Frank looked alarmed, and yet he still looked professional too. He ticked his head to the side and ran his tongue along the back of his teeth. “It would be the operation tomorrow. He obviously can’t afford any more men.” Frank glanced down at Bruce meaningfully.
I shook my head. “It has to be more than that. I mean, if I’m as valuable to him as he is making out, then he would want to secure me sooner rather than later.” I glanced down at my phone again, frowning. “Do the Cruze Gang have any enemies?” The question came out of nowhere, but as soon as I asked it, I realized it was by far the smartest question I could ponder.
Frank didn’t even have to pause as he thought. “They’ve got multiple enemies. Why?”
“Well what if one of those enemies is planning to make a grab for the D 20? What if the Cruze Gang have gotten wind of this? And what if they can’t afford to spare another single resource in tracking me down? I mean, I assume Bill thinks he’s all but got me, anyway. Still, he would spare an illusionist if he had one, right?”
Frank looked right at me and nodded hard. “Right. But that doesn’t change our position. Both Josh and Max are in the Cruze’s clutches – and Bill wasn’t lying,” Frank’s voice dipped down low again, this time sounding as ominous as an encroaching thunderstorm. “‘He’ll have no problem harming either of them to get to you.”
My stomach kicked and twisted, making it feel as if a baker was trying to kneed me into dough. And yet, I held onto my nerve. “Which is precisely why we have to do something. Maybe… maybe you’re right, and I have more than the ability to locate objects. And maybe,” I tapped my phone again, “there’s something important at the power station.”
I looked up at Frank. I didn’t want to say it. I couldn’t say it. He had his daughter to look after, and I had absolutely no right to ask him to help me. So I didn’t. And yet the question still hung in the air between us.
I watched him battling his consciousness once more.
The battle didn’t last long. He clutched a hand on his chin and dug his fingers in as hard as they would go. “We have to stop the Cruze Gang. We can’t allow them to keep doing whatever they want to. We can’t allow them to ruin any more people’s lives,” he added with an ominous growl. “And even if I do run,” he said as he closed his eyes, his obvious regret crumpling his brow and sinking through his expression until it looked like his face would fall from his head. “They’ll still be after me. That chemical plant is a start, but there’s nowhere I can run in this whole damn country – not as long as the Cruzes still operate.” He looked at me directly.
I swallowed. “Do you honestly think we have a chance?” I asked.
“You’re the finder. You’re the one who’s meant to be telling me that. But yeah,” he answered anyway. “I think we’ve got a chance if we work together. I can call the school and ask one of the teachers I know to look after Debbie.”
“How many people are there in the Cruze Gang, though? We can’t honestly expect to have a chance if we take them all on.”
“Who said anything about taking all of them on at once? If we’re right, and that power plant is holding some of their illusionists, if we can disable them, we’ll make a significant dent in their armor.”
“And if we can pretend the attack came from one of the other competing gangs—”
“Then they’ll freak out even more,” Frank said as a hard smile spread his lips. He looked down at me, and his expression became serious in a heartbeat. “But this won’t be easy. This will be a military-grade operation. There’ll be no opportunity for you to second-guess your powers. And we’re going to have to work closely together.”
I tilted my head up as I stood. I pocketed my phone. I reached a hand out to him. Frank didn’t even need to consider it. He took it, and we shook.
Several weeks ago, I was nothing more than a waitress. Now? God, who knew what I was anymore. Frank and Max and Josh’s last hope, the city’s savior, and potentially the woman who would blast apart the Cruze Gang. You see, I was powerful. And it was time for me to find out just how powerful I could become.
Chapter 6
We didn’t waste any time. We didn’t have any to waste, you see. I’d already calculated how long it would take me to walk from here to the town hall. If only Max’s house had been a little further into the city, it would have given me more time. As it was, I had an hour.
Frank stood at the kitchen table, poring over a blueprint of the power company. I’d snuck into Josh’s office and used his printer to print one out. Frank had managed to get the blueprint – and don’t ask me how.
Now he stood there, his hands on his hips as his gaze kept ticking methodically from left to right.
I don’t think I’d ever felt like this – like I was preparing to go out to war.
I was surprising myself by how even my mood was. Though occasionally a blast or two of fear sailed through my gut, all too soon, I would regain control and continue to pour over some documents. While Frank was trying to plan our incursion, I was doing something else.
Once we eliminated the illusionists at the power plant, that would only be the first stage of this plan. If we really wanted to have a chance against the Cruze Gang, then we had to pull their competition into this fight.
Frank had given me a list of the opposing gangs in Madison City. There were the Arvaks and the Xs.
The Arvaks were relative newcomers. They’d been a successful warlock and witch gang from the eastern states. They’d only recently pushed into Madison’s city, considering it was a distribution point for D 20. They obviously had enough ambition and sheer firepower to think they could take on the Cruze Gang and start attacking their supply chains.
The Xs were another matter. They were one of the city’s oldest gangs. They’d been here long before the Cruze Gang. They weren’t into drugs. They focused on the distribution of illegal magical goods. And reading between the lines, it sounded as if they hated the Cruze Gang for bringing more heat to Madison City. Before the Cruzes had moved in, the police had largely ignored the X gang. Now, if it weren’t for the fact the police were studded with Cruze plants, the gangs of Madison City would be inundated by the Law.
I kept swiveling my gaze between the information on the Arvak Gang in the X Gang. I was trying to figure out which one was a better pick. You see, we needed to pretend to be one of them when we assaulted the power plant.
But it didn’t matter how many times I ticked my head between the gangs – I couldn’t figure out which was a better option.
I sighed, the sound echoing out as I brought a hand up and locked it over my face.
Frank had found a cache of weapons in Josh’s office. He was currently checking the butt of a magical gun, cleaning it or something. He looked up. “If it’s not working, I suggest you take it back to something you’re familiar with.”
I leaned back in my chair, allowing my arms to fall by my sides as I faced him with a defeated expression. “What do you mean?”
“I think you’re trying too hard to locate opportunities. That’s not how your magic works. Bring it back to what you know, and see what you can do.”
Frank had been the one to suggest that I could locate opportunities in the first place – and now he seemed to be suggesting I should give up. But what he was really saying was that I should return to the original premise behind my power. Again I remembered the advice Max had given me in the VIP lounge. Follow my feelings. Sink myself into them until they taught me where to go.
Leaning forward, I clamped my tensed fingers on my brow, closed my eyes, and centered my awareness. I plunged it deep into my stomach as I waited for it to tell me what to do next. I was keenly aware of the fact that Max was a fully-fledged opportunity finder, and yet even he had his limitations. Here I was – a new found locator – and surely I would have no chance of matching his skill.
Just before I could sense defeat creeping through my chest and sinking into my stomach as if I’d swallowed ice melt, I frowned.
<
br /> I reminded myself of what Frank had just suggested – it was time to take things back to basics, ha?
I closed my eyes and concentrated on the first time I’d found anything – Stanley, the testing officer who’d been the one to tell me I was a finder.
When I’d discovered Stanley, I’d done so simply by following where my feet had wanted to take me. I hadn’t made a specific decision. All I’d done was follow my feelings.
As I concentrated on that memory, my hand darted out of its own free will, and the next thing I knew as I opened my eyes, I’d selected one of the piles of paper.
Frank stared at me with keen attention. “Have you picked one?”
I grabbed the papers and nodded. As soon as my fingers settled around them, I realized I was onto something. “The Xs,” I said.
He took a moment to nod, and the movement was strong with confidence. “Makes sense. They may not be as new and ambitious as the Arvaks – and they may not have attacked the Cruze Gang as much, but if there’s one gang in town that harbors hatred toward the Cruze – it’s the Xs.”
“Do you think you know enough about them to make it seem as if the attack comes from them?”
He didn’t hesitate and nodded immediately. “Definitely. The Xs have a specific calling card. Whenever they attack, they mark the walls of an establishment with their tag – a box with two lines struck through it.”
“Sounds easy enough. So….”
He kept checking his gun until, with a click, he was obviously satisfied that it was ready to go. “Yeah. Are you ready for this?” There was a specific look in his eye, and it was a question. The same question rang hard through his tone.
I answered by standing up. “I’ve never been on an operation like this before, but I’m sure we’ll adapt.”
If this was Josh, he would snort in my face and tell me I was an idiot. Frank simply nodded in agreement.
The next thing I knew, Frank was drawing a magical circle on the floor of the kitchen. Fortunately he was using chalk and not a permanent marker. Even though all of this was ultimately in aid of saving Josh and Max, if we permanently marked the old heritage tiles of Max’s kitchen, I’m sure he’d be none too pleased.
I stood back as I watched Frank get to work. He was efficient and quick. He didn’t waste a single movement of his body – and nor did he seem to waste any magic.
A lot of magical practitioners practice with unnecessary flare. Frank was efficient and didn’t waste a scrap of magic or a single second. He was done casting the spell in under two minutes.
Magic started to charge through the room. I could taste it on the tip of my tongue and hear it sizzling like chicken thrown in a pan of hot oil.
Frank turned to me, but he didn’t bother to ask if I was ready. He arched his neck toward the circle. “It’ll be ready to go in 30 seconds. Be prepared. I set the circle to reopen right in the middle of the power station. Our only opportunity is to take them by surprise. I’ll be relying on you.”
I nodded hard.
I’d never been the kind of person who liked all those war bravado films and games. And honest to God, I would’ve thought I would crumble in a situation like this, but I kept my head up and my back straight.
The magic continued to build. There was a pressure in the air as if the room was about to get struck by lightning.
Though not all transport spells took this much energy, most transport spells didn’t have to travel as far as this. The distance from Max’s townhouse to the middle of the power station was a good 30 kilometers. That would tax any warlock’s magic. Plus, Frank had cast this spell so it would take longer to produce on this side but would be practically instantaneous when we arrived.
The seconds ticked by until with one direct move, Frank pointed forward.
We both jumped into the magical circle.
It was the first time I’d transported, and it was an experience I would never forget. As we sank through the portal, I felt myself being pulled apart. Though you’d think that would be a terrifying experience, at the same time, a sense of utter exhilaration filled me until I thought I would pop.
While my body reacted to the magic pulling me apart, the magic within me sung at the same time.
The time between being broken apart and reappearing in the center of the power station was negligible.
It was easily the most confusing experience of my life. I went from sinking down through the floor in the kitchen to standing in a hail of sparks in the middle of a drab, concrete and steel room.
The room we arrived in had to be some kind of central storage room. There were great massive rounds of wire on huge wooden spools. There were massive old contraptions which I couldn’t even begin to guess the purpose of, and there was old computing equipment from the seventies.
There were also two warlocks.
Illusionists.
I didn’t need to guess that – I figured it out. Because as soon as we arrived, they split.
I was ready for it, and I pointed out the closest illusionist before he could attack Frank.
Frank was absolutely charged with magic. He was a deep, deep green – the color of moss growing over a forest log.
He didn’t hesitate, and he didn’t question. He sent a powerful kick charging toward the direction I pointed out. His kick landed hard against an invisible illusionist’s jaw. There was the sound of bone clicking, and the guy reappeared, instantly tumbling backward and slamming hard against the old concrete floor.
I spun to the side, falling to my knees just as I jerked a hand up. “A meter that way,” I screamed.
Frank spun, easily looking like Chuck Norris as he did a roundhouse kick to the side.
This illusionist was a little trickier, and just before Frank’s kick could land home, the guy dodged back.
“To the left,” I screamed.
The illusionist dodged once more. He also kept splitting himself off. He was easily one of the most powerful I’d ever faced. Not, of course, that I’d faced that many. But I was starting to get a feel for how they used their magic. If I concentrated on their bodies and the distinct feel of their illusion spell, it was easy as pie to track them through the room. And this was no different. “A meter to my right – he’s ducking down,” I bellowed.
This time Frank acted with all his force. He jumped up and launched forward, his magic seeing him sail toward the ground like he was a character out of a video game. He brought his fist around and slammed it into the exact position where I knew the illusionist was.
His fist struck muscle with an almighty whack, and the illusionist appeared as his head jerked to the side. The guy tumbled backward several meters until he fell against the concrete, unconscious.
Frank didn’t need to order me. I knew what to do next. I pitched forward, reaching the closed door. I placed a hand on it, half closed my eyes, and concentrated on my ability to find.
I still wasn’t 100 percent convinced that I had the added skill of being able to find opportunities. But Frank was right. My ability to find objects and more abstract things like safe havens was starting to blur. So as I placed my hand flat on the door, I asked myself a simple question. Was it safe beyond? Would I find enemies, or would I find nothing?
The answer was nothing. Or at least, for now.
“Let’s go,” I said as I brought a hand forward and pointed at the door. I opened it.
Frank’s heavy footfall was right behind me. “They’re coming.” He jerked his head to the side.
Frank obviously had the same ability as Josh – though perhaps not as well developed. He could use his magic to bolster his body. And right now I had to assume that he was using his power to increase his ability to hear. I couldn’t pick up footsteps, but about 10 seconds later, I saw the door on the opposite side of the room explode in a hail of sparks.
We made a gamble in coming here. The gamble had been that there wouldn’t be any ordinary warlocks amongst the illusionists. That gamble quickly failed. Three men walked i
nto the room. Two were obviously illusionists, because as soon as they saw us, they split themselves off and made their real forms invisible. The other guy? He just charged with magic.
I didn’t have the breath to warn Frank, but he obviously didn’t need that warning, either. He jerked back, his lips spreading wide in a hard swear word that echoed through the room.
I didn’t know where we were – I hadn’t studied the blueprints as well as Frank had before we’d come here. But we seemed to be close to the power distribution center. If I had to guess, it was right through the thick concrete wall to our side.
It was huge and obviously well-insulated. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that the standard warlock suddenly used it as a weapon. He sent his hand jerking toward it, and five sparks erupted from his five fingers. They shot across the room, sank into the concrete wall, and started wriggling their way through it as if they were the mechanical equivalent of worms.
“Down,” Frank spat, his voice punching through the room and echoing off the high ceiling above.
I didn’t need to be told twice. I flattened myself. It was just in time. Concrete sparks erupted through the room, racing toward us. There was nothing I could do, and my heart pounded with the fear that I was about to be torn in half.
But Frank obviously had other ideas. “Don’t move,” he bellowed as his magic sprang up over his form and covered mine, too. It was just in time as those concrete sparks reached us.
Something else reached us, too. “Just above you. Just above you!” I shrieked.
Frank punched a hand forward. It was covered with so much magic that the damn power leaped off his body in bright lines of flame. He didn’t manage to strike the illusionist who I knew was just above him – but instead managed to punch a hail of those concrete sparks. Either he managed to take control of the magic that was being used to move them – or he simply brute forced them. The point was, he made them slam out in every direction.
It caught the illusionist who was seconds from attacking Frank. It sent the man jerking backward. He became visible just as concrete embedded in his chest. It wasn’t deep enough to kill him, just to draw a few splatters of blood as he was thrown backward several meters.
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