by R. L. King
That was a good question. They couldn’t exactly take him down in the middle of a cocktail party. “Just…keep an eye on him. If all these places are fairly close to each other, it shouldn’t take us long to get there. If he tries to leave, follow him. But be careful, you two. He’s proven he’s a proficient mage.”
“Yeah,” Jason said. “And even though it seems like he’s not hurting the kids so far, he didn’t seem to have a problem with hurting you, Al.”
“He won’t catch me unawares again,” Stone said grimly. “I’m still a bit embarrassed about that.”
“Okay,” Amber said. “Sounds like we’ve got a plan. Come on, Jason—let’s go get ready.”
“But it’s still pretty early—” Jason began.
“Never too early to get started,” she said firmly, gripping his upper arm. She shot a significant glance at Stone. “We’ll see you two later, before we head out.”
Before Stone could protest, she’d steered Jason back toward the elevators, leaving him and Verity alone. Uncharacteristically, he felt suddenly uncomfortable. “So,” he said. “What time is your meeting tonight?”
“Eight. I’m meeting a couple of people for drinks at the hotel bar.” She seemed nervous too, not meeting his gaze. “One of them is somebody I met while traveling.”
“I see. And you’ve brought them ’round to your cause?”
Her eyes came up, then dropped again. “Yeah, sort of.”
He tilted his head. “Is something wrong, Verity? I know this is a bit…awkward after what happened, but I’ve been watching your aura. You seem disturbed about something. Is it because I’m here? I told you, I’m—”
“No,” she said quickly. “It’s not you. I really am glad to see you. All of you.”
“Is it something you’d rather not talk about? Something that’s not any of my business? If so, I’ll back off. I’ve got some things I need to take care of before tonight anyway.”
She appeared to be considering. She stared at her feet for several seconds, then glanced back up. “Can we take a walk outside?”
That wasn’t what he’d been expecting. “Er—of course.”
He let her lead him out the main entrance. She meandered through the courtyard, keeping a deliberate pace, and chose a walkway bordered by a low hedge.
Stone kept pace with her, saying nothing, content to let her speak when she was ready.
“I don’t think it’s working.”
“What isn’t working?”
She spread her hands. “Any of this. Not much, anyway. I’d say I hate to say you were right, but…I guess I kind of suspected you were all along. I just didn’t want to admit it.”
“I think I’m going to be needing a bit more before I can comment.” He kept his voice gentle, even though he suspected he knew what she was talking about.
“Just don’t say ‘I told you so,’ okay?”
“I’d never do that. You know that.”
“Yeah…I guess I do.” She picked up her pace a bit. “I’ve talked to a lot of people. Made some new friends, and seen a lot of the country I’ve never seen before, so those are good things.”
“But you’re not having much success persuading anyone to take up your cause.”
“No, I have. Some. But most of them are like me—younger mages who agree with me that we can get away with way too much stuff without anybody doing anything about it. I mean, this situation of yours is a good indication. This guy’s not only grabbing kids, but he’s experimenting on them. Using alchemy to try making magical babies. That’s…pretty unethical.”
“It is,” Stone agreed. “And we’re dealing with it.” He took a breath, considering how to continue. “The system’s working as intended, Verity. A mage gets up to something like this, and someone steps up to deal with him. I know, it’s messy and disorganized and perhaps not the best way to do it in a perfect world. But it’s working.”
“It’s not working yet,” she pointed out. “You haven’t caught this guy. And he nearly killed you.” Gently, she reached up and touched the back of his head. “All healed up, it looks like. Did you find another healer?”
“No, actually. All me this time.”
“But if you were really buried for three days—”
“Let’s not talk about that now, shall we? Are you really meeting with someone tonight? Do you have something planned for tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I didn’t lie—even if you didn’t catch me, Amber would have. But it’s not nearly as big as I’d hoped. I was picturing a huge auditorium full of people listening to me—or better yet, listening to somebody with more clout than I have. You know, agreeing that it was time to do something formal. As it is, though, it’s probably going to be a dozen people in a small conference room, and me trying to convince them before they all get drunk or wander off in search of a better party.”
Stone didn’t say “I told you so.” He wasn’t even thinking it, even though what she described was what he’d suspected would happen. Mages, as a whole, weren’t open to change, especially when that change didn’t benefit them directly. “I’m sorry,” was all he said.
She looked up, studying his face with an earnest, clear-eyed gaze. “I think you really are,” she said softly.
“Of course I am. The last thing I’d want is to see you hurt. Just because I had no intention of participating in whatever you set up doesn’t mean I didn’t wish you success. And you could still have it. You never know who might show up to listen to you. Perhaps this woman you’re talking about back East might be helpful.”
She looked away again. “She said she met you.”
“What?”
“The woman I met in Los Angeles. She said she met you. She and her friend came to ask for your help a few months ago.”
“Bloody hell.” He smiled in surprise. The magical world was indeed a small one. “I think I know who you’re talking about. If so, it’s quite possible you’ve stumbled onto someone who can actually help you. Her great-grandmother is…quite formidable, and very influential in her area.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t come up. I only met them briefly, and you were away.” He increased his pace again. “Anyway, best if we stick to the here and now at the moment. I’ve actually got some things I’d like to discuss with you, but not now. Perhaps when you return.”
“What kinds of things?”
“Ways you might have an easier time getting at least part of what you want. Ways I can help you. But I don’t want to say anything about them until you’ve had a proper go at doing things your own way. I don’t want to interfere.”
“You’d help me? Even though you don’t agree with me?”
“I do agree with this bit of it. This latest case has given me cause for some introspection…in several areas, in fact. But this isn’t the time to discuss any of them. Come on—we should head back. As I said, I’ve got some things I need to do before the party tonight, and you need to prepare for your meeting and spend more time networking. Talking to me won’t get you anywhere.” He chuckled. “You already know my thoughts.”
25
Stone, Amber, and Jason met in the lobby before heading to their respective parties. Activity had picked up throughout the evening as more attendees arrived, and now several groups of people, ranging from normally-dressed to outright eccentric, lingered in small groups or hurried through on their way to their various events.
“I can’t stress this enough—be careful,” Stone warned them. “I know he’s almost certainly got no idea what either of you look like, but we can’t be certain of that. If he knows we’re on to him, he might have done some research of his own. If you see him, or even think you see him, don’t try to take him down yourselves. Got it?”
Amber shrugged. “I’m not worried. I’ll spot him well before he spots me. I’ll try to do what you said, but no promises if he tries to get away. If this guy’s here, he’s going down.”
“Al’s right, though,”
Jason said. “Let’s not get cocky. We can do this if we do it smart.”
“Exactly.” Stone pulled out his phone and checked it. “Keep in touch every now and then—just a text every half-hour or so with an update. I don’t see a point in staying all night, though. If he’s there, he’s likely looking for people to network with.”
“Have you seen any of these portal people here?” Jason asked.
“Not yet. If any of them are here at all, they’ll probably be at my party. I think chances are better that he’ll locate someone who can put him in touch with one of them, and that widens our pool considerably.” He’d already given the two of them a few names and descriptions of mages he knew were acquainted with at least one portal expert.
“Okay,” Amber said. “Let’s do this. Is Verity okay?”
“She’s fine. She’s off at her meeting as far as I know, but she said to contact her if we needed help.” He met each of their gazes in turn. “Good luck. And once again: be careful. I’d rather let our man go and find him later than see him hurt either of you. There’s no guarantee you’ll survive what happened to me.”
“We got this, Al,” Jason said. He kissed Amber and headed off toward the ballroom where his party had already started.
Before she left too, Amber gripped Stone’s arm. “Take your own advice, okay? This guy’s probably gunning for you more than any of the rest of us.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve no intention of getting bashed over the head again. Besides, I know how good my disguise is. I doubt he’ll notice me even if he’s there.”
“Don’t let that get you overconfident, though.” She looked as if she wanted to say something else, but then grinned instead. “We’re still counting on you to bring the good wine to our housewarming—you know, if it ever happens.”
He returned the grin. “Absolutely. I’ve already got a few ideas.”
He watched her stride toward the main entrance, still smiling. She certainly did make a good match for Jason, and she’d fit into their little group almost as if she’d always been there. His smile faded as the automatic door closed behind her, though. He hoped he wasn’t sending one or both of them into something deadly.
No time to worry about that now, though: he had his role to play here too, and he’d best be getting on with it. He followed Amber outside and looked around for a cab.
The event was held in the private dining room of a mid-level Chinese restaurant a ten-minute cab ride from the hotel venue. Apparently the events’ organizers were keeping one of the features Stone remembered from the previous Symposium he’d attended: they chose affordable restaurants rather than posh ones. Mundanes might think all mages’ abilities translated into vast wealth, but more often than not it wasn’t the case. Many of them were either too eccentric, too reclusive, too lazy, or in some cases too arrogant to hold jobs in the mundane world. Also, the vast majority of mages possessed only relatively minor talent and had never formally trained it, meaning their magic was more of a side hustle than a central aspect of their lives as it was with Stone.
Stone noticed instantly that “party” was a definite misnomer when referring to this event. He entered the dining room and stood to one side, taking in the crowd. He’d arrived fashionably late (mostly because he wanted to give the rest of the attendees time to get there so he could look them all over at once), and currently he spotted perhaps thirty people in the room. They were split about evenly between the tables and the bar, and from a quick glance it seemed there was somewhere around a sixty-forty ratio of men to women. All of them held drinks, and Stone didn’t have to look at their auras to see that most of them looked awkward. From past experience he knew that would change as they talked more and got more lubricated, but magical scientists weren’t that different from mundane ones. They’d rather be working than chit-chatting.
He pulled out his phone and sent a quick group text to Jason and Amber: Arrived. All fine so far. After verifying they’d both read it, he stuck the phone back in his pocket and headed into the room.
For the next half-hour he circulated among the group with a drink in his hand. He’d examined the crowd both visually and aurically, and saw no signs of anyone who seemed nervous or apprehensive about being here. In fact, almost all the attendees appeared to know at least one other person. If the kidnapper or the fake doctor were here, they were well disguised. After his initial scan, Stone had chosen to deactivate his disguise amulet tonight, since if he planned to get any information from people here who knew him, he’d have to let them see him.
By the time everyone sat down and servers began bringing in large trays of food, Stone hadn’t had any luck locating anyone he was searching for. He was sure there were no portal experts in attendance (aside from himself, anyway), and he didn’t even spot any of the people he’d described to Jason and Amber. He’d been drawn into several conversations with colleagues he hadn’t seen for years, and only halfway listened to them as he continued to watch the entry door. But after another hour of picking at the lackluster Chinese food (which wasn’t improved by the fact that he wasn’t hungry after his late-afternoon meal with his friends) he reluctantly had to concede the evening was a bust. Nobody arrived late, and after everyone was seated the only people who entered the room were the servers. No mundanes even poked their heads in to see what the weirdos were doing back here.
He excused himself to go to the bar and sent another text to Jason and Amber: Nothing here. Going to head back to the hotel soon and see if I can find anyone in the bar. How goes it?
Nobody here either, Amber sent back. Been hit on four times, but that’s about as exciting as it gets here. Our guy’s definitely not here. These people wear way too much perfume.
Big group here, Jason sent. Lots of people drifting in and out. Still checking.
Need help? Stone sent. Your party sounds more exciting than mine.
Not yet. I’ll let you know.
I’m going to stay here a while longer, Amber sent. I see a few new people arriving.
Good luck, Stone sent. Must get back.
He stayed for twenty more minutes, allowing himself to be drawn into a brief discussion with a nerdy married couple who were trying to combine magic with technology to create a flying vehicle, so far with no success. A wave of nostalgia struck him as he remembered the magic-powered airships and mechanomagical innovations of New Argana on Calanar. He wondered what Trevor Harrison would make of these people, and thought once again about making a stronger effort to try reconnecting with the man. He still had a lot he could learn on Calanar, but the trouble was getting back. Unless he could contact Harrison and make use of the extradimensional Nexus to return at the same point he’d left, he’d have to use the same dangerous method he’d used before.
He excused himself from the couple, who had drawn two more enthusiastic participants into the conversation, left cash to cover the meal and tip, and drifted back out of the room. As he climbed into the back of his cab after carefully scanning the driver for anything unusual, he began to doubt his reasons for bringing Jason and Amber to the Symposium. His party was the most likely one for the kidnapper to attend if he was looking for portal help—assuming, of course, that Stone was even right that he was—and if he wasn’t there, he probably wasn’t schmoozing at cocktail parties or hanging out with a crowd of young mages. If it turned out coming here was a wild goose chase and he’d broken his promise to Verity over nothing, Stone had no other ideas about where to go next. He didn’t even know if the most recent kidnapped boy was their man’s latest victim. He fit a lot of the profile, but not all of it—mainly that he’d been gone for more than a week. Was the kidnapper merely becoming more cautious because he knew people were looking for him now, or was the kid a coincidence? He didn’t know.
The cab pulled up in front of the hotel and he got out, still considering his next move. He supposed he could check the bar as he’d told Jason and Amber. If nothing else, he could get a better class of drink than the cheap stuff they’d serve
d at the restaurant.
That idea proved to be not much help either, though, as the bar was nearly deserted. Stone spotted three small groups: one of older witches carrying on an animated conversation over glasses of wine while one knitted so quickly there had to be magic involved; one young couple staring so deeply into each other’s eyes that they could have been underwater and not realized it; and three young men in the back who looked like they were trying to see how drunk they could get. Stone wasn’t even sure the last group were mages.
He sighed, deciding to forego the drink. This trip was turning out to be pointless. He might be better off taking Jason and Amber back home and focusing on Gina’s internet investigations. She seemed to be coming up with more than they were.
He thought about crashing Jason’s party, but he didn’t feel like getting in the middle of a high-energy gathering right now. Perhaps he should go for a walk to clear his head, or…
He stopped, spotting a familiar, dark-haired figure seated in one of the chairs on the far side of the lobby. Her back was to him, her shoulders slumped as she stared into the unlit fireplace. She was alone.
For a moment, he hesitated. Whatever had happened tonight, it didn’t look like it had gone well. Did she even want to talk to him about it?
That didn’t last long, though. Whatever else ended up happening, he was first and foremost her friend. And she looked like she needed one right now.
“Verity?” he said softly, coming up behind her.
She started and twisted around in her chair to look up at him. “Doc. Didn’t expect to see you here. I thought you were at the magical nerd party.”
He chuckled. “That’s exactly what it turned out to be, and our man was nowhere in evidence.” He indicated the chair across from her. “May I?”
“Sure.”
“Finished your meeting already?” He kept his tone casual.
She snorted. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
“What’s that mean?”
