“Claire, you’re up,” the boss growled through the intercom.

Taking a deep breath, I carefully closed my book, put it on the table next to my chair, and headed for the Lift. Launching myself from the landing, I flapped to the dispatch office on the roof of the Rookery. I grabbed my bag from its hook in the hallway as I entered the office, and headed to Sal’s desk.

“What’cha got for me, Sals?” I asked her.

“That’s boss to you, Claire,” she replied.

It was our ritual. She adores me.

“Delivery for the Burning Tower. Class IV enchanted parcel.”

I whistled low and long. Class IV was high-level stuff. Someone had put a fortune into protecting this package from magical spying. That seemed odd considering it was going to the Burning Tower, the literal home of some of the most powerful magic users in the city.

Ah well, none of my business. I only deliver. If I started getting nosey about packages, I would be out of a job fast, and this is an easy paycheck for me. I get to spread my wings, put on speed without worrying about the cops, and had plenty of downtime to do my own work. The living arrangements and food aren’t bad either.

After evaluating my reaction at a glance, Sals nodded her head once and held out the address. The pickup was at a small, older apartment building on the south side of town. It was more than a bit run down, and we didn’t usually get deliveries to, or from, that part of town. The delivery name, Simon Dales, wasn’t one I knew, but it didn’t really matter. The Burning Tower had a receiving office. It was only my job to get it there and get a signature showing that I had gotten it that far. It all seemed a bit strange, but it isn’t my job to wonder about such things.

“I’m on it Sals.”

“You’d better be. That’s what I pay you for,” she replied making a shoeing gesture in my direction.

After carefully securing my bag to my body, setting it comfortably around my wings and across my body, I headed for the bay doors at the back of the room. On a beautiful day like today, they were wide open. This was going to be a cakewalk. The sun was out, and the temperatures were warm enough to have created some updrafts. It was always fun to play in city wind currents, and I do love to stretch my wings, but it’s also nice to just get the delivery out of the way so that I can play on my way home.

Snapping my wings open I dropped from the landing of the Rookery. The location of the building was chosen because it is a sea of updrafts. All I needed to do was circle a little and it felt like I would rise into the clouds. I let myself savor the breeze ruffling my feathers before heading for the Burroughs.

These days all buildings had their addresses on the roofs. It used to be that all humans were stuck on the ground walking everywhere, but with the return of magic, flight was a fairly common thing.

I found the pickup location, 567 Shepherd Ln. It was, as I suspected, a rather run-down apartment building in the poor, human section of the city. Without cyberware or magic, it was tough to do more than survive. Still, the building was in good shape and the grounds were well kept. There was even a garden on the roof where I landed.

Despite the nip in the air in the early mornings, autumn hasn’t really set in. This garden was amazingly green and fertile. I could see veggies and flowers everywhere. The tenants really took care of it. I made my way to the door and down to apartment 21C one floor down. I knock three times, and announce myself, “Courier.”

I’m not superstitious, but this can be a dangerous job and we all know three is a magic number. I hear steps and tapping from inside and I take a step back, just in case. The door creaks open, slowly revealing a small, old man. He appears to be of Asian descent. He has white hair to his waist and a fu Manchu mustache that touches his chest. He comes up to about my armpits. Granted, I’m 6’3”, but that’s still pretty short in my book. He is wearing an outfit like one of those you see in old kung fu movies with slippers that have a separate space for your big toe and everything. He takes me in with one glance and I can feel myself squirming uncomfortably. I’ve never experienced it until now, but this must be what it means when they say, ‘he could read my soul with one glance.’

“Ah, welcome. Come in and I will get the package.” He stands aside and gestures me in with the cane he held in his left hand. That was where the sound of tapping had come from it seemed. I politely entered and stayed just inside the door as he shuts it and heads to another room.

I kill time by examining the calligraphy he has all over the walls. I don’t mean in frames, I mean painted right onto the walls. It seems a bit odd, but the overall effect is beautiful and captivating. Symbol flows into symbol. I wish I could read it. I can only imagine that it sounds as beautiful as it looks.

I shake myself free from the beauty and carefully unclip the delivery pack from its harness. I take out the magical sealing strips and the permanent marker. Once a customer uses the strips to seal the bag and writes the name of the recipient on the strip, only that person can break the seal. Most of the time, I never even know what I am carrying, and it’s the reason our services don’t come cheap. We guarantee delivery with no tampering. Most of the time it’s not a big deal, but the job, as I said, comes with some risks.

“Would you care for some tea, Courier?” he calls from the next room. It must be the kitchen.

“No thank you, sir. I appreciate the offer but I must stick to my schedule or the boss gets mad.” I respond. It’s even true. Sals would get really mad at me for goofing off, and if I was going to get Sals mad it would be for doing something more fun than drinking tea.

“As you say, young man.” I hear the tapping again and he shuffles back into the room with a smallish package. It’s about one foot by six inches by two inches. Well within the expected size for my delivery bag. I hold out the bag to him. He takes the bag and carefully inserts the package. He has obviously done this before because he reaches out for a seal, carefully seals the bag, and writes the name of the recipient on it, Thomas Sendon. He hands me back the bag and I secure it to the harness again. He watches me carefully with a little smile. As I finish he gives me a slight bow. For some reason, I return the bow the same way and see his smile get a little broader. No doubt this guy is a kook, but he seems nice enough.

With that out of the way, I head back up to the roof. Next stop, the Burning Tower. Feeling energized by the day, and ready to get this class IV out of my hands, I run to the edge of the roof and leap. My wings snap open and I feel the wind running its fingers through my feathers and hair. Glorious. I start to drop but flap to gain altitude and take to the skyway.

The good news is that with all the magical possibilities out there, there still aren’t so many fliers that the ways are crowded. I dodge in and out keeping my eye out for patrols. They have wings so I don’t understand how they can be so harsh about enforcing the fly lanes, but whatever. All I have to do most of the time is flash them my messenger bag and they cut me some slack.

It’s an easy flight across town. The Burning Tower is in front of me before I know it. It’s a sleek glass creation. At 30 stories it was amazing to buzz. I’d come in fast at floor fifteen and turn up at the last second and run my fingertips along the glass up to the runway on the roof. In a normal building that wouldn’t be fun, but when I say this is a glass creation, I mean it. It’s made of solid glass, completely smooth and polished. Since it’s the home of the Magic Circle, it defies the laws of physics, and it was designed to flaunt that. It curves and twists its way into the sky giving me lots of arcs and twists to follow. And there won’t be fingerprints because nothing leaves a mark on it.

When I get to the top, I fly up another ten feet then come down onto the runway. I guess it’s more like a plank really; you know, the kind pirates use. It juts off the roof of the building. It’s large enough for a griffon to land comfortably and walk through the large doors into the receiving area. Those doors are usually shut. The messenger traffic all enters through a smaller side door.

Actually, thinking about it. The whole thing if approached from the right angle would look like a winking emoji with its tongue stuck out. Huh. Can’t wait to tell Kee about that.

I knock three times on the messenger door. It opens and I pass through. The door frame is inscribed all over with runes. In the past, I have seen them start to glow and once they were so bright I had to close my eyes. On those occasions I was ushered back out, my package was removed and placed in a magic sphere which I assume kept everyone safe from the contents. I really only knew second-hand tales from Kee.

Kee is my best friend. We have known each other since middle school. We were both outcasts. Me for my wings and him for his mad magic skills. By eight he could tell if anyone was using magic, and his honesty had him telling on our magic-wielding, cheating classmates. Needless to say, he did not make many friends that way. Just me. But that was okay because we both enjoyed testing our new skills. I learned to carry him while flying. He learned how to find things using his magic. We made a whole childhood business of finding missing pets. I would fly him up above the houses, and he would scan for the missing critter. Together we had a great success rate.

Now of course, since we graduated high school, we’ve had to find gainful employment. I guess in that regard we got lucky. I got my dream job at The Rookery delivering high-priority items, and Kee is a junior scanner at the Burning Tower.

I wait in the door frame for the full fifteen seconds to ensure the runes won’t go off, and they don’t. With a nod and a wink for Kee at his post near the door, I head for the delivery desk. I remove the package from the harness and show it to K’estra, who’s manning the desk today.

“Hey, K’estra. I have a class IV delivery for a Thomas Sendon.” I inform her.

“Hey, Courier. I’ll call him up.”

I hang out at the desk until she contacts Sendon. K’estra is a super nice mage. She loves to talk about her dog, Bethany. I don’t have any pets myself since they aren’t allowed at The Rookery. Growing up, my parents had a cat, so I don’t know too much about dogs really, but I love hearing about Bethany’s exploits. Apparently, she loves to be dressed up; if you can trust K’estra’s word for it.

We both snap to attention as the elevator dings. An older man, at least I assume he’s older because of the gray sprinkled through his hair, steps out, and storms over to the desk. He has an incredibly sour look on his face, his lips twisted in anger, eyes narrowed, and brows drawn down. K’estra instinctively shrinks in on herself. I step forward to interject myself into his narrow focus. His face relaxes into a more neutral pose when he sees that he has an outside audience. I hate people like that.

“K’estra, what is so important that you called me when I had my do not disturb on?” he demands, and I’m sure he’s being far more gentle because I’m there despite the ugly tone of voice.

“Sir, you have a Class IV package and it needs to be delivered to you directly. I apologize for the need to disturb you,” she whispers.

“Mr. Sendon?” I interject.

“Yes, I’m Thomas Sendon.” I extend the package to him. He looks at it and hesitates for a few seconds. Class IV is no joke. If you touch it and you aren’t the messenger or the intended recipient; well, there are consequences. I wonder about his hesitation, but before I can wonder too much [and let my mind go on to a myriad of conspiracy theories] he reaches out and grasps the package.

Despite the hesitation, there are no fireworks. I release the package. He turns around without another word and heads back for the elevator. Jerk. I turn to K’estra and roll my eyes. She gives me a rather wan smile, but at least it’s a smile. I really don’t like this guy, but hey, none of my business.

“Have a great day, K’estra. Give Bethany some extra love from me, and keep posting! I live for her pictures.” I say with my most winning smile. That’s done it, she’s really smiling now. Good. With a wave for Kee, I head out through the side door and take a running leap from the tongue, snapping my wings open.

For a moment I just hover in the sky there. It’s not weightless for me, but it’s got to be close. I dip one wing and I’m off. Dropping below the skyway, I twist and turn between the buildings. Being careful to stay above the second floor so that no one calls the cops on me, I put on the speed and play my favorite game of chicken. It may seem harmless, but unless you know the buildings well it would be easy to hit a sign, or a flag pole, or an awning. I’m good. I don’t hit anything in my mad flight. I even pick up a few pigeons as I enjoy my tour of the city. Before I know it, the buildings start getting shorter and further between.

Leaving the city proper, I head for the suburbs. The community of Lafayette is just outside of town but they have a lot of greenscape; city of trees and all that. The trees aren’t right for a forest run, but without pavement and other city niceties, the air currents have a different flavor and feel to them. I enjoy testing myself against their variety and randomness. Cities are generally pretty predictable in the air.

Since the return of magic, huge strides have been made in cleaning up the environment. Fliers don’t like a faceful of smog, and with the Magical Rights Law, we don’t have to put up with anything which would inhibit our natural gifts. The rivers got cleaned up as well for the Aquas. All cities have a minimum requirement for green space to give the nature dwellers a place to live. Nature is returning to nature.

Eventually, I headed home, back to The Rookery. As my feet hit the roof I hear, “Claire, to the office. NOW!!” bellowed from inside. I sigh then head inside, wondering how I’ve pissed Sals off this time. She eyed me up and down.

“Glad you’re okay,” she grumbled.

“Why wouldn’t I be? You know me Sals, I was just out enjoying the day.”

“Because the Burning Tower is now literally burning and I wasn’t sure if you’d made it out first,” she said, studying my face. “No need to worry, Kee is okay. He reached out to make sure you were okay. You’d better contact him right away. Use the office mirror.” she said. I could feel the shock showing on my face.

I raced to the mirror, closed my eyes, and pictured Kee. When I opened my eyes, he was there in the mirror. “Thank the Maker!” he whispered. “I thought you were already gone, but I wasn’t sure. I’m so glad to see you in one piece.”

“What the heck, dude! What’s going on? I go play hooky and it all hits the fan. Spill!” I exclaim.

“Just as you were leaving there was some sort of magical…explosion? Implosion? Incident? It’s hard to describe. Basically, something big happened, and when it was done the Burning Tower was…burning!”

“What?!? That’s crazy!”

“I know. At first, the building went on lockdown. No one was sure what was going on. K’estra and I saw this weird greenish glow around the door. We both tested our skills against it but we couldn’t sense anything. We reported it but security already knew and told us to stay put. About an hour later we were given the all-clear but the glow was still there. We checked it out and it looked like a low burning fire around the building. You could put your hand on it and not feel a thing, but it was totally there! I didn’t feel a thing when I touched it; not physically or magically. That’s when I realized you had left about the same time. I freaked out and tried to reach you, but Sals said you weren’t there. Glad you’re okay, dude.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. How are you guys? Are you still on lockdown?”

“Not entirely. They found out that it’s safe enough to enter and leave the building. Most everyone was sent home. I’m still here though. They want to talk to me about your delivery. If you haven’t heard from them yet, I’d expect to hear soon.”

“They’d have to get through Sals first. She’s really good at standing between us and authority.”

Kee dropped his voice to a whisper, “I don’t think even Sals can stop these guys. They are the black suit type.”

“You okay?”

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m scared. These guys aren’t government; they’re magic counsel. They own my ass. I guess it’s good that they’re letting me call you, but if I disappear, don’t look for me; it’d be too dangerous.”

“Never happen, Bro. You don’t disappear on my watch.”

“Thanks, dude. I think I should go.”

“Understood. I’ll talk to you again. Keep in touch as you can.” With a shaky smile, Kee shut the connection.

My mind was going a million miles a minute. No one wants to mess with the magical counsel. Kee owed them big time because they paid for his advanced magical training. They found a position for him, and he needed to work for them for another ten years at least in order to pay off his debts. Not to mention that as a mage you pretty much had to be a part of the counsel guild. It was hard to get employment if you weren’t. Now he was in their hands, but not in a good way. And if that weren’t enough, they wanted to talk to me! Why? Did this have something to do with the package I delivered? I didn’t know anything about that and the laws around package privacy were almost as tough as client/attorney privilege. You don’t talk about deliveries. The only information you can share is pickup and delivery addresses. We can’t share descriptions of the people on either end or anything like that. They could get everything they need from Sals.

Sals! I bet they’d already contacted her. I headed back to her desk.

“Hear from the Magic Counsel lately?” I drawled.

She raised one eyebrow at me, “Finally up to speed are we, Clarie?”

“I bet you know more than I do.” I sighed.

“Of course,” she said, turning her head back to her computer.

“Oh c’mon, Sals! Dish! Kee is involved.” I wheedled.

“I can’t do much for that troublemaker, but yeah, they reached out. I gave them the addresses and told them to stuff it on the rest. They wanted to talk to you, but that’s a no-go. They know that.” she took a deep breath, “But, Claire, I’m taking you out of service. You need to stay in The Rookery until this blows over. I’m being serious here, kid, these guys are no joke and they really want to talk to you. I don’t want you violating your oath to us intentionally or unintentionally…if you know what I mean.”

My heart dropped. This was serious if Sals was telling me to stay home. She knows I would never violate my oath but she still said that. That meant she thought they would force the issue.

“Okay, Sals. I can catch up on my games.” I said and turned for the inner sanctum.

Gliding down to my room, it all really started to hit me. I was in trouble. Kee was in trouble. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I know it wasn’t going to be sitting around playing games…and Sals knew that too, so I was going to have to be sneaky about it.

Sals went on the PA system. “We will be going on lockdown in sixty minutes, people. If you need out, go now. If you know someone who needs in, they’d better get their butts in here in fifty-nine minutes.”

Lockdown. We’d heard about it in school. The whole building could be magically shielded from the outside. The only communication would be by tech means. This Magic Counsel thing must be even more serious than I thought. I played for a while then hit the sack.

The problem with being a flier is the same as its benefit. Wings. It’s tough to walk down the street with wings and not cause a stir, or get noticed. Fliers are a small portion of the populace so we stand out. Sure, you can throw a cloak over it, but who wears cloaks these days? That would be as noticeable as wings, and with the huge lumps of wings under it, it seriously gets attention.

Luckily, Kee had scrounged me an item that made me appear to be a normo. Of course, his sense of humor took over and it was a cloaking cloak. Nerd. As far as I know, only Kee and I know I have it. I don’t use it often, and I don’t recall that I have used it at all since I joined The Rookery. Now, I wasn’t going to fool a mage, they would know I had a magic item, and depending on their ranking they might be able to see through the disguise. But it would get me out of the building without alerting Sals. As long as the Counsel wasn’t watching the building for me, and I find that unlikely, I mean, who am I, I should be okay.

I decided I was going to confront the old man. I mean, it might be stupid if he was as powerful as the news was saying, but I needed to help Kee out if I could. I left through the vendor door. I wouldn’t be able to get back in that way, but out was no problem. I hoofed it through town to the building where I had done the pick-up.

Whew! It wore me out. Why walk when you can fly? Am I right? I got there though. I took the elevator to the twentieth floor. It was odd that the elevator didn’t go all the way to the top of the building. I mean with one more floor and a nice garden up there, why would the elevator stop at the twentieth floor?

When the doors opened, it wasn’t right. This didn’t look at all like the hall I had seen. That hall had two main apartment doors. The walls were a dark shade of green with wood panels along the bottom of the walls. The doors were a cherry wood color with brass numbers. There were windows at each end of the hall. This hallway was a modern shade of gray, with white doors, gold numbers, and a window only at one end. There were four apartments. Surely they wouldn’t have another floor with a completely different look and feel, would they?

I looked for the stairs. I opened the doorway to the stairwell and there was no higher floor. The stairwell had one of those pull-down ladders that was locked with a padlock. There was no way up to the roof. My knees folded and I nearly sat on my wings. I’m not sure how long I sat there with my mind reeling, but eventually, I stood myself back up and went back out into the hall.

Okay, so obviously the old man was a seriously powerful mage. Either he fooled me into thinking that this building looked completely different, or…and my mind could barely grasp this…he had ‘made’ two new floors on this building; a living floor and the roof garden. I would say it was the former because that seemed so much more likely, but I don’t see how I could have landed on that roof, and climbed down that ladder as an illusion. No matter what had happened, it was big magic. Counsel big.

I took the elevator down. The building across the street had a sign indicating that it was flier friendly so I headed there and made it to the roof. Luckily the roof was empty. I deactivated the cloak and took to the air. Not really knowing how things stand for me with the city powers, I did my best to avoid attention and kept to the speed limits and airways. I made it back to the Rookery safely, but I had to land at the front entrance and walk-in hoping to avoid Sals’ notice.

“Hey Courier. The boss wants to see you.” Tony Vinzenni, the front desk guard, told me almost before I was through the door.

“Thanks, Tony. I’ll head that way.”

“Better be now. I was told to report it if I saw you enter or leave.”

I heaved a huge sigh, making Tony chuckle, and lifted my way into the core and up to the office. Sals shot me a look and glanced at the chairs against the wall. I sat. And waited. After about two hours she looked up at me again.

“I know, Sals, I’m sorry. I had to do something. Sals, I’m scared.” I said. Her brow went up, so I continued, “I went to see the sender, or I tried to. Not only was he not there, but neither was the whole floor and even the roof access.” She stayed focused and silent as I told her my story.

When I finally wound down, she said, “Yeah. This ain’t good. Not good for you, but also not good for business. According to the delivery laws, none of this comes back on us. I’m just not sure the Counsel will see it that way. You sit right there while I report this up the food chain.”

She turned to her desk mirror and I sat. A few times I had to get up and walk around her desk to share my story with the higher-ups. Names and faces started to blur as I got tired. What had started as such a great day had bottomed out fast. Finally, Sals closed down the call and turned to me.

“Claire, you got yourself into quite the mess and we surely didn’t help. This will be a game-changer. Try not to worry too much though kid, we’ve got your back. Now, can I trust you to stay in the Rookery now, or do I need to have you guarded?”

“Thanks, Sals. I promise I will stay put until this gets sorted.”

“I believe you, Claire. Leave this to the higher-ups. Check on Kee then get some rest.”

“Will do,” I replied. I headed to the public mirrors and activated it to search for Kee. No response. I sure hoped all was okay with him. I needed some rest though. Tomorrow I would try again and maybe call in a favor or three.

Emilia was angry, not just angry, furious. She had already ruined her least favorite sofa. It was charred to cinders. Her well-manicured nails clicked on the floor as she paced in her penthouse room. Luckily it was fireproofed. She would hate to burn down the entire Atlantis Rookery because she couldn’t control her temper today. She furled and unfurled her wings, taking three deep breaths to calm herself. When she felt calm she called out.

“Bernard, you may return now,” Emilia called in her usual melodious rumble.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bernard said, promptly opening the door and standing attentively. Bernard was 6’3″ of solid stone. He was in excellent form, even for a goyle, and he was impeccably dressed in a suit that perfectly suited his marble skin. He looked at Emilia and noted the condition of the sofa. While not pacing, she was lifting and resettling her wings still so caution was in order.

She was a beautiful dragon of what most would consider the western order. Her long slender neck topped by a graceful head with two horns contained her piercingly dark blue eyes. Her scales were burnished to a high sheen and not a scale was unburnished, or out of order in any way. She. had even had the nails all done in a glorious shade of dark green which completely complemented her bronze coloration. Her long sinuous tail was currently wrapped around the pillar in the center of the room to keep from thrashing in agitation. She was normally impressive, and her current ire did nothing to dull that impression.

“I will be going to New Houston in an hour. I need to evaluate the situation there. I do not know if I will be staying. Please ensure that Sals is aware of my arrival window and had taken all the usual precautions. Also, ensure that no one knows I have left here. Reschedule all meetings until my return.” she directed.

“Of course, ma’am.” He replied. He retreated from the room to make arrangements. He had thick skin but not thick enough to protect him from her flames if she lashed out again. And even if his skin would make it, he had no desire to purchase new clothing.

Emilia took fifteen minutes to meditate and regain her composure. For the next fifteen minutes, she was on a call with the Magic Counsel. She took fifteen minutes for a scrying spell to locate her destination in New Houston. She then packed a small travel bag which she strapped to her torso. Fifteen minutes later precisely, she leaped from the landing ledge outside of her rooms and began her trip to New Houston.

Sals went on the PA system. “We will be going on lockdown in sixty minutes, people. If you need out, go now. If you know someone who needs in, they’d better get their butts in here in fifty-nine minutes.”

Sals shooed everyone from the main office and sent them home. I’ll make an announcement when lockdown ends, until then go home. No one disagreed with her when she had ‘that look’ on her face.

Precisely ten minutes later, Emilia touched down on the landing area and immediately took human form. She walked up to Sals and gave her a big hug, which Sals enthusiastically returned. “Oh Sals, it has been far too long since I have seen you!” Emilia said, holding her at arm’s length and examining her. “You look lovely, as always. I see you are still enjoying the work.”

“It’s good to see you too, Lia,” Sals replied lower her head a little and smiling shyly. “You know how much I appreciate this job. I love my people, even those who are a handful.” Sals glowered a little then laughed and shook her head. “Courier is a handful, but this wasn’t his doing. Not a bit. Someone set us up.”

“Tell me what happened,” Emilia said.

“Early this morning we had a package delivery request called into the downstairs office. I have talked to Sam who took the call. He said it was called in by a small Asian-looking man with white hair and a long mustache. All he could see on the call clothing-wise was a red tunic that looked silk with gold embroidery on it. The walls were covered with some glyphs. We have a picture and video if you’d like to see it.” Sals reported.

“When you are done,” Emilia responded.

“He e-signed in a Class IV delivery. He had all the proper paperwork and ownership papers. He sent copies of that paperwork so I can show you the signature if you’d like. The name was @[Anho Timakaru – The Dragon](person:2b646341-ce1b-4c7d-aaec-0a32bb7bb767)‌.”

At that name, Emilia started as if a bit shocked. Sals stopped talking. “You know that name?” Sals asked.

“I do not. Please continue.” Emilia replied.

“Anyway, it was all by the book. We accepted the delivery request and I called up Courier. He was next in the queue who met the Class IV requirement. I handed off the package request to him personally and saw him out the door with the proper transport container. He says he flew straight to the designated pick-up address, accepted the package, and went straight to the burning tower. He delivered the package to @[Thomas Sendon](person:fadc382e-2387-4b6e-9782-9d5d032ee83b)‌ personally and has the paperwork signed as proof of acceptance. It was all by the book. Courier does good work.”

Emilia smirked, “Don’t worry. I’ll never tell him you said that.”

“I trusted you wouldn’t.” Sals chuckled.

“Next thing we know we hear the news that The Burning Tower is burning. Courier hasn’t returned, and no one knows exactly where he is. Not that it’s unusual for him to freeload after a delivery. When we started getting official calls from the Magic Counsel wanting to talk to him, I called you immediately and sent some of the others out to look for him. He turned up about twenty minutes later, and ever since I have kept him in The Rookery. He’s safe in his room now, and he will damn well stay there until this is resolved.” Sals said.

“Good. Our children should be kept safe. I have contacted the Magic Counsel and assured them that we had nothing to do with the event they are investigating; however, they still want answers. I intend to get those answers. Thank you, Sals. As always you have the situation buttoned up.”

“Thank you, but I won’t feel easy about this until I know that the Counsel isn’t coming to ‘interview’ Courier.”

“You have my assurance that they won’t. I am going to address the situation immediately. Keep The Rookery on lockdown until I return. I know where I am going and I shouldn’t be long.” Emilia said.

“Of course,” Sals replied.

Emilia regained her natural form and jumped from the ledge flapping her wings a bit. The updraft in the New Houston Rookery was delicious. She may, or may not, have performed some aerobatics before heading toward her destination.

Though not the same address as the pickup location Courier had been given, Emilia landed in the same rooftop garden and made her way to the same door, 12C. She knocks a rapid staccato. The old man opens the door to her knock. He gives a small nod of acknowledgment, showing no sign of surprise, but then why would he? He probably knew she was here when she entered New Houston.

“Won’t you please enter?” He said, gesturing past himself.

“Thank you. I am Emilia Koehler,” she stated.

“And I am Anho Timakaru.” he replied. “Would you like some tea?”

“I would love some, yes.”

He led her past the calligraphy that Courier had seen, and that Emilia recognized as draconic wards of protection, and into a cozy living room with two large comfortable chairs near a fireplace with a crackling fire laid. “Please.” he gestured to the chair on the left, the one that offered the safest space in the room. She carefully took the seat and he bustled off through a door that presumably led to the kitchen.

A few minutes later he returned with a teapot which he placed on the table between the chairs. He also placed mugs near each chair. “It will need to steep a bit,” he said. “Shall we share pleasantries first, or do you want to get right to business?” he asked.

Emilia had to fight to keep from grinding her teeth. Damn Asian Lungs with their impeccable manners!

“I would prefer to get right to business,” she said.

“Of course, of course. How can I, and my city be of assistance?” he inquired.

“I believe you have involved MY Rookery in your business.”

“The Rookery is a part of New Houston.”

“No, The Rookery is located in New Houston. It is a part of Rook, Inc.”

“A fine distinction, don’t you think?”

“No. A completely separate and inviolate entity.”

“it is true that I am newly invested in New Houston. It took me some time to find a comfortable space in this time. I did not notice any markers on The Rookery. Is that no longer a courtesy that our kind partake in?” he asked.

“Ah. Have you newly awoken then?” Emilia asked, softening her stance a bit.

“Fairly so, yes. I have been trying to adapt to the new ways, but I fear that things have changed rather dramatically since I was last awake.”

“If I may then, I will explain.”

“Please,” he said.

“In these times, it is no longer true that we must have one set location and a large territory. Where we used to claim land, now we are free to claim business enterprises, ethnicities, or any number of other such for our protectorate. Some do prefer the old ways; however, you must also be aware of the new. What you choose for your own should be registered with the Library. Here, let me give you their website.” Emilia took out a notebook wrote the URL on it along with her personal email and cell number. “Are you familiar with the internet yet?”

“I am learning, yes. The child downstairs seems well versed in its intricacies and he has informed me that Lord Google knows anything that I do not.”

Emilia stifled a chuckle. “The child is not too far wrong, though Google won’t know about the Library. When you access that URL, you will need to have your webcam on and be able to answer some questions in draconic. Once you are on the site, you will be able to research who has what protectorate. As I have already laid claim to Rook, Inc and its holdings, the Rookery and those in it and associated with it are mine. You are, at least as far as I know, welcome to the rest of New Houston. The Library also has a wealth of other useful information to help you learn the intricacies of this new world. Would you like me to help you research your claim and register it if available?”

“That would be lovely,” he replied.

They spent the next hour sipping wonderful Oolong tea and researching New Houston and its surrounding areas and registering it under Anho’s protection. They both certified that while in New Houston, The Rookery and its inhabitants and associates to the first degree, family and friends, was Emilia’s.

“Thank you for your assistance, Emilia. I deeply regret my intrusion into your protectorate without requesting permission first. I assure you I had no intention of inflicting harm on your young ones. There was an evil attempting to take root in New Houston and I needed to prune it before it grew. They were in no danger from what I did. That said, I will ensure that they are cleared with the mundane authorities and give them some reassurance. Will that be enough to make amends?” Anho asked.

“Yes, of course. I can see that no harm was intended or done. If you need assistance from me in the future please do reach out. I gave you my email and phone number.”

He made a low bow. “May you live long and in peace,” he said in the eastern tradition.

“May you prosper and win all your battles,” she replied in the western tradition.

Emilia took her leave and headed back to The Rookery where Sals waited. Once she landed, she filled Sals in on the details and outlined the protectorate that Anho had claimed.

“Understood. New Houston is Anho’s protectorate, with the exception of The Rookery to the first level. If we wish to expand here or participate in any local activities we should seek his permission first. We will be sure to abide by your word.” Sals said.

“Of course, you will, my daughter,” Emilia said, ruffling Sals’ hair. Emilia bent in for a firm hug before pulling away and holding her at arm’s length. “You be sure to take care of yourself and get enough rest, little one. I count on you to protect your brothers and sisters, and you can’t do that if you work yourself to death.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sals replied. “Have a safe trip home.”

“Thank you for all you do, Sals. I love you.” Emilia said, and took off for The Atlantis Rookery.

Sals sighed. She loved Emilia, but she was glad this was settled and things could get back to normal now. She used the PA to announce the end of the lockdown and the night shift started shuffling in. The phones started ringing about an hour later. The magical counsel had called off the investigation. Courier would not be questioned and those being held at The Burning Tower had been released.

Sals grinned to herself as she leaned back in her chair and watched her office return to business.

When I woke up, I was incredibly refreshed. I had the weirdest dream. I dreamed of a great dragon. It was like the sort you see depicted in kung fu movies; long and sinewy with catfish like mustaches and a furry mane. In my dream, he spoke to me. He told me that I was caught up in things that were bigger than they seemed and that he would make sure that Kee and me were okay because we didn’t deserve to be caught up in it all. In my dream, and still, upon waking up, I felt completely reassured and at peace.

I got up, dressed, and tried the mirror again. Kee picked up right away. “Dude, I have some stuff to tell you! When can we meet?”

“I promised Sals I wouldn’t leave till things were sorted.”

“Go check with her. I bet it’s all sorted now.”

“Uh. Okay. I’ll call you back then.’

“Do that.”

Shutting down the mirror I headed up to see Sals. She didn’t look like she’s slept all night. She gave me an evil glare. “What did you do?”

“Nothing you don’t know about, why?”

“Because as of about thirty minutes ago, everything has blown over. No one in The Rookery knows what happened. They got a call from the Council saying they were withdrawing their request to question you.”

“That’s good though, right?”

“Yeah, it’s good, but without knowing why it’s also a bit concerning. Still, we’ll just hope that the Counsel is really done and will stick to its own business and leave ours alone.”

“So I can go to see Kee now? It’s okay?”

“Sure kid. Take the day off. But be ready to get back to work tomorrow.”

“Thanks for everything Sals.”

“Get out of here,” she growled.

I got.

Kee and I agreed to meet at the Rooftops for All, one of our favorite restaurants. I needed some good food after all the activity of the past few days. I landed and saw Kee waiting at a table outside. I joined him.

“I ordered your parrot chow,” he joked. Fliers are generally vegan. It’s tough to fly if you’re loaded down with a stomach full of heavy foods. We eat less, and more often to keep our energy up. He likes to give me a hard time, but I knew he was vegan too.

“Thanks,” I said as I sat. I wasn’t even sure where to start, and he looked like he felt the same way, so I started. I told him the story of what had gone on with me since we’d last been able to talk. I saw his face go pale when I told him about the old man’s place.

“That’s a kind of crazy powerful that I can only hope to achieve in my life. He must be the one responsible for what happened at the tower.”

“Seems pretty likely, yeah.”

“So after we talked, I was taken to a room and I sat there for what felt like forever. It was probably closer to two hours, but man did I need to pee! Anyway, two dudes came in, you know the type, black suits, and ties, white shirts. Goons. They started asking me about you, and the package you delivered. I told them, like, yeah, I’d seen you come in, but I was across the room at my station, I wasn’t really close enough to see anything. It all looked like a normal drop-off to me. The sigils didn’t light, my magic sense didn’t tingle at all. Nothing.”

“Bet they didn’t like that.”

“No, they didn’t. I must’ve told the same story to them about fifty times. They just kept asking me over and over. I didn’t change my story though. I know what I saw, and what I didn’t. I guess I sort of threw K’estra under the bus though, and I feel bad about that. She was close enough to see more after all.”

“There was nothing to see. I mean, it was a box, wrapped in plain brown paper, like a grocery store bag, you know? There wasn’t any writing or anything. Nothing glowed or anything. It was just…normal.”

“I figured as much. If it were weird you’d have stopped to tell me about it on your way out and you didn’t. But seriously, about thirty seconds after you left, it all went to heck. There was a weird implosion feeling and then a strange glow outside the doors. The place went on lockdown, as I said. When they got tired of talking to me, they turned out the lights and left me in the room. It might have been scary if we hadn’t learned cantrip in like, first grade.” Kee let out a chuckle. “I got pretty tired, so I’m guessing it was late, so I sort of napped in the chair for a bit. The next thing I knew, they opened the door and told me I was free to go. Just like that. They didn’t look really happy about it, but that was it as far as I can tell. They didn’t even watch me go, they just went to the next door and let out Fred. I high-tailed it out of there and went to look outside. Dude, the building had this soft light green glow. It was licking up and down the whole building. It was a bit tough to see in the daylight, but we have got to check it out tonight.”

“You know it,” I said, giving him a fist bump. “It’s so weird that they let you go like that.”

“You don’t know the half of it. It gets even weirder. I had the weirdest dream. I dreamed of a great dragon. It was an Asian Imperial Lung. I know that ‘cause it had five fingers. He was the most beautiful shade of red with mustaches, and his mane was the most amazing shade of yellow with red at the tips. He told me that I was caught up in things that were bigger than they seemed and that he would make sure that you and I were safe because we didn’t deserve to be caught up in it all. Ever since then I have felt completely reassured and at peace.”

“Shut up! I had that same dream!”

Kee started shaking his head, “Dude, that is not right. No one should be that powerful! You don’t think…you don’t think it’s really a dragon, do you? I mean, they’re just stories, right? No one has seen one, right?”

“Fifty years ago, no one had seen a winged person either. Maybe it just took them a little longer to come back. They are supposed to have more magic in one little toe than all the mages in the world combined, right?” I responded.

“I dunno. It’s all just rumors and tall tales, or at least I thought it was. Do you really think we are being watched over by a dragon? What do you think Mr. Sendon was doing that pissed him off?”

“He didn’t exactly tell me. We had basically the same dream after all.”

“Fair. Fair. Are we going to leave it at that?”

“What do you think?”

“Ugh. Of course, we aren’t. That would be smart. What we really want to do is pester an all-powerful dragon until it decides it doesn’t like us.”

I laughed. Kee smiled, and we moved on to other subjects. Deep down though, I kind of hoped I might see that dragon again someday.