CHAPTER 23

T he situation in the city continued to be dangerous. The conflict between the strigoi and the lycans seemed to calm down, but skirmishes between lycans and humans were common. At night, the strigoi were actively defending their territory and attacking any Knights, Enforcers, or Kantonspolizei who ventured anywhere close to the Langstrasse.

A new development was that anti-supernatural humans were becoming belligerent toward humans who advocated a return to a society governed by the Compact. A discussion in the local Parliament came close to a physical brawl. Inside the Guild, those factions became more apparent.

The City Council was made up of seven people elected from and by the Parliament. Each of those councilors was in charge of a specific government department. Nikolas Müller was in charge of the police and public safety. There were more than a few complaints about the Kantonspolizei showing favoritism to the Knights and other anti-supes when confrontations occurred. In general, the feeling of living in a war zone intensified, and I stayed close to home.

I was leaving the Guild Hall after a practice session with Captain Le Pen when Master Otto fell in beside me.

“How are you settling in?” he asked. “I’m afraid that Zürich isn’t living up to its peaceful reputation.”

“Oh, that’s a bit of a surprise,” I answered, “but otherwise, I’m enjoying it.”

“Have you made some friends?”

“Yes, I have. Mostly students. I’m really looking forward to classes starting at the university in the fall.”

“And other apprentices? Are they being helpful?”

“I guess so. I mean, I assume other young mages are apprentices, aren’t they?”

“For the most part, although many of our young people serve their apprenticeships with their parents. Some aren’t part of the formal apprentice program.”

He surprised me then.

“How about other spirit mages? How do you find them?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I haven’t met any. I wasn’t aware there were any here.”

“Oh, yes. I think you might find it rewarding to spend some time with others who have your talents. Both spirit mages and ley line mages. Their magic is closer to yours than to elemental mages. There are six spirit mages in Switzerland that I know of, beside yourself and Master Adolphus. There is another spirit mage in our apprenticeship program. I think it’s strange you haven’t met him.”

He didn’t accompany me all the way home. When I arrived, I searched out Siobhan.

“Are you considered an apprentice?” I asked.

“Yes, of course. I have a mentor with the Guild, but my grandfather is a strong hydromancer, although not a master. And I spend an hour a week with Master Adolphus. Mostly we just talk, and he answers questions I might have. Why?”

“Just wondering. Do apprentices socialize with each other? I learned today that there’s another spirit mage in the program.”

“Huh. I didn’t know that.”

* * *

H ans called and asked if I’d like to go sailing the following weekend.

“I’d love to, but I have a friend visiting from out of town, and I should probably spend some time with her.”

“The little redhead?”

“Yes, Jodi.”

“Invite her along.”

So, I called Jodi.

“Would you like to go sailing on the lake this weekend?”

“Oh, wow! Of course,” she replied.

I called Hans back, and we finalized our plans.

On Saturday morning, I hiked over to Amelia’s parents’ house to collect Jodi. The stone townhouse was several hundred years old. The four stories were divided into two apartments. Herr and Frau Sorento lived in the bottom two floors, and Colonel Sorento and his family lived in the top two. Amelia and Jodi were staying with Amelia and the Colonel’s parents.

A wrought-iron fence fronted the block, and the front gardens of the houses were overgrown with huge rosebushes. Unless someone approached the front doors using the cobbled walkways, there was no way to fight through the thorns. Prettier security than barbed wire.

I had been in the house a couple of times. It was far larger than it looked from the street. The furnishings, wainscotting, and artwork always made me feel as though I’d been transported back in time.

“Will you be back before dark?” Amelia asked, hands on her hips, with an expression that told me there was only one acceptable answer.

“Yes, ma’am. We’ll probably stop at a bistro and have dinner on our way home, but I don’t have any desire to be out at night. I’ve been curling up with a boring book every evening.”

That brought a smile to her face. “Which one?”

“Goethe, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship . Frau Buckner seems to think it’s the epitome of European literature.”

“It is considered one of the finest novels ever written in German,” she said.

“I have a copy of it in English, too, and it’s boring in both languages.”

Amelia laughed. “Builds character.”

“That’s what adults always say. My character is going to be strong enough to withstand a siege by the time I’m free of you all.”

“That’s the idea.”

Jodi was ready to go, and we left.

“Did you have breakfast?” I asked.

“Of course. Frau Sorento would be horrified if I didn’t. I swear, I’ll be a beachball by the time we fly back to the States.” Considering that she barely weighed a hundred pounds, I didn’t think there was much danger of that.

We reached our meeting place at the same time Hans did. We bought to-go coffees from the bistro, then walked down the marina to his boat.

Hans tossed his backpack into the boat, then jumped in himself, and turned to take my backpack. He gave me his hand to steady me, and I climbed into the boat. Then he turned and offered a hand to Jodi, who just stood there.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she said. “I guess it’s a little larger than I imagined. Where’s the rest of your crew?”

Hans laughed. “Half of it is in the boat, and the other half is dithering on the dock.”

Eventually, Jodi crawled into the boat. She staggered, seeming to find it hard to stand. Hans quickly handed her a life jacket and helped her secure it.

“First time on a boat?” he asked.

She nodded. “Not very steady, is it?”

“It will be when you sit down,” I said, guiding her to a seat. “You’ve heard people say, ‘don’t rock the boat?’ Well, don’t.”

Hans had a huge smile on his face the whole time. I put on my own life jacket and sat down beside Jodi while we watched him get the boat ready. He unfurled the sails and took his place at the tiller, then the sail filled out with a gentle breeze, and the water developed a current that took us away from the dock.

“He’s using magic,” Jodi said.

“Yes, air and water. He’s in control, so you can relax.”

Once we were out in open water, the natural breeze took over. Jodi soon relaxed and was shrieking with pleasure like a kid on a roller coaster every time Hans heeled the boat into a tight turn. It was a glorious day, very warm for Zürich but cooler than what I would expect in Queen City in the summer. The Alps on the horizon still had a few snow caps.

“I thought all of Switzerland was in the mountains,” Jodi said.

“Nope. We’re actually at a lower elevation than Queen City. I haven’t been in the mountains here, and Hans mentioned maybe going hiking before classes start.”

“But he’s not your boyfriend?”

“No, though I think he wants to be.”

She laughed. “I know he wants to be. He’s nice.”

We sailed up the lake, tacking back and forth, and eventually into the small cove where he liked to anchor for lunch. We went swimming for a bit, then I broke out the lunch Frau Buckner had packed for us.

After lounging around for a while, and trying to make sure Jodi didn’t get sunburned, we headed back to the marina.

“Dinner’s on me,” Hans announced as he packed up the boat and secured it. “What are you in the mood for?”

Jodi said, “You know, the food here in Zürich is great, but I’ve been missing MacDonald’s. Is asking for a hamburger going to offend you?”

Hans and I joined in her laughter, and he said, “How about the best burger in Zürich? I promise, it beats MacDonald’s a thousand percent.”

Jodi laughed. “How could I turn down an offer like that?”

Hans took us to a little café near the university. Jodi ordered her hamburger while Hans and I had lamb kebabs. Everything was delicious.