by TR Cameron
“Did you have a positive day today?” Ozahl asked.
She shrugged. “Mondays are always a little slow. The demand over the weekend means a smaller supply, so we only take care of the most important customers today. Of course, they all want one-on-one time, so I must be attentive and oh-so-interested.” She made a face like the one he assumed she wore to give that impression, and he laughed because it so wasn’t her.
“It’s all in the game, my love, and you play it well.”
Danna nodded. “We play it well.” She leaned forward and spoke softly so her voice wouldn’t carry. “Speaking of which, have you come up with a final plan?” They’d discussed options during every moment together over the weekend, but the ultimate decisions were still his since they involved the Zatoras more than they did the Atlanteans. Such was their agreement at the outset, and it had served them well thus far.
The arrival of their drinks and a basket of hot bread interrupted the conversation until they had been sampled and appreciated. He decided the body he wore was the kind to have a second roll and he spread butter on it while he answered the question. “I have. I think it’s solid—definitely ready for you to rip it apart.” He said the last with a smile. It was another part of their process to try to find flaws in the other’s plans.
“Hit me.”
“So, we want two things out of this. Well, three really, but the third is a product of the others. First, we need to fire one of the man’s lieutenants.” The man was Rion Grisham, leader of the Zatora syndicate, but it would be bad form to say that out loud. Equally bad would have been saying “kill” instead of “fire,” which was far more accurate.
Danna sipped her drink and he lost himself for a moment in her red lips. “Agreed,” she said. “And the second thing?”
He grinned. “To pin it on our favorite person.” Their efforts needed to stay hidden so if they could contrive to put Caliste Leblanc into the situation, it would provide cover as everyone involved was already inclined to distrust her. “Those things will conceal our involvement and sow chaos among our competitors. All our competitors.” Above the surface and below.
She detached an olive from its toothpick with perfect teeth and chewed it in silence for a moment. He busied himself with the remains of his second roll. Finally, she said, “Okay. To the first point. Have you chosen?”
Ozahl nodded. “The accountant, if possible. Either will work, but the other is far more easily replaced.” Colin Todd was the smarter of Grisham’s lieutenants. He was also the one who he often caught sending strange looks his way as if he sensed that the Zatora’s pet mage wasn’t nearly as obedient or dedicated as he seemed. “Plus, he’s kind of a smug jerk.”
Her smile appeared in an instant. “And that’s a perfect rationale, right?”
“I can think of worse ones.”
Danna grew serious. “And do you think our favorite person will handle the firing?”
He shook his head. “If we get lucky, we get lucky, but it’s far too risky to leave that to chance. I’ll be there to take care of it if needed.” He’d considered impersonating her and doing the whole thing himself, but it would be much better if clear and unmistakable evidence of her involvement existed. Having her there in person would strengthen the case substantially.
“Okay. I guess the only problem I see with that is how you get her to attend the meeting. I presume you have something in mind?”
“The best bait. She’s searched for pieces of the…uh, family heirloom that was broken, right?” She nodded. They’d discussed how Caliste had avoided the trap set around the delivery of the dagger piece and how her actions showed it was useful bait. “Well, the boss man has one. He’s a collector and all. It should be simple to create a scenario to draw her in.”
The mage paused as the waiter placed a chicken breast covered in mushrooms and dark sauce accompanied by a mound of mashed potatoes in front of him. Danna’s steak followed, and he gave them each a sharp knife before he departed. He tasted his and grinned. “This is a great choice of restaurant. It’s delicious.”
She tried her steak and nodded. “This is good too. Definitely a win. I’ll have to come here again with someone else sometime if this date doesn’t work out.”
He laughed. “I don’t think we’ll be long term, I’m afraid. My suit is too tight.”
“So, back to the important details. How do you think you’ll get our favorite person to accept the gig in the timeframe we need? It’s not exactly local and she probably has misgivings about the company.”
To say that Caliste had issues with the Zatoras was likely the understatement of the year and he suppressed a laugh. “Scarcity rules. We’ll let her know that the item will be off the market in short order so she has to act now.”
She sighed and tapped the edge of her martini glass with a nail. “Okay, I don’t see problems with those. However, on my side of things, my boss needs to believe that I took care of this, right? So, how do you plan to make that happen? Surely you haven’t forgotten about my career?” Danna’s grin was teasing.
“Of course not. I thought perhaps simultaneous action to create even more chaos. We bring your company in to add pressure to the situation at the same time we have her there. It would probably work better if they arrive a little later. If we’re lucky, the fallout might solve all kinds of problems for us.”
The woman chewed thoughtfully, then shook her head. “It won’t work. It would give up the next phase of the rollout if my company was seen to be involved. We need a different idea.”
Now it was his turn to think, and he ate most of his chicken while he worked on the problem. They’d collaborated enough that she knew how he dealt with things and didn’t interrupt his mind while it reviewed and discarded possible solutions. Finally, he had it, and set his utensils down with a grin.
“Okay, how about this, then? Tell your boss you have a source on the inside who revealed that they will leave their current location for a new one. Then, suggest that our favorite person might care about that and with the right words, she might even take care of the setup for the second part for you.”
Her eyes lit with approval. “And we can use the sit-down to either share that outright or let it slip. That’s a great idea. It seems like everyone wins.”
Ozahl chuckled. “Well, almost everyone. But we’ll need a backup plan in case you can’t get the word to her. Maybe the council. The man has an issue with them anyway so we might be able to plant it there somehow.”
She shrugged. “One doesn’t preclude the other. We can do both.”
They ordered coffee and desserts and traded mouthfuls of their selections exactly like folks on a date would. When they were finished, they left together and walked onto the main street in New Orleans’ Garden District.
“Do you feel like a wander?” he asked. She nodded and fell into step beside him as he walked slowly farther into the commercial area. After a couple of minutes of silence, he leaned toward her. “Are you okay?”
Danna nodded. “Fine. I still wish we could resolve this quickly and go home but I understand that’s not in the cards. So, this is good. And if it heads off an effort to remove my boss, even better.”
He’d told her about Grisham’s intention to eliminate Usha, and while he personally didn’t care too much, she had strong positive feelings for the woman. His helpers had already fulfilled their assignments, one of which involved putting together a plan to assassinate her based on watching her movements for several days. Ozahl held it back from Grisham until he had to reveal it. He’d handled the other task to identify a target on the magical council himself but had been reinforced by their efforts.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let that happen, at least not anytime soon. And it’s not something he’d try without me, I’m sure.” Dalton and Lila were keeping an eye on that situation as well and would alert him if any action was planned. Even though he thrived on the plots and the chaos, he also longed to move into the next phase of their plan where th
ey took control of a noble house and made it their own. “Soon, love. Soon, we will have what we’ve worked toward for so long.”
She nodded. “I believe you. Now, how about we split up so no one thinks we’re going home together and meet in your apartment in an hour?”
The mage grinned. “It’s the best offer I’ve had all day. Should I keep the mustache?”
Laughter was the only reply.
Chapter Sixteen
His irritation exceeded normal bounds when he was summoned by Colin Todd to attend a meeting with Grisham at the mansion. He decided the big man was sending him a message by having his lieutenant communicate for him.
One more reason to kill him. One more reason to kill them both. With the vicious thought suppressed, he slipped his normal disguise on and portaled obediently to his boss’s home.
The building’s security remained impressive and he was noticed immediately when he stepped out of the bedroom he used as his access point. The room was inaccessible by anyone other than him as he locked it whenever he entered or left and no key existed. Only his telekinesis permitted access. Of course, they could remove the door, but that would trip the wards he’d placed on it and alert him to their efforts.
The guards stepped forward but returned to their positions once they recognized him. No one in the organization knew how easily he could impersonate any of them and it amused him to imagine doing so. Strolling through the hallways as Grisham would have its benefits.
And I might wind up having to do that before we’re done with these people, who knows? He shook his head and headed down the stairs to the first floor.
The Zatora leader was in the dining room with Jack Strang and Todd. Dark curtains covered the windows to block out the late afternoon sun, and the trio stared at a laptop screen. On it was displayed an aerial view of a street he didn’t recognize.
“Is this a Google maps party?” he asked. The three men scowled at him, which immediately pushed up his annoyance level with all of them.
Strang responded, his tone belligerent. “It’s a drone. Over the target’s house.”
He stepped forward for a closer look. The buildings on the monitor were all similar enough to be essentially the same and minimal activity showed nearby. “Which one did you choose?”
Grisham laughed. “Always start at the top, that’s my motto.”
Ozahl nodded. He would have made the same selection, which was simultaneously reassuring and annoying. “Do you see anything of concern?”
Todd shook his head. “It’s a boring location, honestly. There aren’t many cars or many pedestrians, and not even people walking dogs. If there’s a less interesting place in all New Orleans, I can’t imagine what it looks like.”
The other humans chuckled, and the mage shrugged. When you can portal, where you live isn’t all that relevant. “So, what’s the plan?”
Strang grinned. “You’re the plan, buddy.”
Grisham added, “Yep. Get whoever you need and go in and take him out. Ten o’clock tonight. We’ll be watching. Hell, maybe we’ll make popcorn and put it on a big screen.” The three men laughed together and he again resisted the urge to drop a fireball on them. His plans were too important to let himself indulge random desires, however.
He grinned. “I’d be happy to.”
His first stop was his home. He changed into pants with numerous pockets and filled them with useful items—extra potions, large zip-ties, cloth to use as a gag or blindfold, and a burner phone in case. He’d have to wear his Zatora disguise during the op, unfortunately, but it couldn’t be avoided.
Unless I did it alone but I don’t want them to know I’m that powerful. And besides, giving the enemy someone else to aim at is always an advantage.
His associates weren’t in the first two venues he tried, but enough Zatoras were that he acquired directions to find them. He found them at a public firing range, working their way through a series of weapons he didn’t recognize. On surfaces around them lay extra-large pistols, rifles, and unexpectedly tiny guns that looked like the kind of thing a rich woman might hide in a clutch purse. He waited until they had fired their weapons dry, then tapped them both on the shoulder. They turned, looking amusing in their heavy sound-protection earphones, and he pointed at the door and touched his watch. Each nodded, and he went outside to wait.
They joined him in less than five minutes, as responsive to his orders as they always were. Lila wore jeans and a leather jacket, and the black material contrasted perfectly with the light blonde hair that fell loosely around her face. “What’s up, boss?” she asked.
“We have a job. The council member we’ve been preparing for.”
Dalton, looking as always like a stockbroker heading to happy hour, grinned. “Excellent. Do we have time to stop for gear?”
“Yep,” Ozahl replied. “We strike at ten sharp so we have an hour to get into place.”
Lila’s smile matched her partner’s. “You always bring us the best jobs. The car’s this way.”
Eight minutes shy of an hour later, they were in position at the end of the block that the council leader, one Vizidus, lived on. The neighborhood was as uniform and dull as it had appeared from the drone. The camera platform was barely visible in the high distance, still roughly positioned over the house.
Way to give him advance warning, assuming he notices. Idiots. The mage shook his head and opened the car door.
The others followed him down the street. Each had gone into their apartment dressed casually and returned outfitted for a fight. They had made identical choices—black trousers with extra pockets, heavy boots, dark t-shirts, and black leather jackets. He’d noticed guns in shoulder holsters and presumed they carried any number of other weapons as well.
Hopefully, they wouldn’t be needed. In truth, there was no reason to think the man would be able to offer any substantial defense against his magic. Even if he somehow proved to be equal in magical ability, Ozahl knew so many more tricks than anyone he’d ever met that it should make defeating the other wizard easy.
They turned together to march up the short walk to the house and he raised a hand. A blast of force streaked out to strike the front door, but it did not fly off its hinges or splinter into pieces as he’d expected. Instead, wards activated to dissipate his attack. He shrugged. “You’re up.” He focused his attention on identifying and deactivating the house’s arcane protections as his people stepped forward.
By the time they reached the door, he’d done away with the magical defenses. The heavy shotgun that Lila drew from under her jacket removed the handle and the lock above it and Dalton kicked the flimsy wooden barrier open. In the next moment, he catapulted back. Ozahl slipped calmly out of his path, used telekinesis to cushion his landing, and ran toward the entrance. He managed to raise a shield in front of Lila seconds before the lightning struck and protected her from the cascade of burning energy.
Vizidus stood in the doorway that connected the living room to the dining room, his hair askew and wearing what looked like striped pajamas of a style that hadn’t been popular in decades, if not centuries. He held a wand in a steady hand, although the rest of his body trembled in either fear or outrage. The younger man decided it was more likely the second. He launched an attack of his own, and the wizard created a large circle of force that intercepted his shadow bolts and rebounded them toward Lila. His shield again proved adequate to protect her from the assault.
“Give it up, old man,” he shouted, and whispered to the woman beside him, “Go left and try to get behind him.” His subordinate darted out of the room as Dalton reentered it and fired his pistol at the aged wizard. The defender’s barrier didn’t waver and the force disc prevented each of the rounds from reaching him. Motion from his left drew Ozahl’s attention and a woman he didn’t recognize raised a wand. He called a pair of shields and positioned them to face each of the opposing magicals to absorb their coordinated attack without difficulty.
Vizidus snapped, “Get ou
t of my house, bastard, or we’ll take the gloves off.”
He laughed. “Please. I could kill you both and not break a sweat. But I’m only here for you, councilman, to deliver a farewell from Rion Grisham. Your friend here can leave safely if you give up.”
She responded by blasting the floor under his feet and the mage dropped into a basement and landed with a hard crash. Such a move hadn’t even entered his mind, and a part of him applauded her effort. Too bad it won’t change the outcome. Already, he heard shouts and gunfire from above, and as long as Lila and Dalton kept them occupied, he should be able to strike from an unexpected direction and eliminate them.
The stairs were easy to find, and he climbed them quickly and reached a kitchen filled with appliances as old as the wizard’s pajamas. He crouched and made his way quietly toward the dining room, where the witch stood back to back with the wizard. Their eyes met, and as she snarled and extended her wand, he abandoned the initial plan to let her live to plant the clue about Grisham leaving the mansion. He reached out with his power and yanked the ceiling down on them both.
A cascade of wood, drywall, and furniture buried them. Each managed a shout of surprise, but anything more was lost in the sound of the avalanche. When it finished, he expected to see body parts in the rubble, but none were visible. He frowned and gestured, and the material began to unstack itself. The notion that they might not be under there pressed at the edge of his mind, but he wasn’t prepared to acknowledge it yet. If they weren’t and he had to listen to Grisham whine about it, he would find it very difficult to not kill the man.
Zeb had barely begun to clean when he sensed the emergency portal location downstairs activate. As events in New Orleans had accelerated, he’d decided to make one more area of the Drunken Dragons Tavern accessible to others, but only on a limited basis. The council members could transport themselves to the corner of the basement but would be hemmed in by his magics until he arrived to release them. Its use was not a good sign.
