Chapter 5: Mages Expect Magic

The apartment was surprisingly normal at first glance, well normal for an effluent penthouse. Normal, despite housing a bleeding wound in the very fabric of reality.

We entered into a fairly normal hallway, with a fairly normal hardwood floor and fairly normal doorways along the right side, with fairly normal electrical outlets above the skirting board, normal light switches on the walls and normal light fixtures in the ceiling. Less normal, but still normal when you consider the intended economic class of the dwelling was the high ceilings, crystal chandelier and skylights.

Opening and peeking through doorways revealed several opulent ensuite bedrooms, a fairly normal study, a small laundry with bathroom next door and seemingly unused indoor gym. At the end of the hallway the apartment opened up into the middle of a large open planned space containing the kitchen, dining area and lounge space with floor to ceiling tv. The far wall of the open space, opposite the corridor, was entirely comprised of floor to ceiling glass panels with sliding glass doors that lead out to a long balcony with views that overlooked the town and beyond.

A whole lot of wealthy, if a bit messy with dust and unwashed dishes etcetera, normal.

The apartment was a mind boggling juxtaposition of normality and a now overwhelming presence of wrongness that didn’t seem to originate in any of the seemingly normal rooms or spaces. The problem was that we were so close now that I was being suffocated by the blanket of wrongness washing over me, at this closeness I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the epicenter until I was almost on top of it.

The more time spent in the penthouse, the closer I came to collapsing from what felt like a migraine that was stabbing at my mind and very being. Given my expression was mostly blank as always, well aside from the frown I’d been wearing a lot more recently, it wasn’t until I slumped against the back of one of the sofas that my companions realised what I was experiencing and broke the tracking spell.

“It's… definitely… here…” I forced myself to say between shuddering breaths as I recovered.

Guiding me around to the front of the sofa, Blythe aided me in sitting before she gently pushed me until I was laying down. “It's ok, Teach and I will find it. You just lay here and rest. You can help out again, once you feel better.”

As my head sunk back into a pillow I couldn't help but feel pretty pathetic at my inability to help out. I mean I had led them here, but it was starting to feel like I was deadweight from here on out, they had magic and it was painfully obvious how awesome and useful it was. From my place on the sofa I could hear them moving around the apartment testing things and chanting spells.

Minutes seemed to go by as my head grew clearer and the sounds of their search continued. Finally sitting up, I turned to look at them and it was clear they were beginning to feel frustrated.

“Not having much luck?” 

“What gave you that idea?” answered Blythe with a smirk, rolling her eyes. “Was it the fact we’re still scrabbling about chanting revealing spells to find what seems to be non-existent concealment, barrier, defensive or gateway spells?”

“Well… Maybe?” I replied sheepishly, only to just fully process what she’d said. “Wait non-existent spells! I know you were being sarcastic, but what if that is it. What if wherever the penthouse’s owner was doing forbidden magic wasn’t hidden with magic? I mean, like magic protection is the first thing magic users would look for right?”

Nodding along in agreement, Blythe signalled with her hand for me to continue as Ester came over to listen.

“Well.. So magic protection on the door could be passed off as innocent attempts to maintain their privacy and protect their dwelling, you’d expect to find it. But, for something forbidden, hiding or protecting it with magic would just be placing flashing signage saying they’re hiding something! They would hide and protect it another non-magical way,” I theorised, now standing.

At this point, I had their attention fixed on me. Without the tracking spell and the ability to sense the crushing wrongness, I was able to finally think clearly.

Pacing around the apartment again, I realised what I’d missed before; the Corridor and open space formed a capital T shape and in the corridor all the door’s had been on the right hand side. There should be symmetry!

“It's to the left of the corridor, there should be more rooms on that side! The entrance either has to be on the opposite wall to all those doors or somewhere along this wall,” I explained pointing to the lounge space wall opposite the balcony.

Almost immediately the three of us began investigating the two walls for a hidden entrance, knocking along the wall and listening, moving paintings and investigating any furnishings placed up against the walls. The owner had an interesting collection of literature, but I was slightly disappointed when the bookcase yielded no hidden doorway.

The bar shelves however held the truth.

Amongst all the spirits on one shelf stood an out of place bottle of red. Grabbing the bottle by the neck and pulling it down like a lever, I was rewarded with a satisfying click as the entire bar shelf hinged open like a door.

“Huh.” 

Maybe I wasn’t deadweight.