by Ben Reeder
“I can try to do that,” I said, my stomach suddenly unknotting in relief.
“Good. I’m glad to see you and all, but you’ve got to know, one of them is planning something, and I don’t think the others know about it. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think it’s good. All I can get is a sense of greed. But if you can break their hold over the circle, I think I can help you restore the souls to their bodies. We just have to…wait…someone’s sensed what we’re doing. Get out of here until you’re ready to fight back.” At the far end of the table, I could see a crystal glow brighter, then another.
“I’ll be back for you, Des,” I said. “I promise I won’t let you down.”
“I know,” she said, and the staticy face smiled. “You don’t have it in you.” The sheet of energy went blank, and I dismissed the spell, then pulled my hands away.
“Ren, stay sharp, someone might be coming,” I said as I hustled around the table, some instinct warning me to avoid the brightening crystals. I had pictures of almost everything in the room, but I still wanted to record what was on the desk.
Thick sheets of vellum were laid out on the writing desk, and I tried to snap pictures of each one. Even without reading the words, I could guess what they were by the way they were laid out: contracts. But I doubted they were offering their own souls in exchange for a damn thing. Once I had pics of the whole desk top, I turned my attention to the raised section at the front. Inkwells and nib pens were scattered across the top, and blank pieces of vellum lay in the empty space below it. I reached below the edge of the desk and pulled. A wide, shallow drawer slid open, and I looked down to see a revolver laid atop sheets of paper and pens. On instinct, I grabbed the gun and looked it over careful to keep the barrel pointed at the ceiling. It was a pretty standard model, and the cylinder swung out when I hit the release just above the trigger. The six rounds fell out into my waiting hand, and I dropped one into my pocket, then closed the cylinder back up and set it as close to where I found it as I could.
“Someone just came in through the tunnels,” Ren hissed. “They’re between us and the doors.”
“Time to go,” I said. I hustled to the door and then went past the trap door that went down into the supply room. Set in the far wall was a small window. That was my way out.
“Are you crazy?” Ren hissed as I crouched next to the little white painted frame and pulled out my wand. “Those windows haven’t been opened since…well, before the turn of the last century, I think.”
“Libero porta,” I whispered as I moved the wand in a tight circle. Chips of paint and puffs of dust erupted around the edges of the window, and I tucked my wand away.
“Wizard,” I said as I pulled the bottom frame up.
“More like an apprentice. It’s still another two stories to the ground. Unless you’re a sprite, too, you’re still kinda screwed.”
I put one leg out the window, then leaned my body out and felt along the rough stone wall for what I wanted. It didn’t take long before my fingers found an inch-wide ledge to grab onto. “Nope, still a wizard.” I swung out, holding my weight on my fingertips as I reached for the next handhold, this one much easier to see. Then I was in range of the thick conduit pipe that ran electricity to the building. It ran up the side of the building from the top of the breezeway that connected the halls together. Another conduit led to the roof of the next building, and I used it to climb to the roof, then ran across and used the one on the far side to climb down. It was a slow process, but I repeated in once more before I jumped to the ground and sprinted toward the door of Jefferson Hall. As I went, I dropped the other five bullets from the revolver in the grass. Ren flew ahead, and when I reached the door, he had it pushed open an inch to let me in. Junkyard was waiting with him, his tail wagging to greet me.
“Here, take this, and bring it to me after lunch,” I said as I handed him the last bullet and my cell phone. He flew off without a word, and I sprinted for the stairwell. I made it up the stairs and across the hall without running into anyone. In the gray predawn light, Hoshi was sprawled across his bed, a manga book next to one hand, mouth open and drooling a little. I figured at least a third of the girls on campus would think he was too cute for words. I wished I could just let him sleep in. It was Sunday, the one day for just that. But someone had attacked my sister less than twenty-four hours ago, and I had just found the lair of the people behind it. And I had seen the contracts on the table. All thirteen of them. Whoever was behind this had a full coven of warlocks behind them. I was in deeper than I had originally thought.
“Hoshi,” I said as I kicked the side of his bed. His eyes snapped open and he sat up halfway as he tried to focus.
“I roll to evade,” he slurred. “Where’s my dice?”
“Wake up,” I told him. “I need your help.”
Chapter 17
~ Prepare the field of battle to your own needs, even if the terrain is not of your own choosing ~ Mongomery M Wilhoit, War Mage of the Revolutionary Army.
Stewart and Rebecca were sitting together at lunch, the house power couple holding court at the cool table near the front of the cafeteria, right next to the soda fountain. The usual snickers and sly looks started up as I approached, but they didn’t last long. On cue, someone got up and went to the soda machine, effectively blocking it for a moment. But when I veered toward Stewart, there was a moment of silence.
“Here to whine about something, thug?” one of the guys at the table said.
“No, I imagine he hears enough of that from you,” I said. A low “Ooooh,” drifted up from the table, and Stewart glared daggers at the offender. Undeterred, the guy got up and tried to loom over me.
“You got a problem, charity case?” the guy said. He had a good four inches on me, and probably twenty pounds. But his hands were soft and his stance was so far forward that he was almost off balance.
“No,” I said, letting a little frost creep into my voice. “Why? Did you want one?”
The guy leaned back a little at my tone. “Don’t push me, Fortunato,” he said. “Or I’ll kick your ass.” He took a step as if to go around me, but his shoulder ‘accidentally’ hit mine. I moved with it, and he stumbled a little before he moved on.
“What’s up, Chance?” Stewart said when I turned to him.
“I was hoping to be able to talk to my brother tonight,” I said. “I need his help.”
Stewart’s eyes narrowed. “I can arrange that. Is it true what some people are saying?”
“No,” I said. “I don’t have a tail. Or horns.”
“That you’re really helping out the Sentinels,” he said.
“You know I couldn’t say anything if I was,” I told him.
“Come on, Chance,” he said, leaning forward. “They attacked me, too. It isn’t like we’re not in this together. Brother to one.”
“Brother to all,” I finished. I leaned down and lowered my voice. “Okay I may have offered them some advice a couple of times, but it isn’t like they exactly trust me, okay? That’s why I need my brothers to back me up. I’ll lay it all out tonight, I promise. There’s just a lot I can’t go into in the open. Not everyone can be trusted, you know?”
He nodded and gave me a knowing smile. “We’ll take care of it.”
“I knew I could count on you,” I said as I straightened and walked away. Hoshi caught up to me in the stairwell.
“So, does the Ninja Mage Detective Agency have a special badge or something?” he asked. “Or do we all wear the same kind of hat but in different colors?”
“There’s a company trench coat,” I said. “And you need to do something crazy with your hair.”
“Hey, my hair is perfect.”
“I know. It isn’t fair. So, are we good?”
“Team Ninja Mage Detective is ready.”
“Good,” I said as I opened the door to our room. “Now all I have to do is make a couple more surprises, and we’re set.” Ren was already inside, lounging against Junkyard.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Hoshi asked. “There are a dozen Sentinels on campus. I’m sure they could handle this.”
“Sentinels are great soldiers, but what they know about Infernal magick wouldn’t fill a thimble halfway. And these people are probably on a par with most Council members for sheer power. So yeah, they might be able to handle these warlocks, and they might be able to stop what they’re trying to do. But I guarantee you, it would be a coin toss, and even if they did win, there would be a lot of dead Sentinels.”
“And we’re going to do better with a bunch of half-trained students?”
“No,” I said. “I’m going to do better with a bunch of half-trained students, a sprite and a demon trained warlock…and a clever plan.”
“Oh, well, we have a sprite. That’s a game changer.”
“Don’t forget the clever plan,” I said.
“How could we possibly lose? Seriously, why are you the one who has to fix this?”
“Because the Sentinels don’t know how to restore the souls of the victims. Now, I need to make a phone call, then get to work on a couple of things.”
It was almost dark by the time I got everything done. I tucked my focuses into my jeans pocket and handed Hoshi a sheet of paper with his part of things outlined on it.
“Why am I doing this again?” he asked.
“Because, no matter what, you know it’s the right thing to do.”
“Damn, is a little more light-hearted banter too much to ask?” Hoshi said.
“Not any more,” I said as I headed for the door. “I need you serious, focused, and on task.”
Hoshi swallowed and got to his feet. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Team Ninja Mage Detective, for the win, right?” I held up a fist.
“For the win,” he said and rapped his knuckles against mine.
Junkyard and Ren followed me out the door and down the stairs. Tonight, Junkyard wore his harness and pack, and Ren buzzed above him. As we made our way across the quad, Ren banked right and ended up flying beside me. His wings weren’t glowing, and he carried what looked like long knitting needles in his belt.
“Here, you better have some of this,” he said as he fished something out of his pouch. He handed me two foil wrapped lumps.
“What is it?”
“We call it tanwuud,” he said with a shrug. “It means fuel for the body, or body fuel. It’s pemmican with an herbal extract that cranks your body up to eleven and gives it the fuel it needs to do it all at once. For non-sprites, we usually don’t give more than a couple of doses like I just gave you.”
“Is it addictive?”
“Only if you take too much of it. And then…not for long. The human body can’t handle being cranked up that high for very long.”
“Got it. Take sparingly, if at all. How long does it last?”
“About an hour. Please, promise you’ll be careful with it.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on taking it unless I really have to. But I also know me…odds are good I will. You know what to do on your end.” I stopped and went to one knee so I was on a level with Junkyard. “You go with Ren, buddy. Take care of him, and stay safe, okay?” He let out a short bark, then licked my chin.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him,” Ren said. I stood and nodded, letting them head their way without another word. It was time to get this party started.
Stewart was waiting next to a boat by the lake, his cloak over his arm. “I’m glad you’re finally going to let us help out with this,” he said as the boat slid off the shore. He pointed to a bundle in the bow of the boat, and I found an extra cloak and a sword. I pulled my mask from my pocket and put it on, then slid the cloak around my shoulders. Stewart guided the boat around the southern tip of the island, and a row of boats parked on the bank came into view. We slid to a stop at one end of the row and got out. I let Stewart lead the way to the meeting place, and found myself amidst the masked group of the Shadow Regiment again.
“Brothers,” Stewart said as soon as we reached the gathering. “The way…is not safe. We’ve known this for some time this semester, but we’ve been able to do damn little about it. Tonight, that changes. One of our brothers comes to us seeking aid in fighting this evil! Will we fulfill our vows?”
A ragged chorus of “Aye!” answered, and I stepped up beside Stewart.
“Someone has been attacking our fellow students,” I said. “We all know someone who was taken at homecoming. Up until now, we’ve been powerless to fight them because they always struck from hiding.” A low murmur rose at that. “We didn’t know who they were, and we didn’t know how to fight them. But now…now I know enough to let us take the fight to them.”
“Do you know who they are?” someone asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I know two names. One is Josie Hart, the girl we were told was missing at the start of term. The other,” I said, then paused to get control of myself. “The other walks among us, right now.”
“Who?” several voices demanded.
“One of the Shadow Regiment?” another member demanded.
“You’re gonna need some proof,” Stanwicke said, his voice and hair giving away his identity. In my pocket, my phone hummed, the first part of my plan coming together a few seconds late.
“Oh, I’ve got proof,” I said as I pulled the phone out of my pocket. “Right here, though it’s proof by absence. See, a few nights ago, I snuck into an abandoned room. Josie Hart’s old room, to be exact. She kept a visual record of the victims, past and future. And first off, I saw the photo of Leonard Cargill. But no picture of Josie. I saw pictures of almost every other victim, except one.” Silence fell as I turned to face the culprit. “Stewart Hampton.” A gasp went up at that, and Stewart scoffed.
“You’re out of line, Chance,” he said. “I was attacked just like the others.”
“That’s what it looked like, at first,” I said. “But the deeper I looked, the less it was like the others. See, first, you’re not on their victim shrine, and second, all of the other victims were talented in some way. Either strong in one element, powerful empaths or just strong mages in general. But you and Josie…you were mediocre at best. Neither of you fit the pattern. And I saw the circle they used to attack you. It was never designed to take your soul. Sure, it might have hurt a little, but you were never in any real danger. Was it supposed to get me to trust you or something?”
Stewart took a step back and flung the hem of his cloak aside and brought up his wand. The tip glowed red, and I could feel the noisome power being funneled into it. “You idiot,” he said as he took another step. “That wasn’t about gaining your trust, it was to get you to show us how you would defend against our attacks. And you did exactly what we wanted you to do. You showed your hand, and now we can blast our way through your defenses.” He pointed the wand at me and uttered something ugly sounding. A black beam lanced out of his wand and hit me in the chest like an elephant on steroids, sending me sailing through the air.
I got to my feet, my movements slow and deliberate, and faced a wide-eyed Stewart.
“How…you can’t be…” he sputtered. “We neutralized your defenses!”
I looked down at the glowing red blood ward on my chest, then back at him. “I got new defenses. Now, let’s try yours out. Ictus!” The kinetic bolt shot across the clearing, but not before Stewart got a shield of his own up. My spell shattered his protection ward like glass and sent him to the edge of the clearing, twice the distance he’d sent me.
“You broke your oath, Stewart,” I said as he tried to get to his feet. “That carries consequences. Your magick is broken. You were never that strong to begin with, and you didn’t take the time to master technique.” He scrambled to his feet as I walked toward him. “It was all there in your files.”
“I’m a Hampton!” he yelled. “I deserve power, I was bred to it! Not some entitled nobody from a tainted bloodline. And not some pampered little shit like Lodge! There wa
s no way he should have been stronger than me!” He flung a fire bolt at me, but it splattered against my telekinetic shield like a bug.
“It’s over Stewart,” I said. “Shadow Regiment, we have been betrayed by one of our own. Stand with me.”
“It isn’t that simple,” another voice said from behind me. I turned to see five of the Regiment facing off with the other seven. Fortunately, there were more white wands than there were red ones, but the nasty surprises weren’t over. Another person had stepped into the clearing, and her wand was also glowing red. “I never made that promise. My magick is intact. And you know how powerful those souls make us.”
“Ginger?” Lance said, his voice high and wavering. “You can’t be part of this baby.”
“Don’t ‘baby’ me,” Ginger sneered. “I have bigger dreams than taking your last name. I’m twice as powerful as you’ll ever be.” Her wand moved, and a red bolt screamed across the clearing to hit Lance in the chest and send him flying into the brush.
“Highwaymen, fall back!” I yelled as more bolts flew. Most went wide as the rest of the Regiment figured out that their shield spells were no match for what they were facing. Only one made contact, and it was a glancing blow, but it was still powerful enough to knock its target flying.
“Ictus latior!” I yelled. As the wide TK blast plowed into the line of false Highwaymen, I plunged into the brush. A few steps in, I found Lance clutching his chest but still struggling to his feet. I sent another bolt behind me as I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to his feet. He cried out, but he stumbled along with me. The other six Highwaymen were staggering to the boats and pushing off.
“Come on, Lance, I need you to drive,” I said as I helped him into the nearest boat. “Head for the Grotto,” I told him as we slid back into the water. With our three boats out, I sent a series of bolts across the water and splintered the two remaining boats on the shore. “Head for the Grotto!” I yelled across the water to the other boats.
