by CM Raymond
“All I’m asking is for tonight.”
Parker nodded. He picked up the unconscious guard’s gun and handed it to Hadley. “This is a start. Let’s go get some more.”
Marcus headed off to the opposite end of the long rooftop and squatted at its edge. The other two approached as quietly as possible. Just below them, a single Guard leaned against the wall, enjoying a late-night smoke without a care in the world.
The men scrambled back to assess the situation.
“That’s the door,” Marcus said. “Just one to take out and we’re in.”
Parker watched Marcus watch the man. Everything in him wanted to trust the man who had saved Julianne’s life, but it still didn’t feel right. He was an outsider—worse, he was a Capitol Guard suddenly turned rebel.
He exhaled and glanced over at Hadley. “What do you think?”
“Me?” he whispered. “I’m just wondering what that big ass building is next to the armory.”
The adjacent structure was attached to the armory by a covered walkway, making the two buildings virtually one. Its windows were shaded, but the light from magitech torches lit the place up, and shadows of men moved around inside.
Marcus grinned. “Yeah… that is the barracks.”
“What the…” Parker’s voice creaked as Hadley held up a hand to silence him.
The mystic tilted his head in Marcus’s direction. “Now, why in the name of the Matriarch and the mystics’ brew might you think that it would be a good idea to go after the weapons stored in the building attached to the place where the whole damned Guard sleeps?”
Marcus narrowed his eyes in the direction of the building. “Not the whole Guard. Just a couple dozen. Half of ‘em are probably on duty right now.” He paused, as Parker stared in disbelief. “I know it sounds unlikely, but this one is probably the easiest to steal from. Just one guard at the door. They don’t think they need more than that.”
Hadley smiled. “I don’t know if you’re a traitor or a mole, but you sure are stupid.”
“Maybe,” Marcus said. “But I heard you guys were crazy like this. I thought you could pull something like this off. And… you gotta admit, it’ll be a kick in the ass to Adrien and his commanders when they find out that we grabbed the magitech from right under their noses!”
Parker shook his head and thought of Hannah’s warning. This was precisely the kind of risk that she was warning him against taking, and she would be livid if she knew that her old friend from the Boulevard was even considering such an insane mission. His mind ran in circles as he tried to determine the best solution. They could of course double back, try another location—one more heavily guarded, but not in the bedroom of the Capitol Guard. Or, they could return empty handed, which wasn’t happening.
Finally, he decided they should do what Hannah herself would do. “We’re going in.”
Marcus grinned. “That’s my man!”
“No. I am certainly not,” Parker coughed. “I’m going to keep an eye on you, one false move and you’re done.” He waved his magitech spear. “I’ll skewer you like an autumn swine.”
“Fair enough,” Marcus said, still smiling. “But when we come back to the tower loaded down with weapons, I’ll expect at least a thank you.”
Parker couldn’t help but smile. “If we get out of here alive, I’ll be doing backflips for you.”
Hadley turned and slid down the wall to sitting. Looking up at the others, he asked, “What’s the play?”
“You can make me look like someone else, like Julianne did for herself, right?” Marcus asked.
Hadley laughed. “Yeah, with ten more years of meditative practice and a whole lot of luck. There was a reason she was chosen to be the master mystic, and it wasn’t her good looks.”
Marcus shrugged. “Couldn’t have hurt. What can you do?”
“Alter one’s appearance. Simple disguises, that sort of thing.”
“Can you make me ten pounds thicker and have an enormous handlebar mustache?”
“Um… yeah. But what the hell are—”
Marcus dropped his outer cloak and stood before Hadley and Parker in his Capitol Guard uniform. “I think I can make this happen.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
On street level, Marcus turned and faced a glass storefront around the corner from the armory. In the dim magitech streetlight, an image looked back at him, but it wasn’t his own.
A man with a dozen extra pounds, a few years’ worth of wear, and a perfectly rolled handlebar mustache looked back at him.
Marcus had been on patrol outside of Arcadia for eighteen months before his sudden return. The son of a nobleman, he was, naturally, expected to go to the Academy and learn magic—at least to be tested for his aptitude.
But days of listening to lectures and playing with card tricks was less than attractive to him, and he thought that a tour in the Capitol Guard might just give him the break from the nobleman’s life that he was looking for.
After only a few months, he was out of Arcadia and riding the edges of the Madlands, always on another fool’s errand for Adrien or the Governor, and usually pushing the boundaries of the moral compass developed in him by his mother.
Seventeen months and change in the field and Marcus was sent back to Arcadia. He had disobeyed a direct order to stand by while remnant raided a nearby village—standing by while others were in danger was never something Marcus was good at.
But he was pretty sure that his captain, Captain Dickstache—as Marcus was fond of calling him—was just waiting for any reason to get rid of him.
The Captain was good at leading the dirty work, and sometimes he actually made the questionable assignments downright evil. He got his nickname because he had a perfectly manicured handlebar mustache that he would twirl as he glared down his noses at peasants in the countryside—and because he truly was a dick.
Just before fleeing the city, Marcus heard that Dickstache was on his way back to Arcadia—that Adrien himself was putting the Captain over the troops to whip them into shape and bring the streets back to order. Which, in Marcus’s mind, was a brilliant move. Captain Dickerson—his actual name—was a perfect choice.
He wouldn’t take any shit from his guards and would always be ready to compromise for his commanders.
Marcus knew the man well, and it was knowledge he was now trying to put to some good use.
Not perfect, Marcus admitted to himself as he looked at his altered reflection, but he hoped that Hadley had given him enough to be able to fool the sleepy guards in dim lighting. Hell, the Captain was new in town. If they got lucky, they might just pull it off.
He glanced over his shoulder just as Hadley’s eyes were turning from white to their normal color. “Not bad.”
“I know.” He pointed at Parker, who looked like a slightly altered version of himself. “How about him?”
“Still an ugly bastard.” Marcus grinned. “Should work. I guess. He was the recognizable mug in this town a few weeks ago, thanks to your anti-Prophet shenanigans. But now—” he shrugged, “—well, people forget quickly!”
“Thanks,” Parker said. “Dick.”
Marcus raised a brow. “It is Captain Dickstache to you, Guard. Let’s get that straight.”
Hadley stifled a laugh as he and Parker fell in line behind Marcus who was turning the corner toward the rear entrance of the armory. Biting his lip, he returned to his focused posture. He wasn’t Julianne, and he realized full well that he’d have to concentrate to maintain the three disguises at once.
“Stop right there,” the sole guard stationed at the door said as he rose to attention. Unslinging the magic rifle from his shoulder, he held it out in front of him. “Who goes?”
Marcus cleared his throat. “At ease, Guard.”
“Captain Di… Dickerson?” The guard’s eyes narrowed, trying to make out the approaching figure with the full mustache.
“Who the hell else would be even allowing you to stand at ease? Damn kid, what’s
your name, anyway?”
The tip of the rifle shook in tandem with the young guard’s hands. “Lewis, sir. From…”
“Don’t want your damn pedigree, Lewis.” Marcus swatted his hand in the guard's direction. “And don’t point that damn thing at me.” Nodding at the magitech, he said, “In fact, hand it over. That’s what my men and I are doing here tonight. The Chancellor asked me to inspect each and every one of our weapons. Got a load of unstable amphoralds from the Heights last month and apparently, the damn things have been blowing up in people's faces.”
Marcus stretched out a hand, palm up, waiting for Lewis to comply. Parker held his breath, his heart racing faster than it ever had. The kid looked from Marcus to Hadley and then over to Parker. His eyes wandered the lines of his face, and Parker was afraid that he had been made.
Finally, the kid looked back to his Captain and handed over his rifle. “No idea the things could explode,” he said with a twitch.
“No shit; none of us did.” Marcus inspected the weapon, not really knowing what he was looking for. “But one went off last week and damn near blew some guys face off. Ugly son of a bitch might have been better off after the accident.” Marcus laughed, and the other three joined in a beat after. Stopping, he said, “Yep. Looks like this thing is a bad one. I’ll just hold on to her for you.”
“Hell, thanks, Captain.” The guard shook his head, eyes still on the weapon. “Can’t imagine if the thing went off on me.”
Hadley cleared his throat. “Sir, the others.”
“Ah, of course. Thanks, Had… Harry. Lewis, I assume you can handle half a shift without a rifle sitting on your shoulder? Defend these buildings the way we did it in the old fashion days? With nothing but your fists and a bit of courage.”
The guard nodded like an idiot. “Yes, sir. I sure can. Imagine I’m safer this way than I would have been holding that thing.” He nodded at the magitech again.
“Damn straight you are. If it were up to me, I’d get rid of the whole damn lot of them. But hell, I guess with the old man back and his little magical piece of tail, we better be as careful as we can.” Marcus slammed the guard on the back with his big, open palm. “Nice work son.”
The guard stood, eyes wide, transfixed by his superior. After an awkward silence, he nodded as quickly as Marcus spoke. “Yeah, Captain. I got it.”
“Good man. I’ll make sure we take care of you someday. Now, remember, stay out here and keep your eyes peeled. But do not, for any reason, come into that damned armory. One of those things blow, the rest will follow, and we need all the soldiers like you that we can get. Hear me?”
The young guard nodded again as Marcus turned for the door with Hadley and Parker on his heels. As it slammed behind them, the men exhaled a mutual sigh of relief. The trick had worked, at least for the moment.
Magitech lights flashed to attention and filled the space with a blue glow and their familiar hum. The armory was deceptively large inside—bigger than any of them would have ever imagined. Racks and racks of common hand weapons—swords, maces, knives, and spears—covered the walls. But their eyes cut to the opposite end, where the magitech was carefully arranged in a floor to ceiling case.
As they walked toward the case, Marcus whistled. “Shit,” he said. “They’ve been busy.” Stopping at the cabinet, he picked up a weapon that had the luster of a newly made piece of technology. It looked like it had never even seen the light of day. “There wasn’t a third of these the last time I was here.”
Parker lifted one and turned it over in his hand, testing its balance. His eyes narrowed. “So, even without the factory workers that Karl broke free, they’re turning out more tech than ever before.”
“Makes sense,” Hadley added. “I mean, now that Adrien’s airship is done, they can focus on these again. I think they know that firepower is going to be necessary. At least they’re not taking us lightly.”
At this, Marcus laughed. “You think these are for us? Adrien’s goal is not to make sure his little lair inside the walls of Arcadia is safe and sound. His gaze is beyond us and the tower. A madman like that wants it all.”
“All?” Hadley asked.
“Yeah. All of Irth.” Marcus patted him on the shoulder. “All those folks back at the tower, they’re looking to regain their home.” He paused and shrugged. “And I can respect that. But some of us, your old wizard friend included, have a little bit more on our minds. We’re looking to stop the world’s worst year ever.”
Hadley’s mouth dropped open. He scanned the cabinets, and then his eyes grew wide. “We need to destroy these.”
Shaking his head, Parker said, “No. We’re staying on mission. It’s a good idea, but we need to stick to the plan. Today we arm ourselves, maybe tomorrow we set this place on fire and watch them burn. We try to sabotage, we risk not getting out with the arms.”
“He’s right,” Marcus said. He slung the magitech he stole from the guard over his shoulder. “You guys choose the weapons. Remember, we have all kinds of people back at the tower, so don’t just go with the biggest, badass guns. Mix it up a bit.”
Marcus turned and started to walk away until Parker stopped him. “Where the hell are you going?”
Holding his hands up with palms out, he replied, “Just going to get some gear bags. We gotta carry as much shit out of here as possible—while also climbing across rooftops.”
Parker glanced at Hadley, who gave a little shrug. “All right. Don’t go far.”
“Just in the side walk-in storage. Be right back.”
As the footsteps faded off to their right, Hadley and Parker started handling all kinds of magitech, sorting them into three piles.
“Shite, this one’s cool,” Hadley said, heaving an over-sized barrel off the bottom shelf. He turned it over, inspecting its design. He tried to hold it up like the Hunter’s blasters he’d seen on the streets of Arcadia, but its weight made it nearly impossible.
Parker glanced up and laughed. “That damn cannon goes on your shoulder.”
The mystic’s head snapped back in surprise. “Me want.”
Grinning, Parker quipped, “Not this one; not this time. We need quantity. You’d hardly be able to get that cannon back over the wall, let alone carry five more.”
“I dunno, they say I’m pretty good with my cannon.”
Parker glanced at Hadley’s crotch. “That peashooter.”
Placing the enormous weapon back on the shelf, Hadley laughed again. “Pee shooter. I get it. Clever.”
“There they are,” a voice echoed through the hall, spoiling the mood.
Hadley and Parker turned to find Lewis, the young guard who was manning the door, standing next to a large man with a perfect handlebar mustache… and it certainly wasn’t Marcus.
****
Captain Dickerson’s magitech rifle was big—not as big as the cannon Hadley had just returned to the bottom shelf in the Arcadian armory, but big nonetheless, and he held it with the steady hand of a man who knew how to use it.
Should have trusted my instincts, Parker grumbled to himself as he raised his hands. Eyes cutting to the door, he wondered if Marcus would have the balls to show himself after turning them in to the Capitol Guard. Likely not. Cowards always have a way of not looking in your eyes after they stab you in the back.
“Why, hello boys. Taking stock of our magitech, are we?” He raised an eyebrow, and the right corner of his mouth turned up slightly almost into a grin. “I just got into town not long ago. I think Adrien is going to be pleased as a pig in shit when I bring him a couple rebels caught red-handed.”
Parker laughed. “Rebels? Us? You must—”
“Save it, dipshit,” Dickerson interrupted. He pointed his thumb at Lewis. “I’m smarter than this guy, that’s for sure, and I’ve been around the block a few times, too.” He glanced around the room. “Pretty ballsy trying to break in here. I gotta say, I almost respect that. Now, hands behind your heads.”
Parker complied as he looked at H
adley doing the same. He hoped that the mystic had enough juice left in him to create some imaginary dragons or something, but from the looks of things, his mystic friend was out of juice from maintaining the disguises.
The Captain told Lewis to grab two sets of the magitech shackles from a rack on the other side of the room, but kept his weapon trained on them the whole time. He sniffed hard through his bulbous nose and gave it a rub with his thumb. “Imagine my surprise when I walked up, and Lewis here told me that Captain Dickstache was in the armory.” He laughed. “Kid turned white as a ghost when I told him I was Dickerson. Not sure who was more surprised, him or me!”
“How’s this for a surprise, dickhead?”
All three heads swiveled toward the walk-in storage door to find Marcus, looking like himself, standing with the guard’s magitech gun. Before the Captain could respond, Marcus landed a thick blue stream of energy on his chest, knocking him across the room unconscious.
“What the—” Lewis stood, jaw dropped, holding the magitech cuffs.
Marcus put a finger to his lips and whispered a shh to the kid. “Don’t freak out, Lewis. If you stay with the Guard, you’re going to see a lot more of that before the revolution is over. Now, be a team player and snap those cuffs on yourself. We’re giving you a pass tonight. If I see you again in that uniform, you can bet your ass you’ll get a taste of what Dickerson got. Understood?”
Nodding, the guard snapped the cuffs in place, and they hummed with the power held in the amphoralds.
“Good,” Parker said, crossing the room. “I’m sorry, but this is going to sting a bit.”
Lewis cocked his head, unsure of what Parker meant until he swiped his spear across the kid’s skull, knocking him unconscious.
Nodding, Hadley said, “We better get the hell out of here before somebody comes and finds the mess we made.”
The men packed up as many weapons as the bags could carry and slid out the back door of the armory, lights clicking off behind them. Following the same path they had entered by, they silently made their way back to the spot on the Arcadia wall where they had first breached the city. Crouching, they waited for the signal from Parker’s team. He held his breath, fearing the worst may have happened.
