Free Heartless (Blue Fire Saga) by Scott Prussing Page B

have been around?”
    “Not in the dorm anymore,” Leesa assured him. “Cali showed me a great place to do it, not far from here. I was thinking we could go there now, and she could tell you what happened.”
    “Good. I want to hear every detail.”
     
    Up in the stacks, the three of them sat around the old table, Leesa and Cali on one side, Dominic on the other, facing them.
    Dominic leaned forward and folded his hands atop the table. “So, Cali, tell me what happened. Everything you can remember, whether you think it’s important or not.”
    Cali recounted the details of the BSI agents’ visit, trying to remember everything they said and did. Dominic listened intently, interrupting her only once to clarify a minor point.
    “They warned me not to talk about this with anyone,” Cali said when she finished her story. “But of course I told Leesa as soon as I got the chance.”
    “I was going to call you,” Leesa added, “but since it’s a government agency, I didn’t know if they might be able to listen in. I thought it best to wait until you came by.”
    “You both did great,” Dominic said. “I’m glad you stopped doing magic in your dorm, too.” He gazed at the shelves full of books surrounding them. “And I think you found the perfect place to keep up with your practice.”
    “With midterms almost here, our coming to the library every day shouldn’t arouse any suspicions, either,” Cali said.
    “Do you know anything about this Supernatural Investigations thing?” Leesa asked Dominic.
    Dominic shook his head. “Not really, and certainly not by that name. I’m not very connected to any media, remember.” His voice turned extra serious. “But I’m pretty sure I know something about this Rome woman, and maybe some of the others.”
    “Really?” Leesa asked. “Who is she?”
    “If everything Cali said is true about her ability to search out magic, I believe the woman is probably a xenorian.”
    “A what?” Cali asked.
    “A xenorian. They are an ancient sect whose goal is to ferret out and stop all things magical.”
    Leesa did not like the sound of that at all. “I don’t understand? Why are they against all magic?”
    “They believe all magic must eventually grow evil, and so must be stopped before that can happen.”
    “That’s not true, is it?” Leesa asked. “All magic can’t end up evil.”
    Dominic sighed. “If you had asked me that question a hundred years ago, my answer would have been ‘of course not.’ But after what happened with my brethren—so many of them turning to black magic—I’m not so sure anymore.”
    “But you’re not evil,” Leesa said. “And what about the volkaanes? They’ve been around for ages, right? And they show no signs of becoming evil.”
    “I know. And there are other examples as well. I’m afraid I let my bitterness toward my former comrades cloud my answer a moment ago. What really matters, though, is that the xenorians believe it to be true.”
    “Do you have any idea why?” Cali asked.
    “No. Perhaps ages ago something happened to them similar to what happened to the waziri, and they became determined that nothing like that should ever occur again. Or maybe they started out hunting only evil magic, but eventually morphed into what they are today. They usually work behind the scenes, joining organizations that already hunt or persecute magic. There were xenorians in the Spanish Inquisition, and some were behind your own Salem Witch Trials. It’s said that the psychic who advised Adolf Hitler was a xenorian, and that is why he tried to exterminate the Gypsies, because of their supposed magic.”
    “Ugh. All those things were so horrible,” Leesa said, beginning to feel a little sick to her stomach. Her fingers began dancing in her hair. “And you think these BSI agents might be a part of something like that?”
    “It’s just a guess on my part, but yes. It’s one reason why we waziri kept such a low profile for so many