I told you, he is a smooth operator. But you did well in there.” he smiled, “Now, let’s find the bank before it closes.”