by TR Cameron
Morrigan's daggers filled her hands a moment after landing, both coated with magic to prevent anything more damaging than shallow cuts. She was skilled with them, so good that her Oriceran trainer had once described her as surgical. Her mind held no doubt that she could use them without killing.
A pair of elves appeared as she stepped through the smoke. They’d approached under cover of their illusions before abandoning them to coordinate their attacks. They were both tall, both blond, and wore identical haughty looks that she found decidedly inappropriate given the pain they were about to be in. The enemy on her right launched a blast of electricity, and she spun away from him to avoid it.
The move put her directly in the path of the second, and the level of smugness filling his face dramatically increased as he dispatched a cone of flames at her head. His expression changed to shock as the magical deflector she wore around her neck consumed the incoming power without making the telltale cracking sound that would indicate its defense had been exhausted.
His look switched from surprise to misery as she skipped forward and drove her daggers into his chest six times in rapid succession. They landed as fast as the quick jabs from a professional boxer, causing him to double over reflexively to protect the wounds. She stepped in and whipped an elbow into his temple that laid him out on the floor. A second electrical attack demolished her deflector, and the excess power sent pain along her nerves.
She ignored the sensation and threw a dagger at the other elf’s face, forcing him to abandon the offensive to block. She surged forward and snapped a right cross at his head, which he stopped handily. The move twisted him to one side, allowing her left dagger to slam into his undefended side three times before he stumbled out of range. The cuts weren’t deep enough to reach anything important, but the pain and blood loss would weaken him over time.
He closed with an enraged growl, wrapping his right fist in crackling magic and using his left to send shadow bolts at her. She summoned a force shield on her right hand to intercept the ranged attacks, releasing it when he punched with the magical one to grab his wrist above the lightning shield, yank his arm straight, and stab the dagger in her left fist into his triceps. He squealed in pain as she pulled on the limb again and circled the knife to stab him in the bicep as well.
A wrench of the embedded blade damaged the muscle enough that he wouldn’t be able to use his arm without significant healing, and she took advantage of the injury to land a pair of punches to his head. When he tried to block her with his other arm, she slammed the hilt of her dagger into his temple. He dropped, unconscious before he hit the concrete. She reached out with force magic and yanked her thrown weapon back to her fist, then turned to find the next threat.
Idryll stalked the third Kilomea, leaping quietly over crates and sliding under the truck as he focused his attention on Morrigan. She watched the young Mist Elf’s fight with her pair of enemies with one eye as she closed with the hulking giant. She respected Kilomea as a species but had none for this crew, who seemed to have tossed aside all notions of honor. Or perhaps their loyalty is misplaced. Either way, they can’t be allowed to continue threatening the police, innocent people, or my friends. At the perfect moment, she extended her claws and slashed at the back of his ankles, intending to rip out his tendons and drive him to the floor.
She growled in frustration as he took a sudden stutter step, taking him far enough away that her attack was rebuffed by the heavy leather of his boots, failing to draw even the tiniest drop of blood. He turned as she emerged and rose to her feet, and she circled to keep him moving to defend against her. She threw punches, lulling him into expecting more, then snapped out a kick. He blocked it with a smile, seemingly unperturbed by her or her efforts. He rumbled, “You pretend to be a predator, but you’re more like a house cat. Come here, kitty kitty, let me break your neck. I promise it’ll be quick.”
Idryll snorted. If only you knew the truth. Here, among the police, shifting into her tiger form was out of the question. She waited until he was in mid-step and launched herself up into the air, using her deceptively powerful leg muscles to surmount his height easily. A knee pistoned out at his head, causing him to yank it backward. His skull slammed off the side of the truck with a resounding clang, as she’d hoped. She grabbed the vehicle's top edge and kicked off, then whipped her legs in at his head.
He ducked, leaving her kicking metal, and she back-flipped off the vehicle to avoid his quick two-handed slam. When she landed they circled again, but now he was both angry and woozy, to judge by his expression and movements. He threw out a series of fast, hard punches, and it was her turn to block them with ease and a smile. “Is that the best you can do, big man? I have to say that I’m not impressed.”
He didn’t fully rise to the bait, only took a single step forward, but that was sufficient. She pivoted and slammed a sidekick down into his knee, breaking the joint. He fell to the floor, and she kicked him once more in the head, not hard enough to kill or even render him unconscious, but hopefully adequate to make sure he saw double if he decided to rejoin the fight. She headed for Morrigan's position, knowing Ruby would want her to and looked for more people to take down along the way.
Ruby dispatched another pair of dwarves with her last lightning grenade, shutting down the barrage of shadow bolts they’d been harassing her with, then launched herself back up to the rafters in response to the remaining criminals’ sudden surrender. From above, she watched a flood of police and sheriff’s personnel enter the warehouse in a flurry of threats and warnings. She covered Idryll in illusion and tracked both the shapeshifter and her sister as they made their retreats to the safety of the high ground.
A drone buzzed in suddenly, loud, annoying, and bigger than those the local police used. She recognized it as a Paranormal Defense Agency bot and focused on strengthening the veils that protected her and her teammates. I wonder if that thing can detect magic. That would be pretty useful in a lot of situations. I wouldn’t put it past them to do it or at least be working on it. Add asking Margrave and Kayleigh about that possibility to the list.
She crouched in silence as the police did their cleanup, then connected with Sheriff Alejo when she was free and away from others. “Did you invite the PDA?”
The other woman snorted. “Of course not. I told you, they’re increasing their presence day by day. It’s as if they know something paranormal is going on in Magic City.” The sarcastic edge in her tone made Ruby laugh.
“Well, can’t argue with them on that one. Although maybe they ought to be looking at the bad guys instead of focusing on the good ones.”
She saw Alejo’s shrug from a distance as the woman stepped through the open garage door and left the building. “I doubt we can count on them to know the difference. They think they have it all figured out, and they’re not likely to look any further than that. Or to accept any new information that doesn’t agree.”
Ruby nodded, even though the other woman couldn’t see her. “No argument. So, are we good?”
Alejo replied, “Some broken bones, a bunch of cuts that’ll probably need some stitches, but certainly nothing I feel compelled to investigate. Good job, and thanks for the help.”
“Nice working with you, Sheriff. Let’s do it again sometime.” Alejo’s rueful chuckle was the other woman’s only answer, and Ruby killed the connection. “All right, you two, time to get out of here. I wonder if the diner is open. Smacking down scumbags makes me hungry.”
Chapter Three
A giant yawn overtook Ruby as she stepped through the door to the basement lab, stopping her in her tracks and forcing her to hold onto the wall for support. Damn. I should’ve slept in longer. Stupid cat. Idryll had decided to shift to tiger-woman form halfway through the night, taking up far more space than her house cat shape did. It had already been a short night since the diner had indeed been open.
Laughter sounded from farther in the room. “Late night? Should I check to make sure Demetrius is still funct
ioning?”
She pushed a smile onto her face, which was fairly easy, given that she actively liked her roommate and lab partner, Daphne. “Demetrius is fine. I wasn’t with him yesterday. Just a late night.”
“Woooo. When were you last with him? Come on. I want all the gory details.”
Ruby's grin widened as she shook her head and crossed the room to her half of the lab. Open flames and old-school lamps lit the basement space, and it had stone walls around the long, old wood table that ran down the center and gleamed from polish and use. The witch didn’t quite glow, but she radiated a sort of energy. She wore her typical flannel and jeans, with her black hair in a topknot instead of a ponytail today. “Shut it. What is this, high school?”
“Hey, some things are eternal.”
Ruby shrugged the duffel bag off her shoulder and onto the table, where it landed with a thud. She sat and rubbed her eyes, struggling to suppress another yawn. I wonder what a daily dose of energy potion would do to my tolerance for the stuff. As far as she knew, no one in her circle had tried such a thing. Maybe because they’re smart enough to get sufficient sleep. She unzipped the bag and pulled out its contents, setting a pair of medium-sized boxes on the surface beside it.
Daphne asked, “What are those?”
“These are drones, picked up from the Target south of town. It was the only store in the area open twenty-four hours that also carries technical gear. According to the Internet, they’re very good. Not the best, but Margrave taught me early on not to prototype with the most expensive equipment, given how often things go catastrophically wrong.”
The witch nodded and set aside the wand she’d been polishing. She rose and collected her cauldron and the portable gas burner to heat it, putting them on the table in front of her chair before sitting again. “I hear that. Plus, the more useful the thing you’re creating, the more expensive the experimentation.”
“Yep, exactly.” Ruby took the first kit out of its box, arraying the drone, a couple of spare parts, and the controller unit within easy reach. “What are you working on?”
“Energy potions. I think there should be a way to give them more kick and thus reduce how much you have to drink. Hopefully, the pivot point is good enough that the new formula will be profitable.” She reached into the purse on the floor beside her and pulled out a vial filled with a brilliant blue liquid. “Just this was two weeks’ wages. It’s ridiculous.”
Ruby frowned. “You need a better supplier. I can look into that for you. In the meantime, here.” She pulled her key ring out of her bag, detached one of the two little metal flasks attached to it, and slid the container over. “This is a quarter dose. I keep it for, uh, in case someone in my family needs it. I have a healing one on here too if you want it.”
Daphne shook her head and looked dubiously at the vial. “I don’t need healing. And I’m not in a place to pay for even that much right now.” Ruby could tell it cost her to admit that.
“The way I see it, we’re friends, lab buddies, and who knows, maybe future business partners. Call it a loan. You can pay me back in kind when you get your new formula going. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not a huge loss. I’ll siphon some more from my parents.”
“Done deal.” The other woman smiled as she snagged the vial. “So what is it you’re hoping to do with that toy?”
“Margrave and I have been discussing how useful it would be to have a reconnaissance device that could detect things outside the visual and aural spectra. You know, for the police, or whatever.” She tossed off the clarification nonchalantly. “Could be a moneymaker if we get it done. We’re planning to upgrade the sensor array, which is pitiful at the moment, only a camera and recorder, and add in something to deliver a payload. A small one, obviously.”
Ruby lifted the drone, which fit in her hand with a little overlap, to peer at it more closely. When the rotors swiveled out into flight position, the device would be about twice that size. She’d chosen that model in particular for its compact carrying form. She hadn’t told Daphne any lies, as such. She and Margrave had discussed it, and it would be good for law enforcement if they ever finalized the design. However, the prototype was for her personal use, for things like scouting out enemy locations before entering them. Or possibly security companies.
She pulled a toolkit about the size of a briefcase off the open shelves behind her and set it on the table. Inside, each item nestled in its foam cutout, the organization and precision of the arrangement instantly soothing. She selected a thin screwdriver with the appropriate tip and started removing the plates that covered the drone’s innards. “Weight will be a challenge that needs attention since the plan is to add stuff. Margrave has a 3D printer, and we’re going to try plastic first, but a web of filaments rather than solid pieces like these. Hopefully that’ll be enough of a reduction to compensate.”
They worked in silence for several minutes. She continued her disassembly, and Daphne added ingredients to her cauldron, including a portion of the energy potion. The witch asked, “So, will the drone be part of the defenses you’re putting around the house?”
Ruby nodded. “Kind of. I already have a set of techno-magical sensors out there that can run on their own for a month before needing recharging. So, if anything comes within a certain distance that’s bigger than a small dog, we’ll know. In addition, cameras are looking in all directions, and Demetrius programmed an algorithm to alert him if they spot things we should be concerned about.”
Daphne lifted an eyebrow. “You’re not going to incinerate the Amazon delivery guy by accident, are you?”
Ruby made an obscene gesture at the other woman, eliciting a laugh. “No. There are no aggressive defenses outside, only detection. However, I do have about half of the entrances set up with force shields that anyone with magic can activate. I’ll have the rest covered by the end of the week or so. That would give any of you enough time to protect themselves and portal away. Plus, Shiannor suggested we might want some weapons of the mundane variety. So I’ll see about making that happen, too.”
“I’ve never fired a gun.”
Ruby shrugged. “It’s not hard. I’ll take you to the range sometime. I’m sure your magic would provide better options, anyway.”
Daphne didn’t look convinced. “So, how does the drone fit into the picture?”
“Well, once we’ve got the prototype working, I figure we’ll modify some bigger ones with the improved sensors, plus video and audio tied into Demetrius’ surveillance bot. Then it’s a matter of keeping them up in rotation.” She didn’t mention the magical cloak of illusion to conceal it from visual detection that she planned to include if she could work out how to do it.
The witch snorted. “So, we’ll be the only house on the block with twenty-four-seven aerial surveillance? That’ll be subtle.”
Ruby laughed. “I’ll paint them blue so they look like the sky. I could even add clouds. Will that help? And you can’t have it both ways. You want protection. I’m giving you protection.”
Again, they worked in silence until Daphne cursed. “Damn. I found another one that didn’t work.”
“How do you know?”
“It went inert. Turned brown. Somehow the magics canceled each other.”
“Well, consider it an investment in narrowing things down, right?”
“Yeah.” She flicked off the burner and pulled out a notebook, scribbling quickly. “That’s all I have time for today. I need to find some food and get to work at the Ebon Dragon. Honestly, the mental shifts from the day job to trying to do this stuff are as damaging as the lost time.”
“Do you have some vacation coming up or something? I could make sure nobody bothers you.”
Daphne shook her head. “None for nine months, unfortunately. Still, the trip to Mexico to see the Mayan ruins was totally worth it, so I guess I can’t complain.” Her face told a different story as she finished cleaning her area.
Liam stepped through the door with a wave. “Mornin
g, ladies.” The dwarf was bright and bubbly, his blond hair free this morning, his beard lacking its regular braids.
They greeted him, and Ruby asked, “What’s up?”
He shrugged. “Heading over to the Grinding Axes for a bite and a beer. You both should come with. Mick and Jas are probably missing you.”
The other woman glanced down at her watch and nodded. “If we make it fast, I can do it.”
He applauded the decision with eager clapping, then looked at Ruby. “Excellent, and you?”
She shook her head. “I’m up to my elbows in drone guts. I need to get this finished or Margrave will kill me.”
“Well, when you’ve finished, drop by. I’m off today, so I might stick around, help serve some drinks, that sort of thing.”
Ruby grinned. “You got it.” Inside, though, she knew her day would hold no such recreational opportunities. Work, work, work. I hope she figures out the improved energy potion. Maybe I could use it in place of sleep and get caught up on stuff.
Chapter Four
Ruby had indulged in a luxurious shower at her parents’ house as soon as she arrived, having given up on the drones in a momentary fit of frustration. The bathing facilities at the home she shared with her roommates on the surface couldn’t compete with the one in the kemana. Magic for the win, at least in maintaining perfectly hot water. She dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, planning to sleep over, and headed down to dinner, patting Idryll in passing. Mental note, get the tiger some food so she doesn’t chew my arm off.
