by TR Cameron
He laughed. “No one ever expects it.”
She nodded and made sure her tone was respectful as she replied, “It’s rare to see that much acrobatic skill in someone so large.”
“I can’t help it if I’m the biggest and strongest. I don’t even work out.”
She shook her head with a wide grin. “Now the Princess Bride? I definitely need to beat the tar out of you so I can join your unexpectedly cool group.”
That resulted in laughter all around, and he beckoned her in. Sorry, buddy. I’ll do my best not to make it too painful. He came to meet her, and this time she didn’t try to evade the encounter. At the last moment, she darted to her left and torqued a punch in at his solar plexus. It struck, and his breath rushed out. That was only the first part. She chambered her near leg and kicked at the back of his knee, dropping him onto it. With him at her level, it was easy enough to deliver an elbow to the back of his head to daze him, then dart back out of the way. He got to his feet with a frown, wobbling a little. She asked, “Done?”
He growled and charged at her to the delight of the onlookers. She made it look like she would try for the flip again but instead stepped out to the opposite side and did a full heel sweep, cutting his legs out from under him. He landed hard on his back, this time definitely dazed, and she leapt into the air and stomped her feet down inches away from the sides of his head, demonstrating that she could have finished him. The dwarf yelled, “All right, I think we can call this done.” The crowd cheered and whined, depending on their choices, as bets were paid out.
She extended a hand to the Kilomea and helped, with the dwarf’s assistance, to pull him back to his feet. They shared a handshake, then her opponent patted her on the head and went to find something to drink. The dwarf said, “Call me Prex. Now, what do you need?”
Ruby replied, “Some scumbags are planning to break another scumbag out of police transport. My friends and I are going to stop them. I need you to help us get there.”
He laughed. “Buzzing a police convoy? We’re totally down with that.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a token, a little bigger than a silver dollar. It was black, metal, and had the organization’s logo on it. On the flip side, it had the letter “P” and a number. “Welcome to the group, probie twenty-three. You know how to get in touch with us when the time comes.” He gestured at their surroundings. “Someone is always here, and the rest usually no more than a quarter-hour away.”
She nodded. “You sure?”
The dwarf grinned. “Of course. You’re on the road to being a full member of the Desert Ghosts. That means you’ve got our backs, and we’ve got yours.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ruby was excited when Diana showed up to portal them to the ARES base. The other woman radiated confidence, a capability, maybe, that called up similar feelings in her. I suppose that’s what good leaders do.
She took them straight to the lab where Kayleigh was waiting. Ruby, Idryll, and Morrigan turned over their masks, and the tech worked quickly, installing pieces in them. The blonde woman said, “I researched to be sure this wouldn’t interfere with the magic. You’re all set.”
They were distracted from watching her work by Rath’s arrival. The troll carried a metal cylinder. He handed it to Morrigan, who took it with a confused expression. “What is this?”
Rath replied, “Failsafe. Protection from falling. Like Batman. Can be used as a weapon.”
Her sister turned it over in her hands. It appeared as if it wrapped around the forearm and had a tube on the top with a pointed arrow sticking out. “Is this because I’m an archer?”
He nodded with a wide grin. “Exactly. Me, throwing knives. You, arrows. This is perfect for both of us.”
She held it up, examining it closer and sighting along the barrel. “This is pretty cool, but I wouldn’t want to take your stuff, my friend.”
Kayleigh laughed. “He asked me to make that one specifically for you. It’s a little different than his. It has a magnetic option and a line to connect to your belt to help you keep latched on. The cable that trails behind the projectile can be difficult to grip easily.”
Morrigan looked moved at the gift. “Thank you, Rath.”
The troll nodded, continuing to grin, and her sister ruffled his hair. To judge by the sparkle in his eyes, he approved. Kayleigh shook her head. “Okay. Everything’s installed. The technology I’ve put in responds either to magic commands or voice commands. You’ll figure it out. First off, you have three comms that will stay connected to one another at all times. In addition, each mask has an encrypted location-disguised cellular connection. You can use it to reach anyone you would normally talk to on a cell phone, without worrying about someone triangulating your position.”
Idryll whispered, “Is that impressive? It sounds impressive.”
Ruby replied, “Yes. Shut up.”
The tech continued, “The eyepieces will provide thermal imaging on command and also display traces of power flow. Most electrical lines are a little lossy, at least enough that the sensor can detect them.” She reached into a small box on the table, withdrew a memory stick, and handed it to Ruby. “This allows someone with a computer and a connection to your comms to feed a data overlay to the lenses. It’ll only show around the outsides. The center area will always stay clear.”
She took it and thanked the other woman. “You’re amazing.”
Kayleigh laughed. “I know.”
Diana groaned from her position at the side of the room, where she’d been leaning back against another of the high worktables. “And humble, too.”
The tech shook her head. “Would you believe I had to share a house with grumpy puss there for an extended period? You can’t imagine what real pain is like until you’ve had to live with her.”
Diana scowled. “Shut it, wench.” She led them back to the same lounge area they’d been in before, where Rath was seated at a table with a large narrow-nosed dog sitting next to him. Their host laughed. “Ruby, I think you know Max already. Idryll, Morrigan, that’s Max, Rath’s partner.”
Idryll extended a hand for the canine to sniff, and he seemed disinterested. Morrigan received far more attention, including the dog pushing his nose under her palm so she would pet him. While they interacted with the troll and his buddy, Diana drew her aside. “Do you need some help? I can loan you some good people if you have something big going on.”
Ruby thought about it for a second, then shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think it’s necessary right now. I’d rather keep y’all as a surprise for when it’s essential.”
The agent nodded. “I understand that. Makes perfect sense. Remember, we’re only a comm call away, and we can be moving in pretty short order.”
“Believe me, if things get bad, I’ll call.”
Diana grinned. “See that you do.”
Their next stop was at Shentia's shop in the kemana. The woman immediately took them into the back room, and Morrigan and Idryll fanned out to look at the items she had on display. The wares always reflected more turnover than one would expect, so there was usually something new to see. Shentia handed over potions for the shapeshifter, which the Drow had assured her would be more effective for the shapeshifter than anything Ruby had or knew how to make. She trusted Shentia and hoped that she wasn’t making a mistake to do so. Drawing her aside, she asked, “What do you know about artifact weapons?”
Shentia chuckled. “Quite a lot, but nothing particularly useful. They are always powerful, sometimes sentient, and incredibly hard to come by. I’m pretty sure Nylotte’s friends have been collecting artifacts of all types to keep them out of the hands of those who would use them for bad purposes.”
“There are other kinds of artifacts?”
Shentia nodded. “Artifact weapons are only one vessel for power and were created by many practitioners. The half-Atlantean Rhazdon, some time ago, imbued an assortment of items with powerful magic. They’re named after him. Wel
l, her, since she was later revealed to be female. Rhazdon was complicated.”
“Like, what kind of power?”
“Those who possess Rhazdon artifacts have been said to acquire strong powers in shadow magic, as well as the ability to summon shadow tentacles at will.”
Ruby shook her head. “That’s frightening, to say the least.” Tentacles were for anime and calamari, and nothing more, in her opinion. “Anything else I should know about them?”
“The only way to remove an artifact from its host is by death. Then it will seek a new host, immediately.”
“Like, it’s alive?”
“Sentient, but with the power to influence minds, even when not part of a corporeal being.”
She was now firmly against the notion of ever encountering one. “Yikes.”
The other woman laughed and nodded. “Yikes, indeed.”
“So, if I see one, run in the other direction, fast?”
“You got it.” The Drow gave her a thin smile. “By the way, I have a little errand I need taken care of. It would be a chance for you to pay back one of the favors you owe me.”
Dammit. Lousy timing. “Can it wait a few days?”
The other woman shrugged. “Yes, easily.”
“Then I’m in.” Assuming I survive until then. And that I don’t get called to Oriceran for another venamisha. And don’t die seeking the artifact weapon with Keshalla. Dang, there’s a lot of potential death in my future. She shook her head and called, “Okay, looky-loos. Time we were going. Things to do, people to see.”
She parted ways with the others and portaled back to the house on the surface. She popped into Demetrius’s room and sat on his lap, giving him a deep kiss. When she broke the lip lock, he laughed and asked, “Okay, what do you want?”
She grinned. “Couldn’t I just be here to see you?”
He shook his head. “Nope. You radiate being in the middle of something.”
“Guilty as charged.” She pulled the memory stick out of a pocket and handed it over. “Three things, this is the first. Having that program on your computer will let you feed visual information to me and also talk to me without giving away either of our locations.”
He nodded. “Cool. Maybe I can learn something from the code, too. What’s the second thing?”
“I’ve been keeping secrets.”
He ran his fingernails along her denim-covered legs. “Doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out.”
She shifted position to make sure she was looking right into his eyes. “Do you want to know the truth? I have to warn you. There’s danger. I won’t be offended if you say no, although if you continue to help me, you’re going to guess it anyway. Either way, I’m trusting you to keep it secret, even if you get mad at me at some point or something.”
He snorted. “You haven’t been in many grown-up relationships, have you?”
“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
He replied with a small laugh, “More evidence to prove my theory. Yes, I want to know, and no, you don’t have to worry about me betraying you if we aren’t romantically involved anymore.”
She nodded and let her illusion fall. He reached up and traced her pointed ear with a finger, and she had to focus not to shudder under his touch. “Why?”
She shrugged. “Long story. My parents made me do it. Someday I’ll explain the whole thing, but we don’t have time.”
“Why not?”
“That’s item three. There’s going to be an attack on a police convoy at some point in the next twenty hours or so, and I need your help to mess it up.”
He asked, “Ely PD?”
“Could be county, I suppose, but I’m betting on Ely. His name is Goryo.”
“Okay. They’re not particularly secure. Let’s take a look.”
She climbed off his lap so he could use his equipment, and several minutes later, an image popped onto the screen. She exclaimed, “Holy yikes. It’s that guy.” The pieces fell into position and finished the jigsaw puzzle that confirmed Aces’ involvement. It was good to have her suspicions validated, even though it meant that the security company was more heinous than she’d believed. “That guy sucks.”
Demetrius frowned. “He’s the guy from the Kraken?” She nodded. “Since you know him, you were involved. One of the costumes. Not someone who hangs out watching on the cameras.” She confirmed it with another nod. “Cool. Should this information go to the authorities?”
She shook her head. “They’re not up to the task. The enemy will doubtless bring magicals. It makes more sense to try to blow up the rescue attempt than cancel the convoy if we’re thinking big picture.” She sighed, not enjoying having to make choices that affected others’ safety. “Okay, can you find out exactly when the transport is going to happen?”
He nodded and hit some keys for half a minute. “Six hours. They leave at dusk.”
“Well, that’s good news and bad news, I guess. On the negative side, the darkness will make it a bit harder to fight, although some new toys I got should even things out.”
He chuckled. “And the good?”
She flopped onto her back on the bed and spread her arms wide. “We have a couple of hours to kill before I have to gear up. Get over here, gorgeous.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ruby’s bedroom was crowded as she, Morrigan, and Idryll strapped on equipment for their attempt to thwart the attack on the convoy. She asked, “Tell me again why you’re not getting dressed in your bedroom?”
Morrigan rolled her eyes. “You know Mom and Dad walk into my room without warning all the time. You at least get a knock.”
“Still?”
“Forever, apparently. I didn’t realize being the youngest earned me that particular privilege.”
Ruby snorted. “Well, you’ve always had a lot more freedom than Dralen or me, so maybe that’s fair.”
Her sister put her hands on her hips and stared. “You look different.”
Idryll added, “You smell like Demetrius.”
That was a lie since Ruby had showered carefully before portaling to the kemana. “Your point?”
Morrigan grinned. “So, it’s true. You and Demetrius are, you know.”
Ruby covered her face with a hand and shook her head. “Really? Now?”
Her sister laughed. “If not now, when? You tramp.” She banged her arm on one of Ruby’s bedposts as she pulled on her vest. “Ow. Damn. You’re right. We need, like, a Batcave. Dragon cave. Okay, dragon and phoenix cave.”
She snorted. “And tiger. We’re starting to sound like a Chinese restaurant dinner menu. Frankly, I could go for a Dragon and Phoenix platter right about now.”
Idryll sighed. “You’re both idiots. Perhaps insanity runs in the family?”
Ruby checked the clock on her dresser, powered by magic in the kemana, and saw that time was running out. “Okay, enough jokes. Let’s finish getting ready.” She secured her final armor plate, twisted it to make sure it was seated properly on her forearm, and shook her wrists to set the magical shield bracelets into their correct position. A single sword rode on her back, two daggers at her belt, and a pair of throwing knives in her boots.
In addition, she had illusion and shield pendants, Margrave’s toys, and her lightning grenades. Her pistol was loaded with anti-magic rounds, and she’d slotted two spare magazines into pouches in her vest. It was her hope they’d be able to swoop in, disrupt the attack, and fade without fully engaging whatever enemies were attempting to interfere with the prisoner transport. Of course, hope and reality rarely ride together.
She pulled on the mask and willed it into its dragon image. “How do I look?” The tiger and phoenix staring back at her nodded approval. “We’re quite a bunch.”
Morrigan replied, “Well, all I can say is, it feels good to be doing something rather than watching from the sidelines.”
Idryll countered, “Oh, a sleepy night by the fire might have been nice.”
Ruby lau
ghed. “First, you like to fight more than anyone I’ve ever met. Second, you know where the door is anytime you want to go.”
The tiger-woman shook her head. “Sadly, I’m stuck with you, forever I guess.” She brightened. “Or until you die. My species lives for a very long time. So perhaps I will be free again at some point.” Her delivery was almost good enough to hide the sarcastic edge.
Ruby sighed and opened a portal to a neutral location, in this case, the garage across the street from the house she shared with her roommates. Once in the building, they cast illusions to vanish their costumes and make themselves resemble—well, more or less themselves. The illusion she placed on Idryll made her look like the woman she’d gone dancing with, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. Morrigan appeared to be a generic youngish Mist Elf. Ruby accentuated her natural Mist Elf looks enough that no one would notice the resemblance to her human form. She flipped the probie token over in her hand. “Okay. Here we go.”
She opened another portal connecting the garage and the area inside the fence at the Desert Ghosts’ compound. Their arrival set off an alarm, and several people came out to investigate. She held up the coin and addressed the dwarf who’d given it to her. “The police are on the move in a half-hour. You told me y’all could be on the road fifteen minutes after you got the call, so now’s your chance to prove it.”
He grinned. “Okay, Dragon Lady, you’re on. Who are your friends, and where’s your bike?”
“They’re the same ones you’ve seen me with before.”
His eyes widened as he realized what she meant, and he nodded. “Then they’re welcome as your guests, of course.”
