by TR Cameron
Tables had been shoved together to support fighting gear at various places in the room, with hers and Danna’s set up next to each other on the stage. She looked out over the assembled warriors with a critical eye and came away with the same impression as every other time she’d done it. They should be adequate to deal with the girl and her friends. Once Leblanc joined her parents in the afterlife, the Empress would be satisfied and Usha’s responsibilities in New Orleans would be almost complete.
She turned to the woman next to her. Her second in command was dressed in the most informal outfit she had ever seen her wear—tight leather combat pants and high boots with a black tank top. The muscles in her trim arms were clearly defined as she pawed through the pile of equipment she’d tumbled out of a large duffel bag.
“So, we get this done and tomorrow, we clean the club and start the process of securing our city,” Usha said. “In a week, we’ll be done.”
The other woman nodded. Her normally well-styled dark hair was slicked back wet, which suggested that she’d also risen late. It always makes sense to sleep in before a battle. She wouldn’t have chosen to stay in bed until the early afternoon without the post-fight exhaustion caused by last night’s activities, but that was fine. It would make her fresher for the event to come. She chuckled inwardly. Maybe I should send a thank you note to the council.
“And after that’s finished?” Danna asked. “Stay here and live like the Queen of the Big Easy?”
The Atlantean leader laughed. “No thanks. I assumed you would take over here. I have the Champion’s reward awaiting me in New Atlantis.” She looked forward to living in the house on the outskirts of the domed city she’d won. The Empress had taken her pledge of loyalty and dispatched her to the surface the next day so it remained vacant as far as she knew. “There will probably be enough work to keep me occupied getting it into proper shape.”
Her companion shook her head. “I can’t picture it. You don’t seem like someone likely to thrive in a quiet life.”
She shrugged. “For a while, anyway. I’m sure there’s no lack of trouble to get into down there if I find myself bored. That’s assuming the Empress doesn’t simply send me off with another task.” She hoped for that outcome as much as she feared it. Being out of Shenni’s favor didn’t sit well with her. Or maybe it’s the in-between place I’m in, not celebrated and not disowned.
The other woman turned to face her squarely. “Are you sure that serving the Empress again is what you want?” The sudden tension in her body made it seem like it was something other than a throwaway comment to pass the time.
Usha nodded. “I swore an oath.”
“That carried expectations on both sides. Tell me, has Shenni lived up to her end of that bargain?”
“I hear what you’re saying and you’re not wrong. That’s an open question at the moment. We’ll see what happens after tonight, I guess.” She rotated and faced the rest of the bar. “What do you think of our chances?” Her chin pointed toward the other four beings who would fight alongside them.
“Not bad, not bad at all. I didn’t realize Draksa grew so big.”
She chuckled. “Nor did I. Inan has done spectacular work with him, as well.” The magical dragon lizard in question was twice as large as any she’d seen before. That gave him an impressive amount of strength because a pile of protective plates sized to fit him rested on the floor next to his sleeping form. Overlapping metallic scales that closely resembled those of his partner made up the handler’s armor. Inan spun a trident in his hands, first one way, then the other. We all have our preferred ways of killing time, I suppose.
The other two people were a mystery to her. She’d never met them before that afternoon and had no information on them other than a strong recommendation from someone she trusted completely. “What about those two?”
Danna grinned. “My boyfriend suggested them.”
Usha snorted. “You trust him that much, do you?”
“I do. With anything and everything, including my life.”
“If they’re not as good as he says, it might come to that. Do you care to share any useful tidbits?”
Her second in command nodded. “They’re twins from one of the settlements around the city. If there wasn’t already a functioning Champion of New Atlantis, they would almost certainly be in the running to take that title. The man is Amet and the woman, Zandra.”
She rolled her eyes. “A and Z. Creative parents.”
Danna offered a fake scowl at the interruption. “Anyway, they are fierce fighters. The best that Ozahl knows of, and he has many contacts. They should be enough to throw the battle our way no matter who she brings.”
“So, the mysterious boyfriend has a name. Good. When do I get to meet him?”
“Tomorrow, assuming you live that long.”
The Atlantean leader nodded. “Well, that’s one more reason to send Caliste Leblanc to her parents’ embrace.”
Zeb had made the uncommon decision to close the Drunken Dragons Tavern for the day, given the gravity of the evening’s event. Cali couldn’t remember the last time he’d done it or if such a thing had, in fact, ever occurred. That he would do it for her was merely one more piece of emotional weight to help keep her grounded as she awaited the battle to come.
The benches and chairs had been shifted out of the way and weapons and articles of clothing covered the long tables. The setting sun filtered through the windows and glinted off bare steel scattered throughout the room. The sight of her allies brought a warm glow to her spirit. Tanyith and Fyre had been with her from the start, and she knew their abilities and vulnerabilities as well as her own. Zeb prepared in a corner with a quiet air about him that separated him from the rest of them. She guessed he was probably recalling something from the past that allowed him to prepare mentally for the fight to come.
She’d sent away one of the two mercenaries Emalia had hired when Wymarc appeared. Invel had portaled him from the public docks to the tavern, and the patriarch of House Jehenel had looked downright nervous as he ascended the stairs. Fyre had snorted in distaste, the Draksa less willing to forgive the man’s political machinations than she was, apparently. Wymarc had stared straight into her eyes and declared, “I was a jerk but I’m able to learn. I’ll fight by your side if you’ll have me.” Since he was unlikely to betray her again, given her enemies’ attempt to kill him, she’d accepted with a shrug.
Nylotte’s appearance an hour later had been far more shocking. First, the Drow arriving unannounced was always a cause for concern as she never knew quite what her teacher was up to. But her clothes and the weapons she carried were the true surprise. The Dark Elf had flashed that wry grin she always seemed to have ready and asked, “What? You didn’t think I’d let you take on this group without me, did you?”
Cali had stammered some kind of sensible reply—or at least she hoped it had been sensible. In any case, she now had a full team with which to battle the Atlanteans, no mercenaries required. She watched the clock on the wall tick inexorably to the moment of truth and did her best to make small talk. When they were within forty-five minutes of departure, they became serious about their preparations.
She and Tanyith chose to wear the uniforms her parents had left—black tunics above matching pants and boots, with a wide gear belt to cinch the top at their waists. He slipped the magic daggers she’d given him into sheaths at either hip. They would allow him to cast through them but weren’t otherwise magical. She had a matching pair on her hips. Defender, her family’s heirloom weapon, was sheathed across her back.
The sentient sword could provide her with power during the battle, at least, and might have other secrets still to reveal. There hadn’t been a chance to determine all that the blade could potentially do. Her belt pouch contained a glass sphere filled with wicked crystal shards that Invel had gifted to her some time before and a spare healing potion. Paired health and energy draughts rode on each of her thighs. Ikehara’s good luck token rested o
n her chest against her skin. Finally, the charm necklace above her clothes held two fully charged charms, one shield and one light.
During a strategy session earlier in the day, she’d discussed whether they should bring their stun guns. Zeb had nixed that idea in no time and suggested that if they worked against magical defenses, there never would have been a need to create anti-magic bullets.
She’d countered with, “Well, maybe we should carry pistols, then,” and the dwarf, Fyre, and Tanyith had all offered separate but equally dire predictions of her ability to use a firearm. Although she had grumbled, they weren’t wrong. One more thing to train on when all this is over, I guess.
Zeb put black chain armor on with brown leather pieces under it. The ensemble looked well-worn but carefully preserved. The metallic links were small and intricate, and she instantly wondered if he had fashioned it himself. She chided herself for stereotyping because surely not every dwarf was a blacksmith. But then a voice in her head added, But he did make your sticks, so clearly he knows his way around tools. He also had magical bracelets, presumably ones he created, but his transformed into axes of wood and metal. So, he might be a blacksmith, after all, her internal critic supplied. His huge battle-ax, Valerie, lay on the table near him.
Wymarc wore what looked like leather body armor with reinforced sections at the upper and lower arm, thigh and shin, chest, and back. Separate pieces were dyed in the various colors of House Jehenel, dark purple and pale yellow. Cali thought that if a genuine spark existed between them, which it definitely didn’t, he would have made a good boyfriend or whatever. But his presence showed that he was an excellent friend.
Nylotte was all in black, with sword and daggers in the same locations as Cali’s. Her apparel also appeared to be leather but far more form-fitting and less bulky than the patriarch’s. She had no doubt that the Dark Elf’s outfit was magically protected against damage and probably incorporated physical defenses as well.
And Fyre…well, he was his usual self, sleeping on top of one of the long tables instead of behind the bar. She walked closer and poked him once. When he failed to respond, she smacked him. He sighed and opened the eye that faced her. “What?”
She shook her head as the warm fondness that filled her summoned a smile to her lips. “Lazy beast. Get up. It’s time.”
Chapter Eight
The venue for the battle was an abandoned industrial shipyard many miles away from the heart of the city. Tanyith had scouted the location when the announcement had arrived and since then, a rotation of off-duty NOPD officers recommended by his girlfriend had kept an eye on it. Cali paid for it out of the gems he’d given her, which she steadfastly resisted asking any questions about. There had been no reports of sizeable groups of Atlanteans setting traps in the days or hours prior to the evening’s event.
Of course, that’s not to say there aren’t single Atlanteans causing trouble in the shadows that they failed to notice. Or under veils. Or a hundred other possibilities. Cali shrugged. Controlling everything was impossible, and she was confident she’d done all she could. That included making sure their portal landed them in a defensible corner. They spread out as they stepped through. A single person she didn’t recognize stood in front of them, nodded at their arrival, and lifted a phone to his ear.
While they waited for their enemies to arrive, the others gazed around at their surroundings and since no one seemed to want to talk, she did the same. They were in a corner of a sizeable dock area filled with warehouses and a large building that contained an enormous, half-constructed fishing boat. Weathered wood planks formed a central zone that connected all the structures. Multiple ramps led into the water, and several one-car-width lanes extended to a larger road that ran behind the buildings.
A portal opened in the middle of the wooden platform to reveal their opposition. She recognized the first two, though, the top people of the Atlantean gang. She’d never seen them outfitted for combat and had to admit they made an imposing sight. The others who followed them through were impressive as well, especially the oversized Draksa and its handler. The other two didn’t look like the same kind of soldiers her enemy had used against her before, which was an unwelcome twist. Not that she’d planned for a particular arrangement or anything but having a familiar foe would have made life easier.
Her team moved to select their challengers as the gang members spread apart. Cali and Fyre faded to the right and mirrored the actions of the rival Draksa and its handler. She would have preferred to face the leader, but they’d all agreed in advance that she and Fyre would battle any creatures. Zeb and Nylotte strode to the left and positioned themselves across from the two enemy leaders. That put Wymarc and Tanyith together opposite the two unfamiliar foes.
“This is your party,” Cali yelled. “You still have time to call it off.”
Usha, on the opposite end of the line from her, grinned and the scarlet lines she’d painted onto her face stretched and twisted. “Kill them all. There’s a bonus for whoever brings me the girl’s head.”
Zeb summoned and threw his magical axes in a single quick motion and the weapons left his hands the instant they were formed. One hurtled toward Usha, the enemy leader, and the other at Danna Cudon, her second in command. He reached over his shoulder and swung his battle-ax, Valerie, out of her holder. Nylotte conjured a wall of force to intercept the flames that both their enemies hurled at them. When the brilliance of the attack’s impact on the barrier had faded, the two were running toward a warehouse on the land side of the dock.
He shook his head and growled his annoyance. “They’re smart, anyway. Out in the open, they’d be no match for your magic.”
The Drow nodded as she let the wall fall and strode purposefully after their enemies. “True. But inside, they’ll have to deal with your fighting skills, which are equally impressive.”
“I’m old and slow.” He snorted, summoned one ax and returned it to its neutral form, and switched hands on the battle-ax to do the same with the other.
Nylotte chuckled. “I know your history, dwarf. I made a point of looking into it. I’m not sure why you keep it a secret from the others, but don’t think you fool me for one instant.”
They moved to either side of the double doors that led into the building. He shrugged. “I have my reasons. I’m aware of your past adventures, too. We seem to have a lot in common.”
“Right now, the most important thing we share is the need to subdue those women.”
“Not kill them?” He didn’t want to be responsible for any deaths, but he was somewhat surprised to hear the very practical Drow echo his opinion.
“I try not to cut off future prospects unless there’s no other option. Once we have them captured, the decision is still available. Killing them out of hand removes all other potential paths forward.”
“Good. Agreed. So, ladies first.” He gestured at the doors.
The Dark Elf laughed and raised her hands to blast the barriers off their hinges and catapult them into the darkness beyond.
The enemy Draksa leapt into the air, and Frye launched himself after it. Cali was impressed that the beast could fly with all the metal plates attached to it, but the fact that her partner could pick humans up and hurl them at walls at his relatively small size was also rather unexpected. Across from her, the handler spun a trident lazily in front of him. She noted sheaths at his thighs for knives and wouldn’t be surprised if he had the lightning web spell handy that a previous opponent had used against her. Or maybe I’m simply paranoid about lightning webs, given how much they suck.
His scale armor flexed and rippled as he stalked toward her. She wondered idly if it might be made of actual Draksa scales rather than metal but let the thought fall away. As she advanced to meet him, she drew her sword with her right hand and a dagger from her belt with her left. She raised the knife and channeled lightning through it, having discovered that using a tool gave her even greater control of the unpredictable power. A strand of coherent e
lectricity extended toward him, but he caught it on his spinning weapon, which glowed. Damn it. He stole my magic to use as fuel.
He confirmed her assumption when he pointed the trident and launched an uncontrolled burst of lightning in her direction. She drew a large circle in front of her with Defender and grounded the attack harmlessly. Her foe nodded in acknowledgment of the conclusion of their getting-to-know-each-other moment and attacked with a yell.
She evaded the stab of the weapon with a sidestep and positioned her sword to deflect it up and over her as the handler whipped it horizontally at her face and spun to put force behind the effort. As soon as the trident was clear, she skipped in and extended a sidekick, but he had stopped his spin halfway and jumped out of range. The barbed tips of the weapon flicked at her face again and this time, she leaned back to avoid it.
If not for her connection with Fyre, the incoming Draksa attack might have been a concern. He fortunately warned her well in advance as they’d agreed he would do if he had to battle another flying creature. A primary objective of their combat strategy was to trap and eliminate the enemy’s airborne element. She evaded another strike from the handler and turned suddenly to engage the oversized lizard that rocketed toward her.
Tanyith pelted in pursuit of the two he’d drawn by default. Their foes had made an effort to split up and join the other battles, but he and Wymarc had instinctively moved to cut them off. Rather than fight in the open, the enemy had turned and raced to the large building that contained the partially constructed ship. They were clearly magic-users as their flight was far faster than any non-augmented person could run.
He slowed as the distance increased, wary of the potential for a trick from those they followed. “Did you notice that they move almost identically?” his companion observed. “It’s eerie.”
