Free Djinn Justice (The Collegium Book 2) by Jenny Schwartz Page A

herself. She had people who owed her favors. Would the weres become her allies or be a force she needed allies to withstand? What of Steve’s family? What of Uncle, the djinn?
    She knew the strength of the Collegium, composed of both magical knowledge and power. Was she here to ensure that she didn’t work at cross-purposes with the Collegium against the rogue mage (if they knew of him or her), or was she here to enlist them as an ally against the rogue mage? Did she intend to actively work with them?
    The elevator doors opened.
    Despite her intense thought and compelling purpose, her body reacted on ingrained habit rather than logic. Her stomach knotted and her pulse quickened as if she was to face her dad and his personal assistant, who’d turned out to be in league with a demon.
    And there I was thinking Nancy was merely a witch. Funny how the wry comment didn’t amuse. Two weeks wasn’t long enough for the raw wounds of her fight with the demon, and the shock of its presence in the heart of the Collegium, to grow callouses.
    Fay walked the short distance along the corridor to where it opened to the large space Nancy had ruled, the lobby to the inner sanctum of the President’s office.
    “Haskell?” Fay hadn’t expected to see a guardian she’d trained with sitting behind one of three desks. The other two desks were empty; that is, they had computers and office paraphernalia on them, but no one seated at them. It was just Fay and Haskell, the woman who’d been popular and accepted by the other guardians, but packed barely half of Fay’s magic. That still made Haskell an effective and lethal guardian. What was she doing acting as a personal assistant?
    “Good evening, Fay.”
    Through the large window, New York City sprawled out, glowing in the golden colors of sunset. It was evening. The day had ended. Such a busy, turn-your-life-upside-down day. “What are you doing here?”
    Haskell smiled tightly, standing up. “Shouldn’t that be my question?” Her blue blouse, black trousers and low-heeled shoes were a mix of guardian practicality and office wear. She crossed to the inner door and knocked, opening the President’s door without waiting on a response.
    Fay walked past her and into the office, braced for the onslaught of memories and the gut-wrenching emotions of years of failing to gain her dad’s approval. Instead, the room was completely different. The dark, heavy wooden furniture was gone. In its place was light Scandinavian design. The layout was different, too. Lewis’s desk was further from the door, nearer to another door set in the far wall. A door that hadn’t previously been there. Escape route, Fay noted.
    For Lewis Bennett had a very different problem to Fay’s dad. Richard Olwen had sought to bolster his limited power via Fay’s magic and his presidential position. He’d abused the oath ties of the mages who’d committed themselves to serve the Collegium. But if Richard’s power had been weak, Lewis had no magic at all. Once, he’d been a strong mage, one of the strongest guardians, almost matching Fay; not on raw power, but in the disciplined way he used his. That was before the North West Passage incident.
    “Hello, Fay.” He stood with his back to the window opposite the door. “Close the door on your way out, Haskell. And go home. I’ll be fine with Fay.”
    Haskell hesitated.
    Fay watched her indecision, the signs of incipient rejection of the order in Haskell’s tightening hold on the door handle, the tiny jerk of her head.
    Lewis simply stared his PA down.
    “Good night.” Acceptance of the order, along with a healthy dose of resentment, colored Haskell’s voice. She closed the door behind her.
    Fay felt a silencing spell lock into place. She looked a question at Lewis.
    “Not my magic,” he said evenly. “I’ve had some spells installed with activation nodes keyed to me.”
    “Ah.” It would be incredibly frustrating and frightening to head up the Collegium,