Authority?” I asked.
“Right now she is,” Zay answered. “And will continue to be unless she is unable to pick up the responsibilities again.”
“What if she can’t take on the responsibilities?” I asked. “Who steps up next?”
We’d made it to the door, and Zay pressed his thumb against the pad and pushed it open. More hallway.
Zay glanced at Shame. Shame shrugged. “Maybe my mum,” Shame said. “Maybe Victor. Makes sense to be someone from this area. Since we haven’t fucked it up completely yet, no one’s wiping the board clean, as it were.”
“You mean someone can come from outside the area and take over?”
“Sure,” Shame said. “But it’s a mix of things that would make that happen. See, Mikhail used Death magic when he was Head. Then Sedra took over Head, which was good because she used Life magic and we needed a change, right? Chances are Head will next go to either Blood or Faith—Mum or Victor—or maybe Flux, though I don’t think there’s been a Head who specializes in that discipline.”
“Joe in San Fran,” Zay said.
“Huh, that’s right. Okay, so there’s one Head who uses Flux. So it’s possible, though I don’t know the top Flux user in the area.”
We were almost at the outer door. “How does the change of leadership work?” I asked. “Election or something?”
“No. One of the Watch or Ward appoints someone.”
“I know I’ve missed out on some of the history classes and gone to self-defense and fighting studies instead, but I don’t remember hearing anything about Watch and Ward. Are they spells?”
Zay took that up. “They’re titles. We’re the local Authority of Portland. Every city with a well has at least a handful of Authority members living there to keep track of the well and magic being used. One of those people will be the Head of the Authority of their area. Portland has four wells and covers Battleground to Woodburn and the Coast Range to the Cascade Range. Over the Coast Range are other wells, other Authority members. Same with the rest of Oregon, the states, and the world. Every region has two overseers, a Watch and a Ward. The Northwest’s Watch is Bartholomew Wray, and his boss is the Ward Sam Arch.
“If they decided we weren’t doing our job, not only could either one of them replace Sedra as the Head of the Authority, but they could fire us all.”
“Fire? You mean Close?”
“Play with the bigs,” Shame said, “you gotta take the hits.”
“Yes,” Zay said. “I mean Closed. Though that would be a drastic move and would take a lot of manpower.”
“Not to mention grave diggers,” Shame said.
“What?”
We were at the door. Zay pressed his thumb into it.
Shame grinned at me. “Let’s just say that the day some out-of-town magic user decides I can’t use magic anymore, there’s only going to be one of us left standing at the end of the handshake.”
“I thought those were the rules,” I said. “Agree with the Authority, or lose your memories.”
“Sure those are the rules. No rule against me fighting them.”
“Actually,” Zay said, opening the door, “there is. Not that you’d pay any attention to it.”
“Tell me you wouldn’t fight it if they told you to step down, Jones,” he said.
Zay didn’t say anything, and Shame laughed. “That’s what I love most about you, my friend. That wee bit of larceny in your heart.”
Shame stepped through the door, and I followed.
It didn’t take us long to get through the parking area. “My car,” Shame said.
“I’ll drive,” Zay said.
“Not with those ribs. I haven’t had the shit kicked out of me today.”
“And I haven’t fought Allie’s father.”
“For five minutes,” Shame said. “Barely broke a sweat. I drive.”
Zay shook his head. “Fine.” We followed Shame to his car, and Zay reached out and caught up my right hand. I could tell he hurt, but it was tolerable pain. Moving, and having a goal in mind, seemed to help. It
“Right now she is,” Zay answered. “And will continue to be unless she is unable to pick up the responsibilities again.”
“What if she can’t take on the responsibilities?” I asked. “Who steps up next?”
We’d made it to the door, and Zay pressed his thumb against the pad and pushed it open. More hallway.
Zay glanced at Shame. Shame shrugged. “Maybe my mum,” Shame said. “Maybe Victor. Makes sense to be someone from this area. Since we haven’t fucked it up completely yet, no one’s wiping the board clean, as it were.”
“You mean someone can come from outside the area and take over?”
“Sure,” Shame said. “But it’s a mix of things that would make that happen. See, Mikhail used Death magic when he was Head. Then Sedra took over Head, which was good because she used Life magic and we needed a change, right? Chances are Head will next go to either Blood or Faith—Mum or Victor—or maybe Flux, though I don’t think there’s been a Head who specializes in that discipline.”
“Joe in San Fran,” Zay said.
“Huh, that’s right. Okay, so there’s one Head who uses Flux. So it’s possible, though I don’t know the top Flux user in the area.”
We were almost at the outer door. “How does the change of leadership work?” I asked. “Election or something?”
“No. One of the Watch or Ward appoints someone.”
“I know I’ve missed out on some of the history classes and gone to self-defense and fighting studies instead, but I don’t remember hearing anything about Watch and Ward. Are they spells?”
Zay took that up. “They’re titles. We’re the local Authority of Portland. Every city with a well has at least a handful of Authority members living there to keep track of the well and magic being used. One of those people will be the Head of the Authority of their area. Portland has four wells and covers Battleground to Woodburn and the Coast Range to the Cascade Range. Over the Coast Range are other wells, other Authority members. Same with the rest of Oregon, the states, and the world. Every region has two overseers, a Watch and a Ward. The Northwest’s Watch is Bartholomew Wray, and his boss is the Ward Sam Arch.
“If they decided we weren’t doing our job, not only could either one of them replace Sedra as the Head of the Authority, but they could fire us all.”
“Fire? You mean Close?”
“Play with the bigs,” Shame said, “you gotta take the hits.”
“Yes,” Zay said. “I mean Closed. Though that would be a drastic move and would take a lot of manpower.”
“Not to mention grave diggers,” Shame said.
“What?”
We were at the door. Zay pressed his thumb into it.
Shame grinned at me. “Let’s just say that the day some out-of-town magic user decides I can’t use magic anymore, there’s only going to be one of us left standing at the end of the handshake.”
“I thought those were the rules,” I said. “Agree with the Authority, or lose your memories.”
“Sure those are the rules. No rule against me fighting them.”
“Actually,” Zay said, opening the door, “there is. Not that you’d pay any attention to it.”
“Tell me you wouldn’t fight it if they told you to step down, Jones,” he said.
Zay didn’t say anything, and Shame laughed. “That’s what I love most about you, my friend. That wee bit of larceny in your heart.”
Shame stepped through the door, and I followed.
It didn’t take us long to get through the parking area. “My car,” Shame said.
“I’ll drive,” Zay said.
“Not with those ribs. I haven’t had the shit kicked out of me today.”
“And I haven’t fought Allie’s father.”
“For five minutes,” Shame said. “Barely broke a sweat. I drive.”
Zay shook his head. “Fine.” We followed Shame to his car, and Zay reached out and caught up my right hand. I could tell he hurt, but it was tolerable pain. Moving, and having a goal in mind, seemed to help. It
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