by TR Cameron
Her father said, “We’re looking into increasing the security presence at Spirits. The challenge is in finding trustworthy personnel.”
Grentham smoothly responded, “I know a company with a good reputation.” The rest laughed since they were all aware of the dwarf’s ownership stake in a security company.
Her father offered a thin smile in response. “Of course you do, Grentham. I don’t doubt you’ll be contacted by us to submit a proposal, and likely by several others in this room.”
Andrielle suggested, “Perhaps we should pool our resources to create a stronger negotiating position for us all. If we all hired the same company, we would be better able to keep an eye on their activities. To share information if anything seems strange.”
Bartrak, the representative of the hulking Kilomea, shook his head. His voice was a deep rumble. “It would stretch resources too thin, and we would be in competition for the best. Perhaps we should start our own shared security company instead.”
Ruby, who had returned to her chair, was entertained by the interplay of expressions on the Council members’ faces. She figured about a third of them were interested, another third dubious, and the remainder thoroughly against the notion. That group naturally included Grentham, who countered, “If you’re looking for a reliable company, you need look no further. We have the resources to improve the situation today and the ability to scale up quickly thanks to our contacts in both the magical and non-magical communities.” Her father had told her the dwarf was particularly fond of making that point, that his was the only one with owners from both planets.
Lord Maldren waited, but no one filled the silence for almost a half-minute. “All right then. Put that on the back burner. It seems to me that the will of this group is that each casino should undertake to preserve its security.” Nods came from around the table, some more reluctant than others. Clearly, despite their shared goal of keeping the city prosperous and safe, the various casino owners didn’t extend a great deal of trust to one another. Why would they? I’d find it hard to trust any of them, based on the little I know. I think that’s not a situation that improves with increased knowledge.
The leader continued, “Our other item of discussion is the proposal from Gabriel Sloane to purchase or lease land on the end of the Strip and build Ely’s first human-owned casino.” An uproar sounded from the other members, each of them impatient to get their views out and as a result talking over one another. He raised a hand. “I know we’ve discussed this before, and I’m aware you all are very much against it. Understandably so. However, a new factor has come into play. The human is threatening to invoke the local government, to suggest we are exclusionary.”
Grentham laughed darkly. “I don’t see a dwarven casino on the Vegas Strip just yet, and not for lack of trying.” Heads bobbed around the table, and Challen, who had remained mostly quiet, added, “Nor a gnome casino in Reno.”
While they were unable to unify on the question of security, they were very much of one mind against the idea of a human gaming company gaining a foothold in Magic City. The meeting broke up, and Ruby headed for her father’s side, only to be intercepted by the glowering dwarf. He said, “Listen, missy. If you hear any more about who was behind the kidnapping, let me know. It’s to my company’s benefit to get rid of anyone who’s making us all look bad. And that’s good for everyone.”
She nodded, thankful she’d been in disguise when she’d gone to rescue the Atlantean scion, and suddenly also grateful for the perception that she couldn’t have been involved since as a human she couldn’t do magic. Her hand lifted involuntarily toward the pendant that helped her maintain her illusion of humanity, and she turned it into an offer of a handshake. “Sure will. Count on me. My father has only positive things to say about your company.” That was laying it on a little thick, but he seemed mollified when he shook her hand.
“Very good.” He turned and stalked away, and she watched his retreating form, thinking hard. What’s your game, pal? I can’t quite see it yet, but I guarantee you, it’s not going to work out.
Chapter Six
With neither an invitation nor a desire to join Ruby at the Council meeting—as if her carrying a cat wouldn’t be notably strange in any case—Idryll had requested a portal to the surface before her partner had left. Now she crouched atop a two-story building, scanning the area with her senses. So far she’d become somewhat familiar with the Strip but not nearly as knowledgeable about the buildings that bordered it on the south side. To the north were mountains, and while residences and such held position on that side of the Strip, in her view it was much less likely she would wind up finding trouble there than on this side of Ely’s tourist destination.
She was in her tiger-woman form, that being the easiest one to navigate with. Since no one had ever seen her and Ruby together, it posed no risk of discovery. Her partner walked a fine line, choosing to become her city’s defender while still maintaining relationships with people she cared for. One slip would put those loved ones in danger. Masks would help, as would Ruby’s continuing disguise as human.
She laid on the rooftop and used her magic to create a shell that matched the surface's temperature. Moments later, the security drone she’d heard coming whipped overhead, hopefully failing to notice her. The city relied heavily on technology with cameras and surveillance drones aplenty. She hadn’t known what the drones were until Ruby had pointed them out, and had since spent time watching television when she was alone in the bedroom of the aboveground house to learn about the things she might not recognize in her new surroundings.
Idryll had seen stories about the police in their mechanical outfits, with their super-powered weapons for countering magical opponents. She also knew Ely had none of those specialists. Magic City wasn’t big enough to justify such a team. It was barely big enough to have a police force, even with big money in the casinos. She wondered if the Council had played a role in minimizing human authority in the city. If she were part of that group, she would feel motivated to do so.
She leapt from her building to the next, landing cleanly in a roll as she moved farther along the street, progressing far slower than she was capable of to get a sense of her new environment. All her forms shared heightened senses, and all of them had magical strength, speed, and stamina. While she doubtless appeared less threatening in this form than as a tiger, the truth was she could do equal amounts of damage with each. She flexed her hands, and the tiger’s claws extended from her palms, positioned directly under her fingers and lengthening inches beyond them. She used them to safely climb down the side of the structure, descending to street level. Her eyes could see almost perfectly in the darkness between pools of streetlight glow, and her ears were open for any hint of trouble. She was still sorting out the city's smells, determining what was normal and what was not. That was a work in progress and probably would be for some time as she attuned herself to this particular jungle. That was one of the reasons she’d decided on this midnight stroll.
She felt drawn toward something farther down the block, her instinct for danger twitching a warning. The street she walked was deserted, or else she would’ve stayed on the rooftops. The sight of her would doubtless spark fear in many of the humans she might encounter on her travels, and she had no desire to do that.
She stuck her head around the corner of a building to peer down another lane. A dim glow spilled out from a doorway, and hushed voices were barely audible. The words they used though, talking of figuring out what was most valuable and exhorting each other to hurry, suggested they were up to no good. She walked slowly toward it, keeping her senses open. The building had a sign on the front that said, “Pawn.” She’d seen a television show about those stores that bought and sold a variety of strange goods.
Her nose detected the scent of blood, and her eyes narrowed. Theft was one thing. Her concerns about property were minimal at best unless it was things valued by people she cared about. Hurting others was a different stor
y. She stayed in the shadows across the street but maneuvered until she could peer through the entrance. The broken front door hung from a hinge, which was what permitted the light to escape. A body lay crumpled on the floor a couple of feet inside, likely the source of the smell. Four figures moved within; the number confirmed both by the dim lights they carried and the individual voices. Three were visible, but a shelving unit hid the fourth.
She considered how to handle it. Killing them was out of the question since they hadn’t killed the person bleeding on the floor, judging by the sound of the figure’s sturdy heartbeat and occasional moans. Nor could she imprison them anywhere, even if she had a reason to do so. So I’ll have to involve the human authorities. Idryll looked up and down the road, and two doors away saw a store with a window behind a metal gate. She darted across the street, extended her claws and sliced through the barrier, then stabbed them into the glass to break it. She was sure that, like the security company, this business would have an alarm to summon the police. However, she wasn’t about to let them have the fun of taking down the criminals in the other building.
Idryll was through the door before the robbers knew she was there. The first shouted in surprise as she neared him but had no chance to defend himself against her attack. She kept her claws sheathed and delivered fast punches to his stomach, chest, and face. The light dropped from his hand and clattered on the floor as he stumbled backward, and she spun into a reverse hook kick, her heel colliding with his head an inch above his ear and sending him tumbling to the floor.
She’d kept her attacks mundane, not using her magic speed or power for fear of hurting her opponents more than she intended. It was a difficult thing to judge, figuring out how much of her potential strength to use. She sensed Ruby would not be happy leaving a trail of bodies behind them. While Idryll was more or less indifferent to the continued existence of those who would hurt innocents, there was something to be said for giving those who erred a chance to mend their ways and pay their debts to the ones they’d injured. Metal glinted in the beam of light as the nearest enemy pulled a knife from somewhere. It was as long as his forearm, with a serrated edge and a sharp point. Idryll retreated toward the door as she heard one of the others moving in that direction and laughed. “Oh no, you won’t get away that easily.”
The fourth one, still hidden from view behind the shelf, called, “What’s going on?”
The foe who’d been trying to escape had stopped, and he replied, “Some kind of lion creature thing. Damned magicals. Seems to think she can beat all of us.”
The man with the knife didn’t join in the conversation. Instead, he rushed ahead and stabbed at her with the weapon. She whipped her arm down in a block, striking his hand above the wrist and deflecting the arm off to her left. However, her opponent was cagey and had tossed the knife to his other hand an instant before her strike, releasing his flashlight to catch it. The blade snapped out in a fast slash, and only her quick dodge, throwing her hips off to the side away from it, kept her from serious damage. The weapon scored a shallow furrow in her flesh.
With a snarl, she lifted her leg and pistoned it out with another shift of her core, catching the man in the sternum with a sidekick that hurled him into a nearby wall of shelves. He landed on the floor, and the items for sale crashed down on top of him, along with their supporting wooden surfaces. Two down. The fourth man had emerged with a pistol in his hand. He fired, and she dove forward to her right, putting a set of shelves between them and offering the third man a clear path to the door. She leapt into the air over the barrier, using her magic to jump farther and faster than any human could, and although the man tried to track her movement with the gun, he wasn’t fast enough and his shots went awry.
She somersaulted in midair and crashed into her enemy with both feet extended, knocking him back against a wall. He was smart and coiled up so his head didn’t get smashed and immediately brought up his weapon for a counterattack. She bent over backward into a backflip, then let herself fall to the floor in a roll, avoiding his bullets. He cursed and quit shooting as his partner came in line with the gun as it followed her. The third man tried to punch her as she rose, but she blocked it and spun him around, positioning him directly between her and the fourth, then jumped and delivered a two-footed kick to his chest that propelled him back into his partner. This time the man with the gun didn’t protect his head, and it cracked off the back wall. He fell, and the pistol clattered to the floor.
Before the third man could reach it, she stepped up and grabbed him, channeling magical strength into her left side and arm to lift him and slam him back against the wall. She extended her claws slowly to ensure he could see them glistening in the dim light. “Do not think you can act with impunity in my town. Hurt my people, and you will get hurt yourself, in double measure.” She pulled back her claws before punching him, then ran for the street, scaling the building opposite and perching on the roof as the police arrived in their loud cars with the flashing lights.
She listened to their conversations as they took charge of the situation and heard two things of interest. The first was a confirmation that the shop owner, or whoever it was, was alive and likely to recover. The second came from one of the criminals who’d regained consciousness babbling about how when they got there, the door was wide open and the worker was already down, that it wasn’t planned, but rather a crime of opportunity. Idryll frowned, wondering why the door would’ve been open at night, and thought the situation might be part of something bigger and more interesting. She headed across the rooftops toward the Strip, seeking one of the many hidden ways into the kemana. Ruby will want to know about this.
Chapter Seven
The next morning, after Idryll shared what she’d seen at the pawnshop the night before, Ruby had to see it for herself. She hurried through showering and dressing, then headed for the surface. This time, the tiger woman came along, hidden behind an illusion until she could take to the rooftops. Her partner claimed she could avoid the cameras and the drones up there without a problem, and Ruby wasn’t about to start doubting the shapeshifter’s skills. She’ll probably smash them if they get in her way, being the subtle creature that she is.
She strode with a purpose toward the break-in’s location. Police tape cordoned off the street on both ends, and uniformed officers rerouted traffic to compensate. Three cars were pulled up outside the pawnshop with their lights off. Ruby spotted the sheriff’s hat first, then the rest of her, and walked up to shake Alejo’s hand. She’d pulled her dark hair back in its customary braid, but her dark eyes looked tired. “Long time no see, Sheriff.”
The other woman chuckled. “You’re like a bad penny, Ruby. You keep turning up.”
She shrugged. “Just lucky that way, I guess.” She took a step closer and lowered her voice. “I hoped you’d be here. I wanted to tell you that rumor on the street says one of the security companies in town may have been involved in the kidnapping attempt against the Chentashe family.”
The Sheriff’s face went blankly professional. “Source?”
Ruby gestured toward the air. “You know how information flows, drifts, lands for a while, and moves on. This is one of those situations.”
“Not much to go on.”
Ruby met that flat gaze with a small smile. It was the standard police game, fishing for knowledge without giving any back. “More than you had, I’m guessing.” She turned deliberately to face the wreckage of the shop’s front door. “Kilomea?”
The taller woman barked a laugh. “No, plain old thermal cord. Burned through around the lock. Not sure why they went after the top hinge, too. Maybe they thought that would be better, then realized the lock would be easier. Criminals.” She said it like they were the stupidest branch of humanity.
“What’s inside?”
“There was a fight. Some people got hurt. No one died.”
Thank goodness for that. “That’s a plus, anyway. Anything stolen?”
The sheriff groaned.
“Place like this, I’m not even sure how we’d know. It’s not exactly pristine inside these types of businesses on the best of days, and keeping a record of inventory is more an afterthought than an actual business practice.”
Ruby nodded. She was aware of the financial games played in the pawnshops, where they acknowledged maybe one out of five transactions. It was one of the darker features of living in a gambling town, and the Council kept a very close watch on the most nefarious of those looking to use others’ misfortune to their benefit. “Well, that’s kind of boring.”
The sheriff nodded. “Yep, another normal day in Magic City.”
Ruby turned to her with a laugh. “Okay, can we drop the nonsense now? Clearly there’s more to it or A) you wouldn’t be here, and B) the street wouldn’t be blocked off. Unless everything I’ve ever seen on cop shows has been a lie, there should be more activity here for collecting evidence or processing the scene or whatever.” She pointed a playful finger at the other woman. “You’re waiting for something.”
Alejo shook her head sadly. “Heaven save us from the inaccuracies of cop shows on TV. Ever since CSI came on the air, everyone thinks they’re an expert.” Their attention was caught by movement at the far end of the street where a black SUV had pulled up. The police officer blocking the way approached the driver’s window, then waved the vehicle on. “Then again, you’re not wrong. I have to say, I’ve never seen a case go federal as fast as this one.”
Ruby frowned. “Federal? Really? PDA?”
The sheriff shook her head. “Different group. Not sure of their name, just got the word they’d be coming down and we were to hold the crime scene for them.” She chuckled. “I hope it’s Dralen Caruso. He’s the cutest investigator ever.”
