Lila hated portals and anything that had to do with teleportation magic. Of all the things in her world, it felt like one of the most unnatural, and ripping holes in the fabric of space and time wasn’t always one hundred percent safe. A lot of things could go wrong when connecting two points in reality, especially if one of them was always supercharged with magic. Any instability in the flow could result in the loss of limbs, or worse, total molecular disintegration. The last recorded incident of the kind dated back to a decade earlier but it was always on the good witch’s mind.

It was therefore with a great sense of relief that she exited the portal unharmed, yet her surroundings were entirely unfamiliar. She was not in the main building of the compound but in what appeared to be a protective bubble floating in the middle of nothingness. The bubble was as large as a basketball court and housed a white-tiled floor, one rectangular table made of a reflective material that hurt her eyes, two chairs, and a multicolored sphere hanging over her head. There were no visible doors or windows in this division. For all intents, it was as if she had been brought to a pocket dimension and was completely separated from the world she knew, 

“Well, this is different,” she thought.

The chair closest to her was pulled to the side, inviting her to sit down, but Lila kindly refused the offer. She hadn’t traveled there to indulge in needless pleasantries and so, raising her voice to anyone who was listening, she said,

“Hello? Is anybody there?”

The sphere hovering over her hummed and filled the room with a warm red light before fading away into oblivion. Lila was half-expecting to see a holographic projection of the AI she had talked to before appear before her eyes, but was greeted by a tall, slender woman, dressed in ceremonial crimson robes with gold trimming along the sleeves. She appeared to be in her early twenties with piercing aquamarine eyes and an unsettling curved smile, but it didn’t take a magic expert to know that her guise was but an advanced form of glamor. The witch that had joined her was old, at least two centuries or more, and exuded raw power from every pore.

“Hello, Lila,” the woman said with an uncanny familiarity that surprised her. “My name is Magdalene and I’m the Special Inquisitor assigned to your case. Won’t you please take a seat? We have a lot to discuss.”

“An Inquisitor?” Lila arched a curious eyebrow. “I thought I was going to speak with the Council directly.”

“That’s not how we do things around here,” Magdalene circled the table as if she were gliding through the air. “Especially considering the unusual circumstances revolving around your contact. Additional precautions are in order considering what you’ve shared.”

“Is that why I’m in this elaborate prison?”

“Oh, please!” Magdalene scoffed. “This is hardly a prison but a simple interrogation room. You’ve agreed to be examined before we go any further and that’s my job. I hereby ask for your cooperation so we can handle this unfortunate situation in the most efficient way possible.”

“Okay, What do I need to do?”

“Please sit and lay your hands on the table, palms facing up. I need to scan your wounds.”

“Very well,” Lila replied, unable to hide her uneasiness. Despite her mother’s connections to the Congregatio Magica, it was the first time she was in the presence of an Inquisitor, considered by many the most ruthless enforcers of the rules. The training for the position alone lasted three decades and required extensive knowledge of all forms of offensive and defensive magic, the anatomy of all living and magical creatures, and truth spells, illusions, and invasive interrogation techniques. Even a novice was skilled enough to disarm the most effective mental barriers. If an Inquisitor wanted to fuck you up, there was hardly anything anyone could do to stop them.

“You’re afraid of me,” Magdalene sensed the tension in her body and soul.

“Not really, but I’m cautious. The stories about your class come with a certain weight to them.”

“Yes, I suppose they do,” Magdalene stopped in front of her and extended her right index finger. “However, there’s nothing to be wary of if you’re being entirely truthful.”

“Why would I lie about something as dangerous as this?”

“That’s not up to me to answer. People lie for many stupid reasons and, sometimes, they don’t even realize they’re lying until it’s too late.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re your mother’s daughter, Lila. Surely, you understand the hidden meaning of my words.”

“Do you suspect I may have been compromised? Is that it?”

Magdalene touched her right palm with her protruded finger and applied pressure in a circular motion. A swirl of magic shot across the young woman’s nerves, lighting her body from the inside out.

“I suspect nothing yet but I need to do my job. Please don’t move or this may hurt.”

It was already doing so, even though Lila refused to admit it. The scan began as a slight tingle underneath her skin but soon became like a million needles were burrowing inside her. Magdalene’s intense gaze observed her every reaction while she bit her tongue not to scream. Finally, after a minute that felt like a year or more, the Inquisitor stopped the probing and gently shook her head to the side.

“Interesting... it seems you really are telling the truth about this encounter,” she concluded.

“Again, when would I lie? My family has always been loyal to the Council. I didn’t come all the way here to play some silly games.”

“No, you haven’t,” Magdalene sat in front of her, legs crossed under the table. “Nonetheless, you’ve been touched by powerful magic, one that’s left a residue in you.”

“What sort of residue? Is it dangerous?” Lila’s ears perked up.

“No, I don’t think so, but it’s a good thing we’re in isolation nonetheless. Any pernicious influence that may arise from it is sure to be cleansed by the positively charged atmosphere of this place.”

“I take it you’ve already encountered this sort of thing, then.”

“Perhaps, but it’s too soon to make an assessment. Right now, I’m more interested in your encounter with this evil witch. Can we go back to when this all started?”

“Sure.”

Lila adjusted herself in her seat and began retelling all the events that had led to her presence there, from her initial reluctance to get involved, to confronting her friend with the truth and then almost losing her life in the process. She left no stone unturned but Magdalene wanted more.

“Hmm, you took quite a risk, didn’t you?” the Inquisitor said. “I can’t tell if that was incredibly foolish or brave of you.”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing, to be honest. It’s not really in my nature to get involved in stuff like this but for the sake of my friend, I had to try.”

“Are you always loyal to your friends, Lila?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course, I am.”

“And this Penelope knows all about your nature and the things you can do, correct?”

“Yes, she does.”

Magdalene waved her left hand and conjured an image of her straight from Lila’s memories. It was nothing but a translucent disembodied head, like a ghost who had been summoned against its will.

“And do you think that’s wise? Humans rarely respond well to our kind as History has demonstrated time and time again.”

“Penelope is trustworthy. She would never do anything to put me or our way of life in danger.”

“And do you trust her completely?”

“Yes, I do, but why are you asking me this? My friendships are not the issue here. She has done nothing wrong.”

“Not willingly, no, but she precipitated the rest of the events you described when she asked you to interfere in her relationship. She was trying to use you for your powers, Lila, and you’re okay with that?”

“I already told you what my response to her request was. Forgive me, but this line of inquiry is useless.”

“Not to me,” Magdalene pursed her lips. “I need to assess all threats from every angle and, sometimes, our friendships constitute a liability.”

“Not her. Penelope is one of the good ones and I’d appreciate it if you stopped trying to convince me otherwise. The witch that broke the Accords is the only source of concern, here.”

“Hmm, yes... You maintain you don’t know the true identity of the perpetrator, correct?” 

“She never introduced herself properly, so yeah, I don’t know who she is, but you have the means to find out. All you need to do is activate them. Why are we wasting so much time on this?”

“You need to be patient, Lila. There are procedures we must follow before any kind of intervention. My examination isn’t over yet,” Magdalene replied.

“Then let’s get a move on! The longer I sit in this room doing nothing, the worse I feel. I need to cut the red tape, please!”

Magdalene waved her hand again and the ghostly image of Penelope disappeared from view. The Inquisitor interlocked her fingers and said, somberly,

“There’ll be no cutting anything until my assessment is complete, and since you claimed you were open for a memory scan as well, that’s what we’re going to do next.”

“What are you hoping to find?”

“Any lead about the one who attacked you. If I see things through your eyes, I may notice things you didn’t before. There’s no guarantee of success but it’s worth a try, don’t you think?”

“Do as you must,” Lila sighed, clenching her teeth. It was an involuntary response, already anticipating the inevitable pain she would feel when opening her mind to the Inquisitor’s intrusion. 

“Please take a deep breath then and focus your thoughts on the moment she first talked to you. I’ll try to be as quick as possible but this may cause substantial discomfort.”

“I’m ready,” Lila lied. She blinked and, for a single moment, she saw the true face of the Inquisitor, in all its wrinkled glory, staring back at her. The older woman slowed down her breathing and hummed a small incantation that echoed across the smooth surface of the table before shooting upward in a geyser of unfiltered magic. Lila saw it suspended in the air until it formed a translucent cloud, closed her eyes, and allowed it to fall onto her like blessed rain.

The magic probe soaked her skin and infiltrated her pores looking for the fastest access to her brain. Once inside, it hit her with the strength of a thousand waves, pushing and pulling at every crevice of her subconscious. The sheer ferocity of the invasion was enough to make anyone scream and Lila couldn’t help herself but to do the same. Her body arched backward as she struggled to keep afloat inside her memories but the flow was too intense and dragged her in, straight into the unknown depths of the universe.

Gasping for air, Lila realized she was back at the mausoleum, being confronted by a possessed Cindy and her unquenchable thirst for mayhem and destruction. The Inquisitor was there with her, peering at the scene with a callous and detached look that made her shiver. Her fingers undulated between the darkness and, every time they moved, a piece of herself moved with her.

“What the...?” Lila thought. “This isn’t right.”

The good witch opened her mouth to scream only to be met with an oppressive and deafening silence. She couldn’t move or speak her mind. As long as the Inquisitor’s presence was around, she was a prisoner in her own body, not much different from Cindy and the evil brand etched on her skin.

“No, no... NO!” Lila growled. “This is not what I wanted.”

The Inquisitor’s daft fingers continued to mess with her perception, replaying key moments of her altercation with the other witch and focusing on certain words and speech patterns. They burrowed deeper and deeper into Lila’s brain and lingered there, playing with her synapses as if they were the strings of a harp. The dissonant melody pushed Lila closer to the verge of unconsciousness but, as she was about ready to collapse, she suddenly pushed back with all her might and regained control of her body.

Surprised by her resistance, the Inquisitor broke the connection. Her eyes remained vitreous and almost lifeless, a speck of blood showing between her pearly teeth.

“What the hell was that?” Lila vociferated.

“I was examining your memories as we agreed,” Magdalene retorted with a hiss.

“No...” Lila stood up, a dark realization coming to her. “You were doing more than that. You were trying to change them.”

“Don’t be absurd, Lila! That’s not what we do around here. I dug a little too deep, that’s all.”

“Don’t lie to me! I felt the push, the alternate reality you were trying to promote. You weren’t looking for clues about my attacker but the opposite. You wanted me to forget everything I saw!”

“Accusing an Inquisitor of the Council is not a smart move, Lila. Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

Lila clapped her hands and summoned a protective ward. The glamor enveloping the Inquisitor flickered momentarily, revealing her wasted features once again. “Someone old and powerful,” Lila mumbled before saying out loud, “Are you her? Are you the bitch that enslaved Cindy?”

“You’d do well to calm down Lila,” the Inquisitor replied. “This little panic attack of yours isn’t helping your cause.”

“Fuck off! You broke my trust when you tried to influence my thoughts! I’m not going to ask again: are you her?”

Magdalene pushed her chair aside and rose into the air like a forsaken deity. As her robes waved around, Lila saw the sign of evil tattooed just below her neckline.

“No, you insolent fool,” the Inquisitor replied. “The one you’re talking about is my Mistress, so show some respect.”

“Fuck! She has eyes and ears in the Council too?”

“My owner is everywhere, Lila,” Magdalene smirked. “You should have never crossed her path.”

“What do you want?”

“My orders were clear: she knew you’d run straight here after your brief encounter, so I was tasked with putting some sense in your head. The way you pushed me just now was impressive, but your power is not enough.”

“I’m not going to let you tamper with my psyche,” Lila strengthened her mental barrier with yet another ward.

“Honey, what choice do you have? You’re cut off from the rest of the building and no one else knows you’re here with me because I deleted the records of your call as soon as you made it. You defied my Mistress, but you won’t defy me. Now, be a good girl and surrender.”

“Not while I’m alive.”

“Don’t tempt me, Lila,” Magdalene snarled. “I’d love nothing else than to bash your head against the floor for daring to go against her, but no, I won’t let you. Instead, I’ll just beat you to a pulp before delivering you to her to be branded as well. Once you receive her gift, then you’ll realize just how powerful she is.”

Lila spat on the table, her resolve emboldened by the Inquisitor’s threat. If she wanted a fight, then she was going to get one no matter how stacked the odds were against her.

“Bring it then.”

Grinning, the obedient thrall rushed in.

((to be continued))