Darkness Ascends in Magic City

by TR Cameron

  Her opponent cried out, probably more in anger than pain, and smashed her hands inward at Morrigan's head. She threw herself back and down, bringing her foot up under the Angel’s chin. The kick connected, and the redhead’s skull snapped backward.

  Morrigan was too far off balance at the start of the move for the blow to be fatal, fortunately. Still, it jarred the other woman’s senses, and the Angel stood and wobbled for a moment. From a prone position on her back, Morrigan blasted her with force magic and sent her flying into the cooler again.

  They both got to their feet at about the same time, and Morrigan grinned. “Not so hot without your weapons?”

  Her foe replied, “Bet I can say the same about you.” The woman reached out, and a blizzard of cans from the nearest shelf hurtled toward Morrigan. She managed to get a force shield in place, but the impacts still knocked her sideways. The other woman closed, and Morrigan shook her head. “Enough.”

  She grabbed a lightning disc and slammed it down between them. Her magic deflector protected her as the electricity bit at her opponent, stunning her. She stepped in and smashed an elbow into the Angel’s temple, then used her shock knuckles to blast away her consciousness when she fell to the floor. She muttered, “Jerk,” then retrieved her daggers and looked for her partners.

  The shapeshifter had moved immediately after landing, staying low and circling away from where she thought the bounty hunter would go. She passed behind Ruby’s opponent, who writhed in the grasp of shadow tentacles coming out of her partner’s arm. The sight was alarming, but it definitely seemed like a moment where restraint would be a mistake.

  She spotted her foe and scuttled forward, slashing a claw at the back of her heels, intending to rip out her Achilles tendons and end the fight with a single blow. The brunette Angel must’ve sensed her coming because she skipped backward over the swipe. When she landed, she was about a foot away from Idryll and stepped out a kick at her face.

  A backflip took the tiger-woman out of range, and her opponent lifted her rifle. Idryll charged ahead and slapped the barrel to the side, then sliced its strap away, scoring deep furrows into the woman’s protective vest in the process.

  Her opponent didn’t waste any time trying to retain the weapon. Instead, she punched Idryll's head with her left hand and drew her pistol with her right. Idryll took the punch, which didn’t have a lot of force behind it, as she stepped inside the Angel’s guard and stabbed across with her claws. They penetrated the woman’s forearm and caused her to drop the gun, her hand suddenly unable to function properly. Idryll twisted and whipped an elbow back at her enemy’s head, but the Angel stuck her good arm in the way.

  That wasn’t an issue since the blow was a distraction, anyway. Idryll dipped her head forward, then stepped backward, smashing the back of her skull into the other woman’s face. A muffled cry sounded in response, but the woman wrapped her damaged arm around Idryll's throat and secured the hold with her functioning hand. Her foe’s muscles tensed, preparatory to crushing all the important, life-sustaining things in Idryll's neck.

  An instant later, her opponent had nothing to hold onto. Idryll the house cat dashed away a few feet before returning to her humanoid form, mask and equipment belt on the floor behind her. The other woman looked completely shocked, and Idryll laughed.

  “Poor girls. You had no idea what you were getting into, did you? Level one bounties? Hardly.” She snapped out a kick and drove her foe back to smash into a drink cooler, a couple over from the one Morrigan had shattered with her opponent’s body.

  The brunette Angel made an effort to struggle out of it, but Idryll danced forward and stabbed deep into her thigh with a set of claws. The woman gasped and grabbed the wound, which had intentionally missed the big blood vessels but was at least serious enough to require immediate attention. She pointed to the side. “Medical stuff is one row over. Better take care of yourself.” She turned to find the Drow for a rematch.

  Ruby found herself on the wrong end of the fight. Keeping the tentacles latched on one enemy while fighting a mainly defensive battle against the Drow had resulted in a stalemate she couldn’t figure out how to break. Eventually, her partners would come to her assistance, but she was afraid they’d arrive too late.

  She didn’t like the option of killing the bounty hunter, but it was on the table if things continued to go against her. Demetrius’s voice was completely unexpected when he spoke. “PDA drone is ten seconds out, with more following.”

  Her opponent used her millisecond of distraction to slip a shadow blade inside her guard, slicing along her vest and cutting through to the flesh beneath. It was a shallow wound, but her attention to it allowed the bounty hunter she was trapping to writhe her way a little closer to freedom. She looked for Morrigan and Idryll, resigned to ask them for help, but they weren’t in a position to intervene. She said, “Use the drone on the Drow. Quickly.”

  Demetrius sounded dubious but replied, “Yes.” The PDA drone flew in through the open window and fired a barrage of bullets at the Drow. He dove behind the counter to safety.

  Ruby used the opportunity to step forward and deliver a right hook into the bounty hunter’s temple, the shock knuckles expending the last of their charges to send her into unconsciousness. By the time she got back to the Drow, Idryll was standing on the counter with an angsty expression on her face.

  The shapeshifter said, “He’s gone. Bastard.”

  Ruby sighed. “PDA troops inbound with the other drones, am I right?”

  Demetrius confirmed, “Yep. Thirty seconds. Ely PD on the way, too.”

  She nodded and announced loudly, “If any of these wenches tries to move, shoot them with the drone. We’ll let the authorities clean up this mess.” Lowering her voice, she said, “Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Paul Andrews stood at the head of the table and shouted, “How the hell did they penetrate our systems enough to take over a damned combat drone?”

  The faces around the room displayed shock at his uncharacteristic outburst. His second in command, on the opposite side of the oval surface, replied, “We don’t know how they hacked us on the cybersecurity end, but we’ll find out. The good news is that we located the hardware they used for system access, and it’s gone.”

  He shook his head. “The level of gross incompetence we’re maintaining in this city has to stop. Institute checks to make sure this can’t happen again.”

  Charlotte Krenn nodded. “Already done.”

  He snarled, “The rest of you, get to work. Your primary goal is to locate the damned Drow. We’ll hang destroying the convenience store on him as an initial charge, and I’m sure we can whip up some more to add afterward. Alejo reached out and said she’d rounded up a few of his people, so go there and have a chat with them.”

  They stared at him, apparently too afraid to move, and he barked, “Dismissed. Get. Go. Charlotte, stay.” They followed his orders, and a few moments later, it was only him and his most trusted subordinate. He sighed. “I’m sorry. I lost it a little there, but I also wanted to make sure everyone understood the situation.”

  “I get it, boss.”

  “What do we know right now about how they infiltrated us?”

  She shrugged. “The technology was simple, a couple of signal amplifiers that gave them a route to reach our wireless system. Their infomancer is good at what he does. Since we’re pretty much constantly improvising here, an opportunity existed to get the gear near ours.

  “I’m still not sure how they got past our physical defenses to install the amps or how they broke through our software systems. I’m also clueless about how they figured out the location of our base, although maybe it was simply dumb luck. They seem to like rooftops.”

  He chuckled darkly. “That would be pretty much status quo for us here, wouldn’t it?”

  Krenn nodded in agreement. “Not the best gig we’ve ever had, that’s for sure.”

  “So, the bounty hunters?”
/>
  “Since the bounties were gone, they were technically working outside the law. Ely PD took custody at the scene and locked them up. The Council didn’t share information as to who attacked them, so they’re not headed to maximum security.”

  He shook his head. “Too much risk there. Pull rank, have them released to us, and send them out of town to a secure facility. Once we’re past all this, we’ll turn them over for the attack on the Council.”

  She nodded. “Good call, I think.”

  He managed an actual laugh. “It must be hard, not saying I told you so.”

  She matched his smile. “Fortunately, I have a lot of practice. So, we’re focusing on the Drow?”

  “We are.”

  “And the vigilantes?”

  Andrews let out a pronounced sigh. I hate making mistakes, and going after them was apparently a big one. “Best of luck to them. We’ll take Alejo’s position from here on out. So long as they don’t drop any bodies and our goals remain aligned, we might as well stay out of each other’s way.”

  Elnyier sat across from Dieneth in the bathtub built for four in her private bedroom on Oriceran. He’d been apologetic when he’d returned and seemed to think she’d be angry with him. She’d pushed him into the shower and told him to get cleaned up and join her in the tub after. Now he said, “I thought we had them.”

  Elnyier, who was leaning back with her eyes closed, replied calmly, “Competent enemies are always a challenge. They’re also the only kind worth paying attention to.”

  “So you’re not upset? With me, I mean?”

  “Of course not. Your actions this evening will disrupt the operations of the PDA, add more fuel to the chaos swirling around Magic City, and probably set the vigilantes back on their heels. While it wasn’t the great success it could have been if your plan had taken them out, it was nonetheless a step in the right direction.”

  Dieneth sighed, and through barely slitted eyes, she watched him recline in the bathtub as the tension flowed out of him. His feet touched her legs, and she twined them with his. He said, “I’m kind of short on people now.”

  Elnyier laughed. “Believe me when I say that won’t be a problem. I have you covered. Our plans to increase our power in Ely will continue unabated.”

  Ruby had summoned everyone to the living room of the bunker to chat. Demetrius had brought a case of abbey brews, Margrave had delivered pizza and smoked salmon, and she, Morrigan, and Idryll had cleaned up and calmed down in the hours since the battle. Each of them had patched up their minor wounds and slept a little and since then had assiduously avoided talking about the previous evening’s events.

  When Ruby requested an update, Demetrius reported, “I’ve lost my connection to the PDA servers.”

  She nodded. “I knew that was a major risk when I told you to take over the drone. It’s fine. We’ll deal with it.”

  Morrigan asked, “Do we still have a locator on the Drow?”

  Demetrius frowned. “He went to Darkest Night, and suddenly he was gone. I don’t know if the locator malfunctioned, or if he threw his coat in a fire, or what.”

  Margrave laughed gently. “He might’ve portaled far enough away that we can’t track it. The locator is only good for a thirty-mile radius or so. I wouldn’t call that a lost cause quite yet.”

  Idryll suggested, “We should break into Darkest Night and find him.”

  Ruby replied, “No thanks. Been there, done that, got the bruises. Besides, if he was there, we would detect him.”

  Her companion grumbled, “I really want to hit something.”

  Morrigan said, “Seconded.”

  Ruby nodded. “Unanimous. So moved. I’ll see if Diana will let us join in a training session so we can blow off some steam.”

  Margrave grinned. “Pizza solves most problems, I’ve found.”

  Demetrius, around a mouthful of pizza, replied, “Seconded.” Everyone laughed. After he chewed and swallowed, he said, “So, we might still have a locator on the Drow, and we don’t appear to have lost any tags on the drones, either. That’s all good, at least.”

  Morrigan asked, “What’s next?”

  Ruby sighed. “I don’t know. I was hoping we’d get to acting instead of reacting, but that doesn’t seem to have worked out so well. We’ve taken away the Drow’s people, so that’s something. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens next and deal with it when it does.”

  Margrave nodded. “Wise words. It’s as if being the Mirra of the Mist Elves has given you a new level of maturity.”

  Idryll added to the insult. “Don’t be fooled. She’s still basically a toddler with a flamethrower.”

  Laughter and crosstalk continued, and while everyone else seemed lighter, Ruby’s thoughts grew darker. Finally, she said, “Tree, can I talk to you alone for a second?”

  The others offered catcalls as she pulled him toward the receiving room, wanting to be sure she wouldn’t be heard physically or magically by any of her companions. I know he considers Shiannor a friend, so this is going to hurt a lot. But together, we’ll figure out how to make it right. We’ll figure out how to make it all right. I promise.

  Ruby’s story doesn’t end here. Read the epic conclusion to the Magic City Chronicles in ALL OR NOTHING.

  Thank you!

  Stay up to date on new releases and fan pricing by signing up for my newsletter. CLICK HERE TO JOIN.

  Or visit: www.trcameron.com/Oriceran to sign up.

  If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review.

  Thanks!

  Author Notes - TR Cameron

  June 25, 2021

  Thank you for reading Book 7 in the Magic City Chronicles, and for continuing on to read these author notes!

  I got my patch for hiking the Fulton Trifecta! Woohoo! A great way to remember the mountain that tried to kill me. My kid was also excited about getting theirs.

  Amusement park summer is on the horizon. Next week we launch into it for real with another trip to Hershey, and the week after, Six Flags in Buffalo. Mix in that with our home park, Kennywood, and there’s going to be a lot of roller coasters in my near future!

  I’m headed to Vegas for the 20Books show in November and will be around for the author signing event on Friday. If you’re going to be around, let me know, I’d love to say hi! I will mention this on all my communication channels an endless number of times between now and then, so don’t worry if you don’t remember right away. I’ll remind you. :D

  Rogue Agents of Magic is coming along, research-wise. It’ll be fun to revisit those characters as more than cameos and occasional scenes in other books. I was honestly surprised to miss them as much as I did.

  I’ve been spending some time with audiobooks lately. Sandman is so worth it. I’m totally looking forward to the TV show, now, too. Also, The Martian has long been a favorite, and Wil Wheaton knocks the narration right out of the park. Mark Watney is partway through the long drive right now, and I’ve kind of forgotten how he gets from there to the end, so that will be interesting to revisit.

  Season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery ended SO well. And now Loki is here. Owen Wilson is a little… odd. But really, the MCU must be running out of actors by now.

  I need to say a little bit about Cruella. After the film came out, there was a whole bunch of snarky nonsense on my social media feeds commenting on how stupid the plot was. This, I’m convinced, was exclusively from people who hadn’t actually seen the film. It’s one part Disney, one part Ocean’s Eleven, and one part Guy Ritchie. I am a fan.

  Other than that, things are kind of quiet. No huge plans for the summer aside from road trips with the kid. Ani DiFranco is coming to town in September, so that’s something to look forward to. I just discovered Gowan, who I liked in the 80s, is singing in place of Dennis DeYoung for Styx, who are on tour again. Somehow that seemed both notable and weird to me.

  Oh! If you’re not part of the Oriceran Fans Facebook group, join! There’s a pizza giveaway every month, a
nd Martha and (usually) I and all sort of fun author folks show up via Zoom to chat with our readers. It’s a great time, and the community feel to it is truly fantastic. Oriceran Fans. Facebook. Your phone is probably within reach. Do it!

  Before I go, once again, if this series is your first taste of my Urban Fantasy, look for “Magic Ops.” I promise you’ll enjoy it, and you’ll get more of Diana, Rath, and company. You might also enjoy my science fiction work. All my writing is filled with action, snark, and villains who think they’re heroes. Drop by www.trcameron.com and take a look!

  Until next time, Joys upon joys to you and yours – so may it be.

  PS: If you’d like to chat with me, here’s the place. I check in daily or more: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTRCameron. Often I put up interesting and/or silly content there, as well. For more info on my books, and to join my reader’s group, please visit www.trcameron.com.

  If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. Thanks!

  Author Notes - Martha Carr

  June 25, 2021

  Well, what do you know? Eating right and exercising actually works, even if you’re 61. I am genuinely surprised – mostly because it’s me. You know, how you can believe emphatically for someone else’s good fortune but for yourself – you’re doomed.

  That’s how I’ve kind of felt about getting into some kind of healthy shape. I added in the word healthy because it may have taken me decades to learn this one, but dieting doesn’t work. Big news flash, right?

  But how many times have you listened to the ads that usually run at the beginning of the year, but post-quarantine are running now as we all emerge into the light. Puffy, doughy versions of our former selves. I’ve been more likely to listen to some friend who’s found a book that explains everything. Keto was a favorite. I will admit that I even tried the Atkins Diet. There were two days where all I was supposed to eat was cheese. My gut locks up just thinking about it.