Tracing Shadows

Alex drummed his fingers against the edge of his desk, eyes unfocused. His thoughts circled endlessly, trying to piece together the fragments of what he’d uncovered: surveillance spells, unauthorized enchantments, and a creeping suspicion that something much larger was unfolding. Was he prepared to confront it?

His gaze drifted again to Debbie’s empty desk. It had been days since anyone had seen her. The once-chaotic mess of notes and enchanted tools was now eerily pristine, as if someone had cleaned up after her. Had Debbie seen something she wasn’t supposed to? Was she the first to notice the threads he was now unraveling?

One thing Alex had learned in his years at Magic, Inc.—nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.

His thoughts were interrupted by the soft swish of robes. Mr. Thompson strode past his cubicle, barely sparing a glance. Alex straightened instinctively, his fingers stilling. Thompson’s sharp eyes met Alex’s briefly—cold and assessing.

“Turner,” Thompson said, his voice clipped. “I trust everything’s under control in Compliance?”

Alex forced a smile. “Yes, sir. All under control.”

“Good,” Thompson replied, already turning to leave.

Alex hesitated, then spoke up, words tumbling out before he could think. “Actually, Mr. Thompson, have you heard anything about Debbie’s absences?”

Thompson paused, his back stiffening before he turned to face Alex, expression unreadable. “Debbie Henderson? She’s on leave. Personal matters, I believe.”

“Personal matters?” Alex echoed, forcing a casual tone. “No one mentioned she was on leave.”

Thompson’s eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s because it’s not your concern, Turner. Focus on your assignments. I trust you can manage without distractions.”

A chill settled in Alex’s chest, but he nodded. "Of course, sir."

Thompson held his gaze for a moment longer, then turned sharply, his robes sweeping behind him as he disappeared down the corridor. Alex remained frozen, the weight of Thompson’s words sinking in like lead. Personal matters. Too neat. Too convenient. Debbie was the type to mention even small inconveniences—why wouldn’t she have told someone about something as serious as leave?

He glanced back at her empty desk. The pristine order was wrong—Debbie’s usual chaos had vanished, wiped clean as if she’d never been there. Thompson’s reaction had been sharp, almost defensive.

Something wasn’t right. And Alex wasn’t sure if he was asking the wrong questions—or if he was already too deep.

His fingers tightened around his wand before slipping it into his coat pocket. Debbie’s disappearance was a loose thread in a tangled web, but he needed to focus—right now, the surveillance spells and unauthorized enchantments were the immediate puzzle. They all tied together somehow, and solving them might lead to answers about Debbie.

For now, he forced her out of his mind.

His thoughts turned to Nina. If anyone could untangle the magical web, it was her. Standing, he made his way toward the IT department, no longer just following leads—he was hunting for the truth.

Nina was in her element when he arrived, surrounded by glowing screens and enchanted gadgets, her fingers a blur over the keyboard. Streams of code and ancient runes flickered on the monitors before her, blurring the lines between magic and technology. The air around her workstation crackled faintly, a charge that prickled along Alex’s skin.

“Nina, got a second?” Alex stepped into her orbit, careful not to disrupt her flow.

She barely glanced up, eyes sharp. “What’s up, Alex? Compliance hiccup?”

“More complicated than that.” He handed her the file. “Marcus tried tracing a surveillance spell yesterday. The mirror he used overloaded—too much power. We think it’s tied to some unauthorized enchantments in R&D.”

Nina’s fingers hovered over the keys before she took the file, her brows knitting as she scanned the pages. She didn’t say anything right away, but the way her fingers tightened around the paper told Alex this wasn’t a routine case.

“Surveillance spells…” she muttered, almost to herself. “That’s advanced work. Whoever’s behind this knows exactly what they’re doing. I’ll run diagnostics on the security logs and check any enchanted items Marcus found.”

“Thanks,” Alex said, his voice lower. “Just…be careful. Whoever’s doing this might be watching us right now.”

Nina’s face tensed for a split second, a flash of something unreadable in her eyes. She nodded, her attention already shifting back to her screens. “I’ll stay off their radar,” she said, her voice quieter than usual. “You watch your back too.”

Her words lingered as Alex turned to leave, a heavy weight settling in his chest. He messaged Marcus, requesting the security logs and any evidence he’d collected. Within moments, his comm chimed with Marcus’s reply: “Meet me in the evidence room.”

Without wasting time, Alex quickened his pace, weaving through colleagues. The evidence room was tucked away, its walls lined with confiscated magical items—trinkets that hummed faintly, their power dormant but not extinguished. Marcus was already there, his usual grim expression deepened by something heavier.

“You called?” Alex said as he stepped inside.

Marcus held up a small, intricately carved wooden box. “This is one of the enchanted items we found. Disguised as a trinket, but it’s been spying on employees. Most wouldn’t notice it.”

Alex took the box, feeling a faint pulse of magic beneath the surface. It looked innocuous enough, but something about it felt off. "You think it’s linked to the unauthorized enchantments in R&D?”

Marcus nodded toward a table where shards of glass glimmered under dim lighting. "Those are from the overloaded mirror. I’ve pulled the security logs too. Nina might be able to decode it.”

“Perfect.” Alex tucked the box under his arm. “I’ll take these to her right away.” As he turned to leave, he caught Marcus’s gaze—there was a flicker of concern there, barely visible beneath his stoic exterior. Whatever was happening, they were only scratching the surface.

By the time Alex returned to the IT department, the atmosphere around Nina’s workspace had shifted. Screens hovered above her, streams of encrypted data and magical energy flickering in unison. Without a word, Alex handed her the box and logs.

Nina’s fingers brushed the box briefly before she murmured an incantation. Her other hand danced over the keyboard, tapping out commands that made runes flare to life across her screens. The glow cast sharp shadows over her face.

For a moment, Alex lingered, watching her work. Here, she was a magician of a different sort, blending ancient magic with modern technology so effortlessly that the lines between them blurred. The hum of machines and the crackle of magic seemed to synchronize, creating a living pulse around her.

“This might take a while,” Nina said without looking up, eyes focused on the shifting symbols. “Grab a coffee or something. I’ll call you when I crack it.”

Alex hesitated. “I trust you. Just…this isn’t routine.”

She flashed a brief smile, though her eyes held a darker edge. “Don’t worry, Alex. I’ll find whoever’s behind this.”

Her attention snapped back to her work, already immersed in her task. Alex gave her one last glance before heading out, the door sliding shut with a soft hiss. The glow from Nina’s screens flickered slightly as she delved into the complexities ahead.

Nina exhaled slowly, the knot of tension in her chest tightening. The comforting rhythm of magic that usually buzzed through the IT department now felt oppressive, as if an invisible presence was watching her every move. She hated that feeling—the sense of being observed in a place where she was used to controlling everything.

She started with the shards from the scrying mirror, hovering her fingers over them as she whispered an incantation. A faint shimmer pulsed from the glass, the remnants of a spell barely clinging on. There was something dark embedded within the magic—subtle, but unmistakable.

Closing her eyes, Nina focused on the faint traces of the surveillance spell. The energy was buried deep, woven into the layers of standard corporate enchantments. Most wouldn’t have detected it, but she felt the weight of it, a hidden presence in plain sight.

“Show me,” she whispered. The runes on her screen shifted, and a silvery thread of magic appeared—a hidden current, expertly woven into the building’s infrastructure.

Her fingers moved rapidly, isolating the thread. It had been buried so deep within the ambient magic that it blended seamlessly, invisible to all but the most experienced eyes. But now she could see it. Whoever had cast this spell knew how to vanish within the system.

“Got you,” she muttered, eyes narrowing as she began to unravel the spell’s structure. Each keystroke peeled back another layer, revealing more of the magic’s intricate design. But as she dug deeper, unease gnawed at her.

This wasn’t just advanced magic—this was mastery. Whoever was behind this knew how to manipulate the very magic the company relied on. The surveillance spells were tied into the building’s core, woven like a parasite feeding off the flow of energy.

Nina synced the security logs with the magic signatures from the mirror shards. Data streamed across her screens—timetables, spell activity logs, aura readings from various departments. Nothing stood out at first. But subtle inconsistencies started to emerge, small anomalies scattered through the data.

The spells weren’t random. They clustered in specific areas—places that housed sensitive projects. R&D had a high concentration of signals, but the strongest ones were coming from the executive wing.

Her breath hitched. This wasn’t just a rogue operation. Someone high up was pulling the strings, watching, monitoring specific areas, and covering their tracks with expert precision.

Her fingers trembled as she traced the strongest signal. It pulsed faintly on the map, like a heartbeat hidden within the executive offices—a restricted area well beyond her clearance.

Nina’s chest tightened. This wasn’t just surveillance. Someone at the top was involved. And if they found out she was digging...

The oppressive weight of being watched pressed down harder, suffocating. Nina’s hands stilled, her mind racing. They might be watching her right now.