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The Security Consultant I pulled my 69 Dodge Charger into the parking lot behind the converted warehouse on N. 1st St and opened the door feeling the chilly spring air of St. Louis wash across my face. Getting out of the car I popped the trunk and picked up the bags from my recent shopping trip. It was a Monday and happened to be the first really nice spring day. It seemed like the whole world was in a good mood. The building's main entrance was a short walk from my parking spot but I enjoyed the crisp air and sunshine as I headed for my office. The warehouse had been converted a few years back during one of the city's urban renewal phases, now it housed two floors of offices and shops. I liked having the windows however I did get some of the random foot traffic from being in this type of a building, but all in all I liked the set up. As a small business owner, (I am my only employee) I had to open and close the office but this didn't bother me since I've always been okay with being by myself. I reached the front door and as expected the lights were out. The sign in front read, "Alastar L. Donegal, MAA, MU-2c, Security Consultant of the Arcane" I had to smile slightly at the pretentiousness of the sign but if you're gonna advertise you have to give the public a reason to come inside. I set my bags on the tiles, held my hand up twisting my fingers in a quick gesture and with a slight trickle of magic I spoke the Key. I felt a surge of magic and the wards around my place of business dropped. I then reached into my pocket and pulled out the mundane key to the office. Once inside I went to the small side room of my two room office, this room had no windows, but served as a place to store magical components and was just large enough for a small summoning circle. I put away the magical supplies from my shopping trip and returned to the main office. I went over to one of the windows along the west wall and opened it to allow my familiar access to my office, as well as some fresh air. Next I fired up my computer. The office held a pair of slightly worn couches facing each other with a coffee table between. My desk sat off to the side so I could see costumers as they entered the office. Beside the desk was a small refrigerator with a coffee pot on top. I got it going since coffee is one of my addictions. I glanced at the door and spotted my reflection, I'm a normal looking American male, thirty years old, of Irish descent. Standing 6'1" and just under 200 lbs I'm in pretty good shape, I run and lift a couple of times a week, and on Saturday's I attend a judo class. I've got sandy blonde hair and blue eyes and have never had trouble finding female companionship, although I'm currently between girlfriends. I spotted the sign again not really needed to read it and snorted slightly, MAA most people nowadays knew that stood for a Masters of Arcane Arts, of which I'm reasonably proud, but the Magic-User 2nd Class license annoyed me. I come from a long line of Magic-Users, not hedge wizards, or hex witches but the real wielders of Arcane Power. Magic had always been around but after the Renaissance those who practiced went underground. Humanity was pretty hostile to anything different and potentially dangerous and we as a community are both. We'd been successful in hiding from the mundane world until the cold war and J. Edgar Hoover and the damn FBI. Once Hoover had found out about us, he'd tried to black mail the American Magical Community into assisting in the containment of communism as our patriotic duty. Now the American Guild of the Arcane, (AGA) is as patriotic a group as you can find, but black mail did not sit well so the Elders in 1955 had announced our existence to the world. There were a few tough years but humanity had grown over the last few centuries and so now we're able to practice in the open. Funny how things work out I thought sitting down at my computer. About 10% of the population is magically sensitive, 5% can actually be taught to cast spells. But only about 1% can earn a Magic-User 3rd Class license. In a country of 300 million that means there are potentially 3 million professional practitioners. However, it takes hard work and training to develop that raw talent. According to AGA statistics, there are about 1 million licensed practitioners. Of that about 100,000 are rated 2nd Class, with about 10,000 1st Class Magic-Users, and about 300 Masters in the entire country. I had a 2nd Class license, but this was mostly based on my Master's Degree and the skill, I'd demonstrated during the practical examinations. The sad fact is that I'm a runt magical speaking. This made me the black sheep of the family. Both of my parents were classified as Master Magic-Users which is the only classification above a 1st Class License. There are only about a thousand MMUs worldwide. My Father passed away during a magical experiment gone bad when I was a small boy so I don't remember him much. My Mother is a proud woman, cold, and analytical and no matter how hard I studied nor how many hours I spent at one magical exercise after another, all of it focused on building my magical strength, I failed to live up to her expectations. I have an older brother studying in Europe; he is already a Magic-User 1st Class and within a year should be taking his tests for Master level. So even though my mother lives in one of the better suburbs of St. Louis I don't see her all that much. The smell of coffee distracted me from my depressing thoughts so I poured a cup and sat down behind the computer to do some research. I had two clients today. The first would take me into west St. Louis to look at some guys' house. He wanted an estimate on some practical wards for home defense. The second was for 1 pm and would take several hours. I would be installing the wards I'd been crafting for almost a week now. These would go into a business building down town. As a Security Consultant for the Arcane this is what I did. I crafted all sorts of wards and protective glyphs for people. It didn't take a lot of power, but it did take several years of study, you had to understand lay-lines, and you almost had to be an artist when it came to the actual crafting and setting of the ward net. I had over the last five years gained a reputation as one of the best in the mid-west. I was ready for my afternoon client but I need to research the one for 10 am. I glanced at my watch. I had 45 minutes before I had to leave, enough time to do some preliminary research. I started hitting the charts and plotting positions, silently thanking the guild, which had compiled all of this data and made it available, (for a fee of course) to those professionally practicing the Art. Before I got too caught up in my research I figured I should check on Edgar, my familiar. Edgar was a crow (I know don't even get me going about the name, he picked it for God's sake!) who having been cooped up all winter had wanted to stretch his wings. I live in a small house in College Hill which is about 4 miles as the crow flies from my office. I had built a large roost from an oak tree inside the office next to the window and when Edgar got tired he'd know how to get into the office. I closed my eyes and I recited a quick cantrap sending out a wisp of power that allowed me to see what Edgar was seeing. I could tell he was soaring effortlessly about half way between my house and the office. Satisfied that he'd be fine I released the spell and returned again to the research that I suddenly realized I was trying to avoid. "Come on Alastar, this is how you pay your bills," I said to myself in a weak attempt at motivation. At that moment I felt a slight jarring at the outer wards to my office. Not an alarm, a notification that another practitioner of the Art was about to enter. I don't get that many Magic-Users visiting me at work. I've got a few friends, most of whom are much more powerful than me, who I see socially. The door opened and in walked a very attractive woman. She was dressed in a grey business blazer and white blouse with a matching grey skirt, nylons, and sensible low heeled shoes. The outfit said serious professional. Her hair was black as midnight and her skin was extremely light, but her eyes took my breath, they flashed a startling shade of blue. I prefer women with a bit of cleavage and this was the only area where she fell slightly short in my estimation. She had small high breasts, but overall it was a package I wouldn't kick out of bed! "How can I help you Ma'am?" I asked standing up and walking around my desk. "Are you Mister Alastar Donegal?" She practically purred walking toward me one hip at a time. "Yes, Ma'am, what can I do for you?" I asked taking a step back and actually bumping into my desk. I felt my face flush, and started to wonder what the hell was going on I'm no Casanova but I'm not some virgin either. I can usually at least talk to a beautiful woman. Stopping a couple of feet from me she looked me up and down slowly, like she was sizing me up for something. "I heard that you're the best, ... at runes and magical security." Her voice had a slight accent, French I guessed, and was almost hypnotic. I nodded not trusting myself to speak, and suddenly to my dismay noticed that my 'old man' had started to stand at attention. "I need your, ... services and am prepared to compensate you handsomely." She said. "Can I get your name, Ma'am and would you like a cup of coffee?" I felt stupid all of a sudden for offering her coffee. God what was I thinking? With a smile she turned, flicked her hair over a shoulder and looked back at me, "I'd love a cup, cream and sugar please." I was torn between watching her back side as she moved over to the couch and getting the coffee. Manners won out and I returned to the couches sitting opposite her with two cups of coffee. "Now Ma'am what's your name and how can I help you." I managed to stammer feeling like I'd just accomplished something. "Well, you see one of your clients is my ex-husband, and he has some property of mine. I intend to get it back and was hoping that you'd be willing to work an accommodation." As she said this she leaned forward picking up the packet of cream and adding it, along with two packets of sugar, to the coffee. It took a full second before what she said penetrated my brain. "Ma'am what type of property and why can't you go to the police? I mean if he has something of yours, well, that's what the police and the courts are for." I stumbled through my speech barely able to pull my gaze up to meet her eyes. "I know that your wards alerted you, I'm a Magic-User, like you. This is not something for the police. It's about the Art. I want you to give me the Keys to the wards. That's all I need and I'm prepared to pay you very handsomely." She was now staring at me intently the coffee she'd been playing with untouched. At this I felt ill, I'm not the best person around, but I've got my standards. If I sold out one of my clients, no matter if it was justified, I'd be out of business. "I'm sorry Ma'am but I can't help you." I said, actually regretting it. "Are you sure we can't find an accommodation?" She asked raising one exquisite eyebrow. "I will not sell out one of my clients. If your ex-husband stole something from you then you need to go to the police. If it's an artifact maybe the Guild can help you recover it. But I can't do what you're asking." At this I stood up and walked toward my desk. I was about half way there when I heard her say. "I'm sorry too, oh, would you have a look at this?" I turned around in time to see that she had followed and was only a couple feet behind me. She lifted one had and drew a glyph in the air that glowed for a second between us. I'm not the most powerful Magic-User, in fact I'm pretty wimpy, but I am well trained and very knowledgeable. As soon as she started drawing her glyph I spoke a word of activation, I was wearing a shield ring that would deflect most magic. I also had woven into my belt several crystals, where every morning and evening I stored power. I tapped one of the crystals and poured its energy into the ring to power it better than I'd be able to do on my own. Suddenly the air between us was distorted by the shield I'd activated. I was barely in time, whatever spell she'd used slammed into my shield with the force of a mac truck. I felt it shudder, but it held. I lifted my right hand and activated the ring on it. This was designed to use telekinetic force to bind an opponent. Again I wasn't strong enough to work this without augmentation and drew power from the second of the six crystals woven into my belt. The power lashed out and she blocked it with a negligent wave of one hand. I felt the ring burst and fall off my finger. Holy shit who was I fighting? Before I could try another spell, she spoke a word of power and my shield was shredded and I was seized in a telekinetic grip. "Look into my eyes." She said, and I felt a force grip my head and turn it to face her. Her blue eyes seemed to blaze with power and I felt myself being pulled forward. There was a strange tearing sensation and suddenly I snapped free, and was sucked forward into a pair of blue whirl pools. Then I blacked out. ************** My awareness started to return slowly. I could tell I was stretched out on something soft with my hands bound together in front of me. My ankles were also bound together and I was gaged and blindfolded. I had a headache to beat all headaches. For a moment I felt anger well up inside me. This woman had walked into my office and subdued me without working up a sweat. I was always weaker than everyone else in my family and my mother had been against me working as a security consultant for this reason. She thought I was too weak to work professionally in the Art and had wanted me to stay on the estate pursuing a more mundane career. Laying here bound and gagged it felt like she was right, again. Think Alastar, think! I admonished myself. Okay, I can't speak a cantrap to release my bonds. I can't make any gestures that leaves purely thought magic. As skilled as I am, I suck at mind magic. I started controlling my breathing and focused on my hearing. Was this woman still in my office? For several minutes I did nothing but lay still and listen. She must be gone. However I'd heard a slight rustling from behind my head. Slowly I started to piece together a picture. If I was on the couch by the wall then Edgar's perch would be behind me. I took as deep a breath as I could with this gage, and drew on my magical power, for a second I nearly lost the connection between me and the magic because of how startled I was. I had tried a light drawing of power and in answer I'd received, for me, storm of energy. Calming down and reducing the flow of power, I activated the bond between me and Edger. Suddenly I could see the room. I was perched by the window and felt very happy with myself since I'd had a great flight. Now if only there was something to eat. I managed to push back a bit and separate my thoughts from Edgar's. I focused on getting him to look at me. At first Edgar was confused looking around the room, but at last he settled on the human shape on the couch. I now knew that there was no one else in the room so cautiously reached up toward my face. Even though my hands were bound I was able to push the blind fold up, the light was bright and blurry and I had to blink several times before my vision cleared up. Weird, I thought, suddenly colors seemed so much clearer and brighter, like there were dozens of shades where I'd only perceived one or two before. I didn't want to waste any time so I started working on my gage. That bitch had stuffed some piece of hard plastic in my mouth before she tapped it shut. There was no way I could sub-vocalize a spell. I ripped the tape off and spit out the rubber mouth piece. Once I could speak I pulled in more magical energy less surprised at the overwhelming response this time, and focused on the words. The spell rang out in a clear woman's voice, and suddenly my hands and feet were free. I didn't understand where that voice came from but figured it must be my mystery lady back for round two so I jumped up and drew in as much power as I could and looked around. I saw nothing but an empty office, with only Edgar and me. "What the hell?" Again that voice, sort of like my mystery lady's but slightly different. I glanced down and received my second greatest shock, pushing out from my chest were two distinct mounds. "I have breasts?" I reached up with one hand and when I squeezed, I felt the breast in my hand and the sensation of a breast being squeezed. With my other hand I felt my throat. This can't be happening I thought to myself. I stumbled over to the mirror hanging above the refrigerator and saw staring back the brunette who'd attacked me. I reached up with one hand and felt her face, I watched as the woman in the mirror reached up and touched her face. I felt the hand touching my lips and knew this was real. I stumbled to the chair behind my desk and sat down. When I did I noticed the bounce of extra flesh on my chest and for the first time an absence of my old friend between my legs. For a moment I started to hyperventilate. I felt dizzy and my vision swam, what the hell had just happened. Why would this woman change me into a copy of her? For that matter why would she put me into her clothes? I took several deep breaths, get a grip Alastar, what would your mother think if she saw you? I suddenly felt ashamed. This was just a transformation spell I needed to focus and prioritize. At the college of the Arcane, we'd been forced to learn several spells designed to shape shift. I, of course, didn't have the power to use those spells but had figured out a way to augment my power. I learned to store magical strength in things like crystals and then tap them in class to cast the necessary spells. I'd passed but everyone knew that I was the weakest Magic-User ever to earn an MAA. However, when it came time to change into a copy of yourself, if you'd been born in the opposite gender, I'd claimed I didn't have the power. I showed the instructors I could cast the spell perfectly and knew the theory. But, I claimed, I didn't have the strength to cast it. As a result I'd got partial credit which was fine with me since the idea of being female was one that I was totally uncomfortable with. Now sitting at my desk in this strange woman's body I wished I'd not chickened out because those lessons would have come in handy. I took a deep breath; okay, she made me into a copy of her, and put me in her clothes, why? I asked myself. She wanted to get into either one of my clients houses or places of business, so maybe she'd changed into a copy of me. If she did then she probably needed my clothes. Although why change me into a copy of her? Duh, I thought, because she wanted only one Alastar running around. If she knew that I didn't have the power to shift on my own, then turning me into her and taking the talisman where I store additional magical energy made sense. I was effectively stuck. Why didn't she take her clothes? Leaving me naked with no way to change back would be a pretty good tactic. I shuddered for a second at the thought of being stuck, naked, in a female body, in my office. Okay, priority one, I need to alert my clients that someone wearing my face would be trying to gain access to their building. Unfortunately she never said which client. I logged onto my computer, noticing how different it was to type with long finger nails. I did a quick search of my former clients with magical abilities, who were divorced and wealthy enough to rate, this kind of attention. I came up with three names. I almost made the mistake of picking up the phone and calling each client. Instead I went into my storage room and pulled one of the spell-books from the shelf. I needed a simple spell to change my voice. It took about ten minutes to find it and then I went back to my desk. I once again opened myself to the magic around me and felt a torrent of energy. This could be very addictive I thought and then cast the spell. I felt the tingle that told me it had worked and then said. "The rain falls mainly on the plain in Spain." At the sound of my normal male voice I jumped and spun around, "yes!" Of course this maneuver in my new and unfamiliar shape caused me to lose my balance and I hit the floor hard on my newly-padded rear end. "Damn it!" I climbed to my feet rubbing my soft, sore, butt and tried not to think about what it was I was feeling and sat down behind my desk. I picked up my desk phone and started making calls. I figured they thought I was crazy when I introduced myself and explained that there might be a person using magic to look like me attempting to gain entry. "Don't worry," I explained for the third time, "this person only looks like me. He doesn't have the Keys to your Wards. If you leave the wards up and he's stopped then he's an imposter and you should then call the police or the guild." For the first time I checked the clock and saw that it was already late afternoon. Between the attack, the time I'd spent unconscious, and then calling my clients I'd completely missed both of my appointments. Oh well, it's probably for the best. I can't exactly go looking like this, I thought. For a second I thought about calling my mother. She'd be able to break the spell with ease. But the thought of her seeing me in this body and the satisfied smile, she had too much class to say 'I told you so' but it would be in her eyes. No, whatever happened I'd figure this mystery out on my own. The next step is go to my house and use one of my grimoires to break the shape shifting spell that bitch put on me. After that I should alert the guild authorities so they can start looking for my imposter. My clothes were gone, and my mystery woman hadn't left me her purse. So I grabbed a spare set of keys from my desk, shushed Edgar out the window, and locked up my office. I paused at the door for a second, God I was going to have to go out in public like this. I felt totally humiliated, ambushed and transformed in my place of business like some barely competent hedge witch. At least no one who knows me has seen me like this, I thought, and that stepped out into the hall. I retraced my steps to my parking spot feeling greatly relieved when I saw my car sitting there waiting for me. I opened the door and tried to climb in and noticed that the skirt I was wearing made getting into a car the way I usually did impossible. I turned around so I could settle my butt into the driver's seat and then swing my legs under the steering wheel. Now I realized I was too far back and slide the seat forward so I could reach the pedals. Finally ready I started the car taking comfort in the familiar growl of the engine. The drive took about ten minutes with heavy traffic this time of day. I was pleased to see my small two bedroom house come into sight. I pulled into my driveway and pushed the button that opened the garage door, and felt the wards around my house activate. The car suddenly stalled. "What the fuck," I said out loud confused. This is my house I created those wards myself, they're designed to recognize my body's physical essence. No matter what form I'm in that essence, like a magical genetic signature doesn't change. Confused I spoke the Key and sent a trickle of energy at the ward net and was happy to feel the field drop. Once inside the house I let Edgar in and then I kicked my shoes off and headed down to my basement where I'd built, at great expense, my sanctum. My basement might as well be out of some novel. It's long, the entire length of the ranch style house. I've got a summoning circle built into the cement floor. Along one wall running the length of the basement is a floor to ceiling set of built-in book shelves containing most of my magical archive. Along the far wall is a large desk with a computer and a flat screen TV. I suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted, ever since the attack I'd felt jumpy, like my mystery woman might return. Now in my place of power I felt for the first time safe. Okay the first order of business is to identify the spell that was used to turn me into a woman. Then figure out the best way to break it. I pulled down a quick reference book on magical identification spells and flipped to the page on transformations. After twenty minutes of study I started casting. Now my house is built on a lay-line, (not one of the large powerful confluences, but a small line) which helps tremendously if you're a magical weakling. For the first time since I moved in I didn't need to touch the lay-line, I had more power at my fingertips than I'd ever imagined. My initial spell told me that my body was free of any curses, or charms. I cast the next, and the next. After nearly an hour of straight casting I felt exhilarated, instead of exhausted like I usually would have been, but disappointed and confused. Okay, Alastar think, there is no active magic on your body. This means there isn't a transformation spell active. You woke up in her clothes, why? The amount of power you can draw is easily ten times what you could draw this morning. "Holy Shit, she did a soul swap!" The realization hit me like a bucket of cold water. First spells like that are the blackest of black magic, they rip the soul of the subject out of its natural body. Unlike a transformation spell which takes the person's physical form and changes it, leaving the body's physical essence intact. This moves souls around. I was now for all practical, physical, and magical purposes this mystery woman. That explained the clothes; she hadn't changed them she'd just left me in the clothes I was already wearing. But why would she want to be me? Obviously not to steal my magically power since I'm a wimp, ....wait the runes. She had wanted access to one of my clients and since I wouldn't give her the Keys she took my body. I was a living breathing Key for every rune I'd ever created. I shuddered at the thought of black magic. Generally speaking magic was a tool and the intent of the person using it dictated if it was beneficial or harmful. There were a couple of exceptions, Blood Magic which fed on the life force of the sacrifice, Necromancy, which dealt with the use of the spirits and bodies of the dead, and lastly magic that damaged the soul. The idea that she'd used this type of a spell on me made me shudder. My stomach growled, and I glanced at the clock on the computer and saw that it was almost 8 pm. This body needed food, and I need to think. How do I stop this bitch? I went to the kitchen and got some left over pizza from the refrigerator and a bud and plopped down on my couch. I was once again startled by the way my chest bounced and the empty feeling between my legs. I bit into the pizza and grimaced at the greasy taste. What the heck, I love cold pizza! I took a drink from my bud and felt my stomach churn. Okay this body was not going to tolerate greasy pizza and beer. "Lord why have you forsaken me" I asked the empty room. "Pizza and beer are two of your most blessed culinary combinations?" Edgar looked at me from where he'd been sleeping perched on a roost by the kitchen. I regretfully returned the pizza to the box and found some cold cuts and bread. With my stomach settled enough to finish dinner and I thought about my problem. I desperately needed information. Feeling pressure in my bladder I knew it was time to take care of one of the practical problems of the female form. It was time to take a leak. I went into my bathroom and couldn't help staring at myself in the mirror. I stood at perhaps 5'7" I was much shorter than I was used to, yet there was no doubt I was stunning. I hung my jacket on the hook behind the door, and then hiked up my skirt and pulled down my panties, and hose. Next I settled on the toilet letting out a yelp due to the cold seat. It took me several tries experimenting with clenching up and relaxing muscles until I figured out how to make this body tinkle. The warm flow of urine and the feeling of relief that comes from a good piss were very similar I thought. I remembered to wipe and then flushed the toilet and put my clothes mostly back into the proper position. There are several ways to get information and Magic-Users have extra options. However information has a price. I decided to start with the internet, since the price there was the lowest. I went to an AGA news site and started flipping through articles for the last few days to see if anything would pop. After about 30 minutes of what felt like fruitless searching I froze. In the social section there was an article about the famed researcher Master Magic-User Bernard Livingstone, from Boston visiting St. Louis to display his latest crafting. The article showed a picture of his wife Molly and daughter Morgana, the resemblance between the two made it easy to see that Morgana took after her mother. But what caught my eye was the fact the Morgana's face was the same face I'd been staring at 35 minutes ago in the mirror. I scanned the rest of the article and was somewhat surprised to learn that Morgana was just 18 and had recently graduated from a private all girls' high school, which specialized in the teaching of magic. I would have put her in her mid-twenties, but I guess make-up and or a minor glamor could have made her look a few years older. Armed with this information it didn't take me long to find were they were staying. Now I had a lead on who I was, but I still didn't know why Morgana would want to trade bodies with me. The idea that she needed to get into an ex-husbands office or house was obviously a lie. I also realized that just because I had a hotel it didn't mean she'd be there. In fact the odds were good that she wouldn't be at the hotel. So now it was time to start with the mojo. For the first time in my life I felt like I had an edge in the magic department. I spread out a map of St. Louis on the floor in my summoning circle. I then went to my bathroom looking for my hair brush. Now most of the magical community is pretty careful about things like hair, nail clippings, and bodily fluid since these things have a resonance that can be used for several types of castings. I, much to my Mothers annoyance, had never been all that good about destroying these things. Today that worked to my advantage since I found several hairs. Returning to the summoning circle I tied a paper clip to a string and then wove two of the six hairs through the paper clip. Chanting a quick locator spell I pushed energy into the casting, God I felt strong! "Crap" the paper clip had turned a bright red from the power of the spell and burned off not only the hairs but the thread. It fell onto the map and burned a hole straight through. "Damn it all!" I shouted snatch the map up before it could catch fire. On my second try I pushed the thinnest trickle of energy into the paper clip and was rewarded by it spinning around a couple of times and then jerking down to touch the map. The location was along I-70 45 minutes outside of St. Louis, the exit looked like it would have a hotel. "I've got you now, you body thieving bitch." I muttered under my breath heading back up to the main floor of the house. For a moment I considered calling my mother. She would probably know the Livingstone's, (there aren't that many Master Class Magic-Users around) so it would be simple to meet them with her and settle this situation. Almost as soon as I thought about calling mom I rejected the idea. She would just use this as another example of why I shouldn't be professionally practicing magic, and try to convince me to move back onto the estate. No I needed to solve this myself. I needed to prove that I was as competent as the rest of the family. Before I left I took the time to adjust my wards, if Morgana was walking around in my skin there was no way I was letting her into my house. I reset the wards to only drop upon the activation of the Key. Edgar flew over to my shoulder and we headed to the garage. I figured my first stop should be the hotel where Morgana's parents were staying. I needed to try to understand what was going on with their daughter, hopefully they would help. The Chase Park Hotel was about a twenty minute drive, not really in the direction I needed to go to confront Morgana but I was sure talking to her parents would be helpful. It would be almost 9:30 pm before I got to the hotel but I decided I didn't care. Driving the Charger in a woman's body felt different. First the skirt and women's shoes made it harder to use the manual transmission. Since this body is shorter not only did I have to adjust all the mirrors and the seat but I had to get used to sitting much lower than I was used too, which affected my field of vision. At least Edgar settled into his usual spot in the passenger's seat. When I arrived at the Chase I was annoyed at the cost of parking, I mean come on a buck for an hour on the meter at 9:30 at night? Then the walk into the lobby made my feet start to ach, why in God's name do women buy uncomfortable shoes? And my shoes didn't have 'real' heels just low two inch ones. Ugh. When I walked into the lobby, despite my preoccupation, I could sense something was wrong. Far too much security and the police car out front made me wonder what was going on. I walked up to the front desk and spoke a charm under my breath designed to make anyone I talked to want to help me. It was not strong enough to qualify as a compulsion, just a simple spell designed to influence. The clerk looked like he was in college and working nights at the hotel. I tried for a sexy sophisticated walk, caught a heel and stumbled stupidly. At least I didn't fall over, damn it! "Hi" I said feeling like the source of sophistication. Not. "I um locked myself out of my room. My name's Morgana Livingstone." I said trying to pull my shoulders back and push my chest out. Hey, if you got'em you might as well use'em. I could almost see the spell take effect. The clerk seemed to fixate on my chest for a second. Then instead of asking for my room number or identification said, "sure thing Ms. Livingstone." Okay maybe he was under a different kind of influence. "Ah, call me Morgana," I said fluttering my eye's at him. "Here you are, you're on the 19th floor, room 1922. Let me just make you a new key card. Oh, I'm so sorry about your parents." For a second it didn't register my parents? I decided to just keep my mouth shut. "Here you go, will there be anything else?" he asked. "No, thanks you've been very helpful." I replied and walked away toward the elevator my heels click clacking away. I felt totally self- conscious. I wondered what the heck was he talking about as I rode the elevator up to the 19th floor. I approached room 1922 cautiously and then spotted yellow police tape across room 1924 the next room down from mine. Shit, if the Livingstone's were all traveling together, Morgana probably had her own room, but I bet they were adjoining. And her parents room was possible the scene of a crime, damn, damn, damn! I swiped my key and walked into a plush room, with a connecting door to one side. King sized bed, living room, walk-in closet and a huge bathroom. It was easy to see why this was a five star hotel. I started checking the dresser when a loud yawl interrupted my search. A huge calico cat darted from the closet and leaped at my face screeching as it attacked. I reacted instinctively and caught it just below the throat. The damn thing scratched my forearm and surprised by how much this hurt I dropped the cat. As soon as it landed it launched itself at me again, I was more prepared this time and spoke a Power Word for sleep. The magic slammed into the cat, but the crazed beast fought it off. Holy crap, it crouched hissing and spitting all of its fur standing on end. After a second, it attacked again, this time I brought my shield spell up. The cat bounced back from the shield giving me the time I needed to cast a stun spell. I'd just learned my lesson so I poured about twice the amount of power into the spell. Energy flashed across the room, and the cat landed on its side out for the count. "What the fuck!" I felt my knees turn wobbly for a second as the adrenaline hit my system. I took a couple of deep breaths to re-center myself and then went over to check on the cat. It was breathing but as I watched it slowly stopped shuddered once and died. I felt my legs collapse and I settled on the floor next to the dead cat. I didn't understand. My first spell should have put the cat to sleep when that didn't work the second spell wasn't enough to kill. Suddenly it dawned on me, this was Morgana's familiar. Not all Magic-Users have a familiar; in fact it's kind of rare these days. Usually if you're from an old school family, sometimes teenage girls, or if you're like me and a weakling, well you need every advantage you can get. At the moment I wished I hadn't left Edgar in my car. Trying to ignore the cat I started searching again, this time with the luggage, there were several days' worth of outfits, casual, formal, and exercise clothes. I felt a surge of excitement when I discovered Morgana's purse. Now I had a driver's license, as well as her cell phone. I glanced briefly at missed calls and recent calls but nothing rang any bells. I next found a magical travel kit, with some of the basic spell components, and some things which were specific to female Magic-Users. If I was stuck in this body for any length of time this would come in handy. Now I focused on the door that connected the two rooms. I knew that the AGA would be sending over its own Investigator if there was a crime here which, from the police tape on the door, I thought was likely. I decided to try mundane methods of entry first. I opened the door only to see another door with no handle. Obviously this door could only be opened from the other side. I used my key card and tried to slide it down between the door and the door-frame and was surprised when I was able to jimmy the door open. I went into the room and I instantly sensed death. Opening my third eye I examined the room, looking for any magical clues, or active spells. I quickly figured out that there were no active spells in the room, and that two powerful practitioners of the Art had died on the bed. I was careful not to touch anything as I looked around the room. After about 10 minutes I hadn't turned up any clues so I returned to Morgana's room and shut both doors behind me. If they had been murdered it wasn't by magic. I sat down on Morgana's bed and tried to think. First she had used an illegal spell to swap souls with me. Next she had killed her parents. Check that probably killed them. I realized that I had no proof of murder but it was way too coincidental for some kind of natural death. What if I had it backwards, what if she'd killed her parents and then swapped with me? It would be a great way to keep me occupied. I might even get arrested and charged. But I would eventually be able to prove my identity, it would take a Master Magic-User and some very advanced magic to do it. But I'd be cleared, however I'd be out of circulation for a couple of days, maybe longer. The whole time she'd be loose to do whatever it was she was trying to do; could she be so cold hearted as to kill her parents just to delay me? Why not just kill me? I looked down at the dead cat, and had an inspiration. Familiars, they bonded mystically with their masters. It was a powerful connection which only death could break, typically familiars either went into a catatonic state until they died of starvation, or they went ferial attacking everything and everyone until they were put down. Edgar was in the office right about the time of the swap. What if she decided not to kill me because of the trouble my familiar would make? My office was in a relatively public place, all it would take was for building security to come investigate the noise and she'd be the prime suspect in her own death. Of course there was also the possibility that she wanted her body back. All of this left me with more questions, Morgana wasn't dead, just in my body so why had her familiar gone ferial, and back to the original question, what was her motive? She obviously lied about the ex- husband, so why did she want my body? All of this speculation left me frustrated and with more questions. Nothing so far seemed to fit, from what I'd been able to read the Livingstone's were a happy adjusted, powerful magical family. I doubted she'd kill her parents just to distract and delay me. I stood up shaking my head feeling my hair swish back and forth. I needed to head out to the place where Morgana was holed up. But first I decided to take as much of her stuff as I could. I had no idea if or when I'd be able to swap back, so I spent the next couple of minutes packing up toiletry kit, make-up, clothes, and computer. I had it all packed into a suitcase, computer case, and hanging bag. I then pricked the index finger of my right hand and using my blood placed a mark on each piece of luggage. Next I tried a spell I've used before, with lots of augmentation. This time I had plenty of magical muscle and the spell activated shrinking the objects I'd marked. When the spell ran its course, each piece of luggage was small enough to fit into my purse. I slipped out of the room and walked toward the elevators, I'd grabbed a ring from my house that I'd spent several months crafting and now focused on it. The ring held only one spell, but with the barest trickle of power it could be cast over and over again. It was another way to husband power if you're a skilled weakling. The spell was better than invisibility; it was a spell of un-notice. It was designed to trick the senses into not reporting to the mind that the person wearing the ring existed. I'm not very good at mind magic but I'm a great craftsman, this was directed at the mind of anyone sensing me via any of the five senses. The weakness was if I was actively casting a spell anyone with magical sensitivity would feel my presence and the spell would break. It also was completely ineffective against security cameras. So I needed to be careful not cast any more spells until I was out of the building. I activated it with a trickle of power. Walking through the lobby I noticed a black Buick pull up behind the police car in front of the hotel. The AGA Special Agents that got out sent a shiver down my spine. They could be here to look at the crime scene, or they could be here because they'd got a tip that I was here. Shit. I sat down on one of the couches in the lobby and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. After a second I remembered to put my knees together. Stupid skirt. The special agents along with the uniformed mundane police entered the hotel and headed over to the front desk. After a brief conversation all four disappeared into an elevator. As soon as the elevator doors closed I was up and walking out of the hotel. I got to my car without incident and settled in and started the engine. For a couple of seconds I just sat there. What the hell had I gotten myself into? Maybe it was time to go into the AGA and tell them what happened. After all I hadn't done anything wrong; in fact I'm the victim. But then I thought about my reputation as a security consultant. No my clients wanted secure wards, and they wanted privacy. They would not be happy if I brought a bunch of unneeded law enforcement officers to their doors. I again thought about my mother and the fact that I was always a disappointment. No I decided I'll handle this myself. I'd head up to the hotel I'd scryed and find Morgana and bring her in myself. The drive out gave me time to think. I've always been good at runes, wards, and protective spells. I've worked hard at combat spells because the exercises are supposed to increase a Magic-Users strength, like lifting weights. Only I never really got any stronger. Now I had plenty of magical muscle, but why would Morgana give up her strength? What if she didn't know I was a weakling, I mean a normal Magic-User 2nd Class, is not wimpy. If it was to gain access to a location that only I could access that made sense. But she might now be stuck in my body, unless she had a plan to compensate for the loss of power. Then it dawned on me, Bernard Livingstone, the article had talked about his discovery of a way to enchant the power of a lay-line into a crystal. If you held the crystal it would be like standing on a lay-line wherever you were. It wouldn't run out of stored power the way my crystals did, and it could triple or quadruple a Magic-Users strength. If she'd stolen her Dad's research then she'd remain strong while in my body. The idea fit, but there was something else I was missing. It was almost 11 pm when I pulled into the parking lot of the Motel 6 just off the highway. I opened the door and released Edgar to do reconnaissance. Next I used the last two hairs from my hair brush wrapping them around my index finger and tied a knot. I sent the barest trickle of power whispering, "like to like" and spoke a Word of release. I felt a slight pull on my finger, not toward the motel, but around the back. I did a sending to Edgar directing him to head out that way and started walking. Focused as I was on tracking down my mystery woman, I'd tried to ignore the differences in my physical body. All of a sudden I couldn't seem to ignore them, breasts swinging one way, hips the other, I felt physically small and weak. If it weren't for the magical power that sang in my veins I'd be worried about some guy jumping me. Behind the motel, my spell told me to start walking into the woods. Why is it never easy I thought. If you haven't tried walking through soft loamy dirt in heels, even two inch heels, I'd recommend against it. After a couple of minutes I pulled my shoes off and held them in one hand grimacing every time I stepped on a stone or a stick. After about five minutes of walking I couldn't see, because the trees now blocked all light from the motel and the road. I used a cantrap and caused a ball of glowing light to hoover above my head. That's weird I thought, usually when I use witch light it's a purple color, now it was a light blue. As I walked I thought about the difference between the way a physical body must filter magic. It had changed one of the color manifestations of my power. If I was still in school it would make a great research topic. Suddenly I realized I'd reached my destination. Directly in front of me was a tree, the spell pointed right at it. I sent my witch light over to it with a mental nudge. Once the light got close enough to the tree I noticed a dark stain on the bark. With a deep breath I opened my third eye. This is the eye that all Magic-Users have and we use it to look at the world of magic. The mundane world appears in a shadowy black and white to the third eye, but anything with magical power shows up in color. Another aspect of the third eye is that it cut's through illusion and shows true shapes. It can also show hidden glyphs, and spells and is useful for certain types of research. What I saw was a glowing purple glyph on the tree. I didn't recognize the glyph but I knew my signature color when I saw it. I stepped forward eagerly to look at it more closely when my familiar screeched a warning. Not being the most powerful Magic-User, okay being a weakling in magic, has ingrained in me some defensive instincts. Instead of turning and trying to bring up a shield I dove forward into a headlong roll just like I practiced in the Dojo. It saved my life, because with a crack of thunder a bolt of lightning shot from my left slashing through the space where I'd been a second ago and striking a tree set it ablaze. I jumped to my feet feeling my boobs bounce but ignoring the sensation as I focused on the direction of the attack drawing in as much power as I could hold. It was a vast amount of power. I could feel my eyes blazing, the air around me began to arc with static electricity, and my hair started to stand up. Looking back in the direction of the attack I saw another tree with a glyph in purple fading, this one I recognized as a simple lightning strike. Once a Magic-User got in range it would activate and blast once. It was the kind of mindless rune magic I hated, because it could hurt anyone that came by, similar in the mundane world to a landmine. Suddenly the ground beneath my feet irrupted, and a cold claw like hand grabbed my ankle and jerked my foot out from under me. I went down backwards in a controlled back, break fall, slapping the ground to dissipate the energy. In front of me climbing from its fresh grave was a male corpse. I rolled to my feet trying to get some separation and had an opportunity to see what it was I faced. This creature blazed with dark energy. There was no doubt in my mind I was looking at a zombie, and one newly made. I brought up my body shields with a word, and then held out my hands feeling the power that covered them. My whole body was encased in the shield I'd designed. The shield consisted of seven layers, each layer separated by a centimeter, and each layer angled slightly from the one above it. The design was to allow me to deflect spells or physical attacks while using the least amount of power possible. Now however I burned with power. The zombie stepped forward and swung its right arm in a wild raking move. I ducked the swing and stepped to the right. As I did this I reached up cupping its chin with my left hand. I stepped behind it with my left foot and grabbed the back of its head with my right hand. Then with all the force I could muster drove it over my hip smashing the back of its head into the ground in a move known as Irimi-nage. The skull shattered like an egg, I wasn't sure if this was because of the force of my throw or the magically powered muscles and body shield I'd used but the end result was the same. A Zombie without a brain to tell its limbs what to do; is just a corpse. Edgar perched in a tree to my right let out a caw of approval, and started to preen himself. Glad you approve I thought sourly. The stench from the corpse was pretty overwhelming. Holding my nose to stop a gag reflex I'd never had before, I looked closely at the rune on the tree. I'd never seen anything like it before but I knew at once it had been written in my body's blood. Which explained why my tracking spell brought me here, I thought angrily. I quickly memorized the rune and then returned to the corpse. I went through its pockets, barely able to keep my dinner down, and was surprised to find a wallet and a passport. I hesitated for a second and then opened my third eye, again, examining the corpse for magic. What I noticed startled me, on its forehead previously invisible was the same glyph that had been on the tree. I called Edgar to me and walked off a good hundred paces and then turned back to the trap. For a second I didn't want to think about it, but I knew this was something I didn't want the Police or the Guild's special agents to find. My blood or rather blood from my body had been used in the creation of dark magic, and necromancy. I had a spell I used to light fires in my fire place. It was great because I'd modified it to be as efficient as possible. Fire is a powerful, cleansing element, when you burn something to ash if the fire is hot enough you can destroy almost all physical and magical traces. Drawing as much power as I could I cast my spell, I'd expected a fire, what I got was a fire storm. A spark of light darted from my open hand to the tree with the glyph. Suddenly a column of flame shot into the sky, at least 40 feet. Like a tidal wave the fire rolled out running rapidly toward me. I barely had time to raise my shield before the flame swept past. Almost as quickly as the flame started, without magical power to keep it burning, it collapsed and died. However the area where the trap had been was nothing more than ash. With a small burst of power I put out the secondary fires my spell had started headed back to the motel. As I stepped out of the woods I activated my ring of 'un-notice' and promptly stepped on a sharp stone. "Damn it!" Limping back to my car I realized that I'd dropped my shoes during the fight, and now they were nothing more than ashes. I'm not with it tonight. I drove toward St. Louis and my little house for almost twenty minutes before I stopped at a Burger King and order a chicken value meal to go. After I'd collected my food from the window I pulled to the back side of the restaurant's parking lot, suddenly a wave of nausea hit me and I barely managed to get my car door open before I vomited. I sat there for at least ten minutes shaking and trying not to think. The smell of the food I'd purchased didn't help my stomach at the moment. What the hell was going on? What had I gotten myself into? Body theft, murder, black magic, and now necromancy. After the nausea subsided I started sipping my diet cola and concentrated on what had just happened. This had obviously been a trap, either set for me or for anyone investigating what was going on. Again I thought about going to my mom or to the guild, but rejected the idea. Mom would just use this as another example of my short comings, and the guild would systematically contact each of my clients. No I had to get to the bottom of this myself. I needed to prove that I was just as capable as the rest of my family. Who was the dead guy? I grabbed the passport and opened it. I read the name, Ambrose L. Grosvenor for some reason the name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. Now that my stomach was settled I decided to finish my food and then drive back to my place. As I sat eating I let my mind wander and suddenly remembered in a flash of insight. Ambrose Grosvenor, was a criminal, he'd been convicted of practicing illegal magic including necromancy. It had been a case study in my ethical use of magic class when I'd been at the University. A few of weeks ago he'd been paroled after having been locked up in an English prison. I guess he'd never practice illegal magic again since his body was now nothing more than ashes. I started up the Charger and headed home, as I drove I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something obvious. Why would Morgana, kill Ambrose? Then her parents and swap with me? Why the elaborate trap? I mean as an artist the lightning was inspired since both glyphs must have activated at the same time, lighting is a quick and simple spell however the power to reanimate a corpse must take a few seconds. By distracting me with the lightning, Morgana had set me up for the zombie to take me down. Then I had my second epiphany of the night. What if Morgana was a victim? Ambrose had been out of prison for a while. What if I was his target all along? What if he'd uncovered an ancient black spell for swapping souls this gave him a unique power. But he knew that I was an impotent Magic-User. Bernard Livingstone two weeks ago had announced his breakthrough and Ambrose needed it. He needed it because in my body he wouldn't have enough power to cast his soul swap spell. So he somehow took the body of Morgana, and killed her in his body. He then used his new form to take the crystal he needed to augment his power in my body and killed Morgana's parents. Ambrose then in Morgana's body arrived at my office. It's a public office, in an office building with lots of people. He swapped bodies with me, and in flies Edgar. Now he's got a familiar who will go crazy if I'm killed. He can't afford a public scene so ties me up and leaves. He now has my body, and a crystal that augments his power and doesn't run out of stored energy like my crystals do. Knowing that sooner or later I'll come looking for him he set this trap, designed to either kill me or at least take me out of town for a couple of hours. Not to mention that now that I'm in Morgana's body, I might get charged with the death of her parents. The final piece that made me certain it must be Ambrose all along was the fact that he'd spoofed my tracking spell. It should have at least shown me two possible locations for him, instead it had pointed only to the Motel 6. That took real skill, skill that an 18 year old girl recently graduated from high school, no matter how strong, wouldn't possess. "Holy shit," I muttered. It all fit as farfetched as it was it somehow struck me as true. Suddenly my vision blurred poor Morgana just 18 years old and she had been tricked and murdered. I took a deep breath and focused on the road, God how do women deal with these mood swings. So this brought me back to my original question. What the hell did he need my body for? What home or building did he need to get into so badly that he would go to this length? If I could figure out what he was after I could catch him in the act. I knew I'd get no answers out here on I-70 so I hit the gas and accelerated toward my house and all of my files. It was after midnight when I pulled into my driveway, I almost forgot to speak the Key, but got it out before my wards stalled out the car again. Once in the house I reset the wards and then headed to the cabinet where I kept my whiskey. I needed a drink. My head hurt, this had to have been one of the longest days of my life. After downing the two fingers of Jameson in a single gulp, I spent the next thirty seconds sputtering. Obviously Morgana was not used to whiskey. I could tell that I was exhausted, physically, emotionally, and magically. I made another sandwich and then went to my bedroom. I set my purse on the dresser and pulled out the three items I'd be- spelled earlier. It was simple to break the spells. I watched the drops of blood vaporize as the luggage and computer case returned to their normal size. The idea of sleep was almost irresistible. But somehow I knew I couldn't afford to rest. I felt like I was in a race against Ambrose and so far I was losing. So I took Morgana's toiletry kit to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, washed my face, and pulled my hair back into a pony tail and turned on the shower. As I waited for the shower to heat up and removed the clothes I'd been wearing all day. I soon realized that Morgana's sense of smell was far better than my own. God I stink I thought to myself. I tossed her clothes to one side and looked in the mirror. I was captivated. Her flawless face with high cheekbones, slightly up turned nose, and chin that came to a delicate point helped to accentuate the beautiful blue eyes. Her skin was very pale and her nipples bright pink. Looking down at the crotch I saw a small well- trimmed triangle of hair. "I think I'm in love" I said out loud. I wonder does that make me a narcissist? With the water hot enough I climbed into the shower. The first thing I noticed about Morgana's skin was that it's far more sensitive than my own, the second thing I noticed was that I was crazy if I thought her breasts were too small. The third thing, well you get the picture, I could have stayed in the shower the rest of the night contemplating the feeling of soapy slick female flesh. It took longer than I thought it would to dry off. I'm used to vigorously rubbing the water from my skin. After feeling the abrasiveness of my towel, I figured out why women blot the water off. I'd managed to keep my hair mostly dry by putting it up so I headed back to the bedroom and opened Morgana's luggage. I found a pair of pink sweat pants and black t-shirt with small letters across the chest that said, "If you can read this you better buy me a drink." Setting these to the side I found a bra and panties. The panties slide up my legs and settled snugly around my crotch and hips. God, that feels weird I thought. Next I picked up the bra, just as I'd seen my last girlfriend do I turned it around backwards clasped the hooks, spun it around and slipped my arms through the straps. I then spent a second or two adjusting my new boobs into the cups. After this the sweat pants and t-shirt felt almost normal. Feeling refreshed and more awake, I headed to the kitchen and started some coffee. Once the coffee was going I went to the basement for more research. I started by looking at the data base with all my files. Let's see, sort by magical rating. The name at the top of the list caused me to stop; I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Evaline Mor Donegal, PhAA, Magic-User Master Class. About three years ago I'd rebuilt and redesigned the wards on my mother's estate. My family was easily the most powerful, magically speaking, in St. Louis and we had a vault full of ancient artifacts, whose purpose only mother knew. But anyone going after my Mother was suicidal. She was superbly skilled and magically speaking she was one of the top 20 or 30 Magic- Users in the world. Very powerful and skilled Magic-Users also had the ability to slow down the effects of time, they are not immortal but are very long lived. My mother was at the height of her power, she looked like she was in her early thirties and would be very difficult to take down. Ambrose would be a fool to mess with her. I figured I'd try a different approach. I started up a search engine looking for all the information I could find on Ambrose L. Grosvenor. I let the computer do its thing and went up to the kitchen to pour a large mug of coffee and returned to the basement. By this time I'd found several articles and even a Wiki page with info on Ambrose. Born in Breast, France in 1942 he was the son of magical parents. He had been a gifted student of class 1 power. According to the articles he had a dark side and was caught practicing or trying to learn illegal magic. In 1970 his parents had gone missing, authorities had been unable to figure out what had happened. In 1972 he'd been caught in London, England trying to steal an artifact related to blood magic. The object was an ancient stone Athame whose properties had never been thoroughly documented. During the investigation it was discovered that he had been practicing illegal magic for years. I was stunned to see a picture of my mother in the audience, at his sentencing back in 1972. When I read this I realized I'd been doubly a fool. I'd seen that Athame, it was in the family vault. My mother because of her expertise on ancient artifacts was often asked to do research or act as a consultant by the Guild in fact she was now a Guild Elder. Unless I was totally mistaken that dagger was at my family's estate. "OH MY GOD, that son of a bitch has been planning all along to use my body to steal the Athame of Tartarus, from our vault." Saying it out loud suddenly made it seem not only logical but the only possible explanation. I rushed to my home phone (Ambrose had taken my cell when he stole my body) and called my mother's private number. After several rings voice mail picked up, this was not unusual since my mother never seemed to be able to remember to carry it around with her at home. Glancing at the clock I saw that it was after 1 am. She usually stayed up late but there was a good chance she'd gone to bed. Whatever was going on I needed to get over to the estate now. I rushed back to my bedroom and grabbed a set of