Chapter 1

Sybil

The world is on the verge of chaos, but we are the only ones who know it: war is upon us, and only we can prevent it.
Two weeks ago, I was just a shy, reserved young woman running an esoteric boutique with my eccentric grandmother, Sarah, and Sélène, my extroverted SBFF [1] (or Barbie as I call her because of her physical). Two weeks ago, I had absolutely no idea that I came from a line of female mediums, that my grandmother was related to a ghost, a gangster in Chicago in the 1950s, nor that my life was going to be turned upside down by a Mage as beautiful as a god and hunted by his community. Two weeks ago, I had a home, a refuge where I protected myself from people and their narrow minds. I didn't imagine that my building would be reduced to rubble or that Sarah would sacrifice herself to save us. Two weeks ago, my most important concern was to best manage the stocks of our esoteric store “The Pythian Oracle”. I could never have imagined that I would be a pillar of the Magic Revolution.
And yet... Today, our eclectic "family", which also includes a cop and a hacker, is hunted by the Electi, elite soldiers of the Mages on the orders of their Magister Tykala, and we have every intention for reversing the trend, thank you!
— We've been hiding here for almost a week, declares Dimitri, a superb 1.80 m Mage with ice blue eyes who makes my heart beat. We must decide what we are going to do, because although we are temporarily safe here, we are also prisoners here. Be careful, Charlie, this is not a criticism at all. On the contrary, we are grateful to you for welcoming us into your lair.
— Don't worry, I understand your feeling perfectly, replies the latter, a genius hacker with the physique of an Australian surfer. And I'm not at peace either. The fact that the Mages haven't "moved" more than that since Magister Tykala, leader of your community, sentenced you to death doesn't mean anything to me... They're surely planning something!
“We also upset them by stealing their truck,” I said, thinking out loud. If, as suspected, the contents allowed them to absorb energy from the humans they kill to increase their power, perhaps they were looking for something to replace it urgently? So, would we no longer be their priority if war with the continents of Africa and Asia is on their doorstep?
— It would still surprise me if we had this chance, replies Jarod, a 1.90 m tall cop with raw beauty, and in love with Barbie.
Just like his childhood friend, Charlie, his life was also turned upside down when we met two weeks ago. Magic had an influence on our connections, but I remain convinced that what bound us together so quickly was above all the heart: that of Grandmother in particular! We are all, each in our own way, beings wounded by the world, without a family, and have chosen to rebuild one that resembles us by accepting us as we are. Dick, a ghost and former Chicago gangster from the 1950s, says it reminds him of the early days of his Colombo clan [2] when he defended his territory, and that they were then just a handful of " guys with no not cold-eyed but with the rage to win .” Because we are angry with this Magister Tykala! Not only does she kill humans by stealing their energy in order to increase her power, but she sentenced Dimitri to death and caused the death of my grandmother!
Jarod was the cop who investigated women murdered by Mages. Dimitri was Erick's second in command, commander of the Electi - the Magisters' elite guard - who was trapped by the latter to take responsibility for the murder of the Magisters of Africa and Asia. When he managed to prove his innocence and asked to leave the community in order to live with us as a human, he was sentenced to death, and only managed to escape at the last minute. It was my grandmother who trained us all to help Dimitri in the first place, and she even sacrificed her life to save us. This is why we took refuge in the hangar which serves as Charlie's secret office for his hacker activities, and we are thinking about how to get out of this seemingly inextricable situation.
— I spoke to Maître Laurent and he confirmed to me that we could have an appointment with his counterpart to visit the New Orleans estate next week, I said to restart the debate.
The notary in charge of Grandma's estate, based on Charlie's findings, found a property in Louisiana that would still be in my family, even if we knew nothing about it. Our ancestor would have fled America to take refuge in Paris, and given all the discoveries made with the Magi, it seems imperative that we go there. Perhaps we will find the answers we are looking for, in particular a way to stop Magister Tykala, and understand how she manages to steal the energy of the humans she kills. If we can cut off her power base, we can defeat her and prevent her from enslaving and exploiting other Mages. Perhaps by saving this community from enslavement by a power-hungry despot, and protecting humanity from mass slaughter, Dimitri can live in peace with us. He would no longer have to hide and run. This sword of Damocles has been hanging over his head for a week already, and it will only stop if we prevent Tykala from achieving the status of Maestro – the sole leader of all the mages in the world according to Legend.
— I'm going to book us a private jet at Le Bourget, announces Charlie.
—And how are we going to pay for this plane? Barbie asks doubtfully. We don't have much left while waiting for Grandma's estate to be settled...
Barbie, my SBFF since adolescence, was secretly adopted by Sarah, and we are now sisters legally in addition to being sisters by heart. It was the notary who told us about it with Grandma's will.
— Maybe when I found the hidden accounts of the crooked cops who tried to screw the Zlotoff brothers, an unfortunate manipulation emptied them to send the money to another hidden account, he said with a smile, visibly very happy with him.
The Zlotoff brothers are arms dealers who were manipulated by the Mages, with the help of corrupt officials, into working for them. They did not appreciate it and the crooked agents who operated for the Mages were all victims of “accidents”. Dick says street justice has been served, but I admit I feel sorry for their families.
—Charlie! But it's theft! Jarod can't help but react. The police should have seized this money as evidence to charge these scoundrels!
- Listen, he replies annoyed, the cops are all dead, the police have closed the case. So who is missing this money, eh? In addition, we have to finance our operation.
“He's not wrong,” I said despite my scruples. Being on the “run” as Dick says is not easy and money is crucial. Afterwards, Charlie, a private jet…
— Hey, even if it means being fugitives, it might as well be in style! And then, given the amount they had amassed, we will still have enough to last after this escapade, don't worry, Charlie replies with a wink.
— But how many were there exactly? Barbie asks.
— Nearly three million across all accounts. And now that the world has become “Uberized”, even a plane doesn't cost that much. I have already found a company that offers a round trip flight for less than fifty thousand euros with two weeks on site!
— Not only is it classy, ​​adds Dimitri, but it will greatly simplify boarding. Under an invisibility spell in addition to my camouflage spell, I could slip in more easily than on a typical commercial flight.
Obviously, given how he is sought after by Mages, this is a strong argument. He was also wanted by the police, because he was accused of having killed a police officer – thank you Mages – but the prefect managed to bury the case with the help of Jarod and Charlie. They, quite fittingly, provided surveillance video of “fake” Dimitri in five different locations in France at the time of the murder of which he was suspected. Given the number of people matching the sketch, the prefect had the wanted notice withdrawn so as not to risk too many police errors.
—So, when can we leave, Charlie?
— I have already set out options just in case. If I confirm before 3 p.m. today, we can take off tomorrow morning at 11 a.m.
— OK, then I'll notify the notary so that he can set up a meeting with his counterpart in New Orleans the day after tomorrow.

[1] Sister and Best Friend Forever: sister and best friend forever.
[2] The Colombo family really existed and was one of the 5 most powerful mafia clans in New York.